< Previous© March 2018 The Meath Coaster20News from Julianstown & District Community AssociationBy Niamh Uí Loinsigh & Michelle Rourke Domino’s for City North Located at the exit 7 interchange on the M1 motorway, the campus, which is positioned around the four-star City North Hotel, is set to see the commencement of a new round of construction with the de-velopment of both a 3,715m2 facility for a major British food manufacturer and a new petrol filling station and associated retail facility to be operated by Topaz. An examination by the Irish Independent of Meath County Council’s planning files shows that the Domino’s Pizza Group is the food manufacturer.The Domino’s Piz-za Group’s new facility is positioned on a high-profile site of 1.33 ha (3.28 acres) within the CityNorth Business Campus. The detached building was designed by RKD Architecture to the occupier’s spe-cific requirements. The contract value of €6.5m marks a significant coup for Cit-yNorth and for Jeremy Kelly of Kelly Walsh, who brokered the deal.Easter GAA Camp St. Colmcilles camps runs daily from 3rd – 6th April, 2018 from 10am – 2:30pm. For boys & girls aged 5-13 years. Every reg-istered child will receive their own East-er GAA camp top! Early registration is strongly advised as places fill up quickly. To register, contact Graham 083-8637387 or online at www.cilles.com Price €50. Family discount for second child €45 and €40 for third child.An Taisce National Spring Clean in Julianstown Our Annual Spring Clean takes place in Julianstown on Saturday 14th April @ 10am. Meeting point is at Whitecross Na-tional School. Hi-Vis jackets, gloves, lit-ter pickers & litter bags will be provided. There will also be cars on hand to pick up your full bags. Please make an effort as this is an ample opportunity to get our village cleaned up. Thank you to Meath County Council for providing the skip & equipment. Julianstown Tidy Towns has also entered Meath Co. Co. Anti- Litter Initiative which runs for the months of March and April, so if you could help with picking up litter in your estate or outside your property, it would be most appreci-ated by our volunteers who are out and about picking up litter on a weekly basis. Composter built in woods for large branches etc which is being put to good use.St Patricks Day Traditions Snowdrops In Julianstown Woods© March 2018 The Meath Coaster21Sacraments in the Parishes of Julianstown & Stamullen Confirmation Ceremonies will take place on Thursday, 19th April. Whitecross NS ceremony will take place in St. Mary’s Church, Julianstown at 11 am and St. Pat-rick’s NS ceremony takes place in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Gormanston at 3 pm.First Communion Ceremonies will take place in the Church of the Immacu-late Conception, Gormanston on 12th May (St. Patrick’s NS) and St. Mary’s Church, Julianstown on 19th May (Whitecross NS).CondolencesLocal people were very saddened to hear of the deaths of Seamus Kennedy (Shal-lon) and Tom Leonard (Old Laytown Road). We extend our sincere condolences to their families, friends, and neighbours. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamSt Patrick's DaySt Patricks Day is celebrated on March 17, the date of his death. The day is cel-ebrated by millions all over the world and has become one of the most popular cultural events worldwide.So who was St Patrick? As he was the Patron Saint of Ireland his feast day was important in Ireland’s religious cal-endar. Popular belief is that he introduced Christianity to Ireland, banished snakes from our island, and used the 3 leaf Shamrock to teach the Holy Trinity. However, these are actually untrue and can be simply classed as Irish folklore.The Wearing Of The Green!The tradition of wearing Shamrock to cel-ebrate Saint Patrick seems to date from the seventeenth or eighteenth century. This was a very turbulent time in Irish his-tory. The suppression of the Gaelic way of life by the ruling British invaders resulted in many aspects of the Catholic religion in Ireland being forced underground. Strict laws were enforced which prevented the Catholic population from attending schools so ‘hedge-schools’ were oper-ated in secret. These were schools run outdoors in secluded places (sometimes literally ‘under a hedge!). The teaching of religion was also forbidden so it is only to be expected that teachers would use natu-rally available resources to inform their pupils. Thus the Shamrock plant was used to illustrate the message of the Christian Holy Trinity. Saint Patrick’s Day ParadeThe earliest record of a Saint Patrick’s Day Parade was in the year 1762 when Irish soldiers serving in the British Army held a Parade in New York City. Earlier records suggest that the day was celebrat-ed by the Irish in Ireland as early as the ninth and tenth centuries. Kids love to wear the big green, white and ora hats and receive sweets thrown to them by similarly clad operators of the various Parade floats. Corned beef and cabbage © March 2018 The