Newsletter October 05 Dalkey Community Council

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NEWSLETTER NO. 348 Volume 11	(November) Samhain 2005
November: Believed to derive from ‘novem’ which is the Latin for the number ‘nine’. In the ancient Roman calendar November was the ninth month after March. As part of the seasonal calendar November is the time of the ‘Snow Moon’ according to Pagan beliefs and the period described as the ‘Moon of the Falling Leaves’ by Black Elk. The Anglo-Saxons called November ‘Windmonath’ or ‘Wind-month’.

*Flower: Chrysanthemum*
If there’s ice in November to bear a duck There’ll be nothing after but sludge and muck.
St. Begnet - Patron Saint of Dalkey
	Saint Begnet's Day is the 12th November. An ecumenical service will be held in the ruins of St. Begnet's Church beside the Heritage Centre on Sunday 13th November at 1.15pm. Refreshments will be served in the Heritage Centre after the ceremony

Minutes

The monthly meeting of DCC took place on Monday 3rd October in OLH.
The Chairperson welcomed three new members, Peter MacNulty who is the new rep for the St. Vincent de Paul, Kathleen Knowles McGuirk who will represent Ulverton Close and Ulverton Court and Michelle Sullivan who will represent Ulverton Road.

Newsletter: Colleen Hogan who has been a long time member of the Community Council resigned from the council. In the past Colleen served as Chairman for 3 years and was on the Community Games Council and a member of the Executive. She was also editor of the Newsletter for more than ten years. She was a dedicated member whose contribution was exemplary and she will be greatly missed by all the members of the council.

Tidy Towns: TTs are now working on Green Flag Awards for schools in our area and generally keeping the pressure on trying to improve Dalkey. The litter issue should be a high profile one as it is important to keep Dalkey clean and the Business Association should support TT. One of the Local Councillors has been doing a survey on blocked drains round the county and is putting pressure on DLRCC to get something done about it. The drains on Ulverton Road, Castle Park Road, Carysfort Road and Convent Road will be added to the list. Atmospheric Road is never swept and only some of the graffiti has been washed off the walls and Ardeevin Road is unsightly with the weeds and the dirt.

Heritage: the “Sharing a Culture Festival” had been a huge success. It has been a two-year program introducing Dalkey to Anglesey and the ninety-seven visitors from Wales commented that the weekend was a wonderful experience.

Planning: The planning was very busy last month but there is a bit of a lull while decisions are being processed.

Ardbrugh Road: there was an overwhelming response against the application for 18 apartments in three blocks six-storeys high.

AOB: The rep for Dalkey Avenue sought some advice on how to tackle the problem of speeding cars on Dalkey Avenue. The traffic on the avenue has increased and is not helped by the cars parked on it. A one-way system has been suggested but then that has other spin-off problems attached to it. Barnhill Road is also suffering from seeping cars along with Hyde Road and both of these roads have been the subjects of complaints for many years. The road marking on Carysfort Road and ensuing problems with the double yellow lines is totally illogical. The meter at the Eurospar car park was hit by a truck and has been removed. The new machine will be reinstated as soon as possible.

As there was no further business the meeting ended.

A stroll down memory lane - “Step it out”

