A meeting between the head of the National Transport Authority and its Director of Passenger Services with a group of County Councillors from Meath is being described as positive A number of issues impacting road users and commuters in the county were discussed at Thursday's meeting which was facilitated by Independent Meath East TD Gillian Toole for a number of public representatives from her constituency The Cathaoirleach of the Laytown-Bettystown Municipal District Fine Gael Cllr Paddy Meade says they had a frank and productive discussion on the key transport challenges in the region including the need for park and share facilities:  "Public transport is brilliant along the N2 and we have a great bus service and we very much welcome that the drawback is that every day on average there's about 30 cars parked on the main street in Slane which causes local business to suffer.  And so the message we can draw at home is that park and ride services are not only needed in Slane and Collon in Laytown there's a serious problem where we have hundreds of cars that don't have adequate parking every day and so they're clogging up Laytown spaces that could be used by shoppers people going to local businesses and especially now during the summer tourism people who want to visit the beaches in Laytown and Bettystown who can no longer park on the beach can't find parking because so much parking is filled with people gone on the train I was fairly strongly pushing it down and I'd have to say that I thought Hugh Creegan was quite positive in listening to what I was saying and he has committed to coming back to me with options on this So I'd have to say I felt it was a very positive engagement we had." 1) 0ms,border-color 250ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;transition:background-color 250ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;color:#1976d2;padding:0px;min-width:0;}.css-1sgza6o:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;background-color:rgba(25 0.04);}@media (hover: none){.css-1sgza6o:hover{background-color:transparent;}}.css-1sgza6o.Mui-disabled{color:rgba(0 1) 0ms;color:#1976d2;padding:0px;min-width:0;}.css-w5p45x::-moz-focus-inner{border-style:none;}.css-w5p45x.Mui-disabled{pointer-events:none;cursor:default;}@media print{.css-w5p45x{-webkit-print-color-adjust:exact;color-adjust:exact;}}.css-w5p45x:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;background-color:rgba(25 0.04);}@media (hover: none){.css-w5p45x:hover{background-color:transparent;}}.css-w5p45x.Mui-disabled{color:rgba(0 0.26);}PrintShareSaveThe death has occurred of Predeceased by his parents Jack and Gertie Dearly loved husband of Louise and loving father of Kelly and Stuart Family flowers only. Donations in lieu, if desired, to https://ocf.ie Gary’s family would like to say a special thank you to all the Health Care Teams who cared for him so lovingly for the last 2½ years. Messages of sympathy for the family may be left in the 'Condolences' section below. Please note that parking outside the church is reserved for immediate family members only. Public car parking is available a short walk away at the Parochial Hall (A92 EK59) and at the larger car park between the two primary schools (A92 H762) Cremation / Burial.css-h76uj{display:inherit;margin-right:-4px;margin-left:8px;}Date Published: If you would like to make a donation to the chosen charity please click on the button below. memorial mass or anniversary for a Loved One?You can now create a family notice on RIP.ie to remember your loved one Parishioners taking part in The Way of the Cross at St Peter’s Church Any news or items of interest contact Niamh @ 086 3477283 or email niamhuiloinsigh@gmail.com If you’d like to get involved message us on Facebook and Instagram @bettystown_tidytowns or come along and meet us in the village on Saturday mornings between 9 and 11am Lotto Draw - Cilles Lotto Results 22nd April Next week the jackpot is €2,700 so play now to be in with a chance of winning or sharing in this prize The €50 winners were Edel Flynn & The Boys and Jackie Walsh A massive thank you to all our Cilles Lotto supporters Play online at https://cilles.clubifyapp.com/products Help raise money for autism class in school Laytown is on an exciting journey as they prepare to open their fourth Autism Class in September 2025 They are incredibly proud of the purpose-built suite with classrooms they need your help to transform the outdoor area into a space that supports the unique needs of the amazing students the outdoor area is not equipped to meet their sensory and developmental needs That’s why Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh are fundraising for specialised equipment that will make a real difference in their school experience The school currently supports 18 wonderful children they can give them the outdoor space they deserve to grow Donate now https://www.idonate.ie/crowdfunder/SSNAutismClasses Cilles Athletic Clubare delighted to announce that the B-5 Bettystown 5K is returning this year It will take place on Friday 4th July and more details will follow soon If you know of anyone who would like to support or sponsor the event please contact Cilles Athletic Club by messenger on Facebook or one of our committee members Eastern Gaels are actively recruiting for 2025 and would love to hear from players who would be interested in joining our Ladies and Men’s Senior teams We have a number of players who are new to Gaelic games and a number of players who have returned to playing after a long absence Why not get in touch today and hear what our club has to offer you in East Meath on Facebook at Eastern Gaels GAC or email us at easterngaelsgfc@gmail.com Solas 21 is the Tidy Towns Group for the beautiful village of Donore We are all locals who have pride in our village and wish to keep Donore a beautiful place Please join us and help in whatever way you can The Tùs Crew have completed the kerbing in the Community Garden Cemetery Sunday Weekend: Blessing of the graves will take place on Saturday 12th July at 4pm in Donore old Cemetery 5pm Leck Cemetery and 6pm in Knockcommon Cemetery Please note that no individual mass intentions will be taken cemetery Sunday weekend as all masses will be offered for those buried in our cemeteries Jubilee Year Pilgrimage to the shrines of France 21st-28th May: Join with Duleek Donore & Ashbourne Parishes on this Joe Walsh Tours pilgrimage under the spiritual guidance of Fr Taking pilgrims to some of France’s most special sanctuaries and places of magnificent beauty For more information about this Parish Jubilee Pilgrimage please contact Caroline in the Parish Office or book directly tel: 01-2410800 email: info@joewalshtours.ie Volunteers meet every Saturday morning at the car park outside the Coast Tavern from 10 am to spruce up different areas of our village There are a wide variety of jobs to be done around the village Every donation—big or small—brings them one step closer Our wonderful Academy returns every Wednesday from 19.00 pm to 20.00 pm in Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa Hall All 5–12-year-olds welcome to come along and learn how to play Gaelic games in a fun-filled Little Stars Academy is generously supported by PwC The application process is now open for 2025/2026 If you or someone you know has a child who will be 4 years of age before 30th April 2025 you can now apply online on the school website www.bettystownschool.ie Grow Your Own Pumpkin - Come grow your own organic pumpkin from seed with us You will be invited to do this in 4 stages with us Sow your pumpkin seed in our propagating tunnel Plant your young pumpkin plant into the pumpkin patch outdoors You will label your pumpkin with your name and we’ll send regular updates on how well your plant is doing This workshop is primarily set up for children Start Saturday 3rd of May Cost: €20 + booking fee Book on https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/1251126415789?aff=oddtdtcreator East Meath Active Retirement Association (EMARA) meet every Thursday in St Julianstown from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm each week New members are always welcome to join this vibrant group of men and women We have many events and outings lined up for the coming month For more details contact Rose at 0868377033 and Eilish at 0863656951 Meath East Coast Men’s Shed meets every Tuesday and Friday in the grounds of St For more details contact James 0872706456 or Eoin 0860649447 Here we give a list of items made for our local community in East Meath Julianstown from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm each week New members are always welcome to join this vibrant group of men and women We have many events and outings lined up for the coming month For more details contact Rose at 0868377033 and Eilish at 0863656951 Adoration continues in the Church on Wednesdays from 9.15am Why not come along and spend some time with the Lord We need more volunteers for the following hours:- 9am Please contact the Sacristy after Mass or Parish Office if you can put your name down for a particular hour Jubilee Year Pilgrimage to the Shrines of France 21st – 28th May 2025 Join with Duleek For more information about this Parish Jubilee Pilgrimage please contact Caroline in Duleek Parish Office 041-9823205 or book directly tel: 01-2410800 email: info@joewalshtours.ie Vincent de Paul for Assistance Ring 1800 677 777 If you wish to make a financial contribution Hot Meals are delivered to your home between 12.30pm and 1.30pm on Monday and Friday of each week throughout the year in the areas of Laytown If you would like to avail of this service or know of anyone who might benefit from this service The Bridge Club meets on Tuesday nights in Laytown/Bettystown Golf Club Bridge Classes for beginners and improvers take place in Laytown/Bettystown Golf Club at 11am on Tuesday OpinionMedders at Large: Mystery of the disappearing road to the coast‘Oooh Meath County Council has made an order to temporarily close Laytown Pedestrian Bridge at Laytown The closure will be from 8am on Monday 6th January 2025 to 5pm on Friday 14th February 2025 This road closure is required to facilitate rehabilitation works on the bridge Pedestrian access onto/across the bridge cannot be facilitated during the closure period Diversion and information signage will be in place Meath Chronicle is part of Celtic Media Group which includes: The Anglo Celt Westmeath Examiner and Westmeath Independent| © 2021 Meath Chronicle and Celtic Media Group Darragh Flynn (Photo by Oisin Keniry/R&A via Getty Images) Darragh Flynn got his season off to a flying start as he birdied the first playoff hole to pip TJ Ford to the Laytown & Bettystown Senior Scratch Cup a thrilling day of golf took place just over the dunes and it was Flynn of Carton House who set the early pace with an opening 68 to lead by the minimum on three-under James Temple and David Reddan were tucked in behind Flynn after morning rounds of 69 Scoring proved more difficult in the afternoon as the wind got up meaning nobody in the top-12 shot better than 71 Flynn carded an afternoon 73 to fall back to one-under-par while Ford was one better with a 72 as he forced extra holes Playoffs have been commonplace in this competition and it was Flynn who birdied the 37th to take the title Tiffany Mills won the Royal County Down Ladies Scratch Salver The Ryston Park golfer shot rounds of 79 and 81 to win by two shots from Kayleigh Mulholland Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest Irish Golfer news straight to your inbox document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "a322e50c2705cf6bb78973a625238e5d" );document.getElementById("a75f86a167").setAttribute( "id" and website in this browser for the next time I comment This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy & Terms of Service apply Address:Match Play Media LimitedThe Kinsealy GrangeChapel RoadPortmarnockCounty DublinD13 A5R2 Tel: +353-1-5036090+353-1-5036099Email: info@matchplaymedia.ie © Match Play Media 2018 – 2025 | All rights reserved. No information on this website may be reproduced without written permission from Match Play Media. | Privacy Policy | Website by FlyingFish.ie It looks like JavaScript is not enabled in your browser Reposing at his home on Sunday from 3pm to 6pm. Funeral Mass on Monday morning at 11am in the Church of the Sacred Heart, Laytown followed by cremation in Dardistown Crematorium. Family flowers only please. CondolencesDonate to CharityWould you like to mark a birthday A local councillor and general election candidate has voiced her concern over the delay in progress in delivering a new Garda station for Laytown A commitment to delivering the station was made Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in late 2022 and funding for the project was allocated in the Multi Annual Capital Programme with the OPW tasked with identifying a suitable site However a recent update stated that a business case needed to completed before the project could move forward In a response to a question from Sinn Fein TD Darren O'Rourke seeking an update on the issue ,the office of Paschal Donohoe The Minister for Public Expenditure; National Development Plan Delivery and Reform "An Garda Síochána had prepared an initial Business Case for the acquisition for a suitable site/ property for New Garda Facilities in nine sites The Office of Public Works are engaging with An Garda Síochána to progress the development of the Business Case." Laytown/Bettystown Cllr Maria White has expressed her dismay regarding the "lengthy and mysterious process" involved in having a new fit for purpose Garda station built for East Meath "In November 2022 the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee welcomed a commitment from Garda Commissioner Drew Harris regarding a new station for the area," said White "However two years have passed since this with no change in the situation and the community is becoming increasingly frustrated," she added "There appears to be a rise in anti- social behaviour and a lack of visible Garda presence coupled with this Meath has the lowest number of Gardaí per head of population in the country "Our population is one of the fastest growing populations in the country and it is just so unfair that we do not have our fair share of Garda resources Our county and our community has a right to be better protected." In preparation for a public meeting held by White and O'Rourke in September on the issue of Garda numbers in the area they sought data in relation to where the process was at and received a response clarifying that a business case was being developed "This was the first we heard of such a thing two years on from the statements welcoming the news of a new station," said White "This response leads to more questions such as why was confirmation given in the first place before a business case was developed?" she added "Was the news of a new station for East Meath purely a sound byte Why has it taken so long to develop this required business case and should Gardaí be taken from frontline work to develop business cases where the need for the new station has already been established by the Garda Commissioner?" Cllr White added that the lack of transparency around the process involved in finding a site for the new Garda station was frustrating "What is clear is that responsibility for finding the suitable site/ building falls to the OPW who should do so in consultation with the community," said the general election candidate " Responses received from the OPW in October and November refer to the OPW working in collaboration with the Garda Síochana to progress the development of the business case," she added " It would be extremely helpful to have a timeline for this and it would be helpful to know why has it taken two years to get to this point The community are eager to engage with the OPW to identify a suitable site is taking far too long We need to see a sense of urgency about this we need to see actions and the community is best placed to identify suitable sites given that we go about our business here on a daily basis." Up-and-coming Laytown actor Clinton Liberty has been nominated for the esteemed 2025 Screen Ireland-IFTA Rising Star Award The winner will be announced at the IFTA Awards Ceremony on Friday February 14 at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre He made his screen debut in 2016’s Handsome Devil and gained attention for his role in the acclaimed series Normal People in 2020 His subsequent performances in Red Election (2021) and Holding (2022) further showcased his versatility he captivated audiences as Addam of Hull in the second season of HBO’s House of the Dragon The IFTA Rising Star Award has a history of spotlighting Irish talent set for international acclaim Patrick Gibson,and Jacob McCarthy; all of whom have gone on to garner recognition both in Ireland and on the world stage Liberty is is nominated alongside Anthony Boyle Dundalk-born Aislinn Clarke and Alisha Weir Reflecting on his nomination he said: “I’m delighted to be nominated for this Rising