Balbriggan Local V8I2-DEC 2022

presents to those we care about and love. We teach our children to celebrate the birth of Christ on the 25th of December and go to their places of worship. Regarding Peace on Earth we especially think of our neighbours from Ukraine some of whom have joined us in this country and are away from their own homes and loved ones at this special time when family matters most. However the main thing is to show and practise ‘Goodwill to all .’ Let us all do whatever we can to help them and especially their children to have as happy a Christmas as possible. Our goodwill should also extend to those less fortunate than ourselves in our local area. Those who are homeless, those who are sick, those struggling to make ends meet especially the elderly who are living off state benefits and who have little or no family to care for them. Maybe this year we should look in on our elderly neighbours and those sick and disabled in out community. Make sure they have fuel to heat their homes and food over the Christmas period and in the winter months ahead. Yes, we are all feeling the pinch at the moment. but most of us have a roof over our head, a warm place and bed to sleep in and family members who care. So let us appreciate all those things we take for granted by showing our caring and compassionate side this Christmas to those who for one reason or another find themselves in need. We all have a responsibility as human beings to care for each other and Advent gives us an opportunity to do just that. So let us be caring and compassionate. Show it by shopping local, checking on our elderly neighbours and supporting our community and each other.

Wishing you a happy and healthy Christmas to you all from the Locals Team

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Please Support Balbriggan Meals on Wheels this Christmas

As we approach year end, Balbriggan Meals on Wheels would like to thank, most sincerely, all those who supported the service throughout 2022. Huge thanks to all the volunteers and staff who enabled Meals on Wheels to continue providing meals throughout the year.In the run up to Christmas Balbriggan Meals on Wheels is seeking donations to help with the continuation of their service. You can help by making a monetary donation through the Balbriggan Meals on Wheels Facebook page or you can send your donation to Balbriggan Meals on Wheels, 14 Hampton Street, Balbriggan. You can also assist in the annual Food Drive in order to prepare hampers of food and essential items for

distribution within the wider Balbriggan community. Donations of non-perishable foods and essential hygiene items can be brought to Balbriggan Meals on Wheels from Monday to Saturday from 9am to 1pm.Balbriggan Meals on Wheels is looking forward to continuing to provide meals for those in need in our community throughout 2023. They would like to wish all their service users and supporters all the very best wishes for Christmas and hope 2023 will be a great year for everyone. Balbriggan Meals on Wheels, 14 Hampton Street, Balbriggan.

Tel : 01 8416743 or Email: mealsonwheelsbalbriggan@gmail.com

Remember us would like to wish all our families. Staff and Volunteers a very happy Christmas and a happy new year. We would also like to wish all our grantors and all who have supported us during 2022 a very happy Christmas and a million thanks to all for their generosity to our charity.

Balbriggan Historical celebrate 75 years of Balbriggan Dramatic Society

We at Balbriggan Historical Society had a wonderful evening recently as Grainne Maguire shared memories of 75 years of Balbriggan Dramatic Society. It was fantastic to have members from the first production in 1947 joining us on the night and Grainne presented Eoghan O’Callaghan and Dermot Reynolds with framed programmes from the historic event. She slso had an exhibition of old photographs. We were also delighted to welcome 3 students from Loreto Secondary school Noshien Aktar, Deborah Emeh and Rebecca Lawrence to share presentations on The Grand Palace Thailand and Balbriggan Harbour and Lighthouse.

Our mams.ie Christmas Gift Guide 2022!

By Siobhan O’Neill White

This year’s mams.ie Christmas gift guide is all about buying Irish!! Like Mairead Ronan’s Faro Brushes; made in Ireland, they’re fantastic for all hair types. Love make-up? Vegan friendly, cruelty free, award winning Irish brand Carter Beauty Cosmetics have collaborated with mams.ie to offer 30% off all products with promo code MAMSIE30. See Here! Irish store, Virgo Boutique have gorgeous gift boxes with beautiful hats and scarves to add a pop of colour on winter walks. Patricia O’Toole has clever shapewear and accessories for the party season. We particularly love their handbags and shoes. Hydrating, cruelty free skincare range Elave from Gardiner Family Apothecary is made in Co Louth. Their moisturisers have SPF included, the shaving sets are brill for guys and the junior range is perfect for baby skin. Cork based Azure Jewellery have a stunning collection from bridal to gifting. Enter to win a €100 voucher HERE! Everyone loves a board game over Christmas and our favourite is Cards Against Humanity from Neverboard. ie. There is a family friendly version and adult only version which is an absolute hoot! Dare2B have collaborated with Laura Whitmore and Jermaine Jenas this winter. We like the gilets, jackets and accessories. Very snug! The Luxe Spa at Four Seasons Hotel in Carlingford is uber relaxing. Book spa vouchers and make sure to visit the amazing Thermal Suite. From the makers of bum lifting Freddy jeans, comes Malena Shirts for men. With a hidden zip behind the buttons, they’re like a secret corset for men!

