| FEBRUARY
2012 |
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| JANUARY
2012 |
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Balbriggan and Skerries routes will not be cut
Source:
Fingal Independent |
| BUS ROUTES
in Skerries and Balbriggan will not be cut as Dublin Bus tightens its belt according
to a senior company official who said that buses in the area will be reorganised
but there would be no reduction of resources on these routes. He said that changes
to the scheduling in Skerries and Balbriggan would improve the service and give
commuters 'an extra little bit of confidence' in the timetable. The 33a to Swords
is to be extended to Dublin Airport as part of these changes according to Dublin
Bus area manager, Gareth Quinn. Cllr. Tom O'leary (FG) welcomed that news, saying
it would be a welcome development for both commuters and airport workers in Skerries.
The 33x express service to the city was praised by Cllr. O'leary and Cllr., Ken
Farrell (FG) who asked if there was plans to expand the service. Read the full
article here |
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Nine
Garda cars patrol Balbriggan District
Source: Fingal
Independent |
| NINE GARDA cars,
both marked and unmarked, patrol the Balbriggan district, according to the Justice
Minister. Minister Alan Shatter was responding to a Dail question from Labour
TD Brendan Ryan who asked, in light of the closure of Rush Garda Sation, on the
numbers of squad cars available in the area to serve the local area. He stated
that the nine cars cover Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk and that he had been
advised that there an effective policing service was being provided locally. Read
the full article here |
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Town
Plan Nominated for LOCI Award
Source: Fingal Independent |
| BALBRIGGAN'S
PUBLIC Realm Plan has gained national recognition with a nomination for the consultants
working on the project in the prestigious Irish Planning Institute Awards. Consultants
working on the Public Realm Plan for Balbriggan, LOCI, are nominated for an award
at the ceremony to be held at the Custom House on Thursday, February 16th and
will have some Balbriggan representatives at the awards to cheer them on. The
aim of the plan is to transform the centre of the town into a place buzzing with
commercial, social and cultural activity. LOCI along with Fingal County Council
in partnership with Balbriggan Town Council, the Heritage Council and Balbriggan
Chamber of Commerce prepared the Public Realm Plan for Balbriggan and called it
' The Heart of Balbriggan'. Read the full article here |
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| Irish
Guide Dogs for the Blind is looking for Volunteers! |
 14-Feb-12:
Irish Guide Dogs for the
Blind is calling on Dublin North and Dublin City center community members to 'get
going for Guide Dogs' and volunteer in 2012. The national charity is hosting a
volunteer information evening at Croke Park Hotel, Drumcondra at 8pm on February
21st to highlight the many ways volunteers can get involved in support of their
work.
Click
here to read more and find find out how to get involved
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| BREAKING
NEWS: Balbriggan.info to Stream the Balbriggan St. Patricks Day Parade
LIVE! |
 13-Feb-12:
We are working hard at the moment to put the wheels
in motion to stream the St Patricks Day Parade 'LIVE' on our website. We have
contracted the services of Lispopple Studios to broadcast and film the event and
we are very excited. With
so many young people heading off around the world to find work we don't want to
leave them out of the celebrations - let your friends and family around the world
know by sharing this page with them. For further
details click here |
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| Balbriggan
Allotments Update! |
 12-Feb-12:
The planning application for the Balbriggan
Allotments at Knocknagin Lane is now underway and the proposed development will
include the development of 260 allotments, car parking space for 50 cars, a new
vehicular entrance from Knocknagin lane, gravel and grass pathways, a watertank,
groundwater well and associated water supply.
Click
here to read more |
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| Superintendent
Joe Kelly's Retirement Party |
 12-Feb-12:
Balbriggan's Superintendent Joe Kelly is retiring at the end of the month
and friends, colleagues and family came together give him a great send off. The
room was full to capacity and with everyone paying €30 towards the night
with funds raised going to the Jack and Jill Foundation.
Click
here to read more and view some photos |
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| Balbriggan
Tidy Towns plant over 1,000 hedge plants in only 3 weeks! |
 11-Feb-12:
Balbriggan Tidy Towns team have had a third successive Saturday of planting.
