Balrothery Newsletter August 2018

Summer/Autumn Newsletter August 2018

‘The Future is Bright in the Town of the Knight’

Balrothery Community Associa on is delighted to be able to bring you this Newsle er and we hope you find it informa ve and we also hope that it
might inspire residents who have as of yet not been ac ve in their community to perhaps get involved in any way you can and join us in our efforts to
make Balrothery a be er place to live for people of all ages.

It has been a busy year so far and it doesn’t look like slowing down any me soon. There is no me to rest and take in what has been done as there is a
lot more to be done, we are playing catch‐up regarding infrastructure & ameni es but we are catching up. Whatever working rela onship we may
have had with Fingal County Council was strengthened significantly on the 22nd March last when the Director of Opera ons, Dave Storey came out to
the Heritage Centre in Balrothery and was shown a presenta on which included a list of projects that we felt were important to get done , this presen‐
ta on also included photographs and video clips and a selec on of viewpoints from residents of Balrothery via Facebook posts. The list of requests
consisted of –

This mee ng was arranged by Cllr. Tony Murphy and we are extremely grateful to Tony and to Dave Storey , Joe Mahon and Aileen O’Connor for vis‐

• New steps to Graveyard gate • Footpath, Parking Spaces, Crossings, traffic‐flow around Commercial Island

• Footpath and Parking Spaces @ Heritage Centre • Traffic Calming Ramps on Darcystown Road.

• Footpath to cricket club & rugby club (Inch road) • Resurfacing of roadway outside Balrothery Na onal School & North entrance.
• Footpath to Hamilton Park Nursing & Care home • Dishing of kerbs @ Cloch Choirneal

• Safety bollards outside Balrothery Na onal School

i ng Balrothery, for listening to the Community's concerns but above all for taking ac on and not
just giving excuses as to why things cannot be done. There is a follow up mee ng with the Opera‐

ons Department of Fingal County Council in late August and we hope to have an update on the
projects not yet commenced. Should anyone wish to add anything to the list of works they feel
should be done please email secretary @ balrothery.com or post on our official Facebook page –
‘Balrothery Village’ and we will make sure your request is added to our list.

There has been progress on a number of these items since our mee ng and whilst we realise that
some will take longer than others we will nonetheless con nue to keep them on the table un l all
have been delivered as they each, individually, will make the relevant area safer for pedestrians but
collec vely will make Balrothery a more a rac ve and safer village to live in and to get around for
everyone, especially wheelchair users and people with buggies who at present need to travel on the
road in a lot of places which is unacceptable in a residen al area in 2018. Whilst all requested
works are needed, the longest running request we have is for Traffic Calming ramps on the Darcys‐ Pat Hickey, Cllr Tony Murphy & Kevin Tolan
town Road. A lot of cars, large farm machinery and trucks travelling to/from Skerries and Lusk are
using this road and with residen al estates on either side and no physical impediment for speeding vehicles it really is impera ve that ramps are intro‐
duced as soon as possible to avoid a serious injury or a fatality. We intend to re‐iterate the urgency of this item at the August mee ng with the Opera‐

ons Department and will hopefully received a commitment and meline for delivery.

Balrothery successfully acquired funding in 2016 & 2017 from the
Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the 2016 funding was spent on
the stone entrance walls, stone planters and welcome signs and in
Glebe Park it delivered the paths and adult exercise equipment. The
2017 funding was for a children's playground and mul ‐use games
area in Glebe Park. Tenders for these works were returned in mid
July, a contractor is due to be appointed in August and works will
commence soon therea er which is great news for the children and
indeed for parents living in Balrothery. Fingal County Council have
thankfully agreed again to put forward Balrothery’s applica on to
the Department of Rural and Community Development in the 2018
Town & Village renewal Scheme. This year we are reques ng fund‐
ing for new footpaths and pedestrian crossings in the Village Centre
and hopefully this applica on will also be successful which will com‐
plement the works already completed.

Whilst we must remember Fingal is a large County and Balrothery is
figh ng for a en on and for funding amongst a lot of other towns
and most are larger towns that have many voices shou ng for them
but we feel a child growing up in Balrothery or a senior ci zen living
in Balrothery has as much right to proper facili es and ameni es as any ci zen of Fingal and we will con nue to fly the Balrothery flag as high as needs
be for it to be seen.

