Sisterhood, an Irish creative wellbeing community that creates spaces for women to connect, slow down and get creative are to host a Scrapbook Social in Swords on August 9th.
Scrapbook Social is a relaxed, welcoming evening where women can enjoy creative activities, meet new people and take some time for themselves. No artistic experience is needed, and many people come on their own.
A huge congratulations to the Boys’ Football Team from St Catherine’s National School on their recent victory in the FAI League Final.
After months of hard work, training, and dedication, the team travelled to the AUL Complex in Clonshaugh on Thursday 18th June, to face Scoil Aonghusa from Tallaght, in what proved to be a thrilling final. The whole school community was behind the boys every step of the way. Before they left for the match, they received a fantastic send-off from their fellow pupils and staff, who lined the school corridors to wish them the very best of luck.
From the first whistle, the match was played at a high standard, with both teams showing great skill, determination, and sportsmanship. Our boys worked tirelessly as a team, remained composed under pressure, and held onto their lead throughout the game. Their efforts were rewarded with a memorable 3–2 victory. At the final whistle, players, coaches, parents, and supporters celebrated together as the team were crowned FAI League champions. A very special thank you and congratulations to parent coach, Vicky, whose dedication, encouragement, and commitment played a huge role in helping the boys achieve this wonderful success. Well done to the entire squad on an incredible achievement.
Loughshinny Utd held their Annual funday with Mam’s v Kids games and end of season awards. Everyone had a great time with pizza, chips and ice cream as a reward for all the hard work.
Girl’s U14s Player of the Year
Kate Eksteen
Boys U14s Player of the Year
Elliott Watson
Walk the streets, discover the stories and meet the families who shaped Rush over the past 100 years.
This August, Rush Tourism is inviting residents and visitors to step back in time as part of its Heritage Week 2026 programme. Through a unique series of guided walks, illustrated talks and storytelling events, Rush 1926–2026: A Walk Through Time will celebrate the people, places and families that have shaped the village over the past century.
Led by local historians Niall Gossan, John Walsh and Declan Costello, the week-long programme explores how Rush has evolved since the 1926 Census. While the village has changed dramatically—with new housing, changing businesses and a growing population—many of the families who helped build its character continue to call Rush home today.
The programme is free, family friendly and open to everyone, whether you have lived in Rush all your life, recently moved to the area, or simply have an interest in local history.
Saturday, 15 August | 2.00pm–4.30pm
Changing Rush 1926–2026: The Families That Built Rush… and Never Really Left
Beginning at Rush Community Centre and finishing at Harbour Park, this guided walk follows the story of one local family to reveal how the village has changed over the past century. Participants are encouraged to bring along old photographs, family stories and memorabilia, which will be scanned and returned on the day, helping to build a lasting community archive for Rush.
Sunday, 16 August | 2.00pm–4.00pm
Kenure Church & Graveyard
Marking the 160th anniversary of Kenure Church, this guided visit explores the history of the church, the people buried there and the families whose stories are woven into the fabric of Rush.
Monday, 17 August | 5.30pm–7.30pm
Kenure Heritage Walk
Beginning at the Kenure Gates, this walk takes in the Pillar, the Portico and the Famine Wall while exploring the history of one of Fingal’s most significant historic estates.
Wednesday, 19 August | 7.00pm
Census: Rush 1926–2026
Hosted by Niall Gossan and John Walsh at The Strand Bar, this evening traces the lives of the families who lived in Rush a century ago through census records, historic photographs and local stories. Visitors are invited to bring their own family photographs and documents for scanning and preservation.
Friday, 21 August | 5.30pm–6.30pm
St Catherine’s Graveyard & Well
Beginning at the Portico, this walk uncovers one of Rush’s oldest historic sites. Hear the story of the Palmer family and their descendants, discover John Walsh’s own family connections, and explore the enduring mystery of Jack the Bachelor’s missing headstone and the search for the location of his grave.
Saturday, 22 August | 11.00am–12.30pm
Millbank to Harbour Heritage Twalk
Join Declan Costello on a guided walk through the heart of Rush, discovering how the village has changed over the last century while many of its best-known family names remain part of everyday life.
