Balbriggan Local V8I9-JULY 2023

Summer is here and lets enjoy it!

Summer is well and truly here having been heralded by that few weeks of really hot weather in June. Now as ever, we are hoping for furthers bouts of gorgeous heat as the workers in our local Community/Voluntary/Charitable organisations prepare for and organise day events, weekend events and festivals across Fingal. Not forgetting of course our sporting organisations who are organising Summer Camps, competitions and challenges and lots of activities raising much needed funds for all the groups. As always every summer brings with it health warnings and words of caution. Fingal County Council have issued their annual caution regarding water safety on our beaches. The HSE have issued warnings regarding sunburn and the Gardai have issued warnings about road safety. All in all a lot of people are involved in trying to ensure we have an enjoyable, happy and safe summer, so let us do our best to stay safe and enjoy it. Some of us are planning to go abroad, others are having a staycation in our own beautiful country and where better to spend it than on the beaches and in the towns and villages of the Fingal area. Picnic days out at Swords or Malahide Castle or on the beach at Balbriggan or Donabate or lazy days exploring the Lusk/Rush area. Wherever you go or whatever you are doing or planning to do this Summer please enjoy yourselves but be careful especially when motoring to and from your venue. Also this Summer we have to remember to look in on and help our elderly and disabled neighbours. We always hear that advice in the wintertime but surely it is just as relevant in the summertime whether they get too cold or too hot does not matter. What does matter is that we continue to stay safe and healthy and support all of our community including our retailers, hoteliers and everyone in our tourist industry. That includes those who sell T shirts, shorts, sun block, sun glasses, after sun, sun hats,etc oh and not forgetting ice cream. So enjoy July with your family and friends, lets hope it has wonderful sunshine, but lets be careful out there.

The Locals Team.

STRICT DEADLINE FOR NEXT EDITION:

Submissions by the 15th for inclusion in next months edition

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Councillor Grainne Maguire is the new Deputy Mayor of Fingal

Cllr Grainne Maguire (Ind, Balbriggan) will serve as Deputy Mayor of Fingal for the second time following her election recently . She was nominated by Cllr Tony Murphy (Independent) and seconded by Cllr Karen Power (Green Party Comhaontas Glas). Joining as a Balbriggan Councillor in 2013, Cllr Maguire had previously served on Balbriggan Town Council from 2009. She has extensive experience in local government and is a well-known figure in Ireland’s youngest town for the work she does across many different groups and for her passion around local issues.

Fingal also has a new leader after Cllr Adrian Henchy (Fianna Fáil) was elected by his fellow Councillors recently to become the region’s 18th Mayor. Originally from Portrane, and representing the Rush-Lusk electoral area, he joined Fingal as a Councillor in 2014.From his role as a Councillor to his involvement in numerous local initiatives, Mayor Henchy’s focus has always been on making a positive difference in the lives of the people he serves. A dedicated health professional with a passion for public service, he said he is ready to usher in a new era of progress, collaboration, and innovative leadership for the County. Henchy succeeds Cllr Howard Mahony,

who handed over the chains of office at the AGM.

In securing the role as Mayor, Cllr Henchy was nominated by Cllr Eoghan O’Brien (FF) who said it was a privilege and an honour to nominate him for the position. The nomination was seconded by Cllr Brian Dennehy (FF). “I am humbled to have been elected to serve in this prestigious post,” said Mayor Adrian Henchy. “I am committed to working tirelessly to build a stronger, more inclusive, and vibrant Fingal. Together, with the support of our community, we can achieve great things and help build a Fingal that thrives economically, socially, and environmentally. I would particularly like to focus on delivering more houses, not just the bricks and mortar of the homes themselves but also ensuring we are building sustainable communities around them.”

At the AGM, praise was given to the outgoing Mayor and also to Deputy Mayor, Cllr Cathal Boland, for their unwavering service to the people of Fingal across the last year.A strong advocate of Dublin 15, former Mayor, Cllr Howard Mahony, has undertaken a large number of activities during his term, attending 365 community and Council related events across the year.

Balbriggan Cllr and new Deputy Mayor Cllr Grainne Maguire with the New Mayor of Fingal Cllr Adrian Henchy pictured after their election recently.

Balbriggan was alive with the sound of music!

