by Ewan Snow

On the 3rd of August; Myself, Mark Matthews and Mark Mitchell set off on our quest to cycle from the most southern point of Ireland (Mizen Head, Co. Cork) to the most northern point of Ireland (Mallin Head, Co. Donegal). We decided to set ourselves this task over one of the previous lockdowns as we became aware of the difficulties The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre were facing with fundraising. The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre over the years have had many fundraising events which help greatly towards the funding of their work but due to covid restrictions such events were cancelled and The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre are now relying on donations to help them keep up their great work. We set off on the 3rd of August, getting the train to Cork City and then a bus to Skibbereen. From Skibbereen we ended up cycling 50k to Mizen Head and then we were at our starting point. By day 8 we set sights on Derry, cycling through the beautiful city and eventually arriving in the quiet village of Muff just at the Donegal border. Day 9, Mallin is only 50k away, the morale is at a high, we leave early and just as we leave the rain clears up and sun comes through. As we entire Mallin Head Village it’s nice and warm for the first time all week and we are in awe of the beautiful landscape. Eventually arriving at Mallin Head we get a new lease of life and cycle up the final climb to be rewarded with the feeling of accomplishment. We arrive at our destination with no accidents and no mechanical issues. All our hard work has paid off and as we arrive we reach €1,000 on our iDonate page for the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. Without doubt the most exhausting week of my life but worth it. Knowing we are helping such a great cause and all the support from people kept us motivated. A week we will never forget. Our iDonate page isn’t finished yet, it will remain open till September 10th and we would really appreciate any donations to help the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre fund their marvellous work. More information on the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre can be found on their website and to donate you can find it as Ewan Snow’s Fundraiser on the iDonate website, thanks so much.

Here at St. Benedicts, we have been working hard to improve the overall appearance of the complex. We have recently invested in some window boxes, hanging baskets and plants and we have a dedicated an area for wildflowers to attract bees and butterflies. With some help from volunteers and our residents, we planted up the boxes and hanging baskets. A lovely couple from Seabury donated an outdoor sofa for our residents to enjoy. This really brings enhances and brings our new space together. In other news, going forward we will be able to invite our tenants back to our lovely community centre. We will continue to follow government guidelines but our tenants are delighted to be able to call up for a coffee for the first time since March 2020.

Malahide Cricket Club is a historic club situated in the seaside town of Malahide, right on the idyllic grounds of Malahide Castle. Formed in 1861, the club now boasts 2 playing pitches, one of which serves as the International ground for our national team Cricket Ireland, a comfortable and cosy clubhouse and bar open 7 days a week which is available for event hire.This family and friendly oriented club has teams suitable for all ages, with 5 men’s teams playing in Division 2 through to Division 13, 2 women’s teams who play in Division 1 and 2, 8 boy’s teams from Under 11 to Under 17, 4 girls teams from Under 11 to Under 17 and a Taverners/ Social team. We also run an Easter Camp and two Summer Camps for girls and boys aged between 6 – 13 years of age. Details for these can be found on our website.The ground hosts club games, inter-provincial games and various international fixtures drawing large crowds and social activities, the largest being in 2013 when approximately 10,000 people were in attendance for the Ireland vs England one day international.Malahide Cricket Club is a welcoming environment open to new memberships all year round (including family and overseas memberships). We are easy to find, just a stone’s throw away from Malahide Train Station and Village, easily accessible by Dublin Bus, and only 10 minutes away from Dublin Airport. You can contact us by phone on 087-4190148 or email us at shaker676@gmail.com

Bravo Zulu to Néala Troop Ventures Kate, Niamh and Laura for being the very first crew to complete our Lighthouse Challenge! Clocking nearly 100 nautical miles the girls charted and sailed to each of our local lighthouses (Rockabill, Lambay, Howth, Bailey, Poolbeg, Kish) working together as a team, planning their expedition, managing their boat and navigating our coastal waters to complete a safe and successful passage. A fantastic display of teamwork and seamanship under various conditions. Well done girls.

By John Moore, Deputy Principal

Our Sixth Years had been great during the Covid lock downs in both 5th Year and 6th Year

To mark how well they did, we did a special Yearbook for them which we distributed only last week. We produced it late so that we could include their very special End of Year Graduation Ceremony. With the help of the Senior Prefects and a collosal amount of work, we managed to produce a top class year yearbook which of course, they thoroughly deserved. Attached is the actual yearbook, back page with all their names which as lists form some shapes – not all can see and the cover includes Vodafone -We are absolutely delighted to be Vodafone’s WiFi Centre of Excellence Pilot School for the rollout of their smart connect programme for the coming years.