Looking ahead, we see no reason why all works in Glebe Park cannot be completed by the summer of 2019. And works to the Village Centre will hope‐
fully be well underway by this stage and completed by end of 2019. Then we need to look at providing footpaths to the sports clubs located on the
periphery of the Village and to Hamilton Park Care Home and also to iden fy a suitable route to link Balrothery to Ardgillan Park with a Greenway,
that would really give a new dimension to Balrothery and there is no reason why this cant be done, a er all it was back in 1866 that an underwater
telegraph cable was laid across the Atlan c to link Ireland with America, a distance of 6,650 Kilometres and we only need to travel 1km across land to
reach Ardgillan Park !

To see Fingal County Council making things happen is very much appreciated and also goes a long way to jus fying the efforts made by the Communi‐
ty Associa on and it encourages us to keep going , but what really inspires us to keep going is when you see volunteers coming out and helping, peo‐
ple who have already done their day jobs but who then decide to go out again and help in their community, be that on a Saturday morning or on a
week day evening and some are going out on a daily basis and picking up li er , weeding the planters and the kerbs, removing rubbish that has been
fly‐ pped in ditches and do it all for the love of their Village. An apt proverb is ‐ ‘The nourishment of body is food, whilst the nourishment of the soul
is feeding others’ . In Balrothery we are blessed to have many Volunteers who are feeding others and we hope to con nue to increase the number of
Volunteers as you can never have enough. I would like to thank my fellow Community Associa on members for all their efforts and to everyone who
has given even an hour to help out and never feel what you do is not having any impact because it is and may I encourage those already involved to
con nue and encourage others to get involved in your Community.

If we all con nue to work together there can be no doubt that ‘The future is Bright for ‘The Town of the Knight’

Kevin Tolan – Chairperson

We completed a very successful year for Tidy Towns at the end of May and the 2018 Entry Form was com‐
pleted and sent off. By now the adjudicator will have visited the village and compiled a comprehensive
report and awarded a score for each of the 8 categories . We had a very busy year with lots of ac vity. The
numbers of volunteers has increased and there is a lot more interest in all the projects as well as the con n‐
uous input into the li er picking and ongoing maintenance of all aspects of the village. No doubt you have
spo ed the Yellow Hi–Vis volunteers around the village doing various tasks. The flower plan ng and grass
cu ng has improved the village. Balrothery residents are so fortu‐
nate to live in an area which is teeming with nature and biodiversity right on our doorsteps. Tidy Towns chal‐
lenge us to demonstrate an understanding and raise awareness of this in our locality. It is important for local
people to be involved in crea ng and looking a er parts of our village and park and awareness of the im‐
portance of biodiversity is essen al for a successful outcome. With this in mind the two areas below are
been developed.
Balrothery Community Garden. The main project this year was the Community Garden and we were successful in preparing and plan ng an or‐
chard of mixed fruit trees behind the Community Centre. This is phase one and the next will be the laying out and plan ng of a sensory garden.

Nature in Glebe Park. As you know there are ongoing plans for the development of
this fine parkland and the Tidy Village commi ee support the plan ng of a Linear Arbo‐
retum of 15 varie es of na ve Irish trees. We have met with Fingal Opera ons Depart‐
ment on a number of occasions and a plan has been developed and agreed. The
plan ng will commence in October. The children from the school will be involved in this
project as it extends the Green Schools message beyond the school gate and out into
their community. It will be supported with informa on signposts at each variety of
tree. This project will also support the necessary removal of some of the more mature
trees which were decaying.
PlanƟng of Beech Hedging. Plan ng of beech hedging along the R132 between North
and South entrance and along the boundary of open
space at the rear of Tudor Hamlet was requested. It was agreed that this work would commence in late 2018.
Japanese Knotweed. We requested that Fingal County Council commence a programme of eradica ng this invasive
species which has a detrimental to the environment, habitats and na ve fauna. We have reported five areas in the
village with this problem. We were assured that there is a works programme to commence August 2018 of which we
are included. It grows rigorously and spreads rapidly through an underground root system that can stretch for 7m.
Please do not go near it or cut it. If you are aware of it growing in your area report it to Fingal County Council.
Spring Clean Up 2018. We had a great turn out of adults and children who joined together in teams to tackle the list
of tasks set out for them. Many hands make light work and that certainly proved to be the case on that day. Fingal
County Council Opera ons Department were there to support the removal of the collected rubbish which consisted of six large trailer loads of junk

