Corina Johnston, Labour Party Local Area Representative has welcomed the installation of a much needed defibrillator in Portrane.Johnston said; “I am very pleased that a defibrillator has now been installed in Portrane especially as it can save the life of a person who has gone into Cardiac Arrest. The need for a defibrillator and signage in the area was first raised with me by a resident in Portrane during the first Covid lockdown in 2020. I discussed this locally and it was decided to go ahead and provide one. “Johnston added; “Liam Grogan, the owner of Grogan’s supermarket immediately agreed to locate the defibrillator within the shop, and for a notice to be erected on the outer wall. A local printer offered to do the design and print work the result of which is now on display in Grogan’s, The Brook and Pipers Take Away. “Johnston continued; “An outdoor display and information session on CPR and on the operation of a defibrillator took place on the Portrane Green. This was attended by a number of local people who were very impressed with the presentation. It was agreed that further sessions would be arranged in the coming months and the public will be invited.”Johnston said; “A huge debt of gratitude is due to the resident who initially raised this issue with me and to the Grogan family who have provided the premises . Also to Gerry Neville, our paramedic who presented the course, Jack Caverly, our printer ,Tom Kennedy the engineer for the occasion and to Sean Ryan. Without them, the defibrillator would not have been installed at least at this moment in time.”Johnston concluded; “In view of the potential benefit of a defibrillator where large numbers of people gather I firmly believe that all public houses, supermarkets ,our beaches and all sports facilities should be required to install one on their premises. I intend to pursue this objective vigorously.”

What to do if you come across someone in a Cardiac Arrest.
1 Call 999 or 112
2 Start CPR
3 Ask someone to get Defibrillator if nearby.
4 In the meantime, listen to emergency operator and follow instructions.
5 Turn on defibrillator and follow instructions.
6 Hand over to paramedic team when they arrive.

Defibrillators are located in:- Donabate Portrane Community Centre -Grogan’s Supermarket, Portrane. -Supervalu, Donabate and the grounds of a number of sports clubs and local schools.

Balbriggan Boys recently won the Leinster Junior A trophy for the first time in their history, beating Pembroke in the final by six wickets. Batting first Pembroke got 117, with Bruce Whaley top scoring with 35 before retiring.Hassan Shahid claimed four wickets, while Jesse Makris also bowled well, conceding just 16 off his four overs.Hassan was also to the fore with the bat, as he made 38 before retiring, with Jesse Makris enjoying the final, making 32.Skipper Fionn Bannister and Tom Harford brought home the win with Tom hitting the winning runs in the penultimate over.Jim Bennett and Martin Russell did the trophy presentations, praising “a great game played in good spirits’. Well done to all.

Calling all music enthusiasts aged between 16-24 – no previous experience required. A new youth-based music project established by Empower starting in September 2021 in Balbriggan. Would you like to get the opportunity to create and promote original music alongside skilled musicians and producers, take part in music workshops that focus on composition, digital production skills, instrumentation and integration through music. All you have to do is submit a short video either demonstrating your musical ability or simply outlining your interest in creating music to beatinternational@empower.ie and fill in your details on this link https://form.jotform.com/211023209645345

Broadway came to Balbriggan as the North Dublin town is hosting a number of international stage stars.Tenor Morgan Crowley and singer and actress Yassmin Alers are among the internationally acclaimed artists who joined the Irish Institute of Music and Song’s summer series of concerts. Award-winning Crowley took to the stage on (August 6) for an evening of classic songs and stories, with New York-born Alers performing a concert full of musical favourites also recently..“For the first time ever, Balbriggan will also welcome internationally renowned stars from the stages of Broadway and the West End, as well as our own Wexford Opera House and the National Concert Hall,” said IIMS CEO, Michael Dawson. Alers is awaiting the release of Spielberg’s West Side Story movie, where she performed on screen during the infamous dance between the two rival gangs.She has arrived at the IIMS as the fourth artist in residence, following Paul Oakley Stovall, Nikhil Saboo and Eurovision singer Lesley Roy. She will spend her time in residence providing educational workshops, mentorship to local and national organisations.The summer series at the IIMS venue in Church Street, Balbriggan, sees weekly events staged each Friday and Saturday, running until the end of September. Public health guidelines mean the audience at each performance will not exceed 44.Guests, You can book a package which includes an overnight stay in the Bedford accommodation (www.bedford.ie), dinner in the LaLa restaurant and two tickets each night for an intimate show. To book, visit www.irishinstituteofmusic.com or phone 087 950 5992. ( NB) none of the above websites are accessible through here

