Balbriggan Local Volume 3 Issue 7

BALBRIGGAN LOCAL Your Community News Volume 3 Issue 7 - May 2018

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Balbriggan Historical group events success

Vintage Fashion at the Castle…

(See page 18)

€50

Crossword competition inside

Roadrunners plan Summerfest 5k

Our Team Local News

Editor E. communitylocalseditor@gmail.com

Inside This Months Issue History group successful events

Bleeding Pig photo Competition

Advertising

Sean Maguire T. 087 915 9052 E. seanmaguire@irishmediagroup.ie

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St Mary’s success at National Trials

6 â‚Ź50 crossword competition

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BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-MAY 2018

3

Local News

Balbriggan Historical Society-busy year ahead

Paul Bosonnet with Anne Collins, Chair B&DHS and Bosonnet cousins from Balbriggan at March talk

Balbriggan Summerfest is fast approaching and the Society will be taking part as usual with a guided historical walk around the town on the Saturday.

Balbriggan & District Historical Society are proud sponsors of the restoration project at Bremore Castle and this year we will also be organising a visit to the Castle during Summerfest, to view the excellent work done there.

We have had a busy year already, with our latest talk featuring Jim Walsh who needs no introduction speaking on the History of Man O’War and the Turk’s Head. The Man O’War area has a fascinating History, not least in relation to the mysterious Turk’s Head. The wooden carving was mounted on the front of the old Man O’ War Inn for many years and proved a treat for travellers using the old coach road through Fingal.

A great night was had at our quiz in the Milestone Inn on Thursday April 12th. Well done to our quizmaster Brian Kavanagh and Kilian Harford for help with what were great questions. Congratulations to winners Jim Walsh’s team and very close runners up Fran Carroll’s team. Thanks to Damien and everyone at the Milestone for providing the room and all help on night, and to Supervalu, Browne’s Centra, and McLoughlins Oil for sponsoring prizes.

Last but not least thanks to all of you for coming along and contributing to a great night.

Our March talk The Experiences of a French Emigrant family in Ireland by Paul Bosonnet went down a treat. It was great to see so many Balbriggan Bosonnets, our speaker’s cousins who came along to hear it. The talk gave a great insight into the experience of the Bosonnets in France in the aftermath of the Revolution and their life in Ireland in the later 19th century.

Balbriggan Historical Society can be contacted at balbrigganhistsoc@gmail.com or www.

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BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-MAY 2018

Some photos from Quiz night in Milestone

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Local News

Balbriggan Roadrunners-5K on May 31st Balbriggan Roadrunners are a local running club set up six years ago with the aim of helping people interested in running and walking at whatever level, meet similar people and provide motivation andsupport within the community.

The intention of the Balbriggan Roadrunners is to get people together for the health, social and motivational benefits of running with a group. There are no membership fees – the club is non-profit, self-funded and is run totally on a voluntary basis.

We are an inclusive club and our members are representative of the diversity of Balbriggan and we have runners from all parts of this community and as well as surrounding communities.

We are registered as a club with the Fingal Sports Council. We meet 3 or 4 times a week and have about 200 members who turn up regularly to our scheduled runs as well as over 1200 people following us on Facebook. Runners range from beginners to very experienced, running various distances from 5km, 10km and upwards, a few have even run several marathons.

In 2016 we launched our “Couch to Roadrunners” group which focuses on getting people out running from the very beginning and support them right up to whatever distance and level of runner then want to become. This group is mentored by other group members who have all started as beginners and want to “pay it forward” and help others beginners achieve their goals.

Also in 2016 we got involved with the Balbriggan Summerfest Committee and organised the Balbriggan Roadrunners Summerfest 5km – we will be running this event again this year onThursday 31 st May 2018 at 8:00pm starting at St. Molagas National School. Entrants can register here: https://events.fitlive. ie/balbriggan-roadrunners- summerfest-5km- 2018

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5

Local News

The Bleeding Pig Cultural Festival Competitions Preparations for next September’s Bleeding Pig Cultural Festival are well under way.

We will be returning with old favourites … 3 Day Short Film Festival, Gala Concert, Trad. And Chips, Mol an Óige and the Open Mic. We will have a selection of workshops and other exciting events and these will be up on our website when they are fully confirmed.

This year we are running two competitions

“Amateur Landscape Artist 2018” “Amateur Photographer 2018”

See website www.bleedingpig.ie for more information.

Entries for these competitions will be due in early

September so plenty of time to get your submission ready.

