< PreviousJanuary 2017 The Meath Coaster ©40Laytown Tidy TownsThe switching on of the Christmas lights in Laytown took place on Saturday 10th December. The event started with carol singing by the crowd of spectators present. looking clean. Well done Bobby!Looking for a new year’s resolution which is not too demanding and easy to keep? Why not join us, even occasionally, and help us to extend the area we clean up. The main road out towards Sonairte is always in need of attention. If we had a few more volunteers we could easily keep it litter free.We wish you all a very happy New Year!Thomas Behan made a short speech in which he thanked all who supported the event. He particularly thanked council-lors Sharon Tolan and Eimear Ferguson for their support. Thanks were also given to Elite Landscaping for collecting the tree, putting it up and helping to decorate it. There were fireworks in the background after the lights were on, and mulled wine was on offer in Gilna’s Cottage Inn after-wards. A great evening was had by all!We have been active as always on Satur-day mornings, clearing all the litter from the village, the playground, the carpark and the beach. We can’t help but notice how much less rubbish is left by the bottle banks since the return of the CCTV!We are very grateful for the work of local community volunteer Bobby Murray, who recently took on the task of cleaning the Seafields. His first excursion was a mam-moth task, but he says there is now very little to be done. He plans to continue doing it every few days to keep the place Considering a return to education in 2017?Make a start by calling in to the Adult Education Guidance and Informa-tion Service of LMETB (Louth and Meath Education and Training Board). We hold a monthly drop-in morning in the Alpha Centre, old Coláiste na hInse, Bettystown and will be there on Tuesday morning 17 January, 10am to 12.30pm providing in-formation on education and training pro-grammes, full-time and part-time. January is a good time to time to put a plan in place and there are many opportunities for the adult learner. Feel free to drop in on Tuesday 17 January or telephone ahead to make an appoint-ment for an alternative date. We are also available to speak to adult groups in any community setting. Please contact Steph-anie or Ann, Monday to Friday on 041 98 42030, email laegis@lmetb.ie. January 2017 The Meath Coaster ©41Jill’s Kitchen Pork CasseroleHappy New Year! I hope 2017 brings with it lots of love, health & happiness. January is traditionally a month where ‘comfort food’ is very much in need. This month I am sharing my pork casserole with you. Pork is a sometimes over looked piece of meat that tastes delicious in this dish. I hearty family dinner served with regular or sweet potato mash and some fresh greens.Ingredients: Serves 41 tbsp olive oil4 pork loin chops or 2 shallots or one small onion, finely chopped1 garlic clove finely chopped1 jar of apple sauce400ml chicken stock400ml apple juice1 tsp Dijon mustard100ml double creamMethodPreheat oven 150°c/gas mark 2Pan fry pork chops in olive oil until lightly browned on either sideRemove chops from pan and set aside in a casserole dish with a lidAdd the shallot or onion to the pan and fry until softenedAdd garlic and cook for 30 secondsRemove onion & garlic from pan and put into casserole dishAdd chicken stock and deglaze the panAdd apple sauce, apple juice and mustard to pan with chicken stock and stir wellAllow mixture to come to boil and reduce slightlyPour the sauce over the chops and onion/garlicCover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes in ovenRemove from oven and add double creamReturn to oven for approximately 20 minutesRemove from oven and serve with your choice of sidesDeglaze: to add wine or other liquid to a pan in which meat has been roasted or sau-teed, so as to make a sauce that incorporates the cooking juiceWishing you all a Healthy New Year. www.cookitkids.com hello@cookitkids.com www.facebook.com/CooKitKidswww.jillskitchen.ie jill@jillskitchen.ieJanuary 2017 The Meath Coaster ©42Fundraiser for A smile for RyanOn the evening of December 2nd, a crowd gathered in Laytown & Bettystown Lawn Tennis Club. Upon their arrival they found their clubhouse