The event programme and online registration have launched for Dublin’s first Climate Action Week (DCAW21), taking place from Monday 13th to Sunday 19th September 2021. A range of online and in-person climate action events are now open for registration at www.dublinclimateactionweek.ie. The broad range of events address the theme areas of Energy & Buildings, Transport, Flood Resilience, Nature Based Solutions, Resource Management and Citizen Engagement.The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Climate Change 2021 Report, categorically underlines the need for urgent action on climate change by all sectors of society. One of the highlights of the DCAW21 Programme includes a Climate Action Panel Discussion with the Chief Executives of the four Dublin local authorities, taking place online on Tuesday 14th September 2021 at 10am. A number of online film screenings are planned, and outdoor climate film screenings will take place at venues across Dublin. There are also a range of family events, including workshops for children and guided walks in public parks. The Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, the Mayors of South Dublin County Council and Fingal County Council, and the Lord Mayor of Dublin City Council, have jointly stated in the online Programme Promotional Video: ‘The Dublin Region is acting on climate change causes and impacts, and we are making positive changes. We’ve organised Dublin’s first ever Climate Action Week, to showcase our climate action progress to the people of Dublin and elsewhere. We’ve launched an exciting programme of events across a range of themes. There is something for everyone. You can register for these events on our Dublin Climate Action Week website www.dublinclimateactionweek.ie.(Nb: Not accessible through this medium). We invite you to join us. Discover more about acting on climate change so we are all Taking Action, Together’.

In our digital world it can be difficult for a person with low vision or blindness to use social media. ‘Jaws’ is a screen reader used by many including Guide Dog owner Tom O’Neill from Balbriggan, Co Dublin. In their video, Guide Dogs Australia highlight 3 important tips we should be familiar with.

Tip 1: Good Punctuation. Use a full stop at the end of a sentence or phrase to indicate to ascreen reader the end of the text. Example: Irish Guide Dogs. When using a symbol such as @ in an email address, each separate word should be capitalised. Example: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com otherwise the screen reader sees a jumble of letters guidedogsbalbriggan@gmail.com.

Tip 2: High Contrast. Some eye conditions distort a person’s view of things, so colours used are important. A yellow line on a white background can be very difficult to see but a yellow line on a black background is easier to see. Use geometric shapes on advertisements.Example: A large black arrow on a white background could be used to point out important information. In Australia they use large black and white arrows to indicate where the door on a tram is. We could do something similar in Ireland on buses, Luas, DART and trains.

Tip 3: Be open and flexible. If approached by someone with low vision or blindness for help, listen to them and work out a solution to the problem together. Be open to new ideas. For any further information Contact us by phone/text: 085 7663107. Email :: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or. Facebook uus on ouur facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Balbriggan.Branch.of.Guide.Dogs.

Our thanks for these great pictures from Theresa Gannon Junior Convenor for the club of the Fingal Boys Final hosted in Balbriggan very recently. Congratulations to Portmarnock GC. The overall winners on the day were Portmarnock with Beaverstown and very close second. Rory Callaghan won best gross on the day. The cadets are playing this evening in the Cadets End of Year scramble, accompanied by the Captains and vice Captains and others a great way to cap off a very successful season , A great days golf in BGC. Well done again to all concerned.

