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Thursday, September 30, 2010

Malahide Lions Club - Diabetes Screening Sessions

From time to time, Malahide Lions organise a series of screening sessions for Diabetes, a potentially debilitating illness if left undetected.

The Lions act as facilitators only. The testing is conducted by qualified nursing or medical personnel who carry out a simple blood test (involving a needle prick to the finger). In cases where a certain level of blood sugar is recorded, the participants will be referred to his / her own G.P.

The next Diabetes Screening Sessions shall be held today, Thursday, 30th September 2010 from 11am until 1pm at McCabes Pharmacy, Malahide and tomorrow, Friday, 1st October 2010 from 11am until 1pm at the Medical Hall.

All are encouraged to attend.

Sarah Ann McGrath

Monday, September 27, 2010

Positive Ageing Week 2010

Positive Ageing Week 2010 runs from Friday, 24th September 2010 to Saturday, 2nd October 2010.

Positive Ageing Week is a festival which highlights the positive aspects of ageing and celebrates the contribution older people have made and continue to make to their communities.

The central aim of Positive Ageing Week is to dispel the many negative perceptions that surround ageing and to transform attitudes towards ageing and older people. We need to celebrate the fact that we are living longer, that ageing is not a burden but an opportunity.

Age Action coordinates Positive Ageing Week. Events and activities are organised by active retirement groups, local voluntary groups, nursing homes, libraries, commercial organisations and individual older people themselves.

This is the 8th year Age Action has marked UN International Day of Older Persons (1st October) and each year Positive Ageing Week has become bigger and better. Last year over 700-recorded events took place in 26 counties throughout the country and this year we are hoping for at least 850, including many from across the border.

In Malahide, a Bridge Game shall take place on Wednesday, 29th September 2010 from 2pm until 4:30pm in the Malahide Regional Bridge Club, Broomfield, Malahide. All grades are most welcome to attend. For more information in relation to this event, please contact Anne Doyle on 01 6905890.

For more information in relation to Positive Ageing Week, please log onto http://www.ageaction.ie/positive-ageing-week.htm

Sarah Ann McGrath

All-Ireland Ladies' Senior Football Championship

Congratulations to Malahide girls Sinead Aherne and Niamh McEvoy who played for Dublin in yesterday's afternoon's All-Ireland Ladies' Senior Football Championship.

Sinead Aherne was Player of the Game with 2-07 (2-04 from play) when Dublin captured their first ever All Ireland Ladies title.

Niamh McEvoy also looked very much at home in Croke Park when she came on in the second half, as did all the Dublin girls.

Both girls play for St. Sylvester's, Malahide.

The final score in Croke Park was Dublin 3-16 and Tyrone 0-09.

Well done to all!

Sarah Ann McGrath

Friday, September 24, 2010

Fingal Chamber Choir

Fingal Chamber Choir has resumed at 7:30pm in St. George's National School, Balbriggan.

New members are very welcome.

All prospective members are auditioned.

For more information, please visit www.fingalchamberchoir.org

Sarah Ann McGrath

Fingal Autumn Craft Fair

Fingal’s biggest Autumn Craft Fair shall take place on Sunday, 26th September 2010 at the G.A.A. Complex, St. Maurs, Rush from 11am until 5pm.

It will host around 40-50 stalls with different crafts such as woodwork, patchwork, jewellery, glass art, designer knitwear, beauty products, fashion items, baking, jams, chutneys and pickles, sweets, flowers, candles, toys, paintings, photography and much more.

All are most welcome to attend.

All profits from stall rental will go to the Hospice and the Jack & Jill Foundation.

For more information or if you wish to book a table, please telephone Irene on 01 8490176; Maud on 01 8417833 or Hella on 0876407824.

Sarah Ann McGrath

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Malahide Tennis News

Ireland's Colin O'Brien made a 1,000-mile journey yesterday in an attempt to make up for his disappointing experience in the A.T.P. Slovenian Open Challenger in Ljubljana.

