Balbriggan Local V8I8-JUNE 2023

Let us appreciate the great work in the community/voluntary sector

We woke up this morning to a bright day and yet do we really appreciate it? No, I am not going to pontificate about religion or nature. Neither are in my realm of thought instead I am thinking of appreciation in general. As a community based magazine group we really do deeply appreciate all out contributors and advertisers without whom the magazines would not be possible. But we also appreciate all the great work that is being done in Fingal by the community/voluntary and charitable sector. We also appreciate the work of carers who sometime are unpaid and to be honest cannot be paid enough for the love and care they give. The recent Darkness into Light Walk brought out people from all sectors of our community. All religions and none, all colours and races, coming together to support those who need it. This showed what community is all about. This showed an appreciation of life, of our own health and happiness and the care for the well being and happiness of others. Only last century we as a society treated people with mental illness as those who should be hidden away, thank God that is not the case today. Today the community sector has hundreds of groups working in that area appreciating those people and caring for them. That is the essence of community, that is about doing all you can to help others whether they have a mental or physical illness. Whether they are elderly, infirm, depressed or just plain lonely we all have a duty to and should support them. So all we can say is get involved in your community. Whether that is in sport, which helps our mental and physical health. Or maybe in one of the many wonderful voluntary, or charitable groups we have in Fingal and do your bit to show you appreciate all that life has given you. The rewards you will get cannot be measured in coins and notes but will be measured in the good mental and physical health you personally will gain from such work. Have a wonderful June, and appreciate it!

STRICT DEADLINE FOR NEXT EDITION:

Submissions by the 15th for inclusion in next months edition

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The Locals Team.

by Siobhan O’Neill White

With the cost of living so high, many families won’t be going on holidays this year. If you are looking for ways to keep your children entertained at home this summer, it’s a good idea to invest in some decent outdoor toys. We bought a Berg Go Kart 10 years ago and it’s still one of the most played with toys we’ve ever had. JKC Toymaster is an Irish company who deliver nationwide and have a fantastic range of outdoor toys, including Berg Trampolines, Climbing Walls, Swings and of course, Go Karts! We love to buy Irish and when you contact JKC Toymaster, you get to speak to an actual person, who is knowledgeable and helpful! We are getting a trampoline and Michael talked us through the different types and advised which is best for us. Their fantastic customer service

is much better than being connected to some random call centre thousands of miles away! See jkctoymaster.ie/ or contact 06731391 or info@ jkctoymaster.ie / or jkctoymaster@gmail.com.

Sunday 18th June is Father’s Day! We love giving personalised gifts and wanapix.ie/ has a great range to choose from. Their site is easy to use and has a wide range of gifts for Dads, Grandads and any Father Figures you want to celebrate. My kids personalised a t-shirt and water bottle for their Dad for Father’s Day. They are things he will use and also, fun because the kids got to personalise them with pictures and funny sayings. Wanapix has lots of other cool gift ideas, like mouse mats, beer tankards and personalised gift boxes. Whether you have €10 or €100 to spend, there is of course something on there for every budget and every type of Dad!

Gardening is another great idea for keeping the kids busy this summer! It may sound crazy, but getting them involved in creating a vegetable patch or planting wild flowers to help the bees are projects kids love to get stuck into. Niall and the experienced team in Black’s Garden Centre are a mind of information when it comes to gardening projects, you can pop into them for a chat or you can check them out on facebook at facebook.com/BlacksGardenCentre/ or you can also contact blacksgardencentre.com/. They also do gift vouchers for Father’s day gifting! If you are looking to sign your child up for a summer camp, we really like Carlingford Adventure Summer Camps. There is so much to do, from kayaking to ziplines to laser combat! The children will never be bored there ! Do check them out and see carlingfordadventure.com.

CommunityLocals.ie

The Our Balbriggan Rejuvenation programme at the Loves Learning Festival!

