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There aren’t many places in the world that will rival Ireland in the sunshine, and there aren’t many counties that shine as much as Fingal when it comes to festival season! The past few months has seen the many voluntary groups around the county preparing their areas to shine during the summer.
We in Fingal are so lucky to have so much to do on our doorstep; throughout the towns and villages in the county local people are spoiled for choice when it comes to spending their free time in their respective areas. We don’t have very far to travel to find something to make great memories from. We have some of the most beautiful beaches in the country; the sheer number of public parks, castle grounds and gardens accessible all year round is unrivalled; the community centres, state of the art libraries, music venues, cafés, restaurants, bars, the list goes on and on. There is so much to do in such a short distance.
Just this month, locals will be treated to fantastic events such as, Balbriggan Summerfest, the Fingal Proms, Lambay Regatta, while in the coming three months we will have the Lusk Summer Festival, Flavours of Fingal, the Swords Summer Concerts, Rush Harbour Festival, Donabate/Portrane Summer Festival and many more events for all the family.
So this summer season be sure to reserve some time to take in all the wonderful amenities on your doorstep, we don’t have to hop on a plane every time we want experience something new!
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STRICT DEADLINE FOR NEXT EDITION: Submissions by the 15th for inclusion in next months edition
The Locals Team
Crucial that pharmacies play their part in delivering free HRT – Boland
Pharmacies need to come on board en masse to deliver the free HRT that women need, a Fine Gael TD has said. Grace Boland, Fine Gael TD for Dublin Fingal West, said that while details of the free HRT scheme will come as a relief to women around the country, pharmacists may be reluctant to engage.
Deputy Boland said: “I am grateful to Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill for engaging with all stakeholders including the Irish Pharmacy Union to ensure this scheme was rolled out. Implementing the free HRT scheme announced by her predecessor was always a priority for the Minister since she took office.
“Minister Carroll MacNeill is committed to supporting each participating community pharmacy by paying them a €5 dispensing fee per HRT product dispensed to all eligible patients, including those existing patients under the GMS/DPS Schemes and for all other patients prescribed HRT (“private
patients”) and a €1,000 once-off grant to every participating community pharmacy.
“The implementation of the scheme should focus on the women in need of this medication. The symptoms women encounter during perimenopause and menopause are varied and women’s lives are hugely impacted by these symptoms. We need to focus on why HRT is such an important medicinal regime for women and how it can positively impact their lives and make daily living more bearable.
“I would urge all pharmacies including those the Irish Pharmacy Union represent to engage with the scheme proposed today by the Minister. It is essential that women have the support of their local trusted pharmacist when embarking on any medication; in particular, if any changes are needed during their treatment. Women will no doubt contact their own pharmacies to encourage them to engage with the scheme so they can be provided with the free medication they are now entitled to.”
Lusk Action Group Update – May 2025 edition
Last month, members from LAG met with bus provider, Go Ahead (which delivers the 33 and 33a bus services) to discuss the various issues that the members of the community have raised regarding these services.
Among some of the main points from the meeting include the following:
• Go Ahead services:
o Bus Timetable: Last July an additional 4am service from Skerries was added to the timetable. Go Ahead are now seeking to determine whether an additional 3am service would be feasible. A request was also made to reinstate the 8.10am service to Balbriggan. All decisions regarding the addition of buses are made by the National Transport Authority.
o Service Levels: Only 1.29% of services were cancelled last year. Punctuality is quite poor (at 67%) and there is a department dedicated to improving this. Next Generation AVL
(Automatic Vehicle Location) will be rolled out from the end of this year which will give much more accuracy in terms of reliability, which should drive service improvements.
• Complaints: There is one centralised complaints system for bus services on all routes through the Transport for Ireland help centre. Tel. 0818 294015 or use online contact form available on https://www.transportforireland.ie/support. Please continue to raise any issues through either of these contact points as TFI relies on data to update services.
• Bus Connects: The controversial overhaul of existing bus services is due to be rolled out from September this year. It is estimated that the changes for this area will be introduced in September 2027. From then onwards, Dublin Bus will cease to serve this area; instead, Go Ahead will take over the full service. Also, buses serving this area will go as
far as Swords and passengers will then have to disembark and get a further bus to the city centre. The existing 33x service will remain apart from a name change. LAG, like many other members of the community have serious concerns about these plans and we will be exploring ways to lobby the NTA to make changes over the coming weeks.
Lusk ICA Coffee Morning is Great Success
We hosted a very successful coffee morning, organized by Antoinette Doran and her team in Murray’s Top Shop, and raised the great sum of €5,385 in aid of Irish Cancer Society.