O'Brien came up short in the second round of qualifying on a 6-07-6 (7/5) scoreline to Croatian Dino Marcan, and just a few hours later he flew to Manchester en route to the lower-tier I.T.F. Futures event in Wrexham.

The Malahide left-hander will team up today with his regular doubles partner, James Cluskey, in the pairs competition.

And the north Dublin duo, who are the top seeds, face unseeded British pair Miles Bugby and Marcus Willis in their opening contest.

Sarah Ann McGrath

90 Teams to Compete in Ladies Football 7's

Players from Naomh Mearnog and Sylvesters were on hand at Tesco Clarehall, Dublin to reveal details of the Tesco All Ireland Ladies Football Club Sevens tournament which takes place in Malahide on the Saturday, 25th September 2010.

90 teams from across the length and breadth of the country, as well as teams from the UK and Europe, shall partake in the Tesco All Ireland Ladies Football Club Sevens tournament at Naomh Mearnog/Sylvesters GAA Clubs.

There are six trophies up for grabs on the day as the tournament is played across three grades Senior, Intermediate and Junior with a Championship and Shield competition in each grade.

Last years' senior sevens champions Emyvale of Monaghan return to defend their title, whilst 2008 winners Naomh Mearnog shall have to make do without a number of senior county stars who line out for Dublin in the All Ireland Senior Championship final in Croke Park the following day.

2009 intermediate sevens champions Brian Boru's of Tipperary will be hoping for a second consecutive successful raid on the capital while reigning junior sevens champions Ardtrea of Derry also return to defend their title.

Among the teams competing will be three teams from London; Dulwich Harps, Parnells and Holloway Gaels as well as two teams from mainland Europe; Europe and An Eoraip.

The tournament starts at 10am at Naomh Mearnog/Sylvesters. Tournament finals are expected to commence at 5.00pm across all grades.

For more information regarding this event, please contact Lyn Savage in the Ladies Gaelic Football Association on 01 8363156 or log onto http://www.ladiesgaelic.ie/

Sarah Ann McGrath

420 Training at Malahide

Malahide Yacht Club shall be hosting a series of 420 coaching days on the Broadmeadows, Malahide over four Saturdays in October 2010.

The four sessions shall run from 9:30am until 5:30pm on Saturday, 2nd October 2010; Saturday, 9th October 2010; Saturday, 16th October 2010 and Saturday, 23rd October 2010.

The sessions are open to anybody who has been competing in dinghies at regional or national level and who has achieved a standard equivalent to ISA Kites and Wires 1 with spinnaker and trapeze.

Graeme Grant, an experienced international coach and former 420 and 470 sailor, shall be in charge of coaching each session.

The cost for four sessions is €100 per person using their own boat. Malahide Yacht Club has two well-maintained 420's that are available to suitably experienced sailors who would like to try sailing in the 420 Class. The cost of four sessions using a club boat is €200 per person, while a €250 per person damage deposit will also be required from anybody using a club boat.

Malahide Yacht Club welcomes discussion with any interested parties about the timing and venues for more 420 coaching in the Dublin area over the winter months.

For further information please contact Brian McDowell at brian@mcdowell.ie

Sarah Ann McGrath

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Fingal Enterprise Week 2010 - Monday, 27th September 2010 until Friday, 1st October 2010

Fingal Enterprise Week is a series of major enterprise events taking place in a variety of locations throughout the Fingal area including:

The Business Panel - Questions & Answers (Europa Academy, Swords)
Finance and Funding Symposium (The Grand Hotel, Malahide)
New Opportunities through Green Business & Innovation and E-Business events (Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown & Crowne Plaza Hotel, Blanchardstown)
Business Information Seminars (Europa Academy, Swords & Bracken Court Hotel, Balbriggan)
Mentoring Clinics (BASE, BEaT, Drinan Enterprise Centres and The LINC, Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown)
Business Networking (The Carlton Hotel, Cloghran)
Case Studies (Europa Academy, Balheary Road, Swords)
Locating Your Business - Open Day (BASE, BEaT, Drinan & LINC Enterprise Centres)

All events are free of charge to businesses and start-ups located in Fingal.

