My Swords was an exciting photography competition designed by Pavilions Food Fair, exclusively for Secondary School students in the Swords area showcasing their creativity and storytelling abilities through photography. Forty-eight students from Colaiste Choilm and St Finian’s Community college embraced the competition led by their teachers Irene Doherty and David Bowe respectively. The Pavilions Food fair with its O’Brien’s Sandwich Café, Bagel Bar and Abrakebabra has been a popular eatery in the Pavilions Shopping Centre in Swords for over 15 years. It is a preferred choice for breakfast and lunch and according to the students of Colaist Choilm and St Finan’s it has the best loaded fries in town! The business is owed by husband-and-wife team Turlough Flynn & Brid Ryan, and they ran this competition as a thank you to the local community for the support they have received over the past few difficult trading years. The 48 submissions were featured in the restaurant over a weekend and customers were invited to give their public vote on their preferred choice. It generated lots of conversations and interest. The competition culminated in a wonderful exhibition evening where students, teachers’ family and friends gathered at the Pavilions Food Fair to view the submissions and enjoy the awards ceremony. The winning school received a DSLR camera to the value of €500, the overall winner received an Instax Film Printer to the value of €300, the runner up received an Instax Film Camera to the value of €200, The customer choice won restaurant vouchers. The winning submissions are currently hanging in the Pavilions Food Fair in the Pavilions Shopping centre and gaining lots of positive attention. Turlough & Brid hope to run this as an annual event and look forward to encouraging more schools to get involved. The winning school was Colaist Choilm, the overall student winner was Brian McGlade with runners up, Oisin Parks Colaiste Choilm, Grace Cooney St Finian’s Community College, Lillie Bowbrick Hand St Finian’s Community College, Josh McKinney Colaiste Choilm, Lucy McGarvey St Finian’s Community College.

Get ready for an unforgettable weekend at the many ParkRun Ireland locations in Fingal County Council! Lace up your running shoes or take a leisurely stroll with our amazing Walk at Parkrun participants. No matter your pace, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Register now at //parkrun.ie and be part of the action-packed fitness event supported by Sport Ireland. Join our vibrant community and connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for an active lifestyle. Get inspired, make new friends, and conquer personal milestones together. Don’t miss out on the excitement!

Rush Cricket Club would like to wish Rush Local the best of luck.The cricket season kicks off in April and Rush Cricket Club are always open to new and old players taking part in the sport in our lovely town of Rush. Formed in 1931 and currently based on the Skerries Road we are an inclusive and welcoming club in the town of Rush offering top class cricket facilities along with a fully stocked bar for our supporters and visiting teams. We offer cricket to all from the ages of four up to as long as you can hold a cricket bat. With a range of Juvenile teams (U7 to U17) and six adult teams made up of 4 Men’s teams and 2 Women’s teams playing in the Leinster leagues. Training for ages 4-11 begins in May which take place every Friday evening from 6.30pm – 8.30pm and weather permitting allows for the parents to stay, spectate, and enjoy a BBQ. We are always looking for parents to get involved also to help man the BBQ, assist mentoring a team or play social cricket with other parents. Rush Cricket Club has steep history in Irish cricket and has helped to produce senior Irish Internationals including Eoin Morgan, Fintan McAllister, Neil Rock and Stephen Doheny and no doubt the next one is not far away. Please contact rushcricket@gmail.com or Patrick Monks (Hon Sec) 083 0752197 for further information on getting involved.

