St. Mary’s Baton Twirlers have had a productive and impactful first quarter of the year with 12 athletes qualifying at the ABTI National Trials to be part of a 46-strong Irish Squad that will compete in the EFBT European Championships in Czech Republic in July.
The club also hosted a Thrive Connect Cafe facilitated by Aoife from Thrive Balbriggan in the Bracken Court Hotel. “It was lovely for different generations from the club to get together and discuss the importance of girls and women to be involved and stay in sports. There were also discussions on issues around the fast pace of changes in technology for the older generation. Thanks to Fingal Community Development Office for supporting this event for International Women’s Day,” a spokesperson for the club said.
Additionally, coaches from the club were present at the launch of Fingal County Council’s guide to becoming an anti-racism organisation and they took some time to chat with Deputy Mayor of Fingal Councillor Grainne Maguire.
The club stated its commitment to not only excel in their sport but also engage in meaningful discussions and community initiatives reflects the values of teamwork, leadership, and social awareness within the organisation.
The Hello, How Are You, mental health awareness event took place in Balbriggan on 7th April. Hello, How Are You is a new mental health promotion campaign by Mental Health Ireland.
The campaign asks individuals, communities, workplaces, friends & family to say ‘Hello’ and ask the question ‘How Are You?’ in a meaningful way! The campaign is about tackling the lack of connection or belonging that people experience. It aims to inspire people to ask how others are feeling, opening up a conversation to allow people to listen and encourage action by directing people to any local supports and services in their area.
Balbriggan is unique in being the only town in Ireland with its own Thrive organisation and our very own ‘Thrive Balbriggan’.
During the event, representatives from the Thrive Balbriggan committee were at numerous different locations throughout Balbriggan meeting with the public at places.
During the day there was singing in the square at Ardgillan Community College and the Mayor was also present to mark the day and say a few words.
Check out the Hello How Are You website for more information and further resources. https://hellohowareyou.info
Skerries €109,709
Currachaí na Sceirí Boat Trailer, Racks, Safety Equipment and Currach Rowing €24,124
Skerries Sea Scouts New canoes, boats & equipment. Canoeing / Kayaking €41,985
Mourne Celtic Football Club Sports Battery Power all weather lighting kit Soccer €7,600
Man O’War GFC New Mower Gaelic Games €36,000
Balbriggan €133,832
Balbriggan Table Tennis Club Replacement Table Tennis Tables Table Tennis €3,000
Fingal Rowing Club Coastal Rowing Equipment Rowing €29,450
Balbriggan & Skerries Angling Club Improve facility/grow membership. €8,225
Balrothery Football Club Sports Equipment Soccer €23,583
North County Cricket Club Ltd Roller & Cricket equipment Cricket €69,574
Lusk Rush €44,458
Lusk Ravens Basketball Club Electronic Scoreboard Basketball €4,458
Rush Cricket Club Rush Cricket Club outfield mower Cricket €40,000
The announcement that 11 sporting clubs in Dublin Fingal West will receive €288,000 in Lotto Equipment Sporting Grants has been warmly welcomed by all clubs involved.
The funding is part of a package of over €26m has been approved in equipment grants to 900 sporting organisations nationwide, the largest-ever funding for sports equipment under the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme.
The financial assistance will be of practical benefit to the 11 clubs, their members and athletes in the Dublin Fingal West Constituency said Cllr Tom O’Leary.
“I have lobbied the Department of Finance to substantially revise upwards the allocations under the National Development Plan for sports grants. We need to address the growing need for sports facilities as we are set to build 50,000 new Homes per annum Ireland and Fingal. In my opinion the fund needs to double or grow 100% to meet demand for new and upgraded sports facilities for our young vibrant population,” he said.
The 2023 Programme has generated 3,210 applications and total funding applied for is €359 million representing an 80% increase over the amount applied for in the 2020.
“The voluntary work done by club members needs to be supported by an increase in funding to this sector particularly in a year when we will celebrate Irish Athletes competing in the Olympics in France,” Cllr O’Leary added.
Work will now commence on assessing the “Capital” (all weather pitches, clubhouses etc…) and applications with the allocations to be announced later this year.
Balbriggan Meals on Wheels will be holding a bucket collection at various locations in Balbriggan on the weekend of Friday 14th to Sunday 16th June. Please give generously when you meet their collectors. Please note all official collectors will hold the relevant permit. All money donated goes towards Balbriggan Meals on Wheels work in our community. If you wish to make an online donation to Balbriggan Meals on Wheels, you can do so by copying the following link into your browser https://www.idonate.ie/cause/BalbrigganMealsonWheels or by scanning the QR code.