Star award it’s so lovely to be recognised within the industry I love I was in my trailer on a new project when I received the news Excited to celebrate a great year in Irish film and TV on 14th Feb!” Sarah Curran with her family on Confirmation day in Laytown On Tuesday morning we planted five hundred native Irish saplings to create a mini forest Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki endowed the Miyawaki technique to create dense forests with native plants to John from Stepping Stone Forests for his assistance and to the staff and students of Laytown Bettystown Youthreach who helped us to prepare the site and plant the saplings The boundary rope had passed its use by date and was kindly donated by Drogheda Port company It brings a coastal element to the forest and provided us with the opportunity to upcycle the rope The development of young players and our efforts to provide top-class facilities are vital to ensure the club will be here for many years to come Membership is a vital part of ensuring the club’s continued success and development parent of a player or member of the wider community The monies received go towards the maintenance of facilities team preparation and other administrative costs please contact Edel at Edelmcnamara12@gmail.com Click the link below to become a member today: https://www.cilles.com/membership 2013 Girls Football Team - Are you a girl born in 2013 and want to play football Whether you’re a complete beginner or have experience We welcome players of all levels and abilities and enjoy the game in a supportive environment Get in touch to register your interest or ask any questions Lotto Draw - Cilles Lotto Results 25th February €50 winners were Catherine Moore and Conor McKee Next week the jackpot is €6,900 so play now to be in with a chance of winning or sharing in this prize A massive thank you to all our Cilles Lotto supporters Play online at https://cilles.clubifyapp.com/products It is some 11 years since the Cilles Athletic Club first started up and over that period it has grown and has become a great part of the community with something for all age groups from 6 years and up If you are interested in doing something different for 2025 why not check out our Facebook page – Cilles Athletic Club our website www.cillesac.ie or 087 2569124 There is training on Mondays for ages 6 to 9; Mondays and Wednesdays training for age groups 9 to 12 and 12 to 18 Tuesday and Thursday training for age 16 and over In the adult category we cater for all abilities with members training for different events over the year from 5k you would be more than welcome.Little Stars Academy Work on Picture Window Work on the windows and frame is almost complete The painting of the frame is mostly finished A few minor works will take place while the scaffolding is in place and will probably be taken down at the end of this week or the beginning of the following week Thanks to all who give so generously to our weekly envelope and offertory collection either online or by leaving donations in the bins at the exit of the church who make this work possible Clay Sculpture Workshop - Due to popular demand Sallyanne Morgan will give another Clay Sculpture Day Workshop on Saturday 29th March For more info & booking email morgansallyanne@yahoo.com Councillors in the Laytown/Bettystown Municipal District are taking action in a renewed effort to reinstate a concrete sign that blocked vehicular access to Mornington Dunes at the Maiden Tower classified as a Special Area of Conservation are deemed to be under threat due to recreational use Meath County Councillor Maria White called on the County Council to either reinstall the sign or to initiate a compulsory purchase order in private holdings; Meath County Council is unwilling to issue a CPO as the dunes being managed in association with National Parks & Wildlife (NPWS) The new Mornington Tidy Towns group committee members are Mary Gallagher Their aims are as follows - One is to protect and enhance the dunes and the beach and the other one is to prepare to enter Mornington in the Tidy Towns Competition for 2025 The group hopes that other locals will join the group in protecting the beach and sand dunes Meet at Harry’s Supermarket Saturday from 10 am to 11 am Vincent de Paul for assistance on1800 677 777 Sympathy is extended to the family and friends of Philip (Phil) Cooney late of Keenogue Following his Funeral Mass which was held at Saint Mary`s Chapel in Julianstown Philip was laid to Rest at Moorechurch Graveyard on Sunday February 23rd last a small school-going child walked up to the Pedestrian Crossing at Gough`s Corner in order to cross over from the Stamullen road towards the Cock Hill road where the school is located just as the pedestrian crossing lights had turned red and the child was about to cross over a small commercial van emerged from the Cock Hill road and turned onto the Stamullen road heading in the direction of Gormanston and continued to break the red light and continued to drive on Luckily the child had not begun to cross the road This area of Gough`s Corner in Stamullen village is extremely busy particularly in the morning period between 8.30 and just after 9.15am when children are walking cycling and being driven to school by their parents or guardians and on numerous occasions there has been several `near-misses` involving road traffic accidents Motorists are constantly breaking the yield-right-of-way sign here at the bottom of the Cock Hill to Balloy road Vehicles can often be seen darting out in front of on-coming traffic and very often rounding the turn from the Cock Hill road towards Gormanston with very little if any thought for either pedestrians and/or on-coming vehicles Take heed and slow down and be fully aware while approaching such junctions as Gough`s Corner particularly during school opening and closing hours in the mornings and mid afternoon The Julianstown Cemetery Committee has begun work to repair the road-facing stone wall at the front of the graveyard which has been leaning and tilting dangerously outwards for some time the Committee are urging those who attend the Graveyard at Moorechurch to please take their refuse back home with them or to the local Recycle Dump instead of discarding the rubbish along the hedgerows and boundaries of the Graveyard This week sees the beginning of Lent and as we move now beyond Shrove the next six weeks or so will take us to the period of Easter with Good Friday occurring on April 18th and Easter Sunday falling this year on April 20th The following advert appeared in the pages of the Drogheda Independent in September 1899 Terms; to be cut down by purchaser and removed within specified time No timber to be removed until all the purchase money is paid Timber may be seen and fuller particulars obtained on personal applications to Mr A Watt was a loyal servant of the Gormanston Household He was originally from Ayrshire in Scotland and along with his wife; they both served three consecutive generations of the Preston family at Gormanston Castle Watt and his wife are interred in Stamullen cemetery their grave-plot being marked by a fine headstone which was erected by the 15th Viscount Gormanston in the first decade of the 20th century New members are invited to join this very successful make new friends while getting some exercise We meet every Thursday from 8-10 pm in St A kayak which got into difficulty 400 metres off Laytown beach was safely rescued last Sunday evening Members of the public spotted the craft was in trouble and found it hard to make it to shore Kyle Conlon and his family on the day of his Confirmation We are donating all funds from Re-turn bottles and cans collected on litter picks by our volunteers to East Meath Hospice Association Drop your Re-turn bottles and cans into the orange bin in Bettystown Square and help Bettystown Tidy Towns raise funds for East Meath Hospice Association Our volunteers were cleaning the beach last Saturday for An Taisce National Spring Clean.Bags of rubbish were cleared off the beach and from the dunes And we raised funds for East Meath Hospice Association with the Re-turn bottles and cans collected Lotto Draw - Cilles Lotto Results 16th April Next week the jackpot is €2,600 so play now to be in with a chance of winning or sharing in this prize The €50 winners were Marie Bacon and Niall O’Brien Play online at https://cilles.clubifyapp.com/products Cilles Athletic Clubare delighted to announce that the B-5 Bettystown 5K is returning this year Rest in Peace - Please remember in your prayers: Joe Doolan (brother of Helena Gordon) Jack Sheils (brother of Pat O’Connor) and Simon Broderick (brother of Bart) whose funerals took place recently Also Ciarán Hanley whose funeral took place in Laytown last Monday Baptisms - Congratulations and welcome to Evan Dunne Tadhg Murray and Myles Muldoon Santos baptised last weekend Senator Alison Comyn is to contact the Justice Minister to speed up the whole process of getting a new Garda station for Laytown/Bettystown She said the existing station is "not fit for purpose" and the whole saga has been going on for far too long The current station is so small only a handful of members can fit in it The Senator is concerned about anti-social behaviour in the area after two indiscriminate fires last week She also feels there is a visible lack of Gardai on the ground which encourages the troublemakers The Bettystown/Laytown area is still being covered by the Gardai in Ashbourne but the area of Drogheda town in Meath is now under the auspices of Drogheda Garda Station Many local people would prefer Drogheda gardai to cover Bettystown/Laytown rather than Ashbourne Senator Comyn said: "Two malicious fires in Laytown – one close to the school – show the dire need for an upgraded full time garda station in the village serving the whole of east Meath "It's a growing population and deserves proper protection and service "The whole saga of building a new station is going on far too long The land is already there on the new Tara Road “I will be contacting the Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan and the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to see if we can speed up the whole process and get them to commit to the project." A baby girl found dead at a house in Laytown Co Meath earlier this week was less than a month old A full post-mortem examination on the infant’s remains has yet to take place and its results will determine the direction of the garda investigation ongoing Gardaí were alerted to the tragedy on Thursday night when it was reported to them It is understood that the baby’s parents live at the same property where the infant died Sources say there are “vulnerabilities” within the family unit Gardaí are aware of the sensitivities surrounding this investigation and are treating it accordingly One source pointed out that speculation about the cause of the infant’s death was “unhelpful” at this stage and that the answers can only come from the results of the post-mortem The infant’s remains are currently in a mortuary awaiting specialist medical testing to determine cause of death It is understood that the post-mortem examination may take place on Tuesday Garda headquarters said in a statement when contacted: “Gardaí are investigating all the circumstances surrounding the death of a baby at a residential property in Co “The deceased baby has been removed to the mortuary for a post-mortem examination which will take place in due course “The State Pathologist will conduct the post-mortem examination the results of which will determine the course of the investigation A local councillor in Laytown offered his condolences to the impacted family My thoughts are with the family and the family’s friends at this very difficult time We know very little else at the moment expect that a baby has died It would be very wrong to speculate or comment any further until we have the full facts I would urge other people to do the same,” said Fine Gael Cllr Paddy Meade chairman of the Laytown/Bettystown council district Join the Irish Independent WhatsApp channel Laytown from 5pm until 7pm on Tuesday evening Removal on Wednesday morning at 10:30am arriving at the Star Of The Sea Church, Mornington at 11am which will be live streamed on https://www.youtube.com/user/Finnegandvd Burial afterwards in Reilig Mhuire, Piltown, Co. Meath. House Private Wednesday morning. Messages of sympathy for the family may be left in the 'Condolence' section below. The above link is provided and managed by an independent streaming company. The Funeral Director accepts no responsibility for its functionality or any interruption to a live transmission. Funeral Service.css-h76uj{display:inherit;margin-right:-4px;margin-left:8px;}Date Published: Sep 17, 2024 | , , , The crowd at Laytown Races witnessed something special They came from far and wide to enjoy the six card horse racing on the famous sands on the Meath coastline we met people from as far as Ohio and Washington DC in the USA A bunch of friends from Killiney and Turin in Italy were in full voice as they backed the first winner on the card Jered Maddox  at 10/1 who obliged for them the pals from Dublin and Turin Italy enjoying the day at the races They have travelled to Laytown a couple of times before and invited the Italian lads to witness racing on the beach of Laytown The weather was the magnet and it created  the feel good factor Seldom has this writer witnessed an atmosphere like it families and of course the seasoned punters looking to land a few bets Anthony Ebaleau and Mike Mhurio give the thumbs up on a great day Over the six races you got the mix and excitement of horse racing The card closed with the punters finally getting a well backed joint favourite landed as the Ger Lyons trained was a clear ten lengths winner from joint favourite Derek O’Connor went down to the start a good ten minutes before the rest of the runners No one was to get near him in the end as he won by 10 lengths Meath men; John Lally,publican Adrian O’Halloran of Marchie Regans Richie Walsh another publican of The Judge and Jury Oliver Gilsenan and Mattie McCabe all in high spirits The first race Saw Jered Maddox winning by a short head from Not Forgotten as Luke McAteer did enough to hold on from Ronan Whelan both priced at 8/1 in the 6f It was to another winner for Ado McGuinness.The north Dublin based trainer always capable of placing a horse to win on the sand Cherry Pink was returned at 11/4 cruising to a 16 length win from Spirit of Eagles at 18/1 another 6f race Three pals out on the dunes enjoying the atmosphere Monica O’Hagan Ivasecret was the first of a two card double for Heffernan when the 7/4 romped home by six lengths Seamus Heffernan guided Roman Harry at 12/1 to win by a 1/2 a length’ in the fourth race from the hot fav Jeaniemacaroney who could never get on terms with the winner He would go on to land the race on the day Washington DC with her mom Sherry Morrow Ohio on their first trip to Ireland were really impressed The fifth race saw a big priced winner rock up Trained by Mrs John Harrington,the grey gelding kept up the pace to hold off the attentions Harry’s Bar see and enjoy at Laytown Races as the party rolled on into the early evening A full moon looked over the beaches and maybe a wink from the man in the moon to show us the beauty and power of nature Lead Pic; Mattie McCabe with his grand daughter Clodagh Heavey and Pauline McCabe enjoying the day at Laytown Races © Meath Live | All Rights Reserved | Powered by GO2WEB.IE We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns in the region of 4,500 people had the same idea on Monday evening much to the delight of the organisers of Laytown Races the 156 year-old unique strand event which takes place once a year the only race event run on a beach under the rules of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) “The power of prayer!” declares chairperson There's a narrow window to get the six races completed between tides - the first race is delayed by 10 minutes to let the sea settle It's a huge family day out with buggies and youngsters galore and queues for the ice cream and food vans To quench the thirst of the older racegoers the appropriately named Rockshore was on tap and there was face-painting and hair braiding for the kids was judging the best turned out horses in each race whose groom received €100 from Reddan's of Bettystown “You really have to reward somebody who puts a great deal of work into preparing a horse for a race “The owners or trainers wouldn't have a clue how to do a plait!” adds George A trainer who was enjoying success was UK-based Ian Williams came home 7/4 favourite in the Tote.ie Claiming Race He attends every year and stables his horses at Bellewstown racecourse overnight Justice minister Helen McEntee was on hand to present the prize Paul and their boys enjoyed some ice creams The Meath East TD was delighted to meet Mary Cosgrave “I'm delighted for the organisers that the evening has gone so well that they have had such good weather for this evening and such a great crowd,” said