Julianstown & District Community Association

International Green Flag Award 2024 The International Green Flag Award was awarded to 120 Irish parks, gardens, greenways and wildlife sanctuaries around the county.  In the Republic of Ireland, An Taisce Environments Education is the national operator and has delivered the Green Flag Award since 2016. The Green Flag Award is a non-profit international accreditation program that recognises and rewards well-managers parks and green spaces. We are very happy to announce that Julianstown Community Garden has been awarded its 5th Green Flag Award and has also received a Highly Commended Award for our application in the National Pollinator Plan.  This is the only  public amenity in our village, and we thank all our volunteers who have spent hours looking after this beautiful space. We would also like to congratulate The Hungry Hall Park, Broomfield on receiving their 2nd Green Flag.  

Julianstown Tidy Towns has re-scheduled Wooly Wards Petting Farm for Sunday 28th July, 2019 as they are totally booked up until then. We were reluctant to cancel last Sunday's event, but given the weather report from Met Eireann we had no choice as they were forecasting Thunder and Lightening and this could have easily spooked the animals and then the could would have been very frightened children. We hope you can make it on the 28th. 
Admission is €10 per family and this includes Tea/Coffee, Drinks for children with biscuits and buns. All Welcome.

• Wooly Ward Petting Farm
• Magician, Puppet Show and Balloon Creations
• Face Painting
• Master Beekeeper to answer all your questions about bees and what flowers to plant for them
• Bouncy Castle
• Games

NEWS FROM JULIANSTOWN & DISTRICT COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

By Michelle Rourke and Niamh Bn. Uí Loinsigh

Halloween in the Garden 2018

"In an era long passed, all of the fires of Ireland were extinguished at sundown on October 31st and a single blazing bonfire was lit at the epicentre of the annual feast of the dead -Samhain had begun at the Hill of Ward (Tlachtga - near Athboy). The Druidical priests gathered the people together and set places with food offerings for those unseen who had crossed in to the land of the dead. For between the nights of October 31st and November 1st, the barriers between the worlds - which closed the doors of perception throughout the year - would fall away and the dimensions would interact freely with one another. At this time, when the harvest faded and the darker time of winter began, the known and the unknown would meet and dance in the flickering light of the celebratory flames...

• You are all invited to help us to re-enact this ancient tradition at our family-friendly event at 6.30 pm on Wednesday October 31st during our Spirits of Meath Halloween Festival.
• This Event is being run by Julianstown & District Community Association for all the residents of Julianstown & Surrounding areas
• All welcome to come along in Fancy Dress and enjoy the evening
• Cead míle failte go gach duine!
• Part funded by Discover Boyne Valley, Meath Co. Co. for the Spirits of Meath Halloween Festival and julianstown & District Comm. Assoc. 

Supervalu National Tidy Towns Results  - Julianstown went up by an amazing 9 points this year from 299 to 308.  Well done and thank you to all the residents of our village who helped make this possible.   The judge said it was a pleasure to walk through our village, that we have improved the environment and brought people in the community together with our wonderful events in the village garden which he said ‘is a joy to walk through’ .  “We note that Julianstown is situated in an Architectural Conservation Area (ACA). The Limekiln pub is a highlight and was a blaze of colour on the day of our visit. The orange and grey colour scheme works well here, creating a pleasant village atmosphere. Little Joey’s Pre-school is fresh and inviting with more colourful displays. Your perseverance in relation to the Old Mill Hotel is impressive – thank you for the ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots. They tell the story”. You can read this full report on www.tidytowns.ie  

The Julianstown Tidy Towns Committee is urgently looking for new members to help with the upkeep of the village and garden.  If you have any time to spare on a Saturday morning from 10.30 am to 1 pm, we would be delighted for your help.

The J.D.C.A. would like to thank Michelle Rourke who was employed under the Tus Scheme, which is run by Meath Partnership, as Administrator and to welcome on board Jayne McGuirk who is now taking over the position.

Whitecross National School – Julianstown & District Community Association would like to welcome Mr. Patrick Doran as Principal in Whitecross N.S. and wish Mr. Liam Burke well on his retirement. 

UPCOMING SCHOOL EVENTS

Parent - Teacher Meetings take place for children from Senior Infants to 6th Class on 

Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th October 2018.  

The school will close at 2:25pm on both these days to facilitate a short break for teachers before the meetings commence.

Halloween Break: Friday, October 26th School closes @ 2.40. 

