Tayleurs Point Landscape
Our latest project for the community is now complete. We have created a new flower bed in front of Tayleurs Point Estate. This involved Rushbrook Plants who advised us on the plant selection and placement, Orby Landscaping who did the stone and ground works for a very community friendly fee and the hours and hours of planning and planting work that our committed volunteers and committee did. Thanks to everyone who was involved, this is a great addition to the town.
If anybody would like to help water part of the new landscaped area please get in touch at tidytownsrush@gmail.com. Any help is appreciated.
Rush Bygone Days Book
The Rush Bygone Days Book is now available to access for free from anywhere across the globe as an e-book. See flyer for details. Thanks to Fingal Libraries for facilitating this. The two links you will need are below.
Hello everyone! What a whirlwind of a month we have had! Our long-awaited community trip to Carlingford and Newry finally took place, and despite the weather’s best attempts to dampen our spirits, the atmosphere was brighter than ever. Laughter echoed through the streets, friendships were strengthened, and unforgettable memories were made. It was such a success that we are seriously considering another community adventure soon—so keep an eye out for updates!
Just a week later, we embarked on another incredible experience—this time, a visit to Dáil Éireann. We were honored to be invited by Senator Lorraine Clifford Lee, who not only joined us on the tour but also shared her personal insights and stories about the Dáil and Senate chambers. The tour was a perfect blend of history, politics, and fun, leaving us all a little more knowledgeable and a lot more inspired.
After the tour, we headed to the visitors’ bar for some well-deserved tea and coffee. Lorraine, being the gracious host that she is, stayed on to chat with everyone, pose for photos, and make sure we all felt truly welcome. But the surprises did not end there! Each of us received a copy of the Proclamation, a meaningful memento that I am sure is now proudly displayed in homes all around Rush and the surrounding areas.
A huge thank you to Lorraine for her warm invitation and for making our day at the Dáil one we will never forget.
You might be forgiven for thinking that Christmas has come early in Rush over the coming months but don’t be alarmed, we haven’t all skipped a few months on the calendar - it is instead an early kick off for the annual Christmas Lights funding appeal!
Every year the Christmas Lights Committee, which is a sub-committee of Rush Community Council, fundraise across the town to pay for putting up and taking down the Christmas lights on the main street and also organise the switching on of the lights event which takes place in Echlin Court.
This year the Committee are kicking things off early. A spokesperson for the Christmas Light Committee explained, “As we all know, things have been getting more expensive year on year and the Christmas Lights Committee have been under pressure to fundraise enough to cover all the costs associated with the lights. The people of Rush and our local businesses always dig deep but this year we’re starting our fundraising early to give us the best chance possible to raise as much as we need. People can expect to see our volunteers waving collection buckets on the main street, we’ll kick off our annual GoFundMe page and there will be raffles across the next couple of months including a raffle to win the chance to switch on the Christmas lights with the big man himself. It would be great if everyone could support the efforts to light up Rush at Christmas.”
Rush Tourism are delighted to partner with Rush Local and take this opportunity to say a sincere ‘Thank You’ to everyone who helped to make our Rush Harbour Festival & Air Show 2024 event such a huge success.
We are so grateful to each of our amazing Sponsors & Volunteers for their support without which our Festival and Air Show would not be possible: Fingal County Council /Dublin Airport D.A. / Dermot Mc Namara Solicitors / Progressive Credit Union / SuperValue / Rush Community Council / Adrian DunnePharmacy/ St.John’s Ambulance/ Rush Sailing Club / Rush Community First Responders / Ros-Eo Preschool / Rush Tidy Towns / Rush MusicalSociety / Specific Gym / St. Maur’s Pipe Band / Ros-Eo Art Group / Yoga in Rush / Rush Local Newspaper / Eamon Price / Des De Burca / Brian Delaney /Brenda King & our own families & friends who gave their time and assistance on so many occasions. We also thank our many loyal traders, crafters, entertainers & participants. We also wish to express our thanks to you, our reader & to all your friends & families who came out in your thousands to partake in our event. We were overwhelmed with the support from everyone, making this year’s festival a huge triumph for all involved.
