The monthly meeting of the Dalkey Community Council was held on Monday, 6 October. The Chairman welcomed Ms Eithne Blake as Road Representative for Hillside following Mr. Trevor Dukes' retirement..

FUNCTIONS:
The Art Exhibition will take place on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 November - artist's application form inside - Ed.

PLANNING:
Dalkey Avenue:
Permission has been granted for the development of three town houses by the County Council. The Community Council is appealing this decision to An Bord Pleanala in the interests of the residents of Kilbegnet Close.
Retention:
The Community Council is very concerned and alarmed at the increasing number of retention applications being made to Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. The Community Council will convey its serious concerns, once again, to the County Council and other relevant parties.
The Flags:
There was a query with regard to the gates that have appeared at the top of the Flags. It appears that this is a temporary measure, the grass and trees will be reinstated when the current private building work being carried out in the vicinity is completed.
Railway Station and Environs:
The residents of Sorrento Drive have concerns with regard to proposed new structures and high security fencing being put forward by Iarnrod Eireann as part of the DASH project. The Community Council agreed to support these residents in their discussions with Iarnrod Eireann.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS:
Post alert:
A resident wished to alert the community to the danger of post being removed from letter boxes as her post had been removed and discovered in a residence some fourteen miles away. It is important that you ensure your post is removed as soon as possible from boxes and from behind letter boxes that are low to the ground. Vico Road: A query was raised as to what the position was with regard to the current road works. It seems the road is becoming narrower. It was questioned was this road scheduled for a one-way system? The Community Council will endeavour to clarify the situation. Shores: The Community Council will contact the County Council in the hope of having the shores/drains cleared before winter sets in which may help prevent flooding. As there was no other business the meeting concluded.

About the Dart Upgrade Schedule: Dalkey will be virtually cut off for all those weekends, since we have no direct bus to the city. Should we not lobby to have the no. 8 bus put on for the Dart-less weekends

Rukba, the Royal United Kingdom Beneficent Association, is a charity providing life-long financial help and friendship to older people in need to enable them to live independent lives with dignity and peace of mind. We provide nursing and residential care and help with fees. We provide security for life in the form of a small regular extra income. We also issue grants for repairs and equipment enabling independence; we can provide clothing and bed linen. Many older people face their troubles alone. So Rukba has a network 100 volunteer visitors around the country who offer friendship and practical support. Most of our beneficiaries have never needed help before so all assistance is given with the utmost discretion and sensitivity. Rukba publishes a free guide for over 60s entitled 60-Wise. It includes lots of useful contact details and phone numbers for organisations that can help with matters such as finding help at home to advice for staying safe and secure. Please call for your free copy on lo-call telephone number: 1890 924 822. If you know someone we may be able to help please contact: M. L'Estrange, telephone 285 0480 (local Rukba volunteer)

There is much written and many discussions take place about the use of drugs but please take the time to read the following, it will only take a minute, a minute that might just save a life in the future:

Cannabis:
This drug is considered by many to be a 'social thing' or in some countries as a 'soft' drug it should never be forgotten that it is a drug. Often cannabis is done in groups and if that group is made-up of young people many find it hard to refuse due to peer pressure.

Ecstasy:
Each tablet costs approximately Euro10. However this is a chemical concoction and varies. Absolutely no one can tell what affect this drug has on the chemical balance of the human body - each and every user reacts differently. One side effect causes the heart to beat THREE times its normal rate.

LSD:
Causes horrific, frightening hallucinations. Users try to chase the elusive 'good' trip and the all too often it is the 'bad' trip, however this is the risk that is taken each time.

Cocaine: Used in Dublin and comes from South America. Users now inject.

Crack Cocaine:
Crystals are smoked in tinfoil and causes huge aggression and violent behaviour. Heroin: Comes mainly from Afghanistan and costs Euro400 for a gram. Users sell and/or steal to feed the habit.

Drug use has catastrophic consequences on the mind and body, very often leading to death by overdose. It should be remembered that the use of any of these drugs is an offence in Ireland and it should also be borne in mind that when someone is convicted for drug use (no matter what age - teenager or OAP) that conviction stays on the offender's record all his life. Just imagine seeking a Visa to the USA for summer work with that type of records. Please, please, think long and hard and walk away before you get sucked into such a gruesome world. If you are already a user get the help you need - start with your GP.

The Annual Art Exhibition will take place in Our Lady's Hall, Castle Street, Dalkey on Saturday and Sunday, 22nd, 23rd November 2003. Artists from the area are invited to submit paintings for this popular event. Entries should be framed, clearly labelled and ready for hanging. Exhibits should be brought to Our Lady's Hall on FRIDAY, 21st NOVEMBER between 10.30am and 12.00pm (no postal entries) - number of paintings limited to two per artist. Entries will be taken on a first come, first served, basis, limited to the first one hundred and ten paintings. There will be a charge of 3.50 Euro per picture exhibited. As insurance cover ends at 6pm on Sunday, 23rd November, entrants must arrange for collection between 5pm and 6 pm on that date. All exhibitors are invited to the official opening of the exhibition on Friday, 21st November at 8pm.

The Patron Saint of Dalkey is St. Begnet whose feast day is 12 November. Little is really known about the saint but what is known is in the old days the Feast of St. Begnet was observed with a great Fair Day on the Commons of Dalkey. Also both of the Churches on Dalkey Island and Castle Street are known as St. Begnet. So in honour of Dalkey's Patron Saint the Annual Ecumenical Service to mark St. Begnet's Feast Day will be held on Sunday, 16 November. The celebration will take place at 1.30pm in the ruins of St. Begnet's Church in the graveyard beside the Heritage Centre. Everyone is most welcome.