We wish to thank everybody in the parish in particular Senator Lorraine Clifford Lee and Labour Councillor Mark Boland for their time, and all who generously contributed and supported this very important cause.
We Want to say thank you again to Debbie in Tesco of Rush for the generous donation of €582.00 from the blue tokens Community Fund. Many thanks to everyone who voted for us.
Congratulations to RoseAnna Darby, who has been voted in as president at our recent AGM and she wishes to thank her committee for all their hard work.
Fantastic night at musical show Young Frankenstein in the Millbank Theatre Rush. Marie, Mandy, Madeline, Caroline and Rose Anna
Marie O’Sullivan working very hard with her little chicks for the children on Easter Sunday.
Pauline Flynn Marie O_Sullivan Antoinette Doran and Margaret Finnegan
Gertie Kelly and her fabulous Strawberry Pavlova with Celina Tongue and Rosanna Darby
Mary Hagan Olive Fitzgerald Antoinette Doran Mark Boland Labour councillor and Rose Anna Darby
Here we are with the Blanchardstown Guild ladies making Hexagon coasters and table Centerpieces and water colour paintings.
The drama group relishing in the sun with a lovely picnic down by Skerries Mills
Are You One Of The 800,000?
By Dave Kavanagh
After many years and a number of delays, “Auto Enrolment” is due to commence in September of this year and is estimated to affect about 800,000 employees in Ireland. In a drive to make sure that people are planning for their income in retirement, auto enrolment is a process that will commence to deduct a payment from salary from the employee, which will be matched by the employer and have an additional contribution from Government. Initially, this will be 1.5% from the employee, 1.5% from the employer and 0.5% from Government. In years 4-6 this will increase to 3% from employees, 3% from the employer and 1% from Government, rising in years 7-9 to 4.5% from employees, 4.5% from employers and 1.5% from Government, and from year 10 and onwards, 6% employees, 6% employers and 2% from Government.
So who will be included in auto enrolment? Presently, the criteria for inclusion is employees aged 23-60 who earn at least €20,000 per annum and who are not included in an existing pension scheme that is deducted through payroll. So if someone is already included in a company pension scheme, a company PRSA scheme (personal retirement savings account) or even a personal PRSA plan that is deducted through payroll, they will not be included. Self employed
people will also be exempt. If someone pays for their own personal pension or PRSA by direct debit from their own bank account, they can continue to do this but will also be included in auto enrolment. Of the 800,000 employees likely to be affected, it is estimated that 200,000 of these are on the higher tax rate of 40% and it is these higher rate tax payers that should consider an alternative option as the benefits to them will not be as good as the 40% tax relief on their contributions to a scheme done through their payroll.
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 @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.
Novocaine (2025) Review
Novocaine (2025) delivers a potent mix of dark comedy and hyperviolent action, a film that embraces its outrageous premise with enthusiasm. Directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, and starring Jack Quaid, the movie centers on a man who can’t feel pain.
Quaid plays Nathan Caine, a bank employee with Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis (CIPA). His condition, usually a serious detriment, becomes the film’s core when his love interest, Sherry (Amber Midthunder), is kidnapped during a bank heist. Nathan, driven by his pain-free state, embarks on a rescue mission, evolving from a cautious individual into a surprisingly resilient, if somewhat inept, action hero.
The film’s strength lies in its commitment to this outlandish premise.
The directors don’t shy away from the graphic implications of Nathan’s condition. He withstands a series of increasingly gruesome injuries –impaling’s, shootings, and bone-crunching impacts – reacting with a mixture of bewilderment and mild annoyance. This comparison of extreme violence and Nathan’s nonchalant reactions creates a unique and darkly, humorous tone.
Quaid delivers a performance that balances Nathan’s initial timidity with his later, pain-fueled tenacity. He’s both relatable and ridiculous, making the audience root for this unlikely hero. Midthunder, while somewhat seen as a damsel-in-distress role, brings a quiet strength to Sherry. Novocaine (2025) has flaws. The plot, while functional, is straightforward, and the film sometimes favors extreme set pieces over narrative coherence. Some humor may miss the mark, and the intense violence might be offputting to some. However, for those who enjoy the absurd and can stomach gore, Novocaine 2025 offers a wild and entertaining ride. It’s a film that embraces silliness, delivering a blend of action and comedy that is both shocking and surprisingly fun. I’d recommend checking out ‘Novacaine’ and see what you think of it; I shall give it a score of three stars. You can watch it at your local Cinema today. Director: Dan Berk; Robert Olsen – Rating: 16– Genre: Action/Thriller – Run Time: 1h 50m Language: English. For more film content please follow @movies4fanatics on Instagram.
