Category Archives: SCA

SCI are inviting you to a Midsummer Madness Cycle on Sun 21 June

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As part of Bikeweek 2015, Skerries Cycling Initiative are organising a fun cycle for cyclists of all ages, taking place on Sun 21 June from 12 noon.

Meet at Skerries Mills (Car Park), and follow the SCI volunteers on an easy cycle (9 km in total, no hills, suitable for all ages and bikes – as long as they are roadworthy!) that will take in Strand Street, South Strand, the Rugby Club, Hillside, the train station, go past Skerries Point to Barnageeragh Cove and back along the coast road to Skerries Harbour, ending at the Sea Pole some time after half one in good time for a quick picnic (pack something nice for yourself and maybe to share) before heading over to the Lego Fun Day, a fundraiser for fellow-SCA-committee Soundwaves!

Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Bring water, it might be a hot day.

MidSummer Cycle 2015

Bikeweek SCI

Tidy Towns ask: Join Cleaner Communities Competition!

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Skerries Tidy Towns Committee write:

Entry forms are now available for the Fingal County Council “Cleaner Communities Competition”.
They can be downloaded from the Fingal County Council site, click on the link below or phone 018905453.
There are entries accepted from both Commercial and Residential.
Commercial includes: presentation of premises, Waste Management Initiatives, Energy Management Initiatives and Biodiversity.
Residential includes: best presented gardens, thatched cottages, estates, apartments, community centres.
There is also an award for Green Business: special effort to be environmentally friendly.
This is our own county competition and we as a town have lots to offer so please download a form and enter your residential area, house or business.

http://www.fingalcoco.ie/…/c…/community-clean-up-and-awards/

Bike Repair and Maintenance Course organised by two of our committees

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Fix that bike! Want to learn how to fix punctures and brakes and lots of other practical stuff to keep your bike working safely and efficiently?
Two of the committees of Skerries Community Association have come together to bring you this course:
Sign up now for a free bike repair and maintenance course coming to Skerries in May. The course is open to Skerries residents over sixteen years old and is being organised by Skerries Cycling Initiative and Skerries Tidy Towns.
The course involves six sessions and will take place on Tuesdays and Wednesday mornings (9am-12 noon) over a three week period starting on Tuesday 5 May and ending on  Wed 20 May.
Any questions? Contact Michael, Skerries Cycling Initiative, via  cycling@skerriesca.com
Sponsored by Fingal County Council under the Local Agenda 21 Environmental Grants scheme
bike in front of harbour

Launch of 2015 Skerries Adopt-A-Patch

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Skerries Tidy Towns Committee, in association with Fingal County Council and Supervalu, re-launched “Adopt-a-Patch” at Skerries Mills last Tuesday (24 March 2015).

This successful scheme is now in its fifth season. New and continuing volunteers take charge of an open space, laneway or pedestrian area, and keep it clean and litter free. Fingal County-Council provide bags, and collect full bags from convenient points around the town. Our local Supervalu act as the depot for new bags, gloves etc.

Frances Owens and Breege Madden, the Tidy Towns “Adopt-a-Patch” coordinators, thanked all their volunteers. They added: “With your help, Skerries continues to achieve a high place in the national Tidy Towns competition.”

It was particularly good to see a strong contingent from Skerries Community College, who are ever increasing their involvement in the community. They regularly cooperate with SCA committees – Soundwaves, for instance, hugely benefited from a good number of Transition Year volunteers during their festival last September.  The SCC students have adopted a patch around the Community College.

 

Patch 2015 (1) Patch 2015 (2) Patch 2015 (3) Patch 2015 (4)

If you would like to join those who already have adopted an area, contact y member of Skerries Tidy Towns Committee, in particular Frances Owens (087 241 7017) or Breege Madden (087 770 0449).

  • Big areas can be divided between a number of volunteers.
  • The area can be cleaned at a time that suits you.
  • Gloves, bags and a picker will be provided.
  • Fingal County Council will collect bags from convenient points

Photographs: Brendan Sherlock, SCA.

Skerries CoderDojo in March

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The volunteers of Skerries CoderDojo (one of the many committees of Skerries Community Association) made it possible once more – over 70 “ninjas” (young coders) attended the monthly CoderDojo (or computer-coding workshops) in our Old School last Sunday, 8 March 2015.

