It was with huge pride, privilege and pleasure that we accepted the 1st place Pride of Place award in the population over 5000 category on the 2nd of November in Monaghan. This was received by Brian Arnold of Lusk Community Council, Lynne Barker of Lusk Action Group and Mark Boland of Lusk Tidy Towns. This was the culmination of many months of preparation for judging day in September, and the collaboration of many community groups.

These annual All-Ireland community awards are about the best of community, how we come together to shape and change our community and strive to improve the quality of life of our community. Lusk has this in spades. The work that has been done for many years by well established groups, coupled with the extraordinary work that has been done in more recent years, makes us shine as a community. The award that we received was for every club and group, for every volunteer who gives so generously of their time and energy week after week, year after year. None of what we achieve is possible without volunteerism. Strong communities are rooted in volunteerism.

We have had enormous challenges in recent years due to the rapid growth of our population, and we are very proud of how our community has pulled together to meet these demands. It is sometimes overwhelming, but the commitment of our volunteers to bring their visions to fruition and to enhance the quality of life for our community, drives us forward in respect and cooperation, and we very much look forward to witnessing the positive changes that are coming to our town.

We would like to once again congratulate the Black Raven Pipe Band for their great success, winning the world championship title. For a “little” town, it has been a hugely successful year!

Finally, we hope that you enjoy the Christmas lights, erected by Lusk Action Group, and we wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas.

You can get in touch with Lusk Action Group at luskactiongroup@gmail.com

We would like to wish a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all in Lusk AC.
2025 registration is now open though the membership link on our website and we are delighted for new members to join us. The 2025 Lusk 4-mile date is set for 2nd March so why not sign up now.

Junsa Taekwondo recently took part in the prestigious Korean Ambassadors Cup held in Baldoyle Dublin. This tournament is run by our national governing body, Taekwondo Ireland in conjunction with the Korean embassy here in Ireland. It was a fantastic event which catered for both disciplines of Taekwondo and included countries such as the UK, Denmark, Albania and all of Ireland.

Junsa’s players, Darragh (Gold), Ethan (Bronze) and Conor took part and showed excellent results. Conor’s matches along with other fighters had to be postponed to another weekend due to technical difficulties, so hopefully one more medal to come.

Congratulations to all who completed one of the Autumn marathons in the last few weeks. The club were well represented in Berlin, Chicago and Dublin. The recent Rathfarnham 5k was the culmination of a very focused block of training and produced some fantastic results on the day. Well done to our athletics and club coaches. Fit & Fab is our new sociable, no pressure running group for teenagers. Bring a friend and try it out. Our Christmas party is on Friday 13th December. Have you purchased your ticket yet? All club members and family are welcome.

October 16th was International Restart a Heart Day, Lusk Community First Responders got out and about raising awareness on what to do if you witness a person collapsing with a sudden cardiac arrest. The Lusk CFR team met the community at their stand at Skinny Batch Bakery and Supervalu, to talk about how anyone can save a life and explain the key steps to save a life: Check, Call, Compress and Shock.

In other news, Round Towers GAA installed a brand-new AED outside their clubhouse. They also registered it with the National Ambulance Service so that it an be used by the community in the event of an emergency. Call 999/112 and give the Eircode that is visible on the AED cabinet and the call taken will given you the access code. Thank you, Round Towers Lusk. That brings Lusk to 4 public access AEDs available 24/7.

We look forward to working with the community to increase the number of public access AEDs in Lusk and the surrounding areas. If you are a member of a club or organisation that already has an AED, please get in touch with us to find out how to register it with the National Ambulance Service. The best AED is the nearest AED, every second counts.

If you would like to learn more about Lusk CFR, please check out our website www.LuskCFR.ie or find us on Facebook and Instagram. We look forward to welcoming new volunteers.

Lusk ICA ran their annual fundraising coffee morning and Raffel organized by Antoinette Doran in aid of the hospice. Our thanks to all the people who baked their wonderful cakes, also our thanks to Senator Lorraine Clifford Lee and Joe O’Brien TD for their support. The final total was €2,355, which is very good as it was such a bad morning.

The ICA all Ireland P&P competition took place in Seapoint, Co. Louth the weather was dry but with a very strong wind. The result was 1st Roscommon 2nd Meath 3rd Clare. Dublin was not successful, but Mary Shorthall & Teresa Kilmurray enjoyed the day and were looked after very well.

A Big Thanks also to all who baked and volunteered at the recent fundraiser in Lusk United Soccer FC it was a great success.

Fantastic “Rambling House” night of nostalgic singing and stories in Murray’s Pub organized by Anne Smithers Lusk ICA with musicians on guitars by Don Duggan, Paul Redmond and Mick Mullin and Catherine Hagan. Don’t miss the next Rambling House session to be held again on Tuesday, 12th November.