Reopens on Monday, November 5th @ 09.00 

 Annual Text Alert Subscription of 6 Euro is now due. Please forward to

Duleek & District Text Alert, 
FREEPOST FDA 103, 
Community Advice & Support Office, 
Main Street, 
Duleek, Co. Meath.

If paying by cheque please make it payable to
Duleek & District Text Alert

Be aware that there have been several break-ins around the village in recent times – down Ballygarth Road and Preston Park – so please be vigilant!

St. Mary’s Church of Ireland is holding a concert by the renowned Drogheda Male Voice Choir on Friday 5th October @ 8 p.m. All welcome and proceeds in aid of Parish appeal.

Julianstown Drama Group "The Battle of Julianstown 1641" is based on a Real Battle that took place in Julianstown at a time of Political turmoil in Ireland  and which in effect changed the course of Irish History.  Once again excitement grows on the banks of the River Nanny as the cast of strut their stuff in preparation for this momentous battle.

This play begins as Phelim 0'Neil King of all the Rebels rides south with his sidekick "Rory O'Moore. They intend to conquer Drogheda.  Sir Patrick Whymes and Sgt .Major Roper

are leading a Battalion of men to Drogheda to help in the protection of the walls. 

Little did they think that they would meet O'Neil, O'Moore and of course the most dashing of the rebels " Slasher O@Reilly". Based Loosely on local historian Brendan Matthews book " Battle of Julianstown & the Siege of Drogheda" The Play gives a comical take on the events leading up to that Fateful day. Performances will take place Fri & Sat October 19th and 20th at 8pm in The Lime Kiln, Julianstown. Tickets available from The Lime Kiln or by calling 0860819187.

WOW… What a View!

An amazing aerial view of our fabulous garden – looks stunning doesn’t it?

Oktoberfest @ The Lime Kiln

 We’re celebrating Oktoberfest once again at The Lime Kiln Gastropub and we’re fit to burst with excitement. The Dovecote will be transformed into a Bavarian beer house with German food and steins of cold beer. And we have live music from the fantastic Scarecrow Hootenanny who is playing both nights.

Irish Honey Among World’s Healthiest

Irish heather honey contains health benefits comparable with the world renowned manuka honey from New Zealand, according to a study from researchers at Dublin City University and Trinity College Dublin.

Honey provides many benefits for overall health, with antioxidant, antibacterial, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Manuka honey is produced in New Zealand by bees that pollinate the native manuka bush. Advocates say it has particularly strong properties that are useful for treating wound infections and actually prevents damage to cell tissue.

The Irish research found a similar overall presence of powerful antioxidants called phenolic compounds in Irish heather honey as has been found in manuka honey.

Researchers also found that multifloral honeys produced by urban bees had a greater level of antioxidant phenolic compounds than their rural counterparts – a finding possibly due to the flower diversity and abundance surrounding hives.

The findings are published in the prestigious journal Food Chemistry.

• A third of all bee species in Ireland could be extinct by 2030
• Irish scientists part of €9m project to investigate bee population decline
• Bee part of the solution to the pollination problem

The research was led by PhD student Saorla Kavanagh of the school of chemical sciences and DCU Water Institute, and supervised by senior academics Dr Blánaid White of the school of chemical sciences in DCU and Prof Jane Stout of the school of natural sciences, Trinity College Dublin.

Irish heather honey had the highest total phenolic content of all Irish single origin honeys

Honey samples for the research, which was funded by the Irish Research Council, were donated by beekeepers across Ireland.

The research also represented the first ever comparison of Irish single-origin honeys; heather, ivy and oilseed rape and multifloral honeys.

It found:

– Honeys with a dark colour typically have a higher total phenolic content and thus a higher antioxidant capacity.

– Urban multifloral honeys had a higher total phenolic content than rural multifloral honeys.

 Irish heather honey had the highest total phenolic content of all Irish single origin honeys and had a higher total phenolic content than manuka honey.

– Ivy honey was the darkest Irish honey analysed and its total phenolic content was less than that of heather and manuka honeys.

Dr White said the research “shows that Irish honey is a high-quality product and something that we should really value".

Prof Stout said finding a difference in honey composition between urban and rural hives "probably reflects the difference in flower availability in urban and rural areas in Ireland”.

Make your own Halloween Costume!

With Halloween fast approaching and the build up for trick or treating, there is always the dilemma of what costume your little ones will wear this year!  Why not showcase your creative side and make your own costume that your children will love and a lot of the time are much better quality than the shop bought ones that cost a small fortune!  Here are some ideas that your kids will love…

Dead Bride/Groom

Use an old communion dress & veil; attach/glue some insects and fake blood and maybe some black roses.  White/grey face paint to finish the look.  For the dead groom use an old communion suit, slash the arms and legs of suit jacket & trousers. Put patches of black shoe polish on suit to give that dirt effect and splashes of fake blood and a black rose in the buttonhole.  Again white/grey face paint with some fake blood and some drawn on scratch marks.

