Balbriggan Local Volume 4 Issue 4-FEB 2019

BALBRIGGAN LOCAL

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THINK PROPERTY

Walking football think comes to Balbriggan

Huge St Patricks’s day parades planned

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St Mary’s Baton Twirlers

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BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-FEBRUARY 2019

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Local News

Guide dogs receive cheque from Tesco

She is in the picture with Cheryl Floody of Tesco HR. department and Tom O’Neill and Gatsby from the Balbriggan\North County Dublin branch of guide dogs.

The Balbriggan/ North Dublin branch of guide dogs had great pleasure just before xmas in accepting a cheque for â‚Ź555 from The Tesco Community Initiative from Lisa McEvoy on behalf of Tescos.

Tom thanked Tescos for their continued support of the branch and the customers of the store for putting those blue chips into the container in the shop when our name goes in. It is said that every little helps and it really does.All money collected goes for the training of guide dogs for blind people and the training of assistance dogs for children with Autism.

The branch can be contacted on 085 7663107 or send an email to guidedogsbalbriggan@ gmail.com

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Local News

Council formally adopts Arts Plan- 2019-2015 Fingal County Council have formally adopted

an Arts Plan for 2019-2025 that seeks to enable all in Fingal to access a wide range of arts and cultural experiences, to foster diversity of arts

practice and to support artists of many different backgrounds.

Four key objectives feature in the plan,

which was approved at the Fingal County Council Meeting in Swords on Monday

January 14.“Making Space for Art” will be

achieved through developing creative spaces and environments. “Connecting People and

Ideas” involves building relationships amongst organisations and individual artists. “Enabling

Excellence” involves supporting artists through

grants, awards and bursaries. Finally, “Developing Our Capacity” entails resourcing the Arts Office to effectively carry out its objectives.

Fingal Arts Officer Rory O’Byrne said: “Our

primary wish is to grow Fingal’s cultural capacity by retaining and attracting creative practitioners to live and work in Fingal. This will ensure

culture continues to play a central role in people’s lives and contribute in a positive way to building an inclusive and vibrant Fingal.”

An important aspect of the plan is supporting

the development of spaces where arts and culture can develop and thrive. Director of Community

and Housing Margaret Geraghty said: “This plan is a very strong statement of intent on behalf of Fingal in relation to arts and arts development over the next number of years. It supports our

vision for the Swords Cultural Quarter as well as the development of the Seamus Ennis Arts

Centre and Draiocht and the range of other arts providers in the county.”

The Swords Cultural Quarter will benefit from

a significant investment involving a state-of-theart library, an arts centre with theatre, rehearsal and multi-use spaces, and animation of the

external environment. The Balbriggan SocioEconomic Strategy will also be supported.

Mayor of Fingal Cllr Anthony Lavin said:

“With the Fingal population expected to rise to 330,000 by 2021 it is more important than ever that we cultivate the arts and ensure their place in the lives of all our citizens. By doing so, we

create a strong, vibrant, confident community and a county which people want to live in, work in and visit.”

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Local News

Fingal invites participants in St Patrick’s Day parades Fingal County Council’s Events Department are inviting applications for community groups or business to participate in this year’s St Patrick’s Day Parades taking place in Blanchardstown, Balbriggan, and Swords.Those interested can apply by downloading an application form from www.fingalparades.com and submitting the completed form to fingal@davisevents.ie.

The closing date for applications is Friday, 15 February.

Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Anthony Lavin said: “Saint Patrick’s Day is a significant cultural event and the parades allow Fingal residents to celebrate in their communities. The St Patrick’s Day Parades are an opportunity for residents to learn about local community groups and the businesses in their area. I look forward to seeing the diverse and creative floats at the Fingal parades this year.”

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, Paul Reid said: “Over 55,000 people attended the Fingal Saint Patrick’s Day parades last year and I look forward to seeing the turn out for this year. The Fingal Events team works to organise parades that are an entertaining and inclusive cultural celebration.”

