Please join Balbriggan Sustainable Energy Community CLG and the ORS energy team for the launch of the Balbriggan Energy Master Plan on Thursday March 7th 18.00 - 20.00 in the Bracken Court Hotel. Hear about the home and community building energy audits and the results of our Home Energy Survey. Learn about energy use in Balbriggan and new projects that will help Balbriggan transition to a low carbon community. The launch is supported by the Progressive Credit Union and thanks to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland for the grant funding. We hope to see you there.

Many thanks to all the dancers, parents and teachers for the wonderful support for Balbriggan Feis 2024. It truly was an amazing Irish Dancing weekend. Thanks to our adjudicating panel - Mr Eugene Smith, Ms Belinda Murphy, Ms Briege Crawford, Mr Damian O’Neill, Ms Catherine Maher and Ms Minette Kieran for working tirelessly and flexibly through the weekend. We were also delighted to have the wonderful music from Mr Kevin Warren. We had great help from family, friends and teacher colleagues - we couldn’t have done it without ye! Parents and dancers from the Mc FOS School (and former dancers) were also brilliant - thank you all. Clann Mhuire GFC are always great to work with and volunteers help set up the hall, look after the carpark and the shop and help in every way they can. We look forward to letting you know about the proceeds that go to the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Thank you one and all and we look forward to seeing you again in 2025. All the best, Damien, Ann and all the team.

Councillor Brendan Ryan (Lab) spoke directly to the National Transport Authority (NTA) at a meeting in County Hall in February about the ongoing issues with the 101X/101 service between Balbriggan/Balrothery and the City Centre. “I welcome the improved service on the 101 but there are capacity pinch points at peak times which need to be addressed, particularly on the 101X” he said. “The three issues I want to raise with you today are: commuters waiting for the early morning 101X being regularly left behind, Flemington Lane stop being removed from the service, and the IFSC Stop 101971 being removed from the return service without consultation and without any sense of logic” he continued. “In your press release on 3th May, launching the East Coast Commuter Corridor, you indicated that double decker’s would be introduced on the 101X service but we have yet to see them and they would be the solution to the “leaving behind” problem at Balrothery.” Cllr Ryan also made the case for restoring the 101X stop at Flemington Lane which served the many estates off Flemington Lane before the introduction of the East Coast Corridor. “It’s hardly an enhancement of the service” he said. And, in relation to the IFSC stop being taken off the 101X return service he said: “This makes no sense at all. The majority of people using the service work in the IFSC and they have to leave early from work to walk the 10-12 minute journey to the alternative stops. The IFSC stop 101971 continues to be used for other Bus Eireann services such as the 100X. So, it definitely defies logic” Cllr Ryan urged the NTA to work with Bus Eireann to try to resolve these issues which are affecting commuters from Balbriggan and Balrothery.

Cllr Tom O’Leary has welcomed some good news for Balbriggan population 25,000 with 8000 in school-100 New Jobs and prospects of enticing a major FDI Foreign Direct Investment Business into Balbriggan from the Pharma and Med Tech sector. Cllr Tom O’Leary said, “ I am happy to have played a key role in facilitating the plans of HPL Hannon Pharma Link to establish a key base for this new high tech best practice Pharma Logistics Company HPL that can deliver “ door to door” anywhere in Europe within 72 Hours and door to door in the UK within 24 Hours. I expect this independent company to “ do a Ryanair “ on pharma distribution across Europe and beyond. I hope that with this key lean Pharma Distribution Co HPL located in Balbriggan along the North/South economic corridor that we can land a large Pharmaceutical Company into Balbriggan like the WUXI Vaccination company in Dundalk that employs 600 in top quality jobs. Cllr Tom O’Leary also continued, “Fingal Co Council along with local Councilors and key stakeholders are working on a plan via an EU Collaboration scheme with 8 EU cities as partners to develop a key landbank in Balbriggan for thousands of new jobs there. The location of HPL Hannon Pharma Link is a key strategic step on that journey to bring local employment opportunities to Balbriggan and Fingal.”

Cllr Tom O’Leary added, “This deal involves a land swap where Fingal Co Council will acquire a key strategic 12 acres at the Blakes Cross Junction R127Lusk Road / R132 Swords Road. I am calling on Fingal Co Council now to fast track the upgrade of this junction and make it safe for everyone. There have been too many accidents at this location.

