The Joe Duffy nursery will return on May 8th at 10am, with the 2015 group on the all weather and the 2016 + 2017 group on the main pitch. You can purchase your nursery membership now. The Joe Duffy sponsored Nursery & Academy is on every Saturday at Fingallians GAA Pitch. The nursery (children born 2016 and 2015) starts at 10am on the main pitch with the academy (children born 2014) starting at 10:30am on the astropitch. Please note we have protocols in place and registration must be completed before arrival on Saturday. Restrictions apply and please update your covid health questionnaire before each session. If you are interested in getting involved in coaching, admin or if you have any queries contact GPO Brian Jordan 0873372495.

Swords Tidy Town members have been keeping themselves very busy during this current lockdown. We set up a WhatsApp group so our members could communicate with each other and plan which areas they would be working to keep within the lockdown guidelines. They have gone out in all kinds of weather, to litter pick, to plant and weed, to remove graffiti, nothing was going to stop our enthusiastic group from taking pride in their town. We have asked our members when out to take pictures and forward them to us for posting on our Facebook page which has become very popular with the residence of Swords.Community spirit is alive and thriving, we are getting membership enquiries from all over the town every week, it’s a testament to all the hard work over many years put in by our group. Unfortunately, due to Covid we have been unable to fund raise as we once did. No Quiz Nights, no Bucket Collections on St Patrick’s Day and Halloween, no Supermarket Bag Packing etc, as a result our funds have been somewhat depleted.If anyone was of a mind to make a donation to us, we would very much appreciate it of course. Contact Ken Duffy 0866008313. We would like to thank Fingal County Council for all their help and support through these very difficult times, its not easy we know, we look forward to better days ahead. For those who have made donations to Swords Tidy Towns we thank you, you know who you are. Finally, a big thank you to our supporters who talk with us and congratulate us on our work when we are out and about, your encouragement means a lot to the volunteers. The National Tidy Towns Competition was not held last year, it is back for 2021 and our competition committee are hard at work putting together this year’s submission. It is no easy task compiling and stitching together all the different treads of information for each category, it’s like weaving a delicate tapestry bringing it together. We have succeeded in winning a Silver Medal with our last three entries, we hope and aspire to go one step further this year, to achieve a Gold Medal, wish us luck.

Men’s Shed Radio Bringing You the Best in Musical Entertainment, Information & Special Features fom Various Men’s Sheds. Quality Music from Various Genres including 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, Country, Folk, Ballads, Irish & More.. Also Shed “Spotlight Feature” Showcasing & Highlighting Various Men’s Shed’s Talents..We aim to Bring You Entertainment & Information, While providing some Company to You During these Difficult times. We Hope to Provide a Service to All Men’s Shed Members, Friends, Families & Supporters in the Community of Shedders & Beyond. Men’s Shed Radio is a Non- Profit Project and Community Based with the Interests of All Listeners taken into Consideration. Men’s Shed Radio will not Promote or Endorse any Anti Social Behaviour, Racism, Bullying or Partake in any such issues. Men’s Shed Radio Supports Community & Men’s Sheds Positive Projects & Stories. Men’s Mental Health is also a huge issue which we are very proud to support. Listen in every Monday.

It is with great sadness that we recently learned of the passing of Paddy Craddock ,may he rest in peace. A member of the first Malahide United FC Club team that was formed in 1946, Paddy played through the ‘40s and ‘50s for Malahide and was a committed committee member for many years. He blazed a trail to allow the club to become what we have today. He was a strong part of the development of the club. When the first team’s home pitch was at that time on the Yellow Walls Road called The Marshes, we then moved to a pitch in St Margareth’s Road. How times have changed. The club is indebted to his continuous commitment and support to the club at all times, a great supporter on match days and always looking for the club’s result. A wonderful long life that sadly has come to an end. A legend in his lifetime Ard Dheis De Go Raibh a Anam.

While still we are still training online and keeping our skills up to date, we are looking forward to the restrictions easing and beginning to train safely outside.It will be the first time since Christmas that we have trained together face to face.Here is just a few photos of our guys training online and one or two from the past. We hope everyone is keeping safe and hope to see you all soon.

Well done to our members and their families who took on a 24 hour relay challenge in April from Friday 3pm to Saturday 3pm in aid of Daffodil Day. There were 48 half hour slots to fill across the 24 hours and none were left blank. The weather was kind although those hardy enough to fill the slots in the early hours of Saturday morning had to endure sub zero temperatures. Thanks to the organisers. Donations kindly accepted to Daffodil Day 2021.
A reminder to parents to renew their children’s registration now that Juvenile training has resumed. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for full return to training details.A big thank you to our coaches & mentors for sending weekly training plans to keep us motivated while in lockdown. Good luck to everyone preparing for the Portmarnock 5k / 5 mile and the Drogheda 10k that take place in May. Don’t forget to register. Our photos all show those taking part in the Lusk AC 24 hour relay for Daffodil day.

