< Previous© January 2020 The Meath Coaster 50 Loreto Balbriggan D uring December there was a busy and exciting atmosphere in Loreto Balbriggan. Many traditional initiatives and events associated with Christmas are happening every day in the run up to the holidays. There was a tremendous response to the Vincent De Paul food drive run by the student council. Students who contribute items were permitted to wear their Christ- mas Jumpers for the day and the school was resplendent with a wide array of de- signs and colours. Business students held their Annual Market Day. The event was opened by Luke Coffey and Paula Ianus founders of award winning “The Chia Collective” range. This year over 30 stalls exhibited their products. Once again stu- dents excelled themselves with their new and innovative ideas. A number of 4 th year students were lucky to be chosen to go as helpers on the Tem- ple Street children’s hospital Santa flight. The students said that the atmosphere was fantastic and told us that the children were beside themselves with excitement on the day. Meanwhile preparations were ongo- Vincent De Paul Food Drive Annual Carol Service© January 2020 The Meath Coaster 51 ing for the two-night Junk Kouture extrav- aganza which showcased the 37 costumes prepared as entries for this year’s competi- tion in February. Parents and friends filled two packed houses and enjoyed a snappy, lively evening of colour, energy and crea- tivity. The evenings were very busy as par- ents once again filled the hall for the bi-an- nual Loreto Evening Gala. The Christmas Gala is always a special occasion where music, dance and drama students have an opportunity to showcase their talent. Acts by the traditional music group, the ukulele group, the sign language choir, the junior and senior Choirs and the school orchestra provided a wonderful evening’s entertain- Preparing for Junk Kouture Preparing for the Loreto Evening Gala. Transition Year students heading off on the Santa Flight for Temple Street Children's Hospital ment for the audience. The annual carol service is held every year for the whole school on the last day before the holidays when all students get a chance to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. The theme of this years’ service was Light to Guide you Home. The choirs sang a range of carols and the Transition year students acted out the story of the nativity. It was a peaceful and reflective moment for the students in the midst of the busy run up to the holidays. Finally, this January we have no less than seven entries in the BTYSE which is held during the first week back. These dedicat- ed students will have worked on their pro- jects over the holidays to prepare for the high standards demanded by the competi- tion. In the meantime, we, here in Loreto Balbriggan would like to wish everybody all the best for 2020. §Laytown & Bettystown Golf Club H ere are some photos from the annual Junior Captains Awards Evening and the Lady Golfers Awards at Laytown & Bettystown Golf Club. Laytown & Bettystown Golf Club Junior Captains for 2020, Callum O'Byrne & Chloe Hall with Junior Convenor, Aidan O'Byrne. L&B Junior Convenor Aidan O'Byrne presents Tom D'Arcy with the U-18 Boys Match Play Trophy which was won by Annraoi Collins in 2019. The special night for junior players took place at the club on Dec 6 th last. 9 Hole Competition Winner Pierce Gilroy is presented with his prize by Junior Convenor Aidan O'Byrne. Daithi Wade is presented with the Boys 18 Hole Aspirants Cup by Junior Convenor Aidan O'Byrne. Caoife McGinn accepts her ILGU Medal from L&B Lady Captain, Phil Rooney. Finn Coyle, winner of the Junior Boys Aspirants Cup receives his prize from Junior Convenor Aidan O'Byrne.Golfer of the Year 2019, Helen Delany, is presented with her trophy by Lady Captain of Laytown & Bettystown Golf Club, Phil Rooney Winner of the Neptune Cup, Stephanie Phillips, is presented with her trophy by Phil Rooney, Lady Captain of L&B Golf Club. Bridie Durnin is presented with her winner's prize in the Mini Hampers Competition by Lady Captain Phil Rooney. Aimee Wickham is presented with the ILGU Silver Medal by Lady Captain of Laytown & Bettystown Golf Club, Phil Rooney. Lady Captain of Laytown & Bettystown Golf Club, Phil Rooney presents Clodagh Corry with the Josephine Connolly Trophy. Phil Rooney presents the Shot of the Year Winners Trophy to joint winners, Reuban Carolan Maher and Adam Fahey who both had Holes-In-One during the 2019 season.© January 2020 The Meath Coaster 54 Alison Carey looks on as her daughter Katie Burke is presented with the Monaghan Cup by Phil Rooney, Lady Captain of Laytown & Bettystown Golf Club. Winner of the Class 2 Hampers Competition Liz Wade is presented with her prize by Phil Rooney. This competition was kindly sponsored by Andrew Callaghan Butchers. Winner of the PGA Tankard, Fiona Lappin, is presented with her trophy by Phil Rooney, Lady Captain of L&B Golf Club. Children’s Art Competition Search To Find 2020 Texaco Children’s Art Competition Winners Launched The search to find the young artists who will excel in this year’s Texaco Children’s Art Competition has begun. Last year three students from Co. Meath won prizes in the event which is now in its 66 th year and widely acknowledged as the longest running arts sponsorship in Ireland. The closing date for entries is Friday, 28 th February 2020 with judging to take place in March. Winners will be announced in mid-April, with prize-giving to follow in May. Details are available through Texaco ser- vice stations and online at www.texaco- childrensart.com §© January 2020 The Meath Coaster 55 This photo was taken by Colin Lenihan in Mornington at 5pm on Christmas eve. Please contact David Kenny 086 1524607 EMAIL davekennycoaches@hotmail.com LORETO BALBRIGGAN SEATS AVAILABLE ON EXISTING SCHOOL BUS LORETO Secondary School Balbriggan Grange Rath, Donacarney, Mornington, Bettystown, Laytown, Julianstown, Loreto Places are restricted Please phone well in advance to book a place!