and many bags of li er. Many thanks to all who par cipated it makes it all
worthwhile when you see the willingness of people to give of their me and
effort in making our village a be er place to live in. It is so heartening to see
the numbers increasing this year and we hope it con nues in this way. We
have ongoing support from the Community Associa on commi ee and
have all met with Fingal County Council officials in County Hall on two occa‐
sions to outline and discuss our projects for 2017/18. We also have ongoing
contact with the relevant departments and our open approach and focused
a tude makes for a good working rela onship all round. We have repre‐
senta on in the Fingal Public Par cipa on Network and I am part of the
Community Arts and Heritage Linkage group. It facilitates an opportunity for
networking, communica on and informa on sharing among many volun‐
tary groups in Fingal. It also iden fies issues of collec ve concern and helps influence policy by making repre‐
senta on at Council mee ngs. There is ongoing communica on with other Tidy Towns groups throughout
Fingal. A big thank you to all the volunteers, and all the local businesses who support us on an ongoing basis,
the Community Associa on and Fingal County Council, local councillors as well as all groups in the village who
are always willing to help when needed.

New seaƟng/benches. We have new sea ng and benches fi ed at north end of village and Rosepark,
they're a great addi on to the Village, many thanks to our sponsors, Hamilton Park and Balrothery Heritage.

LiƩer/fly dumping. Li er is always a constant challenge, despite our extra bins and indeed the relentless
work of all our li er pickers li ering s ll occurs. Domes c and household rubbish is s ll been pped into our
ditches, roadsides and car parks. How can you dump your own rubbish in your own community, what does it
say about you and your a tude to your community. When we inspect and report instances of dumping, we can see from the rubbish that the house‐
holder is well able to afford waste collec on and recycling but clearly chooses not to! We reported and provided address evidence to Fingal Li er
Warden on several occasions, fines have been issued and a court case is
pending. If you see li ering/fly pping/dumping from cars please report to
Li er warden: h p://www.fingal.ie/repor t/

Green Dog Walkers is a regional programme involving most of the Coun‐
cils' in the Leinster area. It is a non‐confronta onal, friendly way to change
a tudes about dog fouling. Green Dog Walkers is a community based
scheme that volunteers in the community can adopt in their own area and
promote. www.fingal.ie/environment/animals/dogs/dog‐fouling

If any resident is interested in becoming involved in the Tidy Village group please let us know we would be delighted to
include you in our ongoing efforts in the village.

Chairperson, Margaret Haugh, Balrothery Tidy Village Associa on.Email: Ɵ[email protected]

Balrothery Summer Project

Well done to all the organisers and the adult volunteers for yet again a super ‘Summer
Project’ to entertain the Children of Balrothery. Great community volunteering at it’s
best! For the past 10 years Balrothery Summer Project has been running a two‐week
camp for Balrothery Village children. The ac vi es include day trips, fun ac vi es at
the Heritage Centre, Sports Days on Glebe Park and Community Projects. This year we
are especially grateful to many local business who offered support and sponsorship.
Our aim is to create lifelong memories for the children and volunteers. Our Summer
Project experiences are where everyone is treated with a level of respect that they will
remember, and be given care and kindness in all interac ons. We believe in the capa‐
bili es of our volunteers to fulfil the poten al of young people to shape a be er fu‐
ture. Already planning for next year the new commi ee came together last week. We
have some major increased ac vity very soon. We plan to have more day trips throughout the year, like Halloween and at midterm. We are also very
excited to announce we are working very hard to have a permanent base in Balrothery and are planning to open a youth club very soon. Email:

[email protected]

Upcoming Events, Heritage Week, 18th to 25th August Balrothery Community Cen-
tre and Heritage Centre
Medieval Family Picnic: Sunday 19th, from 2:30pm, on Heritage Fair Green. Picnic
area, medieval themed field games, Falconry Exhibi on, Face‐pain ng, Shield Anyone interested in using these facili-
Pain ng. Horse and Carriage rides, Barbecue, Medieval dress op on but fun to ties please email:
dress up! [email protected]
[email protected]
What Lies Beneath: Fingal Geophysical Survey Project, this project is a means to
engaging communi es with an overlooked archaeological resource within their
open spaces. It is connec ng people with the story of what is literally on their door‐
step. What is beneath the green of your estate? Connect with the story of what is
literally on your doorstep. Join Target Surveys and Fingal Community Archaeologist
Chris ne Baker to learn about geophysical techniques, have‐a‐go at surveying, and
uncover what is hidden in the open space of Rosepark. All welcome.