Balbriggan Meals on Wheels has been providing meals to the most vulnerable members of our community since 1975 and was awarded the Community Heros of the Year Award at the 2023 Balbriggan Town Awards.
An exciting milestone in the €50million Balbriggan Regeneration project has been reached, with the appointment of a design team to redevelop the De Bruns site.
Fingal County Council has appointed Dublin-based architects McCullough Mulvin to lead the multi-disciplinary Integrated Design Team (IDT) for the transformation of 6a-14 Bridge Street.
The Integrated Design Team model, which employs local stakeholder engagement to progress plans, has already been successfully deployed on other ‘Our Balbriggan’ projects, including the Quay Street and Harbour development and creative hub at 2-4 Dublin Street.
Fingal County Council has proposed that the 10,000 square metre site be used as a mix of commercial, community and residential development, with the River Bracken at its heart.
The plan is to link Millpond Park to a new park entrance at 14 Bridge Street to facilitate a pedestrian and cyclist route down to the transformed Quay Street and Harbour area.
Building facades on Bridge Street are to be maintained to preserve the existing street line as De Bruns is located in an Architectural Conservation Area while the biodiversity, environmental, archaeological and ecological impact of the development will also be keenly assessed. Demolition work has already taken place adjacent to and at the rear of the De Bruns site.
According to Dr David Begg, Chairperson of the Our Balbriggan Leadership Group, the process will be marked by intensive engagement. “There will be significant and intensive consultation and engagement through workshops and meetings with a wide range of local stakeholders,” he said.
Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy, said when complete, the development will provide a new main street experience for Balbriggan. “It will prove a focal point for economic, social and leisure opportunities in the town,” he said.
It is envisaged planning permission for the redevelopment of the De Bruns site will be sought in 2025, with the project completed in 2028.
Every year the month of May brings fun and exciting fundraisers for the arrival of Guide Dog Day. In the lead up to this year’s Guide Dog Day, which fell on 24th May, Balbriggan/North County Dublin Guide Dogs branch member Tom O’Neill and Guide Dog Qeb attended the final of the blind soccer tournament organised in Swords Community College to fundraise after Tom and Qeb gave a talk to the transition year students.
The teams were made up of boys and girls, along with teachers who were all blindfolded when the games went on and used a ball that had a bell in it.
“We want to thank Vision Sports Ireland for supplying the footballs. A great afternoon was had and awareness for blindness and guide dogs was raised. We also want to give a special thanks to teachers Katie and Sarah who coordinated the talk and fundraiser,” a spokesperson for the branch said.
The branch were busy fundraising outside Tesco in Millfield Shopping Centre Balbriggan for Guide Dog Day on Friday 24th May and they will be there once again on Saturday 25th
“A big thank you to everyone who came and said hello and supported us. If you missed us, not to worry, as our Branch will be attending Balbriggan Summerfest this year, held in Bremore Castle and grounds over the June Bank holiday weekend. If you would like to support us or potentially meet some of our wonderful Guide Dogs come along and say hello! Hopefully the sun will be shining. Keep an eye on our social media pages for more information on dates and times,” the spokesperson added.
If you are interested in volunteering with us please feel free to contact us at Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Phone/text: 085-7663107; Email: guidedogsbalbriggan@gmail.com. Find us on Facebook: Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs
Two new learn 2 cycle tracks are being installed by Fingal County Council, at Millennium Park, Blanchardstown and in the park adjacent to Brackenstown Road, Swords.
These new cycle tracks will be used for cycling practice by local schools, for group cycling classes arranged by Fingal County Council and will also be open to the public for their use. These tracks will provide a safe learning environment for cycling students of all ages, from small children learning to cycle for the first time to those returning to cycling in their older years, and everyone in between. By learning on a flat surface with correct road markings people will learn to cycle safely obeying the rules of the road. This will later help them to feel confident and safe when using the road in reality.
Mayor of Fingal, Councillor Adrian Henchy, says ‘The learn 2 cycle track in Millennium Park was fully completed last week. It was created on top of the concrete area that is used for the skating rink in the festive period each year. By choosing this location this space has now become a useful feature all year-round, providing cycling opportunities when the ice rink is not in situ.’
Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly says ‘Following the successful installation of the new learn 2 cycle track at Millennium Park, the active travel unit will shortly begin installing the second track in the park adjacent to Brackenstown Road, Swords. . This track will be located just off the Brackenstown Road, next to the playground and very close the local senior and junior national schools at St. Cronan’s. It’s an ideal location where people of all ages, including local pupils, will get great use out of it.’
David Storey, Director of Environment, Climate Action, Active Travel and Sport says ‘These new learn 2 cycle tracks will provide perfect locations for our cycling education programmes. Our cycling and walking officers will offer courses for adults, children and schools programmes in both spaces and we look forward to seeing lots of people using the tracks to practice their own safe cycling skills and teach their children those same skills. Off-road cycling on a course like these ones can really build your confidence and help you understand the safe behaviours needed when cycling on the road while also providing a fun experience in the parks.’