Balbriggan Secondary School students and teachers were given an opportunity to input into the Our Balbriggan Rejuvenation Project at the Bracken Court Hotel during the local Loves Learning Festival recently. The Our Balbriggan Rejuvenation programme is led by Fingal County Council’s Economic, Enterprise, Cultural and Tourism Department and maps a vision for the town, shaped by its people. The Loves Learning Festival provided an opportunity for a range of groups and services to platform learning opportunities available to people in Balbriggan and surrounding areas. The update with fifth and transition year students and teachers sought

the further involvement of young people in the project, and celebrated Balbriggan’s role as the town with the biggest youth population in the country. The event also provided an opportunity to recognise and promote lifelong learning and showcased Balbriggan’s tremendous young talent and youth diversity.

Among the schools from which students and staff attended were Ardgillan College, Bremore Educate Together, Ghlor Na Mara, Balbriggan Community College and Loreto Secondary School. Our picture includes the following: (l-r) Sgt Darren Farrelly, Balbriggan Community Policing Unit; Fiona Kavanagh, Chair of Our

Parachute Jump in aid of Balbriggan Meals on Wheels

On Sunday 11th June Balbriggan locals, Paddy O’Callaghan and his daughter Niamh Kelivanova will be doing a Sponsored Parachute Jump in aid of Balbriggan Meals on Wheels at The Irish Parachute Club in Clonbullogue, Co Offaly. All money raised will go directly to Balbriggan Meals on Wheels for their ongoing work in providing meals in the local area. Please show your support for Paddy and Niamh by sponsoring them via the Balbriggan Meals on Wheels Facebook Page or by dropping your sponsorship in to Balbriggan Meals on Wheels at 14 Hampton Street. Balbriggan Meals on Wheels would like to thank Paddy and Niamh for bravely doing this fundraiser for them.

Balbriggan Education Skills and Training Pillar; Eamonn Donlyn, Smart Balbriggan Coordinator; Katherine Kearns, TY Co-ordinator Loreto Secondary School; Emma Grufferty, is the Principal, Bremore Educate Together National Schools; Geraldine Barnett, Deputy Principal Loreto Secondary School; Ciara Menton, Ardgillan Community College; Kathy Jones, Principal, Bremore Educate Together; Jennifer Walsh, Bremore Educate Together; Breffni O’Rourke, Programme Manager, Our Balbriggan. Also in attendance but absent from the photograph was Supt Paul Franey, Balbriggan Gardai/Chair of Safe Balbriggan Pillar.

Paddy and Niamh

You Need To Know Your Cover Details

By Dave Kavanagh

Having appropriate cover in place for you and your family is obviously important, whether it is Life Cover, Serious Illness Cover or Income Protection. What is equally as important, is knowing the details of the cover that you have in place. As time moves on and circumstances change, what was relevant for you 5 years ago, may not now be appropriate for your needs. I remember giving a talk to a group of about 50 parents, all of whom raised their hands to signal that they all had cover in place. I then asked how many of them knew (without needing to divulge to the group) which Life Company their cover was with, how much was the monthly premium and what the levels of cover were? Of the 50 parents present, not one of them raised a hand, despite paying for these plans for a number of years. Simple changes in circumstances can make it crucial to review cover details. Starting new employment that may include a multiple of annual salary as a death in service benefit, as well as income protection and a pension, could mean that other cover in place could be reduced or removed. The reverse is often seen where someone had great benefits attached to their employment but then moved to a job that does not provide any benefits at all and had not considered that they need to arrange their own cover.

Another issue that people are often not aware of, is whether any cover they have has a Conversion Option. This is an option that allows people to convert to a new, longer term plan, without any further evidence of medical health. This can be crucial if a plan is reaching maturity or if someone has experienced adverse health issues, where they may not be accepted for cover due to their new medical history or may be subject to restrictions and/or premium loadings. Having the ability to exercise a Conversion Option allows you to “future proof” cover to suit your specific circumstances. While not a fun exercise, making some time at least once per year to review the details of any cover you have in place can be a valuable exercise. If you’re unsure about some of the details, contact your advisor.

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 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.

