We’re delighted to announce the appointment of Paul Farrell and Joe O’Grady as managers of our Junior A and Junior B Ladies football teams respectively. They are looking for players! If you played football before with Syls and would like to return, or you’re new to the area, drop us a line at stsylvesters.dublin@lgfa.ie.

Brilliant effort from A-Team as double door ‘challenge’ is met with a resounding success.

Take a bow John, Frank, Paddy, Noel and Brian for a tremendous day’s work on the allotment canteen. The work involved cutting the shape of double doors out of the existing prefab wall, framing up the opening to accept the double doors and then after lifting them into place, making the doors element proof with expanding foam and weatherproof cladding. Not as simple as it sounds because this required a lot of measuring, cutting, lifting, levelling, spacing, shaving and a little bit of jiggery pokery to ensure that everything lined up and the doors opened and closed as they were meant to do. This was the A-Team performing at its’ best. a tough challenge met with professionalism and no little amount of humour to ensure that despite the challenge, there was plenty of banter and enjoyment. Giving up a day’s work to help improve the lot of everyone demonstrates genuine benevolence and generosity on the part of the A-Team members, however but once again, they delivered a great result for all to see. That’s the A-Team, set them a task and they lap it up and deliver the goods time after time! Well done gents on a stellar day’s work from all of you!

By John Moore, Deputy Principal

The teachers and staff were delighted to welcome the Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD, to St Mary’s recently. Minister Foley came to officially launch our new administration wing ahead of our transition to Co-Ed this September when boys will be welcomed in First Year. During her visit, Minister Foley was given a tour of the school and initially visited our brand-new Pink Home Economics room, which had been officially launched by Celebrity Chef, Donal Skehan. The new kitchen was recently featured on RTE’s Operation Transformation programme when our Transition Year Students cooked a healthy and delicious dish. We were delighted to be able to showcase our brand-new toilets to the Minister and also show her our brand-new Digital Media Room, for which we have received an extremely kind donation of 29 high-spec Apple iMac computers. She then visited various classes to speak to students. In one particular class, she asked a general question – What did students like about St Marys? She received a one-word answer, “Everything”. The Minister was absolutely delighted to hear this answer and the staff couldn’t have been more proud of our students.

Caves Marsh is a very special area in Malahide on the Estuary Road beside the Malahide Dinghy Club. It is an example of a ‘Raised bog’ and very few have survived in Europe. It takes an extra few thousand years for a ‘Bog’ to develop into a ‘Raised Bog’ and most of them have been drained for use in farming etc. Our Caves Marsh is part of a Special Protection Area (SPA) because of the birds that can be found there. Every year the Tidy Towns judges tell us off because we’re not protecting this precious habitat and they are right to do so. We’ve asked the Council to help us to put in measures to better protect this area so that it’s still there for future generations. Unfortunately, that might mean that it is no longer available as a place for walking dogs (or people). The path at the top though is used a lot by pedestrians, especially kids getting to the national school, so we’ve asked that this is kept open. It will mean putting fences around the areas that need protecting - especially near the water. We would beg people to support these changes and respect the need to protect this area from further destruction. We hope to hold some talks over the summer with more information on the rich biodiversity of this small area. We plan to survey it to establish a baseline, compare it to previous surveys with a plan to survey it again in a couple of years to monitor any changes. We are blessed in Malahide with so many beautiful areas, we hope it will be possible to leave this small area aside for nature. As Tidy Towns volunteers, we feel an obligation to attempt to protect this area, people are welcome to disagree but I would ask that they resist the urge to attack members. Thank you.

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and local Fingal TD Darragh O’Brien recently granted approval to Fingal County Council for a foreshore licence, foreshore lease and foreshore consent, paving the way for the full development of the Broadmeadow Way. Enabling works are underway at the Broadmeadow Way, a new greenway between Malahide Demesne and Newbridge Demesne via the railway causeway across the Malahide Estuary, and the Ministers consent concludes a detailed application process by Fingal County Council ensuring the shared footpath and cycleway can be developed. Commenting Minister O’Brien said, “This coastal greenway has been a priority for Cllr Eoghan O’Brien, Cllr Ardian Henchy and I for many years. I’m delighted to see it progressing. “Each of us have seen the potential for this project and having recently visited the site and talked through the plans with Fingal County Council I know it will be a magnificent amenity for locals and tourists alike when completed. “Today’s approval is another boost for the project and follows a detailed application by Fingal County Council who must be commended for all their work on this project. “I look forward to the day when I am walking this greenway alongside the families and individuals from our communities,” he concluded.

This past month at Junsa has been busy in our preparation for our upcoming local competition. There will be clubs from all over Dublin and the surrounding areas. This tournament will be a decider to see if some of our players will travel abroad to compete for Junsa. If their performances are good, then they could make the next step to international competition. We have also been focusing on our under 6’s age group, teaching them the basic fundamentals of Taekwondo and hand, foot and eye coordination, skills that will stand to them in life.