This week (11th Feb) the team were on the verge across from the round-about on
the Harry Reynolds Road, planting 300 Pyracantha bushes up against a wall prone
to graffiti.
Click
here to read more... |
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| Strong
Entry for ALMC Spring Endurance Trial |
 11-Feb-12:
ALMC Motor Club's spring
Endurance Trial which takes place on Saturday the 18th February has attracted
a strong entry with many of the now regular trial competitors returning to the
event along with a number of debutants.
Click
here to read more |
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| Thank
You from Balbriggan Chamber of Commerce President
|
 10-Feb-11:
As President of the Balbriggan Chamber of Commerce I would
like to sincerely 'Thank' all those who contributed to making the 9th of February
a Day to remember in Balbriggan. Of course I am talking about the fantastic Balbriggan
Maritime Museum Exhibition which was attended by 990 visitor between the hours
of 9am and 9pm in the Bracken Court Hotel, Balbriggan.
Click
here to read more and view some photos |
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| Balbriggan
'Pop-Up' Maritime Museum Opens it's Doors |
 09-Feb-12:
Balbriggan hosted the first ‘pop-up’ Maritime Museum
in the Bracken Court Hotel on Thursday, 9th February . The museum will be open
until 9:00pm The museum was opened by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the
Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan TD. Pupils from the local schools got to visit and by
3pm over 700 people had attended. This is a huge success for the organisers. This
commmunity event is aimed at establishing a permanent Balbriggan Maritime Museum.
Click
here to read more and view some photos |
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| Balbriggan
Lions Club Present Cheque for €1,500 to Meals on Wheels |
 08-Feb-12:
The Balbriggan Lions Club
presented Balbriggan Meals
on Wheels with a Cheque for €1,500. The Lions Club would like to thank
their suppporters who make donations like this possible. This generous donation
was welcomed by Balbriggan Meals on Wheels as it will help them to continue their
great work.
Click
here to read more and view some photos |
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| Congratulations
to Sharon Gaynor-Campbell who made it through to The Voice of Ireland! |
 05-Feb-11:
Congratulations to Sharon Gaynor-Campbell who made
it through the blind auditions of The Voice of Ireland. Sharon
now joins Cian's team for the battle phase where each team of singers will be
mentored and developed by their coach.
Click
here to read more and find out how you can WIN tickets
to the LIVE Final of The Voice of Ireland |
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| Balbriggan's
Eric and Sharon Take Part in The Voice! |
 03-Feb-11:
Bressie, Sharon Corr,
Kian Egan and Brian Kennedy will take centre stage to find the Voice of Ireland,
in the ultimate talent show that's rewriting the rule book and taking the world
by storm.
Today
The Voice of Ireland posted a backstage video with husband and wife team Eric
Campbell and Sharon Gaynor Campbell. Click
here to read more and view the video |
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| Break-in
@ Mario's Toys on Dublin Street |
 03-Feb-12:
At around 4:00am this morning Mario's Toys on Dublin
Street was broken into and a lot of damage was done to the shop Fingerprints have
been taken and the Gardai are asking for any witnesses ...
Click
here to read more
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| Fingal
finalists feature in local authority awards |
25-Jan-12:
Fingal is well represented on the shortlsit for awards in this years Local
Authority Members Association (LAMA) Awards in association with IPB Insurance.