Behind the gates on Victoria Hill, secluded and added onto the still standing “keep” stood a tea rooms and later a dance hall.
The hall was procured by a group of people for the purpose of running a ceili, with a view to raising funds to send young children to the Gaeltacht. Thus was born “Club Cualann” which was later to become known as “Dads Army”.
When one went into the ceili on the first Saturday of each month following Ceili House on RTE Radio One, you were met with a blazing open fire of coal, logs and turf, the odour of which I can still get today. Over the fire hung the skull of a deer with its menacing antlers staring down at you, I often wondered what it would have been like when it was alive and what it thought of the musicians playing music, sitting on the benches around the fire making ready for the night ahead.
The bar would open “only minerals” being sold, aptly known as “Slainte” and as the crowds arrived and I do mean crowds, the band would take their positions on the stage that was built by one of the committee. Accordions, fiddles, flutes, drums, tin whistles and even electric organs and I remember a double bass was the line-up.
The “Fear an Ti” would call out the first dance, usually a simple one like The Walls of Limerick to get us started. The band would introduce the dance with a line or two of a march to muster the people onto the floor and as soon as the full compliment of dancers were ready and “The Fear an Ti” was satisfied the nod was given to the band and off we went.
At about eleven or twelve o’clock there was a tea break and all homemade breads, soda, brown, currant commonly known as “railway cake”, treacle bread, scones, brack and sandwiches arrived on a trestle table from the small kitchen where an old fashioned copper burco was boiling in readiness to make the tea. The women had been working very hard in order to have everything ready for that night and all enjoyed the fruit of their labours.
Following the break people would be called upon to do a “turn”, sing a song, do a dance, play a tune or even in one particular case recite a monologue. Being as I was from a family of six, all dancers, we were called on to do what is known as a “step it out”. That’s where we all stood in a line and one would dance the lead around, the next a side step, the next a figure and so on until the dance was over and all would finish up dancing together. It was interesting to see the different steps and styles from the various teachers that we all went to.
The ceili usually finished up at two o’clock in the morning, although it sometimes ran over until three. The usual dance was the sixteen-hand reel but if the hall was full it was not unknown for some of us, regardless of the weather to do an alternative dance on the sloping tarmac outside.
Sadly that hall was destroyed by fire some years ago and the only thing left now is its foundations. Walking past I wonder to myself “was the hall really as big as I thought it was, or was it that I was so much younger then”? But I know that it was big, maybe not in its size but for all the memories it has given me and indeed many others who have passed through its doors.
A time of innocence, true fun and a great sense of culture resided in that great hall. A time, which I hope, will return for the generations to come. And yes, those children did get to the Gaeltacht. Thank you to the men and women of Club Cualann.

M.B.

Dalkey Tidy Towns – Second Round Adjudication:

Dalkey town has an atmosphere with mediaeval echoes brought about by the beautiful warm coloured stone of the two castles and the later Church of the Assumption. Many beautiful buildings caught the eye including The Queens beside Dalkey Castle. The narrow network of roads and streets adds so much character to the village.
However the 2nd round adjudicator was quite taken aback by the lack of litter control, in marked contrast to the situation at 1st round adjudication. A lot of litter was noted on the Main Street, at the car park by the Library and the Church car park. At the small car park at St. Patrick’s Avenue the litter bin there was overflowing. Bags of litter are still being left at Archbold’s Castle despite the notice that the collection service from there has changed. Again at Bulloch Harbour and on the Coliemore Road surprising amounts of litter were noted.
In terms of tidiness there were also some surprises. Weed growth at the base of walls in small narrow laneways off the Main Street was noted in several locations. The Library car park was extremely untidy and two bed mattresses were noted at the junction of Coliemore Road and Vico Road.

Tidy Towns Thoughts…

Last month, the tiny Tidy Towns Committee breathed a sigh of relief. Dalkey had increased its score in the 2005 competition. It had taken a lot of hard work from fundraising to clean up days to endless meetings with council officials. Does anyone in Dalkey care? How many people know who erected the new granite “Welcome to Dalkey” signs, who organised the flowers that made Dalkey look so lovely all summer, who is behind the charming Christmas pageant?

All this work is done by volunteers who feel that they can do something for the community contributing to the community is a vital part of belonging to a community. It is this very community that makes Dalkey such a lovely town to live in.

However the community needs to do more – whether it is the business community doing their part in the commercial life of the town, schoolchildren taking pride in where they live, householders contributing to the life of the community. Look at the black spots in Dalkey – the rubbish at the back of the Eurospar, the graffiti down all the lanes, the litter strewn around the public areas.

As the saying goes – A lot done – more to do. If anyone is interested in doing a little the Tidy Towns Committee would love to hear from you. Please check out our notice board in the Credit Union or
email: info@dalkeytidytowns.com

WINTER IS HERE - IT'S A TIME TO HIBERNATE

Welcome in the new and prepare yourselves for a fresh chapter in your life, there are no limits to what you can do only those you place on yourself and why entertain that? Winter for many is a season dreaded because of the short days and cooler weather. This year way not approach the season with a fresh outlook, think of all the great nights you can have sitting beside an open log fire, wearing cosy woolly jumpers and preparing hot drinks. The season can bring you magic, watch out for it!