Champagne style on a lemonade budget!
When my Mam wanted to update her kitchen, she opted for the chalk paint trend. Herself, my sister and me used sugar soap to scrub the cupboards, then painted them with French paint. The result was ok (ish). We did our best, but honestly, it didn’t look fantastic and she ended up getting a whole new kitchen soon after.
When my Aunt said she was repainting her kitchen we thought, Uh-Oh, this won’t end well! But she opted for a kitchen respray, done by professionals (unlike the DIY job we did) The result was stunning! Her kitchen went from plain pine, to a glossy, sleek and trendy charcoal. When she told us the cost we were astonished, it was 1/5th the cost of a new kitchen but looked brand new!
We were so interested in this method of
respraying cupboards to transform them, that we decided to do it in our own kitchen. We spoke with TJ & Simon from UPVC Respray Ireland about it and they explained how it works. First you choose your colour (there’s a massive range of colours like duck egg blue, charcoal, classic navy, deep red and lots more), then the guys come to do the job. They put protective covers on the surroundings areas before the respray and it can be done in one day. They use a superior type of paint which creates less fumes, dries quickly, leave a gorgeous finish and is washable; so easy to maintain afterwards.
We’d been thinking about replacing our kitchen at a cost of around 10k but our cupboards are in perfect condition and we like our kitchen
layout, so the respray was ideal! It’s affordable, eco-friendly, takes less time and creates less mess than a new kitchen. See more at https://www. upvcrespray.ie/
We finished off our new look kitchen with a handmade wreath from gorgeous flower shop & café Willow & Wisp. We gave Madeline a pic of our kitchen and she designed the wreath to match. She also matches them for front doors – just send her a pic and she’ll make something gorgeous that will compliment your door/kitchen colour. Check them out here -https://www.instagram.com/willow.and.wisp. flowers?igsh=ZjV2ZGRnMnh5bmhu
Visit us on www.mams.ie for more home décor Inspo!
Weaving the Threads of Fingal’s Heritage
The rich heritage of Fingal’s textile industry is currently being celebrated with a new exhibition at Ardgillan Gallery inspired by unique embroidery and lace patterns that originated from the area nearly 250 years ago.
This project aims to preserve and celebrate Fingal’s rich textile manufacturing legacy through a collaborative arts and local heritage initiative. Our project involves a group of artists who are in the process of creating original artworks inspired by the area’s history, particularly a number of unique artefacts originating from the Smyth & Co. hosiery factory formerly based in Balbriggan. These artefacts, a set of three unique embroidery and lace pattern sample
catalogues, serve as direct witnesses to Balbriggan’s vibrant social history spanning two centuries. Between the 1780s and the 1980s the work and social life that revolved around the town’s textile factories dictated the pace of life. This still resonates in Balbriggan’s identity today, evoking memories and inspiring new artworks and enterprises.
The exhibition opened on Saturday 12th April with an engaging speech by the artist David Newton and it was very well attended. The exhibition will continue until Sunday 11th of May and there are a number of accompanying events taking place.
Bringing nature back to local neighbourhoods in Fingal
In what is believed to be a first in Ireland, Fingal County Council has launched an ambitious new project that aims to reimagine housing estates as thriving spaces for both people and wildlife.
To help deliver a vision for greener and more vibrant communities, the council is now inviting local resident associations to nominate their area for a biodiversity makeover. The aim is to help transform underused or uncared for areas within a housing area into biodiversity-friendly space, creating areas that are more welcoming for nature, more engaging for locals, and more attractive for residents and visitors alike.
Urban areas offer great opportunities for wildlife. However, it is not always clear how to create the ideal urban habitat for a wide range of species. To help breathe new life into our urban spaces, making them greener, more beautiful, and more connected to nature, Fingal wishes to undertake a biodiversity makeover of three housing estates across the county to identify the most cost-effective way to make a housing estate more biodiversity friendly.
The makeover will cover the open spaces and front gardens of those residents interested in making their own gardens more biodiversity friendly. The species groups being targeted are breeding birds, bats, amphibians and insects. Biodiversity improvement measures include meadows, tree and scrub planting, ponds and
wetlands, log piles, bird and bat boxes, no pesticide use and pollinator friendly garden planting.
Once the three housing estates are selected, a landscape architect will work with the local residents to re-design their open space and an ecologist will carry out a baseline survey to see what wildlife is there at the moment. The design is to be done over the summer months and we hope to carry out the improvement works in early autumn.
The ecologist will be monitoring the wildlife
in the housing estate over the five years of the project to see which measures have the most beneficial impact on wildlife. The Council wants to involve the residents in the monitoring so that they too can get a good understanding what wildlife lives on their doorstep.
