< Previous© September 2019 The Meath Coaster 20 Continued over.... News From Julianstown & District Community Association By Niamh Bn. Uí Loinsigh Michael Kelly shows us how to look af- ter the bees! W e celebrated Heritage Week in Julianstown Village Garden on Saturday 17 th August, and we had a lovely time with Michael Kelly, beekeeper, who came along with a beautiful display unit which contained a queen bee and her many worker honey bees. Michael has been beekeeping for the last 43 years and listening to him talking about his bees was enlightening. Our pollinat- ing insects are in decline and one third of our 99 bee species are at risk of extinction and by choosing pollen-rich flowers for your garden, you will help provide much needed food for our Bumblebees and oth- er pollinating insects as well as creating a beautiful colourful garden for yourself. There are lots of pollinator-friendly plants to choose from and here are the names of some – wallflower, rosemary, foxglove, catmint, lamb’s ear, lavender, rudbeckia, snowdrop and crocus. Then some of the children helped make bees nests for wintering bumblebees with terracotta pots, moss and hay and these will be placed under a clay bank in the garden. Eileen and Brendan take a closer look at the bees!© September 2019 The Meath Coaster 22 Laytown Races L aytown Races will take place on Weds 11 th of Sept with the first race sched- uled to start at 4.00pm This year in an effort to introduce a Laytown Pride of Place element to Race Day the Committee has introduced a Resi- dents Race to the card The Jimmy Gilna Cottage Inn race will have a local residents involvement, when all 10 horses in the race will represent a local Estate or Street On Tuesday 20 th August at a Launch Night in Gilnas Cottage Inn a draw was made when each of the 10 horses in the race were allocated to a local Laytown Estate The winning horse on the day will benefit the estate by receiving a voucher for €400 towards plants or shrubs for their local area The estate represented by the 2 nd horse home will receive a voucher for €200 and the 3 rd will get a €100 voucher Free parking at the races will be available at 3 areas all within 300 meters from the venue with a free shuttle bus service from each car park to the race field The Car Parks are at Laytown Train Station, Lyons Farm Shop and at Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa But why not avail of the magnificent new Bus Eireann schedule to our area where the new D1 and D2 buses from Drogheda will deposit racegoers at the stop beside the Race Field every 15 mins Parking is strictly forbidden in any of the private estates adjacent to the Race Field and Gardai will rigorously enforce this ban. Many thanks to Meath Heritage for spon- soring this day for us and do come into the garden and see the beautiful new signage for our bees and butterflies. As we say shop local and Justin Gough of Van Gough signs, Keenogue has done a superb job printing the signs for us. Julianstown Tidy Towns As the season draws to a close we are de- lighted with the turnout at our events in the garden and also to thank all the vol- unteers who have done so much work in our village making it such a lovely place to live. The SuperValu Tidy Towns results will be made public on the 30 th September and the Meath County Council Pride of Place Re- sults will be to hand in October. Protect East Meath The Julianstown & District Community Association will shortly be holding a pub- lic meeting on ‘Infrastructure before Planning Approvals’ – date to be ad- vised! We say ‘Our Children Deserve a Better Environment’ Julianstown Community Centre Just B Fit classes will be starting on Tues- day 10 th September for children of all ages. Contact Tamara on 086 0809885 and Free basic iPhone, iPad, smartphone, and tablet training will also be commencing shortly – just contact Angela on 046 9280790 if you would like to book a place. If you would like to contact us with any local news or events – www.julians- towncommunity.com or Facebook Mes- sage – Julianstown Tidy Towns Group. § September 2019 23 www.droghedagrindsacademy.com© September 2019 The Meath Coaster 24 Laytown Races Pride of Place A round 100 people attended the official launch of the 2019 Laytown Races in Gilna’s The Cottage Inn, Laytown, on