The students at Junsa Taekwondo have been busy preparing for many aspects of our martial art and sport. The summer grading, national development sparring competitions, poomsae training sessions, national and international competitions, referee seminars and the Lusk summer festival all have to be prepared for, and everyone is striving to be the best they can be. That’s why at Junsa we say there is something for everyone in Taekwondo. Our big story this month is one for great celebration. Jack Weldon Murphy has gone from refereeing at local tournaments to international competitions in the UK and Europe. That is outstanding Jack!

There has been a wide range of activity in recent weeks for Lusk AC athletes. Peter Doyle completed the Rome Marathon, Colin Browne and Colm Donoghue represented Ireland at the World Masters in Poland. Our 40-Day 6am challenge came to an end with Jackie Moore completing all of them. Liam Halpin registered his 300th parkrun while Aidan Langley volunteered at his 200th parkrun. There were also large numbers from the club competing at the National Championships for both the 10 mile Battle of Clontarf race in St Anne’s Park and the Great Ireland 10k in Phoenix Park. Congratulations also to all juvenile athletes who competed at the recent Nationals. We encourage all our young athletes to take part in the upcoming Dublin Juvenile Outdoor Leagues.

Best of luck to all our teams as they set out on their 2023 season. All support is welcome at our fixtures. Details on dates, venues and times of home fixtures can be viewed on our website at roundtowerslusk.ie Nursery every Saturday for all children aged 4 to 7 years. 11.00am to 12.00pm. We have had great attendances and as always, new players are always welcome!

LGFA - April - Well done to members of the Under13 girls’ team visited St Sylvester’s GAA club took part in the Skills4Girls Camp with Dublin Senior footballer Niamh McEvoy as Head Coach.

April – The Round Towers u10s has a trip to Croke park and won all 4 games beating St Brigid’sfrom Co Carlow, Truagh from Co Monaghan, Dromand from Co Longford and Bray Emmets from Co Wicklow. We are all very proud of the players and thanks to the ladies’ section in the club for all their support. Also in April, Round Towers Robyn Kendellen U14s played for Dublin Championship squad. Congratulations to Robyn and to all coaching staff involved. Well done to Round Towers Lucy Hayes U13 girls who was nominated by the U10 girls to come and referee in Croke Park and Interviewed post-game! All new players are welcome to join across all divisions! In April our Round Towers Hurling had some fantastic achievements that deserve a special mention and a big well done to the players and coaches involved. Big well done to Round Towers Dylan Mulligan (U15 boys) who played for the Dublin U15 hurlers beating Waterford. Big Well done to Darragh Kilduff from Round Towers U 16’s makes appearances for Dublin Minor Hurling! Great to see the Towers gear proudly worn in Seboka National School, Lesotho, Africa. Pat Codd and Aidan McKenna are down there volunteering with Action Ireland Trust. Many thanks also to Morgan Doran for his donation of Jerseys from Rush National School. Our Round Towers Adult Mens football is proudly sponsored by local solicitors, Liam Fitzgerald, thank you for their continued support. All home games have a new Barista Bandstand coffee and refreshments offerings. Please do visit our GAA Round Towers Lusk club website on the following web address linktr.ee/roundtowerlusk to explore our many social events and the O’Neills shop.

The publication of the AsIAm “Same Chance” report 2023 presented a stark picture of life for many autistic people in Ireland. The report, based on a survey of over 1600 autistic people and family, tells a story of resilience, talent, and pride. It also tells a story of 97 societal barriers to participation in community activities, accessing public services and making friends to name but a few. 90% of those surveyed believe the Irish public do not understand Autism. 91% believe that being autistic is a barrier to making friends. 86% believe that they do not have the same chance in Irish society AsIAm.IE Ireland’s National Autism Charity Same Chance Report 2023).Lusk Autism Friendly Towns is working with local businesses, clubs, and voluntary groups towards becoming an AsIAm Autism-Friendly Town. We were delighted in April to welcome on board this journey towards becoming an Autism-Friendly Town, Rush and Lusk Educate Together Parents Guardians and Teachers Association (PGTA), Skinny Batch Bakery, and Butterflies Creche who have committed to becoming Autism Champions for Lusk. RaLET PGTA have outlined to all parents and guardians of children in the school some of the measures that they will be introducing including participating in autism training, developing social stories for events, and creating sensory activities specific to their events. Staff at Butterflies Creche have already undergone autism training and have created a wonderful social story for children who will be joining them for the first time. Our most recent participant, Skinny Batch Bakery, has been in touch with us to find outwhat they can do to become an autism-friendly café. They are also working directly with AsIAm to spread awareness of autism and to help raise funds for the charity. Finally we would like to say a big thank you to Rush and Lusk Educate Together staff for inviting us to present information about Autism to their senior pupils as part of a wide variety of activities that were organised at the school to mark World Autism Day in April. All of these fantastic initiatives will help towards ensuring that Autistic children will grow up having the same chance as their peers. If you would like to become an Autism Champion for Lusk please get in touch with us at inclusionlusk@gmail.com and we would be delighted to get you started on your journey.

Lusk Tidy Towns Association recently met with officials from Fingal County Council to discuss the Tidy Towns works programme for 2023. As the weather improves we encourage everybody to do those little jobs that need doing such as painting, weeding etc and ask everybody to keep litter at bay. Together we can all do our bit to keep Lusk tidy and a place to be proud of. Thanking you for your continued support.

