An initiative designed to enhance town centres throughout Fingal had been announced, with businesses and groups across the county being encouraged to apply for funding.

The Streetscape Enhancement funding reflects Fingal County Council’s vision as a great place to live, work, visit and do business in. It will help support façade upgrades at commercial premises and community buildings, including shopfront improvements, painting, signage replacement or removal, lighting, and green planting.Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Adrian Henchy, welcomed the new funding programme and added: “It presents a unique opportunity for businesses and community facilities situated along the streets of our towns and villages. I would encourage businesses and community groups to avail of this excellent opportunity to enhance their town centres.” Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly said: “This new funding represents a collaborative effort between the local authority and eligible town centre businesses and community facilities within Fingal. This strategic partnership aims to significantly bolster the appearance and prosperity of our town centres, underscoring the Council’s commitment to our communities. “The Streetscape Enhancement Scheme 2024 is now open and is seeking expressions of interest from qualifying commercial and community premises located within areas designated as “Major Town Centre”, “Town and District Centre”, “Local Centre” or “Rural Village” within the Fingal County Development Plan 2023-2029.Under the scheme, up to 50% of the cost of improvements, up to a maximum grant amount of €1,500 per eligible property, is available, subject to terms and conditions. Expressions of interest must be received by Fingal County Council by 12 noon on April 8, 2024. Programme terms and conditions and expression of interest form can be found at fingal.ie Completed expression of interest forms and the required supporting documents should be emailed to townregenerationoffice@fingal.ie or sent by post to Town Regeneration Office, Economic Enterprise Tourism and Cultural Department, Fingal County Council, County Hall, Main Street, Swords, Fingal, Co Dublin, K67X8Y2.

My Swords was an exciting photography competition designed by Pavilions Food Fair, exclusively for Secondary School students in the Swords area showcasing their creativity and storytelling abilities through photography. Forty-eight students from Colaiste Choilm and St Finian’s Community college embraced the competition led by their teachers Irene Doherty and David Bowe respectively. The Pavilions Food fair with its O’Brien’s Sandwich Café, Bagel Bar and Abrakebabra has been a popular eatery in the Pavilions Shopping Centre in Swords for over 15 years. It is a preferred choice for breakfast and lunch and according to the students of Colaist Choilm and St Finan’s it has the best loaded fries in town! The business is owed by husband-and-wife team Turlough Flynn & Brid Ryan, and they ran this competition as a thank you to the local community for the support they have received over the past few difficult trading years. The 48 submissions were featured in the restaurant over a weekend and customers were invited to give their public vote on their preferred choice. It generated lots of conversations and interest. The competition culminated in a wonderful exhibition evening where students, teachers’ family and friends gathered at the Pavilions Food Fair to view the submissions and enjoy the awards ceremony. The winning school received a DSLR camera to the value of €500, the overall winner received an Instax Film Printer to the value of €300, the runner up received an Instax Film Camera to the value of €200, The customer choice won restaurant vouchers. The winning submissions are currently hanging in the Pavilions Food Fair in the Pavilions Shopping centre and gaining lots of positive attention. Turlough & Brid hope to run this as an annual event and look forward to encouraging more schools to get involved. The winning school was Colaist Choilm, the overall student winner was Brian McGlade with runners up, Oisin Parks Colaiste Choilm, Grace Cooney St Finian’s Community College, Lillie Bowbrick Hand St Finian’s Community College, Josh McKinney Colaiste Choilm, Lucy McGarvey St Finian’s Community College.

Get ready for an unforgettable weekend at the many ParkRun Ireland locations in Fingal County Council! Lace up your running shoes or take a leisurely stroll with our amazing Walk at Parkrun participants. No matter your pace, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Register now at //parkrun.ie and be part of the action-packed fitness event supported by Sport Ireland. Join our vibrant community and connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for an active lifestyle. Get inspired, make new friends, and conquer personal milestones together. Don’t miss out on the excitement!

