Skerries Tidy Towns Wins a Gold Medal, Celebrating Success with a Local Awards Ceremony

Skerries Tidy Towns Committee are delighted to announce another successful year at the Tidy Towns Awards. In this years competition, Skerries was 14 marks up on last year, finished only 5 marks off the overall winner, won a Gold Medal for the 24th year in a row AND came 2nd in Dublin County.

Local Award Winners

In recognition of the massive community effort involved in the success of Skerries Tidy Towns, the committee hosted a local awards ceremony for some very worthy locals who went above and beyond to support the efforts of our Committee.

Best Presented Non Estate House

Sponsored by Progressive Credit Union.

Winner: 16 Holmpatrick Cliona Marnell
16 Holmpatrick is charming pink house that catches the eye and encourages you to
stop for a better look. The owners make great use of planters along the front of the house and a raised planter at the front wall. At the time of judging the garden was a riot of colour, there was an abundance of pollinator plants including single dahlias, gladioli and agapanthus.


Best Presented House In An Estate

Sponsored by Tidy Towns.
Winner: 43A St Patricks Close: Vinnie Cauldwell.
This garden and house was nominated for best presented in an estate because of its
year round attractive nature. It has a small colourful well maintained garden with lots of pollinator friendly planting. It was particularly pretty throughout the summer.
It shows what can be done in a limited space and there’s still room left to sit and
enjoy it. Well done!


Best Visual/Window Display

Sponsored by Progressive Credit Union
Winner: Mua: Rebecca Todd
A bright, well maintained business which adds colour to the street. The table and chairs outside invite passers-by to ‘lig do scith’ and have a restful moment. Inside is where the magic happens.


Best Presented Laneway

Sponsored by Tidy Towns
Winner: Chapel Lane: Ethel Brannigan
We have all come to know this lovely laneway this year because of the work being undertaken on the library and it being used as an access from Church St to Strand St. Even with all the additional traffic the laneway has been kept clean and adorned with flowers to brighten everyone’s passage through. Well done to the residents for their beautifully kept houses and floral displays and for maintaining the laneway to such a high standard.


Accessibility Award

Sponsored by Tidy Towns
Winner : La Scarpetta: Simona
La Scarpetta has easy access seating areas both indoors and outdoors. They have clean spacious accessible toilets. The staff are very helpful.


Best Presented Estate

Sponsored by Skerries Community Association and Tidy Towns

Winner: Mourne View : Colm Treacy
It is with great pleasure that we give the award for Best Presented Estate this year to Mourne Estate on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. The newly revitalised Residents’ Association under chairperson Colm Treacy has been going from strength to strength, working tirelessly to enhance the lives of the community by organising events such as the family fun day in July, setting up a WhatsApp group to facilitate communication and sharing and by improving the overall look of the estate. The entrance to Mourne View is looking wonderful with its decorative stone wall and beautifully planted beds; thanks to a grant from Fingal County Council. This is an estate that has certainly embraced sustainability. Every shrub, tree and flower that has been planted by enthusiastic volunteers, in common areas, was propagated from seeds of plants harvested in the estate. The residents have been given the surplus plants to grow in their gardens. Renewable paint from the Ballymun Rediscovery Centre has been used to paint common walls in the estate. The Residents’ Association has many more plans for the future. We wish them continued success in their endeavours and congratulate Mourne Estate on being
very worthy winners of our award this year.


Best Presented Business Premises

Sponsored by Tidy Towns
Winner: Aquila: Jane Bracken
Aquila is well kept and clean with small plant containers at either side of the entrance door, which add a touch of colour to the overall appearance of the premises. Additionally the double window display changes regularly, which contributes to the impressive impact the business has on the streetscape of Strand Street

Why has Skerries in County Dublin been named as the best town in the world to live in?

News Talk: This article includes a radio clip of an interview with the author of the article, anthropologist, Daniel Miller https://www.newstalk.com/news/why-has-skerries-been-named-as-the-best-town-in-the-world-1619059

Irish Times: You will need a subscription to Irish Times to view the following article: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2023/11/27/unthinkable-its-hard-to-find-anywhere-much-better-than-this-east-coast-town-according-to-a-british-anthropologist/

The Guardian: Plato, pilates and pubs: has an Irish town found the secret to the good life?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/02/has-irish-town-found-secret-the-good-life-skerries?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Updated 2nd December 2023

2023 Report: A Look Back on the Past Year

As every year in the run-up to the Annual General Meeting (to which everyone in Skerries is invited!), the chair and the committees of the Skerries Community Association look back on the past twelve months.