Please note that advance booking is essential.

For more information, please visit http://www.fingalenterpriseweek.ie/

Sarah Ann McGrath

Malahide Toastmasters

Malahide Toastmasters meet in the Grand Hotel, Malahide at 8pm on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month from September to May.

The next meeting shall take place on Wednesday, 22nd September 2010.

For further information, please call 0872216839.

Sarah Ann McGrath

Malahide Musical and Dramatic Society - The Pirates of Penzance

Rehearsals for Malahide Musical and Dramatic Society’s next show, ‘The Pirates of Penzance’, has now commenced.

Production shall be staged in February 2011.

All new members are very welcome.

For more information, please phone 0866035320.

Sarah Ann McGrath

Malahide Rugby Club

Malahide 1st XV play their first league match of the season this Sunday, 26th September 2010 at home to Guinness. Kick Off is at 3pm.

All are most welcome to come down and support the team, led again by Eamonn Glesson, and the new Head Coach Rick Evans.

Please show your support and help Malahide get off to a winning start in their push for promotion this season!

Sarah Ann McGrath

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Win a Fashion Photo Shoot!

If your child goes to a Malahide School just text your name and school name to 0879347200 by Friday, 17th September 2010.

One lucky family from each school shall be chosen for an amazing fashion photo shoot with Ireland’s Children’s Photographer of the Year, Giggles and Smiles Photography.

Wardrobe, makeup and hair styling will be provided by: Divine, Toni & Guy, Gentlemen of Distinction, O’Couture, Peter Mark, Jeffery Adams, Mischief, Camille Boutique, Salon Euphoria, All About Eve, Blue Moon, McCabes, Makeup by Ash and Pink Bijou.

Fashion shoot portraits will be unveiled at the Girls Night Out with Giggles and Smiles Photography, an evening of fashion, makeup and style tips so you look and feel absolutely fabulous! This shall take place on Wednesday, 20th October 2010 at 8pm in the Grand Hotel, Malahide.

For more information in relation to this, please contact Giggles and Smiles Photography at 01 8061582 or visit www.facebook.com/gigglesandsmiles to get all the latest details.

Sarah Ann McGrath

Gaeltacht Bheag

Gaeltacht Bheag is starting back this Friday, 17th September 2010 from 8pm in St. Sylvester's G.A.A. Club, Malahide.

Gaeltacht Bheag consists of Irish Conversation classes; Irish music classes; and set dancing classes.

These classes are then followed by a trad /ballad session from 10pm until 12:30am.

All classes cater for both beginners and improvers. They are great fun and a great way to spend the winter months!

For more information, please contact Ann on 0872408323.

Sarah Ann McGrath

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Another Gold Medal for Malahide

Congratulations to the Tidy Town Group in winning another Gold medal at this year's competition.

Malahide got 289 points this year, up two on last year, while the overall competition winner, Tallanstown in County Louth, received 308 points.

In our category, the highest scoring town was Kilkenny at 306 points while the highest scoring town in Fingal was Skerries at 301 points.

We still have some way to go to win this competition outright but we are now well on that road.

Below is the Judges report on Malahide that seems to be full of positives.

Overall Development Approach:
Thank you for a most comprehensive and detailed entry. Thank you for including your new plan and well done for taking on board so much of the last adjudicator’s report. Your plans are ambitious and far-reaching but you have retained the core values of the competition. Well done on the use of modern technology for communicating with your members – this is the first time the adjudicator has read about a TidyTowns Blog. Great!

The Built Environment:
The Marina looked really well on the day of the visit – it was a beautiful day and the perfect conditions to see Malahide! The train station looks great: living heritage. The Garda station must be one of the nicest in the country. The Grand Hotel looks as good as ever. St. James’ Terrace looks good too. There are some really fine shopfronts, pubs leading the way on quality and conservation of old styles. However, even some of the newest shops looked very well and all around was lots of floral decoration. The library is a lovely building.

Landscaping:
A very high standard of landscaping was seen almost throughout. New street and Main Street were very well adorned and the marina area looked very good. Is the additional seating in place?