Davis Events have been again engaged by Fingal County Council to deliver the 2019 parades. Davis Events are liaising with theatre groups to arrange workshops for a number of participants who will be taking part in the parades. Fingal County Council is partnering with St. Patrick’s Festival in Swords and this will include the addition of a pageant float “Banba”, representing the Celtic Goddess of Ireland. St. Patrick’s Festival will work with community groups in Fingal to develop stories around Irish Tradition, diversity and Irish mythology.

The Swords parade begins at 11am, the Balbriggan parade begins at 2 pm and the Blanchardstown parade begins at 3 pm. There are also parades taking place in Rush, Lusk and Skerries which are organised by community groups. The Rush parade begins at 1 pm and the Lusk parade takes place at 1.30. In Skerries, the parade begins at 3 pm.

Balbriggan Local Magazine NEEDS YOU!

VOLUNTEERS WANTED

PHOTOGRAPHERS , LOCAL WRITERS, LOCAL REPORTERS NEEDED!!

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y a D s ’ k c i r t St. Pa e d a r a P 2019 PARTICIPANT APPLICATIONS OPEN! Groups of all sizes & ages welcome!

Apply online at www.fingalparades.com Closing date for applications 15th of February 2019

More info on:

St Patricks Day Applications 2019.indd 1

www.fingal.ie/news-and-events facebook.com/eventsinfingal twitter @eventsinfingal

10/01/2019 15:48

St Valentine’s relics are in Dublin Hidden away in a beautiful church with a drab, grey exterior in the heart of Dublin are the remains of Valentinus, (St Valentine) patron saint of love. As you pass through the main entrance of the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church, on the right hand side lies The Shrine to St Valentine. The statue above the casket, of St. Valentine dressed in red, was carved in the 1960s

by Dublin sculptor Irene Broe (1923 - 1992), who also carved the statue of St. Clare in the Church of St. Adam and Eve, Dublin.

In the mid 19th century, Irish Carmelite Father John Spratt was gaining much admiration in the Church for his work among the poor and less fortunate people of Dublin.

Between December 1835 and April 1836, Fr. Pratt visited Rome, for both health and business reasons.

During his stay he was invited to preach in the principal church of the Jesuits, as a guest of Cardinal Weld. Weld was Pope Gregory XVI’s adviser on affairs in Ireland and England.

The Pope was so taken with Fr. Pratt’s oration that he sent him a token of his esteem -- the remains of Saint Valentine.

On the morning of November 10, 1836, the remains arrived in Dublin in a container for relics, known as a reliquary. They were received at Whitefriar street by Archbishop Murray of Dublin, who said a special High Mass, at which Fr. Spratt preached.

The reliquary came with a letter from the Pope, outlining its contents. The outer casket, which has only been opened a few times, houses a container.

Inside the container is a small wooden box, covered in painted paper, tied with a red silk ribbon and sealed with wax seals. This box has never been opened.

According to the papal letter that came with the reliquary, the inner box contains: ... “the blessed body of St Valentine, martyr, which we ourselves by the command of the most Holy Father Pope Gregory XVI on the 27th day of December 1835, have taken out of the cemetery of St Hippolytus in the Tibur tine Way, together with a small vessel tinged with his blood”. “The blessed body” is believed to refer to the remains -- presumably some bones -- of St Valentine.

On Valentine’s Day each year, the reliquary is placed on the main altar for a special mass.

However, this is also the busiest day of the year to visit the church. Please be respectful. If you notice that mass is ongoing, and you don’t want to partake, wait until it is finished before visiting the relic. Mass usually lasts an hour or so.

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BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-FEBRUARY 2019

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Feature

Give your Child the Gift of Confidence You are invited to a talk aimed at Parents of children aged 5-10, on the topic of giving your children the gift of confidence.Caoimhe O’Grady Tegart is a Professional Teen and Child Life Coach and has a Diploma from the Irish Lifecoach Institute. She also has an advanced diploma in Hypnotherapy. She has a successful Coaching Business which helps Children, Teens & Adults to achieve their full potential and become happier in their day to day lives. She has helped many people of all ages with career related decisions and actions, coaching children and teens with bullying, exam stress/ anxiety and coping strategies, among many other issues, Caoimhe believes in teaching Children how to feel in control of their thoughts and includes mindfulness and CBT in her work. She works consistently with clients on self confidence and self esteem.