Ms McEntee “Because no matter what the crowd or what the weather the same amount of planning and organisation has to go into it.” The minister was also prevailed upon to present the winning connections in the Pride of Place Maiden which saw Seamie Heffernan bring Claire O'Connell's Roman Harry first home along the strand Housing estates in Laytown were matched with each runner in this race with Roman Harry carrying the Castlemary estate across its silks second and third horses across the winning line receive for their estates a €500 Amanda Barry represented Castlemary; Claire Moore represented St Columbus Villas (Jeaniemacaroney second) while Jennifer Bailey represented Station Road (Lohengrin Also enjoying the races was Dolores McMahon from Navan who was celebrating her birthday – and getting her bus pass “ I won't get it till Friday so there's no money lost yet!” she declared County council cathaoirleach and no stranger to the beach presented the trophy for the last race to Andrew Duff after 13/8 joint favourite Tough Talk's win As some racegoers lingered after the last to enjoy the summer evening and the hospitality and that all had gone well as the rails on the sand came down “There's great local support for the races “And we had a group of 45 farmers from Wales on their way to the Ploughing Championships as well as a group of 40 or 50 from Galway Racing Club And the jockeys had a novel way of cooling down too – they had brought their swim trunks and towels not your normal hot shower after the races All 10 repsentatives picked at the pride of place launch for Laytown Races with Minister for Justice Helen McEntee Cllr Sharon Tolan Cllr Carol Lenahan and sponsor Thomas Lynch of Elite Garden Village June and Amy collier at the pride of place launch for Laytown Races The excitment of being picked Geraldine Fox representing Netterville and Victoria Tce at the Pride of place launch for Laytown Races Joe Collins Minister for Justice Helen McEntee Alan Delany and Dermot Furey at the pride of place launch for Laytown Races Cllr Carol Lennon Anthony Lennon and Emma Lennon with at the pride of place launch for Laytown Races Elaine & Sean Brennan from Laytown at the pride of place launch for Laytown Races Emer Sadhbe Gilna with Minister for Justice Helen McEntee at the pride of place launch for Laytown Races Karl Allen and Hazel Martin from Bettystown at the pride of place launch for Laytown Races Thomas Lynch and Jessica Cahalan at the pride of place launch for Laytown Races Clare Moore and Aideen Walsh at the pride of place launch for Laytown Races Alison ComynDrogheda IndependentTue 10 Sep 2024 at 17:28With less than a week to go until the runners and riders make their way onto the strand for the 2024 Laytown Races the unique horse racing event was launched in Gilna’s The Cottage Inn on Wednesday September 4th Sharon Tolan and Councillor Emma Lennon attended the event demonstrating the high regard for the popular race day in the local area A large crowd of local residents turned out to listen to the always entertaining commentator Des Scahill Following live chats with Laytown Races Manager Jessica Cahalan a draw took place to select the 10 local housing estates that will be represented in the Pride of Place Race is now a popular feature of the race day and has added an air of excitement locally to the build up to race day The draw took place to randomly allocate local housing estates/residential areas with a horse in the race – a maximum of ten horses will run second and third horses across the winning line will win for their estate a garden centre voucher  The vouchers can be used by residents to enhance their estate or Laytown village with plants Representatives of the winning resident groups will be invited into the parade ring for a special presentation after the race commented: “Once again we had a brilliant turn out for the launch and we were honoured to have Minister McEntee take time out of her busy schedule to attend as well as Cathaoirleach Sharon Tolan and Councillor Carol Lennon It shows how the launch event has grown in importance and significance locally It seems like the whole area is buzzing with enthusiasm Monday September 16th is only around the corner and we look forward to welcoming everyone into the race field to witness the spectacle that is the Laytown Races.” The full list of housing estates/ residential areas drawn to be represented in the Pride of Place Maiden are: Laytown Races will also host its first educational day in partnership with Horse Racing Ireland at the race field on Wednesday The sixth class pupils of Scoil an Spoiraid Naoimh have been invited to come and meet a trainer farrier and racehorse and have a go on the racehorse simulator This educational day is expected to further deepen local engagement and excitement ahead of the race day on the 16th of September https://www.tipperarylive.ie/section/1235/advertise-with-us Keep up to date with the latest news in Tipperary as it happens with TipperaryLive.ie The latest Tipperary news,sport and business from TipperaryLive.ie National - Tipperary Live - Find the latest Tipperary Clonmel Ireland Local County Region breaking news What's on - Tipperary Live - Find the latest Tipperary Clonmel Ireland Local County Region breaking news sport and business from Tipperary with the team from TipperaryLive.ie sport and motoring as it happens from TipperaryLive.ie Tipperary Live Met Eireann Weather Forecast Deaths - Tipperary Live - Find the latest Tipperary Clonmel Ireland Local County Region breaking news Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter Support our mission and join our community now you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism Jered Maddox and Luke McAteer win the 6f handicap at Laytown on Monday for David Marnane Laytown races are always a fantastic day out and in the sunshine autumnal conditions an 8/1 shot with Tipperary connections finished first at the line Jered Maddox led close home under Luke McAteer to win the opening six-furlong handicap at Laytown on Monday week last to huge cheers and celebration the City Equine ll Syndicate owned outsider in the betting got up just in time to win by a short head from Not Forgotten.  " + $(".testo_articolo").html().replace(//g please subscribe and support local journalism Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles To continue reading this article for FREE,please kindly register and/or log in Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites You can also sign up to our carefully curated newsletter(s) to keep up to date with your latest local news People in Tipperary Town have been advised to keep their doors locked Lauren Lonergan will take part in the Primary games during the Munster senior hurling championship match between Tipperary and Clare 5 March at the Halla Na Féile in Cashel In Pictures: Meet the cast of hit play 'The Ferryman' including a 'very well behaved baby' Night of nostalgia at Tipperary Museum with 125 year Clonmel High School reunion Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie Treasurer of Julianstown & District Community Association Aisling Monahan and Niamh Bn.Ui Loinsigh Chairperson accepting cheque for €1,000 from the Indaver Community Awards Our entries to the Supervalu Tidy Towns and to the Council’s Pride of Place competitions have been submitted Judging for both competitions will take place over the coming months Thanks to everyone that came out for the Clean Coasts Big Beach Clean in Bettystown sponsored by Jack Doran Motors There was an amazing 70kg of rubbish collected off the beach including a satellite dish and a rusty peacock Thank you to our local Clean Coasts co-ordinators who came out to support our efforts and tell us about the great work being done all around the country by community groups like ours Enrolment for Academic Year 2025-2026: Coláistle na hInse will hold an information nigh for parents and students of 6th class in the catchment area on Thursday Please refer to their website www.colaistenahinse.ie for Admission Policy requirements TRA 10 09 2024 03 05 Notice of Proposed Temporary Road Closure of Seaview Terrace L-56329-1 Meath County Council wish to notify you of an intention for a Temporary Closure of Seaview Terrace L-56329-1 (road to the beach) Bettystown from its junction with the Coast Road R-151 to Bettystown Beach in accordance with Roads Act 1993 Section 75 and Part VIII of the Roads Regulations The proposed closure will be for 24 hours per day from Monday 7th October until Friday 11th October This closure is required to facilitate the resurfacing of the road Submissions and observations to the proposed temporary road closure may be made in writing to the Administrative Officer C15 Y291 or by email to transport@meathcoco.ie on or before Monday 2nd September 2024 Next week the jackpot €4,700 so play now to be in with a chance of winning or sharing in this prize The €50 winners were Joe Daly and Mags O’Donoghue A massive thank you to all our Cilles Lotto supporters Play online: https://cilles.clubifyapp.com/products Camogie Committee need your help - As you may know Meath Camogie are fundraising to purchase a pitch by collecting plastic bottles and returning them for recycling The funds raised from this effort will go towards providing a pitch for Camogie in this county This great initiative needs a few volunteers though Please contact us here if you can assist or call Liz on 087 296 3110 Annual General Meeting - Following a club executive committee meeting a preliminary date for the AGM was set for 18th November 2024 details etc will be published on the club website soon Colmcille’s are thrilled and delighted to announce to all our members and supporters that we have been advised today that the club will receive 166k in sports capital funding The funds are in respect of work on our Piltown grounds and will make a significant and positive impact on our community Our sincerest thanks to Minister Thomas Byrne for all his hard work on behalf of the club all our local representatives who worked so hard on this A massive thank you to you our supporters who have fundraised tirelessly for many years and whose efforts are rewarded today by this great news We are very hopeful that we will have more good news very soon so watch this space The Julianstown Community Garden is a lovely place for everyone to visit The garden is a great asset to our village and if you haven’t visited it yet bees and butterflies it’s just the place to visit Tremendous work has been carried out of late in the garden and we thank our volunteers and CE Scheme workers for all their commitment to the garden and our village Julianstown Volunteers took a break last weekend and had a social get together in Rosemount a beautiful 10 acre parkland on the Duleek Road just outside Julianstown This occasion was used as a venue to raise funds for the East Meath Hospice Association with delightful cakes and tea and coffee It was a delightful day overlooking the River Nanny and surrounded by the most beautiful trees and flowers Julianstown Tidy Towns Committee and KenDu Choir members thank Dorothy for her hospitality Julianstown & District Community Association Members (Niamh Bn were delighted to accept a cheque from the Indavar Community Awards Fund in the amount of €1,000 which is being used to purchase Pollinators for the Julianstown Community Garden Stephen McKee has been appointed Chairman of the Indaver Community Liaison Committee for the next year This year Indaver contributed over €200,000 to various clubs and organisations in the East Meath area under this scheme and local groups are most appreciative of this funding The event took place in Sage & Stone and Cathaoirleach Meath Co Cathaoirleach Laytown/Bettystown Municipal District Representing Indaver were Fergal O’Loughlin Many thanks to Ciara and her team at Sage and Stone for looking after us all so well Supervalu tidy Towns and An Taisce Green Flag Award We are nervously awaiting the results for the Pride of Place Awards Supervalu Tidy Towns and the An Taisce Green Flag Awards Thanks to all our Volunteers and CE Workers who have done so much work in the village and Community Garden Best wishes also to all the community groups in the Laytown/Bettystown Municipal Area who are taking part in these competitions or join our WhatsApp group–Julianstown Volunteers Group or phone Niamh on 086 3477283 Julianstown Bowls Club is recruiting new members Why not come along to experience the game of bowls and have a very enjoyable evening on Monday or Thursday from 8 to 10 pm in Julianstown Community Hall Contact Sean on 086-8438803 or Marie 086-1525413 The Julianstown Youth Orchestra meet from 5.15 pm to 6.30 pm every Friday at Colaiste na hInse Bettystown while Orchestra members rehearse from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm To find out more about the Orchestra contact julianstownyouthorcheastsra@gmail.com Interested young musicians are encouraged to contact the orchestra in advance of the open auditions The Julianstown Youth Orchestra has an instrument rental policy which includes some of the more expensive and less common instruments If your child would like to play an orchestral instrument and would like to start lessons with a view to joining the orchestra Sunday 6th October: Blessing of animals Sunday13th October: Morning Prayer Sunday 20th October: Holy Communion Sunday 27th October: Morning Prayer Sunday 3rd November: Holy Communion Looking ahead: You may like to mark your diaries and calendars with the Remembrance Sunday Service on 10th November at 10.30am and the Christmas Carol Service on Sunday 22nd December at 4.00pm The Charity Collection for October will be for Drogheda Animal Rescue Back to School Service: It was lovely to see so many families at the Back to School Service with a number of children coming to have a blessing as they begin the new school year The Harvest Thanksgiving was held on Sunday 22nd September Thank you to everyone who came to help with decorating and cleaning the church for the occasion Thank you to those who brought donations for Drogheda Homeless Aid and to those who dismantled and delivered everything afterwards The following acknowledgement was received from Drogheda Homeless Aid; “Thank you and the Parish of Julianstown so much for your kind and generous donation The residents are delighted with all the treats and are very grateful Thank you on behalf of Drogheda Homeless Aid and its patrons.” Pre-instrumental music classes for 4yrs up Contact Maria 087 933 0777 mariamusicmakers@gmail.com www.littlemusicmakers.ie Classes held at the Presbyterian Church venue Confirmation: We are delighted to inform you that Bishop Tom has advised that Confirmation Ceremonies in our Parish will take place on Thursday Sacramental Preparation talk for Confirmation parents and First Communion parents will take place on Wednesday Please keep an eye on Parish Newsletter for more information about Ceremonies in our Parish Our Parish Choirs: In both our churches we are blessed with excellent Choirs and at our vigil Mass we have our lovely Mary and Gerry Both our Choirs are back singing at our Sunday Masses and are looking for new members Please contact Catherine or Georgina after Mass on Sunday May God continue to bless all who make our liturgies so special 1st September with rehearsal on Monday 2nd September at 8 pm in the Church Please contact Catherine in Gallery after Mass on Sunday First Friday calls and Hospital Visits: If you please contact our Parish Office or contact Fr Please don’t take for granted that someone else has already done this the Hospitals gave us the information but now with GDPR regulations they are unable to so the information must come from a family member) Come along and meet us in at the Coast Tavern on Saturday mornings at 10 am The Knights of St Columbanus would like to thank Laytown parish for their generosity in contributing to their recent church gate collection which amounted to €412 Work on Picture Window - Some essential work to the frame of the scaffolding inside and outside the church window behind the altar will take place in the coming months which will involve the erection of Thanks to all who give so generously to our weekly envelope and offertory collection either online or by leaving donations in the bins at the exit of the church who make this work possible Parking at Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh - Please note that the school car park will not be available for church parking on Monday It will continue to be available at the weekends and on evenings when we have Mass Please keep access to the old convent clear at all times and don’t park outside the school gates Details can be found on our website: www.sacredheartlaytown.com Shauna Morgan Yoga - All classes are live to book make sure to book in early to avoid disappointment New class: Friday morning 7am in @sonairte.ie For more details contact Rose at 0868377033 and Eilish at 0863656951 For more details contact James 0872706456 or Eoin 0860649447 Here we give a list of items made for our local community in East A