< Previous© August 2019 The Meath Coaster 20 Bunscoil Buachailli Realt na Mara Erasmus Trip to Sicily A s part of our Erasmus project “Our Best for Heritage” Ms Carragher and Ms Gerrard travelled to Sicily on the projects second mobility. The school they went to visit was in a small village called Naro. It was a very busy week with the other project partners from Italy, Poland, Lithuania and Czech Republic. The pro- ject is based on UNESCO SITES. We went to visit the Valley of Temples along with Mt Etna. We climbed the North West side of Mt Etna. Throughout the week the Erasmus group were busy doing video reportages, games, presentations on their own local UNESCO SITES and hold- ing co-ordinators meetings. Everybody © August 2019 The Meath Coaster 21 learned lots about each other’s UNESCO sites and had a fun week together. Our next mobility will be here in Ireland when we host the other partners in November. Meath Pride of Place Level Five Award Thanks to Meath County Council and our Garden Club we have won a Level Five Garden Award this year! Featuring log piles, bug hotels and lots of Ms Rice and her Junior Infants planting nasturtium seeds wildflowers, our garden shows us biodi- versity in action. We have also got pota- toes, onions, beetroots, a wide variety of berries and herbs. Thank you Meath County Council for the brilliant initiative. And thanks to all our gardeners for their hard work! §© August 2019 The Meath Coaster 22 News From Julianstown & District Community Association By Niamh Bn. Uí Loinsigh F antastic News Julianstown Commu- nity Garden was one of 60 parks and gardens across Ireland who received their International Green Flag Award at May- nooth University. These flags are award- ed through An Taisce for exceeding tough environmental standards for green space management and it is the mark of a quality green space that is recognised throughout the world. “As you may already know Julianstown Community Garden was a derelict overgrown three acre site which has been transformed into a beautiful space for all our residents and passersby to enjoy, with emphasis on encouraging best practice where nature is concerned. The Garden is lovingly cared for by vol- unteers and Julianstown & District Com- munity Association committee members were just thrilled and delighted to accept the ‘Green Flag’ on behalf of all the vol- unteers. We done to all our volunteers and sponsors who have helped achieve this award” said Niamh Bn. Uí Loinsigh, Chairperson, J.D.C.A. National Heritage Day In Julianstown Village Garden 17 th August 11am to 1 pm. Learn how to create bee nesting habitats using pots, plant native ferns in our mini woodland area, put up bird boxes, and learn all about our pond and invasive aquatic plants. Aisling Monahan, Jackie O'Shea, Niamh Bn. Uí Loinsigh & Ann Hanley accepting The Green Flag at Maynooth Univer sity© August 2019 The Meath Coaster 23 We all know that ours bees, butterflies, in- sects and birds are in danger of being lost to us forever and it is up to us to do all we can to make sure this doesn’t happen! Would you miss the little Robin hopping round your garden or a Butterfly flitting from flower to flower? Our workshop in our beautiful village garden will hopefully show you how to make things a little bit better for our animals. All welcome and bring your friends! Not Enough Drama? Julianstown Drama Group is on the look- out for more budding actors/actresses as they are putting on a very special event on Saturday 24 th August in Sonairte to cel- ebrate Heritage Week and the name of the play is ‘Collier the Robber’ a notorious lo- cal highwayman who died 70 years ago. If you would like to take part please contact Debbie - Julianstown Drama Group@julians- towndramagroup Building Madness And No Infrastruc- ture On a very serious note you will recall that 250 new houses were recently granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála at Beamore and now we have been given to understand that 10,000 houses will be built between Donacarney and Southgate over the next few years. This will great- ly impact on all of the residents of East Meath and particularly Julianstown as the majority of this traffic will come though our village. ‘Protect East Meath’ is collecting dona- tions to fund a legal challenge against An Bord Pleanála’s decision to grant permis- sion for 250 houses in Bryanstown. Per- mission was granted without any assess- ment of the effects of increased traffic on Julianstown Meath County Council accepts that a by- STOP NO MORE CONSTRUCTION IN THIS AREA WITHOUT INFRA - STRUCTURE Continued over.... ©© August 2019 The Meath Coaster 24 pass of Julianstown is badly needed to handle all the traffic generated by devel- opment in East Meath and Drogheda but plans for this are decades away. The