It was quite a surprise to the community of teachers, pupils and parents at St Catherine’s National School when it was announced that the long-standing and much-admired Principal, Ger Ó Sé announced his retirement in the middle of May this year.

Mr Ó Sé had been Principal at St Catherine’s for fifteen years since his appointment in 2009 and had led during a period of significant expansion for the school and established the school as a centre for music and the arts within the area. Notable achievements included the establishment of the Fingal International Festival of Voices, the opening of the brand-new school building which was completed in March 2016 and the growth in student numbers to over 330 pupils.

On 26th June, pupils, parents, teachers and former students gathered for a celebration of Mr Ó Sé’s time at the school and to wish him well for his retirement. Many students sang, performed, read poems and spoke about their memories of how Mr Ó Sé had helped them at school. One recurring theme was fondness at which the children remembered being met at the gate by the principal each morning and the many, many high-fives and fist-bumps. Some even mentioned the occasional request to perform a dance before being allowed into the school on some mornings!

Andrew Mitchell, chair of Board of Management, spoke fondly about working with Mr Ó Sé and thanked him for all his hard work, commitment and dedication – including clearing the path with a shovel on winter morning after a heavy snowfall. On behalf of parents, Matthew Semple, chair of the Parents’ Association, spoke about how Mr Ó Sé had welcomed his family into the school community when they moved to Rush several years earlier and thanked him on behalf of both families from Rush and those who have moved to the town.

Teachers at the school also spoke about their experiences and described how Mr Ó Sé had shown great leadership and inspired their teaching whilst driving up standards and attainment. One teacher, 2nd Class teacher Stephen Hegarty, also spoke amusingly about how such was Mr Ó Sé’s love of music, that some of the staff had learnt to add a musical element to any requests as a way of guaranteeing success!
During the retirement assembly Mr Ó Sé received many gifts from those wishing to express their gratitude, including a 2024 Leaver’s Hoodies that was presented by a pupil in 6th Class, who like their principal will also be leaving the school this year. A very tall cake was also presented to Mr Ó Sé by keen baker Erin Cartlidge and like the story of the loaves and fishes, such was its size that it was sufficient to be shared out to all present after the assembly.

Towards the end of the assembly, Mr Ó Sé, spoke movingly about his time at St Catherine’s National School. He explained how his Mum who had taught him to read, inspired his own love of books and learning and who took him to school on his first day in 1968. Then in a very touching moment, he introduced his Mum who was in the audience and there to see his last day at school in 2024. Mr Ó Sé thanked everyone, including all the parents for the very good behaviour of their children and explained how his job had been so enjoyable that it had never felt like work.

We are sure that Mr Ó Sé, or Ger, will be greatly missed by a large number of students, teachers, staff, parents and the board of management as well as the wider Rush community.

Let’s Play Rush will be hosting it’s third annual Sports and Family Fun Day on 17th August 2024 at Tayleur’s Point. The event will run from 1-4pm and visitors can expect an afternoon packed with free fun and activity. Let’s Play Rush is a European initiative under the Urbact banner which seeks to bring play to the town of Rush.

Let’s Play Rush is sponsored by Fingal County Council and has been running regular events in Rush for the past four years. As Rush Community Council Chairperson Brian Doherty explained, “Let’s Play Rush is a fantastic initiative. Fingal County Council brought some representatives of the Urbact programme to Rush a few years ago. When they pitched the idea of creating stronger community bonds through organising playful events, we were in straight away. Now four years later, the Let’s Play Rush events are fixtures in the Rush community calendar and we’re still getting huge support from the County Council.” Tidy Towns Chairperson Brendan O’Reilly said, “Rush Tidy Towns have been involved from the start of Let’s Play Rush and the Summer Sports Day event is a great day out for everyone. There’ll be races and games, the annual tug-of war, the penalty kick challenge and face painting. Let’s Play Rush brings out a real sense of fun in everyone. If you haven’t had a sock fight with a bunch of grown adults, you haven’t lived. The event is free and everyone is welcome to join in.”

As the cricket season closes in, we hope that you can join us for a game at Kenure during August and support our teams, this year we have seen record number of Juvenile members take part in our Friday night training sessions and some guest appearances behind the BBQ on these nights from the parents. Rush CC would like to thank all those that have helped with the Junior teams, training sessions, attended games and flipped burgers.

Rush CC will host their annual golf classic on Friday 9th August in Rush Golf Club, this is always a great day out and if you would be interested in a tee time or sponsoring a hole on the day, please get in touch with Niall Mullen Ph 086-327780.

The Clubhouse bar is open: Friday 6pm-12.30am - Saturday 4pm - 12.30am and Sunday 4pm – 11pm

The beautiful, serene and location that is Rush Library has provided the perfect location for the revered programme of musical events known as “Meet me at the Altar” for a number of years now.

The wonderful acoustics in the former Church which houses the library means that each musical performance is blessed with a crystal-clear sound. The “Meet me at the Altar” sessions, which are curated by Rush local Pat Burke, recently returned for their summer run with a performance by Shay Dempsey and Sandra Duff. The incredibly talented duo delighted the audience with a set of acoustic originals including their first single “In a Day or Two” which is currently available on Spotify and most streaming platforms. Shay describes their style as “quiet folk music” and there was definitely at least a hint of Simon and Garfunkel style vocal arrangements in the set.