For sport and exercise lovers, Runderwear has brill running pants, socks, bras and base layers for men and women. As someone who needs a good support bra when running, I can honestly whole heartedly recommend this range. Fast growing Irish brand Spotlight Oral Care have electric toothbrushes, whitening powder, floss,toothpastes & more. You’ll find value packs online and in Boots stores nationwide. Also in Boots are great gift sets by Sculpted by Aimee for skincare and make-up lovers! The bundles

are superb value. Some our top picks from Dubray books are by Kellie Harrington, Bono, Marian Keyes, Graham Norton, Steve Cavanagh, Arlene Hunt, David Walliams and Roddy Collins. Something for everyone in there! For competitions, reviews, recommendations and more, visit www. mams.ie for top tips this Christmas!

Siobhán O’Neill White - Shortlisted for Golden Spider Award & Infant & Maternity Award As seen on RTE and Virgin Media Ireland & Weekend AM. As heard on Today FM’s Ian Dempsey & Dermot & Dave; RTE’s Ray D’Arcy Show, 98FM, LMFM Late Lunch, WLRFM & Shannonside FM

Christmas Spending Can Be Better Controlled

By Dave Kavanagh

Are there actions you can take to make the festive season less of a financial burden? Of course there are.Firstly, manage expectations: Most people can’t remember what they got 2 years ago, so don’t put yourself under too much pressure for “big” presents. Next, leave the credit card at home: At about 20% interest, adding debt for things you don’t need to overspend on, only starts the new year off in a negative.Be realistic with food shopping: The shops are only closed for 1-2 days, do you really need to stock up so much? In the days/weeks after Christmas, make a list of all the things you bought but didn’t really need or through out, and keep it for next year, so you don’t repeat the same mistakes. Kris Kindle: Talk to family and close friends to agree to pick one person and buy them a present for a set limit, to ease the burden.There are things you can also do all year round that can save you enough to cover the cost of Christmas: Switch utility providers, the savings can be quite substantial. Compare before you shop for larger items: Just because one store has a sign saying the TV you want is reduced from €799 to €699, doesn’t mean that another store that does not have a sale on, isn’t selling the same TV for €649. Take the time to shop around when your car or house insurance

renewals come in, it can be well worth the effort. Review premiums that you pay regularly, such as mortgage protection or life cover, especially if they were taken out directly with a bank who could not compare. Finally, go through a few months’ bank statements: we regularly find people paying for things that should have been cancelled years before or that they simply no longer require.

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 him on info@financialcompanion. ie or use the contact form on www. financialcompanion.ie or @Davekav_ advice on Twitter and Instagram. 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. As heard on RTE 2FM , LMFM and TV3.

The Muppet Christmas Carol – still wonderful!

By Jack Shanley

With Christmas just around the corner, I thought it would only be right to review ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’.Thirty years since its original release, it hasn’t aged, only grown better in time. This beautifully crafted heart-warming adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel is an amazing film which offers so much, from the wacky screwball comedy of the Muppets to the seriousness of Michael Caine as Scrooge. In my opinion this is the best adapation out there, for its fun wacky comedy aspect, seriousness and its lack of shyness for the true horror and essence the story holds. As dark as the material can be, we still must go to those dark places for the ending to be as joyous. Dark in periods, especially with the three ghosts, makes it far more memorable and interesting than any of the ghosts from other Christmas Carol movies. The film focuses on not just Scrooge’s life but his whole perspective of life too. We see examples of this in the introduction. We don’t see Scrooge’s face, only low shots emphasising his monstrous visage, and tilted shots to show his twisted view of the

world. Something this movie does that I really appreciate is it really hits the serious tone hard during the third ghost. They remove the comic relief that’s kept our spirits up this whole time and force us to witness the horror that awaits Scrooge in the future thus making the ending strong, joyful and that bit more special. Apart from being vastly entertaining, the acting is also superb. Caine’s fantastic performance - changing from a menacing man to a warm, charming man who’s joy is so infectiousarguably carrys the film.The songs throughout are fantastic quality too as they’re fun, catchy and will leave you humming the tunes for quite a while. I’d highly recommend watching ‘The Muppets Christmas Carol’ this Christmas with the spirit of the season shining through in every frame. For that I can’t help but give it FIVE stars. You can watch ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ on Disney Plus or go see it at the Lighthouse Cinema on December 19th. Director: Jim Henson – Rating: PG – Genre: Family/Fantasy – Run Time: 1h 25m – Language: English. For more film content please follow @ movies4fanatics on Instagram.