Prizes for both competitions are €100 + trophy for

winner and €50 for runner up.

Entry to both competitions is FREE

“Swords Parish Bethany Bereavement Support Group Have you suffered the loss of someone special in your life through bereavement? Are you suffering the pain of that loss?

Would you like to talk to a trained bereavement support person who will listen and help you understand your grief and distress?

You are welcome to attend our bereavement support meetings on the second and last Mondays of every month at - The Parochial House, Seatown Road, Swords. Start time 7.30pm. Next meeting Monday 30th April. This is a free, confidential service and is offered to all Fingal residents. For further information please phone Brid 086 6006397 or Terri 8403243”.

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BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-MAY 2018

Contact us: communitylocals@gmail.com

Local News

Guide dogs –Super dog fundraiser Some weeks ago Gerry Buckley Manager of Moriarty’s SuperValu Balbriggan offered Breege O’neill who used to have a guide dog called Unice a very large soft beautifully made dog to raffle to make some money for Guide Dogs. Unice, Breeges guide dog had retired two years back and Breege is now waiting for a replacement so Gerry was thinking well this will help with some money towards a new guide dog for Breege if we can raffle it.

Moriarty’s SuperValu Balbriggan then gave the local branch of Guide dogs the Balbriggan\ North County Dublin Branch two days to sell raffle tickets inside of the store, The raffle made €815.The winning ticket number 12 was drawn by Ryan a Deputy Manager of Supervalu who was on duty that evening. The winner chose the Easter Egg that went with Super Dog as she felt she had not got the room to have him in her house.

Tom O’Neill Co-Chair of the local branch is in touch with a Special Needs play school and at the request of the winner Super Dog will be donated to that play school.

Thank you everybody for your support and special thanks to Gerry Buckley and SuperValu Balbriggan for thinking of us in this way.

Contact the branch on 085 7663107 or email guidedogsbalbriggan@gmail.com

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2nd photo Breege O’Neill, Super dog, Andrew Green and his guide dog Nico

Tom O’Neill and Breege O’Neill with Ryan Deputy manager SuperValu Balbriggan

BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-MAY 2018

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Local News

St Mary Twirlers scoop the medals at National Trials Recently 30 girls from St. Mary’s Baton

Twirlers competed in the 2018 ABTI National

Trials in Dublin. Following a nervous start, with

some athletes taking to the competition floor for the very first time, they settled and went on to compete in more than 20 events.

The ultimate goal at the Trials was

junior freestyles sections, juvenile, junior and senior pairs, juvenile and junior teams and two juvenile groups and junior group. The girls now have lots of hard work ahead of them to get ready for the EFBT Twirlng Club Championship at the end of June and we wish

qualification for the 2018 EFBT European

them every success in their endeavours.For more

held in Ireland later this year.

their facebook page-StMarys Baton Twirlers or

Twirling Club Championships which will be There were medals galore in juvenile and

information on St Mary’s Baton Twirlers pm text 086 3270636.

“DART to take five years to reach North County Dublin” - Brendan Ryan TD

Brendan Ryan, Labour Party TD for Dublin Fingal and Dáil spokesperson on Transport has criticised a response he received from the National Transport Authority which states it will take up to five years to extend the Dart to North County Dublin, and that is through a hybrid fleet of trains and not the electrification of the line. From the reply received from the NTA, it seems the electrification of the line north of Malahide will come afterwards.

Ryan said,“In a reply I received from the NTA it indicates that the NTA are currently in a process of engaging a specialist rail advisory firm to assist them in developing a fleet specification for a hybrid diesel/ electric train which would operate in electric mode on the electric sections of the commuter line and diesel mode on the non-electric segments of line. In the North County Dublin context, that is the line north of

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BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-MAY 2018

Malahide.”

He continued, “I was surprised by this response and furthermore, instead of this being a quick solution to increasing the capacity on the Northern Line I was informed by the NTA that the sourcing and procurement of a new fleet could take up to five years with an expectation that it will be delivered in either 2022 or 2023. Only then will the NTA be in a position to extend the Dart services as far north as Balbriggan and onto Drogheda. The ever increasing population of North County Dublin has led to a much increased pressure on our transport infrastructure including massive pressure on our train services and bumper to bumper car traffic on the M1 corridor. We need faster solutions to the commuter chaos in Fingal”

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Feature

Budgeting Smarter - How to have more of your money left over Every choice you make, every activity you do, every change you contemplate, are in some way connected to your finances. You have income. You have expenditure. The aim is that the first one is always greater than the second, that leaves you with “disposable income”.