1. Start a new hobby or evening class
Start a new creative pursuit- learn to paint, do a photography, pottery, woodwork, cookery class, surf the net, play the sax, learn a foreign language, do a start your own business course, learn to salsa or stretch to yoga. Remember to be adventurous-Hook up with a friend or partner and make winter a fun time.

2. Buy a book
Go around to your local book -store and buy a book that takes your fancy. Or arrange to meet up with a local book reading club. Move outside your comfort zone. If you are always reading intellectually stimulating pieces get something light and fluffy to bring out perhaps a softer side of your personality. Maybe indulge in the realms of fancy and illusion or romance. Perhaps travel books where you can enjoy planning your next trip in Ireland or further a field. The selection out there is infamous- the world is your oyster. Reading is good for the mind and feeds the soul and makes for a pleasant change to watching TV.

3. Change the menu
Winter brings with it dampness and chill. Therefore this is not the season to be eating cold plates and salads. Your system requires warm foods to prevent dampness manifesting in the body. Symptoms will include dark circles under the eyes, lethargy and a weakened immune system leading to colds and flues and general malaise. Eat the fruits and vegetables that are in season such as apples, pears and plums in the fruit sector. Root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips and beets. Soups, stew and casserole make excellent winter fare.

4. Buy yourself an exquisite bubble bath foam or gel
Get into the habit of soaking in the tub at least once a week. It's so good for you. It will soothe the body and easy your mind. Get some music that makes you tick and escape from all your responsibilities for at least one -hour. Go on you deserve it. Release the goodness in you.

Until next time
Live a lot and have a laugh!
© Tina Dunne 2005

THE RED SQUIRREL

Another creature, which is dependent on conifer cones, is one of Dalkey’s very special residents the Red Squirrel. There has always been a population of Reds in Dalkey and Killiney hill park and it would seem
in recent years the they have been expanding their range around the hill and have a healthy breeding population. I seem them regularly thanks in no small part to my dog which has an almost uncanny ability
to see or smell them and gets highly frustrated by their ease of escape across the treetops. You can sometimes find Douglas Fir cones on the ground after they’ve been stripped bare by the squirrels and they also eat the much larger Monteray Pine cones.
Sadly though the future of the Red Squirrels is at grave risk by the imminent arrival of Grey Squirrels which have been spreading relentlessly across the country since they were introduced to Ireland in 1911 when they were released as an unusual wedding present at CastleForbes in Longford.

Native to North America these squirrels have no natural predators here and a very diverse diet. They cause a lot of damage to young trees and when they move into areas frequented by Red Squirrels it inevitably results in the extinction of the reds. Greys carry a virus called Parapox to which they are relatively immune but
which is fatal to Reds Squirrels killing them within two weeks of them contracting it.

Ten years ago there were Red Squirrels in Cabinteely Park but now they’re gone and the place is full of greys. Grey Squirrels have been seen on Cunningham Road and near the Killiney Golf Course and it will be a sad day when they arrive on the hill. The only way to counter the threat is to actively trap the greys which has been done in some areas of Britain and I hope the council will give some thought to protecting the Reds in one of their last strongholds.

Events through the Month

St. Patrick's Dramatic Society will present The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, by Jay Presson Allen adapted from the Novel by Muriel Spark and directed by Killian McCrea in The Town Hall Dalkey from Wed 23rd November to Sat 26th Nov at 8pm.Tickets €10/€12 available from Gemma's Newsagents Dalkey, The Dalkey Heritage Centre, at the door or by phone 2807185.

The play tells the story of Miss Jean Brodie a rather unconventional teacher who incurs the wrath of her headmistress and the disapproval of her colleagues. Scandals increase chiefly involving the art teacher and the music teacher. The part of Miss Brodie will be played by Clare Cresswell. The play is directed by Killian McCrea

Families feature strongly in this latest production of St Patricks. Clare Cresswell is joined on stage by her daughter Amy who plays one of the schoolgirls and by grand uncle John a veteran of so many memorable roles for St.Patricks who plays the gardener. Mother and daughter Hilda and Wendy Grace and sisters Sharon and Samantha Smith also feature on stage.

