An event has been organised for 23 September by the Swords Donation Centre for Ukraine to raise money for the people of that beleaguered country who are suffering under the Russian invasion. The organisers are delighted to invite you to a night of live entertainment until 2am and fine dining at Kettles Country House Hotel. They say they are working closely with charities in Ukraine to help them with much needed medical equipment such as sanitisation fluid, bandages and equipment for an underground maternity hospital. This fundraising event will give the organisers the opportunity to send over as much as they possibly can to help them where it is so desperately needed. On the night they will also have spot prizes including Hotel stays, family days out, cinema tickets and so much more. Tickets are available from Kettles Hotel or by contacting Natalie 0851305238 or Lorraine 0863485473. Ticket price €50pp

Another great week of fun in our summer camps. It was great to see such hurling and camogie skills on display. Thanks to all our coaches, helpers and Naoise & Donagh for organising. Don’t forget kids and adults of all ages are always very welcome to join our club and play a part in our exciting future.

Congratulations to Chloe Duggan who won Student of the Month for June. She was presented with the Student of the Month Trophy by her instructor Dermot O Keeffe Sensei, 6th Dan JKS recently. Chloe attends classes regularly and puts huge effort into her training in kihon, kata and kumite. Well done, Chloe! JKS Swords recently hosted the JKS Ireland Inter-club competition in Applewood Community Centre. Clubs from all over Ireland attended and it was a great day for everyone. JKS Swords had a squad of 18 members who competed, and they rose to the challenge on the day as the host club and topped the medal table taking home 7 gold, 8 silver and 5 bronze medals. Congratulations to all the competitors. The next JKS Inter-club takes place in October and will be hosted by JKS Tallaght.42 members of the club presented for grading examination recently. After training for an hour, the members had to perform a selection of kihon, kata and kumite requirements to attain their next coloured belt. All the students were understandably nervous but didn’t let this stop them from completing what was required to progress in their grades.Training continues over the sumcer in Applewood Community Centre as the club prepares for the next karate season which comcences in September. Classes are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. We take new members (Children, Young People & Adults) all through the year. Contact Dermot on 087-98073885 for details on how to join. Contact us on Facebook: JKS Swords Karate Club or on Instagram: @jks_swords_karate_club

Festival in a Van came to Fingal on Wednesday July 20th for two special performances to welcome our new Ukrainian friends to the county. . This was certainly the case in Fingal when Irish and Ukrainian musicians performed together to provide wonderful entertainment to an enthusiastic audience which included Mayor of Fingal Cllr Howard Mahony and over 100 Ukrainian residents.The day began in the morning at the Emmaus Retreat centre in Swords which included a stunning performance from Ukrainian pianist Oleh Udod, as well as Yeva Halstian and ballad group Across the Keys, with Joe Brennan, John Brennan, Colum King and Jim Aughney. Oleh and Yeva are Ukrainian guests at the Emmaus Retreat Centre at Balheary and have performed previously at Emmaus and at the Flavours of Fingal event two weeks ago, accompanied by other residents.The afternoon performance at Deerpark Hotel in Howth saw the audience getting involved with some impromptu dancing and had the opportunity to sample Ukrainian food. Speaking at the event, Mayor of Fingal Cllr Howard Mahony welcomed the Ukrainian guests to Fingal saying “I am delighted to attend today’s special event both in Swords and Howth and I thoroughly enjoyed the music from both the Ukrainian and Irish musicians. I would like to take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to you all and to let you know that Fingal is here to support you during your stay in Ireland.” For more information on Festival in a van go to festivalinavan.com

The months of June and July was a very busy period for the Swords Tidy Towns volunteers. The judging for the National Tidy Towns competition took place during this time, and as we are not informed when the judging team arrive in Swords it was all hand on deck. Teams went out every day to make sure that the Main St and surrounds were always looking their best. This involved litter picking, graffiti removal, replacing damaged and stolen plants, weeding and much needed watering during the hot periods without rain. Our team of volunteers deserve a big round of applause and a well earned holiday for their trojan efforts, well done one and all. The Swords Tidy Towns Best Presented Business Frontage/Window Display Competition Awards also took place.The following businesses achieved awards for their creativity to create fantastic window displays in relation to the competition.Gold Merit Cert and Overall Award of the STT Perpetual Cup to the Arch Bar (on behalf of the Lawlor family) Proprietor Des Lawlor with the STT Perpetual cup for overall award. Silver Merit Cert awarded to St Vincent’s and presented to Hong Maguire Manager and Rebecca…..Bronze Merit Cert awarded to The Card and Party Store Tom Hanley Proprietor and Manager Tracey. Many congratulations to all the winners and to all the businesses concerned for taking part in the competition. All the certificates will be issued shortly when they are printed, courtesy of the Fingal Horticultural Society.

This week’s instalment comes from the Irish Daily Independent dated 20th July 1894. Fins travelled to Rush to play local team Emerald Isles.At this time a goal was equivalent to 5 points hence the line “…winners by 2 goals and 10 points (equal to 4 goals)…” It is interesting how the rules evolve through time. At this time Gaelic football was played 17-a-side and the goals were similar to soccer goals. There were also two outer posts. A point was awarded if the ball went over the goal or within the external posts. Similar to Australian Football today.