The beautiful and haunting vocals were accompanied by Shay’s delicate and deft fingerpicking style with the sound of his superb jazz-tinged guitar playing reverberating around the hallowed location. Shay and Sandra are in the process of lining up more live performances in the autumn and are in the process of recording more material over the summer months. They are well worth catching if you get the chance. Keep your eye out also for social media announcements on the summer and autumn “Meet me at the Altar” events which have something for all musical tastes.

Thirteen-year-old Ryan Cowzer from Rush Boxing Club clinched the 40kg title at the Monkstown Box Cup. The Rush native triumphed over an All-Ireland finalist in the semi-finals and defeated a formidable English opponent in the final. In other news, fellow Rush BJJ/Martial Arts members Eric Healy and Aaron Maughan both excelled at the Grappling Industries Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament, with Healy securing second place and Maughan earning a silver medal in his category. Next up is the Shamrock Box Cup, where Carson, Ryan, and Sean Cogil are all aiming for gold.

The Rush Parent and Toddler Group held their last playgroup for the 23/24 year on Tuesday 25 June. The theme for the morning was Prom and kids, mums, dads and carers came dressed for the event. The kids loved making their own Prom King or Prom Queen crowns covered in coloured jewels. Mum Madeline did a wonderful job painting the kids faces, and the room was soon full of bunnies, spidermen, tigers and rainbows. After much playing, a lot of photos taken, bubbles and snacks (kindly provided by Rush SuperValu) each child got to go home with a knitted name gift made by Mum Sarah. The morning was a lot of fun and it was wonderful to be able to say goodbye to the toddlers moving on to ECCE. A big thank you to the mums who have helped organise throughout the year, especially Tracy, Sarah, Aine, Elle and Jackie. And best of luck to the new team taking over the organisation of the group for the 24/25 year. New babies and toddlers are encouraged to join the next playgroup happening on the 3rd of September.

Malahide & Swords residents are facing an unprecedented level of traffic chaos in the coming two years, according to David Greene, Chair of the Malahide Community Forum. The Forum is the umbrella group for over 20 residents’ associations in Malahide and they have been monitoring plans for bringing huge electrical cables from an offshore wind farm near Balbriggan through Swords and Malahide to join up with the national grid at Balgriffin.

“The recently lodged planning application by the wind farm operators seeks full road closures for months at a time along Estuary Road, the Swords Road and the Malahide Road into Balgriffin”, says Greene.
“The wind farm operator held public consultation meetings but never mentioned the extent of these full road closures. Diversions are planned but that only makes the situation worse as it forces all traffic (buses, lorries, cars, bikes and pedestrians) onto smaller roads and residential estates” according to the Malahide Community Forum who have analysed plans lodged with the planning application.

With residents of both towns already complaining about the extent of traffic gridlock throughout the day, these plans will have a huge detrimental impact on all residents. “Imagine trying to get kids from Seabury to Malahide Community School -it could take up to an extra hour to complete that journey. Thinking of going from Malahide to the airport? You’ll probably need to allow an extra 45 minutes to complete that journey at the latest, and possibly more at peak times” notes Greene.

The Forum say they have identified an alternative route that avoids road closures by going cross-country, which is considered standard operating procedure in the UK. It would be a shorter route, cost less and lead to lower carbon emissions because of less traffic jams. Whilst the wind farm operator did meet the Forum to discuss their proposed route, Greene feels that the operator was too far advanced in their plans to fully consider the alternative route.

The Forum say they are appealing to An Bord Pleanala to force the operator to give proper and full consideration to their proposal. They are also engaging with local councillors, seeking to get Fingal County Council to also compel the operator to take into account the alternative route proposal.

Calling all history buffs! Join us at Malahide Castle for an Oral History Open Day in celebration of Heritage Week 2024 on Saturday 24th August. This is a fantastic opportunity to share and listen to stories about the Talbot family and Malahide Castle from yesteryear in an open mic-style setting.

Here’s what you can expect: Share your personal stories: We want to hear your unique perspectives on Malahide Castle’s rich history. Uncover hidden gems: You might be surprised by the fascinating stories waiting to be unearthed! Connect with the community: Bond with fellow history enthusiasts and create a tapestry of Malahide Castle’s past. Contribute to history: Your story becomes part of the ongoing narrative of Malahide Castle.

Got some pictures and memories? - We want you to share them with us!

Help us build our understanding of the castle’s history by adding to the narrative. Whether you have a story to tell or just want to listen, everyone is welcome.

The event is free but spaces need to be booked by visiting: www.malahidecastleandgardens.ie/heritage-week-oral-history-open-day

There was great excitement at the annual Malahide Family Fun Day that took place on ‘The Green’ on Saturday 13th July in beautiful sunshine

Beginning with an interactive Ceili dance the fun continued throughout the day with activities such as a Kids V Parents TikTok Dance, Face Painting, Carnival Games, Balloon Modelling, and much more.

Lusk Summer Festival in June was a fantastic day for the whole community and Lusk Action Group would like to thank Fingal County Council, Progressive Credit Union, our amazing organising committee and all the people who helped to make it happen, once again.

Lusk was nominated by Fingal County Council for the Pride of Place awards, which will take place in the 3rd September, and we hope everyone will do their bit in helping to have Lusk looking its best. You can join the Tidy Towns and Lusk Community Cleaning Group in their efforts, or just clean up outside your own patch. Every little effort helps. It is quite an honour to be nominated and we will be using the day to showcase the best of Lusk and its wonderful community.

Enjoy the rest of the Summer! All in Lusk Action Group