Knight Sounds, by Ollie Cole

When my family and I first moved to Balrothery village I go a admit, I was worried. We were moving from the city where I was ac‐
vely involved in the Dublin music scene. I had lived in the city for close to 20 years. I knew the names of every Barman and Barista

South of the Liffey. I couldn’t walk 100 yards without stopping for a chat with another musician or poet. So I knew the change would
be radical and would take some ge ng used to.
We adapted quickly, an old house giving us plenty to do and our daughter Emily growing fast at our feet. I s ll went into Dublin
twice a week, where I teach in a music college and I enjoyed coming home to the co age and the fire in the evenings. However, it
s ll felt like something was missing. I didn’t go out in the village much, except to the shop and I didn’t really know anyone else who
lived in the village.
That all changed one Christmas when I was queuing up with my daughter to see Santa in the back of a VW van at the church 2 years
ago. A friendly village gentleman saddled up to me in the queue, introduced himself as Mal O’Callaghan and started to talk to me about music. He
knew who I was and we talked about the various bands I was in etc. He told me about an idea he had to put on gigs in the church and asked would I be
interested in helping. It didn’t seem like the type of thing I would want to do. I'm more used to playing gigs than organising them and besides, I was
enjoying taking it easy. Anyway, he persevered and we con nued to talk about it. We would
meet in the pub where proprietor Brendan McCormack and Mal and myself would discuss music
and gigs etc. The idea grew and grew and eventually ‘The Stunning’ were booked to play the
church and Knight Sounds was born. The Knight Sounds crew grew too, with some very generous
people given their me and skills to help with the gigs.
The gig was a huge success. I was so proud of the whole Knight Sound’s crew , Malachy, Brendan,
Amanda, Patrick, Monica, Sal, Herbie, Keith, Mar n and all the work they did to make it happen.
The Stunning played a tremendous show and the church was filled with music, dancing and smil‐
ing faces. That year Knight Sounds went on to put on five very special gigs. None more special
than the two nights we did to raise money for two very special children in the village. Both Da‐
mien Dempsey and Paul Noonan (Bell X 1) gave their me so generously to help with this cause. I
really saw how special and important community is that night. There was a tremendous outpour‐
ing of love and support.
Knight sounds con nues to prosper. Each show it’s own very special event. To see ar sts of this
calibre in such an in mate space is such a gi . I am glad to be a part of it on so many levels, but
for me the most important thing was how it helped my family and I integrate into this wonderful
village. By pu ng on the gigs I have go en to meet so many people from the village and some
have become good friends. Sunday pints planning gigs and talking about life is a weekly treat.
Community and Culture are so important. I was able to contribute to this village because I knew
musicians and I am able to get good acts, that was my skill. I think whatever your skill is you can
help and take part in making where you live a truly special place. Maybe you’re a carpenter and
your elderly neighbour needs a shelf or you’re a plumber, or you can help with the Christmas
tree or gi s. It doesn’t ma er how big or small your contribu on is, it will pay you back tenfold.
Being part of the community and having rela onships with your neighbours is what makes where
you live great. Email: [email protected]