We in Swords Karate Club were pleased to welcome JKS Honbu Instructor Shohei Toyama Sensei recently. Ireland was his first stop on his whistle stop tour of Ireland, England and Scotland and it was his first visit to Ireland. Over the two-hour seminar we got to experience his high level of technical prowess as he brought the class through a range of kihon, kata and kumite. In kihon he emphasised correct hip and foot movements during kihon drills for gyakuzuki. He also emphasised the recovery of higiashi for mawashigeri in basics and kumite. This was rounded off with a study of Jion kata. The main emphasis of the evening across kihon, kumite and kata were the correct use of the hips. It was all very enjoyable. The course was attended by over ninety participants from Swords Karate Club and other JKS Clubs from around Ireland. It was a great turn out. We are looking forward to May, when we will have a visit by World Chief Instructor Kagawa Shihan 9 th Dan JKS.

The Club is always looking for new members (Children, Young People & Adults). Contact Dermot on 087-8073885 for details on how to join our club. You can also contact us on Facebook: JKS Swords Karate Club or on Instagram: @jks_swords_karate_club

St Colmcilles GAA club are privileged to have been chosen by the Dublin LGFA to run this fantastic 10-week programme, aimed at girls who currently do not play Gaelic Football, aged between 8-12. This is a great opportunity for young girls to get involved in a sport. It’s all about having fun, meeting new people, and learning the sills of Gaelic Football. Please contact Aaron 0863888944 for more information.

We’re also Building our Teams at present for the new season. As the Go Game season is starting soon and teams are back in full swing training each week.

We are looking to build our teams; previous Gaelic football experience is not necessary. Training takes place on various evening throughout the week at 6.30pm and Saturday Mornings at 10.30 am. We are welcoming boys and girls born 2013-2016

By Ken Duffy

There was a fantastic turn out for our annual Table Quiz Night upstairs in Peacocks Bar on Thursday Feb 8th. We wish to thank everyone who turned up on the night to support us, hope you all had as good a time as we did.The Executive Committee of Swords Tidy Towns are very grateful for the support and donations to us by local businesses for our annual Quiz Night in Peacocks Restaurant and Bar. Without the good will and community spirit of local business this much needed fund raiser would not be possible, for your support we thank you. Also, a big thank you must go to Fiona and her Peacocks Bar team for taking such good care of us all on the night.

The following is a list of those who donated :SuperValu Boroimhe, SuperValu The Pavilions, The Betsy, Indie Spice, The Arch Bar, Cupcakes and Counting, The Old Schoolhouse, Lynotts Jewellers, Pavilions Management Company, Peacocks Lounge and Bar, Wrights Bar, The Cock Tavern, The 44, Swords Shoe Repair, Platinum Barbers, Howard Studios, Paradise Nails, Coffee Works, The Breakroom, The Hair Lounge, Hairs Another Salon, The Cottage, Saks Hair Salon, Beauty Lounge, Boyles Sports, Loaf’t, Integrity Fitness, Glam Salon, Paddy Powers, Gadget Plus, Hanleys, Swords Barbers, Pure Chemist, Peter Mark Hairdressers, Gilsenans Allcare Pharmacy, Swords Eye Centre, The Pound Bar, K 67, McNamara’s Pharmacy Main St

Credit Unions are set to be a key provider of Community Banking in Fingal under new legislation. The Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2022 will allow credit unions expand their membership and services in Fingal, a Fine Gael Councillor said. “Fine Gael is committed to ensuring more people own their own homes. It is expected that through this legislation, credit unions will be able to compete more effectively in the mortgage and SME (Small Medium Enterprises) lending market. The Legislation will enhance the ability of Credit Unions to collaborate, share resources and generate economies of scale. This will be significant for local credit unions in Fingal that service the needs of thousands of members and their families in Skerries Balbriggan Rush Lusk Swords and at Dublin Airport.” said Cllr Tom O’Leary. Credit unions like Progressive Credit Union with Branches in Balbriggan, Rush, Swords, Members First Credit Union based in Swords and Aviate Credit Union at Dublin Airport will benefit from these legislative changes. Mortgages at Credit Unions are competitive, for example €381,000 over 35 years. Repayments €1,380 per month at Progressive Credit Union. Cllr Tom O’ Leary was speaking to the people of Fingal following the official commencement of the Credit Union Amendment Act 2023.

