Recently Balbriggan FC had the pleasure of hosting Balbriggan native Diane Caldwell, the talented and experienced Republic of Ireland and FC Zürich Frauen defender. Diane generously shared her knowledge and expertise with the players, providing invaluable insights and tips on the game. She also took the time to take pictures and sign autographs. It was fantastic to have such an outstanding player visit the club and a memorable experience for all of us.

Well done to Balbriggan men’s youth players Conor O’Grady, Max Downey and Seamus Whelan who represented Leinster North East in the Shane Horgan Cup against Leinster South East at Energia Park recently. It was a cracking match which saw both sides level, 22 v 22 with just minutes to go. A penalty kick saw the North East take the lead 25 v 22. And with seconds on the clock, the North East went over for their final try of the day, which, with the conversion added, brought the full-time score to 32 v 22 for the North East. Well done to the North East Squad and their coaches and the Balbriggan players on a great performance. Not to be outdone the U18AB girls played their first match of the 23/24 league recently with a win on the road against a strong Barnhall side. A very competitive game with strong carries, defensive lines and great communication. The girls kept their heads, worked very hard for each other and secured the well-deserved win. Special mention to Fiona Odige who went off injured in the last 10 minutes after a stand-out performance and we wish her a speedy recovery. Congratulations girls and keep up the good work. Last but definitely never least, congratulations to The Stingers Tag Team who lined out at half time at the Aviva Stadium recently. Many of the Stingers team also are members of Remember Us Balbriggan and are very special players within the club.

Balbriggan Youth Theatre is looking for facilitators. Do you have a theatre related talent and are interested in forming part of a creative team? Location will be Balbriggan Library. Email Raquel.MurilloDiestro@fingal.ie for more information.

Councillor Brendan Ryan (Labour) has been highlighting the additional problems facing housing applicants with larger families in the Balbriggan area over the last number of months. “It is bad enough having to wait up to ten or twelve years on a waiting list to get to an offer zone before being told that you have to wait several years longer because there are no four bedroom units available” he said. “This is the reality for many housing applicants in Balbriggan today” he added. Cllr Ryan added, “I am pushing for more four bedroom units to be provided in every housing development that is planned for Balbriggan in the near future to ensure that applicants with larger families are not disadvantaged. I have also made the case that three bedroom houses could be offered, at least on a temporary basis, until the bigger houses come on stream.”

Balbriggan Feis syllabus and Bracken Court Hotel accommodation offer is now available (please see our attached photo) The Timetable of events will be confirmed on FB when WeFeis entries close on February 2nd 2024. The Organisers have also asked if all perpetual prize winners can please arrange to return their prizes to Damien & Ann before the Feis please? They have also asked that teachers are reminded to pre-enter figure teams.

Balbriggan Meals on Wheels were thrilled to be awarded 2023 Community Heroes of the Year at Balbriggan Town Awards at the end of the year. We would like to extend a huge gratitude to everyone involved in the Town Awards for this recognition. It is a wonderful acknowledgement of the work of our wonderful team of Volunteers who work tirelessly to help us out at all levels within our organisation. Our volunteer directors, drivers, kitchen assistants and our fundraising committee all donate their very valuable time to contribute to the smooth running of Balbriggan Meals on Wheels.We also would like to extend an enormous thank you to all those who, throughout the year, fundraised for us, gave us monetary donations, attended our fundraising events and contributed to our food appeals. To all those local businesses, organisations and individuals who helped us in any way, we are extremely grateful. Without your help we could not keep the service going. We look forward to serving the community of Balbriggan throughout 2024.