For most people, the income side is relatively constant. So how can you improve the amount you have left over? On the spending side.

The first thing to realise is that most people don’t accurately know the full details of their expenditure.

They’ll know some of the main and regular ones, but not all. You can test this by trying to list everything that you spent last month, then look at what you actually spent.

They will rarely match. (Think of the last time you took €50 out of an ATM and bought a bottle of wine, for example. What did the rest of the €50 go on?) So the first step is to undertake a strict monitoring of spending for a month. Every cent spent on anything, whether cash, cards or direct debit. Log it every evening. After a month, you’ll have something to work with. The first thing you will usually notice is that you spent money on things that you really did not need to (and often wish you hadn’t!) This can help moving forward with reducing spending. But what else can you do?

A few tips to cut spending further and hence, improve how much you have left over each month: Carefully study 3 months’ bank statements. Make sure that you can account for every single transaction.

On a regular basis, I encounter

people who have been paying for things that they should not be.

Direct debits they forgot to cancel.

Subscriptions no longer relevant.

Doubling up on things like house insurance (happens a lot!).

Make a detailed list for grocery shopping (and don’t shop while hungry). This leads to only buying what you actually need, a lower bill at the till and less throwing out of food gone off. Also, check your receipt after going through the till.

“Accidental” over-charging is far more prevalent than you may realise.

(Since I began keeping record, one store has overcharged me 65 times!)

Compare before you shop for larger items. Just because one store has a fridge you want reduced from €950 to €850 in their “Sale”, does not mean another store nearby that does not currently have a sale on, is not selling the same one for €799.

A little research can produce big savings.

Compare utility providers.

Whether it’s electricity, gas, broadband, mobile phone service or similar, there can be substantial savings to be had by switching to better deals.

Check when car/house insurance renewals arrive. Don’t automatically accept a renewal premium without checking around. A few phone calls could save you hundreds of euro.

Review premiums on life cover/ mortgage protection. Especially if you arranged it directly with a bank or insurance company that could only quote you for their products.

Massive savings can be made doing this, as you pay for them over such a

long period.

In over 20 years of helping people with their finances, I have never seen anyone NOT make savings by doing the above. If anyone would like the free budget spreadsheet in excel format that will calculate totals as you input them, just email info@ financialcompanion.ie with Budget in the subject line. Happy saving!

Dave Kavanagh QFA has been

advising people financially for over 25 years. Combined with his previous role of gym/nutrition adviser, he regularly gives talks and workshops at seminars and events for groups, companies and government departments on financial wellbeing, positivity and motivation. He has spoken at all of The Full 360 events with Alison Canavan around the country. As heard on RTE 2FM and TV3.

Balbriggan Local Magazine NEEDS YOU!

VOLUNTEERS WANTED

PHOTOGRAPHERS , LOCAL WRITERS, LOCAL REPORTERS NEEDED!!

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Local News

€30 million for new schools in Swords

30m investment- Senator James Reilly, Minister Richard Bruton and Cllr Tom O_Leary

On foot of my recent meeting with Minister for Education Richard Bruton , I am delighted that a planning application has been lodged for a new school campus at Rathhbeale Road Mooretown, Swords. This is a major investment in schools in Swords, which I estimate will be approximately €30 million,”said Senator James Reilly recently.

The project is for 2 new schools…a new secondary school..Swords Community College, including a Sports Hall, and a new 24 Classroom Primary School.

The Senator continued,” This area has been granted €4.9 million LIHAF Local Infrastructure Housing Activation funding by the Minister for Housing to upgrade the road for better access and egress to this substantial school campus, via an improved road, cycle paths and footpaths. I look forward to more investment in school facilities locally and I intend to meet Minister Richard Bruton again soon, with local Councillor Tom O’Leary to discuss progress on the many school projects in Fingal , Rush, Lusk, Skerries, Balbriggan, Hedgestown , and Malahide.

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Local News

Fingal receives Silver Award for freight operation Fingal County Council has been awarded for its standard of truck operation by the Freight Transport Association of Ireland (FTAI) in the annual TruckSafe audit programme.The audit programme is designed to provide independent verification that HGV fleet operators are meeting legal requirements. Operators and buyers of freight are assessed across three levels – bronze, silver and gold. Fingal County Council achieved a Silver level standard.

TruckSafe is designed to recognise operators who demonstrate the highest standards of professionalism and compliance in the day-today management of their drivers and vehicles.