The ladies travelled with the Lusk senior citizens for a great day out to Birr Castle and Clonmacnoise with dinner in the lovely Grenville Arms Hotel Mullingar.

Ten of our ladies attended a sewing session with the Project Fashions in Swords using our lovely new sewing machines which were kindly sponsored by Fingal Co Co. They are busy making crafts in preparation for Lusk ICA Christmas Market on Sunday, 1st December in the Scout Den.

The Lusk guild meeting is on the first Thursday every month in the Scouts Den (after the beavers) at 8:15 PM and we would be delighted for new members to come along.

Foróige are looking for volunteers to help run our volunteer led Foróige clubs in Rush, Lusk and Skerries. We engage young people from the ages of 10 to 18, enabling them to make friends, have fun, become independent and positively involved in their communities. Our youth clubs meet on a weekday evening for 1-2 hours. If interested, please contact our club development worker: Cillian Purser - cillian.purser@foroige.ie or 086-0123078.

Two new housing developments have been officially opened in Fingal, as Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Brian McDonagh welcomed Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien TD to Lusk to celebrate the delivery of new homes in the area.

Kilhedge Gardens is an age-friendly scheme providing 31 new single-story homes. The development – delivered through direct build by Tuath on land owned by Fingal County Council – consists of 18 two-bedroom and 13 one-bedroom homes, with an additional communal facility area for residents. The new homes were funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage via the Capital Assistance Scheme, a funding mechanism for the delivery of homes for priority groups such as older persons. The architects for the project were Walsh Associates and the main contractor was M.L Quinn Construction.

In 2010, Tuath delivered its first homes in partnership with Fingal County Council at Garristown, Northwest Fingal and has since delivered over 1000 homes in the County.

Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Brian McDonagh said: “It gives me great pleasure to see this top-notch development from Tuath being opened to help deliver much needed age-appropriate homes for older people in our community. This is a superb new build in the heart of Lusk and I wish the residents all the very best in their new homes.”

Minister for Housing, Local Government & Heritage Darragh O’Brien, who turned the sod on the development in February 2023 commented: ‘’Today’s launch of 31 safe and secure homes for older persons is most welcome here in Fingal. Kilhedge Gardens includes both a communal facility for residents and close proximity to Lusk town centre – this scheme lives up to the ambition of Housing for All by successfully delivering high-quality, well-located homes that prioritise not only the safety and comfort of older persons but also economic, social, and environmental sustainability.’’

Alongside the Kilhedge Gardens opening, the ribbon was also cut on a new social housing development in Monastery Court. This comprises five high-quality apartments with a communal landscaped courtyard and close to all local amenities. As part of its commitment to encourage sustainable construction and minimise environmental impact, this is Fingal’s first Passive House development. Passive House standards ensure these homes are low-energy, leading to reduced energy bills for residents whilst providing significant environmental advantages.

Michelle Lacey of Fingal Physiotherapy was delighted when she was told the clinic had been nominated for an Irish Enterprise Award.

Michelle tells us that following this she had to provide some lengthy paper work. Following assessment from a panel of judges it was announced that Fingal Physiotherapy won Physiotherapy Clinic of the year 2024 – County Dublin.

The Irish Enterprise Awards reported there were several factors that led to this achievement, including exceptional commitment to the highest standards in patient care by providing a huge selection of treatment and assessment serices and fast onward referral and links with local GPs or consultants when needed.

Michelle Lacey, the clinic’s founder has extensive experience and is highly-qualified, having studied a postgraduate professional diploma in Clinical Leadership, a MSc in Sports Medicine, BSc in Physiotherapy, BSc in Sports Science and she is awaiting her certification as a National Strength and Conditioning Coach. Her publications and presentation at the Faculty of Sports Medicine Conference demonstrates the clinic’s dedication to evidenced based practice. Of particular note, Fingal Physiotherapy has shown community commitment by supporting and sponsoring local sports teams and clubs and providing support at local charity events.

Fingal Physiotherapy was first established with Michelle Lacey offering services in the Fingal area in peoples’ homes while she continued to work in the Beacon Hospital Physiotherapy and Sports Medicine department in Sandyford. In September 2022 this grew to having a stable base inside Fingal Medical Centre, two days a week. Fingal Physiotherapy now operates full time and continues to grow.

“It’s so great to be here as part of Lusk s growing facilities base. We can’t wait for the next few years and what lies ahead,” Michelle said.

While the evenings are starting to become cold, dark and wet, at Junsa Taekwondo the classes are warm, bright and welcoming . Our full classes have now returned and are welcoming new members. If you want to learn a new skill, get fit or want to reach your full potential in the world of Olympic Taekwondo then we can help you get there. We are members of Taekwondo Ireland the national governing body of WT in Ireland and have direct pathways to help our students fulfill their future either as an Olympic athlete, a poomsae world champion, or as an international referee. OR if you just want to have fun at a local level, we can help you get there.