Wildlife and Natural Amenities:
Well done on all the projects you have underway to date. It’s great to see a group celebrating Biodiversity Year and Week. The adjudicator could not locate the wildflower project area. You might wish to work on the map before next year! Do work closely with Fingal County Council’s Biodiversity Officer on these projects. As last year’s adjudicator pointed out, highly important sites are on your doorstep and raising awareness of these will be very important.The Demesne is just superb. Hundreds of people were there on adjudication day and it didn’t feel even slightly crowded! There are a range of habitats here and this is an ideal venue for outings and project work.

Litter Control:
Litter was seen in several locations on adjudication day. Most of this was around the marina and main cross roads. However, this is not an insurmountable problem and your ongoing anti-litter work is to be commended. Your plan sets out a good roadmap for progress, particularly in terms of awareness.

Waste Minimisation:
The adjudicator isn’t sure that you’ve grasped the core task at hand in this category. You are advised to read the Tidy Towns Handbook on how to proceed in this section of the competition. This category is not about recycling but on the prevention of waste arising in the first instance. You are advised to work with the schools on this section of the competition. You could also get advice from Fingal County Council’s environmental awareness officer.

Tidiness:
Some areas for improvement remain. There are some dirty signposts (eg Main street), poor weed control (eg Marina walk), unfilled planters (eg at public toilets) and unpainted railings (eg Tennis Courts). Well done on the appointment of specialist teams for graffiti, weeds etc.

Residential Areas:
A very high standard is seen among the many houses and gardens in the estates and individual houses of Malahide. Some estate signs seem to be missing or perhaps obscured. Well done for getting talking to residents’ groups this is a very important step. Again, dedicated litter-patrols are the way to go. How many of these do you have?

Roads, Streets and Back Areas:
Well done for your far-sighted approach to this category. The establishment of walking routes is a great initiative. Any plans to make cycling safer or easier? This town is lovely to travel about on a bike and the adjudicator was pleased to see several cyclists and lots of parked bikes at the station! There are some damaged kerbstones opposite St. James’ Terrace and missing flag stones on the Marina Walk. The flags idea sounds great. It looks good in other towns.

General Impression:
This is really enjoyable town to visit and explore. Traffic is nightmarish at times but it is good to hear that you are tackling this in your plan. There are a few areas where lot s of work remains. You’ve begun to tackle the wildlife category as suggested last year. Why not concentrate on waste minimisation for 2011-12? Thanks for all your work.

Second Round Adjudication:
I was very pleased to have been invited to give a second opinion on Malahide, which is doing so well in the competition. I find myself in accord with the first adjudicator. Malahide does particularly well on parks, suburban landscaping and the appearance of its housing areas – the latter including the older residential treats and the newer apartment and town-house areas. Not having been in Malahide for several years it was good to note that the Robwall locality – some of the homes taking their cue from the 19th century terraces of the town centre – is as neat and gracious as one might wish (though perhaps the town houses need variety of colour? – this could come later). When the trees grow up it will be very attractive indeed. In the long term the one-storey shops in the town centre inevitably have a look of impermanence and , should there be a major development here, would look much better if the buildings were increased to two or three storeys to match their surroundings – this comment is an aside and does not involve the marking. On the matter of your Development Plan for 2010 – 2014, this is well thought through and, unlike many Plans that we see, gives clear objectives year-by-year rather than simply a list of what needs to be done. Your candid mention of areas or sites that need addressing is admired. It is very good to read in your documentation that young people are involved. It is hoped that your admirable plans for off-centre parking will bear fruit. All good wishes for the hard work that goes into making Malahide such an attractive town.

Sarah Ann McGrath

Local Powerboat Instructor Competes in Cycle Race Around Ireland

Race Around Ireland is part of the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association (U.M.C.A.) World Cup series which includes other huge endurance races such as Race Across America. Unlike other cycling races such as the RÁS or the Tour de France, the course is in no way roped off. There are no marshals controlling traffic flow and there are no planned rest stops or stages in this event. Once the clock starts in Navan at the starting time, it won’t stop until each rider reaches the finish line at the end of the 2,100 km circuit.