clatter of Welsh farmers taking a circuitous route to County Laois for the National Ploughing Championships were among the 4,750 racegoers at Laytown on Monday as secretary and manager of the track Jessica Cahalan reflected on a "fabulous day" for the annual race meeting the only event run on a beach under the Rules of Racing in Britain and Ireland attracts racegoers from all over Ireland and Britain to the County Meath strand every year and this week was no different with the track blessed with proper seaside weather for the six-race card The meeting conveniently fell the day after a tremendous weekend of racing at the Irish Champions Festival which allowed plenty of those who crossed the Irish Sea to enjoy three hugely entertaining racedays in succession Cahalan said: "It was a fabulous day and the weather was fantastic All the Flat jockeys went out for a swim after the fourth race We had around 4,750 people there and there were quite a few British people over "Racing breaks had around 30 people over who did the three days racing [Leopardstown We always get a good contingent of people from Britain coming over and I've already got emails from people inquiring about next year." The National Ploughing Championships has quickly evolved into a staple of Irish culture and kicked off in Ratheniska County Laois on Tuesday with the agricultural show expecting to attract close to 300,000 people over the three days there could be a few Welshmen with sore heads after 45 farmers sailed over to Ireland ahead of the ploughing championships and were unable to resist the allure of Laytown Cahalan added: "We had a crowd of 45 Welsh farmers who were heading to the ploughing championships on Tuesday but after sailing in on Monday morning they decided to head to Laytown for the day Trainer Ian Williams also made the trip over from Worcestershire and the Welsh contingent must have exercised their patriotism to get stuck into Ivasecret who was the gamble of the day in the 7f claimer The first reserve was backed from a morning 11-1 into 7-4 favourite to give Williams a winner on his first trip to the strand "The raceday won't always tie in with Champions Weekend but it was fantastic we were able to take full advantage of that," said Cahalan "It was great to see a British-trained winner and we're very grateful for the use of the stables at Bellewstown "The crowd was up a couple of hundred on last year and the place was packed A lot of people went down to the beach last year but they tended not to this year We're doing our analysis in the next couple of days and see what improvements we can make for next year but it's all been positive so far so we're delighted." 'A real advertisement for racing' - Laytown basks in quintessential seaside weather as annual jamboree attracts huge crowd  'You can't be giving 0-65 horses more than Group horses' - Ger Lyons dismayed by distribution of Irish prize-money  Published on 17 September 2024inIreland Copyright © 2025 Spotlight Sports Group Limited or its licensors in the wonderful care of the staff in Moorehall Lodge Nursing Home Predeceased by her husband Timothy (Tim) Kerins and lovingly remembered by her sons Anto and John Gardaí from Meath South and North Community Engagement Teams were trained in the use of the property marking machine at Buvinda House, Navan. Volunteers from East Meath Defibrillator Unit, Bettystown Tidy Towns, Meath Coast Men’s Shed, Julianstown Tidy Towns and Skryne Community Alert were also fully trained. Any news or items of interest contact Niamh @ 086 3477283 or email niamhuiloinsigh@gmail.com. If you’d like to get involved message us on Facebook and Instagram @bettystown_tidytowns or come along and meet us in the village on Saturday mornings between 9 and 11am. Come rain or shine, we are out on Saturday mornings. We are donating all funds from Re-turn bottles and cans collected on litter picks by our volunteers to East Meath Hospice Association. You can support them too. Drop your Re-turn bottles and cans into the orange bin in Bettystown Square and help Bettystown Tidy Towns raise funds for East Meath Hospice Association It’s time to start planting to enjoy your own homegrown veg! Thank you to Pat Stafford who provided our volunteers with a demonstration on planting onions and potatoes. BTT provided those attending the demonstration free seed potatoes and onions to plant at home. Membership is now due for the 2025 season. If anyone has any issues or questions, please contact Edel at Edelmcnamara12@gmail.com. Click the link below to become a member today. https://www.cilles.com/membership The U14 Spring League got off to winning starts for the 2011 girls. The division 2 team were away to Kilbride on Saturday coming away with a comfortable win. The division 4 team travelled to Ashbourne on Sunday and had a one point win in a very exciting game against the home side. Well done to the 2011 girls and coaches. Cilles Lotto results 25th March 2025. Numbers drawn were 2,3,8,26. Next week the jackpot is €2,300 so play now to be in with a chance of winning or sharing in this prize. The €50 winners were Mary Traynor and Ellen Lynch . A massive thank you to all our Cilles Lotto supporters. Play online at https://cilles.clubifyapp.com/products Check out our website www.cillesac.ie or 087 2569124. There is training on Mondays for ages 6 to 9; Mondays and Wednesdays training for age groups 9 to 12 and 12 to 18. Tuesday and Thursday training for age 16 and over, as well as adults. In the adult category we cater for all abilities with members training for different events over the year from 5k, 10k, 10 miles, half marathon, ¾ marathon and full marathon. That was a hectic weekend with the Ladies making it 3/3 in Meath LGFA Div 8 with an impressive win in Longwood. Meanwhile the Men had a good workout in a challenge match against Naomh Mairtín in Monasterboice. Solas 21 is the Tidy Towns Group for the beautiful village of Donore, Co. Meath. We are all locals who have pride in our village and wish to keep Donore a beautiful place. Please join us and help in whatever way you can. Our thanks to Francis Gogarty for arranging the reinstatement of what may be an altar in a Penal Laws Chapel in Donore. Geraldine Stout who did archaeology research in Newgrange and the environs promised to visit site. There was a horrible example of dumping around Lougher/ Rosnaree/ Duleek road last week. Thanks to the litter warden for its removal and his tireless work. No evidence found to aid a conviction in this case. Jubilee year pilgrimage to the shrines ofFrance 21st ti 28th May: Join with Duleek, Donore & Ashbourne Parishes on this Joe Walsh Tours pilgrimage under the spiritual guidance of Fr. Mark & Fr. Michael. Taking pilgrims to some of France’s most special sanctuaries and places of magnificent beauty, including Ars-sur-Formans, Parayle-Monial, Nevers, Lisieux, Tours and Paris. Costs for 7 nights €1,339 pp. For more information about this Parish Jubilee Pilgrimage please contact Caroline in the Parish Office or book directly tel: 01-2410800 email: info@joewalshtours.ie. wwwjoewalshtours.ie. The Lidl Ireland LGFA Stamp Cards are back, and we need your help to raise some €’s for our girls. Download the Lidl Plus App and select St Marys Meath as your club. Every time you spend over €50 in store, you collect a stamp (4 stamps to complete a card) and the more stamp cards we collect, the more our girls will receive. This is a quick and easy way to help the club, so please get involved! St Mary’s G4MO Welcome New players to join our team. If you are looking for a way to get fit, have fun and get out of the house ... come join us. No need to have any football experience. We look forward to welcoming back all our members. Over 25’s Starting back Wednesdays at 7.45pm. Blotto - Have you entered our weekly Blotto Draw which takes place every Monday? Follow the following link https://play.clubforce.com/play_newa.asp?ll_id=875#Anchor Volunteers meet every Saturday morning at the car park outside the Coast Tavern from 10 am. to spruce up different areas of our village. There are a wide variety of jobs to be done around the village, so if you would like to join in, even occasionally, you would be more than welcome. Can you help? Family in need of some outdoor play toys and child’s table and change and wonder would you be able to donate. Please contact: Lilliputs Community Childcare Centre, 5 Strandhaven, Laytown, Co. Meath, Laytown, Ireland. Telephone 041 9812230. Thank you Our wonderful Academy returns every Wednesday from 19.00 pm to 20.00 pm in Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa Hall, Laytown. All 5–12-year-olds welcome to come along and learn how to play Gaelic games in a fun-filled, friendly environment! Little Stars Academy is generously supported by PwC. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: Please note that adoration continues this Thursday evening from 5.45pm. Rest in Peace: Please pray for the happy repose of the soul of Helen Collier whose funeral Mass took place recently. The application process is now open for 2025/2026. If you or someone you know has a child who will be 4 years of age before 30th April 2025, you can now apply online on the school website www.bettystownschool.ie Robert from FIT - Fastrack into Information Technology will be in the centre on Tuesday 8th April to conduct formal recorded interviews as part of QQI Level 4 Communications & Work Experience. It is essential that all students bring an up-to-date CV and dress appropriate for an interview. Come grow your own organic pumpkin from seed with us! You will be invited to do this in 4 stages with us, over the course of the summer. Sow your pumpkin seed in our propagating tunnel. 2. When your seedling is big enough, you will transfer it to a bigger pot, to continue growing. Plant your young pumpkin plant into the pumpkin patch outdoors. Harvest your pumpkin for Halloween! You will label your pumpkin with your name, and we’ll send regular updates on how well your plant is doing. This workshop is primarily set up for children. Start Saturday 3rd of May. Cost: €20 + booking fee. Book on https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/1251126415789?aff=oddtdtcreator East Meath Active Retirement Association (EMARA) meet every Thursday in St. Mary’s Church of Ireland Parish Rooms, Laytown Road, Julianstown from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm each week. New members are always welcome to join this vibrant group of men and women. We have many events and outings lined up for the coming month. For more details contact Rose at 0868377033 and Eilish at 0863656951. Meath East Coast Men’s Shed meets every Tuesday and Friday in the grounds of St. Colmcilles GAA on the Piltown road. For more details contact James 0872706456 or Eoin 0860649447. Here we give a list of items made for our local community in East Meath. East Meath Active Retirement Association (EMARA) meet every Thursday in St. Mary’s Church of Ireland Parish Rooms, Laytown Road, Julianstown from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm each week. New members are always welcome to join this vibrant group of men and women. We have many events and outings lined up for the coming month. For more details contact Rose at 0868377033 and Eilish at 0863656951 . Adoration continues in the Church on Wednesdays from 9.15am. All are Welcome. Please note finish time 8.00pm. Why not come along and spend some time with the Lord? We need more volunteers for the following hours:- 9am, 1pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm & 6pm. Please contact the Sacristy after Mass or Parish Office if you can put your name down for a particular hour. Call St. Vincent de Paul for assistance on 1800 677 777 If you wish to make a financial contribution, please ring 087-2542408. Hot Meals are delivered to your home between 12.30pm and 1.30pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week throughout the year in the areas of Laytown, Bettystown, Mornington, Donacarney and Colpe. The charge is €5 per person per meal. If you would like to avail of this service or know of anyone who might benefit from this service, please contact us on 085-7570810. The Bridge Club meets on Tuesday nights in Laytown/Bettystown Golf Club. Games start at 7.30pm sharp. New Members Welcome. Bridge Classes for beginners and improvers take place in Laytown/Bettystown Golf Club at 11am on Tuesday . OpinionMedders at Large: Mystery of the disappearing road to the coast‘Oooh! R 742…I gotta find you / Yes! R 742…where have you gone to…’ All seven councillors have now been elected to the Laytown/Bettystown electoral area with two sitting councillors, Tom Behan (FF) and Elaine McGinty (Lab) losing their seats. Newcomers include Sinn Fein's Maria White, a primary school principal and barrister Carol Lennon (IND). White is the only Sinn Fein Cllr who secured a seat in the area. Fine Gael Cllr Sharon Tolan was the first councillor to be elected to Meath County Council in the Laytown/Bettystown area yesterday. Tolan topped the poll with 1782 votes. Fine Gael's Paddy Meade was elected earlier today meeting the quota exactly with 1681 votes. Independent Cllr Geraldine Keogan also secured a seat on the seventh count today. Keogan was co opted to Meath County Council in 2020 after her sister Independent candidate, Sharon Keogan was elected to Seanad Eireann. Her sister Geraldine took her seat in Laytown/Bettystown. Fianna Fail Cllr Stephen McKee who received the second highest number of first preference votes retained his seat on the ninth count. Fianna Fail retained a second seat with Cllr Wayne Harding crossing the line in the tenth count, however there was disappointed for colleague Tom Behan who was eliminated on the eighth count. Behan was first elected to Meath County Council in 2019. Labour's Elaine McGinty also lost her seat. McGinty was co opted onto Meath County Council in 2020, to replace her party colleague, Cllr Annie Hoey, who was elected to Seanad Eireann. "I'm absolutely thrilled and so grateful for such a fantastic endorsement from the public." said Cllr Sharon Tolan. " I have worked really really hard for the last ten years," she added. "It was such a pleasure this election I have to say, the doors were really positive and to see the numbers there is just incredible." Tolan has made no secret of her ambitions to represent the area on a national level, an aspiration that could be realised given that Meath East will have an extra TD at the next election after the Electoral Commission recommended that the number of deputies for the next Dáil be increased to 174, up from 160. Meath East will become a four-seater constituency to reflect the rising population while Meath West will remain with three seats. Tolan said her sights are firmly set on that challenge now. Following behind Tolan with votes is sitting independent Cllr Geraldine Keogan with 1,538 votes, on course to be elected as is Fianna Fail Cllr Stephen McKee with 1499 first preference votes. Fine Gael Cllr Paddy Meade has secured 1467 votes while Fianna Fail Cllr Wayne Harding is fifth with 1278 votes. Newcomer Maria White (SF) is doing well with 1,059 votes. Independent Carol Lennon has obtained 934 votes while Peter Whelan (Aontu) secured 625. Fine Gael new candidate Declan O,Neill is at 430 votes. Tolan Sharon (FG) 1782 - Elected O'Neill Declan (FG) 430 Smith Patrick (Ind) 105 Qevani Marjeta (Ind) 51 Elected Fine Gael Cllr Sharon Tolan's surplus was distributed however no candidate met the quota and therefore no one was elected on the second count. Patrick Smith (Ind) received the lowest number of votes and was eliminated. O'Neill Declan (FG) + 10 440 Smith Patrick (Ind) + 0 105 Qevani Marjeta (Ind) + 1 52 No candidate was elected on the third count. Westlake Raymond (Ind Ireland) has been eliminated. O'Neill Declan (FG) + 0 440 Qevani Marjeta (Ind) + 18 226 FOURTH COUNT ( Distribution of Westlake Raymond (Ind Ireland) 208 surplus) No candidate has been elected on the fourth count. Mac Reamoinn Cathal (Green) has been eliminated. O'Neill Declan (FG) + 6 446 FIFTH COUNT ( Distribution of Mac Reamoinn Cathal (Green) 378 surplus) No candidate was elected on the fifth count. O'Neill Declan (FG) has been eliminated. Meade Paddy (FG) + 27 1513 Harding Wayne (FF) + 15 1299 White Maria (SF) + 35 1132 Lennon Carol (Ind) + 18 1053 SIXTH COUNT (Distribution of O'Neill Declan (FG) surplus) Fine Gael Cllr Paddy Meade has been re elected to Meath County Council on the sixth count just meeting the quota of 1681 votes. "I 'm one of those Cllrs who mixes opinions with people sometimes but I got votes in every box across the district," he added. "There are people in Bettystown Beach delighted today , there are people in Duleek, Slane Lobinstown and Donore delighted today. " It's a great day not just for me but for the entire area that I represent." The Fine Gael Cllr has a number of key issues he wants to tackle in the Lobinstown area where he resides in the term ahead as he explains: "I got 85 percent of the vote in Lobinstown, I think its the highest anyone's got in the county. "I know there are a lot of