Man O’War GFC Balrothery Tennis Club

Man O’War GFC hosted over 150 local youngsters at our annual Skills 2017 was a busy year in terms of planning
& Drills Camp this August, always well a ended, many thanks to our and advoca ng ‐ part 8 submissions, sports
par cipants, coaches and sponsors. September is a great month to capital grant applica on, child protec on
get involved. The Nursery sec on is open to children from Junior training and structures, Tennis Ireland strategic workshops,
Infants upwards and there are football teams for boys and girls from lobbying and visits to other clubs to review their progress and
U8’s right up to Minor level. Our Games Promo on Officer, Siobhán, sugges ons on how to develop BBTC. The year ended on a
will also be back coaching in the local primary schools. The club is a high for the club with news that we had secured a sports capi‐
wonderful local amenity comprising a modern clubhouse and two pitches, one which tal grant of 120k+ to refurbish and extend the current public
is floodlit. All the local schools use the facili es and the clubhouse can be hired by courts. Fingal County Council tender process ongoing.
members for private events. Message us on our club Facebook page, email: secre‐ DLTC Winter league for the women brought us to semi finals,
[email protected] and read our club notes on www.manowargfc.com though it was a tough winter for tennis. Our AGM in March
had a good turnout, and our programmes for juniors, begin‐
Velo Cycle Club Balrothery ners and club night began. May saw the start of the club
round robin and ladder compe ons, which good weather
Velo Club is a local cycling club established in 2015 by Dr. Conor McGrane and some
fellow local cyclists from Balrothery and surrounding Areas. The club has an ac ve encouraged. We held our annual Strawberries and Cream
membership of over 35 cyclists. The club caters for racing and recrea onal cyclists. compe on in July.
In the past year the club
has grown from strength As in previous years, we con nued to encourage access of the
to strength. We have public courts and tennis to community groups and individuals,
been excellently repre‐ running outreach coaching to local schools, and running
sented in both the racing coaching terms and ac vity days for special needs groups,
and leisure scene. We sponsored by Tennis Ireland and Fingal County Council.
have had members Increased membership has raised the standard of tennis, with
a end events all across club nights displaying excellent tennis, and DLTC league entry
Ireland and abroad. The increased. This year we have entered teams to every event
highlights in the past year bar Junior so far. Going forward, we will have the facili es
have been club member and numbers to field mul ple teams and levels.
Stano Baca winning the Going into August, the club host a mixed doubles compe on
A4 Dunsany GP race and Eddie Guildea successfully comple ng the gruelling 300km ending with a end of season Bar B Q. Get your rackets ready!
Dragon Spor ve in Wales.
There is a training spin which leaves form the gates of Balrothery Na onal School on www.balrotherybalbriggantennisclub.com
Saturdays Mornings at 8.30am, there is both a racing and leisure group. There are
also spins run on Sundays but usually during the winter months. If you are interested AED Fundraising update
in joining or coming along for a spin please contact the club for details:
Contact: Tony O’Farrell. (0872197139) VCB Secretary Back in April we started an appeal to raise
funds for a community AED, Automated
Email: [email protected] External Defibrillators that would be avail‐
able to use 24/7. Currently there is an
Balrothery Football Club AED available in Andrews Spar, shop
hours 7am to 10pm. Collec on boxes
Junior Knights Under 11’s who won the were placed in the local shops and
Shield in a football blitz played in Por‐ Balrothery Inn. Through you kind dona ons, some previous
trane over the weekend. You can say collected funds, Knight Sounds collec on, local private and
this is the first trophy to be won and it business sponsorship we are pleased to announce that we
didn't take long as they were only have raised enough money for two AED units with cabinets.
formed 2 years ago. Hopefully this tro‐ Loca ons in the Village are been sourced and the units will be
phy won't be alone in the cabinet for installed in the coming weeks. Group training course will be
long as the over 35's Older Knights are arranged, anyone interested in receiving some training please
currently top of their League with 5 email: [email protected]
games to play so we wish them well in
their remaining ba les to finish their season as league winners and take another
trophy back to the Barony.
Anyone with children interested in playing football for Balrothery FC please contact
the Club Secretary, senior players also welcome and any parents interested in coach‐
ing or helping are also much needed.
Balrothery FC would like to thank Minister Shane Ross and the Department of
Transport, Tourism & Sport for gran ng the club €19,580 in the 2017 Sports Capital
Programme. This grant will be used to purchase sports equipment that will be used
by all teams playing in the colours of Balrothery FC.

www.balrotheryfc.com

North County Cricket Club Many thanks to all who supported this great appeal.

Email: [email protected] Other local AED locaƟons
www.northcountycricketclub.net
• Man O’War GFC Clubhouse
Balbriggan Rugby FC • Balbriggan Golf Club
• Ring Commons Sports Club
Email: [email protected] • North County Cricket Club
www.balbrigganrfc.com

Email: [email protected] www.balrothery.com