NEWS FROM JULIANSTOWN by Niamh Bn. Uí Loinsigh
Beannachtaí na Casca oraibh go léir. Happy Easter to all the Residents of Julianstown and District and to those who are living abroad in all parts of the world.
The month of April gets its name from the Latin word aperio, meaning “to open [bud],” because plants really begin to grow now and in Irish folklore it is said that ‘3 doses of nettles in the month of April will prevent any disease for the rest of the year’.
The Full Pink Moon April’s full Pink Moon will rise on the night of Monday, April 26, reaching peak illumination at 11:33 P.M. Sorry to have to tell you it will not actually be pink!
Thank you to Cora and Maria Cunningham who have certainly brightened up the village with all the beautiful bows, eggs, and bunnies for Easter. So many people have commented “It brings a smile to my face when I see them”.
Julianstown Tidy Towns is continuing with the planting of the Wildflower and Dahlia Beds at Whitecross, and the Hill. If you and your family would like to help, please check out our Facebook Page for dates on which the planting will happen and you can work in your own bubble. If you happen to be in the garden, the beds there could do with some weeding and please feel free to pick a bed and look after it.
A great big thank you to Jim Rothwell for repairing the entrance to the garden which was damaged in a car accident, and thanks to Pat Kiernan for pruning the trees on the Laytown Road and cutting the grass the garden. Larry Lenehan has been busy strimming the long grass in the garden and along the roadside. Larry got a very pleasant surprise while cutting around the rocks when he came upon a Robins nest with 4 eggs in it. Let’s hope they all survive.
Dig in: Tips for April in the garden
- Plant some sweet pea (soak the seeds overnight). If you sowed sweet pea either last autumn/winter or earlier this year, you should have young, strong plants ready to be planted out in the garden this month. …
- If soil conditions aren’t too cold or too wet, mid-April is a good time to direct sow early varieties of peas, turnips, radishes, beetroot and parsnips outdoors into well-prepared, weed-free soil that’s been raked to a fine tilth.
- For flowers – Choose easy-to-grow, long-flowering kinds such as cosmos, marigolds, annual rudbeckia, amaranthus and ammi, all of which are also excellent as cut flowers. Seed is widely available from good garden centres and don’t forget we have Blacks Garden Centre on our doorstep.
- Can I plant potatoes in April? Potatoes prefer cool weather. In Northern regions, some gardeners will plant the first crop of early-maturing potatoes in early to mid-April, 6 to 8 weeks before the average last frost date or as soon as the soil can be worked; they can survive some cool weather, but the threat of frost is a gamble.
Litter
Thanks to all the local Community Members who are going the extra mile in these difficult times to ensure that roads are as litter-free as possible. One annoying aspect of the litter being disposed of on the roads, is that most of it could be recycled. Aluminium cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles, paper and tyres can be recycled. A small number of litter pickers are available to Community Members who need one, contact the 086 3477283 if you would like to help. Please do not leave it to the faithful few, everyone has a part to play. It is our Community after all. If helping, please ensure compliance with Public Health Guidelines and Safety measures. Thanks, in anticipation! If you were watching TV last week you may have seen Gormanston Beach being shown as a place which has seen a huge increase in domestic rubbish being dumped since the Covid 19 lockdown began. It’s not just the beach but backroads are also becoming blackspots for dumping. Report any dumping to the environmeath@meathcoco.ie
Julianstown & District Community Association committee members had a (Zoom) meeting with engineers from the transport department of Meath Co. Co. in relation to the Traffic Calming. It is now at a stage where it will be submitted to An Board Pleanála. It will cost €2.5 million to complete (council has €800,000 earmarked at present) and will apply to get the rest from Central funding on approval. In Phase I three raised platforms will be created at Whitecross, the Duleek Road junction and the Laytown Road junction with improved kerbing. Footpaths, public heritage lighting, signage, cycle lanes, pedestrian lights and improved bus stops will be earmarked for Phase II. All the maps etc will be on view for the Public to view when planning has been obtained.
Duleek & District Text Alert – If you live in Julianstown or surrounding areas and would like to renew your membership for Text alerts just go to the Facebook page of Duleek & District Text Alert page and click on the link to pay!
St. Mary’s Catholic Church Julianstown – A Note of appreciation from Fr. Declan Kelly, P.P.
“I would like to thank the schools and all the parishioners who paid tribute to Fr. M.V. Daly as he was laid to rest in the grounds of St. Patrick’s Church, Stamullen. It was especially heartening to see those who attended at the burial and those who lined the route in Julianstown and Stamullen as his cortege passed on its way to the Church”.
Due to Covid restrictions we will continue to upload Mass from the Parish on the YouTube channel at 10 am on Sunday but you can go to the Parish website: www.sjparish.ie and scroll down to the bottom left- hand side of the screen. Click into the YouTube channel.
St. Mary’s Church of Ireland Julianstown. Dear Parishioners and Friends “As we work our way through Holy Week and move towards Easter I would like to wish you a very blessed and happy time and to thank you for your support and encouragement”. Rev. Katharine Poulton
This week an online service takes place each morning at 10.30am and there will be a service on Easter Day at that time too. Next week, the week following Easter Day there will be no services, but they will resume on Sunday 11th April at 10.30am.
Whitecross National School is accepting enrolments in all classes from Junior infants to Fifth Class. For further information please email whitecrossns@gmail.com or phone 041 9829229.
Keep in contact: Please keep in contact with your relatives and neighbours, especially the elderly, and those living alone, during these challenging times. A phone call will always be welcome. You can contact us at julianstowndca@gmail.com or Facebook Julianstown & District Community Association.