Aer Lingus Bowling club is a well established lawn bowls club. We are located in the ALSAA sports complex on the Airport road. In March we enjoyed a wonderful day to celebrate “International Women’s Day”. We had an enjoyable day where women from the local surrounding area attended our trial sessions. We had a group from Swords Women’s shed, as well as a local active age group and members of the Alsaa badminton and tennis club join us. We were also joined by Caitriona Geraghty Fingal Sports Development Officer who was supportive and encouraging of our efforts.

On May 6th and 7th we held our Open Day. This was an initiative from the Development office of Irish Lawn Bowls. The day saw

clubs across the country have people try the wonderful game of lawn bowls. A cohort across a wide variety attended on the day. We were encouraged to see children attend also. We had a very successful and enjoyable weekend. We are encouraged to see some new members join us. We will welcome a group with additional needs join us in using our facility going forward. We are a vibrant club with dedicated members. A strong emphasis is placed on social bowling. We also participate in league matches during the summer and winter leagues. In March 2023 the women’s and men’s sections merged. It is now know as The Irish Lawn Bowls Association (ILBA). Our club welcomes this forward thinking initiative. In recognition of this merger and to embrace the

exciting initiative our club has recently acquired new club shirts. Previously the men and women had different shirts. We are extremely grateful to Challenge Insurance for their kind sponsorship of our new club shirts. What better way to move forward in this new era for lawn bowls in Ireland. We are always looking for new members to join is. Our “Introduction to Bowls” sessions will continue to run every Wednesday and Sunday from 11am – 1pm. Come along and try this wonderful sport. All equipment is supplied, just wear flat soled shoes on the day. We are happy to take any enquiries on the numbers listed. See our Facebook page Aer Lingus Bowling Club. Sandra 0863114540 or Des 0870678903

Film Review – Evil Dead Rise

IMPROVEMENT LOANS TO PLAY WITH

By Jack Shanley

A fresh instalment in one of the most entertaining horror franchises out there, Evil Dead Rise hit our screens in mid-April and left a great impression for the most part. The much-anticipated film left an unsure impression on me, for it being an entertaining film I felt it lacked a little in direction. I did feel that the acting at times was a little poor, characters were boring along with the dialogue that could have been better. I felt it was dark and hard to see the film, I’ve noticed this with a lot of films that have been released over the last while a darkness when watching it as if the cinematographer decided to put a dark filter over the lenses. I felt early on that the movie took a while to really kick in, but once it did it was quite gruesome. The end of the film in particular left a good impression on me and feel now it could be the beginning of many more films in the engrossing Evil Dead series. Besides all the negativity I spout over the movie, I did feel entertained and would be interested in giving it another watch, for I found the cinematograph, art direction and costume design to be of an enormous quality.

I loved the references throughout

the film to the original Evil Dead trilogy, got this sense of a love and passion that Dublin Born director Lee Cronin has not just for the horror genre but the Evil Dead franchise too. This excites me for future Evil Dead films as not only do we have one of our own at the helm of a massive horror franchise, but he has a passion and love for the Evil Dead movies and just the overall craft for movie making. In all truth I did leave the theatre disappointed that my favourite horror movie franchise could potentially be on the down swing of its existence, but it happens to the best of them, does it not? If it can happen to horror legends like Jason, Freddy, Michael Myers, Pinhead, and countless others, then the Evil Dead series is not immune, and Rise could potentially mark the beginning of the end for this amazing franchise.

In all truth I’d recommend checking out Evil Dead Rise at your local cinema today and see what you think of it, I shall give it a score of three stars. Director: Lee Cronin–Rating: 18 – Genre: Horror/Fantasy

– Run Time: 1h 36m – Language: English. For more film content please follow @movies4fanatics on Instagram.

