Lusk Local V8I8-MAR 2023

Lets really enjoy St Patrick’s Day this year !

Plans are going ahead for a really big St Patrick’s Day across Fingal. Children and community/ voluntary groups are spending their time organising bands and majorettes and designing and decorating floats. Bands from all over the country are heading for our towns and villages in Fingal and the big one in Dublin city. We look forward to the sea of green, the music, and the joy on our children’s faces as they watch the spectacular parades celebrating our patron Saint’s day that are the envy of the world. No other nation in the world has a public display in so many other nations worldwide to celebrate their patron Saint. No other nation in the world has a tradition to wear their nations colour on that day (green) like we do and no other nation knows how to party like we do. In celebrating St Patrick’s Day let us do so responsibly but don’t let us restrict ourselves from having the craic which we are world famous for. Let us go out and attend our local parades (and show them off to our visitors) featuring our local community based voluntary and sporting organisations. We at Local magazines really value the essence of community, after all we are a community based magazine and cannot survive without the support of you the people of this community. Therefore we value the loyalty of you, our readership, and our wonderful contributors and advertisers. This St Patrick’s Day let us all set out to make it the best in years. Let us bring back the joy of being Irish which is the envy of the civilised world. After all there is no place on earth where you can celebrate our patron Saint’s day as good as here in Ireland. So lets enjoy the run up to it, every moment of the festivities and make it a safe and memorable celebration for our families while enjoying ourselves and the spectacle of St Patrick’s Day in the greatest little country in the world!

The Locals Team.

STRICT DEADLINE FOR NEXT EDITION:

Programme of Works for Lusk welcomed by Cllr O’Donoghue

At the Area Operations Meeting Councillor Rob O’Donoghue warmly welcomed the inclusion of funding to be spent on roads, footpaths and parks infrastructure in the coming calendar year in the Lusk area. He commented, ‘I am delighted with that the works that have been included and will be pushing for other areas in the town that need attention to be considered for upgrade through future works programmes and other funding streams.’ Works listed under the 2023 Programme of Works include footpath upgrades at Orlynn Park, road resurfacing at Chapel Green, further drainage works on Hands Lane, a signalised pedestrian crossing at the Dublin Road Roundabout, the installation of additional footpaths through

the Orlynn Park and Chapel Farm Green Spaces, access from Ministers Park to Hands Lane as well as tree planting/ pollinator planting as per the biodiversity town plan. Last month also brought to conclusion the drafting of the Development Plan 2023 – 2029 which will come into effect in early March. Cllr O’Donoghue stated ‘following a large volume of work from Community Organisations in Lusk to prevent unchecked re-zonings of land at the last round of the Development Plan, Lusk will get to develop sustainably over the course of the forthcoming Development Plan. I look forward to pushing initiatives such as the Lusk 2030 Vision in the remainder of this Council term.’

Lusk Action Group working for all the Community!

It is lovely to welcome spring and we would like to say a huge thank you to Lusk Community Cleaning Group for their continued hard work to get our town looking well. They are always looking for new members and it is a great little community to get involved with, so get in touch with us and we’ll send you their direction! After long campaigning for it, we were delighted to finally see the installation of bollards and changes to the road and footpath at Rush and Lusk Educate Together and Lusk Community College, under the “Safe Routes to School” funding by Fingal County Council. We would like to thank our committee member Cllr Rob O’Donoghue for all his representation regarding this. The continued power cuts have plagued us all over the last year and a half. Over this time, we have engaged with all our public representatives on this matter, and we have received very unsatisfactory responses from ESB Networks. We have logged

our official complaint, which is the first step we need to officially take. We would urge everyone to email esbnetworks.complaints@esb.ie and from there we will escalate this issue as far as we need to in order to have this issue fully and permanently resolved.We are planning our 2023 Lusk Summer Festival! After the huge success of last year’s event, we are really excited to get this up and running again. It is a massive undertaking and we have a great organising committee but we really need new members to help spread the workload. So please consider joining us. It’s hard work for a couple of months but great fun and so worthwhile! Put the date in your diary! Saturday 24th June. We will be having our Annual General Meeting on Monday 6th March in Lusk National School (stage). All are welcome to attend. We are looking for new members. We welcome people of all nationalities –our young people, older people, women and men. We are proud to have a diverse

committee. So if you have vision and enthusiasm or if you have a particular skill set that may be useful (or even if you don’t!) please get in touch with us. We are proud of our achievements and the change that we have been a catalyst to over the last three years. It takes committed people to make that happen. But there is so much more to do. We wish you all a very happy St Patrick’s Day! Enjoy the Celebrations!