First held in 2006, the LAMA Awards were created to recognise local projects of
excellence in the areas of infrastructure, community development, recreation and
national impact initiatives. The process commences with nominations being made
by city and county councillors across the country followed by a formal detailed
applications process and then a process of short listing worthy projects. Finalists
from Balbriggan are: Town Bus Service Balbriggan (Balbriggan Town Council); Best
Public Building: AIB Balbriggan (Balbriggan Town Council); Best Environmentally-friendly
Initiative: Balbriggan Fish & Farmers Market (Balbriggan Town Council); Click
here to read the full article |
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Maritime
Museum In Balbriggan
Source: North County Leader
Newspaper |
| 23-Jan-12:
To coincide with the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic, Balbriggan Maritime
Museum have come up an unique initiative to mark the occasion. The Maritime Museum
will open its first ever ‘Pop Up’ exhibition for one day only, on Thursday, February
9th in the Bracken Court Hotel. Balbriggan has a rich Maritime history and visitors
will be able to get a front row glimpse into this thanks to the exhibition. Schools
and the community in general will have the opportunity to view a special showcase
of artefacts never seen in public before. The objective of the day is also to
win support for a permanent location to have a viable Maritime Museum. This museum
will be a not for profit tourism and heritage amenity serving the coastal communities
of Balbriggan, Skerries and the wider North County area. Read the full article
here |
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Balbriggan
Schools Excel In Scientist Awards
Source: North
County Leader Newspaper |
| 23-Jan-12:
Three secondary schools in Balbriggan have come up trumps in this year's
Young Scientist Awards. Ardgillan College, Balbriggan Community College and Loreto
Balbriggan all submitted various top quality projects to the competition. Frank
McLoughlin and Ruaidhri Kennedy, two first year students from Ardgillan Community
College, participated in BT Young Scientist with their project - 'To investigate
the effectiveness of homemade detergents to manufactured detergents and hence
reduce our carbon footprint'. They discovered from their project that homemade
detergents containing lemon juice and vinegar were better and more effective at
cleaning oil and limescale than three of the leading commercially manufactured
cleaning products on the Irish market. At the final on Friday 13th January last,
the boys were highly commended for their project. Projects from Balbriggan Community
College also took part in this year's competition. Read
the full article here |
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Opponents
for Christy hard to find
Source: Fingal Independent |
| 17-Jan-12:
RISING Bracken BC star Christopher O'reilly is set for a return to the ring next
Saturday when he fights Castlebar's Kevin Quinn at around 4pm in the Balbriggan
clubhouse. The 13-year-old has become a victim of his own success in recent months
and his scheduled opponent in the recent Dublin League final conceded a walkover.
And attempts to line him up with a fight in Bracken's big show on January 28th
have so far come to nothing, despite coach Kieran O'neill spreading the net to
London and Manchester. In Christmas week O'reilly showed no mercy to Stephen Geoghegan
(Crumlin) and then James Nevin, the Bracken youngster recording two comfortable
wins despite conceding two years to his latter opponent. Click
here to read the full story |
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Timeless
Tommy pulls off masterstroke in Munster
Source: Fingal
Independent |
| There
have been countless highlights in Tommy Caffrey's table tennis career, but last
week provided one of the best as he proved beyond all doubt that age is no barrier
to success. The occasion was the Munster Open Championship, a competition where
players are allowed to enter their own age group and one younger one. Always eager
to test himself to the limit, Balbriggan watchmaker Caffrey entered his own Over60s
section and by-passed the Over-50s to contest the Over-40s group where he went
all the way to claim the title! Read the full
story here |
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Musical
Generosity In Balbriggan
Source: North County Leader |
| 16-Jan-12:
Margaret Woods, a singer and songwriter well known in Balbriggan, has hit all
the right notes and donated ten per cent from the sale of her first musical album
to the St Vincent de Paul shop in Balbriggan. Margaret has been working as a volunteer
in Balbriggan charity shop for the past four years. “I really enjoy helping the
community. I think that St. Vincent de Paul is a great charity which really helps
the community in a practical way. It gives people the opportunity to give something
back.” Her first album ‘Hush Now’ was a great success, so Margaret is working
on its remix that could be another opportunity to support the charity shop. Read
the full story here |
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Balbriggan
School Wins Top Awards
Source: North County Leader |
| 16-Jan-12:
Balbriggan Educate Together National School has claimed two top awards at the
eircom Junior Spider Awards. The awards recognise Ireland’s most talented and