In the heart of Malahide, AppliancesDelivered.ie is promising to deliver your chosen appliance within 24 hours if you live in the Greater Dublin area.

In the heart of Malahide, AppliancesDelivered.ie is promising to deliver your chosen appliance within 24 hours if you live in the greater Dublin area. AppliancesDelivered.ie is part of the greater Briscoe group established in 1964 with branches in Drogheda, Arnotts Henry Street, Brown Thomas Grafton Street, Dundrum, Cork and Limerick.

With a wide choice of brands and models as well as fantastic value for money.

“When you see it on our website, you can be confident that it is in stock. That is what makes us different and popular.”

delivered, Malahide, also said, “we know there is nothing more frustrating than selecting an item but then being told it is ‘out of stock’ after you have put

it in your shopping basket! That does not happen with AppliancesDelivered. ie.”

Their online shopping experience builds on a proud tradition of providing excellent service alongside value for money in their store on Main Street, Malahide.

“When you need a new washing machine, fridge or other vital appliance, it is a huge inconvenience. Ordering online with AppliancesDelivered.ie means you can browse online and be confident that if you see it, we have it in stock. If you order before 2pm, we guarantee next day delivery in the Greater Dublin area. ”

Paul Casey, manager of Appliances

Manager Paul Casey and his staff looking forward to you calling in to our newly refurbished store in the heart of Malahide

AppliancesDelivered.ie

Paul and his team are happy to answer questions and provide advice both on the phone and in person.

Now not only online, customers can visit their store in Malahide and experience, “our new kitchen showroom which has the latest models in American fridge freezers, ovens, dishwashers and other kitchen appliances. You can browse the wide range of quality options from established brands like Miele, Neff, Whirlpool and Bosch.”

Other brands available, and on display, include Fisher and Paykel, SMEG, De Dietrich, Samsung and Indesit. Or browse their Tech department for a full range of top brands for the techie in your life

“We work in a competitive marketplace and our customers expect high standards. Nothing makes us happier than seeing a repeat customer because we know we got it right the last time and we have a chance to provide a great service to them again,” Paul added.

Reviews on Trustpilot confirm the valued personal service provided by the team at AppliancesDelivered.ie where it has a score of 4.8 out of 5.

Happy Christmas from Balbriggan\North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and our local branch will be at Bremore Castle Food and Craft Village on Sunday 4th December and Sunday 11th December. We will have a selection of merchandise, such as Christmas Cards and 2023 Calendars and €5 car raffle tickets for a chance to win a Citroen C4. The draw will take place on 27th January 2023 and some lucky person will start the new year with a brand new car! Look out for Santa’s Grotto in Millfield Shopping Centre, Balbriggan, sponsored by Specsavers, which starts on the 17th November. We are pleased to welcome some new arrivals to the Balbriggan Branch just in time for Christmas. On 7th November volunteer Anne Mulligan welcomed a new puppy in training, Cosmo, a red Labrador, aged 3 months who will live with Anne for the next 12/14 months.Local volunteer, Jade McCormack has been matched with her new Guide Dog, Winter. We wish Anne and Cosmo and Jade and Winter the very best of luck and we look forward to sharing their progress. Finally, we want to thank everyone for their continued support every day and throughout the year. We wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! If you would like to volunteer for our Balbriggan\North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs, you can contact us via phone: 085 7663107, email: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail. com or on Facebook: Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs.

Tier Mobility announce a further 120 e-bikes for Fingal

TIER Mobility, has announced that 120 new e-bikes will be deployed by the end of November across its Fingal shared e-bike scheme. TIER has also completed the expansion of its business area to cover the whole of Fingal, letting users pick up an e-bike from Balbriggan to Howth. TIER Mobility is the world’s leading shared micromobility provider, with a mission to Change Mobility for Good. By providing people with a range of shared, light electric vehicles, from e-scooters to e-bikes and e-mopeds, powered by a proprietary Energy Network, TIER helps cities reduce their dependence on cars. Founded in 2018 by Lawrence Leuschner, Matthias Laug and Julian Blessin, TIER is headquartered in Berlin and currently operates in 250+ cities across 22 countries in Europe and the Middle East. With a focus on providing the safest, most equitable and most sustainable mobility solution, TIER has been climate neutral since 2020. Since the scheme was launched in June of this year, Fingal residents have cycled over 2,500 hours on TIER e-bikes, and the average trip distance is over 4.5km, a much further distance than the majority of towns and cities that TIER operates in.Peadar Golden, Ireland Country Manager, TIER commented: “The response we have received since launching our shared e-bike service in Fingal has been phenomenal. The journey times and distances we see are both beyond what we expected, and with more bikes in more areas Fingal residents will be