traffic generated by the Bryanstown development will cause even more traf- fic congestion in East Meath and will increase air pollution and noise in the villages of Julianstown, Mornington, and Donacarney and to a lesser extent Bettystown & Laytown. While we are not against development in Drogheda the serious environmental con- sequences for Julianstown and East Meath have to be taken into account. To donate towards this legal challenge please see webpage - Protect East Meath www.eastmeath.org/ Bus Shelters I see that several towns and villages in East Meath are due to get new Bus Shel- ters and perhaps our Councillors could in- clude Bus Shelters for the Mosney Road and also at Preston Park Stops. These stops are very isolated and with no pro- tection from the elements and in order to get more people using public transport we need to provide them with this infrastruc- ture Digital Device Lessons Free iPhone, iPad, Smart- phone and tablet classes will commence shortly in Julianstown Community Centre, if you would like to book a place for these free classes, please contact Angela on 04 9280790. Julianstown & District Community As- sociation is comprised of a group of vol- unteers who are doing their utmost to ensure that Julianstown Residents and surroundings areas have their best inter- ests at heart. If you would like to join this group please contact us at www.julian- stowncommunity.com or Facebook us on – Julianstown & District Community Association § Comic Artist Returns to The Fleadh Cheoil B ettystown art- ist Brian Lounds brings rhythm to the pages of his second comic, which sees the Fleadh come to life. The comic cen- tres around two characters ‘Spray and Chill’ and their adventures at the Fleadh Cheoil. The comic pays tribute to local culture, history and folklore and is set in and around the Boyne Valley. “I’m very inspired by reading comics. Ireland has such a rich culture and herit- age, so I wanted to tie it into the Fleadh through my illustrations. I wanted to do a comic that is set in Drogheda and that taps into our towns rich history and culture but the folklore element was also very impor- tant to me. The Fleadh is such an impor- tant and memorable event for Drogheda and I wanted to create something memo- rable through my comic”. Copies are available locally or through Brian himself @ brianlounds@gmail.com or by mobile on 0877926351. Instagram: @BrianLoundsArt Website: www.brianlounds.com §© August 2019 The Meath Coaster 25 Call us on 041 9886545 for an appointment. Email: bettystowndental@gmail.com Web: www.bettystowndental.ie Triton 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 0419886545 Private, PRSI and Medical Card Patients Welcome Dr Matthew Crinion B.D.S. (NUI) Corns, Callouses, Verrucae, Ingrown Toenails, nail surgery and other treatments State of the art Gaitscan analysis pressure plate used in the assessment of foot, back and leg pain. Orthotics prescribed to stabilise foot function and rehabilitation Opening hours 9.00-6.00 Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday: Saturday 10.00-1.00 Niamh Tully , BSc (Hons) Pod. MCh.S. S.R.Ch Main Street, Laytown, Tel: 041 9888492 Chiropodist / Podiatrist (State registered) The Foot Clinic Help ensure essential blood supplies are always available by giving blood regularly Please Note Clinic Opening Times Balbriggan Community College Balbriggan Please Note New Venue Mon 19 th - Tue 20 th August From 4.30pm to 8pm© August 2019 The Meath Coaster 26 Sonairte O pen Friday to Sunday 10:30-5. Come visit our gardens and nature trail. On the way out, make sure you drop into Sonairtes Eco shop, all our products are environmentally friendly, with a large range of home cleaning products. We also have some of our fresh Organic produce straight from the garden, salad bags, rasp- berries, gooseberries and plenty more. Heritage week On 24 th of August Sonairte has joined forces with Debbie Wogan and the Julianstown drama group to host a won- derful FREE event for Heritage week This year marks the 170 th anniversary of the death of local man Michael Collier better known as The Notorious Collier the Robber and in the usual Julianstown Drama group tradition they will perform a comical dramatization based loosely on his life. The Play is titled “A Julianstown Man” and is written and directed by local Julianstown Lady Debbie Wogan. This outdoor theatrical event promises to give big belly laughs (but also some sorrow) to the audience so bring a good supply of tissues. A factual talk by local historian Brendan Matthews @3pm Followed by Drama at 4pm. Bring a Picnic and foldup chair Children’s Summer Camp @ SONAIRTE Help start them on the road to resilience…. Growing Food, Making Soap, Upcycling, Foraging and much more. For more details ring us on 0419827572 or