ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting of the Dalkey Community Council will take place on Monday, 3 March at 8pm in Our Lady's Hall. This is a public meeting and all residents of Dalkey are welcome to attend.

As the last Newsletter issued was on 29 November in respect of December 2002 and January 2003 the following are the condensed minutes of the two Dalkey Community Council meetings held since then, namely Monday, 2 December 2002 and Monday, 6 January 2003.

The Chairman extended condolences to Ms Claire Cavendish, Beacon Hillis representative, on the death of her father.

MATTERS ARISING AND CORRESPONDENCE:
A letter was received from a resident with regard to the condition of the path on Cunningham Road (the road is also in need of repair). A copy of a letter which had been sent by a resident to An Post was also received. This was in relation to the string and labels that are being discarded near the two new post office boxes on Hyde Road and causing a litter problem. A resident also wrote about the parking on the double yellow lines on Ardeevin Road. The steps from Ulverton Road to Harbour Road have been cleared of the under and overgrowth, however the gate has not, as yet, been painted.

HERITAGE:
The Board still is facing a difficulty with regard to finance. It is planned that the theatrical animation which was so successful with the visiting schools to the centre will employ people as actors under F AS and would be located in the castle and bring performances to schools, hospitals and other suitable locations. A clean-up of the graveyard will take place in conjunction with the Tidy Towns Committee and the Parks Department of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

PLANNING:
Tramyard- An Bord Pleanala's decision will be published in March.
Systems Printing: Duchas is on location checking the site for any archeological items.

SPORT:
Dalkey's two Community Games officials have been re-elected to the Executive Committee of the Dublin Community Games

ANY OTHER BUSINESS:
Quite a number of large 'potholes' have been appearing around the town e.g. St. Patrick's Road, St. Patrick's Avenue, Railway Road, Barnhill Road, Cunningham Road to name a few. The Community Council will make contact with the Roads Department of the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. A query with regard to early spraying of weeds was made and contact will be made with the Parks Department. The litterbin at the entrance to Sue Ryder has been removed however the litter is accumulating around the seat. A local resident kindly cleans this area however inquiries are to be made as to the current sweeping policy for Dalkey and the cleaning of the shores.

There are 30,000 volunteers needed to help stage the Special Olympics here in Ireland and now is your chance to participate in the biggest sporting event in the world in 2003 and become an integral and important part of Ireland's "face" of the Games. Let's show the world what Ireland can do! Each of us now has the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be involved in international level competition and to demonstrate to a global audience the extraordinary gifts of people with a learning disability.
Volunteers are coming together to plan, organise and manage this unique event. Thanks to the sharing of talents and skills, the lives of thousands of athletes, their families and friends will be changed. Volunteers enjoy experiences they will never forget and demonstrate to a global audience the extraordinary gifts of individuals with mental handicap.
Volunteers are an integral part of the Games. As hosts to over 160 national delegations represented at the Games all volunteers will be ambassadors for the island of Ireland.
The Special Olympics Organising Committee is looking for and needs the support of 30,000 volunteers to stage this event. HOW ABOUT YOU?
Would you like to be a part of this huge, international sporting event? All you need to do is give a little of your time over a few short days and for that you will have many long-Iasting memories and receive much more than you will ever give. To find out more information or to apply as a volunteer please ring the Volunteer Information Centre (this is staffed by volunteers) at Dublin 8691700. The website is http://www.2003specialolympics.com
SHARING MULTIPLES HAPPINESS

The 11 th Special Olympics World Summer Games will be held in Ireland in June 2003. This is the first time this major event will be held outside the United States of America and will be the largest sporting event in the world in 2003. Between 16 and 20 June many towns around Ireland will play host to the athletics and their families from 16 -20 June. Portugal will be residing on the Aran Islands! The World Games take place between 21 and 29 June at venues all over Dublin. Basketball is taking place in the Loughlinstown Leisure Centre, Sailing at Dun Laoghaire.

The 2003 Games will be the largest sporting and cultural event ever staged in Ireland. The Games are held every four years. There is also The Special Olympics World Winter Games which will be held in 2005 in Nagano, Japan between 26 February and 5 March. The first special Olympics was held in Chicago, Illinois, USA in 1968.

The Games will include such sports as Aquatics, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Bocce, Bowling, Cycling, Equestrian, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Powerlifting, Roller-skating, Sailing, Table Tennis, Tennis, Team Handball and Volleyball. A comprehensive motor activity programme will be offered as part of the Games (this is a non-competitive programme for athletes who have not yet acquired skills to participate fully in a competitive environment). There will also be three demonstration sports -kayaking, judo and pitch & putt.

There are several stories as to the origins of Valentine's Day. Some say it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on 14 February 269AD the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. It is also said that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend and signed it "From Your Valentine". Then it was said that St. Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496AD Pope Gelasius set aside 14 February to honour st. Valentine. Gradually, February 14 became the date for exchanging love messages and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. The date was marked by sending poems and simple gifts such as flowers. In America, Miss Esther Howland is credited for sending the first valentine card. Commercial valentines were then introduced in the 1800's. The town of Loveland, Colorado, its post office does a great business around February 14.