able to leave the car at home more often” David Storey, Director of Environment, Climate Action and Active Travel for Fingal County Council welcomed the expansion. “We’re very pleased to be expanding the TIER offering across Fingal to over 300 eBikes. We are also pleased to see that the TIER bikes are working in addition to existing push bike fleets, effectively doubling the

number of options available in the county. Fingal residents and visitors have been enjoying this low carbon, convenient and affordable Active Travel option since it arrived earlier this year and we expect to see lots more people give TIER eBikes a try in the coming weeks as their numbers increase.”

Brian Brodigan and Paul Quinn of Specsavers, Tom O’Neill, Guide Dog Qeb and his granddaughters Katie and Paige in Millfield Shopping Centre, meeting Santa in 2021.’

The Mayor of Fingal with Active Travel’s Grainne Carroll and Peadar Golden, Country Manager TIER.

Balbriggan Roadrunners are here for you!

Balbriggan Roadrunners are a local running club set up almost six years ago with the aim of helping people interested in running and walking at whatever level, meet similar people and provide motivation and support 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 250 members who turn up regularly to our scheduled runs as well as over 1300 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. One of the most adventurous is the Sliabh Liag Challenge in Donegal next May see the poster for details We also have a sister club called Balbriggan and District Athletics (Senior) which is registered with Athletics Ireland and takes the opportunity to enter national championships and progress runners interested in entering competitive events..

O’Dwyer Ladies win Leinster Championship in style

The Senior Ladies team are Leinster Champion for the first time ever for the club. Our pictures show the jubilant team immediately after winning and later some of the senior ladies brought the Leinster trophy to visit our Club President Dinny O’Leary. The players, management and Committee of the club wish to say a big thank you to all of the supporters who travelled once again, we really appreciate it as always.

Well done to our ladies and don’t forget our party night!!!

Congratulations to Alma Atagamen, Shannon Campbell and Makia Carey who represented AB on the Leinster North East team versus Leinster Metro recently. It was a very tightly contested game with both teams taking the lead at various points in the game. Well done to Makia Carey on her NE debut, she was solid in the scrum and

carried well in the loose. Balbriggan player Alma Atagamen proved to be unstoppable in the 2nd row with a hat-trick of tries. Shannon Campbell who, we are very proud to say, was team Captain on the day, converted one of the tries. The final score ended at 29 v 29. Skye Healy also of AB was unable to play today due to illness but we

look forward to seeing her at the next match. Well done to all the players and coaches for providing a very enjoyable and competitive match. We would also like to remind you to join us for our Christmas party night ..Happy Christmas Everyone!!

Niamh’s Festive Food Fun!

For parties, ensuring that the whole family gets their ‘7 a day’ over the festive season or for just a bit of fun and something to do! These are imaginative ways to get young people involved with food and encouraging a wide variety of vegetables and fruit throughout the day over the Christmas period.

Snowman/woman Spuds!

1.Cook and mash potatoes with a small amount of milk.

2. Use a spoon/ice-cream scoop to shape the mash into a larger round ball for the body and a smaller round ball for the head.

3.Place the small round ball on top of the large round ball on a plate/serving dish.

A ‘Veggie’ colourful Christmas tree

1.Wash and peel a long and large carrot. Top and tail the carrot.

2.Cut the carrot in half and then slice each half lengthways to make the trunk of the tree. Place onto a large serving dish (or use less carrot for a smaller plate).

3.For the tree branches and leaves, the following could be used: long runner green beans, mangetout or cucumber in long slices as in the image.

4.To make the star at the top of the tree, I used a star shaped cookie cutter and placed hummus inside and then lifted it off. The hummus can then be used to dip the vegetables into!

5.To decorate the tree, the more different coloured vegetables the better! In this image, there is peppers, beetroot and peas.

6.Finally, for the presents under the tree, cut different coloured peppers or carrots into shapes. I used tiny strips of beetroot to make bows on the presents.