There are some 30 mentors and helpers involved in this project, all giving their time free of charge. Thanks to their main sponsor, RazorSocial (based in Rush), their venue is paid for for the moment, but there are many other costs to cover, such as mentor training,  child protection training, materials and (some) equipment (they borrow as much as possible).

Normally, sessions take place on the second Sunday of the month. Every month, tickets for this free event can be reserved. It is safest to book them on the Sunday before the event, when they go live at 5 p.m., as there can be waiting lists. An email to coderdojo@skerriesca.com is all it takes to be put on their mailing list & to be alerted in good time before the next session!

 

Tidy Towns: Adopt-a-Patch

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Skerries Tidy Towns (a committee of Skerries Community Association) invites you to the relaunch of their ‘Adopt-a-Patch’ scheme at Skerries Mills on Tuesday, 24th March between 2.30 and 4 p.m.

We hope our existing volunteers will continue the wonderful work they do in helping to keep Skerries litter free and welcome new volunteers to Adopt-a-Patch. Come along and check out the areas we hope individuals and families will adopt!

  • Big areas can be divided between a number of volunteers.
  • The area can be cleaned at a time that suits you.
  • Gloves, bags and a picker will be provided.
  • Fingal County Council will collect bags from convenient points

Could you spare an hour or two each week to keep a space clean and litter free? If you can, please come to our relaunch and register.

Contact any member of Skerries Tidy Towns Committee, in particular Frances Owens (087 241 7017) or Breege Madden (087 770 0449)

 

 

SCA Objects to Milverton Quarry Skerries Plans

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Roadstone are planning to fill the quarry at Milverton, just outside Skerries on the Dublin road – we are concerned for a number of reasons!

Today, the formal objection on behalf of Skerries Community Association was submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency.

In it, the Board of Directors of the SCA emphasises

  • the importance of the Mill Stream, which flows from the quarry and through the centre of the town park to the sea, and the danger and consequences of contamination by even small amounts of hazardous material: “Therefore the SCA requests assurances that all material will be fully tested offsite before being transported to the quarry prior to granting of the licence.”
  • the increased volume of traffic on the road to the quarry by up to an extra 26 HGV movements per hour at busy periods on winding and undulating roads extending for over 10 kilometres (Skerries to Blakes Cross).  “The licence should not be granted until a more detailed investigation of the impact on traffic can be made.”
  • the fact that the quarry itself is listed as being of special geological significance by Fingal County Council. “Given its geological importance, further study of the impact of the works on the local ecology needs to be made before granting the licence.”
  • the fact that there is no time limit on the licence: “… the licence should not be granted without some clearly defined limit being in put in place on the duration of activity at the site. “

And the submission concludes: “Until assurances can be made to the local community on all these points, the Skerries Community Association objects to the granting of this licence.”

Read the SCA objection to the Milverton Quarry Skerries plans in full here:

SCA Roadstone Quarry Objection 11 Feb 2015

2015 An Post Rás to finish in Skerries – for the 10th time!

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This will be the 10th time that the this exciting bicycle race will finish in our town. Mark your diaries for Sunday May 24!  After nearly 1,200 kilometres, the riders will be able to look forward to a great welcome in Skerries. The An Post Rás Skerries Stage End Committee (a committee of the Skerries Community Association)  are already on the case!

An Post Ras Facebook snippet

 

Here is some detail from An Post Rás HQ:

Stage 8, Sunday May 24: Drogheda to Skerries (132.6 kilometres):

The last stage of the race is the shortest but Race Director Tony Campbell says that a modification has been made to the finale which could bring about a last gasp change in the overall standings.
After the drop of the flag in Drogheda the bunch will race through Donore and Navan prior to an An Post Prime in Kilmessan, 35.1 kilometres in. The first of five third category climbs will rear up at Newtown (km 63.3) followed by the second at Ardgillan Castle (km. 83).
Soon afterwards the peloton will race into Skerries and cross the finish line for the first time, 91.4 kilometres after the start. They will then begin three 13.7 kilometre finishing laps, each bringing them across the Black Hills category three climb and providing opportunity to strong riders who are chasing overall victory or the stage win.
“The last stage is familiar to those who have been at previous editions of the An Post Rás, in that it finishes once again in Skerries” says Campbell. “It’s actually the tenth year that we are doing so and that finale has been absolutely fantastic for the race. There is a fantastic committee putting it together, and each year it is just better and better”
“This time we have put in an extra lap of the finishing circuit. We believe it could be very close in the overall standings and so the third lap could make a difference and decide the race right in the final minutes. It could be a very dramatic finale.”