THE Lusk Heritage Group - Story telling evening

The Lusk Heritage Group are planning what should be an interesting Story Telling evening for Thursday 16th March to celebrate St Patricks weekend. They have a number of people lined up to share stories, poems and reminiscences about the village and its surroundings. So remember the date is Thursday 16th March, the place is Private Room in Murrays of Lusk and the time is 8.00 pm. You don’t have to be a third generation long standing resident of Lusk to enjoy the evening. Newcomers, visitors and total strangers are all

welcome to come together and do what Irish people are famous for, - telling their stories and sharing an evening together. It sounds like the perfect way to start your St Patrick’s weekend celebrations. The heritage group recently came across these two beautiful old pictures of Lusk. They are from the Irish Capuchin Franciscan Archives. The picture with the old car (late 1930s registration) was taken in 1940, while the picture with the woman and two children was

taken 15 years later in 1955. The children have been identified as Joe Hickey from Cork and the late David McDonald who lived in Kells. Both of them were brought up together in Lusk and had very happy memories of their childhood there. But can anyone identify the woman in the picture? Its 1955, with her apron and shopping bag, she looks like she was heading to or from Katie Hunts shop and coming from the Jack Browne side when the photo was taken.

Lusk ICA had a very successful and ‘Charming Affair

Our Drama group had great success when they performed A Charming Affair in the Wicklow Drama Festival with one of the cast receiving a Merit Award for her performance as the maid. The group also won Best Costume, the Adjudicator Award and Best ICA sketch. It was a wonderful achievement as it was their first time performing in public. A big thanks to our director Alma Farrell and Mary Hagan for their support and encouragement along the way.

L-R. Receiving her Award - Catherine Hagan (maid), Hilda Roche ICA National President and Mary Bermingham Lusk ICA.

L-R. On stage Mary Bermingham, Mary Hickey and Angela O’Brien

So What Exactly Are Living Benefits?

By Dave Kavanagh

When people think about insurance cover for themselves, it’s usually Life Cover that springs to mind. Something that pays out a sum of money in the event of death is not everyone’s favourite topic over a coffee. But other types of cover, sometimes referred to as Living Benefits, should certainly be considered by anyone that would suffer a financial loss in certain eventualities. Firstly, Income Protection. If someone cannot work due to any illness or injury and suffers a loss of income, they can be paid up to 75% of their usual salary, either until they can return to work or up to a chosen retirement age if they can never return to work. Consider what the impact would be if your current salary dropped to the current state illness benefit for a couple of years. Next, Serious Illness Cover. This pays out a tax free lump sum on diagnosis of any of the illnesses that are covered. While companies in Ireland cover approximately 50-60 different illnesses (as well as many more minor events that pay partial payments) the vast majority of claims here, are for Cancer, Heart Disease, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis and Loss of Independence. The key is to get cover in place while you are relatively young, not just because there is a much higher chance of being accepted for cover but because the premiums are so much cheaper. At present, a 29 year old putting

a convertible term plan with €250,000 life cover and €100,000 serious illness cover for a 30 year term, would cost €48.05 per month. A 49 year old doing the same levels of cover but for only a 10 year term (both finishing at age 59) would cost €127.00 per month. Lastly, introduced in recent times is Multi Claim Protection Cover. Similar in many ways to Serious Illness Cover, this option allows people to claim for more events on a needs basis. For example, if someone was diagnosed with cancer, a percentage is paid out. If they were required to stay in hospital for a certain period, a further percentage is paid out, and again if follow up treatment is required, another payment. While everyone’s needs are different, it’s worth taking time to see what is right for you.

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 at 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.

Home Cook Recipes Healthy

Easy Peasy Dark Chocolatey Bark

Some of you may have given up sweet foods for lent. Some of you may be trying to cut back on sweet foods as part of healthy eating plans or goals or new year’s resolutions.Or some of you may just like trying out new food ideas and recipes!!! This recipe is super quick, easy and you can tailor it to your taste preferences or to whatever is in your kitchen cupboards!! I love the crunch that the dried edamame beans or nuts provide in this recipe and the richness of the dark chocolate. It is also very satisfying and filling. Edamame Beans are green soya beans which have become very popular due to their nutritious properties including high levels of protein and fibre which can help to keep us fuller for longer.

Edamame Beans also contain vitamins A, K and folate, and are good sources of calcium, manganese and iron. If you don’t have or like edamame beans, you could use nuts or seeds or dried fruit instead in this recipe!

Ingredients:

• 200g Dried Edamame Beans OR nuts OR seeds OR a combination with some dried fruit!!!