Minion

DIY minion costumes look great, and are sure to be a winner with your kids. They are pretty cheap to make too. Basic costume comes from denim dungarees/some type of overalls, and a yellow hoody. Round black glasses or use black face paint to paint on glasses.  Sow pipe cleaners on for the hair onto the hood of the hoody. If you sew items on to clothing, rather than glueing, then all clothes can be reused after Halloween.

Face paint - yellow & silver for goggles, and make a Gru sign out of black felt and sew it to the front of dungarees. 

LEGO Brick

All you need is a large box, glossy spray paint and some round small craft boxes. Pick the colour of brick according to clothes your child will wear underneath. You may need to paint a few times, to achieve the colour you want.

This is sure to be a winner if you have a LEGO fan in the house.

UPDATE ON TRAFFIC CALMING FOR JULIANSTOWN

Note of meeting

Between

Representatives of Julianstown & District Community Association (JDCA)

And

Meath County Council (MCC)

Date of meeting: 26th October 2017

Place: Duleek civic offices

Present: Nicholas Whyatt - Senior Executive Engineer, MCC.

NiamhBn. Ui Loinsigh - Chair JDCA

Jackie O’Shea - Committee member JDCA

Brendan Logue - Committee member JDCA

Purpose of the meeting: To discuss the situation regarding proposed traffic calming measures for

Julianstown village

Nicholas said that an allocation of €300k had been set aside by MCC and ring-fenced to be spent on traffic calming in the village. He stated that this fund would not be lost if it was not spent during the periods allocated as it was MCC’s own money, not from external sources.

The delay in implementing the project was due to the following:

MCC did not have the in-house design capacity to design the measures needed for the project.

There are 6 other locations where traffic calming measures are needed, Julianstown being priority No. 6 of these. MCC decides the priorities on the basis of the number of fatalities in the areas to be dealt with. Julianstown has had no recent fatalities.

However, Nicholas has recently recruited a new engineer who is tasked with implementing the various traffic calming projects and he said that a less linear approach might be adopted in the design process as a result. He agreed that significant progress on the Julianstown project could reasonably be expected by mid 2018.

New Traffic Lights.

Nicholas accepted that new lights were definitely needed at the R150 (Duleek) junction and probably at the Laytown Road junction but this might require additional thought.

Raised Platforms.

He accepted that raised platforms at the above two junctions were needed and a further one at the pedestrian lights at Whitecross School.

Pole-mounted Radar speed displays.

These radar displayed showing the speed of approaching vehicles versus the local speed limit were discussed. Nicholas stated that their experience was mixed as to the effectiveness of these as they suited some locations but not others. However, they would be considered as part of the solution to the Julianstown problem.

New footpath

The possibility of creating a new footpath on the west side of the R132 from the R150 Duleek road junction as far as the bus stop at the top of the hill on the south side, was discussed and will be examined. Nicholas stated that their experience was that narrowing of the carriage way to facilitate such footpaths also acted as a traffic calming measure. The idea would be further examined.

By-Pass of Julianstown

Nicholas accepted that a by-pass of the village was an urgent matter. He stated that MCC had constructed by-passes in other villages where the traffic volumes were very much less that in Julianstown.

Urgent need for traffic management measures.

JDCA reps stated that the measures discussed above were become more and more urgent as traffic volumes were increasing steadily on the R132 arising from extensive new housing developments in East Meath now being implemented and planned. The building of the new Aldi supermarket would place further pressure on the situation.

Ministown Road

There was a discussion about the volume of traffic on the Ministown Road. Nicholas agreed to do a traffic count in due course.

Note of this meeting

We agreed with Nicholas that when the content of this meeting note was agreed with him that it would be circulated by the JDCA to local residents.

Brendan Logue

28/10/2017

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Whitecross National School – Children return to school on the 6th November after their mid terms break. Parent teacher meetings are set for November 29th and 30th.  This is except for the Junior Infant classes whose parent teacher meetings takes place in January.  The school will shortly be enrolling four Syrian children and we wish them well in settling in and making new  friends.  

Local man Bobby McCormack received the annual Dochas Global Citizen Award 2017 for his tireless work as Director of NGO Development Perspectives, whose mission is to contribute to lessening poverty, inequality and climate change through transformative education and active global citizenship.