The Dalkey Goat	Sharing a Culture Festival 23rd -25th Sept 2005 Dalkey & Isle of Anglesey	The Welsh Dragon
A Sharing a Culture Festival celebrating the connection between Dalkey and Anglesey was held in Dalkey from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th September. An estimated three and a half thousand people flocked to Dalkey to see musicians, singers, poets and host of other performers from Anglesey join with local groups in exchanging Welsh and Irish culture. There were ninety-seven in the visiting Welsh contingent. The festival was the finale of the 'Sharing a Culture' project, which for the past two years has introduced local people to Anglesey through Historical Tours, Artists' Residencies and Language Exchanges. The festival was initiated and organised by Margaret Dunne, Manager of Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre, and the project staff. Alun Gruffydd, Museums and Cultural Officer, and staff at Oriel Ynys Mon in Anglesey were partners in the venture. The Festival began at 1.00pm on Friday with the Welsh poets’ performance upstairs at IN. The poets are all winners of the crown or chair in the National Eisteddfod of Wales. This was followed by Deilg Inis heatre company’s performance of Cuan by Caimin Collins which promenaded from Coliemore Harbour to Dillon’s Park and onto Sorrento Park. Later, back at IN Hugh Leonard introduced the film version of DA to locals and Welsh alike. In the evening All-Ireland award-winning, traditional Irish folk group, the Wild Geese joined the Welsh poets at the Heritage Centre for a lively session representing both cultures. The festivities continued until the early hours at the Festival Club at Cuala GAA Club on Hyde Road. On Saturday, Welsh choir 'Côr ABC' got a thrilling standing ovation for their lunchtime recital of Sacred Music in the Church of the Assumption. Local children were entertained in the Town Hall with a wonderful display of Juggling by a clownish Johnny Phelan. In the afternoon, the Town Hall jigged with dancers taking part in Celtic Steps, a dance session led by traditional Welsh folk group Ffidl Ffadl and their Irish counterparts The Wild Geese. Crowds had gathered earlier to watch Ffidl Ffadl perform in the glorious sunshine outside the Queens. There was a Writers’ Workshop in our Lady’s Hall. Idlewilde Café rocked to the poets’ performance at 5.00pm and free coffees and Welsh cakes were provided. Castle Street itself slipped back in time as Medieval craftsmen from historic reproduction company Irish Arms showed children how to dip candles, catch rats, strike groats, have-a-go at archery and pen scripture. With over twenty events on the programme and all free of charge, many of them were booked out in advance including the Choral Concert held on Saturday night at the Town Hall. Among the performers were Welsh choir 'Côr ABC' and the local Cabinteely Gospel Group. Country Bake provided refreshments and cakes to over 80 performers. "It was a terrific programme enjoyed by all the family," said Dún Laoghaire & Rathdown's Cultural Librarian, Marian Keyes. Throughout the weekend Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre thronged with visitors experiencing 'Living History' as Deilg Inis Theatre Company brought Medieval Goat Castle vividly and humorously to life through the characters of Master Cheevers, his archer, his cook and a local medicine woman. Geraint Waters, chairperson of Draig Werdd - the Welsh Society in Ireland - commented: "This was a real feast which rivaled anything on display in the Eisteddfod itself." On Sunday afternoon, the Artist Residency section of the project had its finale when a larger than life Welsh Dragon arrived in Dalkey to be confronted by a giant Dalkey Goat defending Goat Castle. Welsh artist, Toby Downing, a specialist in the designing of giant puppets had been commissioned by the Heritage Centre to mastermind the design and execution of figures for a Street Pageant to create a spectacle for the end of the Festival. He was unstintingly assisted in his design task by artists Valerie Coombes and John Higgins over the summer. Members of the Black Art Group worked diligently and enthusiastically to support the creation of the wonderful puppets. The pageant involved young artists from Home Again, students from Harold Boys School, Loreto NS, St Patrick’s NS, Sharavogue, and Dalkey Karate Club under Wayne Deegan and dancers from the Mary McDonnell School. The young participants were colorfully dressed as flaming dragon's breath, the swirling seas, the surrounding rocks and Irish warriors. The entire parade was choreographed by Movement Director, Caimin Collins of Deilg Inis Theatre Company. Leading Irish percussionists and drummers set the beat and Deilg Inis actors, in splendidly colourful costumes led the young people in different sections of the parade. Once the giant puppet King of Dalkey, on top of Goat Castle, assured the defending Goat that the Welsh Dragon had come in peace, calm was restored and the Dragon was invited to partake of the festivities at Cuala. The festivities continued at Cuala where Irish Arms had re-located with their Medieval demonstrations. The highlights here were the have-a-go-archery and a forty five minute falconry display which enthralled children and adults alike. Alun Gruffydd, the partner Interreg project manager from Oriel Ynys Mon in Anglesey said, "the climax on Sunday was breathtaking - a credit to the whole project and Dalkey town.” Dalkey & Isle of Anglesey: Sharing a Culture is a project initiated by Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre and Oriel Ynys Môn, Anglesey, Wales with the support of Interreg Community Initiative IIIA of the European Regional Development Fund. The Community Dept of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Co Co also gave a community grant and the Irish Writers Centre part supported the Writers’ Workshop.