4.Cut up a variety of vegetables to make the face, hat/hair and buttons and stick them on/in the balls of

mash potato. In the image attached, I used beetroot, peppers, brocolli, carrot and peas.

5.There’s many vegetables that could work for the arms! I used celery and long strips of carrot in mine.

Porridge Penguin

1.Make porridge as you/your child likes it.

2.Scoop onto the centre of a plate in a rounded heart shape.

3.Place blueberries around the edges of the porridge and down either side as arms.

4.Place 2 mandarin orange segments underneath as feet.

5.Place 2 blueberries and a triangle shaped chunk of kiwi

into the porridge as eyes and a nose.

6.Use a red pepper in a triangle shape and a blueberry for a hat with a bobble!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas time and health and happiness for the new year. For preschool, primary and secondary school or community group talks and workshops, please arthursniamh@gmail.com. See my ‘Fun food’ and ‘Recipes’ albums on ‘Biabites’ Facebook for other food ideas.

Balbriggan Cricket U14’s won prestigious indoor Competition

Congratulations to our youngsters on winning the Fingal 6-a-side u14 indoor cricket competition yesterday with three wins from three, held in Gormanston Park. Thanks to Brían O’Rouke and all at Fingal County Council Sports Office for organising a great event.

Across

1. They get Father Christmas moving! (8)

6. The man in red who comes to visit every home. (5,3)

13. Famous ballet company based in St. Petersburg. (5)

14. He allegedly gets the worm. (5,4)

15. The act of joining two or more things into one. (5)

16. A sum of money saved for the future. (4,3)

18. Hard and straight-grained timber. (9) 19. A colour or shade. (3)

20. Natural agent that makes things visible. (5)

22. An item in addition to what is usual or strictly necessary. (5)

24. Expression of amazement or joy. (3) 26. Ireland’s first Nobel Prize winner. (5) 28. Something that requires little or no effort. (2-7)

30. “To ... is human, to forgive divine” (Pope) (3)

31. When our only natural satellite is but a thin crescent. (3,4)

33. The place where an incident in real life or fiction occurred. (5) 34. Public transport vehicle. (4) 35. Soft drink. (4)

37. Norwegian playwright whose “Doll’s House” is set at Christmas. (5) 40. Saddle attachment to support the rider’s foot. (7)

41. Damage or spoil to a certain extent. (3)

42. People who rent out buildings. (9) 45. Continuous dull pains. (5) 46. A piece of turf. (3) 47. Went out like the tide. (5) 49. Freely available whenever needed. (2,3)

50. A boy or young man. (3) 52. Talking rhythmically to the beat of music. (7)

55. A device which artificially creates the effect of being in conditions of some kind. (9)

57. Penne and Spaghetti are types of this. (5)

58. Break into a conversation. (9) 59. Fill someone with astonishment. (5) 60. A person who purchases goods for personal use. (8)

61. Beat malt protects household surfaces. (5,3)

Down

2. Coins used by nineteen EU countries. (5)

3. A short month before December. (3)

4. Describes trees with leaves throughout the year. (9)

5. Another name for Welsh Rabbit. (7)

6. Fashion, vogue, mode. (5)

7. Binge hour with the person next door. (9)

8. Sound, especially when recorded or reproduced. (5)

9. Clothes and linen that need to be washed. (7)

10. This Charles Dicken Heep has become a byword for a falsely humble hypocrite. (5)

11. People who spend as little money as possible, misers. (10)

12. This famous folklorist wrote “The Snow Man.” (8)

17. E.T. was one of these. (17)

21. Unintelligible or meaningless speech or writing, nonsense. (9)

23. Utterance similar to the sound of clearing one’s throat, used to attract attention. (4)

25. Reddish-brown natural dye use to colour hair. (5)

27. The smallest particle of a chemical element that can exist. (5)

29. A king or ruler in Latin. (3)

32. A quickly rotating mass of water in a river or sea. (9)

34. Small Spanish savoury dishes. (5) 36. The night bird. (3)

38. A person who is too interested in what other people are doing. (4-6)

39. A type of soft, mild, creamy cheese with a firm white skin. (4)

40. Expense edible bivalve molluscs. (8)

41. It falls right in the middle of the coldest season. (9)

43. Move your head down and up to indicate approval or assent. (3)

44. Common rodent with a bad rep. (3)

48. Pottery which has been fired but not glazed. (7)

51. A club where people dance to recorded pop music. (5)

53. Object which separates white light into a spectrum of colours. (5)

54. An Irish police officer. (5)

56. A jewelled ornamental band worn on the front of a woman’s hair. (5)

59. The highest and lowest playing card. (3)