 SANTA IN JULIANSTOWN - Santa & Mrs. Claus will be arriving by vintage tractor at the Lime Kiln on Tuesday 12th December at 6 p.m. We are thrilled to have the Mornington Gospel Choir on hand for the carol singing and then it’s time for all the younger folk to meet the Man himself. 

Traffic – Members of Julianstown & District Comm. Assoc. have arranged a meeting with Nicholas Whyatt, Senior Executive Transport Dept. of Meath Co. Co. and we will update you next month on the outcome.  It is proposed to discuss €300,000

 funding which has been ring fenced for our village in which we hope to get firm proposals from council as to what will happen with the funding.

Keep up to date with Julianstown events by liking our Facebook Page ‘Julianstown Tidy Towns or by checking our webside page www.julianstowncommunity.com

Coole Swan Afternoon Tea in Julianstown 2017

Afternoon Tea is an indulgent delight that everyone should experience at least once in their life and what better way to indulge yourself than to sit back and soak up the atmosphere while enjoying a delicious assortment of sandwiches,  pastries, and cakes which have been freshly prepared for you. 

Our Coole Swan Afternoon Tea certainly lived up to its name.  The event was held in the local Church of Ireland Parish Rooms on the Laytown Road and was sponsored by Mary Sadlier of Coole Swan Liqueur.  Some of our Committee Members met Mary at an event in City North Hotel and told her they had presented the Lord Mayor of Xiamen in south eastern China with a bottle of the delicious liqueur and Mary, being Mary, immediately offered to sponsor an event for us.  We could hardly say no to this offer and so Coole Swan Afternoon Tea was born. 

The event kicked off with a little taste of that beautiful Coole Swan Liqueur, and then followed by smoked salmon on brown bread.   There was an assortment of sandwiches, freshly baked scones with a dollop of raspberry jam and clotted cream, and then some yummy éclairs, lemon drizzle cake, chocolate brownies to name but a few presented on a pretty 3-tiered cake stands! They looked extremely tempting and it wasn’t long before everyone tucked in.

Then the Cookery Demonstration began with the ultimate showstopping bake and none other than the gravity-defying cake with sweets pouring over the top and tumbling down the sides. This bake by Ann Marie Ennis definitely had the wow factor and would be perfect for impressing guests at a birthday party or celebration. 

We finished the afternoon off with a raffle and all monies raised from this event will be used to replace expensive gardening equipment which was recently stolen from a locked container in the Julianstown Village Garden.

Julianstown Tidy Towns would like to thank Mary Sadlier, Coole Swan, Ann Marie Ennis and all who attended this really special afternoon.  We are forever grateful to all our committee who did such Trojan work in setting up the room and then having to clear it all away!  Thanks, too, to Robert Ward for coming to our rescue and building the stage! Great team event!

http://www.antaisce.org/membership   Have you thought about taking out an annual membership with An Taisce - Meath has its own branch as well.

AN TAISCE THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR IRELAND HAS MADE A SUBMISSION TO THE MEATH COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLANT (2019-2017)

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

https://webmail.eir.ie/service/home/~/?auth=co&loc=en_GB&id=252568&part=2

NEWS FROM JULIANSTOWN 

February 2017

 TIDY TOWNS We have started off the year with a cleanup of the kerbs going up through the village and as you can see what a difference it makes! Many thanks to Lennie, Clare, Aisling, Dolores, Jackie, Pat, Stephen, Colm (wheelbarrow), and Niamh for all their Trojan work.  If you would like to come along and join us any Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday morning with getting our village ship shape for the spring, the Tidy Towns Volunteer Group would love to see you.  We will be holding our An Taisce Annual Spring Clean on Saturday April 15th and also entering Meath County Council’s Anti Litter League which will start in March and finish end of April.  We will also be entering the National Tidy Towns Competition and judging for this takes place in June. We had a meeting with Christy Clarke, Area Engineer for council and we have asked him to cut back the briars and remove dead trees going up through the village.   That rather large mound of tarmac will be removed next week. It’s also great to see that we now have a weekly road sweep and have asked the council to extend grass cutting to include the Duleek Road. We also spoke about the vegetation growing on the Moorechurch Road Bridge, weeds along the kerbs, dirty road signs etc. for the council’s attention.  The issue of the bad bend on the Laytown Road was discussed at length and perhaps our Councillors’ could look for emergency funding to straighten this extremely dangerous spot. (that cant be impossible and urgently needed) Did you happen to see the Daffodils on the Laytown Road where we have planted the line of Rowan Trees?  They must the first to bloom in the village!