LIBRARY NEWS

Thursday 17th November 7 pm Book launch in the Dalkey library of “Echoes from the Deep” a collection of poems and stories written by members of the Dalkey Writers’ Workshop (Price €10 of which €3 is donated to Blackrock hospice). All welcome

Book Club
The book to read for the meeting on Saturday 3rd December @ 10.30am is:
“ Mansfield Park” by Jane Austen.

For further information phone Dalkey Library at 285 5277

Web Wise

#Free Internet training is available in Dalkey Library every Wednesday 11am to 1pm until 23rd November.
Celebrate Science Week with Michael Moylan, Monday 7th Nov @ 10.15am Class visit
Animal Magic Roadshow! Interactive educational show with Rosie Campbell Tuesday 15th Nov. @ 6.15pm (Ages 6 - 12 max 50)

OVERGROWTH AND UNDERGROWTH
Just a reminder now that we are heading into the winter, please cut back any over and undergrowth, which may be blocking the pathway and prevent any unfortunate accidents

Dalkey Ladies Club - 45 years.

In 1960 the then Dalkey Arts and Crafts Club opened in the kitchen of the Coliemore Hotel (later the Dalkey Island Hotel and now apartments) as Detta Cullen, one of the founders of the Club, owned the hotel and lived there with her family.

In time, this arrangement became inconvenient and the Club moved first to a bed and breakfast on the Coliemore Road and then to Epworth Hall before settling on their current venue -Our Lady's Hall.
Our Lady's Hall must have seemed luxurious after the trials of Epworth Hall where, each Thursday afternoon, a member had to go down to stoke up a large, ancient boiler after other members had driven into Dublin to collect bags of coke.

Despite these difficulties the Club prospered and soon established a drama group and a choir both of which competed against groups from all over the country.

As the Club grew in strength it also grew in influence and was in the forefront of the movement to improve some of the public services in Dalkey. In due course these efforts resulted in the establishment of Dalkey Community Council that is now such a significant organisation in the area.

Every Thursday for 45 years, the Club has continued to provide an interesting and entertaining programme. Members can look forward to authors, artists, actors, political figures, historians, adventurers and many others.

New members are always welcome -just come to Our Lady's Hall at 8pm on Thursday evenings. .

R. Callaghan

Dalkey Pageant - comments from school children

Loreto Primary School
1 had a really good time doing the pageant through Dalkey town. Everything and everyonewas so full of energy. I was one of the dancers and had a great time learning my dance. The goat,1 think looked brilliant. Everyone took a lot of time and effort to make the pageant. And I think it certainly paid off. It was a great and fun experience and I'd love to do it again!"