Welcoming the award, Fingal County Council’s Director of Operations, David Storey said: “We are delighted with the recognition that Fingal County Council has received from FTA Ireland with the presentation of the Silver TruckSafe Award. It reinforces the hard work and dedication to safety by Fingal’s Fleet Management Operations.”

At the FTA Ireland annual Transport Manager Seminar, held at the Johnston House Hotel and Spa on the 28th of March 2018, CEO of the Road Safety Authority Moyagh Murdoch presented the first certifications to FTAI members who have already achieved the necessary standards in operation. Fingal County Council Supervising Mechanical Inspector Paul Dowdall accepted the Silver TruckSafe award on behalf of

the council.

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, Paul Reid said: “The standard of freight operations has an influence on economic performance and a major impact on road safety and prevention of deaths on Irish roads. Our Operations Team work extensively to ensure that our Freight Operators maintain and exceed the requirements for safe and high quality freight activity.”

Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Mary McCamley said:

“Fingal County Council’s Operations Team have continuously practiced safe, efficient and high standard freight operation. I am delighted that their efforts have been acknowledged with the Silver Standard Award.”

To find out more about the TruckSafe programme, and learn how to register for an assessment, please contact FTA Ireland on 01 844 7516 or visit www.ftai.ie.

Fingal wins award for ‘Kaleidoscope’ Project Fingal County Council’s Community Development Office won an Age Friendly Innovation Award for their project that tackles isolation among older people at the awards ceremony in the Hillgrove Hotel, Co Monaghan on Wednesday, April 11. The Kaleidoscope Project was a three month pilot programme that paired elderly people with preschool children to participate in arts and crafts, cookery and sports together. The initiative was implemented by Fingal’s Community Development Office in conjunction with Donabate-Portrane Seniors and Bright Sparks Montessori, also in Donabate.

The aim of the project was to support older people to tackle grief, depression and loneliness while also providing preschool children with an opportunity to learn about older people. Welcoming the award, The programme of activities was designed to stimulate mental, physical and communication skills for both children and seniors. In this project older people were introduced into a preschool setting as guests of the children. The project took place between Oct and Dec 2017 and activities undertaken included cookery, nature (making bird feeders), sports exercises, making Christmas decorations, sharing stories, singing and dancing. Early feedback indicates that the older participants experienced better mental health and a more positive attitude to life as a result of the project. Parents of pre-schoolers participating felt that their children were having a positive experience that would benefit them long-term. Parents of migrant children also believed it benefited their child who may have limited contact with their own grandparent.

Commenting on the award, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council Paul Reid said: “I would like to commend Fingal’s Community Development Office, Donabate-Portrane Seniors, as well as, Bright Sparks Montessori for their efforts to reduce isolation, loneliness and

12 BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-MAY 2018

depression among our older population. It is vital that we provide this support to elderly people if we are to achieve a cohesive and inclusive community.”Given the project’s success in Donabate-Portrane, Fingal County Council hopes to extend it to another group.

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Local News

Council launches Leinster Pipe Band Championship

Cllr Tania Doyle, Cllr Malachy Quinn, Cllr David O’Connor, Mayor of Fingal Cllr Mary McCamley, Cllr Darragh Butler with pipe band musician Aine Gaffney in The Atrium, County Hall, Swords.

Fingal County Council launched the Leinster Pipe Band Championships in The Atrium at County Hall recently.The Championships will be held in Swords Castle by Fingal County Council and the Leinster Branch of the Irish Pipe Band Association in conjunction with Fingal County Council’s Events Team on Saturday, May 5 (the May Bank Holiday Weekend).

The event sees the competition being held in Fingal for the first time in many years. Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, Paul Reid attended the launch on Wednesday evening and

said: “I am delighted that Fingal will have the opportunity to host this culturally significant event in Swords Castle, a site that is rich in culture and heritage. I look forward to seeing the variety of talent displayed during this competition.” Senior Bands from all over Ireland will be competing at the event which will run from 12-4 pm. Admission to the Leinster Pipe Band Championships is free of charge and all are welcome to attend.

Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Mary McCamley also

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attended the launch on Wednesday evening. She said: “Heritage and culture are hugely important to Fingal County Council and Fingal’s residents.

I am delighted that the championships will be held in Swords Castle which is the perfect venue to celebrate the talent and skill of so many Irish musicians.”

Weather permitting; Fingal County Council also plans to hold a parade of the competing bands which will proceed through Swords Main Street following the competition on May 5.

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Local News

SKERRIES BOWLING CLUB –NEW MEMBERS WELCOME This year Skerries Bowling Club celebrates its 35th birthday.

