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.

2024 has arrived and with it it brings new challenges for our hard-working volunteers. For those readers who are unaware, Swords Tidy Towns in 2023 missed out by only one point in achieving our very first Gold Medal, in 2024 we will endeavour through our hard work to bring home the Gold. We rely on you the public to play your part in our ongoing battle against street litter, it is you through your diligence that we will get over the line and achieve that elusive Gold Medal, team work. We have come a long way in twenty years. It has been a fantastic journey with many ups and downs. But that long journey led us to six Silver Medals in a row plus many other accolades, that alone in itself is an achievement we are all proud of. When you see our dedicated teams out and about stop and chat. Tell them how proud you are of how well your town is looking, a kind word and a smile goes a long way, and they cost nothing. We look forward again this year to working closely with the various departments within Fingal County Council, especially the Operations Dept with whom we have worked with on many projects over the years. We are always on the lookout for new volunteers. All you need do is email us at swordstidytowns@gmail.com or just turn up on a Saturday at 10.15am in the car park of Colour trend Paint Shop opposite the Garda station on Main St.

The new Swords Surgery Hub will provide nearly an acre (3910m2) of Surgery and medical rooms in an existing building -at Unit 1 at Swords Business Campus said Cllr Tom O’Leary. The Surgery Hub will be operated under the governance of Beaumont Hospital. Swords Surgery Hub Comprises of: 4 Operating Theatres (with 28 associated service rooms) an Endoscopy unit with 16 Bays/Beds, 11 Reception Beds, 4 Exam Rooms, 6 Treatment Rooms, 2 Procedure Rooms, Anaesthetic Room, Café/Shop The “Swords Surgery Centre” will serve the medical needs of a growing and aging population of 160,000 residents in Swords, Balbriggan, Skerries Rush, Lusk, Donabate, Malahide and Portmarnock and rural Villages of Fingal, said Cllr Tom O’Leary. Cllr O’Leary continued, “Full Planning Permission was granted on the 8th of December 2023, and the tender process is complete. Work on a “turnkey medical fit-out” of the existing building will get underway shortly. The Swords Surgical Hub will likely be open Monday to Friday from 7am to 8pm running two surgical sessions per day in each theatre, with each session lasting four hours in length and with a 30-minute turnaround time between each session, similar to the successful Reeves Day Surgery Centre (RDSC) at Tallaght University Hospital opened in 2020. So the question is: What Procedures Might be carried out at a Swords Surgery Day Hub?

Swords Surgery Hub is for patients that need elective surgery under general or local anaesthesia or sedation and are scheduled to go home on the same day following their procedure. General Surgery – Otolaryngology - which is Ear, Nose and Throat - Orthopaedics - PlasticSurgery - Ophthalmology - Gastroenterology - Urology - and Pain Medicine - Gynaecology - Vascular surgery (peripheral surgery). The new hub at Swords is modelled on the very successful “Reeves Day Surgery Centre” at Tallaght University Hospital (opened in 2020) which has substantially reduced waiting times for day-case procedures. - Transport - Serviced by High Frequency Bus Routes - 41C, 41x, 43, 500, 503,505,506X,507. - 180 Car Parking spaces - 330m from the proposed Estuary Metro Link Station. I am hopeful of real progress on “Swords Primary Care Centre” project soon,” said Cllr Tom O’Leary.

2023 was a busy and enjoyable year for Swords Karate Club. We hosted members of JKS Ireland from all over Ireland at the National Brown & Black Belt training sessions in April, May, September & November. We also hosted National Squad training sessions in preparation for the JKS World Karate Championships in Japan in 2024. Sophia Guildea and Amelia Miller tested for their Shodan Diploma in May under Kagawa Shihan 9th Dan JKS and both were successful. Members of the club attended 3 competitions, topping the medal table in all 3 JKS Inter-Club competitions in Tyrellstown (June), Swords (September) & Tallaght (October). In May we hosted Kagawa Shihan 9th Dan JKS. We were privileged to have JKS Ireland members from around the country join us in this world class seminar over 3 days.

We held two club gradings, in early July and mid-December, where club members showed off what they have been studying during the year and all members who took the grading examinations progressed to their next coloured belt. Our membership is growing but we are still looking 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: @jks_swords_karate_club

A major milestone in the Swords Cultural Project has been reached with the publishing of the tender for the iconic building which will include a county library, theatre, gallery, arts spaces, a maker space, and a café. This is the latest stage in the tender process which has been underway for several months and responses are due to be submitted in February. A comprehensive evaluation period will follow before the tender is awarded and contracts are signed. It is hoped that construction will commence in Q2 2024 with the new building due to open in 2026. The necessary enabling works are currently taking place on the site at the junction of North Street and Seatown Road to prepare for the construction phase. Twelve houses on the opposite side of Seatown Road are due for demolition and will be replaced by 36 new homes in two blocks of 20 and 16 respectively. A further 13 new homes are due to be built on North Street as part of the transformation of this part of Swords. The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy, said: “This marks another important step in the Swords Cultural Quarter project. This building with be a centre of knowledge, arts and culture for Swords and Fingal and will have a strong focus on people and experiences which, through the delivery of a modern, dynamic, inspirational and educational programme of events and activities, will become a destination and a focal point for the local community and visitors.” The Swords Cultural Quarter is a 3.89-acre area around the junction of North Street, Seatown Road, Bridge Street and Main Street and the new building, which has been designed by renowned Architects O’Donnell and Tuomey, will include a new 3,000m2 County Library, an art gallery and exhibition space, a café, a civic area, studios and rehearsal rooms, and a Black Box theatre which can cater for audiences of between 165 and 360 depending on the type of event being staged. The new library, which will be seven times bigger than the existing one, will offer the people of Swords a full suite of library services for the first time.

One Voice Singers Swords are a new multicultural community singing group based at St Colmcilles GAA Club in Swords. The group recently took part and gave a few wonderful performances of Christmas music and Carols in this year’s Christmas Market at Swords Castle. They had a wonderful time, were extremely well received and enjoyed every minute of their performances. The Singers thanked the people of Swords for all the support in the past year and also gave a huge message of thanks to their musical directors Aine and Tony. Well done to you all and we wish you continued success in the coming year.