Ardgillan Community College sporting and educational achievements

It has been a very busy term in the college with our wonderful students making us very proud of their achievements: Our U19 Girls GAA team won the North Dublin Gaelic Blitz in a tense final against Loreto College. Our Junior and Senior hurlers won their respective Dublin finals. Our Junior GAA boys reached the Dublin final. Our 1st Year boys’ soccer won the Division 1 NE Final. Our Rugby 7s girls’ team won the All Ireland 7’s Championship. Our debaters took runner up spots in the EU50 and DDLETB

debate competitions. Sami Khan won the Chemistry Award at Scifest in DKIT.

Our school participated in the first Balbriggan Darkness in to Light to raise funds for Pieta.

Our Parents Council held a very successful Quiz night in the school which raised funds for our Suaimhneas Department. Our students held an Intercultural Day in the school and put on a spectacular fashion show to display traditional outfits from various cultures. Finally, we were one of three post primary schools in the country

to be awarded with the Active School Flag. The initiative, founded by the University of Limerick strives to promote movement and learning through movement in schools. A huge thank you to everyone who worked hard over the past four years to achieve this honour, especially Ms.Nealon and Ms. Murray. We are looking forward to the end of the year celebrations and wish our Leaving Certificate Class of 2023 the very best of luck in their exams and future endeavours.

Our Day Trip and ‘Balscadden Past and Present’ Balbriggan & District Historical Society

ALL CONTRIBUTORS PLEASE NOTE**

Hard to believe it is June almost halfway through the year and we have some exciting events taking place this month. We are delighted to announce the return of the Society Day Trip after a three year absence due to Covid. This will take place on Saturday June 17th. We are just confirming the last details but it is proposed to visit Dublin City and the Tenement museum and EPIC and we will round off the day with a relaxing meal. This is always a great day out so save the date in your diary and check out Social media and website for updates. We will also be leading our usual Historical Walk as part of Summerfest on Saturday June 3rd. On June 24th at 2pm we have an interesting talk by Jonathan Beaumont titled ‘The Dublin to Drogheda Railway’. in an exciting new venue for us, the beautiful setting of Ardgillan Castle. You could combine the talk with a visit to the superb gardens of Ardgillan Demesne or a stroll in the grounds. We have had a great start to 2023 with our March talk featuring the Story of Cricket in

Fingal by James Bennett. Jim’s talk was highly entertaining with an emphasis on Balbriggan and many past and present Cricket players and their families were in attendance. He brought to life not just the games themselves but the rivalries and the entertainment and food and drink after the games, which were almost more important! For April we were delighted to welcome Rory Golden, Diver, Speaker, Explorer with a talk titled ‘TITANICSearch, Discovery and Diving to the world’s most famous shipwreck.’ Rory spoke first of the story of the building of the Titanic and its ill fated maiden voyage and the story of some of the many who lost their lives on it. He then introduced us to fantastic images of his dives to the wreck. For our May talk we returned to a local topic as we welcomed our own Jim Walsh for a very interesting talk titled ‘Balscadden Past and Present’ As always for information on our society email balbrigganhistsoc@gmail.com or see balbrigganhistory.com or follow us on Social Media.

Jim Bennet and his story of Cricket

Rory Golden with the White Star Line flag

Due to increasing demand for space in our magazine could all contributors please note OUR STRICT DEADLINE FOR ARTICLES AND PICS IS THE 16TH OF THE MONTH PRIOR TO PUBLICATION ** Thank you.

Balbriggan Rugby end of season awards night

The end of season awards night for our senior teams took place at the club last night. Well done to all players involved in both the men’s and women’s teams on a good season. And congratulations to all award winners.

Women’s Awards:

Player Of The Year

Lorna McKenna

Players Player Of The Year

Laura Brown

Most Improved Player

Caoimhe Colman

Young Player Of The Year

Clíodhna Ni Chonchobhair

Men’s Awards ; Player Of The Year

Fiachra Tuckey

Players Player Of The Year

Cal O’Connor

2nd XV Player Of The Year

Floyd Runsewe

Young Player Of The Year

Conor Colman

By the end of the season 12 youth players had made their debut playing senior men’s rugby. They are - Floyd Runsewe, Conor Colman, Ciaran Rutherford, Eoin Hannigan, Jimmy McFadden, Oisin McNamara, Jack Mongey, Josh Buraimoh, Reuben Rabiu, Peter Jennings, Damien Whelan and Cillian Reynolds. Well done to them on their senior debut this season.