The club had without doubt its biggest ever travelling numbers at the end of January when over 90 took part in the Raheny 5 mile. This was followed in February by great participation at the Trim 10 mile, Dungarvan 10 mile and the Donadea 50k. The latter was also the occasion of Peter Doyle’s 100th marathon. It was fitting that he crossed the line with another member of the 100 club , Eddie Hamilton. Daniel O’Brien has been in fine form with multiple podium finishes in recent cross country races. Our 40 day 6am runs started in February so why not join us for a few of the early morning 5k’s this month. Finally, we’re looking forward to the annual Lusk 4 mile on Sunday 3rd March at 3pm. Thanks to all who have been working on the preparations and to those helping out on the day.

The recent weeks have proven to be yet another busy time for our ladies with lots of activities: Nollaig Ña mBan -We thoroughly enjoyed a lovely Nollaig Ña mBan night out in the Shoreline Hotel. We also had a brilliant night bowling in ALSAA and congratulations to one of the winners our own Mary Hickey. Also, recently our Lusk ICA drama ladies did us proud in the recent ICA Wicklow Federation 68th Drama Festival. The adjudicator Alan Howley was very kind to us and our play “Dinner ladies”. Congratulations to Angela O Brien who received a meritorious award. Thanks to Mary Hagan Director, Alma Farrell stage Manager, and Caroline O’Malley on the music and all who helped backstage. Regarding our Swimming ladies, a big thank you to Mary Hickey for the “fascinating dinner evening” on the 10th of February which she hosted for the swimming ladies - who all wore their colourful fascinators and brought along their delightful desserts. We will be back swimming again in May to join the brave ladies who swim most weeks, in Rush and hopefully welcome new members to join us for 2024. Oh and not forgetting our recent Chow Mein and laughter nigher with a superb Chinese meal hosted by Maria Baird following our success in the drama. Our future plans are very exciting too. Plans are in place for Lusk ICA to take part in Fingal County Council’s. International Women’s Day in the Lusk Cultural Centre on 8th March. We are all looking forward our invitation to Farmleigh House and Estate which is being organized by Eoghan Dockrell of Fine Gael. In April, 20 of our ladies will travel for 2 nights to the European Parliament in Brussels which is being organized by Senator Lorraine Clifford Lee together with Darragh Gallagher, assistant to Barry Andrew’s MEP.

On January 21st the Lusk Ladies Shed took part in the ICA Wicklow Federation Drama Festival with a comedic sketch written by Anne Quane titled ‘Pilgrimage to Knock’. Tracy O’Mahony and Catherine Hogan played the parts of ‘Mary’ and ‘Bridie’, two faithfully religious women endeavouring on their yearly trip to Knock Shrine, County Mayo. Sandra Conlan and Mary Bermingham played the part of ‘Shelly’ and ‘Denise’, two brazen women who believe they are going to watch a Chippendale performance. Samya Berridjdal acts as the Travel Agent working in the agency where all the ladies arrive into to venture on their trip, and to her shock they have completely different ideas of what the trip to Knock will entail. The comedic sketch won a meritorious award for the script writer Anne Quane and the Lusk Ladies Shed performers won an award for ‘Best Costumes’. Special thanks to Director Anne Smithers and prompter Leona Donagher for their support in ensuring the ladies’ successful performance.

Cllr Brian Dennehy has welcomed the FCC strategic land acquisition at Blakes Cross. He said, “At the February full council meeting of Fingal County Council under item 19A it was agreed that Fingal County Council take possession of 12.32 acres adjacent to Blakes Cross. The land acquisition is very welcome, and it is an action I had requested FCC to carry out due to the strategic positioning of the site along with the potential to carry out the badly needed road upgrades required at the junction.

The positive potential the site offers is both seismic and potentially life changing to the commuters who use the junction daily. A firm of consultants, Roughan and O’Donovan consulting engineers have recently been appointed to provide engineering, planning and environmental services for the Blakes Cross Junction Upgrade, to provide a safer junction layout that caters for both motorised traffic and active travel modes of transport such as walking and cycling.

This will also include the areas along the R132 encompassed by the Road Safety Audit carried out in 2022. The acquisition of the land is very timely considering the appoint of the Consultants and the new acquisition will allow the area required to carry out the major upgrade required by giving safety to the residents of Lusk, Rush and Skerries as they transverse the junction on their commute as well as providing further safety to residents of traveling north to the Rural villages including Ballyboughal and Oldtown. In time this acquisition will be seen as one of the key and most important actions carried out in the north county area by Fingal County Council in order to bring safety measures to the enormous volume of commuters who pass through the extremely dangerous junction on a regular basis.”