national issues but the roads in north Meath are still an issue that still has to be addressed. "Laytown/Bettystown district has 19 percent of the population yet we are only getting between 11 and 14 percent of the money. "I'm not popular for saying it but Navan, Trim and Kells, the three historical towns are still getting too much money. "We need to get it over to our side and I think people have reacted positively to me saying that. "The county of Meath needs to get more money nationally, that's what I have been drumming home and that is what has been resonating with people and hopefully that is what the government will hear today." Aontu candidate Peter Whelan has been eliminated with the fewest votes. Whelan also ran for Peadar Tobin's party in the 2019 local elections. "When I saw how many votes I got, I was resigned that I didn't get there but looking at the transfers, there was always a slight possibility," said Whelan. "But I learned from the last time not to build up your hopes too much," he added. Despite the defeat the Slane man says he's going to continue his work as a community activist. "I have been working very hard for the last five years, I'd be a liar to say I'm not disappointed but I've already made a decision that I'm going to continue the hard work because I wouldn't let down the people who depend on me," said the Aontu candidate. "It is a very tight constituency and the one thing I have learned that I'll have to spread my wings further and try and get out further to the wider constituency. "On a positive note the party has gained council seats all over the country and I am in for the long haul." Meade Paddy (FG) + 168 1681 Keogan Geraldine (Ind) + 54 1666 McKee Stephen (FF) + 64 1625 Harding Wayne (FF) + 43 1342 White Maria (SF) + 5 1137 Lennon Carol (Ind) + 2 1055 Behan Tom (FF) + 16 730 Independent Cllr Geraldine Keogan is the third candidate elected to Meath County Council in the Laytown/Bettystown area with 1824 votes. Keogan was co opted to Meath County Council in 2020 after her sister Independent candidate, Sharon Keogan was elected to Seanad Eireann. Her sister Geraldine took her seat in Laytown/Bettystown. "I'm so grateful to everyone who came out and gave their number one vote to me," said the the independent Cllr. "It's great to have that support behind you and I'm looking forward to continuing the work I've been doing for the last four years "We started the campaign in February so it has been four long months, I'm just looking forward to getting on with the job now." Keogan Geraldine (Ind) + 158 1824 McKee Stephen (FF) + 26 1651 Harding Wayne (FF) + 126 1468 White Maria (SF) + 65 1202 Lennon Carol (Ind) + 81 1136 Behan Tom (FF) + 16 746 No candidate was elected on the eight count. Fianna Fail Cllr Tom Behan has been eliminated. McKee Stephen (FF) + 6 1657 Harding Wayne (FF) + 14 1482 White Maria (SF) + 5 1207 Lennon Carol (Ind) + 60 1196 Lynch Seamus (SF) + 9 863 Behan Tom (FF) + 3 749 McGinty Elaine (Lab) + 4 923 NINTH COUNT (Distribution of Fianna Fail Cllr Tom Behan surplus) Fianna Fail Cllr Stephen McKee has been re elected. McKee said he was "overwhelmed" by the level of support he has received "I'm delighted and first of all I want to say a huge thanks to my family, my wife and kids and my campaign team for their support and obviously those who voted for me," said McKee. "I have worked very hard over the last council term and I've increased my vote substantially," he added. "It is an absolute privilege to represent the people of East Meath on Meath County Council," said McKee. Following his success locally, the Fianna Fail Cllr says he has big ambitions for his political career on a national level. "I will reflect on my result tonight and I will talk to my family, I would have a big interest in putting my name forward for the next general election, it would be a huge honour to represent my area in the dail," he said. McKee Stephen (FF) + 167 1824 Harding Wayne (FF) + 187 1669 White Maria (SF) + 57 1264 Lennon Carol (Ind) + 106 1302 Lynch Seamus (SF) + 23 886 McGinty Elaine (Lab) + 71 994 Fianna Fail Cllr Wayne Harding has been re elected with 1726 votes. Harding says he is "relieved and happy" to be able to continue his work on Meath County Council. "I'm feeling great, It's the fourth term and it's been a difficult campaign and I have an amazing team, I can't say enough about them," said the Slane based councillor. "Elections are so hard on everyone around you, and they are all here today, my mam and dad who are in their 80s at this stage, my wife Yvette and the kids Ethan and Amelia," he added. "You leave everything out there and sometimes it doesn't go right for people and I feel for them today as well. It's a blood sport without the blood and when it goes wrong for you it's so painful and I'm just so relieved and happy to be able to start working again." It's straight back to business for Harding who has plenty to be getting with in the line of council business as he explains: "The oral hearings into the Slane Bypass should start in the next month or so and the Boyne Greenway is well progressed so there is a lot of work to do." Harding Wayne (FF) + 57 1726 White Maria (SF) + 16 1280 Lennon Carol (Ind) + 17 1319 Lynch Seamus (SF) + 5 891 McGinty Elaine (Lab) + 19 1013 Maria White (SF) and Carol Lennon (IND) have been elected White Maria (SF) + 641 1921 Lennon Carol (Ind) + 39 1358 McGinty Elaine (Lab) + 50 1063 Meath Chronicle is part of Celtic Media Group which includes: The Anglo Celt, Connaught Telegraph, Offaly Independent, Westmeath Examiner and Westmeath Independent| © 2021 Meath Chronicle and Celtic Media Group. All rights reserved. Traffic calming measures are urgently needed outside a school on a busy road in Laytown. Sinn Fein Cllr Maria White put forward a motion at October's Laytown/Bettystown Municipal District meeting calling on Meath Co Council Road Safety Officer and engineers to assess traffic hazards at Scoil an Spioriad Naoimh, Senior Primary, Tara Road in Laytown and provide solutions. In their response, Meath Co Council said that the Road Safety Officer could undertake an observational assessment of the schools during drop off and collection points and following this, a specific awareness and educational talk to the schools, however Cllr White said that this does not go far enough. “It feels a little like putting the onus back on the children in the school to keep themselves safe,” said White. “It is a very busy road with an ever increasing volume of cars, an ever increasing case of speed of cars and what I have been hearing from constituents and from those at the school is that driver behaviour is a big issue with people on phones and putting makeup on in the car and all kinds of crazy behaviour going on while they are driving,” she added. “So unfortunately I don't think an educational talk will protect the school going children. Some children are very vulnerable, there are three autism classes and some children having learning difficulties.” Bollards outside a section of the school would be beneficial according to White who said: “There is inaccessibility on the footpaths due to cars parking on the paths, I think it is essential that the bollards are installed. “There are over 1,000 pupils on those three schools in that area that can't be safely accessed. The footpaths are not wide enough for the volume, the road is particularly wide and there is no safe way of crossing so urgent action is needed to ensure safety of students. Fine Gael Cllr Sharon Tolan said accidents have been rife at this spot in recent times. “A number of accidents have occurred at that location and I know that before the lights were even turned on they were knocked down, totally ploughed out of it by a vehicle and it really is a concern for parents that want to give their children going to a senior primary school the confidence to be able to do what all kids should be able to do, walk or cycle to school. “But it is a really dangerous spot, it is a very straight stretch of road so vehicles do tend to pick up speed and I don't see why we wouldn't hold back and just install a safety barrier at least on that section of footpath closest to the pedestrian crossing just to make sure that kids are shepherded and safe from vehicles while they are waiting to cross the road.” Meath Co Council added in their response that the recent delivery of the Tara Road had provided active travel infrastructure in the vicinity of the schools, raised zebra crossings on the four arms of the roundabout and outside Colaiste Na hInse and a push button pedestrian crossing also located in front of Scoil An Spoiraid Naomh. “Additionally there are drop off zones and parking within the school grounds, school bus bays and drop off zone on the link road between the R150 and L5632 which also has three ramps, a zebra crossing and push button crossing. “The Tara Road car park is available for school drop offs/collections and has courtesy crossings through the car park. Advance school warning signs, including electronic signage is in place at the schools, this can be checked to make sure signs are visible in good condition and in the case of the electronic signage, working correctly.” LIFE'S A BEACH: The scene from Laytown with horses racing up the beach during the Glina's Cottage Inn Handicap won by Cherry Pink and Adam Caffrey.  Picture: Healy Racing Trained in England by Ian Williams (whose Mokaatil had finished third earlier) first reserve Ivasecret justified hefty support and 7-4 favouritism when bolting up by six lengths in the Tote.ie Claiming Race A delighted Williams said: “These are my first runners here – we came last year and I’d say the beach brought out the best in him We’ve all been well looked after and we’ll definitely be back.”  The Heffernan double was completed when Roman Harry (12-1) a first runner at Laytown for his trainer Claire O’Connell brushed aside the favourite Jeaniemacaroney in the Pride Of Place Maiden Ado McGuinness' horses having a feel for the sea and sand ahead of racing at Laytown Picture: Healy RacingThe successful trainer said: “I train locally and bring the horses to Mornington beach every Sunday but it’s my first time here and it’s great to win with my first runner as my father rode winners here carried to Irish St Leger success by Kyprios on Sunday were back in the winner’s enclosure following the easy win of the Ger Lyons-trained Tough Talk in the concluding amateur event Without a win since landing a Curragh maiden on his debut in April 2022 the four-year-old Kingman gelding outclassed his rivals making most of the running under Derek O’Connor before drawing clear to beat fellow 13-8 joint-favourite Quar Shamar by 10 lengths The winning rider stated: “He really enjoyed it – I’d say the beach and the whole atmosphere the surface and the crowd lit him up.”  Local trainer Ado McGuinness rarely leaves the annual meeting without a winner and he saddled joint-favourite Cherry Pink (Adam Caffrey) to win the Gilna’s Cottage Inn Handicap “She’s not a sprinter and I though six furlongs here might be a bit quick for her,” said McGuinness “I told Adam to take his time and she had rock-solid form She’s entered for Dundalk on Friday and the plan was to go to Listowel so we’ll see what the handicapper does before we make a decision.”  Runners and riders racing up to the finish line with Cherry Pink winning Picture: Healy RacingJody Townend savoured her first success at Laytown on board Jungle Cove “My instructions were to let him enjoy himself and he loved it He’s a horse with plenty of ability and this place sparked him up.”  Winner of the 47-65 six-furlong handicap at this meeting last year the David Marnane-trained Jered Maddox again proved his liking for the beach when landing the (50-75) Download The New Tote App Handicap the eight-year-old recorded his 10th career success by beating Not Forgotten by a short-head prompting his trainer to comment: “He’s a talented horse on his day and loves this place He’s been a great servant and deserves a little holiday now before coming back in mid-winter at Dundalk.” From as little as €1 a week with our digital introductory offer Already a subscriber? Sign in WINNING RETURN: Los Angeles and Ryan Moore win the Group 2 Coolmore Stud City Of Troy Irish EBF Mooresbridge Stakes at the Curragh By clicking on 'Sign Up' you will be the first to know about our latest and best sporting content on this browser You have accepted push notifications for this content. If you would like to manage your push notification preferences, you can do so here Runners and riders during the Oneills.com handicap at the Laytown Races in Laytown leads at the start of the Pride Of Place Maiden at the Laytown Races in Laytown during the Tote.ie Claiming Race at the Laytown Races Michael GrahamMon 16 Sep 2024 at 20:43Worcestershire trainer Ian Williams made the journey over to Laytown worthwhile after Ivasecret romped to victory at the once-a-year seaside meeting The fixture occupies a unique place in the calendar as the only official race event to take place on a beach in Britain and Ireland with racing having featured on the strand since the 1860s English raider Ivasecret (7/4) rewarded favourite backers with a dominant display in the Tote.ie Claiming Race Turning out just two days after finishing sixth at Bath the six-year-old took over racing inside the final two furlongs and soon sealed the deal powering six lengths clear without being fully extended by Seamie Heffernan “We really enjoyed the experience last year It is unique – it must be for him to win like that He has done what he has done tonight and he has done it well “It is a great place to bring horses if you want to do something a little bit different it is great and there is a huge crowd – although I don’t know what it would be like when the weather is pretty rough!” Heffernan completed a quick double when Claire O’Connell’s 12/1 chance Roman Harry upset odds-on shot Jeaniemacaroney swooping late to prevail by three-quarters of a length in the Pride of Place Maiden O’Connell said: “We have had him here to the beach a few times David Marnane was delighted to be among the winners at Laytown again as Jered Maddox lunged late to claim his second win at the track Although predominantly a Dundalk specialist with seven of his nine previous wins coming on the all-weather in County Louth Jered Maddox did strike on this card 12 months ago and was an 8/1 shot to repeat the feat in the curtain-raising Download The New Tote App Handicap the eight-year-old finished strongly over the straight six furlongs getting up in the final stride to beat Not Forgotten by a short head He obviously loves the place – it is a funny track some horses just come alive here and he does,” said Marnane “He won really easily last year and then he has been high in the handicap but the handicapper has been fair to him now and dropped him down quick enough I think he was pretty much off the same mark (as last year’s win here) most of the yard is two and three-year-olds We have got to hold on to him for another year!” Ado McGuinness is one of the few trainers in double figures in terms of winners at Laytown and added to his tally with 11/4 joint-favourite Cherry Pink in the Gilna’s Cottage Inn Handicap A runner-up on the turf at Gowran Park a fortnight ago the Elzaam filly went one better with a half-length success under 3lb claimer Adam Caffrey McGuinness said: “I thought this would be too quick for her I just said ‘we are going’ and decided to run her “I definitely did think it would be too sharp for her He gave her a chance early doors and she did it well.” Jungle Cove sprang a 22/1 surprise for Jessica Harrington and Jody Townend in the Oneills.com Handicap Carrying the Kyprios colours of Moyglare Stud Tough Talk proved a class apart in the concluding Tote Never Beaten By SP (Q.R.) Race for the formidable partnership of Ger Lyons and Derek O’Connor bolting up by 10 lengths from fellow 13/8 joint-favourite Quar Shamar The four-year-old ended a nine-race losing run since scoring on his racecourse bow at the Curragh back in April 2022 who went on to claim Group One glory in the Phoenix Stakes that season O’Connor said: “I think the whole atmosphere and the beach There are a few things which I have yet to tick from my bucket list and Laytown's acclaimed beach meeting was one of them I was thankful to dust off the sharpie and cross off the eldest line in my catalogue when attending the annual jamboree which was bolstered by quintessential weather for a day out at the seaside A charming atmosphere was fuelled by a colossal crowd so much so that it caused a ten-minute delay and they were still streaming in after the second contest Racing at the strand has been in existence for over a century and a half and Charles Stewart Parnell the leader of the Home Rule movement and the outstanding Irish political figure of the late 19th century was one of the first stewards at the track Parnell's career suffered its fair share of volatility but it was trivial when compared to the mercurial grey who graced the strand in 2016 Six months before bolting up