In the heart of Fingal, Rush Boxing Club stands as a testament to the dedication, skill, and triumphs within the world of combat sports. Offering a diverse range of disciplines including Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), this club has become a breeding ground for champions. Among the notable recent success stories are Ellie and Chloe Lawrence, who etched their names in history as Rush Boxing Club’s first female league champions. Their journey symbolizes the club’s commitment to fostering male and female talent. Carson McCarthy’s recent victory in the Dublin championship not only adds another feather to the club’s cap but also propels him into the prestigious All Ireland competition. His success underscores the high-calibre training and coaching provided at Rush Boxing Club, positioning it as a force to be reckoned with in the national boxing scene. The club’s structured class schedule caters to individuals of all ages and skill levels. Junior boxing classes are held on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5:15 to 6:15 pm, ensuring a nurturing environment for young enthusiasts to learn the fundamentals of the sport. For Seniors, the training intensifies from 6:30 to 8:00 pm on the same days, providing a platform for aspiring fighters to hone their skills and compete at higher levels.Rush Boxing Club not only focuses on physical conditioning and technique but also fosters a sense of camaraderie and discipline among its members. The atmosphere is one of mutual support and encouragement, creating a community that goes beyond the confines of the training mats.As Rush Boxing Club continues to produce champions it solidifies its standing where passion, dedication, and skill converge to create a legacy of excellence. Whether you are a beginner looking to embark on a boxing journey or an experienced fighter aiming for championship glory, Rush Boxing Club welcomes all with open arms.New members welcome to join, contact Paul at 086 379 9603.

Ball Busters women’s football club was formed by Amanda Bracken and Tanya Christie, two friends from Lusk with a passion to play competitive football without the restrictions of playing on an actual team. Two mammies that still wanted the buzz of winning a game but having the craic at the same time. One afternoon after chatting through one of their many notions they decided to start up Ball Busters, a social indoor soccer group, and so it began, February 2023, the beginning of something special. On night one, we thought we would have loads of girls but 6 turned up, we thought all we had to do was organise it and people would show but that was not the case. Through hours of hard work and dedication, we have built a WhatsApp group of over 80 ladies, we rent 3 out of the 5 astros in the Soccer Dome in Santry, with upwards of 40 ladies coming each week. We organise outings, have nights away, we have been to Wexford to play Courtown Hibs and have just come back from Bangor where we played 2 teams and won both matches, we have also done a bungee fitness class, we are very much a social group. We have built something that the ladies look forward to each week and keep coming back. For women in sports week, we will have 60+ ladies in the Dome, who all came together for the same reason, play ball, and have fun. We have built a very supportive environment for everyone, all levels are welcome, if you miss a goal no one is going to shout at you. We are so lucky with the mixture of girls we have, they are such a lovely bunch, there is never a cross word between any of us. It has given us all an outlet, something we can do for ourselves. So why not come and join us.

Our first feature this month is about Marram Grass planting on our Sand Dunes. On Sunday the 3rd of March 30 volunteers from Rush Clean Coasts group and from further afield planted Marram grass on part of the Sand Dunes on South Beach in Rush. Coastal Erosion is a constant issue, with the sand dunes disappearing bit by bit. The Marram grass however helps tie the sand together and provides at least some form of barrier to erosion. Aine Lawless from Clean Coast Ireland oversaw the planting process with the volunteers transplanting the grass from densely populated areas to the bare section of dunes. Rush Clean Coasts plan to have a further event later in Spring.

Next is a timely reminder regarding our very popular seed swap event. That is: we will be holding the first of our community seed and plant swap events for 2024 in early April. See our Seed Event flyer for details. Also we remind you of our Sunday Morning Litter Picking - Thank you to Rush Sailing Club for doing a super clean up around their area, and to our usual Sunday morning litter picking volunteers who cover the town. We also had some of the Tiny Towns gang out and about litter picking in the sunshine. If you would like to get involved in any of the above activities or have any questions in general, please drop us a line on tidytownsrush@gmail.com.