Tuesday August 20 th with ten housing es- tates drawn to represent a runner in the in- augural ‘Pride of Place’ race. A total prize fund of €700 will be won at the Laytown Races on Wednesday September 11 th to help local residents associations and com- munity groups enhance the village with flowers and plants. Legendary racing commentator Des Scahill hosted the event interviewing Laytown Races Chairman Joe Collins, renowned landscape horticulturist John McCullen and horse racing trainers Ado McGuinness, Gerry Keane and John Carr. At the launch of the 2019 Laytown Races in Gilna’s Cottage Inn, Laytown are residents from each estate in Laytown that drew a horse in the Gilna's Pride of Place race that will take place at the Laytown Races on Wednesday 11th September. Pictured are front row, from left, Gerry Clegg, Backlanes, Ann Brodigan, Alverno Heights, Theresa Kerins, Beach Grove, Elaine Brennan, Sli Ultan and Teresa Stack, St. Colomba’s Villas. Back row, from left, Ben Bailey, Station Road, James Sowray, St. Patrick’s Square, secretary of Laytown Races Kevin Coleman, chairman of Laytown Races Joe Collins, James Ellis, South Shore, Jim McDonough, Netterville and Victoria Terrace and Doreen Murray, Alverno Heights. Picture: Paul Mohan Welpics Continued over.... Former racing commentator Des Scahill at the launch of the 2019 Laytown Races in Gilna’s Cottage Inn, Laytown. Picture: Paul Mohan Welpicscelebrating 151 years. The Laytown Races are on Wednesday 11 th September. First race is at 4pm. There are 3 FREE car parks around the race field. Laytown Races Free Parking FREE shuttle bus service will run continuously from the car parks to the race field. Laytown Strand Races Train Station Train Station Lis Maura Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa. Visit website: www.laytownstrandraces.ie to see a map of where to park: Locations are Laytown Train Station, Lis Maura Farm Shop, and Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa.© September 2019 The Meath Coaster 26 Cathaoirleach of Meath County Council, Wayne Harding, Senator Ged Nash and Councillors Sharon Tolan, Tom Behan and Annie Hoey were in attendance. Members of the audience were called on to draw the following 10 housing estates/ residential areas who will represent their corresponding number in the race: 1. Netterville & Victoria Terrace 2. Alverno Heights 3. Backlanes 4. St. Columba’s Villas 5. St. Patrick’s Square 6. South Shore 7. Castlemary 8. Station Road 9. Beach Grove 10. Sli Ultan The estates matched to the first three hors- es home in the ‘Gilna’s Cottage Inn Pride of Place Race’ will win a prize of garden centre vouchers for Black’s in Julianstown and for Pat Stafford in Laytown, with €400 for first place, €200 for second and €100 for third. The winners can decide how to enhance the village with plants, flowers, trees, shrubbery or wildflowers. Repre- sentatives of the winning groups will be invited into the parade ring for a special presentation after the race. Chairman of Laytown Races, Joe Collins, said: “We’re excited to launch the 2019 Laytown Races. We have had a complete re-haul of our website www.laytownstran- draces.ie, making it easier for people to find the information they are looking for. At the launch of the 2019 Laytown Races in Gilna’s Cottage Inn, Laytown, were, from left, Cllr. Tom Behan, Cathaoirleach of Meath County Council Cllr. Wayne Harding, chairman of Laytown Races Joe Collins and Jimmy Gilna. Picture: Paul Mohan Welpics Joanne Burke, left, Senator Ged Nash and Annie Hoey at the launch of the 2019 Laytown Races in Gilna’s Cottage Inn, Laytown. Picture: Paul Mohan Welpics, Eimer Gilna, left, Marilou Murray and Geraldine Sherwin, right at the launch of the 2019 Laytown Races in Gilna’s Cottage Inn, Laytown. Picture: Paul Mohan Welpics Hospitality sold out in record time and advance ticket sales have been strong, es- pecially from overseas visitors. Racegoers will notice new options in our improved food court and we are working on improv- ing the layout and flow at what is always a busy, popular race meeting. There’s also bound to be a lot of interest in our best © September 2019 The Meath Coaster 27 dressed lady competition this year, with such great prizes from our fantastic spon- sor, Scotch Hall Shopping Centre. We’re so lucky