Congratulations to Mark Girvin who was presented with his Nidan Diploma 2nd Dan Black Belt recently. Mark is a founding member of Swords Karate Club and has trained regularly since he joined back in 2001. For his Nidan examination Mark had to demonstrate a range of Kumite techniques as well as performing several Kata. He had several Kumite fights against opponents where he put his nidan techniques to good use. He was presented with his Diploma by Dermot O Keeffe Sensei 6th Dan JKS, Chief Instructor of JKS Karate in Ireland. We surprised Sensei Ali at the Spring Seminar with a birthday cake and a rendition of Happy Birthday to celebrate her 21st Birthday which was on the same day. She was shocked but delighted at the surprise and promised not to eat all her cake herself! Sensei Ali teaches our Tigers classes. We welcomed Makita Sensei 6th Dan JKS from Japan for day 1 of our Spring Seminar. Over 70 people from all over Ireland took part as Makita Sensei led the students through several rounds of Japanese style training. He demonstrated dynamic contraction and expansion in techniques followed by teaching of Kashu Kata. The seminar was held in Applewood Community Centre. We hosted Jesper Sensei, 7th Dan JKS on day 2 of our Spring Seminar. He spent his time teaching the intricacies of Kaishu Ippon Kumite with a partner and all the students enjoyed his teaching immensely. Class reports: Tigers and Juniors are preparing for the upcoming JKS Inter-Club Competition as well as for grading examinations. The Competition is being hosted by JKS Swords and gives students an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned in class in a supportive competition environment. Seniors continue to work on developing real world skills from karate techniques. We take new members (Children, Young People & Adults) all through the year. Contact Dermot on 087-98073885 for details on how to join.Contact us on Facebook: JKS Swords Karate Club or on Instagram: @jks_swords_karate_club

Fingal County Council is going out to public consultation next month on its plans for the Swords Cultural Centre which will be a key component of the Swords Cultural Quarter.Councillors were informed recently that a Part 8 planning process will commence on Thursday, July 7 for the new Centre which will be located at the junction of North Street and Seatown Road, beside Swords Castle and County Hall, in the centre of Swords.The new Centre, will be a four-story building covering 5,700 square metres and featuring a new County Library, a tourist office, a gallery and a 165 seat multi-functional theatre.The plans also include a new design of the public realm around Swords Castle and County Hall.The public consultation process will commence on Thursday, July 7 with the plans for the Swords Cultural Centre on public display at County Hall, Swords, and Civic Offices, Blanchardstown, until August 5. They will also be available online at fingal.ie and consult.fingal.ie. Submissions about the proposal will be accepted until August 15 at consult.fingal.ie.The Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, said: “ We now have a schedule in place which, if all goes well, will see construction commence in the second half of 2023. This project is connected to the Sustainable Swords Strategy and, between them, they will transform the area along Main Street and improve connectivity between the centre and the rest of the town.”The Sustainable Swords Strategy is a key part of Fingal County Council’s plan to ensure that, as Swords continues to expand, the town grows sustainably and develops into well-designed county capital. It will focus on reversing the historic shift away from Main Street, which commenced in the early 2000s, in order to facilitate better placemaking and create a more resilient town centre.Fingal County Council has already completed a Health Check of the works programme, a Public Realm Strategy, a Transport Strategy and a Business Case Evaluation of key transformative projects and will unveil its Sustainable Swords Strategy in September when it is presented for public consultation.

Fingal Horticultural Society (Swords) are delighted to announce that their 2022 show will once again be open to the public following two years of restricted access due to Covid-19. The Annual Horticultural show takes place on Bank Holiday Monday 1st August in St. Colmcille’s GFC, Glen Ellen Road and will be open for viewing from 2-5pm.There will be Competition Classes in Flowers; Pot Plants; Vegetables & Fruit; Baking; Handcrafts; Flower Arranging; Children under 9 years, under 12 years & under 16 years. So, if you have Super Sweet Pea, Romantic Roses, Classic Cabbage or Prolific Pot Plants why not bring them along to St. Colmcille’s on Sunday afternoon 31st July from 2-8pm or on Monday morning 1st August from 8-11am…entry is open to everyone, and we will have members on hand to help first time exhibitors. Are you an avid Baker or enthusiastic Flower Arranger or are Handcrafts your guilty pleasure, we would love to have your entries and it is really great fun. Children are also encouraged with classes for Miniature Gardens, Models made from Fruit & Veg, Painting and much more. So, come along and support our Annual Show which is now in its 80th year either as an exhibitor or visitor to see a great display of locally grown Flowers & Vegetables and an outstanding display of locally produced Baking & Handcrafts. And don’t forget to visit the Gardening & Horticultural Show at the Flavours of Fingal Event which will be held this weekend 2nd&3rd July in Newbridge House, Donabate with free transport links from Swords…you will find us in the Farmers Field. Competition Schedules for both Shows are available by contacting info@fingalhorticulturalsociety.com or phone the Show Secretary 086 3343680.

By Ken Duffy

From June 11th until August 5th the judges from the National Tidy Towns Competition will be travelling the length and breathe of Ireland visiting each village, town and city to award the points they believe each entrant merits. Swords Tidy Towns would ask residents and visitors to bare this fact in mind and be extra vigilant with regard to disposing of litter. Our hard-working volunteers have been putting in the hours these past few months in preparation for the judges visit. We never know when the judges will arrive in our town so it’s all hands-on deck for the next month. All the hard work put in by our crew over the year is done because of their love of the town of Swords and also for the visual benefit of its wonderful friendly residents. Swords Tidy Towns have won numerous awards and plaudits over the past number of years for their efforts both locally and nationally and is a reflection on all the great work our team puts in. If you would like to contribute either by joining the Swords Tidy Towns team or by making a contribution, you can contact us by email at swordstidytowns@irishmediagroup