Some more details

2015 AN POST RÁS ROUTE TO MAKE FOR THRILLING SPECTACLE
Speed and Tactics will be key to success

Unveiling a fast and tactical route which totals almost 1,200 kilometres, the organisers of An Post Rás today launched what could be one of the most suspenseful editions of the race in recent history.
Deliberately omitting some of the tough first category climbs that have featured in recent years, the emphasis this time around is on opening up the possibility of attacks at any point in the race. This change is set to add greatly to the unpredictability An Post Rás has long been known for.
The 2015 edition of the race will begin in Dunboyne, travelling clockwise around Ireland with stage finishes in Carlow, Tipperary, Bearna, Newport, Ballina, Ballinamore and Drogheda, before the customary finale in Skerries.
Scrapping it out over eight days, the riders will still have 21 categorised climbs to deal with. But with just two of these being second category, surprise attacks, high speeds and strong winds will likely be the biggest factors in shaking up the peloton and deciding the final overall result.
Announcing the route for the May 17th to 24th event in Dublin’s GPO, An Post Rás, Race Director, Tony Campbell anticipates a gripping contest.
“This year’s race is a lot flatter than recent years,” he stated. “However it is very rolling terrain and very exposed and there is very little shelter on a lot of stages.
“The riders are going to have to be careful of winds; if there are any sort of westerly winds, I would say they could be in big trouble. It is going to make for great racing and will also require good bike handling skills.”
As has been the case in recent years, the route was designed by Stephen O’Sullivan. Campbell said that the choice of terrain is intended to strike the right balance between the international and the domestic competitors. The new format will ensure that both groups can influence the outcome.
“Sometimes the flatter editions are the ones with the most attacking, the most action and the most tactics,” he said. “Riders will have to be vigilant every minute of the day.”
Double Olympian and former Rás winner David McCann was on hand to launch this year’s route alongside Irish riders Damien Shaw, Eoin Morton and Sean McKenna. McCann, who lifted the coveted trophy in 2004, believes this year’s route will make for a thrilling spectacle.
“It’s going to allow for typical Rás style racing with plenty of attacking, which is what we love so much about the race. It should be a great one for the neutrals and hopefully this year an Irish rider can take home the trophy.”
Day one of the race covers 154.4 kilometres from Dunboyne to Carlow and has been set up to ensure a fast, aggressive opener. It features four third category climbs at Sherlockstown, Boherboy, Hacketstown and Kilcommon each awarding points towards the King of the Mountains competition. It also includes An Post Hotspot Sprints at Naas, Clonegal and Ballon.
Time bonuses will be on offer at each of these three gallops, but larger bonuses at the finish mean that whoever wins the stage will don the first Yellow Jersey of the race.
At the GPO launch of Ireland’s top-ranked UCI race, An Post CEO, Donal Connell said:
“An Post is Rás sponsor since 2011 and we have seen things change for the positive in this time, with huge growth in cycling as a sport, a form of transport and as part of the leisure and tourism economy. An Post is part of this and we continue with our support for cycling at every level. This helps our business visibility, it allows us to be part of a positive change in the country and we see the huge and longstanding difference our support makes to An Post Rás, as it does with all of our sponsorships.”
Details of the international teams set to join this year’s An Post Rás will be released over the coming months. The An Post Chain Reaction Sean Kelly team has already committed to participating.