One of our fantastic Balbriggan North County Dublin Guide Dogs volunteers, Anne Mulligan who has puppy raised multiple times, explains that “In 2010, having taken early retirement from the Civil Service I began volunteering with Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind as a Puppy Raiser.” Anne said, “Puppies arrive with the raiser at 9 weeks old and stay until they are 12-14 months old at which time return to Cork for further training. Puppy raising comprises socialisation and taking the pup anywhere they would be going with a Visually Impaired Person or child with Autism. Support is provided through a Puppy Walking Supervisor.” Anne went on and discussed the first pup, she puppy raised, stating, “The first pup I took on was Zak, followed in no particular order by Cinders, Genna, Oscar, Gabbie, Zabbie, Coby, William, Adel, Yarrow and most recently Cosmo. It can sometimes happen that dogs, for various reasons are found to be unsuitable and are withdrawn from the programme. This was the case with Zak, William and Coby who were rehomed as family pets. Zabbie was part of the breeding programme. All of the others became Assistance Dogs for children with Autism. Cosmo, my most recent pup, returned to Cork on 18th September and will be starting her advanced training as an Assistance Dog in early January.” Anne noted that, “Another aspect of volunteering is temporary boarding. Naturally, there are times Puppy Raisers, Guide Dog or Assistance Dog Owners will be going on holidays or for other reasons will need their dogs looked after for short periods. This is where I come in handy. Sometimes, I take a friend’s Guide Dog for a free run in Ardgillan which is very enjoyable both for the human and the dog.” Anne finished by saying that “While puppy raising is hard work, it is also very enjoyable and rewarding especially when you see your pup helping a Visually Impaired Person or a child with Autism. I have made many friends over the years and would certainly recommend it to anyone who is thinking about volunteering.” Also, just to note that the Annual Feis in Naul GAA club is on Saturday 10th /11th February if you would like to attend. The Feis is a fantastic event which has brought in over €25,000 for our branch over the years and for that a massive thank you! If you would like to get involved or are interested in volunteering, please feel free to contact us: Balbriggan/North County Dublin branch of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Phone or text us on 085 7663107. Email us at GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs. You can visit GuideDogs.ie to find out more about puppy raising.

2023 was a busy and enjoyable year for Swords Karate Club. We hosted members of JKS Ireland from all over Ireland at the National Brown & Black Belt training sessions in April, May, September & November. We also hosted National Squad training sessions in preparation for the JKS World Karate Championships in Japan in 2024. Sophia Guildea and Amelia Miller tested for their Shodan Diploma in May under Kagawa Shihan 9th Dan JKS and both were successful. Members of the club attended 3 competitions, topping the medal table in all 3 JKS Inter-Club competitions in Tyrellstown (June), Swords (September) & Tallaght (October). In May we hosted Kagawa Shihan 9th Dan JKS. We were privileged to have JKS Ireland members from around the country join us in this world class seminar over 3 days.

We held two club gradings, in early July and mid-December, where club members showed off what they have been studying during the year and all members who took the grading examinations progressed to their next coloured belt. Our membership is growing but we are still looking for new members (Children, Young People & Adults). Contact Dermot on 087-8073885 for details on how to join. You can also contact us on Facebook: JKS Swords Karate Club or on Instagram: @jks_swords_karate_club

A major milestone in the Swords Cultural Project has been reached with the publishing of the tender for the iconic building which will include a county library, theatre, gallery, arts spaces, a maker space, and a café. This is the latest stage in the tender process which has been underway for several months and responses are due to be submitted in February. A comprehensive evaluation period will follow before the tender is awarded and contracts are signed. It is hoped that construction will commence in Q2 2024 with the new building due to open in 2026. The necessary enabling works are currently taking place on the site at the junction of North Street and Seatown Road to prepare for the construction phase. Twelve houses on the opposite side of Seatown Road are due for demolition and will be replaced by 36 new homes in two blocks of 20 and 16 respectively. A further 13 new homes are due to be built on North Street as part of the transformation of this part of Swords. The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy, said: “This marks another important step in the Swords Cultural Quarter project. This building with be a centre of knowledge, arts and culture for Swords and Fingal and will have a strong focus on people and experiences which, through the delivery of a modern, dynamic, inspirational and educational programme of events and activities, will become a destination and a focal point for the local community and visitors.” The Swords Cultural Quarter is a 3.89-acre area around the junction of North Street, Seatown Road, Bridge Street and Main Street and the new building, which has been designed by renowned Architects O’Donnell and Tuomey, will include a new 3,000m2 County Library, an art gallery and exhibition space, a café, a civic area, studios and rehearsal rooms, and a Black Box theatre which can cater for audiences of between 165 and 360 depending on the type of event being staged. The new library, which will be seven times bigger than the existing one, will offer the people of Swords a full suite of library services for the first time.

One Voice Singers Swords are a new multicultural community singing group based at St Colmcilles GAA Club in Swords. The group recently took part and gave a few wonderful performances of Christmas music and Carols in this year’s Christmas Market at Swords Castle. They had a wonderful time, were extremely well received and enjoyed every minute of their performances. The Singers thanked the people of Swords for all the support in the past year and also gave a huge message of thanks to their musical directors Aine and Tony. Well done to you all and we wish you continued success in the coming year.