in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle Labaik decided that a day out at the beach was strictly for leisure purposes when he refused to race in the 7f maiden I'm not sure if Jered Maddox is a Supreme winner in waiting but he's relishing his annual excursion to the beach as he made it two from two at Laytown with a gritty victory in the opening 6f handicap for David Marnane at 8-1 The Ado McGuinness-trained Cherry Pink swapped the blue and white stripes of owner Deepak Dhand for the green and white of an emerging force in the ownership ranks in Ireland in Bronsan Racing Con and Irene Sands when landing the following 6f handicap So how does a winner at Laytown compare to a Galway Hurdle or runners at Royal Ascot "It's always a family occasion for us whether it's a maiden at Roscommon or the Breeders' Cup or a Galway Hurdle," said Neil Sands "You don't get weather like this too often so we don't like to give them anything "It's great to see the crowd and it's a real advertisement for racing It's my father's [Con] birthday and he's been a fantastic lucky charm for us so we'll throw on another candle I'm sure." Ian Williams made the trip over from Britain with two runners and after saddling Mokaatil to finish third behind Cherry Pink he said: "I came last year on a bit of a recce but this is our first time to have runners It's a unique place and my clients are having a great time "Just look around and everyone is having a great time Half an hour later, his question was emphatically answered when 7-4 favourite Ivasecret landed plenty of bets by bolting up in the 7f claimer under Seamie Heffernan for Williams The unrivalled topography of the course is an intimidating prospect for even the most intrepid punter while the absence of WiFi proves equally challenging for a beleaguered hack given his rapidly overheating phone was being stretched beyond its hotspot capabilities Both challenges were met with gusto but as my phone burned a hole in one pocket, my punting was soon igniting a blaze in the other. Matters were partially recovered with a placed effort from Lohengrin Enough returns to fund a bucket and spade for next year Celebrated American writer Susan Sontag encapsulated the typically adjourned nature of bucket lists when remarking: "I haven't been everywhere Laytown is a jewel in Irish racing's crown like no other and a trip shouldn't be kept on the long finger Start making plans for 2025 and pray to the weather gods in the interim Turners Novices' Chase to become novice handicap in revamped Cheltenham Festival programme  'I'm now ready to move on' - weighing room veteran Franny Norton calls time on 36-year career  Japan's Arc hope Shin Emperor was 'only 70-80 per cent ready' before barnstorming effort in Irish Champion says trainer  The Racing Post is now available to follow on WhatsApp channels Published on 16 September 2024inReports have maintained a strong relationship over the years they organised a “Darkness Into Light” Dads & Lads match with a 4.30am throw-in Combined with Seneschalstown contribution of €235 which will go a long way towards supporting the great services offered by SOSAD A cheque representing this amount was presented to SOSAD highlighting the club and community’s ongoing commitment to mental health support Judging for both competitions will take place over the coming months The Tara Road roundabout got a fantastic makeover on Saturday Our volunteers planted grasses kindly donated by Lidl in support of our Tara Road enhancement work Marina Reddan and staff are hosting Bewley’s Big Coffee Morning in aid of East Meath Hospice from 10 a.m Bring a friend and support this annual event All money raised is spent locally to provide services for people with a diagnosis of Cancer If you would like to host a Coffee Morning at home or place of work please ring Mena at 087 2258694 so we can get posters or Coffee to you Should you wish to donate you can do so on idonate/eastmeathhospice Meath LSP in partnership with Swim Ireland are delighted to announce a Swim Safe event for Bettystown beach on Wednesday 25th September This event will cater for everyone with a Swim safety talk provided by the Royal Life Saving Society a Kids and a teen fun & splash session an adults sea swim & dip and a walk and wade for adults 55+ Refreshments & goody bags will be provided For more information please contact Una at upearson@meathcoco.ie or call 0469067887 Meath County Council wish to notify you of an intention for a Temporary Closure of Seaview Terrace L-56329-1 (road to the beach) Bettystown The proposed closure will be for 24 hours per day from Monday 7th October until Friday 11th October Lotto - Play now to be in with a chance of winning or sharing in this prize Play online at https://cilles.clubifyapp.com/products Colmcille’s Camogie Committee need your help - As you may know This great initiative needs a few volunteers though Minor Boys had a good win - Well done to our Minor Boys who beat a good Ratoath team in Division 6 MFC Captain Luke Collins lead the boys through tricky territory in this game The Cilles had some excellent performances in many positions and fought hard to maintain a decent lead as Ratoath piled on the pressure This win secures a semi-final spot for the lads which is the least they deserve for their efforts Special mention to Ruairi Kenny and Tom Shepherd who suffered bad injuries during the week The two lads only have two arms between them at the moment Many thanks to Mary Morrisson and Ana ,Maria,& Irenia who worked on all four compost bins which they sanded ,cleaned & painted on the Tuberfin Rd along with some weeding & pruning of shrubs Our Under 14 Girls had an unbelievable win in Pairc Mhuire against Summerhill A last minute goal to clinch a 2 point win….a real never say die attitude The Credit Union 2024 Art Competition is now open You can download the entry forms on our website or collect one from the office Come along and meet us in at the Coast Tavern on Saturday mornings at 10 am Baptisms: Congratulations and welcome to Cadhla Calubong Annabelle Wilde and Liam Martin-O’Brien who were baptised last weekend Work on Picture Window: Some essential work to the frame of the scaffolding inside and outside the church window behind the altar will take place in the coming months which will involve the erection of Thanks to all who give so generously to our weekly envelope and offertory collection either online or by leaving donations in the bins at the exit of the church who make this work possible Parking at Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh: Please note that the school car park will not be available for church parking on Monday When: Saturday 28th September Time: 11am-1pm Price: 15 Euro This is a short workshop and is designed for beginner foragers It provides a solid foundation to start foraging and will show participants where to forage You can purchase your tickets at eventbrite.ie Shauna Morgan Yoga - September’s timetable begins next week New class: Friday morning 7am in @sonairte.ie You can book all classes through the link in my bio See you on the mat WHILE the quality of racing was far removed from the top-class action of the preceding days crowds nonetheless flocked to the strand at a sun-kissed Laytown Sending two runners across from his West Midlands base in the UK Ian Williams landed a gamble with first reserve Ivasecret in the Tote.ie Claiming Race the 53-rated bay was 11/1 in early shows for this seven-furlong contest eventually going off the clear favourite at 7/4 The first part of a double for Seamie Heffernan the V7 Recruitment Ltd-owned six-year-old raced behind the leaders on the inner Taking closer order with over two furlongs to go he soon improved to lead and quickly increased his advantage eventually coming home six lengths to the good so we came back with some runners,” Williams reflected “It is unique - it must be for him to win like that It is a great place to bring horses if you want to do something a little bit different.” The winner was later claimed by Tommy Sheridan for €5,000 to be trained by Cian Collins Heffernan doubled his tally aboard Roman Harry in the Pride Of Place Maiden the 12/1 chance made progress when brought to the outer with over two-furlongs to go the 53-rated four-year-old edged to the front inside the final 200 yards keeping on well from there on to beat the disappointing 10/11 favourite Jeaniemacaroney by three-quarters of a length “We have had him here to the beach a few times,” O’Connell revealed he gets claustrophobic and things didn’t go right for him the last day in Roscommon He’s very good to small trainers like myself he gives ample advice and he gives you confidence.” AFTER saddling a winner on both days of Champions Weekend Ger Lyons was again on target with Tough Talk in the Tote Never Beaten By SP Qualified Riders Race Without a win since his debut success back in April of 2022 the Kingman four-year-old emphatically righted that wrong Owned and bred by Moyglare Stud Farm and sent off a well-supported 13/8 joint favourite (from 11/4 early) with Quar Shamar the bay victor got to the front after two furlongs he readily increased his advantage when pushed along over a furlong out eventually coming home 10 lengths clear of his market rival “Andrew Duff (assistant trainer) told me that he works on the beach to a very high standard.” Jered Maddox is another who clearly enjoys the sea air as he made it two from two at the unique Co Meath venue in the opening Download The New Tote App Handicap Disappointing since a couple of wins at Dundalk in April the David Marnane-trained eight-year-old was sent off an 8/1 chance in the colours of City Equine II Syndicate the now 10-time winner was ridden to challenge on the outer with over a furlong to race and after a good tussle with Not Forgotten in the closing stages there was just a short head between them at the line He obviously loves this place - it is a funny track some horses just come alive here and he does,” Marnane disclosed “He won really easily here last year and he was pretty much off the same mark today “I might give him a little holiday now and we’ll bring him back for Dundalk in the height of winter.” JUNGLE Cove provided Jody Townend with her first success at the venue as he defied a significant market drift to claim the ONeills.com Qualified Riders Handicap the Mastercraftsman grey eventually went off a 22/1 chance in the colours of owner and trainer Jessica Harrington While Harry’s Bar travelled best from the two-furlong pole the 79-rated victor was soon ridden to challenge and edged to the front inside the final 150 yards keeping on well from there to score by a length and a half Cantering down he had his ears pricked,” Townend enthused “He has plenty of ability on his day and he’s a bit of a yard favourite It is hard to ride a winner here and it’s good to get it on the CV.” Jungle Cove was drawn in six and so too was Cherry Pink the winner of the Glina’s Cottage Inn Handicap Now two from four since joining Adrian McGuinness the Elzaam four-year-old was sent off a well-supported 11/4 joint-favourite (from 5s early) On what was her first start for owner Deepak Dhand the 55-rated bay was settled in rear by Adam Caffrey Making good progress on the outer from the two-furlong pole she swept to the front with 200 yards to race keeping on well from there to beat Spirit Of Eagles by half a length “I thought this would be too quick for her I just said ‘we are going’ and decided to run her,” McGuinness divulged He gave her a chance early doors and she did it well About us Contact us Advertise with us Company information Careers Privacy statement Terms of service Commenting policy Change cookies settings Erinta Mickeliunaite and Vanentin Peter on their way to the Colaiste Na hInse debs night Prizes presented on Captain’s Night were as follows Winner Captain’s Prize: Nigel McQuaile Runner-up: Jamie Brannigan Ladies Winner: Anne Bird Runner-up: Tara Halpin Club Strokeplay - Winner: Mick Bowe Runner-up: Leo Halpin Ladies winner: Anne Bird Runner-up: Tara Halpin Club Matchplay - Gents Winner: Nigel McQuaile Runner-up: Pat McCullen Ladies Winner: Tara Halpin Runner-up: Anne Bird Bellewstown will host the National Hospice Coffee Morning on Thursday 26th September from 10.30-12.30pm in the Standhouse Restaurant Anyone kindly wishing to donate prizes please contact Linda Donnelly 086-8450339 or Mary Howard 087-6881351 It is with your support the Hospice can continue delivering specialist care and Every euro raised goes directly to East Meath Hospice Duleek Bellewstown are delighted with the Adult Men’s Jerseys They look great and depict their main sponsor Dixon together with the Sponsors of the jerseys – BITMAC Huge thanks to Mechelle & all the Bitmac team for the sponsorship of these fabulous jerseys Our next Legend’s League final is the Cora Andrews Cup Final which throws in at 4pm It’s Kerry vs Donegal and its sure to be a cracking game of football Reminder it’s free admission and everyone is welcome Just a friendly reminder to everyone who uses or visits our grounds that dogs are not allowed We ask that if you see someone with a dog or smoking that you remind them of this in order to keep our grounds safe for everyone to use Let’s all work together to keep our grounds accessible to all Volunteers were working along the Golf Links Road last Saturday morning and they spent their time trimming back marram grass and clearing outside the Burrows Hall Volunteers then enjoyed their well-earned refreshments in The Neptune The proposed closure will be for 24 hours per day from Monday 7th October 2024 until Friday 11th October 2024 Senator Sharon Keogan ‘If you have a business or are a retailer in Bettystown or Laytown our office in Bettystown will host a meeting to discuss the ongoing loss of trade Next week the jackpot €4,300 so play now to be in with a chance of winning or sharing in this prize Cilles Colour Run - The Drogheda Credit Union 5k Cilles Colour Run takes place on September on 8th September at 2 p.m music and entertainment for the entire family shower caps and old clothes because we are going to cover you in every colour under the sun If you have any news items for this column please contact me by e-mail annfinger@yahoo.co.uk or phone 086-3131708 Please have all information to me by 7pm on a Thursday for the following weeks paper Tuesday 1st October is the date for our next Film Club showing for Age Friendly after the summer break the film starts at 10.30am and refreshments will be served after the film Promoting Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing in Our Children Have you a little one who finds it really difficult to seperate from you hard to make the move into pre-school or big school Join us on the 10th September in the Duleek Courthouse from 7.30pm to 8.30pm Book your place by calling 041 988 0523 or email duleekdft@gmail.com The Healthy Ireland Fund Supported by The Department of Health 2024 Team Triathlon in aid of the homeless and local charities The event begins in Portugal on 2nd September and ends with two of our volunteers completing the Dublin City Marathon This has been an annual event for the past three years You can view some of our fundraising on our facebook page Duleek Women’s Forum will re-open after the summer break on Tuesday 24th September 2024 Chair PIlates for the 65 plus age group is a great way to exercise to music and keep fit at the same time We will re-open after the summer break on Thursday 26th September 2024 Royal Meath Accordian Orchestra are having a night celebrating diverse musical traditions Immerse yourself in a night of enchanting melodies and cultural richness at our music recital Celebrating diversity through harmonious sounds join us for a memorable evening that transcends orders and resignates with the beauty of different cultures Join us at the Courthouse Duleek Friday 20th September 2024 from 7.30–9.00 pm Fit Kids/Fit Teens Dance School returns to Laytown Parochial Hall on Thursday 5th September Everyone from 3 years to 23 years are welcome to join in the fun and star on our upcoming Movie Baptisms: Congratulations and welcome to Sailor Sherry Charlie Holmes and Demi-Leigh Roche who were baptised last weekend Rest in Peace: Please remember in your prayers Jack Daly (brother of Eunice McAllister) whose funeral took place in Dublin during the week and Marcella Kerins (Beach Grove) whose remains will arrive at the church here on Thursday morning for 11am Funeral Mass Parking at Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh: As Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh will be back in operation again from Wednesday please note that the school car park will not be available for church parking on Monday Apple Picking - Join us on Saturday 7th September for a fun day out harvesting some delicious organic apples This great event starts from 1pm and gives you the opportunity to pick your own organic apples in Sonairte’s 250-year-old walled garden Tickets can be bought on www.eventbrite.ie Pick all you can in an hour Tickets are €10 per entry and covers a family of up to 2 adults and 3 kids We will supply