< Previous© September 2019 The Meath Coaster 30 Loreto Balbriggan: In a League of its Own. A s September comes around again Lo- reto Secondary School Balbriggan prepares itself for another busy year ahead. There were great celebrations on receipt of the Leaving Certificate results last Tuesday August 13 th . The results were outstanding, three students were awarded over 600 points and a further 25% of the students got over 500 points with 50% at over 400. All students are given every opportunity to reach their personal best and we are very proud of each and every student who does, irrespective of points achieved. This year’s graduates were a wonderful cohort of young women liv- ing up to the motto of the Loreto Foun- dress that ‘women in time to come will do much.’ Many of these graduates are from the East Meath area as the school has a long association with East Meath because of the easy transport link on the train line. A ten-minute journey from Laytown has you at the gates of the school. . Straight A Junior Cycle students with Miss Mc Donough High achieving students from the East Meath Area with their results in August Some of the students who got over 500 points in their Leaving Cert this summer The school is persistently looking forward in its efforts to improve and develop itself to ensure that the students receive the very best care and a positive and quality edu- cational experience. We not only encour- age and strive for academic excellence, we also develop leadership capacity © September 2019 The Meath Coaster 31 An Information Meeting for students beginning in First Year in September 2020 will be held on the following date: Monday 9 h September: at 7.30pm in the School Hall An application pack will be distributed at this meeting. The school will be open from 6.00 p.m.for a tour of the facilities. Loreto Secondary School, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin Phone: 01 841 1594 through our well established leadership programme aspiring to provide a holistic education where every aspect of the stu- dent’s person is developed and nurtured. The dynamic staff who drive the school, work tirelessly for the betterment of the girls. While providing an excellent class- room experience, the school also offers a range extra and co-curricular experi- ences that are second to none. Students flourish under the excellent structures and systems in place and as a consequence, they embrace all that is on offer includ- ing Young Scientists, Maths Olympiad, Public speaking, Gael Linn Irish debat- ing, Business Market days, Trials in the Criminal Court of Justice, Junk Kouture, not to mention the multitude of sporting opportunities available from Hockey to Gaelic football, Tennis, Soccer, Basket- ball, Badminton, Athletics and Cricket. A team of dedicated teachers give of their Leinster under 16 Hocky Finalists BT Young Scientists with their teachers Dr Niamh Mc Nally and Dr Brian Higgins at the RDS last January Continued over....© September 2019 The Meath Coaster 32 time and energy beyond the classroom to ensure a broader educational experience for the students. Dr. Niamh Mc Nally, who has been a recipient of the BTSYE teacher of the year award, brought a num- ber of students to The Big Bang, Northern Ireland’s Young scientists and engineers’ competition in June. The school swept the boards being awarded the title of Northern Ireland Young Scientists. This was fol- lowing a first place award in the Interme- diate Chemical, Physical & Mathematical Sciences category in the BTYSE in No- vember. The Business Department held a prosperous Market Day and was very suc- cessful in the Fingal County Enterprise Board’s Awards. Art and Design on a regular basis. Mu- sic and emphasis on musical skills, con- tinue to play centre stage in the school. The students’ musi- cal talent is show- cased in a number of evening concerts throughout the year as well as the Walters music festival, the Emmanuel concert in the Helix and of course the annual school musical, which was a sell out last year for four nights in a row. This big school, with a big heart em- braces all disciplines but more importantly it embraces all its students with a spirit of care, support and encouragement. There is an expanding Special Education Needs department and wonderful counselling and chaplaincy services which serve to under- pin the comprehensive pastoral structures in place. Emphasis is placed on these sup- ports, recognising that the considerable pressures of modern living can have a sig- nificant impact on mental wellbeing. None of the above could happen with- out the passionate and dedicated work of an enthusiastic and committed staff, the wonderful student body and the constant support of parents. It is no wonder Loreto Balbriggan opens its doors with pride and passion as it faces into another exciting academic year. The information evening for incoming first years will be held in the school on the evening of the 9 th September. All are wel- come. See the Website for more details at www.loretobalbriggan.ie § Pop up concerts in the school during music week. 4th Years on Gaisce Trip to Carlingford The Arts continue to thrive in the school. An art exhibition held in the school an- nually celebrated its 22 nd Anniversary last year – this exhibition showcases the work of the Junior Cycle students and is well worth a visit as is the Junk Kouture Showcase which runs in early December. The school has the highest