On the 20th of May we ran an event Busking for Balbriggan, with eight local bands over four venues. It was a fantastic day and the feedback was really positive. Even a group of French tourists were regaled and had a great dance in Supervalu! We will be running another event in July and are looking forward to it! The bands that played are: Acoustic Misfits, Alan Moriarty and Friends, Black Captains, Damo and Big John, Rush to Judgement, Ships Wheel, Skerries Ukulele Strummers and The Beatles. The Venues were: Millfield SC - Molly’s Coffee Shop - The Square Café - & SuperValu

and we are most grateful to all musicians and venue owners. Thank you all so much to our wonderful residents and the public for making Busking for Balbriggan a great day! Whether it was by volunteering, playing music,singing, or by hosting the event, or by donating your hard earned money, we are incredibly grateful! Over €1600 was raised which is phenomenal! Roll on July for another great day of music filling the streets of Balbriggan.

Áine O’Beirne, Secretary, Balbriggan Community Council - Working Together for a Better Balbriggan for All!

Acoustic Misfits

Alan Moriarity and Friends

Ships Wheel

The Beatles

Skerries Ukulele Strummers

Mary White and volunteers

Black Captains

Rush to Judgement

Damo

Parachute Jump for Balbriggan Meals on Wheels –Rescheduled due to injury

On Sunday 30th July 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. This jump had been originally scheduled to take place on 11th June but unfortunately, Niamh suffered an injury and as a result the date of the

jump was changed. You can 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 doing this fundraiser and thank you also to all who have sponsored them.

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.

Film Review – Ari Asters ‘Beau Is Afraid’ starring Joaquin Phoenix

By Jack Shanley

The masterful A24 director Ari Aster is back on the big screen with yet another strange work of art, perhaps the strangest yet. “Beau is Afraid” from start to finish is about the long whacked out journey of an anxious man on his quest to visit his mother. Joaquin Phoenix stars picking up the role of a very abstract and complex character. Let’s just get it out the bag, this film is a dream like experience first and foremost. It’s quite overwhelming and even suffocating for its audience at times. This plays off so well, as not everything is meant to be taken literally! On the surface, there are generally many black comedy themes, with a melodramatic undertone. It’s been crafted meticulously by Ari Aster at 3 hours, making it feel richer and more detailed. Many of the films moments are left engrained into your thoughts well after the run time. With a bigger budget then his previous works “Hereditary” and “Midsommar” I thought helped with the landscape and wacky

scenarios in the film. Overall, “Beau Is Afraid” is Aster’s most ambitious film to date. Although it’s the not raw and experimental horror we endured in his previous works, it still makes for an unforgettable experience and feeling that is often missed in Arthouse films these days. This is definitely Ari Asters most complex and allegorical film, everything in this film is strange, the interpersonal relationships, the way the story is told, the dialogues, the universe of the film, everything is very strange without any logic, and in my understanding, all this represents the unbalanced and paranoid mind of our protagonist Beau. I feel the movie is essentially a look at the world through the eyes of a man terrified of his own existence. In all truth I’d recommend checking out Beau Is Afraid at your local cinema today and see what you think of it, I shall give it a score of three stars. Director: Ari Aster– Rating: 16 – Genre: Horror/Comedy– Run Time: 2h 59m – Language: English. For more film content please follow @movies4fanatics on Instagram.

Balbriggan Tidy Towns - working for all the community

Balbriggan Tidy Towns have recently added another two new planters for the area. Thank you to our garden team who bought and planted these up. We think they add a nice splash of colour to the streetscape and support our pollinators. (We were able to fill the planters with compost made by ourselves and leaf mould collected in 2021 - sustainable gardening).Thanks too for funding from Department of Rural and Community Development and Pobal. Here you will also see some images from our Litter Awareness event recently at Balbriggan Beach. Thanks to everyone who came along to discuss how we can all work together to keep Balbriggan Beach

clean and safe for all. As summer approaches, we want all beachgoers to act responsibly by not leaving litter scattered around for someone else to clean up. We’d also like to remind dog owners to ensure they only leave paw prints in the sand & to pick up after their pets. That’s particularly good advice, as a single dog poo can contaminate a body of water the size of a tennis court. Also we remind you that everyone should be sun smart this summer. Thanks to the National Cancer Control Programme our Saturday Clean Team were supplied with Factor 50 and our own sun screen dispenser to protect us while out painting and litter picking today. Currently the UV index can be high so be careful.

