Paddy McCartan makes awards to:
Vincent Ryan from Sandymount Tidy Towns Association with the Best Urban Village Award; Joe McCann receives his Individual Contribution Award ; Andreas Dodis accepts the Allotment Award on behalf of the 4th Port Dodder Sea Scout Group; Jack O’Brien, O’Connell Gardens with his Award for the Garden category.
The South East Area villages have been growing from strength to strength over the last year in enhancing and improving the streets, greens, community areas, shops and local amenities.
The annual awards night for the area was held in Dublin City Council, Wood Quay Venue on September 7th and Dublin 4 faired very well, with Sandymount winning best overall Urban Village and Donnybrook winning awards for the Team Dublin Clean Up and Mixed Use Street.
Great credit must be given to the Tidy Towns committees who work tirelessly all year round to help Dublin City Council maintain and keep these busy villages clean, active and full of special community and family events.
Councillor Paddy McCartan presented the awards to the winners on the night. Many shops and businesses in Dublin 4 also got special merit awards.
The main winners from Dublin 4 were:
Best Allotment Award: 4th Port Dodder Sea Scout Group
Best New Entry Award: ULSARA – Upper Leeson Street Area Residents Association
Best Garden category: Jack O’Brien, O’Connell Gardens
Best Urban Village Award: Sandymount Tidy Towns Community Association
Best Individual Contribution Award: Joe McCann, BADRA and 4th Port Dodder Sea Scout Group
Best Mixed Use Street Award: Donnybrook Tidy Towns
Best Team Dublin Clean Up Award: Donnybrook Tidy Towns
Halloween in D4 with Dublin City Council:
The nights are closing in and as darkness falls it’s time to get ready for Oiche Samhan – All Hallow’s Eve. For the ancient Irish and the Celts, Samhain was a spiritual time. It was regarded as the end of the harvest and a period of transition when the ‘veil’ between the Otherworld and the human world became less secure so that puca, banshees, fairies and other spirits could come and go quite freely. To ward off the evil let loose at Samhain, bonfires were lit and people wore ugly masks and disguises to confuse the spirits and stop the dead identifying individuals who they disliked during their own lifetime.
Dublin City Council Community Section is working with all the villages in Dublin 4 in preparing to celebrate Halloween. The events listed below will take place in October:
Please remember Halloween is a fun time but can be scary for older and vulnerable people and domestic pets, especially with loud bangers and fireworks. Respect your neighbours, keep an eye out for the vulnerable, be very careful with any fireworks and only use in company of an adult and most of all keep your pet dogs and cats in and cosy. No tricks. Just treats. Happy Halloween everyone and watch out for the veil rising.
Ringsend and Docklands: Provisionally 27th October TBC
A brand new Halloween festival is being planned for the Ringsend area this year. Word has it, a ship of strange characters is on a chartered course for Dublin bay and is due up the Dodder on Friday 27th in time for Halloween. A feast of cultural activities, storytelling, scary walking tours, zombie disco and a party of dockers and demons is being planned for Halloween night. Keep an eye out for more news on this very special new event to creep into Ringsend when night falls at the end of October!
Sandymount: Halloween & Harvest Festival 2017
The Sandymount Tidy Towns Community Association (STTCA) is spooking up for the Halloween scarecrow and pumpkin festival 2017. All businesses, residents and young people are invited to decorate and enter their shops and homes in the village competition. Prizes for the scariest and most imaginative Halloween/scarecrow theme will be awarded.
From Thursday 26th October, all the way through to Halloween, the village shops and houses will be decorated in the most fun and imaginative spooky themes. It has to be said that a great effort is made by the traders which in turn brings a lot of visitors to Sandymount village. Once again, there will also be a special competition for the best carved pumpkins.
Saturday 28th October: Children’s Fancy Dress Competition, Pumpkin Festival and Halloween Awards ceremony
On Saturday 28th October, Children can bring their pumpkins to Christ Church hall at 12 noon and the Fancy Dress competition will take place at 3.00 pm beginning on Sandymount Green which will be followed by a special spooky trail into Christ Church hall where the pumpkin adjudication will take place.
The most creative pumpkins will be awarded one of our many special Halloween prizes along with the best dressed and the scarecrow/Halloween business and residential awards. Entry forms, details and rules for all competition are available at AIB Sandymount or by emailing sandymounttt@gmail.com or on facebook Sandymount Tidy Towns Community Association.
The Green and Village will be especially decorated for Halloween from Wednesday 27th October to November 1st so be sure to come to Sandymount to see the amazing Scarecrows, Village Halloween themes in shops and houses, and watch out for witches and goblins on Halloween night on October 31st. The Green may see some very spooky ‘goings ons.’ All events are free so come along and enjoy the fun for all the family.
Donnybrook: 29th October: Souls of Donnybrook 6.30 pm – 7:30pm
Sunday 29th October will see the “Souls of Donnybrook” celebrated. This will consist of a Halloween costume parade and competition for all ages, with lots of prizes, a dance display from the local Youth Club and a remembrance finale for all “Souls of Donnybrook” using music, light and special effects. This is a very poignant moment that allows us all remember those who have passed on at this special time around the feast of All Souls Day. There will also be a tour at dusk of the local Donnybrook graveyard by local historians as a preamble to Souls event.