An Post Rás route 2015 (UCI 2.2, May 17th – May 24th):
Stage 1, Sunday May 17: Dunboyne to Carlow (154.4 kilometres)
Stage 2, Monday May 18: Carlow to Tipperary (137.2 kilometres)
Stage 3, Tuesday May 19: Tipperary to Bearna (155.9 kilometres)
Stage 4, Wednesday May 20: Bearna to Newport (155 kilometres)
Stage 5, Thursday May 21: Newport to Ballina (142.4 kilometres)
Stage 6, Friday May 22: Ballina to Ballinamore (160.1 kilometres)
Stage 7, Saturday May 23: Ballinamore to Drogheda (142.4 kilometres)
Stage 8, Sunday May 24: Drogheda to Skerries (132.6 kilometres)

 

Submissions by our Committees re Town Park

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There is considerable interest in Skerries in the redevelopment of Skerries Town Park, and rightly so. In addition to the direct submission made by Skerries Community Association to Fingal County Council, a number of our committees also made their thoughts known. Some of them can be accessed here on our website – see rough summaries and links below.

Active Transport

Skerries Cycling Initiative made a comprehensive submission to Fingal County Council regarding the Town Park redevelopment. In summary:

Skerries Cycling Initiative (SCI) welcomes this plan in principle. The proposed new entrances and paths have the potential to create better access to amenities in the park and more importantly, to provide links between the North, South, East and West of the town.
The Town Park serves many purposes and its redevelopment gives Skerries a unique opportunity. Our comments in this submission are directed towards improving the Town Park as an active travel hub as well as improving access to the many amenities -existing and planned- in the Town Park. As such our focus is on extending the capacity of the Park to provide safe routes of travel for persons walking and cycling, using wheelchairs and other mobility vehicles including cycles adapted for persons with disabilities. We want the end result of the redevelopment to be the creation of an inclusive, age friendly and attractive space. We wish also to point out that increasing numbers of battery powered mobility vehicles are in use around the town and it is important that the users of these vehicles are catered for through well designed pathways in the Park.

Click on the following link to open the full submission, which includes maps and tables, in a new window: SCI Submission Townpark Redevelopment

 

Community Food Garden

Adding a community food garden was at the heart of the submission made by our Sustainable Skerries Committee. They write:

Sustainable Skerries wishes to submit a proposal to Fingal County Council with respect to the Skerries Town Park development to allow an area for a Community garden in the plans.

Site specification: Good drainage Easy to secure 600 -1000m2

We believe that the ideal location for the community garden would be beside the Bowling green, where the shipping container is at present. This area has easy access for young and old people alike, and is somewhat secure.

You can read their submission in full here: Community Food Garden Proposal to FCC Sustainable Skerries

Skatepark

The Skerries Skatepark Committee, also part of the SCA, wrote:

As part of the new Town Park Development Plan we would like to see a skatepark included in the overall plans. It has been the vision of the committee to construct a skatepark that is sensitive to its surrounding from a visual and environmental viewpoint. … Ideally 700 m2 area would suit a skatepark, this give enough room for mixed ages and abilities to participate at the same time. As a comparison a football pitch is around 7,000 m2.

See the full submission here: Town Park Plan – skatepark

Skerries Tidy Towns  also had direct input to Fingal County Council in this regard; we will add their submissions as they become available to us.

SCA Submission re Town Park to FCC

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….the proposed development of the Skerries town park as described in the plan is very welcome and will go a long way to making this park an amenity that the entire community can enjoy and be proud of.

This is the central message of our submission to Fingal County Council regarding the proposed redevelopment of the green heart of Skerries, the Town park.

In it, we are supporting the separate submissions made by our committees, Skerries Cycling Initiative, Skerries Tidy Towns, Sustainable Skerries and Skatepark Committee, and making some points of our own.

Here is a quick summary of our suggestions:

  • the provision of improved lighting around the Mill car park and the road leading to it.
  • an illuminated loop path for wintertime running
  • an increased provision of safe routes of travel for persons walking and cycling, using wheelchairs and other mobility vehicles including cycles adapted for persons with disabilities
  • the possible provision of a skatepark in the town park should be explored as part of this development
  • an area could be allocated for the provision of a community food garden, possibly by the bowling green for ease of access
  • inclusion of a fully equipped theatre and performance space within any extension of the Community Centre, or to explore possible provision for a free standing theatre and performance space, subject to planning permission, within the confines of the park

If you would like to read the full, much more detailed submission, sent to Fingal County Council by our Vice Chair, Geoff McEvoy, on 27 January 2015, just click on the link to it below.

SCA Submission Town Park January 2015

Skerries Town Park Masterplan