with all of our other loyal spon- sors too and I would like to thank them – Bohan Hyland and Associates, Melbourne 10 Racing, Gilna’s Cottage Inn, O’Neills Sports, Hibernia Steel, Reddans Bar, The Glenside Hotel and Black’s Garden Centre. “We’re thrilled that there has been such a great response from the local commu- nity to our ‘Gilna’s Cottage Inn Pride of Place Race’. Last year we gave €1000 to the local Tidy Towns Associations and we wanted to go even further this year. It was brilliant to see everyone mixing and min- gling with neighbours and friends at the launch. There is a maximum of ten horses in the race so we couldn’t include all es- tates but everyone is a winner because the whole prize fund will go towards enhanc- ing the village.” John McCullen enthralled those gathered with his extensive knowledge about the importance of plant life to the environ- ment and he gave a few extra tips on how to look after bees. “The Chinese have it right when they ask when is the best time to plant a tree because the answer is yes- terday. The best trees and shrubs to plant are the ones that you can see are thriving in the environment. Try to provide flower- ing plants all year round for bees. In the winter, ivy is the most fantastic source of nectar and bulbs are valuable to the bees early on,” he said. Fresh from his biggest career win to date with Saltonstall at the recent Galway Fes- tival, trainer Ado McGuinness spoke about the uniqueness of the Laytown Races, commenting: “We look forward to it every year. A lot of my owners especially those from the UK, want a winner on the beach. They’re just fascinated with the place. It’s brilliant and such a unique place to run horses. All of our team love Laytown.” The Laytown Races take place on the beach on Wednesday, September 11 th with an es- timated start time of 4pm. Regular buses and trains will run to Laytown on the day and while public transport is strongly rec- ommended there are also four free parking areas on race day. Full details are available on www.laytownstrandraces.ie § Laytown Races commitee member Alan Delany, left, and Ross Kierans from Tote Ireland at the launch of the 2019 Laytown Races in Gilna’s Cottage Inn, Laytown. Picture: Paul Mohan Wel Pics From left, former racing commentator Des Scahill, with racehorse trainers John Carr, Ado McGuinness and Gerry Keane at the launch of the 2019 Laytown Races in Gilna’s Cottage Inn, Laytown. Picture: Paul Mohan Welpics© September 2019 The Meath Coaster 28 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. Cottage Market We will be in St.Peters Church Of Ireland every Saturday starting the 7 th of Septem- ber, selling freshly picked organic fruit and veg from our garden Sonairte Cafe Vegan and Vegetarian dishes with ingredi- ents fresh from the Sonairte garden. Satur- day and Sunday 11-5. Heritage day A huge congratulations to Debbie Wogan and the Julianstown Drama Group, for their amazing performance of, which was based on local man Michael Collier better known as a the notorious collier. The group worked very hard to put on the play, especially rehearsals the last few weeks. So a huge thank you and congratu- lations to all involved. 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 Cool the Climate Camp A massive thank you to all the boys and girls who came to our summer camp. We had lots of fun learning about nature, gar- dening and sustainability, as well as plen- ty of arts and crafts. We were delighted with all the feedback and how much the children enjoyed the few days. § For anyone who missed out or would like to come again, we hope to be holding one during Halloween Midterm. So keep an eye on our Facebook page and in our shop. 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We also serve Coláiste na hInse, and St Mary’s and Sacred Heart Drogheda Coláiste na hInse - Stamullen, Julianstown, Drogheda, Bryanstown, Five Oaks ,Stameen, Grange Rath, Donacarney, Mornington, Bettystown Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa and Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh Donacarney, Mornington, Bettystown, Laytown Places are restricted Please phone well in advance to book a place! St Mary’s and Sacred Heart, Drogheda Laytown, Bettystown, Mornington, Donacarney, Grange Rath BUS PICK-UP POINTSNext >