© January 2020 The Meath Coaster 56 Castlehill Riding Club T he members of Castlehill RC ended 2019 on a high, by celebrating a very successful year for the club at the recent North East Region Riding Clubs Ball at the D-Hotel. More than 20 club members partied the night away at the event, which was organ- ised by Maria Carrick and Sarah Richard- son. It was a hugely enjoyable night, and a memorable one for the club, as mem- bers took home “Leading Rider Awards” and “NER Awards” on the night. Club secretary Olivia Nolan took home the trophy for Leading Advanced Primary Jumping Rider, after a hugely successful year with her lovely mare Bridgemount Eskert Lilly. Olivia had many wins and placings throughout the year, and won the NER Winter SJ League. Herself and her talented mare have a very bright future ahead of them. Club Chair Lindsey ilona Brady took home two trophies on the night, the Lead- ing Advanced Intermediate Dressage Rid- er, and NER Person of the Year. Lindsey and her horse Trigger Joe have had an in- credible 2019, which culminated in win- ning the NER Autumn Dressage League in September. Lindsey also took home the NER Person of the Year Award, after re- cently stepping down as regional secretary in November. She is now the Chair of the North East Region, and brings a wealth of experience to the role. Well done to Olivia and Lindsey on their fantastic success. The club is looking forward to SJ train- ing in January with international course builder Tom Holden, which will help our members prepare for the Winter SJ League starting at the end of the month. Thanks to the new club training commit- tee for organising this event. For more information, please “like” our page on FB, or contact Olivia on 086 3831802. Some of the Castlehill RC members at the recent NER Ball Olivia Nolan and Lindsey ilona Brady Olivia Nolan and Lindsey ilona Brady© January 2020 The Meath Coaster 57 Laytown Race Committee Supports East Meath Charities L aytown Race Committee donate €1000 to East Meath Hospice and East Meath Meals on Wheels Ahead of the busy Christmas period, the Laytown Race Committee have donated €1000 each to East Meath Hospice and East Meath Meals on Wheels. These two char- ities provide invaluable services and sup- port to the community in the Laytown and East Meath area. Commenting on the donations, Laytown Races Chairman Joe Collins, said: “Laytown Races have been held on the beach for over 150 years and we are very grateful to all the residents who have al- ways been so supportive of the racing. Being part of the Laytown community is very important to our committee so we are delighted to support these two fantas- Joe Collins Chairman Laytown Races Committe and Paul Kerbey (far right) presenting a Cheque for a €1000 to Kathleen Calvey, Bridie Kirwan, Margaret Berrill,and Kathleen Delaney East Meath Hospice Association at Laytown Race Course. Photo Jimmy Weldon tic charities who provide really important services to the area.” The Laytown Races take place on the beach on Tuesday, September 1, 2020 with an estimated start time of 4pm and will feature the ‘Pride of Place’ race with prizes for residents’ associations and com- munity groups to enhance the village with flowers and plants. § Paul Kerbey and Joe Collins Chairman Laytown Races Committee presenting a €1000 cheque to Marie Savage East Meath Meals on Wheels Photo Jimmy Weldon© January 2020 The Meath Coaster 58 www.instagram.com/eastmeathunited www.twitter.com/EastMeathUnitedwww.facebook.com/eastmeathunitedfc East Meath United EMU Charity Managers Match 2019 F riday 6 th December saw our annual Christmas charity game where club managers and volunteers faced off against each other. This year our chosen Charity was Slav Vavro & his family. Slav on his uneasy journey currently battling cancer. Back on the pitch, as usual the slagging was fierce. The first aid kits got put to the test, even before a ball was kicked. We had a guest referee in the man of the moment Santa Claus and he had most of the players on the naughty list by half time. The game finished 4-4 at full time and had to be decided on penalties. "Sci- atica Celtic" in the blue won 4-3 in the shootout. A big shout out to Alan Clarke who sus- tained a nasty ankle injury on the night and a Big thanks to Mark, Richard, Dave and all who helped in the organising of the match . Last count on the money raised for was just touching €4000 plus and we thank everyone who donated . Last but not least we would like to wish Slav Vavro and his family a merry Christmas and that the money helps them out in some way. © January 2020 The Meath Coaster 59 EMU Christmas Party 2019 On Sunday 15 th December, we held our annual Christmas party for the kids of the club. Held in Reddins in Bettystown, Santa was once again centre of attention as the kids enjoyed his visit, told him their wish list and promised they would be good for Christmas. We also had the end of season awards for our 3 Girls teams, who enjoyed great success across the board. Their girls and managers are looking forward to an even brighter 2020. EMU Sticker Album Our Fundraising team have been work- ing tirelessly on our new Sticker Album, which will be on sale over Christmas. This will provide hours of endless en- joyment to the kids in the coming year as they unwrap their own pictures on the sticker albums. These will be for sale in Harry’s Centra in Mornington and The Dublin Meat Company in Drogheda. Your support for our club fundraising is much appreciated. New Members As always, our Academy (ages 5 - 7), Football for all (all ages) and u8's - u18's teams are always looking for new mem- bers. If you are interested in joining, email registrar@eastmeathunited.ie On behalf of all the committee in East Meath United, we would like to wish all the Kids, Parents, Coaches and Volunteers a very happy & Prosperous new year. §Next >