St. Vincent de Paul are an approved housing body. St Benedicts Conference is a group of SVP volunteers responsible for St Benedicts Housing Scheme in Malahide. We currently have 45 social housing units purpose built for older people located on Estuary Road, Malahide. We also have a community centre that is normally used to host events and activities for our tenants.These activities have obviously been postponed due to the ongoing covid-19 situation.Thankfully recently , we were finally able to safely host an outdoor coffee morning.We used this opportunity to catch up and inform our tenants of a new gardening initiative.In Feb 2021, we applied to Fingal Chamber for funding for our ‘Promoting Mental Wellbeing through Gardening’ Project.The idea for this project stemmed from the ongoing covid19 restrictions. We were concerned that our tenants were becoming increasingly isolated. So the aim of this project is to encourage our tenants to get outside and engage in some gardening. Gardening resources can be expensive, especially for those in our tenant group so our project would develop a communal group of gardening tools/equipment for all to use. We were successful with our application and Fingal Chamber awarded us a sum of money to purchase this equipment. We have purchased a small number of items so far which has been included in the attached photos. We also have an annual gardening competition, not everyone takes part as they do not have the resources so we would encourage more involvement.Winners of the competition win a gardening voucher and a small trophy.

Fingal County Council has welcomed the news that all eight applications from Fingal to the Community Monuments Fund have been successful with a total of €270,000 awarded including Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, has announced the approval of 139 project grants across all 31 Local Authorities for a wide range of archaeological heritage projects under the Department’s Community Monuments Fund. First established in 2020, the fund was increased from just over €1 million last year to €4.2 million in 2021. The full list of projects awarded in Fingal is: Castleknock Castle works - €70,000.00 - Kilsallaghan Graveyard works €36,189.00 - Burial site, Windmill Lands, Swords works - €33,948.00 - St Columbas Towers, Swords survey - €26,610.00 - Malahide Abbey survey €24,600.00 - Rush Tower House survey €24,600.00 - Lanistown Castle, Donabate and St Marnock’s Church Portmarnock -€24,600.00 - Portrane-Donabate Peninsula Heritage Audit & Interpretation Plan - €29,520.00. ‘I am absolutely delighted that all eight applications from Fingal to the Community Monuments Fund have been successful, securing just over €270,000 in funding for the preservation of our important archaeological sites’ said Fingal Chief Executive AnnMarie Farrelly

What is it? - The Message in a Bottle (MIAB) project is brought to you by your local Lions Club. It is a simple idea designed to encourage you to keep medical information and contact details in a small distinctive bottle in a common location – the fridge. This free bottle contains a printed form and three labels. The form is completed and put in the bottle. The bottle is then placed in the fridge and one of the adhesive labels is placed on the outside of the fridge door, another inside front entrance and/or back door.So, What does it do? The MIAB initiative is supported by the emergency services. If a person is taken ill while alone in the house and is unable to communicate, the first responders, on seeing the labels, are alerted to go straight to the fridge, saving valuable minutes assessing the patient’s details. This time can be critical and lifesaving.Who will benefit from Message in a Bottle? Vulnerable people not in good health, people living alone, those who have life threatening conditions/allergies, people with disabilities. It can also give peace of mind to families. Where can I pick up this free bottle? McCabes Pharmacy in Malahide Shopping Centre. This potentially lifesaving initiative is funded by your Lions Club with the support of local donations. For more information contact Damian Carberry, MIAB Officer, email: miabd133@gmail.com

We are delighted to announce that we will be re-opening for browsing and lending from the morning of Monday the 10thof May. We really look forward to welcoming you all back to the library.For those of you who don’t wish to come back into the physical library just yet, we will have a returns box outside the main door.

With the Government and NPHET urging people to “Think Safe, Think Outdoors” over the coming months, Fingal County Council has revealed its plans for an Outdoor Summer.At a recent meeting of the Council, Councillors were given a presentation which detailed how, from the June Bank Holiday Weekend, the public will be able to safely access the public realm in some of the county’s major towns.Councillors were also briefed on the supports being put in place to facilitate Outdoor Dining with areas in Swords, Blanchardstown, Skerries and Malahide, which have clusters of dining businesses, identified as locations that would benefit from special activation measures to support the hospitality sector.This will see New Street in Malahide being pedestrianised from June 6 and a walkway being introduced on Harbour Road in Skerries as part of a redesign of how people move through the area. Outdoor dining areas are also being established on Main Street, Swords, and Main Street, Blanchardstown.

Public Information Leaflets outlining the measures for Swords, Skerries and Malahide will be distributed to all households in those areas from tomorrow (Tuesday) with residents being asked to complete a survey on the proposals at consult.fingal.ie (not accessible through this medium) as part of a non-statutory public consultation that is open until May 21.Outdoor Dining will also be facilitated in other parts of those towns as well as in other towns and villages across the county, such as Balbriggan and Howth, through the issuing of licences, grants for outdoor dining furniture and a Parklet Partners scheme. Further information is available on the web at fingal.ie/outdoordiningsupports.ie (not accessible through this medium) The public realm measures will also include additional litter bins, public toilets and public benches as well as additional staff resources in key areas of the county and changes to the county’s Casual Trading Byelaws.Toilets in libraries in Malahide, Blanchardstown and Balbriggan will also be opened to the public. The Council has installed Changing Places Toilets in Millennium Park, Blanchardstown and is planning to install them at Ardgillan Castle.There will also be additional measures to promote Active Travel with an extension of the Bleeper Bikes scheme and the provision of additional bike parking facilities.