Fingal County Council recently launched an ambitious strategy which it believes will be the blueprint for transforming the county into a beacon of tourism excellence that will make it a premier destination for both domestic and international visitors. Unveiling the tourism roadmap, Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy, said: “Fingal is blessed with an array of natural wonders, rich heritage, and vibrant communities. From our stunning coastline to our charming villages, we offer a unique Irish experience that we are eager to share with the world. This new strategic framework will help increase opportunities, enhance the overall visitor experience and help to strengthen our position as a must-see destination.” Key to the strategy are three primary asset themes: - Natural Amenities and Heritage - Arts and Culture and Recreation and Leisure. These will be further augmented by the supporting asset themes of Hospitality, Food and Drink, and the festivals and events for which Fingal is already so well-known, including Flavours of Fingal, Howth Maritime and Seafood Festival, Malahide Castle Concerts, and more recently, TradFest. The strategy also recognises the crucial role of sustainable tourism in preserving the essence of Fingal for future generations. The approach emphasises responsible practices, prioritising the conservation of our environment, and the celebration of Fingal’s identity. 2024 is the first year of the strategy and will see a focus on delivering the collaborative structures required within the county as well as nationally and internationally to drive success. To that end, the Council will lead the development of a comprehensive marketing and promotional plan which showcases what distinguishes Fingal as a unique tourism destination. The Fingal Tourism Strategy 2024-2029 is now available.

Our Balbriggan/North County Dublin branch of Guide Dogs is looking for your old postage stamps and coins which can be turned into money! Recently, Tom O’Neill received €530 of old postage stamps and foreign coins and another supporter of the branch changed sterling coins into sterling notes which resulted in euro value of €160. As Tom has said, what some people might consider rubbish has now resulted in €690 for Guide Dogs. So please contact us if you have any old stamps or coins you would like to donate. A wonderful sum of €1,092.50 has also been raised by Specsavers in Millfield Shopping Centre, Balbriggan, who sponsored Santa’s Grotto in the lead up to Christmas, in aid of our Balbriggan/North County Dublin branch of Guide Dogs. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Brian Brodigan and everyone in Specsavers for their continued support. Did you have a chance to attend the Annual Feis in Naul GAA club which took place on Saturday the 10th and Sunday the 11th February? All proceeds went to the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. The Feis is a fantastic event which has brought in over €25,000 for our branch over the years. For that we say a massive thank you. We spoke about the fantastic puppy raiser, Anne Mulligan in our last article and we are pleased to let you know that Cosmo, puppy raised by Anne Mulligan began her advanced training as an Assistance Dog in early January. Best of luck to Cosmo and we will keep you updated with her progression. Are you looking for a new hobby this year? Well, this year Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind is hoping to launch a ‘Summer of Golf’ across the country. There have been great successes with the great Woodbrook Golf Club, and the great Portmarnock/Malahide Team who also have a brilliant annual Golf Event in their calendar. We are looking to make contact with all the local golf club/s to introduce yourself and to (hopefully) look at working with them to support the Guide Dogsin some way over the course of the year. If you would like to get involved for the Balbriggan/North County Dublin branch, please contact us. If you are interested in volunteering with us please feel free to contact us the Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind by phone/text: 085 7663107, by email: guidedogsbalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook: Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs

2024 kicked in when we returned to training on 2nd January. Christmas break and goodies long forgotten, all classes resumed in the first week of the New Year and all trained well. We hosted our first event of the new year on 7th January – hosting the JKS National Brown & Belt training session as well as the JKS Open Squad Session, welcoming our friends from around the country to Swords. 2024 will be a busy year with these events being held monthly to help raise funds to send our students who have been selected to represent Ireland at the World Karate Championships in Japan this July. As part of our fundraising efforts, we will be holding a Race Night Fundraiser on Saturday 17th February 2024 in Graingers. The Manor Inn, Swords, Co. Dublin. It promises to be an exciting night with 10 races, raffle and auction. All members of the community are invited to attend and have a good night out while at the same time supporting the local kids selected for Japan 2024. We have Toyama Sensei from the JKS Japan Headquarters visiting us at the end of January. He is a truly phenomenal technician, with superb karate skills and we hope to have a very enjoyable training session with him. He is one of three Japanese instructors we will have visiting us this year, with Kagawa Shihan visiting in May and Yamaguchi Sensei visiting in October. We are looking forward to an exciting fun packed 2024. The Club is looking always 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: or indeed @jks_swords_karate_club.