trans-formed into a winter wonderland, with Christmas music playing and Santa’s little helpers running around organising tennis, food and drink. What was the occasion? Their annual Christmas fundraiser – this time in aid of “A Smile For Ryan”. Ryan Coyle is a two-year-old boy from Duleek who was diagnosed at the start of the year with stage 4 Neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer that most often affects children under five years of age. Ryan’s parents set up “A Smile for Ryan” in a bid to raise €300,000 to send Ryan to America for the only treatment currently available to prevent relapse. This is a trial treatment in America called DFMO, which will take a further 18 months and will require Ryan to travel to America every 3 months for tests and treatment.On the night in question at the tennis club, many local businesses and people donated amazing prizes, outdoing themselves with their generosity. Tennis was played in two lots – from 7:00 to 7:45 and from 7:45 to 8:30. Following tennis participants were treated to a hot dinner, with a drink and a delicious selection of desserts. The raffle and lucky dips were a great success with what seemed like a never-ending supply of prizes, big and small on offer to the lucky winners. We were delighted to welcome Mr Owen O’Brien on the night who represented “A Smile for Ryan” and he thanked the club for their extraordinary generosity. All in all, the tennis club raised over €2,000 for Ryan and hope it will go somewhat to helping with the treatment he requires. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the local businesses and the organising committee for their generos-ity with prizes and organisational skills in putting together a fantastic night which lasted well into the wee hours. by Barbara Murphy §January 2017 The Meath Coaster ©43of the Year - Woodland Badger Springs in their shoes award - Orla Clarke and Cois-nocht Club Superstars - Mairead Dolan and Prince Club Member of the Year 2016 - Lindsey ilona BradyCastle Hill Riding Club Some of the members of Castlehill RC recently swapped their boots and jodhpurs, for suits and ballgowns to at-tend the annual North Eastern Region rid-ing club’s ball.It was held in Kettles Country House Hotel where they danced the night away until the early hours. There was incred-ible friendship and comradery on display, proving that the support our members give each other is the reason our club remains so strong. Well done to the girls nominated for regional awards, and they are all looking forward to donning their finery again in 2017. NER Riding Club’s Ball 2016Award winner Barbara King with Ruth CallanAward winner Niamh Murphy with Ruth CallanThe club also held it’s annual AGM and awards night in December, and thanks to everyone who attended. Congratulations to all our club award winners listed below: Best New Recruit - Francis HandPrimary Rider of the Year - Caroline Prone Best Team Player - Grainne Cronin Most Improved Combination - Barbara King and Rambo Club Spirit Award - Cathy Flanagan Top Groom - Paul O’Brien Dres-sage Diva - Lisa O’Brien Ones to Watch in 2017 - Niamh Murphy and Hope Horse Huge thanks go to the outgoing commit-tee of 2016, especially to Ruth Callan and Jeanine Curtis, who are stepping down from their roles as Chairperson and PRO. Best of luck to the committee of 2017, made up of Stacy Forsyth (Chairperson), Lindsey ilona Brady (Secretary), Ol-ivia Nolan (Treasurer) and Lisa O’Brien (PRO). We’d like to wish all our friends and mem-bers a very Happy New Year. We look for-ward to what 2017 has to bring.For more information, please “like” our page on Facebook, or contact Lindsey on 087 - 2285109. . §January 2017 The Meath Coaster ©44Ms. Ward’s and Ms. Stapleton’s First Class Christmas ConcertCuan na Réaltaí - Having Fun During Gymnastics!For the past seven weeks we have been taking part in gymnastics as part of our Physical Education curriculum. We have learned how to do lots of different things such as tumbles, forward rolls and handstands. We love going to gymnastics Réalt na Mara G.N.S.Réalt na Mara’s Cúan na Réaltaí have been very busy !as it helps us improve our gross motor skills and co-ordination. The best thing about it all is that we