" The Dalkey Pageant was a great day for everyone involved. There was a big goat (to represent Dalkey) and a big dragon (to represent Anglesey in Wales) .We danced up and down the main street in Dalkey.Afterthat we all went down to Cuala G.A.A. club and got to look at little stalls in a medieval village and watched a falconry display!"

" I remember at one time I looked all around me and saw everyone smiling and laughing and enjoying themselves. It really was an unforgettable experience."

" I had a great time! Learning the dance moves was fun but performing them was even better! The costumes were really good and the goat was excellent! There were lots of people there and the music was brilliant! I had a fantastic time and I hope we do it again!"

On the day of the pageant, we dressed up as the sea blue, green and white t-shirts and put crepe paper in our hair. Then we danced through Castle Street with the goat behind us. Several times we shouted out' Is mise an gamhar , ó Deilginis' .

" The water slaves from Dalkey spotted the fire people from Wales and danced down the street to meet with them. The people from Dalkey had a goat, and the people from Wales had a dragon. The goat and dragon fought but the dragon won. The water people walked back to the castle, frightened. Then the King of Dalkey appeared and said, 'we are all friends do not fight and we will have a party' , so they all went down to Cuala and had a big party ! "

" I was involved in the first ever Dalkey Pageant. I had a great time. We were supposed to be the waves in the sea. We did a dance that made us look like waves; we all went in twos to Harold Boys School. After we met up at the Heritage Centre. When we got there we put on our t-shirts and got our faces painted and hair done. Then we practiced our dance. After that we made our way through Dalkey town doing our dance. At the end there was a fun day at Cuala Park so we all went there. That was the day of the first of many pageants to come (hopefully !)" .

Harold Boys School "The first Dalkey Pageant yesterday was great! It was a really sunny day but every now and then there were a few drops of rain that cooled us down. We wore fire hats and fire t-shirts and we had some cool instruments. After the pageant we went to Cuala and there were lots of fun things to do there. My favourite things were the arching, the bird show and the rat catcher"

" I saw the goat walking on the road yesterday. The dragon was walking on the road too. We had to play instruments while we were walking down the street. We had to get our face painted in Harold Boys School. As we were walking by we saw the King of Dalkey up on a big... big castle. We had to wear hats on our heads. We had to paint our arms and we pretended it was the flames of the dragon. When we stopped down the field there was a bow and arrow thing there. When the Dalkey Pageant was over we all got lollipops and our teachers took pictures of us beside the dragon."

Dalkey-Anglesey Link and the Festival
A Personal Account by Maeve O'Connor

On the 3rd of September last, about twenty people from Dalkey and environs travelled by boat from Dun Laoghaire to Anglesey for a two day visit. Ireland and Anglesey share an ancient culture as far back as the third millennium B.C. We both had similar passage graves, ours at New Grange, Knowth and Dowth and Bryn Celli DdU in Anglesey with the same style of architecture and decoration. Later in the middle ages Cistercian Monks founded castles and a church here in Dalkey while over in Penmon there was an important religious centre that adopted the Augustinian rule. We had an absorbing two days with tip-top organisation and a one-night stay in a luxury hotel. This was the last of the visits arranged from Dalkey to Anglesey during 2004 and 2005 to promote our shared culture.

The grand finale was a "Sharing a Culture" festival here in Dalkey from 23rd-25th September and many travelled over from Anglesey for the weekend. It was great fun and I shall only highlight some of it.
Cuan, a play based in 1922, involving young people in Dalkey and Killiney, featured ghosts from the past who sent shivers down my spine. It was so lovely and so sad. 'Music and Words' was held in the Heritage Centre on Friday night in which Welsh and Irish shared music, poetry, dancing and drama - Delightful!
Cor ABC was an award winning Welsh choir and I cannot give enough praise to their wonderful performances. I was very happy to see and hear Richard Burton in 'Under Milk Wood' at the film showing of under Milk Wood at IN. It is only in the last few years that I discovered this Welsh gem.
The Choral Concert in the Town Hall (which was sold out) was indeed a sharing of Celtic sounds. I doubly enjoyed seeing Ffidl Ffadl a traditional folk group having been introduced to their dancing in Anglesey.
A Welsh dragon and a Dalkey goat and others who were dramatic and gorgeous led the Arts Pageant, which progressed from the Heritage Centre to the Cuala GAA Club in Hyde Park. We were introduced to many who practiced skills of long ago, such as a barber-surgeon, a coiner, a rat catcher, a medicine woman and a falconry display. Altogether a great success! They were three days out of time, somehow magical , carefree and happy. Thank you.

