Recently the feast day of St. Bridget on 1st of February was marked but there is another female saint whose feast day occurred just two days later, on 3rd of February, for whom there is a Malahide connection.St. Werburgh was an early English royal abbess and was revered for ensuring healthy pregnancies. She was the daughter of King Wulfhere of Mercia. Born in AD 650, she renounced the world on the death of her father, retreated to a convent in Ely, England and founded monastic houses over which she presided. On her death she was buried in Hanbury, Staffordshire, but her body was later moved to Chester to place it beyond the reach of marauding Danes and St. Werburgh over time became the patroness of Chester and guardian saint of Chester cathedral. Her memory lives on in the cathedral and in representations in stained glass. Chester had, from pre-Norse times, extensive trading connections with Ireland for corn, hides and fish. In 1176 a charter by King Henry II empowered the Chester City Burgesses to continue to trade with Ireland. Henry II had reserved Malahide for himself and granted Richard Talbot tenancy of Malahide provided he pledged to hold Malahide for the English Crown which the family did for 800 years until the last Lord Talbot, Milo died in 1973. Perhaps it was the traders from Chester who were responsible for the devotion to St. Werburgh in Dublin and the Malahide district or perhaps it was the early Normans.. we don’t know. A street and a church named after St. Werburgh are to be found in Dublin city near Christchurch cathedral but here near Malahide, her name is honoured by a holy well on the Gay Brook stream. Local tradition held that the natural spring well had a cure for sore eyes. A tale associated with St. Werburgh says that she brought five wild geese back to life that had been killed by a servant and as a result the emblem of a goose is associated with her and in the windows of Chester cathedral. In old Gaelic the word for goose is Gé, hence Goose Brook or Gay Brook. We have St. Werburgh’s miracle of the five geese to thank for the name. Our thanks to Malahide Historical Society.

John Moore, Deputy Principal

It has been a busy time in St Mary’s. Here are some updates: Theresa Morakinyo the Project Manager at the Baldoyle Family resource was delighted that we raised €1,200 for Baldoyle Meals on Wheels. The money was raised by carol singing in Donaghmede Shopping Centre and holding a Christmas Jumper Day and by the teachers carol singing to the students. Well done also to mini company ‘Christmas Corks’ whose Christmas decorations, made from corks, proved extremely popular. They have donated the vast majority of their profits to the Jack and Jill Foundation. A very impressive sum of €400. Well done Hannah and Brooke! We were also delighted to update our Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl with the Applegreen sponsored Awards Board. Congrats to Elizabeth and Julia, current Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl who now join a really impressive list of former Head Girls.

We are to delighted to announce that we have passed the €100,000 mark following the launch of our SylsFuture fundraising campaign in November! Thanks to the generosity of our first donors and participants in our fundraising events we are well on the way to our target of €750,000! We are on track with the development work and expect to break ground on Phase 2 of the development plan before the summer, starting with the extension of the All-Weather training area at Broomfield.
Please contribute today to help us towards our next milestone and secure the future development of the Broomfield campus.

We are very proud of Venture Scout Dan Clohessy who has won the Newcomer of the Year in the Outsider Awards 2022! Dan represents the true spirit of Scouting, with his enthusiasm and active participation. As role-model to his peers and motivator to his adult Scouters. Well done Dan!

The St Sylvester’s GAA Clubhouse in Malahide village has been recently renovated & available for booking. It’s spacious function room is the perfect choice for your next party or function of numbers up to 250 people. Our newly refurbished bar upstairs, perfect for any party! We provide excellent service and facilities for many special events such as: Christenings, Communions, Confirmations, Birthday Parties, Weddings, Club nights, Christmas nights, pre-debs party. The function room is fully equipped with a seating plan of choice, full bar & a dance floor. We can also provide a DJ, a Wine/Champagne reception, a great menu of food and room decoration as requested. The function room is open to members and non-members. To enquire, please contact: Dave Potts 086 7263191 or Lisa Murphy tel:085 222 6982.

Well done to L-R): Brian Waugh, Billy Stanbridge, Jamie Fagan-Carr, and Noah Tyrrell, who took to the field recently against North Midland as part of the Leinster Metro U16s. Unfortunately, the results didn’t go their way with a 32-21 loss, but a strong performance from everyone involved. Well done to both Brian and Billy on their tries today for the team. Everyone in Malahide RFC wishes all the best for these young players in the future.