get to catch up with all of our friends in Senior Infants! Have a look at us in action!From Cuan na Realtaí Miss Tully We had lots of fun cooking this year. We loved making scones, buns, sandwiches and toast—we made it all by ourselves. We are looking forward to making pizza next!! We will put some tomato sauce, cheese, ham, tomato, sausages, peppers, Ms. Sweeneys class at P.E.Ms. Sweeneys class at P.E.January 2017 The Meath Coaster ©45mushrooms and sweet corn on top. We got a lovely new path in the grass outside our classroom too! Each stepping stone has a Newgrange design on it. We planted daffodil bulbs in the ground in No-vember. First we dug into the grass with a spade, then we planted the bulb with the pointed end facing up. We hope they will grow in the spring when the weather starts to get warm again. Réalt na Mara girls’ school enjoying a Christmas singalong on Christmas Jumper Day Friday 16th December in aid of Temple Street Children’s Hospitaltre to school where they visited some of the Junior and Senior classes. Here they chatted and listened carefully, taking notes, as the children outlined their Christ-mas wishes. A great day was had by all. §Santa and Mrs Clause walk to schoolThere was great excitement on Wednes-day 14th December when Santa and Mrs Clause joined the pupils, teachers and par-ents of Donacarney Realt na Mara Girls and Boys schools for their weekly“ Walk on Wednesday”. Santa and Mrs Clause walked from the Community Cen-January 2017 The Meath Coaster ©46Cilles Athletic ClubHappy New Year everybody, hope you all had a blast over the festivi-ties. Well now that all the celebrating and over indulgence is over for a few months (roll on Easter!) we can get down to mak-ing and keeping some new year’s resolu-tions. Could 2017 be the year you get into running? If you’d like to take part, get in contact with us via the webpage www.cillesac.ie or message us through our Fa-cebook page Cilles Athletic Club. Juvenile AthleticsThe juveniles of Cilles AC have been mak-ing their presence felt in the cross coun-try world over the last couple of months. We’re currently 1st place in Grade B in the Meath cross country league table after a couple of very successful run meets. A good turnout from Cilles at the next meet could see us promoted to Grade A, keep an eye on the Facebook page to see how it goes and of course we’ll keep you up-dated via the Coaster. On the 11th of December our youngsters were out representing club and county at the national cross country championships. It’s a huge achievement to get to the start line of one of these events due to the level of competition in the qualification races. A big thank you to the coaches and par-ents for their time and encouragement and a big well done to all our young athletes, you make us very proud.Best of luck to our juveniles heading up to The Antrim international cross country on January 14th, have a great day everybody.Senior AthleticsIt’s a new year and it brings new goals. At Cilles we’ve been quietly putting in the training over the winter months, look-ing forward to a calendar of great events in 2017(including our own B-5). We’ve initiated a program of strength and condi-tioning with locals A&S Fitness, aiming to improve our fitness and prevent injury. We’re doing VO2 max testing in the form of a two mile trial, the aim is to figure out how efficiently your body takes oxygen from the air to power your muscles. Then using the results you train to a program that will aim to improve your running. The trails will be every two weeks, can’t wait for the next one.AGMOur AGM will take place this coming Feb-ruary, the date will be announced shortly. Please make every effort to attend, feed-back, new ideas and your support make this club what it is.Bettystown B-5 race 2017A date for the Calender - Tuesday July 18th 8pm is the date for the third B-5. It’s a fast flat five mile in Bettystown and it has been an absolute blast for the past 2 years. Registration will open 12 weeks before the race, there’ll be plenty of updates be-tween now and then, watch The Coaster, Facebook and webpage for full details of entry. Bigi linn ag rith § Leinsters juveniles 2017January 2017 The Meath Coaster ©47The guest of honour on the night