Laughter is brightest, in the place where the food is

Tales in a Rearview Mirror by Donal Ruane - published by Gill and Macmillan

This is an extremely excellent book of 25 short stories, some hilarious other poignant, written from the perspective of a Dublin taxi driver in which the reader will easily recognise the various types of people featured. An excellent selection of stories ranging from drug collections, to the various tricks used by passengers to avoid paying their fares, feuding couples, the attempted pick up in the back of his taxi on Christmas Eve. We all have encountered the various characters featured in these stories which the author claims are true based on some of his experiences as a Dublin taxi driver. A real gem of a book which you will hard to put down once you have started reading it.

J Scannell

Wednesday, 5 November, 8pm -
Dr. Patrick Geoghegan will present his lecture 'Robert Emmet, the making of a Hero' to the Rathmichael Historical Society in Rathmichael School, Stonebridge Road, Shankill. Admission Euro€2

Wednesday, 12 November, 7.30pm -
Brian White will present his illustrated lecture 'A Town Expands - Bray 1973' to the Ballybrack-Killiney History Society in the Parochial Rooms of SS Alphonsus and Columba Church, Ballybrack . Vehicular access is via Killiney Hill Road.

Thursday, 13 November, 8.30pm -
Seamus O Maitiu will present his lecture 'The History of Stonecutting in Ballyknockan, West Wicklow' to the Enniskerry History Society in the A.O.H. Hall, Enniskerry Village.

Wednesday, 19 November, 8pm -
Ms Freda Agnew will present her lecture 'Dalkey and Her Castles' to the Dun Laoghaire Borough Historical Society in the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire .

Thursday, 20 November, 8pm -
Ms Nellie OCleirigh will present her lecture 'Hardship & High Living - Irish Women's Lives 1808 -1923 - (a) Workhouse Women (b) The Lacemakers' to the Ballinteer Family History Society in the Conference Room of St. John the Evangelist Church , Ballinteer Ave.

The thinnest yellow light of November is more warming
and exhilarating than any wine they tell of.
The mite which November contributes becomes equal in value to the bounty of July.

The Killiney/Dalkey Friends of St. Luke's Hospital, Coffee Morning realised the sum of €1,800 which Joan O'Regan has passed on to Mr. Eoin Doherty, Chairman of the Friends of St. Luke's Hospital, Rathgar, Dublin. Sincere thanks to all who made the Coffee Morning a great success.

Lunchtime Theatre continues in Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre, on Nov 6th .
The Sebastian Barry play Fred and Jane, cancelled due to a bereavement in the cast, has been re-scheduled for Thurs 6th
Fri 7th Sat 8th November. The production features Mary McEvoy, the well-known star of the long-running TV series Glenroe, in partnership with Colette Proctor, a long-standing member of the RTE Repertory Players. Caroline FitzGerald directs the show. The play explores, with great humour and affection, the deep and sustaining friendship between two nuns, Anna and Beatrice. It is a microcosm of life both inside and outside the convent in 20th century Ireland.

On the 13th 14th and 15th Geraldine Plunkett, also formerly of Glenroe and currently The Clinic will bring her one-woman show The Belle of Amherst by William Luce, based on Emily Dickinson, to Dalkey.

Admission €12.50 includes a light lunch. Lunch is again being provided by Thyme Out and will be served from 12.45pm. To ensure correct ordering of food tickets must be purchased in advance at the Centre.

Art Exhibitions continue with Mindscaping by Sergey Talichkin, a Ukranian painter, from 6th -9th Nov and Creative Energy an exhibition of paintings by Carole Shubotham and Sheelagh Conway from 20th -23rd November.

Students of DLIADT will hold a 'blind auction' of paintings in aid of cancer research on Friday 28th Nov at 7.00pm.

There will be a large Paintings and Craft Exhibition and Fair from the artisans of St John of God's Carmona Services on the first weekend in December.

Yoga Combo classes continue on Monday evenings

The Craft shop has a number of books on the locality, the Heritage Map, knitwear and other items very suitable for Christmas gifts.

Tickets for Lunchtime Theatre and information on any of the events above Tel 285 8366 or email diht@indigo.ie

Open Mon-Fri 9.30-5.00
Sat Sun - Pub Hols 11.00-5.00

• Remove dead and non-productive vegetable crops.
• Fertilise vegetable garden.
• Plant potted trees and shrubs
• Put winter crops in the ground: onions, beets, cabbage.
• Place cold sensitive potted plants in protected areas or indoors.
  
• Plant bulbs.
• Prune and mulch dormant perennials.
• Store and repair tools.
• Prune vines.
• Rake leaves and add to compost piles and mulch layers.
• Aerate and fertilise the soil.
• When chrysanthemums have stopped blooming, cut stems back close.
• Clean-up rose beds. Diseased leaves should be raked and disposed.
• African violets do well when in small pots. Rule of thumb is to use a pot one-third the diameter of the plant. Encourage blooming by giving them plenty of light e.g. a south facing window during dark winter months. African violets also do well under fluorescent lights. .
• Put out bird feeders and stock with seed. Remember to provide fresh water too.

The tallest tree in the world is the Coast Redwood. It can reach to heights of 400 feet and its trunk diameter could be anything up to 30 feet. It is an evergreen tree and native to the Pacific coast of North America.