“Credit Unions are central to life in Fingal and in Ireland, with approximately 3.6 million members throughout the country,” Cllr Tom O’Leary said. “The commencement of the Act will be phased with Phase 1 having come into effect on Thursday 22nd February 2024, while the commencement of Phase 2 will come into, effect on Monday 8th April 2024.“This Act represents a very significant piece of legislation that will have far-reaching positive implications for Fingal and Ireland overall in the years to come.” Cllr Tom OLeary concluded. The Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2022 is the first substantive credit union legislation since 2012, which followed the Commission on Credit Unions.

After a year of extensive works, the Carnegie Free Library in Swords has been officially reopened, marking a key advancement in the extensive Swords Cultural Quarter project currently underway by Fingal County Council. The building, originally established in 1908 and recognised as a Protected Structure, will now function as a dynamic centre for community and arts-related activities. It features a new two-story extension which will enhance accessibility and services. It comes as part of the broader development of the Swords Cultural Quarter. The significant renovation of the site, located on North Street, was made possible thanks to a grant from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The Southern Regional Assembly helped secure €1.5m under the Southern and Eastern Regional Operational Programme for the Swords Castle Cultural and Civic Quarter Project. This grant, together with match funding from Fingal County Council has facilitated much of the conservation and improvement works carried out at Swords Castle and North Street over the past seven years. Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy, expressed great enthusiasm for the project, saying: “The Carnegie Free Library is a cherished landmark that has stood as a beacon of knowledge and culture in Swords since its inception in 1908. Now as a beautifully refurbished space, we are not just reopening a building but we are investing in the intellectual and artistic future of our community.” Helping to open the Carnegie, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien said: “The Carnegie refurbishment work is a great example of how local authorities can leverage ERDF grants to support the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings and breathe new life into buildings and town centres.” The project received planning approval from the Council in September 2021, with works carried out by the primary contractor for the project, Kelbuild Ltd.

2024 kicked in when we returned to training on 2nd January. Christmas break and goodies long forgotten, all classes resumed in the first week of the New Year and all trained well. We hosted our first event of the new year on 7th January – hosting the JKS National Brown & Belt training session as well as the JKS Open Squad Session, welcoming our friends from around the country to Swords. 2024 will be a busy year with these events being held monthly to help raise funds to send our students who have been selected to represent Ireland at the World Karate Championships in Japan this July. As part of our fundraising efforts, we will be holding a Race Night Fundraiser on Saturday 17th February 2024 in Graingers. The Manor Inn, Swords, Co. Dublin. It promises to be an exciting night with 10 races, raffle and auction. All members of the community are invited to attend and have a good night out while at the same time supporting the local kids selected for Japan 2024. We have Toyama Sensei from the JKS Japan Headquarters visiting us at the end of January. He is a truly phenomenal technician, with superb karate skills and we hope to have a very enjoyable training session with him. He is one of three Japanese instructors we will have visiting us this year, with Kagawa Shihan visiting in May and Yamaguchi Sensei visiting in October. We are looking forward to an exciting fun packed 2024. The Club is looking always for new members (Children, Young People & Adults). Contact Dermot on 087-8073885 for details on how to join. You can also contact us on Facebook: JKS Swords Karate Club or on Instagram: or indeed @jks_swords_karate_club.

What a wonderful organisation Swords Women’s Shed is proving to be in our community. Their mission is to unite and empower women within the community through creative craft and socialisation. Recently the Women’s Shed organised an amazing chakra healing from Ciara Robinson reiki master. It proved to be an enlightening and amazing night thanks so much to Ciara. She has also promised she will be back again for a further session. After the stress of Christmas and the New Year, the lovely peaceful energy was needed for our ‘rejuvenating January ‘ We hope you are all starting to unwind from 2023 and the Women’s Shed are half way through theirr monthly programme and very soon will welcome Marion , a life coach motivational speaker , and positive mindset coach so everyone is looking forward to that.