brown bags for you to fill as many of our delicious organic apples varieties as you can within the 1 hour slot (Max 2 bags per group) The first slot begins at 1 - 2pm followed by the later slot of 3 - 4pm Shauna Morgan Yoga - September’s timetable begins next week New class: Friday morning 7am in Sonairte Here we give a list of items made for our local community in East Mornington Dunes are a Special Area of Conservation and recently a large gathering of people arrived at the dunes with gazebos Luckily there were some vigilant residents in the area who contacted the Meath County Council Beach Wardens The Beach Wardens arrived very quickly and moved them on Should you see large groups of people arriving in this area of conservation please contact the Gardaí or your local Councillor The new Mornington Tidy Towns group committee members are: Mary Gallagher We have some ECCE spaces for September now available Contact Mornington@pugwashbay.ie or phone on 0419887716 Bridge classes for beginners and improvers take place in Laytown/Bettystown Golf Club at 11am on Tuesday Blanchardstown surrounded by her loving family Predeceased by her beloved husband Eddie and baby Joan Mary will be sadly missed and always loved by her daughter Reposing at her home on Sunday from 4pm until 6pm Funeral Mass will be offered on Monday at 11am in The Church of The Sacred Heart, Laytown and can be viewed live on www.vidfuneral.com Cremation will take place at 1pm in Dardistown Crematorium and can be viewed live at https://www.dctrust.ie/location/dardistown/dardistown-chapel-webstreaming.html Family flowers only please. Donations if desired to St Francis Hospice, Blanchardstown on www.sfh.ie Please leave a personal message of sympathy for the family in the Condolences section below. Please Note: Live links are provided by an independent streaming company. The Funeral Directors accepts NO responsibility for its functionality or interruption to a live transmission. The Dublin Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre put out a call at 5.17pm and the Clogherhead RNLI all-weather Shannon class lifeboat arrived in position at 5.30pm The Skerries RNLI ILB and Drogheda Coast Guard inshore RIB were on the scene also  RNLI crews from Clogherhead and Skerries and Drogheda Coast Guard were all involved in the rescue of a ten-metre fishing boat with engine problems at the mouth of the River Nanny near Laytown yesterday evening (12 October) There was only one person on board along with his four-legged crew member a German shepherd dog who regularly goes to sea The skipper had his razor dredge deployed and was in no immediate danger After confirming that both the fisherman and his furry friend were safe and sound Coxswain Tomas Whelehan and his volunteer crew established a towline to get the fishing boat back to Port Oriel everyone arrived back safely in Clogherhead at 7.35pm with one very happy German shepherd wagging his tail alongside his skipper The crew disembarked at 7.45 after getting the charity’s lifeboat the Michael O'Brien ready for its next service Clogherhead RNLI Coxswain Tomas Whelehan­ said: ‘We were very happy on this cold night to get this fisherman and his dog back to Port Oriel in calm sea conditions All went well for us; the skipper made the right call to get help as soon as he realised he was in difficulty as he would have been unable to return to port without our assistance’ “For anyone working at sea it’s important to keep your vessel’s stability in mind so you can significantly reduce the risk of capsize ensure your vessel is well maintained and make sure you can stay afloat in an emergency with a life jacket stay in touch with a radio or phone and stay put with a suitable anchor to secure your position “If you do get into difficulty call the Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 or by phone on 999 or 112.” The latest news from the Drogheda area updated every day Laytown sounds like somewhere a lonely divorcee might visit in the hope of securing a much-needed fillip home to the second-greatest horse racing meeting available on planet Earth Mondays rarely figure highly on a human's list of Best Days of the Week – Fridays Saturdays and Sundays tend to dominate proceedings – but September 16 this year served up a Monday for the ages thanks to Laytown racing I felt extremely blessed to be part of the cheerful throng who enjoyed a six-race card under the County Meath sunshine The location for this once-a-year gathering is spectacular Laytown is the only race meeting run on a beach under the Rules of Racing in Ireland and Great Britain There was a delay to the first race this year because the tide did not go out as swiftly as anticipated but the lethargic Lord (or whoever else takes charge of tides) was a hero to those who were still battling for car-parking spots outside the venue Laytown had attracted the dictionary definition of a bumper crowd Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing Already a subscriber?Log in Published on 27 September 2024inSteve Palmer A fun-loving seven-year-old Mornington girl is urging Meath County Council to clean up the graffiti at her local Laytown playground little Freya Doolan urged her local authority to take action Freya shows images of inappropriate drawings on the boat play area in the playground and she also claimed many of the drawings had been there since she was five-years-old and says "it's not fair" Freya expresses her concern for the local amenity I want to tell you something about the playground There have been drawings here for a long time "These drawings are inappropriate for kids Teenagers come here but sometimes they've been drawing "I love Laytown's playground but this is inappropriate graffiti is an ongoing issue generally in playgrounds and is normally removed as part of normal cleaning however if anything has been missed we will undertake to remove it "Meath County Council have a programme of maintenance inspection and repair for playgrounds in our charge "A programme of additional cleaning of playgrounds is due to commence in Duleek during July the playgrounds in Laytown and Bettystown will be added to these works." *All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change Successful over 7f at the 2022 fixture and in this race last year DREAM TODAY (NAP) can exploit a mark 10lb below his current 83 AW rating on his second start for Jack Davison The selection’s former trainer Ado McGuinness could go close with Dontspoilasale Recent turf form gives Dynamic Force a clear chance The Charles Byrnes-trained mare MISS ABBY JOOLS can adapt to this surface judging by her AW form She is suited by the race conditions and is slightly preferred to Cordouan a C&D winner who won a race in this grade at Gowran on his penultimate start Someone’s Wish would probably prefer further but may reach the money This will be a new experience for most of these but JEANIEMACARONEY has the best credentials if taking to the surface with enough pace to lay up dropping in trip Endless Pursuit and Lohengrin can give her most to do Running off his much lower turf rating on this beach surface prolific AW winner HARRYS BAR can take a bit of beating under the champion amateur Last year’s winner Punk Poet is off 5lb higher now but can go well again Dropping in class after some sound runs in better company this season AW winner QUAR SHAMAR can get back on the scoresheet Tough Talk can bounce back from a poor Galway effort and run him close PPB Counterparty Services Ltd is licensed and regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority. For customers in the UK, PPB Counterparty Services Ltd is licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission Andy Powell Content Editor Horse Racing stats man Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion The racing at Laytown is unique as it is staged on a beach the event dates back to 1868 when it was first recorded to have taken place The action takes place on the County Meath strand a straight bit of beach which is almost a level course and because of the uniqueness of this races can only take place over either 6f or 7f It's a fantastic experience for those who can make it to the races each year there are over five thousand racing fans who take in the experience As with all races, the bookmakers cover the event, all six races on the day will be priced and the OLBG tipsters will also be putting their thoughts on the racing right on here, to see which runners they are backing, head over to the Laytown Racing Predictions page below we have a section for each of the six races a time of 1:09.98 was set by Monumental Man in 2018 which is the quickest time over that period the runner was trained by Jamie Osborne and ridden by Colin Keane The slowest winning time was set in 2013 when Enigma Code won in a time of 1:14.60 booked to ride was Ian McCarthy on this Damian Joseph English trained runner These are the top three quickest run Laytown 6f Handicap (0-75) over the last 11 renewals: How competitive is the Laytown 6f Handicap (0-75) market When looking at the over-rounds for the last 11 renewals the most competitive market was in 2013 when the race had an over-round of 117% The race in 2016 was a race which was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 129% whilst on average over the last 11 renewals of the Laytown 6f Handicap (0-75) the over-round has been 122% which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £122 which is bet is the winner worth following next time out From the past 11 if you had followed the winner of the Laytown 6f Handicap (0-75) next time out then you would have backed a total of 2 winners Backing all 10 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out Here are the past 10 winners of the Laytown 6f Handicap (0-75): The leading jockey in the Laytown 6f Handicap (0-75) over the last 11 renewals is Colin Keane who has won the race 3 times My Good Brother (2016) & Monumental Man (2018) Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 6 The runner which holds the record over the past 11 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2013 renewal when Bangalore Diamond from T G McCourt under the guidance of Colin Keane trained by David Marnane and ridden by Daniel King set the quickest time of 1:10.43 in the 2023 renewal These are the top three quickest run Laytown 6f Handicap (0-65) over the last 11 renewals: How competitive is the Laytown 6f Handicap (0-65) market the most competitive market was in 2014 when the race had an over-round of 117% The race in 2019 was a race which was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 127% whilst on average over the last 11 renewals of the Laytown 6f Handicap (0-65) the over-round has been 121% which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £121 which is bet From the past 11 if you had followed the winner of the Laytown 6f Handicap (0-65) next time out then you would have back a total of 0 winners Here are the past 10 winners of the Laytown 6f Handicap (0-65): There are two leading trainers in the Laytown 6f Handicap (0-65) over the last 11 renewals with both Denis Gerard Hogan & Sarah Lynam who have both won the race 2 times Denis Gerard Hogan winners have been with Burren View Lady (2016) & Hell Left Loose (2021) Sarah Lynam winners have been with Tyrconnell (2018) & Tyrconnell (2019) The leading jockey in the Laytown 6f Handicap (0-65) over the last 11 renewals is Colin Keane who has won the race 2 times Those 2 winners came from Bangalore Diamond (2013) & Red All Star (2017) Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1 a time of 1:22.27 was set by Cyrus Dallin in 2018 the runner was trained by Denis Gerard Hogan and ridden by D G Hogan The slowest winning time was set in 2023 when General Idea won in a time of 1:26.84 booked to ride was Daniel King on this Adrian Brendan Joyce trained runner These are the top three quickest-run Laytown Claiming Race over the last 11 renewals: How competitive is the Laytown Claiming Race market the most competitive market was in 2015 when the race had an over-round of 113% The race in 2019 was a race which was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 129% whilst on average over the last 11 renewals of the Laytown Claiming Race the over-round has been 120% which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £120 which is bet From the past 11 if you had followed the winner of the Laytown Claiming Race next time out then you would have backed a total of 1 winner Here are the past 10 winners of the Laytown Claiming Race: Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 3 The runner who holds the record over the past 11 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2024 renewal when Roman Harry from Ms Claire O'Connell under the guidance of Seamie Heffernan trained by Joseph G Murphy and ridden by Gary Carroll set the quickest time of 1:20.80 in the 2018 renewal These are the top three quickest-run Laytown Maiden over the last 11 renewals: How competitive is the Laytown Maiden market the most competitive market was in 2018 when the race had an over-round of 116% whilst on average over the last 11 renewals of the Laytown Maiden From the past 11 if you had followed the winner of the Laytown Maiden next time out then you would have backed a total of 1 winner Here are the past 10 winners of the Laytown Maiden: The leading trainer in the Laytown Maiden over the last 11 renewals is D K Weld who has won the race 2 times Those 2 winners came from Thaleeq (2021) & Coeur Dor (2022) it was the Jamie Osborne trained Florencio ridden by Ms L O'Neill who set the fastest winning time in the Laytown Amateur Handicap the runner won the race in a time of 1:22.14 which was set when winning the race in 2018 it was the combination of trainer Mrs John Harrington and jockey Miss J Townend with Jungle Cove who set the slowest winning time the race-winning time was 1:26.27 in the 2024 renewal These are the top three quickest-run Laytown Amateur Handicap over the last 11 renewals: How competitive is the Laytown Amateur Handicap market the most competitive market was in 2013 when the race had an over-round of 116% The race in 2016 was a race which was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 131% whilst on average over the last 11 renewals of the Laytown Amateur Handicap From the past 11 if you had followed the winner of the Laytown Amateur Handicap next time out then you would have back a total of 0 winners Backing all 9 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out Here are the past 10 winners of the Laytown Amateur Handicap: The leading trainer in the Laytown Amateur Handicap over the last 11 renewals is Adrian McGuinness who has won the race 3 times Those 3 winners came from Rivellino (2017) Royal Admiral (2019) & Dream Today (2022) The leading jockey in the Laytown Amateur Handicap over the last 11 renewals is Ms L O'Neill who has won the race 2 times Those 2 winners came from Rivellino (2017) & Florencio (2018) Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): (1 a time of 1:22.54 was set by Waqaas in 2018 the runner was trained by Jamie Osborne and ridden by Ms L O'Neill The slowest winning time was set in 2023 when Vega Magnifico won in a time of 1:27.17 booked to ride was Mr T Hamilton on this Joseph Patrick O'Brien trained runner These are the top three quickest-run Laytown Amateur Race over the last 11 renewals: How competitive is the Laytown Amateur Race market the most competitive market was in 2024 when the race had an over-round of 110% The race in 2016 was a race which was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 126% whilst on average over the last 11 renewals of the Laytown Amateur Race the over-round has been 118% which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £118 which is bet From the past 11 if you had followed the winner of the Laytown Amateur Race next time out then you would have backed a total of 1 winner Here are the past 10 winners of the Laytown Amateur Race: The leading trainer in the Laytown Amateur Race over the last 11 renewals is Jamie Osborne who has won the race 3 times The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Laytown Amateur Race is Adrian McGuinness (2 wins) There are two leading jockeys in the Laytown Amateur Race over the last 11 renewals with both Mr P W Mullins & Mr T Hamilton who have both won the race 2 times Mr P W Mullins winners have been with Our Max (2015) & Cordouan (2022) Mr T Hamilton winners have been with Confident Kid (2019) & Vega Magnifico (2023) © 2002-2024 OLBG, part of Invendium Ltd A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Mornington girl has received a great response after she made a video plea to ask teenagers to stop ruining her local playground with offensive graffiti and for the council to take action In the 90-second video sent to Meath Co Council little Freya Doolan urged her local authority to take action and to clean up the inappropriate drawings on the boat play area in Laytown playground In response to the video made by Freya with the help of her father More action needs to be taken to stop the graffiti happening