innovative users of the internet in primary and post primary schools. The school
was delighted to have scooped two awards, the Grand Prix award in the Mega Spiders
section and Best School Blog. Read the full story here |
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Balbriggan's
Anne joins 'Nationwide'
Source: Fingal Independent |
| BALBRIGGAN
NATIVE Anne Cassin has joined the Nationwide team, replacing veteran broadcaster
Micahel Ryan who retired before Christmas. Most recently seen presenting the annual
All Island School Choir Competition in Derry, which was one of the first events
attended by the new President of Ireland, Anne has been a newscaster with RTÉ
since 1998. For a number of seasons she has presented Capital D, a programme about
Dublin and its people. Capital D will not be in the schedules in 2012. Read
the full article here |
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Many
successes in Balbriggan district
Source: Fingal Independent |
BALBRIGGAN
Garda Station has given an indication of some of the successful operations it
has carried out during 2011 in a report given to the Fingal Joint Policing Committee
(JPC). The force in Balbriggan has said that in the past year it has mounted several
operations aimed at the detection of crime through what it calls ' high visibility
policing'. Operations Anvil, Hybrid, Creeper, Lush and Leto all followed this
pattern with designated checkpoints mounted by both uniformed and plain clothes
units in the detection of all kinds of crime. The year has also brought a special
effort on behalf of Balbriggan gardaí to improve security for older people in
the community through its Older Persons Strategy Implementation Plan. The plan
has involved that a personal visit is made by community police to any victim of
crime over 65 years of age. Click
here to read the full article |
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Clubs
are urged to join forces
Source: Fingal Independent |
BALBRIGGAN
has always been a hot bed for sport, with cricket, rugby, Gaelic games and of
course soccer extremely popular within the area. Not only that, the 2011Census
had Balbriggan Rural as the fasted growing part of the country since 2006. As
such it is disappointing that sporting facilities have not met with demand according
to former Balscadden Boys chairman and current 14E manager Kevin Kimmage. The
former cyclist, who moved to the area in 1995, has seen the area change and has
slammed the county council for dragging its feet on this issue. 'We have moved
from a monocultural community to a multi-cultural community, but between Balbriggan,
Glebe North, ourselves and other sporting clubs, facilities for the community
have totally been neglected. 'It's an absolute disgrace, given that we have many
estates that have over 1,000 people now. 'It would be nice if the various clubs
could join forces to get things done, but at the moment everyone is trying to
paddle their own canoe.' |
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CLLR. Snowe allowed to keep his seat
Source: Fingal
Independent |
| A BALBRIGGAN
town councillor who has spent the last year on tenterhooks to see if he would
be allowed keep his seat as he transferred to the new State agency Solas from
Fás has finally had it confirmed that he can continue to serve on Balbriggan Town
Council. Cllr Frank Snowe (NP) spent his last day in the Balbriggan Fas office
on Friday, December 30th and prepared to take up his new job for Solas, which
replaces Fas this year, in that organisation's Baldoyle offices. Cllr Snowe's
future on Balbriggan Town Council has been under threat because of fears that
Solas would be under the control of the Department of Social Protection and those
working for it would be deemed civil servants who are not allowed to hold political
office. Click
here to read the full article |
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Council
is tackling litter problem at cemetery
Source: Fingal
Independent |
| THE COUNCIL says
it is making strides in tackling a litter problem on a laneway close to Peter
and Paul's cemetery in Balbriggan. Balbriggan town councillor, Cllr Terry Kelleher
(SP) asked Fingal County Council to keep the area 'clean and tidy' and acknowledged
that 'significant progress' had been made on the issue in recent weeks. The council
detailed the recent work at the site, saying: ' There is regular litter picking
schedule carried out within the burial ground and along the adjacent lane. 'Following
Balbriggan Town Council's October meeting the area in the vicinity of the shopping
centre, Naul Road and Westbrook estate was examined and a litter bin was installed
at the entrance of Westbrook. Click
here to read the full article |
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| Blood
donors turn out in big numbers |
| SOME
107 donors attended the recently held blood donor clinic in St Maur's GAA Centre,
Rush. A breakdown of the total figures show that 10 first time donors and 10 former
donors attended the clinic and this augurs well for the continued success of the
Rush clinic. Meanwhile, some 200 donors attended the recent clinic in the Combined
Clubs Community Centre, Balbriggan, including 20 first-time donors and 17 former
donors. Click
here to read the full article |
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