What a wonderful organisation Swords Women’s Shed is proving to be in our community. Their mission is to unite and empower women within the community through creative craft and socialisation. Recently the Women’s Shed organised an amazing chakra healing from Ciara Robinson reiki master. It proved to be an enlightening and amazing night thanks so much to Ciara. She has also promised she will be back again for a further session. After the stress of Christmas and the New Year, the lovely peaceful energy was needed for our ‘rejuvenating January ‘ We hope you are all starting to unwind from 2023 and the Women’s Shed are half way through theirr monthly programme and very soon will welcome Marion , a life coach motivational speaker , and positive mindset coach so everyone is looking forward to that.

2024 has arrived and with it it brings new challenges for our hard-working volunteers. For those readers who are unaware, Swords Tidy Towns in 2023 missed out by only one point in achieving our very first Gold Medal, in 2024 we will endeavour through our hard work to bring home the Gold. We rely on you the public to play your part in our ongoing battle against street litter, it is you through your diligence that we will get over the line and achieve that elusive Gold Medal, team work. We have come a long way in twenty years. It has been a fantastic journey with many ups and downs. But that long journey led us to six Silver Medals in a row plus many other accolades, that alone in itself is an achievement we are all proud of. When you see our dedicated teams out and about stop and chat. Tell them how proud you are of how well your town is looking, a kind word and a smile goes a long way, and they cost nothing. We look forward again this year to working closely with the various departments within Fingal County Council, especially the Operations Dept with whom we have worked with on many projects over the years. We are always on the lookout for new volunteers. All you need do is email us at swordstidytowns@gmail.com or just turn up on a Saturday at 10.15am in the car park of Colour trend Paint Shop opposite the Garda station on Main St.

The new Swords Surgery Hub will provide nearly an acre (3910m2) of Surgery and medical rooms in an existing building -at Unit 1 at Swords Business Campus said Cllr Tom O’Leary. The Surgery Hub will be operated under the governance of Beaumont Hospital. Swords Surgery Hub Comprises of: 4 Operating Theatres (with 28 associated service rooms) an Endoscopy unit with 16 Bays/Beds, 11 Reception Beds, 4 Exam Rooms, 6 Treatment Rooms, 2 Procedure Rooms, Anaesthetic Room, Café/Shop The “Swords Surgery Centre” will serve the medical needs of a growing and aging population of 160,000 residents in Swords, Balbriggan, Skerries Rush, Lusk, Donabate, Malahide and Portmarnock and rural Villages of Fingal, said Cllr Tom O’Leary. Cllr O’Leary continued, “Full Planning Permission was granted on the 8th of December 2023, and the tender process is complete. Work on a “turnkey medical fit-out” of the existing building will get underway shortly. The Swords Surgical Hub will likely be open Monday to Friday from 7am to 8pm running two surgical sessions per day in each theatre, with each session lasting four hours in length and with a 30-minute turnaround time between each session, similar to the successful Reeves Day Surgery Centre (RDSC) at Tallaght University Hospital opened in 2020. So the question is: What Procedures Might be carried out at a Swords Surgery Day Hub?

Swords Surgery Hub is for patients that need elective surgery under general or local anaesthesia or sedation and are scheduled to go home on the same day following their procedure. General Surgery – Otolaryngology - which is Ear, Nose and Throat - Orthopaedics - PlasticSurgery - Ophthalmology - Gastroenterology - Urology - and Pain Medicine - Gynaecology - Vascular surgery (peripheral surgery). The new hub at Swords is modelled on the very successful “Reeves Day Surgery Centre” at Tallaght University Hospital (opened in 2020) which has substantially reduced waiting times for day-case procedures. - Transport - Serviced by High Frequency Bus Routes - 41C, 41x, 43, 500, 503,505,506X,507. - 180 Car Parking spaces - 330m from the proposed Estuary Metro Link Station. I am hopeful of real progress on “Swords Primary Care Centre” project soon,” said Cllr Tom O’Leary.