Situated in the picturesque village of Malahide in North County Dublin, Malahide United currently field approximately 60 schoolboy/girl and senior teams. With over 1,200 registered players we are one of the largest clubs in Ireland. Our home ground is Gannon Park, which comprises of two 11-a-side pitches, one 7/9-a-side pitch, one 11-a-side floodlit all-weather pitch and one 5-a-side/warm up floodlit all-weather pitch, floodlit warm up area with full clubhouse facilities, Gym (members) and Coffee Shop. We also have three 11-a-side and two 7/9-a-side pitches in Malahide Castle and one 11-a-side pitch and one 5-aside pitch in Robswall Park, which is accessible from Gannon Park. By following an ethos of encouragement, equality and participation we provide an environment to enable all players to develop their potential. As a club we are investing a considerable amount of time and resources in developing our coaching programme for both players and managers. Welcome to the Malahide United AFC Web Site. Situated in the picturesque village of Malahide in North County Dublin, we currently field approximately 60 schoolboy/girl and senior teams. With over 1,200 registered players we are one of the largest clubs in Ireland. Our home ground is Gannon Park, which comprises of two 11-a-side pitches, one 7/9-a-side pitch, one 11-a-side floodlit all-weather pitch and one 5-a-side/warm up floodlit all-weather pitch, floodlit warm up area with full clubhouse facilities, Gym (members) and Coffee Shop. We also have three 11-a-side and two 7/9-a-side pitches in Malahide Castle and one 11-a-side pitch and one 5-aside pitch in Robswall Park, which is accessible from Gannon Park. By following an ethos of encouragement, equality and participation we provide an environment to enable all players to develop their potential. As a club we are investing a considerable amount of time and resources in developing our coaching programme for both players and managers. We would love you to be part of our team! We promise, you’ll get more out of it than you’ll put in! Help nurture the futures stars of tomorrow in the best facility in the country! New volunteers and coaches are always welcome. Want to get involved? Give Alan a shout on +353 (87) 240 4664 and he’ll be delighted to help.

The Master Mariner competition is an annual seamanship event for Ventures & Rover Scouts.
It is supported and sponsored by the Irish Institute of Master Mariners.The 2023 Master Mariner Competition will be held on Sunday 5th March at the National Maritime College of Ireland, Cork Harbour. Hosted by 9th Port (Malahide) and 1st Port (Ringsend) Sea Scouts. Here are the forthcoming details of the competition programme for 2023 - 4th March – Competitors Experience Day. Venue - Irish Naval Headquarters, Haulbowline Island, Cork Harbour. Meet and greet with the examiners and fellow competitors alongside experience some of the facilities and operations of the Irish Naval Service. (This day is optional). Competition Day - 5th March – Master Mariner Competition. National Maritime College of Ireland, Cork Harbour. Competitors move between checkpoints and meet different examiners. At each checkpoint they run through the topic, using practical tests and tools as much as possible. It is not only for Sea Scouts? It is organised by Sea Scout groups but members of all Scouting Ireland groups may attend. Non-Sea Scouts have won the event in the past.

It’s been a very busy time in St. Mary’s Secondary School, Baldoyle. Here are some of the highlights. Junior Cycle results: After over a two month wait, the Junior Cycle results arrived in St. Mary’s in late November. Transition Year students gathered in the Canteen awaiting for the Principal, Dr. Edel Greene, to arrive at 10 am. Despite the wait, there was still a strong feeling of anticipation and excitement as students were called up individually to collect the envelope with their results enclosed. Cries of joy were common as students opened their envelopes. The results were exceptional and we are absolutely delighted with everyone. All the students were then photographed and students then visited classes to tell teachers about the results they had achieved. We are very proud of them all.

Irish Badminton Open: Our Transition Years took part in the prestigious Irish Badminton Open where they were line judges. The event was held in Sport Ireland’s National Sports Centre in Abbotstown. The girls had been preparing to be line judges for five to six weeks and were ready to make all those important calls when required. It’s a tournament that carries Olympic and world ranking points so the pressure was on. Everything went well and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves as regardless of helping out, it’s a great event to attend. The girls were also delighted to meet the Taoiseach, Micheal Martin TD who dropped in to see the event. The Mayor of Fingal, Howard Mahony and the Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, Ann Marie Farrelly also dropped in. It was also great to see John Treacy, Ireland’s Olympic silver medallist and two time World Cross Country Champion. Some of the teachers were more than delighted to have a photo taken with him. A Happy New Year to all our students, their families and you all!

The Casino Model Railway Museum won Best Leisure/Tourism Service in the Customer Experience Section at the Fingal Business Awards recently, as voted by an independent panel of judges for the Cyril Fry Corner at the museum. These awards celebrate the best of Fingal business across all business sectors so the museum are beyond thrilled! A visit to the award winning Cyril Fry Corner is a must for anyone who is interested in trains, engineering or modelling. It’s a corner at the Model Railway Museum that pays homage to the intricacies of Cyril’s hand-made models. They have recreated a work space that demonstrates the scale and complexity of how Cyril worked. A loving insight into his skillset, as if he just stepped into the space. Cyril Fry’s hand-made models are possibly one of the most important private collections of miniature railway engines, wagons and carriages ever created. Marvel at his creations at the Casino Model Railway Museum and be transported to his workbench. The building alone is a draw enough! And…less than 5 mins walk from Malahide Dart station. Come visit it soon!