She has a Masters in Psychology and previously worked in HR Management. Her primary work and passion is as a Life Coach Children & Teens, the goal of her business is to help children lead happier more confident lives. She has rolled out Confidence Clinic Summer Camps throughout Ireland and has an online course for children in Confidence.. The Date: 13thFebruary, Time: 7.30-9pm, Location: 102 Stand Street Skerries Co Dublin This talk is aimed at parents of

children 5-10. The main focus is on practical tips and tools that will allow you to boost your child’s confidence. The contents will include:The psychology of confidence – where it comes from and how to grow it, Your Reaction – How we react automatically to our children, breaking bad habits, changing our reaction and Coping Tools – helping to give your children a positive outlook, teaching them gratitude in difficult situations, and how to deal with mean words.

The talk will take 1 hour with an additional half an hour for an interactive discussion with the audience – in the form of questions and answers.

The fee is €5 and to reserve a place phone 01 8495670 . Payment of the booking fee can be posted to our offices at 102 Strand Street , Skerries. Co. Dublin or payment can be made by PayPal using the link below: https://paypal.me/friendsautadhd

Carpentry Plumbing Electrical Tiling Painting Plastering Roofing Renovations Home Repairs TM

01 890 3918 Contact us: communitylocals@gmail.com

086 069 0462 BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-FEBRUARY 2019

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Local News

Balbriggan & District Historical Society

Loreto Secondary School Students with Chair of Balbriggan & District Historical Society Anne Collins at the October talk

Welcome to another year with Balbriggan & District Historical Society and we hope you can join us at one of our events this year. We are busy putting together our programme for 2019 which will be available on our website www.balbrigganhistory.com soon. We hold 6 talks each year and they are always the last Wednesday in the month in the Town Hall Balbriggan so why not come along to this year’s first talk on March 26th - we would love to see you.

2018 was a great year for our Society with the two highlights being the Balbriggan People and Places 1893 Photographic Exhibition in the Bracken Court in October and the tour of Bremore Castle we hosted as part of the Summerfest in May. We have a long association with the Bremore Castle restoration project and are delighted to see the plans for a regional park adjacent to the castle which will help showcase it as a centerpiece of Balbriggan’s rich heritage. The wonderful photographs we acquired in 2016 of Balbriggan in 1893 are of huge interest and definitely merit a further exhibition - watch this space! Research into Balbriggan’s rich history is one of our core aims and we are proud that 4 of our 6 2018 talks were presented by our own members Jim Walsh on Man O War and the Turks Head, Brian Howley on Bremore Castle, Ide Ní Liathan on The 1918 Election and Anne Collins on the Schools Folklore Project. We will continue to promote Local History in our Programme in 2019 as well as commemorating major National Events. The Sack of Balbriggan in 1920 is one such major National Event we will be commemorating next year and our plans are well advanced in that regard . Our final talk of 2018 featured the research done by Loreto Secondary School Students on that topic.

We were delighted to attend the launch late last year of the Our Balbriggan Consultation regarding the exciting Socio Economic Plan which will transform Balbriggan. We welcome the importance of history recognised in the opening of the Mission Statement “Building on its rich history....” . and look forward to the plans implementation in our town.

For further information on our Society visit www.Balbrigganhistory.comor read one of our books which are on sale in Eason’s Millfield and The Book Haven Drogheda Street 10 BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-FEBRUARY 2019

Some of our books on display

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From our Family Farm to Your Table The team on our farm and at our farm shop work hard to bring you the best of local ingredients.

We’re particularly proud of our beef, which is all from cattle reared on our Country Crest farm.

The beef is well known for its consistent and delicious flavour due to the home grown diet and exceptional animal welfare - providing our customers with great taste and full traceability.