number of stu- dents accepted for the National College of © September 2019 The Meath Coaster 33 M c Cormack-Fay Academy of Irish Dancing Irish Dance Classes resume Mon 2 nd Sept Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa (Bettystown): 2.45 - 4.15pm Wed 4 th Sept: Parochial Hall (Laytown) : 3.15 - 4:30pm Thurs 5 th Sept: Drogheda Presbyterian Church (Colpe Rd): 3.30 - 4:30pm Classes to suit both boys & girls ( 3 yrs +) - All levels catered for. Super fun, terrific way to gain confidence & great way to meet new friends. All-Ireland & World Irish dance champions in both Solo & Team competitions. Full-time qualified Irish dance Teachers & Adjudicators – Garda Vetted. Thurs 5th Sept: Adult Céili Class - Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa (Bettystown): 7.30- 8.30pm For more information, contact / email Fergal: 086-3854222 / irishdance2011@hotmail.com Fergus O’DOWD TD Tel: 041 9842275/ 9804536 Mob: 087 2352920 E-mail: fergus.odowd@oireachtas.ie - Fergus O’Dowd - @fergusodowd Constituency Office 1 Leyland Place, Stockwell St, Drogheda Office Hours Mon-Fri 9.30am-1.00pm 2pm-5pm© September 2019 The Meath Coaster 34 COMPUTER PROBLEM? Contact Oliver 041.988.7526 087.797.0740 iPhones Smartphones Repair Laptop/Desktop Repair & Upgrades New Laptop Tips T his month with many of you or your offspring going to third level I thought I’d pen a few hints to help avoid some of the problems I encounter when laptops are presented for repair. If you heed the tips your chances of becoming a casualty of this particular technology will hopefully be reduced (fingers crossed). Hint 1. – Generate A Recovery Image This particular hint refers only to win- dows based laptops and does not apply to chromebooks or Apple laptops. Once you have all your apps installed, your accounts setup, printer added you should generate a system image of the laptop. In one of my prior articles I outlined and gave specific links to how to achieve this so there is no need to revisit it. If you can’t find the rel- evant article on my blog email me and I will send it to you. Periodically you should generate addi- tional images so should they be needed you won’t lose any apps installed or Mi- crosoft or other app updates. Hint 2 – Avoid Too Much Data Most new laptops in the affordable price range now come with SSD (solid state drive) technology. This technology is less prone to damage if you drop the unit, the storage capacity compared to older hard drive systems has reduced. With Win- dows 10 you need to keep as much stor- age free as possible for updates. Earlier models and indeed a few today came equipped with ridiculously small SSD’s which caused a lot of problems with updates. Hint 3 – Backup Your Data Your windows laptop will give you a cer- tain amount of free cloud storage but I al- ways recommend you also store a backup of your data on a local device such as a usb flash drive or hard drive. Take advan- tage of other free cloud storage providers to keep multiple copies of key data files. Hint 4 – Accidental Damage Insurance When purchasing your new laptop you can take out accidental damage insurance which is a good buy for a laptop pur- chased for college. Unlike extended war- ranties damage insurance can covers you against all eventualities but obviously not operating system or virus infections! Read the terms carefully before taking one out. Hint 5 – Anti-Virus Ensure that once your free trial expires you install a good anti-virus on your lap- top. Virus writers have not gone away they are just more sneaky in their approach. Pe- riodically old viruses are reworked and ap- pear to haunt the pc user including the now infamous ransom viruses so don’t make the mistake of thinking they are gone. § Oliver Reidy is a computer technician and has been in the industry since 1981.You can con- tact him via email at help.desk@reidyonline. com, by the telephone numbers listed on this page, and whatsapp @08779707040. This ar- ticle, and all previous articles, are available to view online at http://reidyonline.blogspot.ie/ or www.reidyonline.com/blogspot.htm© September 2019 The Meath Coaster 35 041 98 444 98 041 98 111 98 086 838 4444 www.eastcoastcabs.com EAST COAST CABS SERVICING MEATH COAST & DROGHEDA REGIONS CABS - 4, 6 & 8 SEATERS NEW RANGE OF MINI-VANS COACHES - 16, 24, 36 & 54 SEATERS AVAILABLE • We provide direct financial supports to eligible micro businesses (eligibility cri- teria applies) • Management Development Training - Start Your Own Business and Capabil- ity Development programmes for general business support and specialised areas • Mentoring - Targeted Mentoring in a variety of areas from an extensive mentor- ing panel • First Stop Shop for all business needs • Comprehensive range of Brexit supports for your business • Full complement of highly trained business support professionals, dedicated to making your business grow and prosper • Our website www.localenterprise.ie/meath gives you access to online informa- tion about all our supports and services or call us on 046 9097000© September 2019 The Meath Coaster 36 Julianstown Youth Orchestra P rimary and secondary school children are invited to become members of the Julianstown Junior and Senior Youth Or- chestras this September and be introduced to classical music in a fun and friendly man- ner. The Julianstown Youth Orchestra was founded in 2011 by Maria and Fergus Sheil. It now has approximately 100 members or- ganised into junior and