Meath Coaster22or Irish stew (lamb) is a traditional Irish meal eaten on Saint Patricks Day.Duleek & District Text Alert cov-ers the following areas Julianstown, Gormanston, Duleek, Bellewstown, Ard-cath/Clonalvy, Donore, Rathfeigh, Curra-gha, Cushenstown, Laytown, Bettystown, Mornington, Kilbride & The Naul. 2018 registration is now open. The annual fee from Jan – Dec 2018 is €6.00 per household. Householders can submit 2 mobile phone numbers. To avail of this community service: Send your name, address, 2 mobile phone numbers along with a cheque/postal order for €6 to Duleek & District Text Alert, FreePost FDA 103, Community Advice & Support Clinic, Unit 5/6 The Maudlins, Main St., Duleek. Alternatively drop into the office at the above address or telephone 041-9880523.Julianstown Jazz! Anyone remember these guys. Here they can be seen playing in the Old Mill Ho-tel, Julianstown on a lovely Sunday after-noon. Wouldn’t it be great to have some-thing like that back in the Village in the summer months. Those were the days!! (and good weather too!!)Update On Old Mill Hotel Derelict SiteMeath County Council has informed the owners of the Old Mill Hotel site of their intention to start the process of listing the land on the Derelict Sites Register and this notice was issued on the 6th February. The owners now have one month to make representation to the council on the mat-ter. This news has been very much wel-come by Julianstown & District Commu-nity Association (JDCA) who have been pressing the council to urgently address this ugly building in the centre of the vil-lage. The JDCA will be keeping a close eye on developments as many locals have com-plained about the illegal dumping on site and also the fact that the buildings are a health and safety issue.Update On Whitecross National SchoolYou may have noticed that some of the prefabs have disappeared from the front of the school and moved towards the rear of the building. This, we believe, is to facilitate the build-ing of the new school which hopefully will commence in October 2018. §Flashback – Anyone remember this?© March 2018 The Meath Coaster23F. Watson & Son LtdFuneral Directors Complete Funeral ServiceLAYTOWN, CO. MEATH Tel: 086 0275440 • 041 98382279 DYER STREET, DROGHEDAwww.droghedafunerals.ieServing the Entire East Meath Area and Drogheda since 1921Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2018Cllr Wayne Harding has welcomed as-surances from Meath County Council that the local authority are working close-ly with its counterparts in Louth County Council and Boyne Valley Tourism to maximize on the Tourism and economic potential from the 2018 Fleadh Cheoil in Drogheda. “I am happy that Meath Tour-ism have put a lot work into this already and will continue to do so. 400,000 people visit Drogheda later this year and the op-portunity of show casing the counties rich heritage is vast. It is the perfect time to en-hance the growing reputation of Ireland’s Ancient East. The travel route’s path through Meath possesses some of the most famous tot-ing destinations in the country. The world heritage site of Bru na Boinne, Slane and Trim Castle and The Battle of the Boyne are but a few of the counties attractions. Groups within Slane have been in contact with the Fleadh committee with a view to organizing trips to the area and Slane tourism are in the process of putting to-gether a “Fleadh Fringe festival”. I know both Duleek and Donore are looking into similar events. The potential can not be under estimated and I am glad that Meath s ready”. © March 2018 The Meath Coaster24East Meath Active Retirement Associa-tion 201820th Anniversary EMARABy P.M. Walshe On the 21st February the East Meath Ac-tive Association celebrated their 20th. An-niversary in the Glenside Hotel. What a wonderful twenty years it has been. In February 1998 Bernadette and Michael McCarthy were instrumental in forming the East Meath active Retirement Associ-ation. Things took off after that and from 45 members in the first year it has grown to over 120 members at present.To say that the members are active is put-ting it mildly. They would make you tired just listening to all the activities they have. There is a weekly meeting on Thursday at which there is some sort of activity i.e. “ go for life sports”, talks on heritage and health, Tai Chi, flower arranging, quizzes and much, much more. They usually end the meeting with a cup of tea and a chat.During the week there is arts and crafts, painting classes, aqua aerobics, a book club, walking club, pitch & putt and in-door bowls.They also organise trips to places around Ireland, to the theatre and holidays at home and abroad. It’s a wonderful life in the East Meath Ac-tive Retirement Association so why not come and meet us if you are over fifty and would like to explore our great life. We meet in St Mary’s Parish Rooms in Julianstown at 2:30p.m. every Thursday.See you there!Right to left this is the first committee of 1998 Theresa McNulty, Mary