The learn 2 cycle track at Millennium Park is open to the public and the Swords track is expected to be complete and open to the public before the end of May.
Over €220,000 in funding has been allocated to 130 community groups and organisations across Fingal at an event held ringside at Phoenix of Ballyboughal Boxing Club.
The Department of Rural and Community Development’s Local Enhancement Programme (LEP) 2024 is administered by Local Community Development Committees, with support from the Local Authority, in each area. The funding provides capital supports essential for the many small community groups and organisations, particularly those who serve disadvantaged areas in rural and urban areas.
This year also saw additional funding allocated towards many Women’s Groups in Fingal, helping to support the growing number of Women’s Sheds located in the county, as well as providing a welcome boost to local groups which provide much needed social networks for women.
Speaking at the announcement, Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy, said: “This funding is particularly important as it brings significant investment to the many groups and organisations working in communities across Fingal, especially those in disadvantaged areas. Not only is this level of support from the LEP crucial for carrying out necessary repairs and enhancements to facilities, but it will go some way to helping assist groups in providing invaluable community initiatives locally.”
Announcing the successful projects for Fingal, Minister Joe O’Brien TD said: “The Local Enhancement Programme 2024 provides vital support to community groups in order to help them improve their facilities. It supports small-scale funding for projects which range from purchasing IT equipment to minor renovations to buildings. Ultimately the Programme responds to local needs. These investments allow community groups to carry out the invaluable work they do on behalf of others in local areas throughout the country. The impact of the Local Enhancement Programme is considerable.”
John Quinlivan, Director of Economic Development at Fingal County Council, said: “The LEP represents a substantial funding source that complements other support from Fingal County Council. We deeply value the essential work of volunteers and community groups who are out there actively making Fingal a better place to live, so it is thanks to Government funding like the LEP that groups can continue to play an important role within our communities.”
LEP funding was made available to support small capital works/improvements, the purchase of equipment for community use, including tables and chairs, tools, signage, laptops and printers, lawnmowers, canopies and training equipment. A full list of groups is available here: LEP Recipients 2024
The Local Enhancement Programme 2024 was launched in December 2023 with funding of €6 million available nationally, which included €1 million in funding ring-fenced specifically to support Women’s Groups.
With an 88km coastline stretching from Howth to north of Balbriggan, three large protected estuaries and a large number of major beaches, our natural heritage has a strong conservation and amenity value.
Each year, local authorities must identify official bathing areas in their area every year so that they can be monitored for safety, water quality and their level of use. To help with this process, Fingal County Council would like to hear from people who swim at beaches, lakes and rivers to tell them if they think they should maintain existing bathing waters designations or give a new official bathing area designation to areas that are commonly used for swimming but are not identified at the moment.
Under European and Irish law, Irish local authorities must identify bathing waters annually so that these areas can be monitored to ensure they meet stringent microbiological water quality standards. In some cases, the official bathing areas are also the areas where local authorities focus their resources providing lifeguards during the summer season.
These laws also require that the local authority prepares detailed descriptions or profiles for each of the identified bathing water sites that describe not just the bathing area but also areas in the surface waters catchment area that could be a source of pollution. The profiles include an assessment the risk of pollution and what action would be taken if pollution occurs.
Fingal has no shortage of stunning swimming spots to enjoy, with current identified bathing areas as follows: Claremont Beach, Howth; Burrow Beach, Sutton; Portmarnock Beach; Balcarrick Beach, Donabate; Brook Beach, Portrane; South Beach, Rush; North Beach, Rush; Loughshinny Beach; South Strand, Skerries; Balbriggan Beach.
Please note that Malahide Beach, while not identified as a bathing area, is lifeguarded as required by a Water Safety Ireland Risk Assessment (Constant Red Flag).
If you are a regular swimmer and want to help decide which bathing areas should be identified for the 2025 season, it may be helpful to consider the following: How your swimming area has been used up to now? How many people use the site? What facilities (e.g. signage, parking, toilets, picnic area etc) exist at the site and how accessible it is? Any safety issues?
If you wish to propose your favourite beach/river etc as a new bathing water site, or would like to comment on an existing site, please make your submission through our consultation portal or post your written submission to: Operations Department (Bathing Waters), Fingal County Council, Grove Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.
The bathing water quality results and annual classification of bathing waters can be viewed at www.beaches.ie. The latest available EPA report Bathing Water in Ireland Report can be viewed here: https://www.epa.ie/publications/
Closing date for submissions is Thursday, 26th September 2024.