• 200g GOOD Quality dark chocolate

(Please Note: When I state good quality dark chocolate, it does not need

to be expensive. Most supermarkets have good quality dark chocolate at reasonable prices. The difference is how the chocolate melts and reforms. Good quality dark chocolate will melt smoothly and reform into a smooth bark. The not so good quality chocolate may turn lumpy and crumbled!)

Tip: I love the bright green colour of the dried edamame beans which makes them stand out against the dark chocolate but for a variety of colours, use a mixture of different coloured dried fruits, nuts, seeds etc.

You could even do an Irish flag theme for St Patrick’s Day with green pistachios or pumpkin seeds, orange apricots and white coconut chips or flakes!

Method:

1. Spread out a sheet of greaseproof paper on a baking tray or lunchbox.

2. Melt the dark chocolate either: in a heatproof bowl over a pot of gently simmering water and stir intermittently until just about all the chocolate is melted, OR in the microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring after each one.

Please stand by the chocolate whichever way you melt it, have patience, don’t forget to stir and be careful not to overdo it!

3. Pour the melted dark chocolate onto the pre-lined tray/lunchbox and spread it into a rectangle. Do not let any condensation or water droplets fall onto the melted dark chocolate as they do not mix well!

4. Scatter over the dried edamame beans OR nuts OR seeds or fruit. Allow it to cool and set at room temperature for a few hours. 5. When hardened, break up the bark into pieces or use a sharp knife to cut it neatly into squares, triangles or however you like!!

Store within an airtight container and use within 2 weeks. Bain sult as (=Enjoy)!!!!

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: niamh@biabites.net Niamh Arthurs BSc, Msc Registered Dietitian and Researcher.

Round Towers GAA Club – Where everyone is welcome!

The long evenings aren’t far away and all of teams have been training hard since the start of the year in anticipation of the return of football, hurling and camogie matches. Best of luck to all our teams as they set out on their 2023 season. All support is welcome at our fixtures. Details on dates, venues and times of home fixtures can be viewed on our website at roundtowerslusk. ie Club Planning Programme – Following on from our 2013-2018 and 2018-2023 strategies, we have formally entered into the GAA’s Club Planning Programme. This programme has aided over 1,000 clubs since its inception in 2008 to develop strategic plans. Our strategic plan will set out our hopes, ambitions and challenges on and off the pitch for the next five years.. Nursery – Come down and join us for fun, games, hurling, camogie and football at our nursery for 4- 7 year old boys and girls every Saturday from 11am to noon. Registration is from 10.45am. LGFA –Ladies Gaelic Football team including picture taken in an amazing event in Cahir in Co Tipperary. All new players are welcome to join the many juvenile and adult teams in our Ladies Gaelic Football Section - U8, U10, U12, U13, U14, U16, Minor, Adult Ladies (First Team and Second Team). Our Gaelic4Mothers & Others initiative sees women playing Ladies Gaelic Football in a fun, non- competitive and social environment. If you or someone you know is interested in playing this year, please call into the clubhouse

any evening or drop us an email roundtowerslusk. office@gmail.com. Finally, congratulations to Sarah O’Neill and Bronagh Neary who represented the club at the Dublin Club Stars games in DCU on Sunday 11 February.Lotto – Our Weekly Lotto is edging towards €8,000. This is a crucial fundraiser for the club and if interested you can play our Lotto here on klubfunder.com/Clubs/ Round_Towers_Lusk/lotto. The Lotto o draw takes place in the clubhouse at 9pm every Thursday. Many thanks for your continued support for our club - and good luck.

Seachtain na Gaeilge –

To celebrate Seachtain na Gaeilge Cloigtithe Lusca we will be hosting a Pop-up Gaeltacht each Saturday up to the final day which is the 17th March 2023. This is an excellent opportunity for Lusk to practice the cupla focal in the run-up to the big day! Please do visit our GAA Round Towers Lusk club website. Entertainment – The TAP Bar in GAA club in Lusk has got some fantastic events coming over the month and would be delighted to see you there and enjoy some Live music. - 11th March –Totally 80’s Band – All the best 80’s music starts after 8.30pm - 18th March – Pat Gaffney – Great American Culture -25th March – The Macks – Trad Music- 1st April – Cliché – All of the best music songs. Please visit our club website on linktr. ee/roundtowerlusk or call in and check our club bar for a refreshment also open for bookings including family events and parties.