The next best thing to eating good food, is talking about it, so drop in and have a chat with our master butchers, on the best cuts of craft meats for everyday family meals, or special occasions.

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK. T. 01 8107493. WWW COUNTRYCRESTFARMSHOP.IE FREE PARKING. LOCATED AT ENTRANCE TO JONES GARDEN CENTRE. EXIT 4. M1. NORTH COUNTY DUBLIN. Lusk Local Jan.indd 1

27/11/2018 11:30

Local News

Balbriggan Library events in October Imeachtaí i Leabharlann Baile Brigín Iúil 2018 / Library Events Balbriggan Library Gach Imeachtaí Saor! / All Events are FREE! Fón/Phone: 01 8704401, Ríomhphoist/Email: balbrigganlibrary@fingal.ie

Dé Luain 4 12-1in / Monday 4th 12-1pm Healthy Ireland Talk by Kevina Cardiff Your amazing gut Learn how a healthy gut plays a role in optimizing all aspects of your health from the more obvious, being free of gut related issues such as irritable bowel syndrome, to the lesser known areas such as cholesterol lowering and the ever, developing area, of the microbiome or gut flora, your immunity and the gut brain feedback.

Learn how to balance your diet to maintain a healthy gut and enjoy all the improved health related benefits. Get to grips with fibre and learn to enjoy all types in your diet.

She worked for many years in Biomedical Research both in London and Dublin prior to qualifying (with Distinction) as a Dietitian at The University of Ulster. Prior to setting up her private practice, she worked in clinics at St. James’s Hospital, Dublin. Her approach in all dietary intervention focuses on empowering the patient hence the practice slogan ‘Take control of your health through nutrition’.To book a place please contact Balbriggan library on 01 8704401 orbalbrigganlibrary@fingal.ie Dé Mairt 19 6.30-7.30in / Tuesday 19th6.30-7.30pm Healthy Ireland talk by Stella O’Malley Teens, Pre-teens and Screens: managing

your kids tech This talk will explore cyber bullying, online gaming and social media to include Snapchat and Instagram. She will examine the large role social media now plays in everyday lives.

Stella O’Malley is a mental health professional, writer, best-selling author, public speaker and a parent with many years’ experience working in counselling and psychotherapy.To book a place please contact Balbriggan library on 01 8704401 or balbrigganlibrary@fingal.ie Dé Máirt 26 3.30-5.00in / Tuesday 26th 3.30-5.00pm Volunteer Fingal Information Stand If you are interested in volunteering your time for worthy causes in Fingal, Pop along and have a chat with the staff at the Volunteer information stand on Tuesday 26th from 3.30pm.

Dé Céadaoin 27 10.30-12.00 /Wednesday 27th 10.30-12.00pm Ceardlann agallamh/ Interview workshop Geraldine Nolan will host a Interview workshop in the library on Wednesday 27th.To book a place please contact Balbriggan library on 01 8704401 or balbrigganlibrary@fingal.ie Club Leabhar Linbh 6 Feabhra 10.30rn / Baby Book Club, 6thFebruary 10.30am.

Join us on Wednesday 6th February at

10.30am while we read stories for babies & toddlers.

Ar an Máirt /Tuesdays Grúpa Cniotála & Cróiseáil 7.00in-8.00in / Knitting & Crochet Group 7.00-8.00pm The Balbriggan Knitting Group will resume on the 15th January.

Gach Luain 11rn / Mondays 11am Club Scrabble / Scrabble Club Scrabble club for adults: Mondays at 11am.

All are welcome, scrabble boards supplied.

Dé Céadaoin 3.30-4.30in / Wednesdays 3.30-4.30pm Fichille Sóisearach Baile Brigín/Balbriggan Junior Chess Club Junior Chess club meet every Wednesday in the Young Adult section of the library.

Gach Satharn 11.00 -1.00rn / Saturdays 11.00-1.00pm Grúpa Scríbhneoir Baile Brigín/The Balbriggan Writer’s Group meets every Saturday in the library from 11am until 1pm.