Meath County   Development Plan 2019-2025 – You can make a difference!  The Meath County Development plan is now up for review and we the people of Meath can make submissions to the council as to what we would like to have in the plan.  It could be improving the roads through Julianstown, installing a playground in the village, swimming pool, house, footpaths etc.  There will be an information night in the civic offices in Duleek on Wednesday, lst February from 5 to 7 pm and it is up to us to make every effort to be there and see what will affect our lives in the future.  You may say why bother?  Why Indeed?  Well poor Julianstown and East Meath are being left behind when it comes to investment in this area.  So, please, make the effort to make a difference for you and your family. 

JULIANSTOWN SUMMER FESTIVAL We are looking forward to Julianstown Summer Festival in June which will, not only be for our younger folk, but for all!  A bit of Oom Pah Pah agus beidh An Féile seo as Gaeilge agus i mBéarla (Festival will be in Irish and English).  Lots of entertainment being arranged, so watch this space. 

You can contact us on Facebook: Julinstown Tidy Towns Group or www.julianstowncommunity.com

Sunday 3rd July, 11.00 am

Bio-Blitz of Girley Bog The Girley Bog Meitheal, in association with the National Biodiversity Data Centre will host a Bioblitz at Girley Bog, a race against time to record as many species of wildlife as possible over a 24-hour period. This is a participatory event where everyone can join in to learn about raised bogs, and engage in a programme of events to celebrate this special feature of the Meath/Irish landscape. Meet: At the Bioblitz Base Camp, this will be located at Girley Hall, Girley, Co. Meath Leader: Girley Bog Meitheal/NBDC

Sunday 28th August, 8.00 pm

Bat Walk, Headfort School Kells All are welcome, children to be accompanied by an adult (only). Torches, wellies and suitable outdoor clothing are advisable. Hi-Vis for children. Meet: Headfort House Leader: Brian Keeley, Bat Conservation Ireland

Saturday 8th October, 11.00 am

Fungi and foraging in Dalgan Woodlands Kate Flood will talk to us about Foraging in Dalgan Woods and Diarmuid McAree, an expert on trees and forestry, will concentrate his talk on the fungi of a woodland as indicators of the health and wellbeing of a forest. Meet: Visitors’ car park (Dalgan Park) at 10.45 am Leader: Kate Flood (Girley Bog Meitheal) and Diarmuid McAree (Crann) General information All natural history enthusiasts are welcome. No experience required. For further details contact the Heritage Office in Meath County Council on 046-9097586 email heritage@meathcoco.ie or visit www.meath.ie Please email heritage@meathcoco.ie if you would like to receive reminders about events or if you would like to be notified about other Meath Heritage events. Please wear suitable footwear and dress appropriately for outdoor activities and bring your own refreshments.

Laytown/Bettystown Municipal Area  We recently met with some of our councillors and then wrote to all of them with a ‘wish list’ for Julianstown and some of the items are all pretty basic such as footpaths, traffic lights, roundabout at Whitecross to name but a few!  We will be meeting with the councillors for a follow up and will keep you advised of developments.  Is there anything you would like brought to their attention?  If so, please contact us as soon as possible.

Lime KilnThe New Function Room has opened in the Lime Kiln and it seats about 70, so if you are thinking of celebrating an event why not call in and book it!  According to John Macken, the Bakery and Shop should open mid June and this will be a great asset to the village.

Salesforce We were delighted to have this large group from Salesforce come along and help out with projects in our Community Garden.  They arrived early in the morning and got stuck right in!  They painted our new shed and fencing, and then moved a few ton of soil, stones, sand and bark!  While this was being done, Tom was busy putting in some paving stones around the shed.  Well done all and hope to see you again in September! Many thanks to them all and to Salesforce, Sandymount.

Date for your Diary

Let's bring our whole community together for a party this Summer! We're going to take over the Julianstown Community Garden for the afternoon. Bring a chair/blanket (if you can), and sit back and enjoy the afternoon!  

Sunday June 12th is Street Feast and we are also celebrating the festival of Bealtine in the garden with a theme “Bees and Butterflies”. Entertainment will include Story Telling with Madam Margo and Mystic Meg, face painting, Punch and Judy, Magic Show,  Fancy Dress, and Obstacle Course.  We are also holding a competition for Best Hat/Bonnet - so mums, and dads get sewing.  You never know we might event have a budding 'Philip treacy' among us.  There will also be local craft on sale and Afternoon Tea with Strawberries and Cream (Yum Yum).

Contact us at www.julianstowncommunity.com or Facebook Julianstown Tidy Towns.