As you read this, the endurance cycle Race Around Ireland (www.racearoundireland.com) is well underway.

Dave Garvey, from local watersports centre D.M.G. Sailsports, is driving one of the support vehicles for John Mahon who is an instructor with D.M.G. Sailsports, and his cycle partner, Murt.

The race is an amazing feat and challenge to undertake a 2100km continuous cycle race over this week.

It's challenges like these that remind us we're alive, how good it is to do crazy things sometimes just to see if we can, and all the while we're helping others.

John and Murt are raising money for AWARE who are aiming to defeat depression. Every little penny helps, so please donate whatever you can online at http://sponsorme.aware.ie/event/race-around-ireland-september-12th/wheelsofdestiny/.

Best of luck to all involved!

Sarah Ann McGrath

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

J.C.I. Fingal present Embedded Corporate Social Responsibility

There is much talk in the media about corporate social responsibility. For many people this means little more than a limited philanthropic exercise – cheques to a charity or some employee volunteering in a local community. But what is real corporate social responsibility? How can we recognize it in action? What does it mean to us in our day to day work?

Gráinne Madden, who runs G.M.J. Associates Corporate Responsibility Consultants, will share her insights on the topic on Tuesday, 14th September 2010 at 8pm in the Grand Hotel, Malahide. This event, which is organised by J.C.I. Fingal, is open to all and is free of charge.

With over 20 years of business experience in various roles prior to founding GMJ Associates, Gráinne brings a pragmatic approach to her consulting and training work with client companies.

She obtained her MBA from the Smurfit Graduate School of Business in Dublin in which she specialised in Business Ethics. Her research has been published in the Journal of Business Ethics. As well as working with various client companies and organisations she lectures on corporate responsibility to MBA students.

What is J.C.I. all about?

Junior Chamber International is a worldwide nonprofit organisation which contributes to the advancement of the global community. J.C.I. provides young people in their 20s and 30s the opportunity to develop the leadership skills, social responsibility, entrepreneurship and fellowship necessary to create positive change. Members gain personally and professionally through training and self development programmes. This can be achieved through leading teams, organising events, increasing skills and networking. J.C.I. also provides opportunities to travel and meet fellow members from all parts of the globe. In 2010, members will attend events in Scotland, the UK, Denmark and Japan among others. All members are welcome to attend these conferences and training events. Bill Clinton, Kofi Anan, Al Gore and Bill Gates are all J.C.I. Alumni.

If you would like to find out more about J.C.I., please email fingal@jci-ireland.org for more information.

Sarah Ann McGrath

Back to School - Scooter Offer

Malahide going back to school much easier and much more exciting with the selection of Mini Micro Scooters and Maxi Micro Scooters available from Village Books, Malahide.

The former cost only €65, are available in blue and pink and are suitable for ages 3 to 6 years; with the latter only €110, available in black and purple and available for ages 6 years plus.

Sarah Ann McGrath

Malahide Calendar 2011


Village Books, Malahide has a new Malahide calendar in stock for the year 2011, featuring gorgeous photographs of our scenic village.
This is the third Malahide calendar by Cian Farrell and retails for only €10.
Sarah Ann McGrath

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Enjoy Malahide

Enjoy Malahide was featured on page 56 of yesterday's Irish Daily Star in the Money Matters section for their important role in promoting tourism and business in Malahide.

The article mentioned Malahide Castle, the seaside location and highlighted the range of business here, as well as praising enjoymalahide.com as, “an invaluable reference for both tourists and locals alike”.

Promoting Malahide and its amenities to both locals and potential visitors from home and abroad is the primary aim of Enjoy Malahide, so its fantastic for their site to be recognised for this.

Also, they would like to say a huge thank you to all of their Facebook fans as they were also singled out for the big part they play in helping Enjoy Malahide promote all the events, special offers and news in and around Malahide.

Sarah Ann McGrath