Summer is here with fun fruity and ‘veggie’ goodness!

Summer is here!!! Here are some funster fruity and ‘veggie’ good for us ideas for snacks or for occasions and help encourage to “choo-choo” choose more fruit and vegetables ! Have fun with it and get younger people involved. Use the imagination and let the creativity flow as this makes it more likely to be enjoyable for all. It is also a great way to increase exposure and familiarity to healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables, even if an individual is just looking and touching certain foods but not comfortable tasting them yet!

For the”choo-choo” Choose More Vegetables Train

I used carrot batons for the train track, peppers as the carriages and cucumber as the train wheels held in by cocktail sticks (be careful of children with cocktail sticks).Fill the carriages with hummus, salsa, guacamole or other vegetables or fruit!

For the Sleeping Star Melon Cradle

Use star or other shaped cookie cutters to make shapes with fruit and/or vegetables. I used various types of melon, colourful peppers and pineapple in this image.

The sleeping baby inside is an orange with a soother and eyes drawn on using marker!

Please follow ‘Biabites’ on Facebook for other food ideas especially in the ‘Fun food’ and ‘Recipes’ albums.Please follow@ BiaBites on twitter. For nutrition talks/workshops at events or in schools/workplaces/community groups=please email arthursniamh@gmail.com Niamh Arthurs BSc, Msc .Registered Dietitian and Researcher

Blasters Cricket for the youngsters has begun again

Blasters Cricket for the youngsters has started recently and all are welcome to join in. Boys and Girls aged 4-10 are welcome to come down and get plenty of fun , Fresh air, Friendship and a little bit of Cricket. A new

child’s first week is free !!!! The Cost is €5 per week or €7 for 2 siblings. Special offer of €60 for the whole summer or €90 for 2 Siblings - Book online at balbriggancricketclub.com/pro.../

summer-training/..All coaches are qualified and vetted and all equipment is provided.For more details Text 0872507736 or you can Email us at Balbriggancricketclub@gmail.com.

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 the 16th of this mnoth. The first correct entry to be drawn will win €50..Good luck

Across

1. Free from roughness. (6)

5. Accept to be true without proof. (6)

10. Capable of reasoning in an orderly fashion. (7)

11. Large champion of the Philistines in the Bible. (7)

12. Wind into rings or spirals. (4)

13. Houses for families. (5)

15. Securely fixed in place. (4)

17. Entered into marriage. (3)

19. A maxim, proverb. (6)

21. Flat-bottomed boats for carrying heavy loads. (6)

22. Rolled and turned smoothly in gymnastics. (7)

23. Come to pass, occur. (6)

25. Large Asian endangered felines. (6)

28. The part of a sofa that supports the elbow. (3)

30. Noisy, clamorous. (4)

31. The food of love. (5)

32. A travelling show. (4)

35. Our second language. (7)

36. Nationality of a native of Naples. (7)

37. The person in charge of a publication. (6)

38. Breathed noisily, as when one is exhausted. (6)

Down

2. Enlarge in size or significance. (7)

3. Bad guys in Lord of the Rings. (4)

4. A small valley between mountains. (6)

5. Verbally disagreed. (6)

6. The lone fish. (4)

7. The message that is intended. (7)

8. Particular regions. (6)

9. Short poems for children. (6)

14. Projecting body parts. (7)

16. Go into, make a record of. (5)

18. Wireless transmission and reception (5)

20. Portable weapon. (3)

21. Place a stake on an outcome. (3)

23. Aided, assisted. (6)

24. Fell abruptly. (7)

26. Consider in detail, question closely. (7)

27. Reduced in size. (6)

28. Professional writer of books. (6)

29. Blending into one mass. (6)

33. An indirect suggestion. (4)

34. Star rodents. (4)