Skerries Bowling Club was founded in 1983. The Club is centrally and conveniently located behind Super Value supermarket in Skerries, entrance off Church Street, and is easily within a half an hour drive from any town in the Fingal area. :The Club is open all year round and has a state of the art clubhouse which includes changing rooms and a kitchen. In Summer, i.e. April through to September., both the Ladies and Gents compete in leagues on a home and away basis. The Sunday morning competition is for everyone to enjoy and is played all year round. The Club also boasts of a Junior Section which introduces younger boys and girls to the sport.During the winter months, October to March, all members can compete in the Autumn and Spring Pairs. The Winter league is played on Saturday morning on a Home and Away basis.

There is Short Mat Bowling in the Clubhouse on Wednesday nights.

The Club is privileged to have coaches available to new members and coaching sessions can be arranged on request to help new members to learn the basics of the game..

For further information or to arrange a try out call: Isobel – 0873525775; John – 0860640646; Leslie – 0872238278 and Liz at 0863707627.

Website: www.skerriesbowlingclub.eu

Rush will regain its blue flag status for its excellent beaches - Senator Reilly Senator James Reilly said recently that he is delighted Irish Water has completed the €9.7 million Rush Wastewater Collection Network Project, stopping the discharge of the equivalent of 8,300 wheelie bins of raw sewage per day into the sea.

He said, “Back in 2013 when I was a Minister I was contacted by local Councillor Tom Oleary who relayed the views of Rush residents that this disgraceful discharge into the sea of raw sewage had not been addressed over 10 years when the country was in boomtime and had plenty of money. I met the Minister for Environment at that time in 2013 and two weeks later at a council meeting Cllr Tom O’ Leary told

me Fingal Co Council got a phone call to draw up the specification for the new sewage treatment plant as funding had been approved by the Minister for Environment.”

He continued. “That project then transferred to Irish water and today, from recent weeks no more raw sewage will be pumped into the sea in Rush, a lovely town where I live. I now look forward to all the beaches rebuilding their reputations over the next few years and regaining their blue flags for clean bathing water. It takes a number of years ( 3 I think ) of continuous good results before a blue flag is restored. Rush will have no problem achieving that now.”

Senator encourages groups to apply for €30m R E D Fund Fine Gael Senator is encouraging Fingal groups to apply for the new €30m Regional Enterprise Development Fund.

The Regional Enterprise Development Fund was launched by the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys.

Senator James Reilly said: “The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation is looking for innovative initiatives that are based on collaboration. They want to see groups in both the public and private sectors working together to build on our regional strengths. Categories include ‘Major Regional Change Projects’, ‘Regionally Significant Change Projects’, ‘Local and Community Enterprise Development Initiatives’ and ‘Industry Clusters’.

“I strongly encourage all eligible companies who are interested in

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applying to check their eligibility and apply to the fund,” the Fine Gael Senator said.

“The Fund is open for applications from now, and closes on 27th June 2018. Each region will secure a minimum of €2 million once projects meet the necessary standards.

“Regional jobs are a big priority for the Government, which is why it has developed this Fund as part of the strategy to boost growth in rural Ireland.

“The June deadline may seem like a long way off, but the process is highly competitive so I would urge anyone in Fingal with an idea to start working on their application immediately.

“The Fund is being administered for the Government through Enterprise Ireland and you can find out more at www.enterprise-ireland.com.”

BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-MAY 2018

15

Local Heros

Fingal Ice Hockey player breaking down barriers

G

rowing up in Seapark,Malahide Nigel Smeaton had no real interest in playing Soccer, Gaelic Games or Rugby. Neither had any interest in indoor games until one day he came across an ice skating rink in Dublin and tried his hand at skating. Then his interest in ice hockey grew and grew to such and extent that he has represented Ireland at amateur level and has used his sport to 16 BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-MAY 2018

break down barriers both in Ireland and abroad.

Although still living locally,Nigel (42) now plays for the Northern Ireland Tridents and has represented Ireland and also played abroad in the United States, UAE ,Europe and an international trip was to Andorra back in 2017 where he played against Morocco, Portugal and Andorra. His dedication to Ice Hockey is such that he often leaves home early evening and does not return until early the next morning.

Speaking to ‘Local’ magazine, Nigel explained a common day in his sporting life. “Its 6.45pm on a Monday evening as I walk out the door with my Ice Hockey bag and sticks to embark on a journey I undertake once a week to Belfast, Northern Ireland to play Ice Hockey. The car journey itself takes approx two hours there and back and it is normal to arrive back at my home around 2am.

