By Ken Duffy

Halloween recently paid us a visit and Swords Tidy Towns was not shy or found lacking in taking part in the celebrations. Normally we would hold our annual fund-raising Halloween Bucket Collection, but this year we decided to join in on the festivities. We met up at the main entrance to the park for 7.15pm, dressing up for the evening was optional. As per usual the fireworks were a massive success, it was the best year so far we thought. A massive big thank you to the Events Team of Fingal County Council headed up by the irrepressible Mr Paul Barnes, they all put in a trojan shift to pull it off. We then adjourned to the 44 Hotel afterwards for a couple of hours, the craic was mighty as you would imagine on the night that was in it. Great craic was had with the alcoholic skeleton who was sitting at the bar. We even managed to fit in a mini quiz, and each person got to ask a question which we all endeavoured to answer, it was a taster for our Quiz Night fundraiser in the New Year. Swords Tidy Towns are always looking for new members especially people with admin and IT experience. You can contact us at swordstidytowns@gmail.com or contact our Chairperson Ken Duffy on 0866008313.

We would like to take this opportunity now the season of good cheer is on the horizon to wish the people of Swords, our 4000 Facebook followers, our local business supporters, family and friends, a very Happy Christmas and New Year.

Wow! Very well done to our amazing shedders who won the Pearl Grogan Scramble Cup in Ballyboughal Pitch and Putt club ,representing Swords Women’s Shed thank you Susan Casey for looking after everything Pitch and Putt, and Ann Johnson who organised this evening celebration with Ballyboughal Pitch and Putt, so very well done. A very Happy Christmas to all our Shedders and their families and supporters.

National League iSecure Swords Thunder, the formidable local ladies’ basketball team, has roared back to life this season, demonstrating an astonishing turnaround from their previous year’s performance in the Basketball Ireland MissQuote.ie National League. Last year, they achieved a modest record of 4 wins and 14 losses, but this season, they are emerging as a force to be reckoned with. The turning point for Swords Thunder has been the strategic acquisition of pro-player, Jensen Caretti, hailing from Ohio State. Caretti has proved herself as a scoring machine, consistently delivering a stellar performance with an impressive average of 20 points per game. Her exceptional skills and experience have breathed new life into the team and positioned them as competitors this year. Adding to the excitement, Jasmine Walker, originally from New Jersey, but who has dedicated her last five years to Irish basketball, has been an invaluable addition for the team. Her strong presence on the court and her unwavering dedication have further fuelled the team’s resurgence. iSecure Swords Thunder’s remarkable journey back to the top has been highlighted by their exceptional start to the season. They kicked things off with a thrilling victory over Phoenix Rockets, the reigning League Cup Champions setting the tone for the season. Their remarkable momentum continued with a resounding win over the National Cup Winners, Dublin Lions. Excited fans and supporters can stay up-to-date with the latest scores, highlights, and game information by following the Swords Basketball Club on their social media channels. Swords Thunder is eager to continue their incredible journey through the National League, and their recent successes suggest that they are well on their way to becoming a formidable force within women’s National League basketball. As the season unfolds, expect more thrilling games and a continued display of excellence from iSecure

By Ken Duffy

Swords Tidy Towns attended the National Tidy Towns Awards in Croke Park on the 6th Oct where we were successful in retaining our Silver Medal status making it six in a row, just like the Dubs. There were only three tickets made available to each Tidy Towns group as the venue as it only caters for 600 seated invited guests. Naturally there was indeed a little disappointment within the group as we only lost out by one point to Drogheda for the Gold Medal, so close and yet so far. (well done, Drogheda) We organised a special celebratory get together after the awards for our members, the Old Schoolhouse was the venue. We gathered in the Whiskey Room which was kindly made available to us by management to celebrate in private, they also provided us with complimentary food platers for which we are very, very grateful. We held our Annual Tidiest Estate Competition in mid-September. The standard this year was very high which made our independent judge’s job that much more difficult. We are very grateful to the sponsors of this year’s competition Redmond Property Estate Agents and Hennessy Perrozzi LLP Solicitors for their generous contributions and for their participation in presenting the winners with their awards: Tidiest Estate Winners Were Joint First Place: Carlton Court and Highfields Second Place: The Nurseries – Third Place: Hilltown Enviro Awareness Group River Valley Rise and the Special Bio Diversity Award: Comyn Manor Again, a big thank you to our independent judges Ann O’Meara, Micheal Connolly from the Fingal Horticultural Society and Martin Nulty of Nulty Landscaping. Well done to everyone who took part. Next year we hope to introduce new categories and broaden the scope of our competition, so keep up the great work and we will see you all again next year.

Fine Gael has selected 21-year-old Luke Corkery to contest next year’s local elections in the Swords electoral area, which includes the town of Swords as well as parts of Santry, Kilsallaghan and Dublin Airport. The party’s selection convention was held in Applewood Community Centre on Tuesday night, and attended by Ministers Simon Harris and Jennifer Carroll-MacNeill, as well as local representatives Alan Farrell TD, Senator Regina Doherty, Cllr. Tom O’Leary and Cllr. Anthony Lavin. Despite his relatively young age, DCU graduate Corkery says he has experience in politics, having worked in Leinster House and having been involved in local campaigns and student activism since his school days. In his address, Corkery said: “I’ve never been more optimistic for my hometown and its future. If elected next June, I promise to bring new energy to the Council Chamber to stand up for the things that really matter to people right across what is one of Ireland’s fastest-growing towns. “I’m a commuter, dependent on unreliable bus services to get me to and from work each day amid traffic chaos. I understand the frustrations of so many others like me. We need to fast-track frequent, reliable public transport that people can depend on. “I’m a young person for whom the prospect of renting, yet alone buying a home locally, seems practically out of reach. We need more homes here in Swords, particularly the large-scale development of affordable housing like we have seen elsewhere in Fingal. It’s an absolute priority for me. “Anti-social behaviour, from break-ins to vandalism, has become all too common, and people want to see more Garda patrols out on the beat in their communities. We can by building stronger, safer communities through investment in local infrastructure and a focus on community, neighbourhood policing. Higher Education Minister Simon Harris, who chaired the convention, said: “Luke is a great new candidate; we need young people and energy in politics. We’re going to work to deliver a third-level campus for Swords – a College of the Future. It’s not right that we don’t have a third-level presence in such a large area like this one. I hope everyone gets behind Luke and his campaign.” Corkery concluded: “I’m looking forward to taking my message to people across this huge town; the town I’ve grown up in and lived in my entire life. I’m ready to double down, and I’m only getting started.” Corkery hopes to win a seat on Fingal County Council in the seven-seat Swords electoral area in next year’s local elections, which take place in June 2024.

