The Newspaper with the
NEED A TAXI?
BIGGEST circulation in the North County
We Deliver We deliver A registered newspaper at the G.P.O.
“My Parents know I’ll get home safe”
Your Quality Local Newspaper
29th October 2013 • Volume 20, Issue 41 • Leader House, North Street, Swords, Co. Dublin. • Tel: 8•400•200 • info@northcountyleader.ie
Donabate Teachers Make A Difference
Local accountancy firm McInerney Saunders (Swords) recently hosted the prestigious IAPA International Conference in Dublin. Pictured at their Gala Ball were Partners Susan McKittrick, Gerry McInerney, Cathal Saunders, Donagh Waters, Owen Sheehy & Neal Morrison are pictured with Tony Lambert, CEO Fingal Dublin Chamber.
An exciting initiative by four By Patrick Finnegan exchange,” said Colm. teachers from Donabate @TheCountyLeader He went on to explain the stark differences between Portrane Educate Together National School is set to have a profound teaching in Ireland and Cambodia. effect on pupils at the school, and also in “Standing barefoot, drenched in sweat, among a classroom of smiling faces and Cambodia, The teachers, Colm Byrne, Cormac O’Brien, armed only with a whiteboard marker, it Niamh Kershaw and Jenny Stanley spent a became immediately apparent that we number of weeks during their summer were in for the learning experience of our holidays in Cambodia, where they taught lifetimes. Welcome to the Cambodian children between the ages of 7 and 16. education system.” Colm continues, “We taught children They funded the entire trip themselves. Colm Byrne told the County Leader about between the ages of 7 and 16. These chilhow the project came about. “We teach a dren came from a range of backgrounds. subject called Learn Together, where we Some of these children were affected by teach children to be active citizens, high- health issues such as HIV/AIDS. Without lighting the differences with other children exception, we were overwhelmed by their incredibly positive, loving and joyful across the world.” “Nadine France, a parent in the school, personalities; something none of us will who has worked as a development aid ever forget. Through this, and our work worker for the past 20 years, approached with Cambodian teachers, we gained an us last year with the exciting prospect of insight into the rich Cambodian culture establishing partnerships between our and its educational system,” he said. school and Cambodian organisations. We While they were in Cambodia, the teachers saw this as an opportunity to empower all partnered with two local charities, namely children involved to play an active role in PEPY and Seedling of Hope. PEPY helps global development. Our aim was to estab- with empowering children and evaluating lish a mutually beneficial learning the education system in improving educa-
Plenty Of Options For Balbriggan Voters As a result of the By Jennifer McShane Balbriggan Town @TheCountyLeader Council being abolished next year, the current nine town councillors will not have positions, come next May. These dedicated servants of the community have worked very hard over the years to help to make Balbriggan the place it is today. They have contributed enormously to the town becoming a desirable place to set up home, or to build a viable business. The improvements to the town are apparent to all, in particular, the town square, which has a particularly continental look to it. The local elections, which take place next May is an opportunity for many of these experienced professionals to showcase their expertise to a wider audience. There are eight places up for grabs in the local elections for the Balbriggan Electoral Ward, which also includes the nearby towns of Skerries, Rush, Lusk and the rural villages in the region. Unsurprisingly, some councillors have informed the County Leader that they intend to run in the local elections next year, and aim to continue to fight for the people of
Balbriggan. At the time of writing, four of the nine councillors, namely, Cathaoirleach, Peadar O’Kelly (Lab) and Terry Kelleher (SP), as well as former Cathaoirligh, Gráinne Maguire (NP), and Frank Snowe (NP) have confirmed their intentions to run next May. This move will bring great relief to local residents, as these councillors have a vast amount of experience, knowledge and commitment between them, which they want to continue bringing to the locality next
year. Snowe told the County Leader that he intends to push for the local issues that “really matter to the community.” “I have no interest in national politics,” he said. “Local politics and the local people are what really matter the most to me.” Kelleher echoed this sentiment and said that he intends to “fight with the local people” to see that things get done in Balbriggan, while Maguire said while the local elections weren’t going to be easy, she was ready to put up a
TAKE THE CHILL OUT OF SHOPPING THIS WINTER Enjoy the comfort of doing your weekly shopping all under one roof in a warm and friendly environment Chat with your friends in our convenient family friendly restaurants. Park For Free In Our Covered Car Parks
The Heart Of Shopping In Balbriggan
tional standards. Children can now achieve whatever they set their minds to. The PEPY programmes are teacher training, dream classes and English learning classes. “They were similarly enthused by our Learn Together programme and aspire to work with us in developing a values based programme. Seedling of Hope helps children and families affected by AIDS and HIV.” “We felt confident that these two groups would be very comfortable with the values present in the Educate Together community and us with theirs. We are very excited about our mutually beneficial learning exchange,” said Colm “The children here in Donabate Portrane Educate Together contributed by posting on the school blog and they made scrapbooks to go to Cambodia. They will be participating in a pen pal exchange and shared artwork. The project has been embraced enthusiastically by students, teachers and parents alike and our hope is that it will continue to grow and enhance the level of knowledge and understanding of all,” Colm concluded. See picture on page 5
fight. O’Kelly concluded by saying “I want to bring my energy, experience and passion to help directly shape the plans for the local community. It is an honour to represent the resi- Cllr. Maguire dents in Balbriggan and I am determined to get the absolute most for people in the area.” The Balbriggan Town Council has a long history of dedicated service to the people of Balbriggan and beyond. Its Cllr. O’Kelly councillors have tirelessly sought to improve the living conditions of the local people and to see that the town is maximised to it’s full potential. With such a long tradition of Cllr. Snowe service to the community, often with fathers and mothers handling over the baton to their children, it is evident that the ethos of loyalty and providing for citizens has always been to the forefront of these repre- Cllr. Kelleher sentatives. Residents of Balbriggan would be well advised to consider this, come next May.