Lusk AC looking forward to the Lusk 4 Mile

Lusk AC were there in huge numbers on the last Sunday in January at the Raheny 5 mile with 70 club members among the 3,800 taking part in the iconic road race. Two weeks later, a smaller group travelled to Co Meath for the Trim 10 mile. It was then on to Co Kildare for one of the toughest of challenges. The Donadea 50k is not for the faint hearted and is 10 laps of a 5k route in the forest. Congratulations to Annette Foy, Peter Doyle and Sinead Sharkey for whom the high training mileage paid off as they all came through with flying colours. There has been Indoor action on most weekends so far this year and it was brilliant to see our Men’s team reaching the final of the club league for the first time in the club’s history. A number of our athletes are trying out new events for the first time and have really enjoyed the experience. The Dublin Juvenile Indoor Championships Day 3 took place in the National Indoor Arena, Blanchardstown. This was day three of five scheduled days of competition. The first event kicked off at 10am with the 60m hurdles, preceded by 60m and field events. All our athletes from the youngest U9 to the U14 were fantastic; some competing for the first time. We had great support and assistance from the parents and coaches who helped make the day run smoothly. Over 1300 children took part in competition that day. Our Fit4Youth programme has been very popular and we welcome any new members. The Lusk 4 mile is the club’s main fundraiser of the year and takes place at 3pm on Sunday 5th March. It’s always a great event so if you’re not running come out to cheer the runners and walkers along. Juvenile races take place before the adult race.

News & Events

Darren Griffith, Sean Smith, Paddy Downey & Daniel O’Brien at the club league final

Richard Foy, Donna Kearney & Hazel Keegan at the Trim 10 mile

Some of the large Lusk contingent at the Raheny 5 mile

Peter Doyle, Annette Foy & Sinead Sharkey at the Donadea 50k

Some of the successful Lusk athletes at the Dublin Juvenile Indoor Championships

Junsa Taekwondo Club News

What a start to our Taekwondo year!!

2023 started with bang, with national development training, development competition and an international tournament. At Junsa we do our very best to develop our members of every age into what they want to get out of Taekwondo. Some want to become international fighters, some poomsae players, others into national and international referees. There’s something for everyone at Junsa Taekwondo. If you wish to become fit, build confidence, install discipline, or become an athlete we do it all at Junsa. No matter what our students want to achieve from Taekwondo we at Junsa are determined to fulfill there dreams. Contact Stuart on 087 7775202 for training and class details.

Inter club training, the main objective of these sessions is to develop our members and build their confidence, ready for competition.

Some of our beginner class at trainingTaek 1 Some of our beginner class at training

Our wonderful competitors with their Winners medals!

Robbie (right) wins gold at the Lancashire open in Scotland. Great achievement. Jack (left) Is also a member of our club and has become a centre referee and has traveled around Europe holding court as a referee, an achievement in itself.

Robbie at the senior national squad session

Frankie and Max at development tournament Baldoyle

Advanced class helping each other

Peewee development competition

Bradley ready for action

The Roper brothers! Winners medals

BRIAN DENNEHY

Working hard for our community

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 drawnwill win €50..Good luck

Across

1. Of an infected wound. (6)

5. The experience of thinking something has happened before. (4,2)

10. The largest city in Scotland. (7)

11. French ‘City of Popes.’ (7)

12. Expression used to admit mild dismay or surprise. (4)

13. With sincerity, without pretence. (5)

15. Forearm bone. (4)

17. Remove the moisture from. (3)

19. Cutting implement larger than a scissors. (6)

21. Troubled or uncomfortable. (6)

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

23. Travelled by shank’s mare. (6)

25. Fourscore. (6)

28. An awkward and inexperienced youth. (3)

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

31. Carrying weapons. (5)

32. Basic brick structure. (4)

35. The exterior appearance of something. (7)

36. Cold-blooded animal. (7)

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

38. Military watcher in waiting. (6)

Down

2. Something that is representative of a group. (7)

3. Ancient Roman one-piece outer garment. (4)

4. One who shows fear in a crowd? (6)

5. Lethal, fatal. (6)

6. Place for prisoners. (4)

7. Conventional, maybe boring, food flavouring. (7)

8. Homes for Inuits. (6)

9. A state of extreme dishonour. (6)

14. Radioactive metallic element. (7)

16. Reset the wood-providers. (5)

18. Up to a time that. (5)

20. Showing sorrow or unhappiness. (3)

21. Put into service, employ. (3)

23. Wood for a cricket bat. (6)

24. Find by searching a closet. (7)

26. Of greater weight. (7)

27. Uttered a sudden loud cry. (6)

28. Approval where approval is due. (6)

29. They make for hirsute faces. (6)

33. Form of public transport. (4)

34. Where the air is unconfined. (4)