Entertain the kids and stay sun safe this summer!

By Siobhan O’Neill White

Need inspiration for ideas to keep the kids busy this summer? Go to mams.ie, follow our socials FB @mams.ireland, Instagram @mams.ie and Twitter, @mams_ie for ideas, discounts and competitions galore. Emerald Park is open for visitors! Whether you’re brave enough to face Cu Chúllain or more comfortable visiting the zoo, it’s a fab day out. We’ve tickets to give away here: instagram.com/mams.ie/?hl=en Eddie Rockets want to help parents this summer, so every Tuesday, kids eat free! For every adult meal purchased for €12 or more, get one free child meal. To enter our Eddie’s voucher giveaway, go here: mams.ie/2023/05/16/kids-eat-free-at-eddierockets-on-tuesday-all-summer-long/ Do you need staycation inspiration? Farnham Estate is wonderful for family breaks. Nestled in the lush Cavan countryside, it’s a haven. We love to walk the grounds and visit the stunning indoor/outdoor pool! My sister got married here and it remains a firm favourite for our family. We heard such rave reviews about Carlingford Adventure Camp from parents last year that we’ve booked our 11yr old in with her best friend for their 3 day/2 night camp. Jam packed with activities and set in beautiful Carlingford, the camps are very well priced and have residential and non-residential options available, see carlingfordadventure. com/ For days you want to chill out, ArcCinema.ie kids’ clubs are great value. We also love their family deal which includes cinema passes, popcorn and drinks for a family of 4 (2 adults & 2 kids or 1 adult & 3 kids) for only €39.95. With so many wonderful movies out this summer, there’s plenty to choose from! We recommend investing in some garden toys for the many summer days the kids will be playing at home or have friends over.

Irish company JKC Toymaster are experts in outdoor toys. Our daughters have been on our Berg trampoline non-stop since we got it. See their fab range here: jkctoymaster.ie/ Fancy a different kind of holiday - how about Glamping?! We’re heading to Ardmore Glamping Pods in beautiful Waterford. We’ve booked a large pod, which fits 7 people. Right next to the beach and Ardmore Open Farm, it’s a fabulous location. They even rent BBQ’s out so you can cook up a storm while enjoying the beautiful beach views! You can now enquire at ardmoreglampingpods.ie/ Please make sure to be sun safe this summer. We recommend Irish brand Elave SPF50 sun cream. Its brilliant for all ages. Watch our socials for giveaways on this.

CommunityLocals.ie

Why Making Time For Budgeting Is Important

By Dave Kavanagh

Considering almost every aspect of your life is connected to your finances on some level, it’s important to make time to review your budgeting, especially as it could leave you with more money left over each month. A few practical tips:

(1) 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.

(2) 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.

(3) 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.

(4) 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.

(5) 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.

(6) Review premiums on life cover/mortgage protection/serious illness cover. Especially if you arranged it directly with a bank or insurance company that could not compare. Do an exercise where you track spending for one month. In over 25 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. For quotes or information (with no cost or obligation) he can be contacted by emailing Dave at 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 well being, positivity and motivation. As heard on RTE 2FM , LMFM and TV3.

It was a stunning night recently for Irish 1500m running at the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze Meet in Nice, with both Balbriggan’s Andrew Coscoran and Tyrone native Nick Griggs breaking the Irish Senior and U20 national records respectively. Coscoran crossed in 3:32.68NR to take yet another win on the Continental Tour, breaking his won 33.33. 49 record from indoors in Birmingham earlier this year. The time betters Ray Flynn’s long standing outdoor time of 3.33.5 set in Oslo back in 1982. The Irish 1500m record holder raced

superbly against stiff competition to take the win, settling in behind New Zealand’s Samuel Tanner from the bell, before unleashing a race-winning-kick down the home straight which would see him battle bravely to hold off the fast-finishing Niels Laros of the Netherlands who clocked 3:32.89NR. Nick Griggs finished in 9th place on his way obliterating the Irish U20 outdoor record held by Cian McPhillips with 3:36.09PB to move to 13th on the Irish all-time list. Surely bigger and better things are to come from both athletes in the future