Europe Direct Blanchardstown has published a series of video interviews on the topic of the EU Digital Covid Certificate.The aim of the interview series is to inform the public as to the purpose of the certificate and how it can be used to facilitate travel within the European Union. The interviews were organised by Europe Direct Manager Siobhan Walshe and recorded by Assistant Coordinator Barry O’Carroll.There were three interviewees in total:Barbara Nolan– Head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland.Barbara discussed the Digital Covid Certificate from an EU perspective including the purpose of the certificate and how it will facilitate travel within the EU. Ossian Smyth - Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Minister Smyth spoke about the practical aspects of the certificate: how to obtain one; who is entitled to one and the format of the certificate.Siobhan O’Donnell- Head of External Communications, Dublin Airport Siobhan discussed how the Digital Covid Certificate would work in practice at Dublin Airport as well as practical advice for those intending to travel by air in the coming weeks and months.The full series of interviews is available to watch on the Fingal Libraries YouTube Channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhLZ_o7ug6_9PXKZ-VxDG9S6lXiUTw0IO. Betty Boardman, County Librarian said: “We are very grateful to Minister Ossian Smyth, Barbara Nolan and Siobhan O’Donnell for taking part in this series of interviews.Now that travel abroad has opened again, it is very important that those travelling are aware that the Digital COVID Certificate will help them to travel safely and more easily within the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic. The interviews organised by staff at the Europe Direct Centre at Blanchardstown Library contain trustworthy, up to date information from reliable sources”

Our society was inaugurated on Thursday 16th July 1981 with the aim to promote an interest in the local history of the area through lectures, publications and exhibitions and also to establish a Museum in the Balbriggan District.The idea was born in the Balbriggan Library as a result of the keen interest and demand for local history information from the general public. Jim Walsh Librarian at the time became aware of the vast amount of material available in various areas like the National Library of Ireland, Gilbert Library and other Dublin City resources and sought to ensure that a lot of this could be made more accessible by public presentations, local exhibitions and ultimately publications specific to the historic area of Balbriggan and its general surrounding areas. Jim’s colleague Don Griffin worked closely with him and they were joined on the first committee by Michael Banim, Antonia Cassin, Pauline Corcoran, Marion Crane, Bernie Healy, Eileen McKenna and last but not least May and Pat McKeon.The first ever presentation was ‘The Gaelic Placenames of Fingal’ by Brendan Scally and was followed by Bob Browne- The building of the Dublin-Drogheda Railway –1838-1844.Next was Christy Geraghty with illustrated lecture of Local Shipwrecks with particular reference to Sarah of Runcorn (1873) and Bell Hill (1875).In 1982 the Committee decided to hold an exhibition in the Grand Hotel and exceeded all expectations in terms of both participation and also attendance. We were delighted by the generosity of the populace who gladly donated many items of historical and familial interestMay McKeon remembers with fondness some of the talks on the ‘Balbriggan flyer’ Harry Reynolds, Balbriggan’s daughter Sinead Bean De Valera nee Flanagan and several talks covering the 1916 events in Fingal.Of particular pride to May is also the event organised in 2017 to commemorate the hugely important Siege of Jadotville in the Congo in 1961 and the heroic efforts of Balbriggan native Pte Terence Joseph McMahon. One particular source of pride to Chairperson Brian Howley is the enormous effort that the Committee undertook to ensure the Centenary of the Sack of Balbriggan last year 2020 would have a fitting and appropriately respectful commemoration despite all of the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and our Seminar was posted online on Youtube for all to see and experience and there are still a small amount of the beautiful Commemorative Medals available.To anyone who has attended our talks, seminars, historical walkabouts, summer tours or our schools programmes Brian says that we thank you most sincerely for all of your support and we look forward to the next 40 years with great positivity and enthusiasm. Learn more on our Website www.Balbrigganhistory.com

We set up Fingal Jazz Impro Group over two years ago and are currently looking for a rhythm section to compliment our line up. We are currently looking for Drums, Bass, Piano and Guitarist, and must be able to read a lead sheet (except the drummer). Rehearsals will re-commence in September on Thursday evenings in Balbriggan. For further information contact Antony on 0857836404 or by email at aoflaherty1234@gmail.comWe are also setting up an Opera Group, and it will be called Fingal Opera Group. We are currently looking for Male Singers. Singers must be Classical Trained or currently have singing lessons. Please note there is also a waiting list for Female Singers. Rehearsals will commence in September in Balbriggan on Monday or Wednesday evenings.For further information contact Antony on 0857836404 or by email at aoflaherty1234@gmail.com Finally, we are also currently organising the Balbriggan Diversity Festival which will take place every May Bank Holiday weekend. We already have venues booked, and most acts booked.