The team I play for is the NI Tridents who are based out of the Dundonald Ice Bowl in Belfast and training each Monday starts at 10.15pm and finishes at 11.30pm. By the time I am ready to drive back down the Dublin it is already midnight. Why such a long journey to play I hear you ask?, and this is a question I get asked on a regular basis!. I do it for a number of reasons one being because down south we do not have one single ice rink so as an Ice hockey player based in Ireland the only facility I can train at is the Ice Bowl in Belfast. Even in the United Arab

Emirates a country known for its deserts and hot climate they have four full size state of the art Ice rinks but here in Ireland we have zero!.

I also play because my passion for the sport propels me to do whatever it takes to get on the ice whether that is here or abroad where I have played all over Europe, United States and the United Arab Emirates. In 25 years of playing I can safely say my passion has not wavered in anyway except age would beg to differ!!

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Local Heros since the Republic of Cyprus was granted European Union membership. In football, for example, two separate leagues exist although no official matches have taken place between the two sides and only the Greek side represents the island in FIFA and UEFA competition.

In 2010 Some courageous hockey players broke this stalemate thanks to untiring work of two captains, Nigel Smeaton, an Irish expat living in the Greek Cypriot part, and Erhan Tuncer, a Turkish educator. He once played in the Turkish league for Kocaeli Büyüksehir Belediyesi Kagit Spor..’

Ice Hockey does not segregate or see barriers or borders of any kind which is another reason why I play, what some would consider to be an expensive and niche sport. I remember back in 2010 being based in Cyprus (Greek Cypriot side) and taking a team based in Limassol across the border to the Turkish Cypriot side of the divided Island to play against a team from Famagusta. It went down in history as the first ever Ice hockey game to be played on the island between the only two existing teams although some government officials weren’t too keen on it!.I don’t plan on retiring anytime soon as my legs have not given up on me yet and as long as there is a rink somewhere on the island North or South i will be there!. I only wish having grown up in Malahide that there was a rink in the village which would significantly reduced the travelling time! “ Nigel as he says is a person who does not let ‘borders or barriers’ deter him from pursuing his love for Ice Hockey. Indeed his efforts to pursue the sport in Cyprus in particular was recorded in this article from International Hockey Federation magazine by David Tuniz.

Hockey premiere on Cyprus

Erhan Tuncer and Nigel Smeaton, the captains of the Famagusta and Limassol teams, shake hands before one of their exhibition games in Famagusta.

Speaking at the time Nigel said, “I don’t think any of the players care too much about the political side of things. All the players see is other hockey players, a rink and a game they all love to play,”

Skates, stick and puck know no borders on divided island 14.07.2010 In late April a handful of youngsters from the Greek Cypriot side of the island of Cyprus, commanded by a combative Irishman, crossed the border of Cyprus, the Green Line, to face an army of Turks armed with sticks.

What makes it even more special is that these teams are from two different parts of Cyprus with two different governments in cease fire state for more than 30 years: the Greek Cypriot side controlled by the Republic of Cyprus (with a de jure sovereignty over the entire island), and the Turkish Cypriot side controlled by the internationally unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus since an intervention by the Turkish army in 1974.

Divided for more than three decades by the United Nations’ cease fire buffer zone, there has been little head-to-head sporting competition between the two regions during the years.

Until 2003 the border was even impassable, but the restrictions were eased Contact us: communitylocals@gmail.com

BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-MAY 2018

17

Fashion

Vintage fashion at beautiful Ardgillan Castle

By Fashion Editor - Carina Cunningham

Photography by Taz Smith. Styling Dress and headpiece by myself , make up by Momi Kay. Hair by Virginia Vitkauskiene.

Here on the Northside of County Dublin we are rich in heritage. The Southsiders may think they have it all but I beg to disagree. My fashion article this month celebrates Vintage Fashion with beautiful buildings in this case Ardgillan Castle. Fashion and architecture go hand in hand, they compliment each other, and travel in time together. Our beautiful model this month is Mihaela Cujba. Looking so rich with the fabric use and gelling in so well with the summer sun and nature - it’s a winner.

Now you may think this design costs a lot but I will let you in on a few secrets. This green dress was bought in Skerries in Friends of Autism charity shop for €10. The Roses bought in Belfast

in another charity shop approximately €20 . The mix of fabrics from Home Focus in Santry for €20 so total cost €50. This begs the question, would you put that price on it? I think not.