was Des Smyth, a European Tour player for over 40 years, who presented many of the tro-phies and prizes to the successful young golfers at the club. 2016. Tommy Weir and Phil O'Gorman, Club Presidents, attended as did Club Pro, Scott Kirkpatrick who has spend countless hours coaching the young girls and boys on the practice ground over the last 12 months. The atmosphere at this annual cer-ebration of junior golf is always wonderful and the juniors will soon be back out in force on the fairways in the new year.Ellie Metcalfe - Winner of Wickham Cup (U-19 Girls Strokeplay)Laytown & Bettystown Golf ClubJunior Captains DinnerThe end of the Junior Golf year at Laytown & Bettystown Golf Club was marked by the Junior Captains' Din-ner and Awards Evening which took place in the club in November. As usual this event was very well supported by juniors, parents and grandparents. Conor O’Byrne - Junior Player of the Year 2016Tegan Gordan - Winner of U-15 Girls StrokeplayJohn Oster - Winner of Des Smyth Trophy for U-19 Boys StrokeplayJack McKenna - Rookie of the Year 2016The Club Captains, Michael Delaney and Veronica Branigan, praised the work of the Junior Committee and congratulated all of the juniors on their achievements in January 2017 The Meath Coaster ©48Stamullen Football ClubExcitement is building for Stamullen Football Club's event of 2017 when they will be hosting Strictly Come Danc-ing. This fantastic event is taking place on Saturday 11th February, 2017 in City North Hotel. If you want to take on the chal-lenge of learning a dance to participate in this fun filled event or wish to purchase tickets to support the club please contact Grainne Carmody on 087-6395245Tickets costs €20.00 eachClub news –The boy’s leagues have come to an end for the Winter and will resume in March. All the teams enjoyed the short season and played really well. Special mentions go to Nic’s Under 8’s won their league, Shay’s under 9’s came second, Steve’s Under 10's came second, Colm’s Under 10's won un-beaten, Dave’s Under 11s won and Dee’s Under 13s came second. Both under 8 teams and the two under 9 teams are busy playing the FAI Futsal league over the coming months, will up-date you on their progress next month.The girls teams will be still playing all during the winter months and are all hav-ing a great season so far. Alison and Joe’s under 11 girls are in the Herald Cup semi-finals after a nail biting win against Ter-enure a couple of weeks ago. Best of luck girls! We will keep you posted on how they get on!New Team news – Under 10 girl’s team - We are delighted to welcome Sean and Nicola and the new Under 10’s girls to January 2017 The Meath Coaster ©49Katie Burke - U-15 Girls Matchplay Winner pictured at Laytown & Bettystown Junior Golf Captain’s Dinner and Awards EveningStamullen FC. We hope you have a fan-tastic fun season of football. Seniors TeamAFC Stamullen was a stand-alone club, formed in July 2011, competing in the Amateur Football League. After going so close in recent years, they were finally crowned Champions with a game to spare in May 2016. Acting as player-managers, Club Captain Dunphy and Vice-Captain Kelly accepted that they brought the club as far as they could, so a discussion was made to cease AFC Stamullen and begin life as the new Senior team of Stamullen FC. When Peter Byrne was brought in as manager, the rest of the pieces fell into place. Mark Robin-son was Byrne’s number 2, Ivor Kelly was made captain and Trev Dunphy became Vice-captain.In October, Stamullen FC had an official unveiling of their new Senior Kit when they hosted Kilkenny side Ormonde Vil-la in the 1st round of the Leinster Junior Shield. In the end, the occasion got the better of Stamullen as Ormonde pounced and got two more goals in quick succes-sion, ending Stamullen’s interest in the competition with a 3-1 defeat. As 2017 looms, 12 league games still to play, an opportunity of a cup run in the Unidare Cup and the vast managerial ex-perience of Peter Byrne at the helm, the future of Stamullen FC’s Senior team is extremely bright.Club Contact Details: -Email - stamullenfc@gmail.com Facebook - www.facebook.com/stamullenfcClub Secretary - Marcus Kelly – 0851477825Website – www.stamullenfc.com Next >