The Executive Committee of Lusk United A.F.C. are delighted to inform you of the great news of our successful application for funding to the 2021 sports equipment grant of Fingal County Council (Sports Office). Lusk United A.F.C. will receive a payment of €2,000 which will partially support the upgrade works to the fencing at our all-weather training area at Station Road, Lusk. The Executive Committee of Lusk United expressed their gratitude to those involved for making this happen and they look forward to working with all stakeholders,particularly Fingal County Council, in delivering these upgrade works over the months ahead. Once again, it has been a busy month for the Lusk United Youth Council, as they continue to work to foster team spirit in our underage players while they are unable to train and play. This month saw the Easter Hunt. Local children firstly enjoyed painting rocks with an Easter theme, then heading out on Easter Sunday, with no doubt a belly full of chocolate, on a hunt for painted rocks. It is so heartening to see the Youth Council go from strength to strength and strive to provide children in our community with such fun activities. Meanwhile, it is all systems go as we prepare for the return to play. Pitches have been fertilised, reshaped and goalposts moved as we make facilities even better for our players and their long awaited return. If anyone wishes to get involved with our club as a volunteer, we would be delighted! The more the merrier as we #workhard and #havefun at Lusk United, aiming to make a better community for all.

At the April Area Committee meeting Cllr Rob O’Donoghue tabled a motion regarding the dangers of future increased traffic along the Station Road ,Lusk, linked to the new housing development and town centre and called for safe crossing points for current and future residents.Cllr O’Donoghue stated that ‘The area will be used by current and new residents accessing the new Lidl which will be constructed post the lifting of Covid restrictions. The increased traffic that this will bring will primarily affect residents of the surrounding estates and nursing home and provision should be made now to ensure the safety of residents accessing the new town centre and our nursing home.’ The response from the Council stated that a number of pedestrian crossings are to be provided, to facilitate access to the new development on Station Road. A zebra crossing will be provided on the Station Road arm of the Remount Roundabout. To the west of the entrance to the Community Centre, a raised table and uncontrolled crossing will be provided to provide access to the new town centre.Cllr O’Donoghue hailed the decision stating that ‘the new town centre will be used not only by residents of Lusk but also of surrounding towns, which will bring revenue into the town and that is welcomed. I am happy to see that the safety of pedestrians is also to be prioritised for residents accessing the new town centre.’

Lusk Tidy Towns recently launched our work programme for 2021. Thank You to the community for collecting litter!. Stay Safe. Pat Kelly (photo by Brian Egan) .

By Brian Arnold

May 2021 is a key month for looking to the future of Fingal and Lusk. The 12th May is the submission date for the first stage of the Fingal Development Plan while the 27th May is the date for submissions on the Fingal Coastal Way. In advance of these dates Lusk Community Council consultants, working on the Lusk Vision 2030, will be giving feedback on what you have told them. We hope that this feedback will help you to frame your submissions for Fingal County Council.We are mid-way through the Lusk Vision 2030, the consultants have completed extensive consultation both online and via virtual workshops. This represents a first for Lusk and the Community Council. The timing is very important as it is helping to frame the submission which will be made to Fingal County Council in advance of the 12th May deadline. We have to emphasise the importance of the Fingal Development Plan which will run to 2029. This document will affect all of our lives, so please take time to thInk about it and make a submission. Your views are what is important. Please do not take other peoples views and reheat them for your submission. Take 15 minutes to think about what you want and sketch out your ideas, write them down and submit via the Fingal County Council consultation portal. Fingal have set out 7 themes to make is easier to connect with and understand the process i.e.1. People & Place , 2. Climate Change,3. Connectivity and movement,4. Employment, economy and Dublin Airport,5. Cultural heritage, 6. Green infrastructure and natural heritage,7. Infrastructure and utilities.Covid 19 has brought so much more information online and Fingal County Council has made great progress in explaining the 7 themes and how you can engage on the new Development Plan via their website . This is important so take your 15 minutes to engage.The level 5 lockdown has prevented the commencement of the construction contract for the Lusk Community Cultural Centre on Church Road. However it is hoped that work will have commenced by the time that you are reading this article. Looking forward over coming months, if thevaccination programme does what we hope it will, we look forward to the reopening of our community facilities in Lusk and Fingal. Fingers crossed. Stay Safe, Suppress The Virus, Protect Each Other.