The members of Swords Meals on Wheels were delighted when they learned that local singer and artist Roly Daniels has donated one of his painting to support a fundraising raffle for the local group.

Organised with the help of the Swords Bridge Club, the Meals on Wheels members were approached by Roly who offered to donate his signed painting ‘The Old Mill in Swords’ that will be raffled to raise much needed funds for the group.

“We received a wonderful donation of a framed painting of ‘The Old Mill in Swords’ painted by none other than Roly Daniels the famous Irish singer, not only a terrific signer but also an accomplished artist that has had an exhibition recently in Donegal,” explained Niall MacNeill of Swords Meals on Wheels.
“Roly lives locally and wanted to do something to support Swords Meals on Wheels. This unique artwork will be raffled in aid of Swords Meals on Wheel. There will be 100 tickets, each ticket will cost €10. Swords Bridge Club were instrumental in organising this and we are extremely grateful to Roly for his time and skill. And to all in Swords Bridge Club for their support,” Mr MacNeill added.

We had a busy month with regular training taking place on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays along with a fundraising Bag Pack, competing in the Piltown Open Championships in Clonmel and Squad training with JKS Ireland. Our fundraising Bag Pack took place in Dunne’s/JCs in Swords. The purpose of the fundraiser was to raise funds for our students who are going to Japan in July to compete in the JKS World Karate Championships. We had two teams who volunteered for this fundraiser, and they spent Friday evening and all-day Saturday packing groceries for the customers of Dunne’s/JCs. We would like to thank the customers who supported us so magnificently in this fund raiser as we raised over €2000 for our students going to Japan. We hosted JKS Ireland Squad training in Applewood Community Centre this month. Our focus is getting our students ready to compete on the world stage at the World Championships and we covered Kihon, Kata and Kumite as well pushing hard on our general fitness levels. We travelled to Clonmel to compete in the annual Piltown Open Karate Championships. It was a long day as this is an extremely popular competition, but our Squad did very well taking home a number of prizes on the day. Danny, Lola, and Sophia each took third place in Kata while Sophia also took home third place in her kumite section. This is great preparation for the World Championships and our next competition is in early July, a week before we travel. We hosted JKS Ireland Brown & Black Belt training, as well as JKS Ireland Squad training in preparation for the World Championships. Finally, Ava Kane was presented with her Shodan (1 st Black Belt) Diploma and Darragh O’Sullivan was presented with his Nidan (2nd Black Belt) Diploma this month. Our 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

Currently the club are seeking an experienced person for the role of Bar Manager. There is an excellent package for the right applicant. We are seeking an energetic, enthusiastic Bar Manager. Please call Marian 0876819540 or email. We are also building teams at present. if you are interested in getting involved in playing Gaelic football, come along for a really fun filled football hour every Thursday and also Saturday. Finally, congratulations to Mary who came in to collect her winnings from our club lottery. She was joined by family and friends on the evening. Happy spending Mary and folks please remember our lottery finances our club and your support is most welcome.

iSecure Swords Thunder took on St Paul’s Killarney on Saturday 13th April as both teams returned to National Basketball Arena or the Div1 League Trophy Final and took home the Trophy. With a Tip Off at 5.45pm there was nothing between the teams at the end of the third quarter with the scoreboard reading 16 -16. The end-to-end plays continued and there still remained parity at the end of the second quarter at 34- 34. After half time the Thunder girls upped their game and went ahead for the first time in the game which left the third quarter scoreline at 54-47. St Pauls fought hard to even the scoring but the Thunder wre not to be bested on the day and came away 69 -63 winners as the new Division 1 Trophy winners. Congratulations to the team and their coaches and mentors.

There was a great turn out recently and so much work done, what a fantastic group of volunteers, you are all a credit to your community. FCC had a cameraman following us today making a short video of our work in the community. The group adjourned to the Old Schoolhouse for refreshments where they got well looked after by Willie and his wonderful crew. Later in the afternoon some of Swords Tidy Towns members had a cool drink to finish off a long day. Well, done to everyone and look out for that video!

Swords Women’s Shed mission is to unite & empower women within the community through creative craft & socialisation. What a gorgeous spring morning it was recently when Swords Women’s Shed at Swords Men’s Shed joined together for activities. It was an amazing walk and then back to the shed for chats and light refreshments. Congratulations to Grainne with her 10pin bowling and she even picked herself up a medal in the process very well done. And lastly extremely well done to both Swords Women’s Shed and Swords Men’s Shed who raised a whopping €1,120 which will be lodged into Aoibheann’s Pink Tie Charity. Very well done to the committee for organising an amazing event.

We had our fundraising Race night recently to support our club members who will be competing in the World Karate Championships in Japan this July. A great night was had by all and we raised a good amount for the club members travelling for this big event.

We also had Squad training this month. A good mix of kihon, kata and kumite which pushed all attendees to their limits over the two hour session.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.

When you think of Lawn Bowls what images are conjured up in your mind? Retired /elderly men and women wearing white clothing. A slow paced non- competitive sport. A sport that is only played in Summer. The facts might surprise you! Let me dispel some of these myths. Lawn Bowls is played by all ages, genders, and abilities. It is inclusive, fun, competitive and involves some strategic. Ireland has over twenty-seven clubs who are affiliated to the governing body Irish Lawn Bowls. Lawn Bowls is played on synthetic and grass rinks. There is a growing academy for children/teenagers and young adults called The Leinster Lions. It is a fun way to stay active and get fit. It is played outdoors all year round. There is a social element to the game. It can help with teambuilding as it requires co-operation from team members to win a game. It improves mental health by social interaction. Lawn Bowls is a precision sport. It requires accuracy and strategy. It is like Pétanque but uses different sized and weighted bowls. In the Southern Hemisphere the game is well represented by young adults. Most importantly Lawn Bowls is fun! At Aer Lingus Lawn Bowls club you will receive a warm welcome. We benefit from having a synthetic surface which enables us to play all year round. We play socially and competitively we take part in the ILB Summer and Winter leagues. We are undertaking a Corporate Bowls initiative for the Spring/ early summer. We will hold an Open Weekend on 11th and 12th of May. This is a great opportunity to try the sport. We are also available every Wednesday and Sunday at 11am for our social bowls sessions. Contact us on 0863114540 for more information. We hope you will accept our invitation to take part.

On the week leading up to St Patricks Day at the Shed, we crafted lucky discs, great laughs and chats. What disc did you get? Did you watch out for Swords Women’s Shed at the Swords St Patrick’s Day Parade? We hope you did and were lucky enough to get a keyring, magnet or even a car charm. We also hoped you supported Swords Women’s Shed on that day. The ladies from the Shed did us proud!