White. Maureen Taylor, Kitty Roche. Bernadette McCarthy. Fred O’Connor, Eddie Pep-pard. Maureen O’Connor, Pat Peppard §Interested in upskilling or a return to education? The Adult Educa-tion Guidance and Information Ser-vice of LMETB (Louth and Meath Education and Training Board) holds a monthly drop-in information morning in Bettystown and we are there to let you know about the many opportunities for adult learners to return to education or take up a training course. Call in to the Al-pha Centre, old Coláiste na hInse on Tues-day 20 March 9.30am to 12.30pm to find out more about courses and programmes, full-time and part-time and possible fund-ing supports. Feel free to drop in on Tuesday 20 March 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. §© March 2018 The Meath Coaster25The Stamullen Roundup By Grace TierneyCongratulations to the new café in the vil-lage. Daily Bread is open Monday-Sat-urday 8a.m. to 4p.m.beside the butcher’s shop and serves filling breakfasts, a din-ner of the day and a selection of wraps and paninis. Get down there and try it out.February unfortunately saw the sudden passing of Gabriel Howard. A true gent and stalwart of the village he was given a Life Membership award from Cycling Ireland in 2015 as a mark of respect for his (and Kay’s) lifetime of work for the sport. Gaybo competed in a remarkable 22 Rás Tailteanns from 1963 onwards (the 8 day national cycle race held annually in Ireland, sometimes known as the An Post Rás) but even when he stopped compet-ing his continued his involvement behind the scenes and pushed that total to 50. Stamullen’s name is large in the cycling world and Gabriel Howard’s name is even larger. He will be missed by many. May he rest in peace.Good luck to the junior and senior masterminds in the village as we go to press. Stamullen NS is holding a table quiz to raise funds for the school and trivial pursuit sales are soaring. A family table quiz is a great chance for kids to discover their parents actually know some stuff, and vice versa.Anyone with a sweet tooth is advised to attend the Make a Wish cake sale in the Par-ish Hall at St. Patrick’s church on Saturday the 10th of March (5.30p.m.) and Sunday 11th (9.30a.m.). All support for this worthy cause is much appre-ciated. Wrist-bands will be on sale too and baking will be gratefully received. Contact 086-0669502 or 086-8911861.Stamullen Badminton Club is welcoming new members. They play from 9-10p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. Interested? Check out Stamullen Badminton Club on facebook or email stamullenb@yahoo.com.The spring brochure for events and work-shops at the Seamus Ennis Centre is now available online at https://issuu.com/tsecc/docs/seac_jan_-_apr_events_programme__20 - Did you know they run a monthly comedy event?Stamullen FC’s academy for boys and girls aged 4+ restarts on Saturday the 3rd of March from 10 to 11 at Gormanston Park. New players are welcome – contact them at stamul-lenfc@gmail.com.Got Stamullen news? Send it to Grace (087-9074145) or grace@meathcoaster.com Gay and Kay receiving their Award of Honorary Life Membership from Cycling Ireland © March 2018 The Meath Coaster26Council UpdateBy Cllr. Sharon TolanSchedule of Municipal District Works 2018 - €5.4 millionAt February’s meeting of the Laytown-Bettystown Mu-nicipal District, Councillors adopted this year’s Schedule of Municipal District Works, which included €5.4 million worth of works. €1.7 million of that is TII Grant Funding for the Slane By-Pass.Bettystown to Laytown Link Road A further €500,000 has been allocated by the TII towards progression of the Bettystown to Laytown Link Road. I am delighted to tell you that the Compulsory Purchase Order is almost complete, and that Meath County Council plan to sub-mit this to An Bord Pleanala in the com-ing weeks! You may have read recently that the Government have also included this vital piece of infrastructure in the Na-tional Development Plan announced on the 16th February. This ensures that fund-ing for construction will be made avail-able as soon as the CPO process has been completed. I promised during the elec-tion campaign that I would be a thorn in the side of the council and the government until this road is complete, and I continue to be that thorn!Donacarney FootpathI have continuously lobbied at every op-portunity to see the completion of a foot-path from Whitefield Manor at Bettystown Cross to Realt na Mara Primary Schools in Donacarney. It was great to have unan-imous support from my fellow Council colleagues to allocate the funding neces-sary to complete this footpath. There were heated exchanges during our MD meeting when I told the executive that this footpath was a red line issue for me, that it must commence con-struction this year. It took 3 years to complete the footpath on the Coast Road since we allocated funding in 2015, and I am not prepared to allow anyone kick this important project down the road! (pardon the pun!) I was assured by our Area