follow link on Facebook to purchase tickets. Sonairte Cafe Opening again on August 3 rd . Vegan and Vegetarian dishes with ingredients fresh from the Sonairte garden. Sonairte Needs your Help Sonairte provides a unique and free local amenity in which to educate and increase awareness of nature. As a not-for-profit charity Sonairte relies on your voluntary support, donations and sponsorship. We would be delighted to hear from you if you could help us in anyway. Room Hire and Events @ Sonairte Room hire is available for private events; organisations, and daily rental. Email eventssonairte@gmail.com with any queries §086/1733396 086/1733397 Mullenandsons1@gmail.com www.Mullenandsons.ie Alan Mullen & Sons Builders Ltd Fifth Generation Irish Builders For All Your Building Needs New Builds - Extensions - Renovations Attic Conversions Fully Insured and Registered 085 2057786 e: preidcrashrepairs@gmail.com Mill Road, Mornington Panel beating Spray painting Private & Insurance work All work guaranteed Cosmetic Denture Department Main Street, Dunleer, Co. Louth T: 041 686 1111 www.scientificdentalarts.com Custom made Prosthetics Optimum aesthetics, occlusion and vacuum type adhesion© August 2019 The Meath Coaster 28 Annual Sand Festival A fter a bad to start to June we were blessed with a Goldilocks of a Day, not to hot not to cool, the perfect day for sandcastles. The beach came alive with all manner of creations. Air Planes, Trains Crocodiles, Turtles, Mermaids and climate change awareness. Whales save our seas and save our seas from plastic. A record number of both contestants and spectators were at this year's Annual Sand Festival. 17 years now and still going from strength to strength. This event was testament to the late Dick O'Reilly's vision to show case our beaches and encourage young and old to enjoy our beautiful amenity. When one of the win- ners of the bigger prizes was asked how did it feel to win, she replied "It's not about winning it's about making memories for our children" And what memories we will have after such a wonderful day on the beach of Laytown-Bettystown. Thou- sands of men women and children flocked to the beaches to enjoy the Summer Sun- shine and build sand castles. A big thank to Heather Humphreys TD presented the prizes with Meath Rose, Megahan Byrne presenting the Perpetual Cup to the Corcoran family for best ef- fort on the day. This Year's Prizes for the Senior Sand Sculpturing were sponsored by Liz and Roger Pickett, The Cottages Ireland, Laytown and Jimmy Gilna, The Cottage Inn Laytown. All Junior Sculp- turing prizes were sponsored by Macari's Takeaway in Bettystown. We also wish to thank all our Local Trad- ers. Patrick and Margaret Smith River- side Home and Gift Mornington, Tresses and Tallons of Bettystown, Aileen Smith - The Flower Yard Mornington, Har- rys' Centra Mornington, Pat's Centra Bettystown, Boyne Valley Foods, The Bis- tro Bettystown, Relish, Stacks Pharmacy, Mc Donaughs, Reddans & The Ice cream Parlour, Cllr Sharon Tolan, Cllr Tom Kelly. The organisers want to say thank you to Meath County Council and The Beach Wardens for their assistance with the event with a special note of thanks to Rory Mc Inerney a grandson of the founder mem- ber Dick O Reilly who comes up from Co Clare each year since he was. 8 years old. Thank you to all the judges who gave up their Sunday Afternoon to assist and judge the various categories. Not an easy task. The National Sandcastles and Sand Sculp- turing Festival organisers want to thank 1st Senior sculpture 2nd Juniour Sculpture© August 2019 The Meath Coaster 29 all their other sponsors: F.L.A.G. The Fisheries Local Action Group National Sandcastle Competition Winners Under 5’s 1 st place: Benjamin & Killian – Bettystown 2 nd place: Scott Walsh – Ashbourne 3 rd place: Jack & Kathlen – Monaghan Under 8’s 1 st place: Allie – Swords 2 nd place: Anna & Molly – Bettystown 3 rd place: Emma Rogers – Navan 2 nd place: The Leahys - Laytown 3 rd place: The Parsons – Dublin 3rd Senior Sculpture group sansdcastle winners 19 Overall Family Winner The Corcorans 2nd Senior Sculpture Under 13’s 1 st place: Adam, Jack, Brendan & Ego – Laytown & Spain 2 nd place: Ava Calnan & Faye Hurley - Bettystown 3 rd place: Bettany, Lucy & Sarah – Rath- feigh Family Category 1 st place: The O’Donnells - Bettystown Overall Winner The Corcoran Family – Australia Crocodile Junior Sculpture 1 st place: Lilly & Juliette O’Connor – Laytown Save Our Seas From Plastic 2 nd place: Ruby Duff - Donegal Harry The Hippo 3 rd place: Katie, Grace, Clara, Sophia – Bettystown Turtle & Nest Senior Sculpture 1 st place: Heather, Jenny & Ieuan – Wales & Mullingar Crocodile With Victim 2 nd place: Phil Daley & Beatone – Tasma- nia, Hogwarts Express 3 rd place: Ieva, Kirsta, Ollie – Drogheda Lion §Next >