Sunday, 23 August | 3.00pm–5.00pm
Kenure House: A Story of What It Was
Beginning at the Kenure Gates and continuing to the Portico, Niall Gossan tells the remarkable story of Kenure House, its people and its lasting influence on the village. Although the house has long since disappeared, its legacy continues to shape Rush today.
Throughout the week, organisers are inviting the community to become part of the project by sharing old photographs, documents and memories. Every image scanned and every story recorded will help preserve Rush’s heritage, ensuring that today’s memories become tomorrow’s history.
Whether you are tracing your own family roots, discovering Rush for the first time or simply enjoying a summer walk with family and friends, Rush Tourism’s Heritage Week 2026 programme offers something for everyone.
All events are free, family friendly and everyone is welcome.
Free tickets are available through Eventbrite. Follow Rush Tourism on Facebook and Instagram for booking links, programme updates and further event information.
Fingal Arts Office is pleased to announce Martina O’Brien as the recipient of the Loughshinny Boathouse Studio Award. The objective of this award is to provide a fully funded studio for a professional visual artist to research and develop new work in response to the coastal environment of Loughshinny and surrounding areas.
The coastline of Fingal is a wonderful natural amenity and an important wildlife resource for the many plants and animals that live in the diversity of habitats found around its shores. This initiative provides funding to enable the artist to observe and explore Fingal’s biodiversity, coastal habitats and climate change impacts. The former boathouse, located in the beautiful coastal village of Loughshinny will provide an ideal space for the artist to undertake research, interact with environmental scientists and engage with local communities. As part of her nine-month residency from September to 2026 – May 2027, Martina will develop and create new work centering on Fingal’s marine environment.
Tom O’Neill of the Balbriggan/North County Dublin branch of Guide Dogs, got his first Guide Dog, Frank in 1985 and is currently on his seventh guide dog, Qeb. Tom speaks of the freedom, mobility and confidence he gets from having a guide dog and the ability to meet so many people through having a guide dog, the positive image that is shown to the world and the freedom it allows him to get out and about, be involved and to do something extremely positive with his life and within the community.
Tom met his late wife, Breege in Sligo when they were both doing a course designed to help visually impaired people adjust their lives due to vision loss or impairment. In June 2021, Tom lost Breege to cancer and his then dog, Gatsby, passed away in the middle of losing Breege, also due to cancer. The dog Tom currently has, Qeb, is the last dog Breege ever trained with. In Longford, where Breege is laid to rest, Qeb allows Tom the ability to walk twenty minutes up to the graveyard and sit and reminisce at the gravestone to think about the 40 plus years they shared together, all thanks to the dog they would one day go on to share and grant them both independence.
Given the importance of a guide dog in their lives and the lives of others, Tom and Breege left a legacy donation to the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind in their wills. Did you know that 1 in 3 guide dogs are supported by legacy donations from being left in a persons will. If you are looking for a noble and lifechanging way to support the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, why not leave a legacy donation in your will and help give independence and change lives.
Please see link below to video of Tom O’Neill speaking about leaving a donation in your will:
https://www.guidedogs.ie/how-you-can-help/ways-to-donate
You can contact Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Irish Guide Dogs by phone/text
0876489479, email: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Balbriggan
Branch of Guide Dogs.
The “Magic of Beauty and Creativity | Bewitch” event, organised by Bewitch Your Beauty and Kortell House of Beauty in Swords, was a tremendous success and attracted a large number of visitors from Swords and across Dublin.
The event brought together talented local women, artisans, and small businesses showcasing handmade jewellery, artwork, candles, gifts, home-baked goods, beauty products, and many other unique creations. The quality, creativity, and craftsmanship on display were truly exceptional, and visitors were delighted by both the variety of products and the warm, welcoming atmosphere throughout the day.
Guests enjoyed meeting local makers, discovering new businesses, receiving beauty consultations, and taking advantage of exclusive offers available during the event.
One of the highlights of the day was our raffle, featuring a wide range of valuable prizes generously donated by local sponsors, as well as beauty treatments and gift vouchers from Bewitch Your Beauty and Kortell House of Beauty. The raffle created great excitement and added to the festive atmosphere of the event.
The feedback from visitors was overwhelmingly positive. Many people commented on how much they enjoyed supporting local businesses, discovering unique handmade products, and spending time at such a friendly and inspiring community event.