We have put together reports and photographs, which will be delivered to households in Skerries over the next week or so.

It will also be available in our community centre, in Skerries Library, Skerries Mills, and in some of the local supermarkets.

And we are also publishing it here (below), for your convenience.

Will we see you at the AGM? It will take place on Thursday 15 June from 8 pm in the Little Theatre, Old Schoolhouse, Skerries Community Centre. There will be refreshments!

Click on the link below if you’d like to see the full PDF.

Notification of Skerries Community Association 2023 Annual General Meeting and Financial Statement

NOTICE is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of The Skerries Community Association CLG (SCA) will be held in the
Little Theatre on Thursday 15 June 2023 at 8 pm to transact the Ordinary Business of the Company, that is to say: –
1. To confirm the Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting
2. To receive and adopt the Directors’ Report and Financial Statements for year ended 31 Dec. 2022
3. To elect Directors to the Board of Skerries Community Association CLG
4. To elect Members to Skerries Community Centre Board of Management
5. To reappoint Dempsey Mullen as Auditors and to authorise the Directors to fix their remuneration
6. To transact any other business proper to an Annual General Meeting of the Company.
Dated this the 22 May 2023, by order of the Board, Secretary.
NOTE 1. No person other than a Director of the Company retiring at the meeting shall, unless recommended by the
Directors, be eligible for election to the office of Director at any general meeting unless, not less than three (i.e. 12 June
2023) nor more than 21 days (i.e. 26 May 2023) before the date appointed for the meeting, there has been left at the
registered office notice in writing, signed by a member duly qualified to attend and vote at the meeting for which notice
is given, of his/her intention to propose such a person for election, and also Notice in writing signed by that person of
his/her willingness to be elected. [Nomination Form below].
NOTE 2. The names of candidates who have consented to stand for election to the Board of Management of the
Community Centre, together with the names of their proposers and seconders, shall be given in writing to the Secretary,
and shall be posted on the Community Centre Notice Board at least three days prior (by 12 June 2023) to the holding
of the Annual General Meeting. [Nomination Form below].
NOTE 3. Copies of the Directors’ Report and Financial Statements will be available to members at the Community Centre
and at www.Skerriesca.com at least seven days prior to the holding of the Annual General Meeting.
Nomination forms are in the PDF below and can also be obtained at Skerries Community Centre.

Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ending 31 December 2022

Cycle or walk with us for better active travel conditions in Skerries!

Cycle or walk with us for better active travel conditions in Skerries!After a summer of monthly evening cycles, now it’s time for the big one:

Join us for the Skerries Light Up Your Bike Cycle and Walk on Thursday 22 September to mark the launch of Fingal County Council’s Skerries Active Travel Consultation, as well as European Mobility Week.Early Option: Come to Barnageeragh Monument (close to the coast road, near the apartments) at 7 pm if you’d like to join us for a coastal walk / slow coastal cycle. At the White Cottages, the walkers will continue up Balbriggan Street and turn right into Dublin Road, then left up Martine Court / Millhill Park to Skerries Mills. The cyclists will take a longer route and meet them there at 7.30.

 7.30 Option: You can join the growing group of cyclists and walkers at Skerries Mill Car Park at 7.30 pm for the main cycle / walk.The walkers will head across the playing fields and towards the Catholic Church to Floraville, while those on wheels will take the long way round to Floraville, where we will all assemble at about 7.45 pm for a final walk / cycle around the triangle of Strand Street, Thomas Hand Street and Church Street.
 Let’s make ourselves as brightly lit up as possible, with bicycle bells in good working order, to create a lively presence!

All children must be accompanied by an adult who will be responsible for them during the event.

Background:
Earlier that Thursday, 22nd September, the Active Travel Feasibility Study for Skerries will be officially launched in Floraville Park from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Drop by during the day if you can!

The public consultation will run for six weeks from then. This will include face to face interviews and surveys (using paper forms as well as online). Everyone will be invited to give their views on how they would like to be able to move around Skerries, whether on foot, on bicycles and tricycles, mobility scooters, skates, private car, go-car, community car as well as taxis and public transport.

There will also be workshops aimed different stakeholder groups including school goers and older residents. Look out for more information in our next blogpost!
 So we hope to see many of you on Thursday night, 7 pm at the Barnageeragh Monument or 7.30 pm at the Skerries Mills Car Park / 7.45 pm Floraville Park. 
Let’s light up our streets and show how much support there is for active travel in Skerries!

Michael McKenna for Skerries Cycling Initiative