Several hundred years ago in England children dressed-up as adults on Valentine's Day and went about singing from house to house. One verse was:

Good morning to you, Valentine;
Curl your locks as I do mine -
Two before and three behind.
Good morning to you, Valentine

It used to be believed that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on St. Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor, if it was a sparrow she would marry a poor man and be very happy, if it was a goldfinch she would marry a millionaire

. A love seat is a wide chair. It was first made to seat a woman and her wide dress. Then the love seat (or courting seat as it became known) had two sections, generally in an S shape. This way the couple could sit together without sitting too closely!

In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on 14th February. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favourite decorations on the spoons. The decoration basically said "You unlock my heart"!

In the Middle Ages young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for a week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

In some countries young girls may receive the gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the gift it shows she will marry him.

The Dalkey Community Council Annual Art Exhibition took place in Our Lady's Hall on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th November. It was officially opened by journalist and broadcaster, Caroline Erskine, who is a local resident. In opening the Exhibition, in addition to praising the work of the exhibitors, Caroline commended the work of the Community Council and emphasized how it helped to make Dalkey the very special place it is for all residents. Over sixty local artists took part and there was a great variety of work -oils, acrylics, watercolours and wood turning. The overall standard was very high and a great number of the exhibits were sold to eager purchasers. A special word of thanks to all the members of the Community Council who gave freely of their time to make this Exhibition such a successful and enjoyable event. .Margaret Farrell

The actual art of knitting goes back a very long way and people are thought to have been doing a type of knitting as far back as the time of the Pharaohs but our particular type of traditional design seems to have originated about 500 years ago in the islands of lnishmore, Inishmaan and Inisheer (Big Island, Middle Island and West Island).

The first Aran knitters were the men who used goose quills to knit up the wool from their own sheep which the women spun at home. The natural grease was left in the wool as an additional protection against the weather but sometimes roots and lichens were used to make simple dyes.

Each family had its own design handed down from one generation to another and these designs were often used as a means of identifying the bodies of fishermen washed-up on the shore. The traditional symbolism is difficult to confirm but the Cable Stitch for instance is straightforward representing the ropes of the fishermen, as is Basket Stitch representing the creel and symbolising the hope of a large catch. The Double and Single Honeycomb are charms for the energy and hard work of the bee resulting in plenty. The Diamond Stitch filled with Moss Stitch is a prayer for wealth and it is a good luck charm for fishing when combined with the Cable Stitch. A Diamond with a bobble in the centre is said to represent a boat with a fisherman in it and is a charm for safety. The Tree of Life Stitch shows the growth of men and their families while the Ladder of Life Stitch represents man's claim to ultimate happiness. Some say that the Zig-Zag symbolises the ups and downs of married life. Spoon Stitches representing the trawl or possibly the bait are charms for a heavy catch giving freedom from hunger and other privations. Trellis Stitch is supposed to represent the small fields bounded by their ditches and stone walls. Claw pattern shows the lobsters' claws, a lucrative economic resource. Winding River Cable symbolises the rivers and the Half Diamond Stitch is symbolic of wealth and success.

Congratulations to David and Bairbre Gould and their children, Clare and Shane who together with Roisín Callaghan from Rockfort Ave., have just sailed across the Atlantic travelling in the Yvanna Nova a 10 metre Hailberg Rasy yacht. The group left Los Palmas on November 24th and arrived in Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia 24 days later on December 18th. The journey covered 2,500 nautical miles the Gould family are continuing their adventure in the Caribbean while Roisín returned home on December 23rd in time for Christmas. You can't miss her she has the biggest smile, the wobbliest walk and the best tan in Dalkey!

Are you aged between anywhere between 7 to 18 years of age and want to take part in the Community Games? If so we'd like to know. Let us know if you are interested in Swimming, Art, Model Making, Set Dancing, Choir, Variety, Hockey, to name but a few, please leave your name, address, telephone number and interest in the Dalkey Community Council post box in Our Lady's Hall in Castle Street. Also we'd love to hear from those over 18 who would like to help run the Games in Dalkey, please also leave your name, address and telephone number in the Community

It has been said before that Dalkey is the jewel in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County but no one can deny that during this past Christmas Season our jewel twinkled with great gusto. From the beaming smiles of all the children and adults who came to welcome Santa Claus to Dalkey, to the lighting of the gorgeous tree at Archbold's Castle, to the symbolic and wonderful live Crib in the Castle, to the wreaths on the lamp standards and finally to the beautiful lights that shone over the shops in Castle Street, what a magnificent sight Dalkey was not just to those of us lucky enough to live here but to all our visitors and returning family and friends over Christmas.

A VERY BIG THANK YOU to all for bringing a truly lovely live Christmas Card Scene to Dalkey. Can't wait for Christmas 2003