Following our recent AGM we are delighted to congratulate Rose Anna Darby who was elected as our new President. We wish her the very best in her new role. We also want to say thank you to our outgoing President Teresa Killoran for her hard work over the past three-years and for keeping us going despite the challenges of Covid. On another note a very successful fundraiser was held in aid of The Irish Cancer Society on Daffodil day with the Guild raising a massive €5,807, thanks to everyone who supported us. We’re always happy to welcome new members so if you are looking to make new friends and learn new skills why not drop in to our monthly meeting which takes place the first Tuesday of the month. Caroline O’Malley PRO.

Welcome to Fingal Libraries Bealtaine Festival 2023, Ireland’s national celebration of the arts and creativity as we age. The festival programme will run for the whole month of May with events across all our branches. We are launching this wonderful festival in Rush Library on Tuesday, 2nd May at 11:30am with a performance from the Forget Me Nots choir, an inclusive community choir for older people. Everyone is welcome to the launch which promises to be an enjoyable and uplifting musical experience. This year’s programme features everything from an empowering talk on life after menopause with author Barbara Scully to an inspiring talk with adventurer Eugene O’Leary. We also have bridge and art classes, talks from Fingal Birdwatch, concerts from the musical ensemble the Mobile Music Machine and much, much more.

Portrait & Landscape Art Workshop with artist Will Nathans
This two-part art workshop will focus on portrait and landscape paintings. Will Nathans is an American born artist who lives in Dublin. He trained in New York City at SVA and studied illustration and cartooning. Participants are requested to bring their own art materials to the class. They will be informed what they need when booking their place at Rush library. Rush Library Wednesday, 24th May Wednesday, 31st May 2:00pm – 4:30pm

Bealtaine Concert with music ensemble Mobile Music Machine
Join the renowned Mobile Music Machine for a special family themed concert celebrating Bealtine in Fingal. Each concert will feature some of Ireland’s most acclaimed musicians, performing songs from the musicals, popular and classical eras. Musicians include soprano Sandra Oman, cellist Gerald Peregrine, trumpeter Niall O’Sullivan and pianist Vincent Lynch. An hour of entertainment for all. Rush Library Friday, 26th May 2:30pm – 3:30pm To reserve a place, please contact Rush library who are hosting the event.

Demonstration of Tovertafel tables, also known as magic tables, consist of a series of interactive games projected onto a table. The images from the games respond to the user’s hand and arm movements allowing users to play with light. Originally designed for people with dementia, these tables provide fun interactive games for people of all ages. Rush Library Tuesday, 2nd May 12:30pm – 1:30pm No booking required. All welcome!

My name is Brenda King and I live in Lusk, North County Dublin. I am an Inter-Faith Minister and legal Solemniser with the HSE. I’ve had the pleasure of marrying couples for the past few years and I’ve realised that a lot of people are unclear about the different wedding options available and the process that needs to be followed, so I thought I’d offer a quick overview. Firstly, anyone thinking of getting married in Ireland must register their ‘Notice of Intent’ with the HSE, at least three months before their intended wedding day. To start the ball rolling you would need to contact your local civil registration office by phone or email, who will then send you a notification form which must be completed and returned. If you or your partner were not born in Ireland, you may have to have your birth certificate officially authenticated in your country of birth. This is referred to as an ‘Apostille’. Eventually, you will receive ‘The Green Folder’ which must be present and signed on your wedding day for legal purposes. Secondly, you might consider what type of ceremony you would like. Some couples might choose a religious ceremony in a church, while others may opt for a ceremony officiated by a celebrant. A solemniser is a celebrant who can do the legal signing on the day of your ceremony. There are different types of celebrants such as Inter-Faith, Humanists, and Spiritualists As a multi-faith celebrant, I can offer both non-religious, religious, or blended ceremonies, but ultimately, it is the couple’s choice and together we would craft an inclusive ceremony, in a relaxed atmosphere, that they feel is personal to them, and reflects who they are, while not forgetting to have some fun! I hope you found this overview helpful but if you have any questions, I’m always happy to help and look forward to hearing from you. You can contact me for more in-depth information on 0874173165, by email at brendaking04@gmail.com or sure we can always have a cuppa and a chat! I can also be found on Facebook and Instagram; ‘Brenda King Celebrant ‘

Africa Day is an annual celebration of the people and cultures of this wonderful continent. On 25th May Lusk Community Council will celebrate Africa Day in its Cultural Centre in conjunction with the Redeemed Christian Church, Lusk Community College, Fingal County Council and the community of Lusk. Africa Day celebrates the vibrancy, diversity and potential of Africa. In Ireland it is an opportunity to recognise the growing cultural, trade and political links we have with various countries right across Africa.The Department of Foreign Affairs organises a programme of events each year to mark Africa Day. Lusk Community Council is working with Fingal County Council to have a very special celebration in Lusk.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support Lusk’s Community Tree Planting Day last Saturday. Three varieties of bare root whips and Holly shrub saplings were planted along the boundary fencing between the Hub and Lusk Community School. Students from Lusk Community College also helped to plant some bare root whips last Friday too. Thank you to Fingal County Council for supplying over 300 bare root whips and for helping to pre-dig so many holes in the ground, it made the job so much easier! In addition to the hedge planting at the HUB, Fingal County Council also planted: Six mature trees along Minister’s Road, Six mature trees along Dun Emer Drive, Bare root whips at the end of Minister’s Park, and Bare root whips along the railings between Orlynn Park and Remount Estate.The Spring Community Tree Planting Event was a first for Lusk and Fingal County Council hope to facilitate another one in the autumn. Thanks to the sub committee from Lusk Vision 2030, Fingal County Council and Councillor Robert O’Donoghue for co-ordinating the day.