By Jon Kavanagh

My earliest memory sees my mother lighting an oil lamp on a winters evening. It’s the 60s. JFK is in the White House, there are satellites circling the earth, radio Caroline is blasting out pop music from international waters and Bob Dillion tells us The Times They Are a-Changin’. But there’s not much evidence of change in our neck of the woods. Although the gate lodge where I’m spending my formative years is only a few miles from Swords and Dublin Airport, there is no running water or electricity. My father does a circus clown impression as he cycles home from the roadside pump, steering with one hand whilst precariously balancing a bucket of water with the other one. We toilet alfresco. Our humble abode which makes Steptoe and son’s den look like Home of the Year, consists of a kitchen and one tiny bedroom, separated by a wooden partition which stretches half way to the celling. The ice-cold blue flag stones on the kitchen floor serve as a barometer, turning damp when rain is on the way. An open fire multi tasks as a cooker, heater, clothes airer and bread toaster. Double glazing is a sheet of ice on the inside of the window. Home insulation is a sack slung across the bottom of the door to repel the easterly breeze. The duvet is an ill matched pile of blankets and overcoats. Heavy army coats are much sought after for bedding purposes. We live on the edge of a wood which has a healthy population of wild life. Bats, various insects including daddy longlegs, mice and the odd rat are familiar visitors. For reasons best known to himself, a rouge rodent decides to make off with my mother’s false teeth. Luckily, his lack of manual handling skills does not allow him to manoeuvrer them through his exit point and he is forced to abandon his loot. There is a temptation to look back through the lense of today and feel one had less than an ideal childhood. But my rustic upbringing gave me a reservoir of resilience. A resilience I was very glad to tap into when the covid lockdowns came.

September was a busy month for the Club. Along with our regular 7 hours of training each week we had two special events. Early in the month our Tigers (4 -7yr olds) and our Juniors (7-12yrs old) were challenged to bring a Parent/Adult with them to training. Parents came out in force to support their kids and took part alongside them in training. They had great fun learning punching, kicking, kata and kumite and left with a newfound respect for what their kids do at training each and every week.

We also hosted a JKS Ireland Interclub Competition mid-month and had competitors attend Applewood Community Centre from Limerick, Monaghan and Drogheda as well as closer to home from Tallaght, Blanchardstown and Coolock. The first half of the morning was devoted to Kata competitions where the competitors gave of their best showing off how well they do Kata. After the break saw the competitors don their mitts for Kumite (Fighting). There were some great displays of karate technique on the day and the results for Swords Karate Club were excellent with members winning 7 Gold, 4 Silver and 12 Bronze medals. We take new members (Children, Young People and Adults) all through the year. 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: @jks_swords_karate_club

Fingallians are looking for your help to help them plan their 140th year celebrations next year. The club wish to put a committee together soon. As one of the original GAA Clubs founded in 1884 with the birth of the GAA, Fingallians have a long history and a story to tell. If you are interested in helping Fingallians please contact the club as they need your help to plan their celebrations in their milestone 140th Year They can be contacted at their email address fingallians@gmail.com or pro.fingallians.dublin@gaa.ie as soon as possible.

A job extremely well done, our first big project , with Broadmeadow Community Garden
It would not have been possible without all the women of Swords Women’s Shed shedders , from painting stones , to dedicating our time over the past few weeks up at the garden , we are extremely proud and grateful for Aiveen and Ros to welcome us every week ,to their amazing community garden It also would not have been possible without the help of Creative Ireland , Monto Paint Decorating Centre , Fingal County Council Fingal Community Development Office thank you so much for supporting our shedders

Swords Cllr. Joe Newman (Ind.) said today that he was most pleased the local authority has taken heed of a motion that he submitted to the 2017 – 2023 development plan and have included it in the Ward River Regional Park Development Project. Newman’s motion was to ensure that any bridge over the valley between. Highfield and Brookdale should be for sustainable mode of transport. The Councillor says the local authority has now proposed a natural looking wooden/steel bridge “through the trees” that will facilitate cycling and walking across the valley at this location and no doubt have benefits for accessibility to schools and provide active travel which will remove a lot of cars from the roads. Also, work is to start immediately on stabilising the beautiful Arch bridge which will be followed on by works to preserve the water Cascades in the Brackenstown side of the valley. Newman says, the combination of the recreational hubs will be a tremendous asset for all the communities of Swords. Cllr. Newman, a resident of River Valley has been fastidious in his efforts to maintain and protect the great recreational asset of the Ward River valley for the people of Swords and surrounding areas. He has pledged to fight off any efforts to rezone land that will be counter -productive to developing this regional park for recreational purposes. Newman has praised Mr. Halpenny and his team at the parks department for their vision for the sustainable development the greenbelt and parks.