At Bewitch Your Beauty and Kortell House of Beauty, we are proud to be more than just beauty salons. Alongside providing professional beauty and wellness services, we are passionate about supporting our local community, promoting women-led businesses, and creating opportunities for talented local artisans to showcase their work. Events like this help bring people together, encourage collaboration, and celebrate creativity within our community.
The success of the event has inspired us to continue organising similar community-focused events in the future.
To mark UNESCO’s World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, the third Multicultural Day was celebrated at St Catherine’s National School on Friday 22nd May. This event has been run previously in 2018 and 2024 and this year’s event brought new countries and cultures to the exhibition.
The following countries were represented with a stand in the hall: Australia, Brazil, Central African Republic, Congo, France, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Mauritius, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Many of the stands displayed traditional artefacts and offered food from the country on display but the interpretation by some country’s representatives was quite broad. The Great Britain table featured a spotlight on Bristol and featured a model of Concorde and a large Darth Vader figure (played by Bristolian actor David Prowse in the original trilogy). The Australia table featured a Bluey playset which was complemented by the more traditional boomerang. Other sights included a mini Eiffel tower and a Christ The Redeemer statue displayed on France and Brazil’s stands respectively. One feature from the 2024 event that returned for 2026 was the long queue for food at the stand for Nigeria!
In addition to the exhibition stands, visitors to the event took part in an interactive Multicultural quiz to test their knowledge of flags, capital cities, patron saints and the world’s biggest rivers!
The atmosphere in the hall was wonderful, helped in no small part by musical accompaniment from CeltAfrik, a musical quartet that performs a fusion of African and Irish music, led by Dr. John Nutekpor. Dr. Nutekpor is a performing arts teacher who regularly visits the school to give music lessons to groups of pupils.
Hundreds of people came into the school hall to sample the sights, sounds and tastes of the various countries and cultures. It was fantastic to see many people from around the town, including past pupils and their parents, coming together to celebrate our diversity as well as the things that we all love and have in common.
Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton today (Friday) officially opened the new school building at Rush and Lusk Educate Together National School, marking a significant milestone for pupils, staff and families in one of Dublin’s fastest-growing communities.
The state-of-the-art facility provides modern classrooms and specialist educational supports, creating a high-quality learning environment designed to meet the needs of current and future generations of pupils.
The opening marks the culmination of years of commitment, planning and collaboration between school leadership, the Board of Management, parents, Educate Together and the wider school community, whose shared vision has helped bring the project to fruition.
Speaking ahead of the official opening, Minister Naughton said: “It is a great pleasure to join the school community today to celebrate the opening of this wonderful new building for Rush and Lusk Educate Together National School. This is a landmark day for the school and for the wider community it serves.
“This modern facility will provide pupils with an excellent environment in which to learn, grow and thrive. It will support high quality teaching and learning while also creating a space where friendships are formed, confidence is built and young people are supported to achieve their full potential.”
The Minister acknowledged the work of all those involved in delivering the project and paid tribute to the school’s strong inclusive ethos.
“I want to thank everyone who played a role in making this day possible, from school leaders and staff to parents, Educate Together as patron and the wider school community. Their commitment and determination have helped deliver a fantastic facility for local children and families.
“Educate Together schools are built on principles of equality, inclusion and respect and those values are clearly evident in Rush and Lusk Educate Together. Every child is welcomed and supported to be themselves.”
Minister Naughton wished the entire school community continued success in their new surroundings and thanked pupils, staff and families for the warm welcome extended during the visit.
There’s a great sense of pride around Rush this month as volunteers with Rush Tidy Towns gear up for the annual judging visit. Across the town, dedicated teams have been busy with litter picking, planting, painting, and general upkeep, ensuring Rush is presented at its very best.
The strong community spirit has been evident everywhere, with residents and local volunteers working together to enhance the town’s appearance. These efforts highlight not just the beauty of Rush, but the shared commitment to maintaining it.
A standout initiative this month is the introduction of a toy library on Rush South Beach. Aimed at families, it provides shared beach toys while encouraging a “leave no trace” approach and promoting sustainability among younger visitors.
As judging approaches, Rush Tidy Towns extends sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed. The ongoing support and enthusiasm continue to make a real difference in keeping Rush a place we can all be proud of.