New members are always welcome – just come along on the day!

CROSSWORD COMPETITION WINNER Congratulations!!

Ciara Prone, Taylor Hill Green, Balbriggan, Co Dublin

You are this month’s winner THE HIDDEN WORD WAS – LITTLEPACE

12 BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-FEBRUARY 2019

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Pet Corner

Why ‘Leader’ pet foods help your pet thrive

Every pet owner wants the best food for their animal but what should we be looking for when it comes to choosing the correct product for your special friend.With all the different pet foods available, it can be very hard to make an informed choice as to which would be best for your pet. With various brands spending millions advertising their foods, all telling you their foods are great. Some dress up their ads with cuddly puppies, others ad bright colourful adverising which immediately attracts your attention. All to invite you to buy their product but what is the truth?

We would be a firm believer in judging a food by its ingredients list which is clearly marked

on all products. By Law, a pet food has to only contain 4% of an ingredient to say it is made with that ingredient. So when a food says with Chicken, it may only be 4% chicken, and only in one colour of its kibble. The rest of the list may contain phrases like cereals, meat & animal derivitaves, or derivatives of vegetable origin. They are ingredients listed as well in most cases but they are being very vague as to what they are. The Supermarket own brands are a prime example of vague terms which are being used on a number of products.

However, there are a number of pet foods that do not use vague terminology and list every ingredient they put into the food. One food like

this is Leader, Made by Connolly Red Mills in Kilkenny. Not only do they tell you every ingredient they use, but there are added extras in the food to help your pet thrive. And you are also supporting Irish when you use it!

If you would like more information on healthy options of food for your pet, drop in to us any time at: Cuddles Pet Store, Unit C1, Millfield Shopping Centre, Balbriggan, Co Dublin Tel: 01 6904422, Email: cuddlespetstore@gmail.com web: www.cuddlespetstore.com

Community organisations -We are here for you and it’s free!

Calling all community and voluntary groups in this area! We are here to facilitate you and help publicise your organisations. We are a community based magazine therefore there will be no charge for publicising your group, whether its a chess club or small pastime group, a support group or a big community or sporting organisation. So if you want to publicise your organisation every month just send us an email to communitylocalseditor@gmail.com..We look forward to hearing from you.

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BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-FEBRUARY 2019

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Healt

hy

Home Cook Recipes

Try these for a tasty, romantic Valentine’s day or an any day treat.

Blitzing up dates in a little bit of water turns them into a melt in the mouth healthier caramel!!!

Add nut butter and you’re packing in protein and healthy fats (which we need in small amounts!) Smoother them in dark chocolate and you’re reaping all those beautiful cocoa benefits!!

The great thing is even though they are so delicious, they are very filling so you won’t scoff them down as you might do with a normal pack of Rolo’s.Plus they are SOOO simples to make!

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Ingredients

Valentine’s Day Romantic Rawlos

(Makes 12 ‘Rawlos’) • 60g Dates in 1-2 tablespoons water • 140g Almond butter (or a nut/seed butter of your choice!)

• 50g Dark chocolate (AT least 70% cocoa)

Method 1. Having soaked the dates in a small amount of water overnight, mash them up. If they don’t mash up easily, heat them gently in the microwave/hob.

2.Add the nut/seed butter to the mashed dates and mix well.

3. Roll into balls and freeze for 1 hour.

4.Melt dark chocolate. Coat the balls in the dark chocolate and freeze for 20minutes.

See how long they can last melting in your mouth without you gobbling up their gooey centre and crisp chocolate shell!!!!

For 1:1 clinical consultations, public health talks or workshops in preschools, primary or secondary schools and workplaces, 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”

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Finance

How To Make Your Finances Less Stressful

By Dave Kavanagh

Considering that everything you eat, everything you wear, where you live, what you drive, where you travel to, and so many more aspects of your life are all related to your finances, most people don’t take the time to plan them effectively. A couple of reasons for this: If you have a problem that needs a plumber, an electrician or a roofer, you will know about it. If you haven’t reviewed your overall finances for a while, you may not even be aware that you have a problem. The other reason is that some of the main aspects of financial planning are viewed as “negative”.