Wildlife - Dates to note

Tuesday 1st November 2005
Wexford Birds -an illustrated talk by Alyn Walsh of the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve. Kingston Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, 8:00pm.
Sunday 6th November 2005
Coach trip to Wexford Wildfowl Reserve. The reserve attracts great flocks of wintering birds, including almost half the world population of Greenland White-fronted Geese, together with Whooper & Bewicks Swan, several species of Duck and other kinds of Geese. In previous years the species list for the trip has approached 90 for the day!
The coach will leave Rathfarnham Shopping Centre at 8.30 AM sharp and proceed via Taney Church, Goatstown, Foster Ave, Blackrock (Bus stop at Blackrock Park, opposite Mount MerrionAve), Deans Grange, Cornelscourt to the NIl picking up passengers on route. The coach will arrive back in Rathfarnham between 7.30 and 8.30pm. Bring warm, weatherproof gear & a pack lunch.
Fares: Full:25.00, Concession:20.00 Bookings:
To book, please call Aileen Prole at (01) 2889565 (7:00-9:00pm)

Retirement of Sergeant Joe Keane

On Oct 5th 2005 Sergeant Joe Keane signed the Daily Occurrence Book at Dalkey Garda Station for the final time. It was a moment of reflection after 34 years of diligent service to An Garda Siochana. Joe began his career on the 16th June 1971 where he was allocated Cabinteely Garda Station after training. He served there as a Garda until he was promoted to sergeant in 1986. On promotion the force felt that his skills could be utilised in the border area. He was duly transferred to border duty at Carrigans Garda Station shortly after. However Joe's heart was in the local area of Dalkey and he applied for and was granted a transfer to Dalkey Garda Station in 1987.
Joe served his community well as he interacted with all segments of society providing the best policing interest at all times. J oe graduated to becoming Sergeant In Charge of Dalkey in 2003, which gave him over all responsibilities for policing issues pertaining to the catchment area. This position was the icing on the cake for him and recognition for the valuable service he had given to An Garda Siochana.
A large gathering of colleagues, family, friends and members of the local Community attended a function at Fitzpatrick's Hotel on 22nd Oct to mark the occasion of Joe's retirement from An Garda Siochana.
Sergeant Timothy Walsh has been appointed the new Sergeant In Charge of Dalkey.

FROM AN GARDA SIOCHANA

Draig Werdd -the Welsh Society in Ireland

On behalf of Draig Werdd -the Welsh Society in Ireland, I would like to express our gratitude and admiration for the "Sharing a Culture" festival which you, along with Oriel Ynys Mon in Anglesey, organised in Dalkey over last weekend, and to congratulate you on the success of this outstanding venture. As a Welshman living in Dublin, it was particularly pleasing to see and hear Welsh performers of such a high calibre, and to have the opportunity of socialising with them -Cor ABC , Ffidl Ffadl and in particular some of the best and most entertaining poets in Wales, all winners of the crown or chair in the National Eisteddfod. This was a real feast which rivalled anything on display in the Eisteddfod itself. I believe that through these activities and the socialising that surrounded them (late into the night, in many cases) much has been done in Dalkey and further afield to raise awareness of the real Wales and of our culture and traditions, and I sincerely hope that such a venture may become a regular feature of cultural exchanges between our two countries. I can only add that our society is more than willing to assist in promoting such events, in whatever way we can. For the time being, a brief report and photos of the festival may be found on our website at www .draigwerdd .org .
Unwaith eto, diolch o galon am eich hymdrechion a llongyfarchiadau ar eich llwyddiant. Geraint Waters Chairperson -Draig Werdd -the Welsh Society in Ireland

LINK TO : November Diary Events

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