The Let’s Play Rush group have announced their programme of events for 2024. Following on from the incredible series of events over 2023, Let’s Play Rush will kick- off their 2024 programme with an Easter themed event in Kenure Woods on Sunday 24th of March. Other events across the year include the very popular family sports day at Tayleur’s Point in August, the Halloween Spooktacular and the Christmas family event. This is the fourth year of Let’s Play Rush events which is a European Union initiative under the Urbact banner. As Councillor Brian Dennehy, chair of the Let’s Play Rush liaison group explained, “A few years ago Fingal County Council, who help fund and organise the programme, invited representatives of the Urbact initiative to deliver a presentation in Rush on what is called the playful paradigm. The idea behind it is essentially to help the community by providing opportunities for all to come together and play. Once we saw what was happening in other places like Cork, we just grabbed it and ran with it and it has been a huge success.” Rush Tidy Towns Chairperson Brendan O’Reilly said, “We have been building on each successful event year on year. We now have a large stock of toys and fun activities for all ages and each event gives us an opportunity to showcase the community spirit in Rush. There really is something for everyone.” Chair of Rush Scouts Davey Clarke said, “To organise a Let’s, Play Rush requires planning, energy and the ability to adapt and think on your feet. It also requires behind the scenes work done by dozens of volunteers. That’s why we think it’s tailor made for the Rush 38 th Scout troop and it’s been great for us to be involved.” Let’s Play Rush is not confined to the show- stopping events, they host throughout the year, as Brendan O’Reilly explained, “We have a stock of toys and games that other community groups, schools or estates can borrow. If anyone is hosting a community event Let’s Play Rush are happy to help”

Rush Community First Responders have been putting the UNITY into CommUNITY in recent months. In late February they held a joint training session on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)with our neighbours in Lusk for the fledgling Community Responders Group. The training was delivered by Aidan Langley an Instructor for Rush Responders and Donal Behan an Instructor for Swords Responders. Rush Community First Responders is a group made up entirely of volunteers who work hard to not only respond to Cardiac Emergencies ahead of the ambulance arriving but also to provide free training to community groups on life saving techniques including how to use a defibrillator.

Community First Responder initiatives are set up under the HSE First Responder Scheme. They have recently provided training to Rush 38th Scouts Group, the staff of St Catherine’s National School as well as hosting a St Patrick’s Weekend public training event.

Jock Jordan-coordinator said “Due to the ability of our trained Rush Community First Responders to respond to Cardiac emergencies quickly, we can provide vital assistance and assurance to patients before an ambulance even arrives. It is no exaggeration to say that our Volunteers can make the difference between life and death. We are always looking for new volunteers and are constantly fundraising”.
In 2023 Rush Community First Responders responded to as many as 50 Cardiac Arrest, Heart Attack, Chest Pain and Stroke incidents, that’s almost one a week.

Volunteers dedicated over 2225 volunteer minutes to those lifesaving calls alone.

On the 6th of March, St. Catherine’s N.S. hosted the annual Interschools Primary Debating Competition between some of the schools in the locality. Rush N.S., St. Brendan’s Loughshinny and Lusk S.N.S along with the hosts St. Catherine’s N.S. all entered two teams into the competition. The day was a huge success!

The teams debated the motions “Fairytales are not good for children” and “Teachers should be replaced by technology”. It was an excellent morning of debating, rebuttals and questions and the audience were kept very entertained. Fortunately, all schools came away with one win each, so it was smiles all round!
Well done to all the children involved in the debates. It takes such courage and bravery to stand up in front of a crowd and present their arguments. We are looking forward to next year already!
St. Catherine’s take a trip to Space – to infinity and beyond!

Also recently, the boys and girls in St. Catherine’s N.S have been learning about Space as part of the Geography and Science Curriculums. The senior classes have also been doing extensive work on the Moon Landing as part of Disciplinary Literacy. To further their learning, the school arranged to have the Planetarium visit for all the children to experience. The Planetarium Dome was supplied by Exploration Dome. The mobile planetarium is designed to explore science, astronomy, geology, and geography in a fun and interactive way. It uses state-of-the-art Full Dome 360° 3D digital projection technology, stunning graphics, and advanced computer simulations. The children in St. Catherine’s got to lie back and travel to space from the comfort of the Sports Hall. It was an unforgettable experience for all the children in St. Catherine’s N.S.