I mean who wants to spend time considering potential occurrences like the impact of a fatality, a serious illness or being unable to work due to injury or illness? Or give thought to having sufficient income in your retirement when you haven’t reached 30 yet? This perception of “negative” is often why people subconsciously avoid the topic, often citing “not having enough time” as a reason.

(One person that recently told me they don’t have time to look at these

things, in the same conversation mentioned how they queued for over an hour at a drive-through for doughnuts!) The same reason explains why people spend regularly on things like the lotto, believing they can win the jackpot, at odds of 10.7million to 1. The same people’s odds of being diagnosed with one of the specified illnesses covered, is 1 in 4 (before age 65!) yet they say “that’ll never happen to me”. One hour is 4% of your day. Spending that much time even once per year can be hugely beneficial. You get the peace of mind that you are up to date with your planning. You get the reassurance that anything you have in place is the most appropriate for your current circumstances (or if not, the opportunity to make it so). You also get the satisfaction that you are not overpaying for something and are getting the best value. Suddenly, the mystery and uncertainty are removed, along with the stress and anxiety often associated with them. In all my years of doing reviews, I’ve never heard anyone regret taking time to go through their finances, but I’ve heard plenty

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regret not going through them when something unexpected crops up.

Remove “money worries”. Make the time.

Dave Kavanagh QFA has been advising people financially for over 25 years. For quotes or information (with no cost or obligation) he can be contacted by emailing info@ financialcompanion.ie or use the contact form on www.financialcompanion.

ie or phone 087-6414570. 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-FEBRUARY 2019

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Local Sports

2018 – What a year for St. Mary’s Baton Twirlers

2018 was a very special yearfor St Mary’s Baton Twirlers. For the first time in many years, we did the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.One of highlights of our year was our club placing 1st in the overall points at ABTI Nationals Championships.

Our coaches and athletes again had the pleasure of being invited to coach during Balscadden NS Active week. We all really enjoyed teaching the 8 classes a Pompom routine.We also had a fantastic display at the Balscadden Tractor Run, despite the rain. Congratulations to our 30 athletes who represented St. Mary’s at the EFBT Twirling Club Championships in Gormanston with our Club placed 3rd overall.We then had filming for Kidspeak 2018 which is currently airing on RTE 2 and RTE Junior.

In September, we welcomed yet another Coach 16 BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-FEBRUARY 2019

to the club, Amanda Delehan Bergin.

40 of our athletes recently took part in the ABTI Winter Open Competition in Crumlin and brought home loads of prizes.We also have had great fun with our two Spinathons.

We recently received Certificate of Achievement for all our successes in 2018 at the Balbriggan Town Council Annual Awards.

Some of the girls displayed at the Christmas tree lighting in Balscadden.

Training is continuing for ABTI National Championships 2019 which will be held here in our own training Hall..Also 20 of our athletes are training for Nationals Trials and we are hopeful they will all qualify and go on to compete in the EFBT European Championships which are being held at the beginning of July 2019 in Slovenia.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the parents and friends of the Club for their continued support and we look forward to St. Mary’s continue to grow over the next 12 months.

We had some items left over from our Christmas Draw and we donated them to the Balbriggan Soup Kitchen on behalf of the Club.

In 2019 we will celebrate 40 years as a club and would love if you would join us for a celebration on 29th June 2019 in Bracken Court Hotel Balbriggan. Tickets on sale soon.

Finally, Watch out for the girls on Operation Transformation Add Break Challenges which they filmed with Karl Henry back in November.

As ever training continues every Wednesday evening in 2019 at 6pm. New members age 6 to adult welcome. Classes €6.00 per person.

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Local Sports

Walking Football in Balbriggan a success

Fingal County Council has completed its first Walking Football initiative in Balbriggan with another to start again this Year.The initiative is designed to encourage men and women over 50 of all fitness levels to keep active and enjoy playing football.