Nick Griggs

Andrew Coscoran

Home Cook Recipes Healthy

Niamh’s Rosemary, Thyme and Black Pepper Summer Chicken

Ingredients: (Serves 2 person)

• x2 Chicken Fillets or Thighs

• Handful of Cherry Tomatoes

• x2 Red Onions

• x1 Red Pepper

• x1 Yellow Pepper

For the Marinade:

• 3 Tablespoons of Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice

• 1 Tablespoon of Olive oil

• 1 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

• Handful of Chopped Thyme and Rosemary

Method:

1. Prepare the marinade first by combining the ingredients as above and mixing well together. Place this marinade in a sealed plastic bag with the chicken fillets/thighs to marinate for at least 2 hours in the fridge. For better results leave chicken to marinade for longer.

2. Remove chicken in marinade from fridge. Preheat the oven at 200’c for 10 minutes.

3. While the oven is preheating, prepare vegetables by chopping the x2 bell peppers and lightly coating a cast iron skillet (as in image) or oven dish in olive oil.

4. Place chicken fillets/thighs, cherry tomatoes, red onions and bell peppers in the iron skillet or oven dish. Add more thyme, rosemary and black pepper over the vegetables and chicken.

5. Place into the hot oven for 35-40 minutes

at 180’c or until the chicken is cooked thoroughly and all the vegetables are roasted with a slight oven char for extra flavour.Tip: to add a burst of flavour to this dish, add a tablespoon of Balsamic vinegar after removing from the oven.

6. Serving Suggestion: Freshly steamed new potatoes or a scrumptious oven baked potato served straight from its foil would make delicious sides to accompany this wonderfully flavoured summer dish.

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

Glebe North U13’s - Kinsealy Shield Winners

Glebe North U13’s took part in an end of season tournament in Kinsealy recently coming away as plate winners on the day. Well done to all the team who only conceded 2 goals across the four games with some brilliant performances put in in the sweltering heat. Thanks to Kinsealy for organising and all the other teams that took part as the games were played in a great spirit.

Youngsters loved our school Cricket blitz

Over 300 kids attended the ground recently for a school blitz as kids from St Theresa’s NS and Balbriggan Educate Together NS who have had weekly sessions in their school enjoyed the experience of playing at a cricket ground. We hope to see many of them down to our rapidly growing Blasters on Friday evenings at 6pm Massive well done to Lara Maritz for organising it along with our huge team of club coaches.

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. Sudden feeling of excitement and pleasure. (6)

5. Wood for a cricket bat. (6)

10. There’s four each year (allegedly). (7)

11. Find by searching a closet. (7)

12. Sound like an owl. (4)

13. Reset the wood-providers. (5)

15. Form of public transport. (4)

17. Showing sorrow or unhappiness. (3)

19. Have enough money for something. (6)

21. Approval where approval is due. (6)

22. Radioactive metallic element. (7)

23. Enjoy something enormously, tremendously. (6)

25. They make for hirsute faces. (6)

28. Put into service, employ. (3)

30. A female relative. (4)

31. Up to a time that. (5)

32. Where the air is unconfined. (4)

35. A violent storm of small extent with whirling winds. (7)

36. Of greater weight. (7)

37. The form of a word that is used to denote more than one. (6)

38. Uttered a sudden loud cry. (6)

Down

2. Prevent from happening. (4,3)

3. Golf club with a relatively narrow metal head. (4)

4. People who consistently fail.. (6)

5. Travelled by shank’s mare. (6)

6. A strand or cluster of hair. (4)

7. Draw out to go away from a place. (7)

8. Common respiratory disorder. (6)

9. Top clothing with a message. (1-5)

14. Not distracted by anything unrelated to the goal. (7)

16. With sincerity, without pretence. (5)

18. Carrying weapons. (5)

20. Remove the moisture from. (3)

21. An awkward and inexperienced youth. (3)

23. Recess at the end of a chimney. (6)

24. Troop leader. (7)

26. Cold-blooded animal. (7)

27. Military watcher in waiting. (6)

28. Spread out a carpet. (6)

29. Fourscore. (6)

33. Just, unbiased and blond. (4)

34. Basic brick structure. (4)