Ladies and young girls out there do you remember the skill of sewing ? The young girls of today I wonder if it’s all been made too easy and too disposable. Using your imagination and making something look better is so rewarding and the bonus is they are so reasonable and unique.

Cook up your idea for the clothes, cut them, mix them, see them flourish into your own creation.

It’s a new world if you are creative enough to try it.

Our shoot was taken in Ardgillan Castle which

is such an amazing place to visit! The sea views and gardens with playgrounds are outstanding and free. There’s a huge playground and fairy trail for the children plus they also host ‘King and Queen’ junior birthday parties. If you haven’t visited really you should. Well that’s it for this month folks. Should any of our readers like to nominate their daughter , Mother, Brother even Dad for a make over fashion shoot please contact me by email carinacunningham@gmail.com. Bye for now. Carina Photography by Taz Smith. Styling Dress and headpiece by myself , make up

By Momi Kay. Hair by Virginia Vitkauskiene.

CROSSWORD COMPETITION WINNER Congratulations!!

Kathy Seaver (aged 10), Carraig Laith, Connors Lane, Lusk.

You are this month’s winner

18 BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-MAY 2018

Contact us: communitylocals@gmail.com

Fashion

All systems go for Style Warriors Show

By Fashion Editor - Carina Cunningham

So what’s new guys and girls. Well our news is we had a fantastic fittings day in Ardgillan Castle on 14th of April. We had the beautiful Ana Zens Model and Presenter for Irish Fashion Magazine who came for her fitting for the shoot. Then she kindly interviewed some of the models there for fittings also. We were filmed by the super director Alex Bechtin. This was a very significant day as fittings and picking the right outfit to suit each model is very important.

We were so lucky to also have a teaser video made by the fantastic Aerial Martin of Go Productions. He filmed a teaser video to hype up the shoot for us and fantastic fun was had by all.

If your a local photographer and would like to come to this fundraiser shoot please email me at carinacunningham@gmail.com this will for sure Contact us: communitylocals@gmail.com

wake up any ghosts residing in Ardgillan Castle.

They may even follow us home. Alternatively we have two fire dancers who will add a bit of drama to the shoot,Stacie Ellen Murphy and Adrian Marciniak will be performing for us so the heat is on!

Should you like to view any of these videos there all on my page on face book. My account is public so just click in to view Carina Cunningham Owner Cherie Styling Studio. The theme for this shoot on May 12th is Masquerade Ball and we have over 50 models attending 10 make up artists and 5 hairdressers with even Edwardian wigs being styled. This is a fundraiser shoot to help collect budget money for my show production Style Warriors a Fashion and Entertainment Show on Sat 6th October in

Wrights Venue. It is a charity event in aid of NECRET cancer research. This will be one show you won’t want to miss as it’s not boring fashionit’s exciting and entertainment is a big part of the show. That’s it for the moment, more news next month. .

BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-MAY 2018

19

Healt

hy

Home Cook Recipes

A healthy gain with Chicken Chow Mein Ingredients Serves 4

• 4 chicken fillets, diced into bite sized pieces • 3 cloves garlic, chopped finely • 5cm fresh root ginger (10g), chopped finely (Tip: store in the freezer as it makes it easier to cut and helps to avoid waste!)

• 4 spring onions, chopped finely • 1 tablespoon cumin • 1 tablespoon paprika • 1 large red chilli (25g), chopped finely • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or else wine vinegar) • Juice of 1 large lemon • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds • 4 tablespoons soy sauce (Tip: If you have oyster sauce, use 2 tablespoons oyster sauce and 2 tablespoons soy sauce) • 500g stir-fry vegetable mix including: Beansprouts, carrot, green cabbage, red onion, broccoli • 3-4 nests of noodles 20 BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-MAY 2018

Method

“A recent survey found that busy working professionals don’t want to spend longer than 15 minutes preparing a meal which leads to eating more food out of the home, grab and go eating behaviours and frequently ordering take-aways. These eating patterns can make it more difficult to maintain a healthy weight overtime and can be quite costly in the long run. My recipe this month is a flavour infusion of a common take-away meal.

It is very quick to throw together especially if the chicken has been marinated from the night before and costs less than €2 per portion. Leftovers can make a tasty lunch or frozen to be enjoyed another day.

Makes for 1 If oven baking, preheat oven to 200’c 1. Place chicken in a dish to marinade with the; lemon juice, garlic, ginger, cumin, paprika, spring onions and chili. Leave to marinade for at least 10 minutes or overnight in the fridge, covered in cling film to infuse the flavours into the chicken and tenderise the chicken.