The game is played on a smaller pitch at walking pace. During this initiative, there were ten participants. The sessions involved a warm up consisting of different movements and stretches followed by approximately 40 minutes of game time.

Sports Development Officer with Fingal County Council, Ciaran Russell said: “This is a

great way for people to get back into sport and get involved in physical activity. Not only is it good to be active but this programme was great fun for all involved, with some healthy competition thrown in. We are hoping to roll out different programmes designed to get people over 50 moving more and staying active in the future.”

Deputy Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Grainne Maguire said: “I am delighted to see the community in Balbriggan involved in the Walking Football initiative. I would like to thank the Fingal Sports Office and FAI for their engagement with Balbriggan residents to organise an initiative that benefits the community’s health and wellbeing.”

FAI Development Officer Paul Keogh said: “It was great to see the interest in the walking football programme in Balbriggan with participants attending from surrounding towns of Rush, Lusk and Skerries. It is open to all men and women over the age of 50 and we look forward to delivering the programme again in early 2019.”

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, Paul Reid said: “I would like to commend the Sports Office, the FAI and the participants of the Walking Football initiative. I am delighted that this programme provided an accessible and sociable way for the Balbriggan residents to enjoy sports.”

Balbriggan Roadrunners looking forward to 2019

The New Year brings new resolutions and plenty of our runners have set themselves goals for 2019. We will have several runners mentoring at or taking part in the Lords Mayors 5 Alive Challenge. Many planning their first marathon, others hoping to cover 1,000 kilometres (or maybe even miles) in 2019 or perhaps completing 52 parkruns.

Some might even be pursuing the parkrun alphabet challenge – travelling globally to become parkrun “Alphabeteers”. Others striving for the 20 minute 5km or to simply loose a few pounds… and then there are the medal collectors! Whatever the goal – it is easier to achieve with a group such as the Balbriggan Roadrunners – notorious for the fun and support!

Balbriggan Roadrunners enjoying their training

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BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-FEBRUARY 2019

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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 February 16. The first correct entry to be drawnwill win €50..Good luck

18 BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-FEBRUARY 2019

Down

1. A place for old things. (6) 5. Atoll and swimwear. (6) 10. This economic sector employs over 200,000 people in Ireland. (7) 11. Said something unproven. (7) 12. Expression of petulant annoyance. (4) 13. Fruit with green rind and acid juice. (5) 15. Move swiftly and lightly. (4) 17. The colour of anger. (3) 19. Aid in time of danger, particularly from a siege. (6) 21. The largest city in Spain. (6) 22. A brief account covering the main points of something. (7) 23. Coarse, crude, common. (6) 25. Stinging antiseptic. (6) 28. Proposal at an auction to buy at a specified price. (3) 30. A narrow thin strip of wood used as backing for plaster. (4) 31. Recreate something on a smaller scale. (5) 32. Long poem about a hero’s deeds.

(4) 35. Any of the four substances air, water, fire, and earth. (7) 36. Liquorice-flavoured seed or oil.

(7) 37. White mineral used to make cement. (6) 38. Join the military. (6)

2. Out of the ordinary. (7) 3. This land is our land. (4) 4. Written account of a life. (6) 5. Made stronger with wood or iron.

(6) 6. Curly Brassica. (4) 7. Someone who constantly criticises in a petty way. (7) 8. A state of near-unconsciousness.

(6) 9. Prepared for publication. (6) 14. Half woman, half fish. (7) 16. Took a filed test again. (5) 18. First citizen of Dublin. (5) 20. Dense coat of a mammals. (3) 21. Tissue scanner. (3) 23. A silky densely piled fabric with a plain back. (6) 24. Government organised gamble.

(7) 26. Make a deep impact on someone.

(7) 27. Pre-Euro currency in Portugal.

(6) 28. The lowest side of anything. (6) 29. Ten years. (6) 33. Fixed charges for professional charges. (4) 34. Last legal document. (4)

SUDOKU ANSWERS

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Across

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20 BALBRIGGAN LOCAL-FEBRUARY 2019