Rush Local V2I2-MAY 2025 by Irish Media Group

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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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VITAL WELLNESS

STRICT DEADLINE FOR NEXT EDITION: Submissions by the 15th for inclusion in next months edition

The Locals Team

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.”

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.

www.affordableroofers.ie

Affordable Roofers Dublin is a team of highly qualified tradesmen with years of experience serving Dublin customers. They are on 24hours a day, 365 days a year, ready to respond to any type of roof repair work anywhere across Co. Dublin.

We also cover surrounding areas.

Whether it’s a leaking roof that needs to be fixed straight away, guttering that needs to be cleared, repair work to a chimney, or replacing broken tiles, we are here to help.

Our highly skilled tradesmen are available to investigate and pinpoint the cause of any water leak or roof defect and carry out the necessary repair works.

We provide affordable roofing services throughout the whole of Co. Dublin and further if needed.

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.

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!

Rush is Shining thanks to Tidy Towns Volunteers

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped at our Marram grass event on the South Beach in April. It was also great to meet Heidi from Malahide Tidy Towns and Catherine from Donabate Tidy Towns, both of whom helped out. We also got a great talk from Aidan Clean Coasts representative on the importance of the dunes and the unique properties of Marram grass, and finally the kids were transfixed our by Liane, Clean Coasts biodiversity officer who showed them how to identify mermaids, purses and other examples of marine life.

Let’s Play Easter

Thank you to everybody who came along to our free Let’s Play Rush Easter Event in Kenure Woods today in conjunction with

Rush Tidy Towns, 38th Rush Scout Group, Rush Community Council and funded by Fingal County Council & Progressive Credit Union Ltd. In particular thank you to all the volunteers with special mention for the Scouts who were fantastic. This is yet another circular economy event as all the props used for the trail, and all the toys are reusable.

Best Kept Town

Rush has a unique opportunity to shine on the National stage. We are one of only 3 towns nominated in the large town category of the national Best Kept Town competition. See the flyer to see how you can contribute to the efforts to put our best foot forward. Judging happens during May.

Courtesy of Rush Tidy Towns.

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.

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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.

from left - Violet Shirran, Antonio D_Souza, Petra Skyvova, Dorothy Fletcher Bentley, David Newton, Elizabeth Comerford, Leia Mocan, Rony Sidon and Murielle Celis

Curator Petra Skyvova and Emer Sharkey (FCC)

Anne and Damien White with grandson

Artist David Newton and Dr. Cora McDonagh

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