Manager and Director of Ser-vices that this is now a priority project for our District. Piltown RoadFunding has been allocated in this year’s budget for ‘Restoration Maintenance’ of the Piltown Road, from the junction with the R132 down to the Ministown Road junction. This road has been a se-rious issue for many of us living in East Continued over....Please mention The Meath Coaster when replying to advertisementsCall us on 041 9886545 for an appointment.Email: bettystowndental@gmail.comWeb: www.bettystowndental.ieTriton Road, Bettystown, Co. Meath (between Funtasia & Tesco)Extended PRSI Scheme Dental exam and clean only €15 for qualified patients. To check eligibility contact us on 0419886545Private, PRSI and Medical Card Patients WelcomeDr Matthew Crinion B.D.S. 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S.R.ChMain Street, Laytown, Tel: 041 9888492Chiropodist / Podiatrist(State registered)The Foot ClinicPlease mention The Meath Coaster when replying to advertisementsPiano, Keyboard, Ukuele, Guitar - Classical, Acoustic, Bass And Electric, Violin - Traditional / Classical, Piano Accordion, Viola, Drums, Singing - Voice Coaching - Classical And Musical TheatreJunior And Leaving Cert Music.Private one to one classes also availableTel Olive On 087 2603079 for detailsEstablished Since 1990.Lessons Based In Drogheda Grammar School, Mornington Road, Drogheda.Toccata House Music School, Drogheda.Need help with your Music Exam for end of May or Junior or Leaving Cert Prep?We have centres here at Drogheda Grammar School for Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin and Victoria College, UK and teach for Associated Board and London College too.Classes Available In© March 2018 The Meath Coaster28Meath, and I have received a number of emails and messages of complaint both from drivers who have experienced near misses, and those that unfortunately have ended up in accidents. Following dogged lobbying, I have re-ceived a commitment that the council will try a new material in the completion of the surface dressing, and will also complete an assessment of road markings and carry out where appropriate.Julianstown Interchange & R132 to JulianstownMany of you will have read the articles or heard me on LMFM highlighting the dangers of the Julianstown Interchange at Gormonston. Another serious safety issue is the total lack of road markings, leading to serious confusion for motor-ists approaching the M1 or looking to exit for Balbriggan/Stamullen. The condition of the road from the Mosney junction to Julianstown is particularly poor. I was de-lighted that €386,407 was allocated from Improvement Grants to both of these very significant projects. (Photo 2)National Planning Framework & Na-tional Development PlanThe other big news in February was the publication of both the NPF and the NDP. For the first time in the history of the State, our spatial planning is backed up with solid investment and it will deliver for our citizens. The NPF sets out how Ireland can grow in a sustainable, bal-anced way over the next 20 years. 50% of population growth is planned for our towns, villages and rural communities and 50% for our cities. This plan is backed and supported by a €115bn NDP. Remember, by 2040 an additional one million people will live in the Republic of Ireland, and an additional two-thirds of a million peo-ple will work here, and an additional half a million homes will be needed to accom-modate this growth.Significantly for us here in East Meath, apart from the planned investment in Grant funding, Greenways, Tourism, In-dustry, schools, health etc, I was particu-larly heartened to read:“The next step will be to provide fast, high-frequency electrified services to Drogheda on the Northern Line.” I will continue to lobby for fairer fares, as hav-ing a better, faster service is very welcome for our commuters whom already spend far too much of their day commuting to and from work, it needs to be affordable!Unfortunately I was snow-bound on a trip when the digital edition closed for pub-lication so not all updates are included. If I haven’t mentioned your area, or you have a particular concern that you haven’t raised with me as yet, please don’t hesi-tate to get in touch at sharon.tolan@members.meathcoco.iePlease mention The Meath Coaster when replying to advertisements086/1733396086/3673406Mullenandsons1@gmail.comwww.Mullenandsons.comAlan Mullen & Sons Builders LtdFifth Generation Irish BuildersFor All Your Building NeedsNew Builds - Extensions - Renovations At-tic Conversions Fully Insured and RegisteredPlease mention The Meath Coaster when replying to advertisementsPrice Promise GUARANTEEtel. 087 091 7990 info@bestpol.iewww.bestpol.ie-10% local discount with this leafletAll types of blinds manufactured at our premises to your own specification.Your local supplierFor Building Materials & Garden ImprovementsMon - Fri 9am - 5pmSat 9am - 11amChurch Road, Mornington, Co. 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