senior orchestras. The junior section of over 40 members, consisting of mostly primary school chil- dren, under the direction of conductor Ailbhe Kirkan held its end of year concert at the Drogheda Arts Centre in May. The performance featured many blossoming musicians performing classical, popular and contemporary music. The audience were also treated to performances by sen- ior orchestra members. The finale of ‘The Magic of Harry Potter’ was met with great appreciation. It was a wonderful evening where the musicians of both the Junior and Senior Julianstown Youth Orchestras demonstrated their talents and ability. The JYO senior orchestra comprises of over 60 very talented young musicians from the local area. Together with their conductor and musical director, Fergus Shiel, the group has had the opportunity to perform at the National Concert Hall in February where they received an achieve- ment award from the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras. They also performed with the Dublin Youth Orchestra in the Solstice Arts Centre in Navan in March. The highlight of the year though was their very successful trip to Lisbon Mu- sic Festival last June. Players travelled with a group of adult volunteers where Continued over....© September 2019 The Meath Coaster 37 Now enrolling for our Autumn term 2019 Classes recommencing week of Monday 9 th September in all Venues. For details on classes in your area call Jane on 086 4113301 jojinglesnortheast@gmail.com www.jojingles.ie/northeast Tuesday (9.30,10.30 11.30am & Saturday’s (9.30,10.30 11.30am & 12.30) Barlow House, Narrow West Street Drogheda Monday’s (9.30,10.30 & 11.30am) Drogheda Presbyterian Church, Colpe, opposite Grange Rath. Ireland Regional Franchisee of the Year 2014 contact@droghedafunerals.ie www.droghedafunerals.ie© September 2019 The Meath Coaster 38 they toured the sights, met up with a lo- cal youth orchestra, performed beautifully and had a lot of fun along the way. When the 56 members all gathered at 5am in Dublin airport, clad in new JYO hood- ies and armed with suncream, scores and saxophones, the long year of rehearsals and fundraising all seemed worthwhile. Under the batons of founder/director Fer- gus Sheil and former member Medb Br- ereton Hurley, JYO were guests for the opening concert of Lisbon Music fest at the prestigious Museu du Oriente. Their repertoire included Tchaikowsky’s Cap- priccio Italian, Verdi’s Nabucco Overture and selections from Gesamtkunstwerk, which members of JYO composed under the mentorship of celebrated composer Brian Irvine. For part of the performance, JYO played alongside Portugese teenagers from Camerata da Academia de Musica de Lisboa, a very impressive and talented local string ensemble. The high quality of the music was much appreciated by both youth groups when they listened to each other and by the very enthusiastic audience who enjoyed this unique performance. In addition to the artistic side of the Festi- val, the young musicians had an opportu- nity to get acquainted with Portugal, ex- ploring its monuments and surroundings, feeling its vibrant atmosphere and tasting its delicious food. They enjoyed tours of the beautiful Belem, Sintra, Caiscais and of course Lisbon city centre. In spite of the rain, some players had a swim in the At- lantic while others chose to shop for shoes and custard tarts. After a long day rehears- ing and performing, there was much de- light when a football appeared and Lisbon witnessed its first ever mixed under 18’s GAA match. Luckily the sun appeared on the last day of the trip and all violins, flutes and trumpets were abandoned as the group enjoyed a day at a local Water Park. Many thanks to Niamh Browne, the JYO committee, Lisbon Music Fest and our wonderful Portugese tour guide Sonia for organising this memorable trip. The Julianstown Youth Orchestra are look- ing forward to welcoming new members to both senior and junior orchestras this Sep- tember. Potential players should be taking formal lessons in their chosen instrument © September 2019 The Meath Coaster 39 and the Julianstown Youth Orchestra also facilitates tuition in a wide range of instru- ments. There are a wide range of instru- ments to choose from in the orchestra. The string section has violins, violas, cellos and double basses. The wind and brass sec- tions can have flutes, piccolo, oboes, clari- nets, bass clarinet, trumpets, French horns, trombones and bassoons. There is also a percussion section complete with timpani drums, bass drums, snare drums, cymbals and a glockenspiel as well as many other smaller percussion instruments. Many of the players own their instruments, but the Julianstown Youth Orchestra, also has an instrument rental policy particularly for some of the more expensive and less com- mon instruments. Rehearsals begin again at Coláiste na hInse on Friday 6 th September from 6.30-8.30pm for the Senior Orchestra members and on Saturday 7 th September from 8.50-10.30am for the Junior Orchestra members. Parents and potential players are welcome to come along any Friday evening or Sat- urday morning to observe the senior and junior rehearsals respectively. Committee members are always on hand to provide information and answer any questions. It could be the beginning of a long musical journey for a player who would like to de- velop musical skills and make new friends with a shared interest. For further infor- mation, please visit www.jyo.ie. §Next >