Resident Associations can learn more about the concept and find application details via: https://fingal.live/2p9czpmx. The deadline for submitting applications is 2nd May 2025. Any queries regarding this initiative can also be sent to biodiversity@fingal.ie.
from left - Violet Shirran, Antonio D_Souza, Petra Skyvova, Dorothy Fletcher Bentley, David Newton, Elizabeth Comerford, Leia Mocan, Rony Sidon and Murielle Celis
Anne and Damien White with grandson
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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 the 16th of this month. The first correct entry to be drawn will win €50..Good luck
Across
1. Planet much loved by juvenile comedians. (6)
5. Large numbers gathered for events. (6)
10. Aspired to commended. (7)
11. Lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness. (7)
12. Mend like a bone. (4)
13. A living thing that doesn’t move about. (5)
15. Sound used to attract someone’s attention without alerting anyone else. (4)
17. It may have come first. (3)
19. Fingers and toes. (6)
21. Pre judge. (6)
22. Just as far as the eye can see. (7)
23. A covering that serves to conceal or shelter something. (6)
25. A formal proposal to buy at a specified price. (6)
28. Employ a tool. (3)
30. Number for a basketball team. (4)
31. Up to the time that. (5)
32. Invitation to reply to. (4)
35. Destructive wind funnel. (7)
36. Contributors to the effort. (7)
37. A craft designed for use on water. (6)
38. A refund of some fraction of the amount paid. (6)
SUDOKU ANSWERS
Down
2. Making a prolonged loud noiselike wind or water. (7)
3. American extra-terrestrial group. (4)
4. A seat for the rider of a horse. (6)
5. Uttering a cry, characteristic of crows and ravens (6)
6. Any thick, viscous matter. (4)
7. A sequence of powerful leaders in the same family. (7)
8. Interfered with someone’s drink. (6)
9. Top job on a newspaper. (6)
14. In opposition to. (7)
16. An inhalation anaesthetic. (5)
18. Narrow ways or roads. (5)
20. Close male relative. (3)
21. His wife looked back in the Bible. (3)
23. Often seen with net, pin and match. (6)
24. Go back without turning. (7)
26. The way down a mountain. (7)
27. Lie in a comfortable resting position. (6)
28. Open out like a carpet. (6)
29. One or the other. (6)
33. Armed conflicts. (4)
34. Spill the beans. (4)
Location - Bremore Castle
TUESDAY, 27 MAY - 8PM TH
All Welcome!
Senior Citizens Bingo
Senior Citizens Hall, High St.
WEDNESDAY, 28 MAY - 7.30PM TH Charity Football Match
Glebe North FC, Market Green
THURSDAY, 29 MAY - 8PM TH
FRIDAY, 30 MAY - FROM 7.30PM TH
Carnival and Family Entertainment
Food & Craft Stalls
Live Music - Mursheen DurkinMarvin and the Grooves
Balbriggan Locals Vs Gardaí
Balbriggan Roadrunners Summerfest 5k
To Register go to myrunresults.com Meet at St. Molagas National School
Fireworks - Front Beach 10.30pm Sponsored by Progressive Credit Union
Art Exhibition Running all week - Millfield Shopping Centre On the Altar of the Arts 2025 by Martin Hughes
SATURDAY, 31 MAY ST
Sandcastle Competition, Front Beach - 10am Beach and Sports activities - 11am - 5pm -
Bremore Castle from 11am Beach and All Weather
Carnival, Food, Craft Stalls & Face Painters
Carnival Sensory Hour - 11am -12pm
Castle Tours - 2pm - 5pm
Historical Society Walk and Talk - 2pm Pauls Pets - 2pm - 4pm Kids Magician - 3pm
Blessing of the Boats - 6.30pm
(Harbour)
(Meet at Bremore Castle)
Junior Park Run - All Weather Pitch - 9.30am
Carnival, Food & Craft Stalls, Face Painters
Carnival Sensory Hour - 10am - 11am
Castle Tours - 2pm - 5pm
Pauls Pets - 2pm - 4pm
Kids Magician - 3pm
(Bookings made on the day)
Live Music and Entertainment on the Stage from 1pm
Balbriggan Brass & Reed Band Stamullen Community Choir Scoil Rince Cualann
Other confirmed
Other acts to be confirmed - check our Social Media for updates
SUNDAY, 1 JUNE - Bremore Castle from 11am ST Bhailiú Homebrew The Swings The Hippaclaptics
Live Music and Entertainment on the Stage from 1pm
Further details on all events can be found on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/balbriggan.summerfest