This year’s airshow was the biggest and best aeronautical display to date brought to us by our aforementioned sponsors & Millennium Promotions.Our festival provided the perfect location to embrace Fingal’s motto of Fluirse Talaimh is Mara (rich in land and sea). This year’s Harbour Festival facilitated our local growers, artisan food producers, local eateries and a myriad of additional local businesses to showcase their produce to a new audience. Our celebrity chefs were suitably impressed with the variety and quality of food produced by our local growers.
We will be sending lots of beautiful photographs to the editor of Rush Local over the coming months in addition to sharing some fabulous recipes created by our celebrity chefs; Ian Rankin Harford, Catherine Fulvio, Whitestown House & The Salty Buoy, so watch this space!!
The voluntary committee of Rush Tourism operates as a sub-committee of Rush Community Council Ltd.
Yours sincerely
Rush Tourism
Rush locals were stunned by the quick actions of a 14-year-old Polish boy who rushed to save the life of a man whose arm was trapped in a car jack underneath a car.
Filip Szauer was on his holidays visiting relatives in Ireland when he and his cousin heard screams near Rush Community Centre and saw the man trapped under the car with several locals already trying to help.
Filip rushed to help the locals who had called the emergency services and had a basic first aid kit. The group managed to free the man’s arm, but he began to bleed heavily and that’s when Filip’s instincts kicked in and he quickly made a tourniquet to stem the flow of blood and dressed the man’s wound while waiting for the emergency services.
The Rush Multipurpose Youth Facility (RMYF) will be reopening soon. Located at the Millbank, just across the road from Rush National School, this newly refurbished facility brings fantastic opportunities for local youth and community groups. The whole building has been upgraded to a very high standard. The facility is bright, spacious and warm. The ground floor of the premises is accessible for people with disabilities.
The facility is a newly refurbished building that is committed to fostering a positive and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. It is run by the RMYF voluntary board, whose members are delighted to see the facility reopen for the benefit of the people of Rush.
Speaking about the facility reopening Declan Murray, Chairperson of RMYF Voluntary board said, “Discover the newly revitalised Rush Multipurpose Youth Facility a beacon of community spirit and growth in our area. Committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment, RMYF stands as a cornerstone for positive youth development and community engagement. Our new facility and resources cater to individuals, organizations, and groups alike, fostering a culture of collaboration and support. RMYF is poised to enrich lives and empower our community.”
The large multipurpose room downstairs is suitable for larger groups, for dance and physical activities and for a homework club. Other rooms are of varying sizes to meet the needs of different groups. There are spaces suitable for music, dance, pilates, youth work, group activities, one to one counselling, for older groups, training and development. Three Foróige groups will be active in the facility and Millbank Theatre will be running an extensive Drama programme for young people.
The voluntary RMYF Board consists of: Declan Murray, Des Burke, Fintan Price, Margaret Dobinson, Valerie Croghan, Nicole O’Keefe and Brian Dennehy. Representatives of Fingal County Council, the owners of the building, also attend Committee meetings.
The refurbishment was funded by Fingal County Council, the Leader Programme and RMYF.
The Community Department of Fingal County Council provides ongoing management assistance funding and support.
The board is keen to hear from more groups that want to rent rooms in the facility and they can do so by phone on 018439349; Email manager@rushcoco.ie or via the website www.rmyf.ie
Environmental Awareness Beach Workshops - The Education for Sustainability and Fingal County Council are hosting a Beach workshop in August. Sign up by sending an email shown on the flyer.
Rush Map - If the good weather cleans up for August, then why not try some of the Rush Tidy Towns sponsored initiatives around the town? Details can be found on the map that are great free activities to do with the kids around Rush.
Estate Plants
We would like to convey a huge thank you to Fingal County Council for providing bedding plants to Rush Tidy Towns for distribution to estates throughout the town. If you would like to be included next year please send an email to tidytownsrush@gmail.com
Although our weekly meetings are on pause for the summer, our exciting outings certainly are not! Recently, we had an amazing trip to The National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, made possible by the generous funding from Fingal County Council. We enjoyed a captivating and informative tour of the gardens, followed by a delightful tea and cake session at the café. Despite the occasional showers, we had a fantastic time and mostly managed to dodge the raindrops.