2. Place noodles in a large pan of boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes or as instructed on the food label. Drain thoroughly and rinse through cold water.

3. Heat a wok on high heat. When very hot, add the marinated chicken and stir-fry until chicken is cooked thoroughly.

4. Stir in the sesame seeds.. all the vegetables and soy sauce and mix altogether.

5. Continue to stir-fry for about 3 minutes.

6. Finally, add the noddles into the wok for the last 2 minutes of cooking to heat them up and stir them through the mixture.

Workplace, sports or school Nutrition talks/workshops, please email: niamh@biabites.net See my ‘Fun food’ and ‘Recipes’ albums on ‘Biabites’ Facebook for other food ideas.

Niamh Arthurs, Public Health and Clinical Nutritionist” Contact us: communitylocals@gmail.com

Local Sports

Glebe North FC –The home of soccer in Balbriggan Glebe North FC is a soccer club based in Balbriggan, Old Market Green. We currently have two seniors teams playing for the Leinster seniors league, schoolboys teams from Under 8 to Under 15 playing to the Dublin District League and North Dublin League, and girls teams playing for the Metropolital Girls League.

The club was founded in 1945. It evolved from a factory team called Smyco (Smyth & Co) founded by the late Jack Kennedy, whose involvement with the AUL was instrumental in the establishment of the club. An annual U16 tournament was established in his memory in 2012, with St Kevin’s Boys winning the inaugural trophy. Co founders Frank Carton, Dessie McCann, Sean Reid, Peter Murray, Peter Costello, Phill Barnett Francis Guildea, Hugh Reilly, Tommy Raymond.

Glebe joined the AUL in 1945 and spent 18 years there, winning Division 3 and The Leinster Junior Shield before joining the Leinster Senior League in 1963, where they still play today.

The club have won the Senior Division twice; in the 1966-67 season and again in 1985-86 in a play-off with Bluebell and Pegasus. Along the way Glebe have also won Division 1, Division 1A, 2 Cahill Cups, a Metro Cup and the Polikoff Cup. If you wish to know more .. 0863275772 or www.glebenorthfc.

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BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-MAY 2018

21

Crossword & Sudoku

WIN €50 !!! WIN €50 !!! WIN €50 !!! WIN €50 !!!

This is easy… we are offering you the chance to win €50. All you have to do is correctly fill in the crossword and discover the name of an area in Fingal spelt out in the coloured squares. Then send the completed crossword and your answer by email, with your name, address and telephone number to communitylocals@gmail.com before 5pm on April 15. The first correct entry to be drawn will win €50..Good luck Down

1. Planet much loved by juvenile comedians. (6) 5. Large numbers gathered for events. (6) 10. Aspired to commended. (7) 11. Lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness. (7) 12. Mend like a bone. (4) 13. A living thing that doesn’t move about. (5) 15. Sound used to attract someone’s attention without alerting anyone else. (4) 17. It may have come first. (3) 19. Fingers and toes. (6) 21. Pre judge. (6) 22. Just as far as the eye can see. (7) 23. A covering that serves to conceal or shelter something. (6) 25. A formal proposal to buy at a specified price. (6) 28. Employ a tool. (3) 30. Number for a basketball team.

(4) 31. Up to the time that. (5) 32. Invitation to reply to. (4) 35. Destructive wind funnel. (7) 36. Contributors to the effort. (7) 37. A craft designed for use on water.

(6) 38. A refund of some fraction of the amount paid. (6)

2. Making a prolonged loud noise like wind or water. (7) 3. American extra-terrestrial group.

(4) 4. A seat for the rider of a horse. (6) 5. Uttering a cry, characteristic of crows and ravens (6) 6. Any thick, viscous matter. (4) 7. A sequence of powerful leaders in the same family. (7) 8. Interfered with someone’s drink.

(6) 9. Top job on a newspaper. (6) 14. In opposition to. (7) 16. An inhalation anaesthetic. (5) 18. Narrow ways or roads. (5) 20. Close male relative. (3) 21. His wife looked back in the Bible.

(3) 23. Often seen with net, pin and match. (6) 24. Go back without turning. (7) 26. The way down a mountain. (7) 27. Lie in a comfortable resting position. (6) 28. Open out like a carpet. (6) 29. One or the other. (6) 33. Armed conflicts. (4) 34. Spill the beans. (4)

SUDOKU ANSWERS

Across

22 BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-MAY 2018

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