Looking ahead, we have an eagerly awaited community trip to Carlingford, the Mourne Mountains, and Newry, with a delicious dinner planned in Bettystown on our way back. All 60 seats are filled, and everyone is buzzing with anticipation for a wonderful day of exploration and camaraderie. Stay tuned for a full report and plenty of pictures in next month’s publication!
As always, feel free to contact us on 0892711406 or rushseniorcitizens@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!
It was quite a surprise to the community of teachers, pupils and parents at St Catherine’s National School when it was announced that the long-standing and much-admired Principal, Ger Ó Sé announced his retirement in the middle of May this year.
Mr Ó Sé had been Principal at St Catherine’s for fifteen years since his appointment in 2009 and had led during a period of significant expansion for the school and established the school as a centre for music and the arts within the area. Notable achievements included the establishment of the Fingal International Festival of Voices, the opening of the brand-new school building which was completed in March 2016 and the growth in student numbers to over 330 pupils.
On 26th June, pupils, parents, teachers and former students gathered for a celebration of Mr Ó Sé’s time at the school and to wish him well for his retirement. Many students sang, performed, read poems and spoke about their memories of how Mr Ó Sé had helped them at school. One recurring theme was fondness at which the children remembered being met at the gate by the principal each morning and the many, many high-fives and fist-bumps. Some even mentioned the occasional request to perform a dance before being allowed into the school on some mornings!
Andrew Mitchell, chair of Board of Management, spoke fondly about working with Mr Ó Sé and thanked him for all his hard work, commitment and dedication – including clearing the path with a shovel on winter morning after a heavy snowfall. On behalf of parents, Matthew Semple, chair of the Parents’ Association, spoke about how Mr Ó Sé had welcomed his family into the school community when they moved to Rush several years earlier and thanked him on behalf of both families from Rush and those who have moved to the town.
Teachers at the school also spoke about their experiences and described how Mr Ó Sé had shown great leadership and inspired their teaching whilst driving up standards and attainment. One teacher, 2nd Class teacher Stephen Hegarty, also spoke amusingly about how such was Mr Ó Sé’s love of music, that some of the staff had learnt to add a musical element to any requests as a way of guaranteeing success!
During the retirement assembly Mr Ó Sé received many gifts from those wishing to express their gratitude, including a 2024 Leaver’s Hoodies that was presented by a pupil in 6th Class, who like their principal will also be leaving the school this year. A very tall cake was also presented to Mr Ó Sé by keen baker Erin Cartlidge and like the story of the loaves and fishes, such was its size that it was sufficient to be shared out to all present after the assembly.
Towards the end of the assembly, Mr Ó Sé, spoke movingly about his time at St Catherine’s National School. He explained how his Mum who had taught him to read, inspired his own love of books and learning and who took him to school on his first day in 1968. Then in a very touching moment, he introduced his Mum who was in the audience and there to see his last day at school in 2024. Mr Ó Sé thanked everyone, including all the parents for the very good behaviour of their children and explained how his job had been so enjoyable that it had never felt like work.
We are sure that Mr Ó Sé, or Ger, will be greatly missed by a large number of students, teachers, staff, parents and the board of management as well as the wider Rush community.
Let’s Play Rush will be hosting it’s third annual Sports and Family Fun Day on 17th August 2024 at Tayleur’s Point. The event will run from 1-4pm and visitors can expect an afternoon packed with free fun and activity. Let’s Play Rush is a European initiative under the Urbact banner which seeks to bring play to the town of Rush.
Let’s Play Rush is sponsored by Fingal County Council and has been running regular events in Rush for the past four years. As Rush Community Council Chairperson Brian Doherty explained, “Let’s Play Rush is a fantastic initiative. Fingal County Council brought some representatives of the Urbact programme to Rush a few years ago. When they pitched the idea of creating stronger community bonds through organising playful events, we were in straight away. Now four years later, the Let’s Play Rush events are fixtures in the Rush community calendar and we’re still getting huge support from the County Council.” Tidy Towns Chairperson Brendan O’Reilly said, “Rush Tidy Towns have been involved from the start of Let’s Play Rush and the Summer Sports Day event is a great day out for everyone. There’ll be races and games, the annual tug-of war, the penalty kick challenge and face painting. Let’s Play Rush brings out a real sense of fun in everyone. If you haven’t had a sock fight with a bunch of grown adults, you haven’t lived. The event is free and everyone is welcome to join in.”