in Laytown playground says Oliver “I think it’s great that they are removing it but we need more signage even to try and encourage young people not to do it Or even a QR code for parents and guardians to report stuff quickly If they are actually really interested in keeping it clean there should be other ways to communicate that to people.” After spending nearly every day at Laytown playground Freya had stopped going because of the graffiti everytime after school she wanted to go down “Even for parents and guardians it could be potentially upsetting For it to be sitting there is just completely wrong” Graffiti in Laytown playground is not as persistent as the local council claim it to be says Oliver who has been going to the playground for years with Freya “I don’t think that the graffiti is as reoccurring as they are suggesting it is because it is the same graffiti from years ago there was no new additional graffiti in these areas “I photographed graffiti on the playground and when I went back nine months later it was the same stuff I think it’s just easy to say it’s a regular occurrence “My issue with the Laytown playground is that they just don’t clean it That graffiti has been sitting there for months and potentially years “The Meath Co Council need to do what they say It’s about having someone that will care and look after it POWDERLY Patsy (Patrick) (Alverno Heights, Laytown, Co. Meath) June 17th 2024 Peacefully, after a short illness, in the wonderful care of the staff at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. Predeceased by his wife Brenda and his sister Carmel. Dearly loved father of Marvin, Adele and Serene. Sadly missed by his family, sons-in-law Martin and Keith, his granddaughters Eleanor and Chloe, brothers Tony and Donal and sister Pauline, brother-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends. Reposing at F Watson & Son Funeral Directors, 9 Dyer St., Drogheda (A92 W7EP) on Wednesday evening (June 19th) from 5pm until 7pm with prayers at 6.30pm. Funeral cortege will leave from Alverno Heights on Thursday morning at 11.30am to St. Mary’s Church of Ireland churchyard, Julianstown arriving for burial at 12 noon. Condolences for the family of the late Patsy may be left in the 'Condolence' section below. Oct 16, 2024 | , , A father’s frantic search for his 14-year-old son who had gone missing from the Mosney Accommodation Centre two years ago was described at an inquest into the boy’s death was into the death of Bilal Tunkara and was held before a jury at Trim Courthouse a native of Sierras Leone who moved into Mosney in 2019 Laytown Garda Station told the inquest that on 11th August 2022 she was made aware of a report from the previous night that Bilal Tunkara was missing from the family home at Woodlands Avenue in the centre A search was immediately organised of Laytown Assistance was also provided by the Irish Coastguard and Civil Defence personnel The search encompassed the coastline and surrounding land He called to his neighbours at houses he knew Bilal might be in “I searched all around the complex but I could not find him I checked at another house in Seaview because I knew a child who was there was in class with my son My son went to a special school because he suffers from autism and epilepsy I then went to the security gate and asked them to check the cameras They said “maybe he was out” but I said he wasn’t allowed out on his own At this stage it was about 11pm and I rang 999” “I was really worried because this had never happened before He aid some of the Gardai said Bilal had been seen leaving the complex by the back gate and onto the beach He said he had searched through the night and again the next morning he had been informed by Sergeant McLaren that his son’s body had been found in the water Jean Mahon and Jean Mullen who took part in the 5K run and walk for Gaza at Teach Starinagh Our entries to the Supervalu Tidy Towns and to the Council’s Pride of Place competitions have been submitted Benches have been installed on the dunes for everyone to sit and take in the sea view The benches were part funded by a grant from the Department of Rural and Community Development under an ORIS outdoor recreational infrastructure scheme grant We also installed a new bench at the bus stop in the village square and this bench was 90% funded by Cilles Athletic Club and supplied by Alleco Ltd Free electrical recycling drop off day - Saturday 29th June Please note non electric items will not be collected Our beach toy library is back on the beach for the summer If you have any unwanted beach toys please feel free to drop them in The beach toy library is located at the base the beach flagpole Several units of An Garda Síochána came together recently to patrol Bettystown beach Garda Dolan and Sergeant Malone on Mountain Bike patrol Garda Cahill from our Meath South Community Engagement Team and Gardaí from Laytown New connection works may cause supply disruptions to Sevitsland Works are scheduled to take place from 10am until 4pm on 18 June They recommend that you allow 3-4 hours after the estimated restoration time for your supply to fully return Please take note of the following reference number and enter it into the search bar on the Uisce Eireann website should you wish to return for an update: MEA00078757 €50 Winners are Brendan Byrne and Helen Burke Play online: https://cilles.clubifyapp.com/products We have a new winner of the prestigious Cooney Cup Duleek Boys National School left Piltown with cup in hand and smiles all over their faces The games were played in woeful weather but the grit and determination by all teams was a joy to watch Congratulations to St Mary’s Parish Primary School for winning the Annual Jimmy Curran Cup in Piltown A well-coached team took the spoils in more woeful weather which didn’t dampen any spirits Don’t forget the “Caife agus Caint“ gach Aoine ar a 10-11 a chlog - every Friday 10-11am at the club Free to all members of our community who want to exercise a “cúpla focail“ Take a leap back to our roots and enjoy some of the finest characters in our area Come along and meet us in the village on Saturday mornings between 9 and 11am Laytown Bettystown Youth reach would like to thank training and employment officer Robert from Fastrack to IT who came to the centre today to deliver a CV and Interview Workshop He also spoke about employment and IT apprenticeships available Recycle & Re-turn in full swing - We made full use of our basket of bottles and returned enough for several packets of biscuits to share for the 3pm tea break We are asking all students not to throw out any bottles with the 15c return ‘R’ labelling and we will gather and return them together to purchase a treat for the centre Junior Academy Summer Camp - Join us for the first of 3 summer camps this June 19th 3 days of fun and learning under the guidance of 2 PGA Professional’s Places are limited so make sure not to miss out Classes run from 9.30am - 12.30pm each day Lunch and goody bags will be provided on Day 3 Francis Hospice will start on Saturday 22nd June at 2pm beginning at The Cottage contact 086 3911539 or mcbellew@gmail.com To donate see the QR Code on the Church notice board Church Offerings: Many thanks to all those who provide financial support for our parish If you would like to make an online donation please use the following details: Laytown Church Baptism Celebrations: Welcome to Milly Elizabeth Hughes baptised last weekend Baptism enquiries / bookings please email: sacredheartparishinfo@gmail.com Parking: If you are parking near the church please keep the footpaths clear for wheelchairs making their way from Laytown to Bettystown Ballygunner will take place on Thursday 20th June 2024 at 7.30pm Drop in for your one-stop destination for sustainable living Discover a wide range of everyday items crafted with the planet in mind Embark on a serene journey through our nature trail and immerse yourself in the beauty of our organic walled garden don’t miss out on the cozy vibes of our vegan cafe serving up delicious treats for you to enjoy guilt-free Join us in making a positive impact on the environment Visit us today and be a part of the green revolution sourced from Highdell Organic Farm in County Meath Zaneta Wright from Rerooting the Future is running a Summer Foraging Walk and Fermentation 101 workshop on both Saturday the 13th and Sunday the 14th of July Tickets can be purchased through https://linktr.ee/Sonairte MEATH EAST CANDIDATE FOCUS: SHARON TOLAN (FINE GAEL) “I HAVE always believed in people power” says Fine Gael councillor for Laytown/Bettystown and Cathaoirleach of Meath Co Council Sharon Tolan makes when describing her tenure as a local representative for the last decade a statement that carries weight considering her journey into politics started with the mother of three campaigning for a new primary school in Laytown This was at a time when the population was growing at a staggering rate without the infrastructure to support it and children awaiting a new school were being educated in temporary prefabs A lot has happened in the world and along the East Meath coastline since Tolan was first elected as a local councillor in 2014 Never one to be shy about her political ambitions it was no surprise when the councillor threw her hat into the ring to contest the upcoming general election in the new four seat East Meath constituency (after a recommendation brought in by the Electoral Commission to reflect the rising population) Earlier this Tolan became the first councillor to be re-elected to Meath Co Council in the Laytown/Bettystown area topping the poll with 1782 votes She also contested the Fine Gael General Election Selection Convention for Louth in 2019 back when a part of the area was in the Louth constituency She will be running alongside party colleague Minister for Justice Helen McEntee in a bid to secure two seats for Fine Gael Tolan has been an advocate of among other things the beach management plan a controversial initiative that has seen a ban on dogs off leads on certain areas of the beach and the removal of cars A move that has been divisive but a hill the Fine Gael representative says she is willing to die on She has also been the driving force of “Fairer Fares,” a campaign to reduce train fares for commuters in East Meath Cllr Tolan moved to Bettystown from Balbriggan in the late 1990s and it was her frustration with the lack of action on developing the community that led her to seek election ten years ago “Part of me never saw myself as a politician until I became a politician and once I did I always had that ambition to do better and do more,” said Tolan “I have always seen the potential in Bettystown but the true potential is the people who live here it has a great community spirit,” she added Ivan have lived in the area 25 years and have raised three children here.” my eldest child was six months old and I was pushing a pram up and down a busy country road that didn't even have a house on it never mind a footpath “There were promises of tennis courts and all of these lovely things and they didn't come to fruition and when I became involved in the schools I saw there was that lack of championing the needs in the area and that's when I decided that I couldn't keep writing these emails to other politicians asking them to do this that and the other if I wasn't prepared to put my name on a ballot paper and do it myself.” Tolan says budgets and funding allocated to the area in recent years has allowed vital projects to be delivered A lot of schools have been bursting at the seams and a lot of children had spent a lot of time in prefabs over the years so it was great to see the delivery of the schools programme across the constituency,” she said “I spent many years on the LMETB board supporting the delivery of things like secondary schools colleges right up to an apprenticeship centre in Drogheda,” added the general election candidate Transport has been another issue the Bettystown Cllr has been at the forefront Her efforts were rewarded when earlier this year an NTA fare review announced a major overhaul in fares charged in the commuter counties of Kildare The Dublin Commuter Zone which will extend approximately 50km from Dublin city centre to include towns such as Navan commuters would see a massive 50per cent reduction such as the standard single adult rail fare from Drogheda to Dublin which will drop from €11.95 to just €6 However there has been a delay in its implementation “A huge number of people came on that journey with me campaigning and made submissions throughout the public consolation element so it was great to see people power and it is something that I have always believed in,” said Tolan “You can't just wait for somebody else to do it you need that people power to prove the need.” a 900m single carriageway linking Bettystown and Laytown which opened in 2021 is another scheme Tolan says she was proud to be involved in the project also included new roundabouts and junctions “We spent years out here chock a block on dangerous roads and roads with half hearted footpaths and now 2000 children in those three schools on that educational campus can now walk and cycle safely to and from school everyday “I know it was controversial and in some ways it is but the removal of vehicles from our beaches that is something else that stands out that I was heavily involved in and I am very proud of sticking to my guns and bringing people with me in relation to that,” Tolan added “There are probably people who still don't agree with it but when you see families safely getting to use the beach it is just fantastic but we still have a long way to go in improving parking facilities.” “Also for the first time with our new library and community facility our beach with will completely and properly accessible to those with disabilities with beach wheelchairs “I have spent ten years working really hard and enjoying the role I just feel now is the time where I would be at my best to deliver for the people in the constituency at a national level.” Nov 22, 2024 | , , , A 36 year-old woman who committed €2,000 worth of damage to a car was told she would go to jail if she stepped out of line again Ciara McEntaggart aka McCormack of Seaview Laytown received a six months suspended jail sentence at Trim District Court The court was told that she damaged the windscreen and slashed four tyres of a vehicle on May 15 last at Seaview Her case was before the court for a probation report which Judge McKiernan noted was not favourable She was told the defendant hadn’t come to adverse attention since A solicitor told Trim District Court that her young client “thought he was a big fellah” but now realised he wasn’t Miriam Regan explained John Cooney (22) with an address at Dunfirth Enfield but now stated to be living in Mullingar at 17 and 18 was going through a difficult time The defendant offered guilty pleas arising from a driving episode and in respect of possession of a small amount of cannabis on an earlier date outlined that on February 22 2021 that Garda Graham Pettit at Longwood village saw the defendant driving and during the episode the defendant drove the wrong way round a roundabout The defendant abandoned the vehicle and was found hiding in a drain Miss Regan said at the time the defendant was living with a family member He was now living with his mother in Mullingar Judge Eirinn McKiernan convicted and fined the defendant €200 and disqualified him from driving for two years in respect of dangerous driving A man in his 20s has been arrested in connection with a cannabis seizure in East Meath Approximately €6,000 worth of the drug was recovered during a search in the Donacarney area yesterday evening Gardaiífrom the Meath South Taskforce were involved in the search operation which also resulted in the seizure of cash believed to be the proceeds of crime They were assisted by Gardaí from Laytown National School students Samantha Hegarty and Dillon Kavanagh present leading jockey Paul Townend with a Laytown Races book at the annual launch of the Laytown Races colouring competition Six-time Champion jockey Paul Townend was guest of honour at the annual launch of the Laytown Races colouring competition at Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh This year entrants are being asked to colour in a specially designed drawing by renowned horse racing cartoonist Darren ‘Birdie’ Bird Paul Townend told the students about how he got involved in horse racing and what it means to him from which they learned that his favourite horse is State Man his most memorable win was the Randox Grand National which he won this year aboard I Am Maximus He was even asked how many winners he had needed to afford the Porsche car he had driven up in to which he answered that it was a treat to himself after a very successful year Laytown Races Manager Jessica Cahalan said: “Paul was just brilliant with the kids He spoke to them about how he is currently suspended from racing reminding them of the importance of following the rules Also getting across to them that they need hard work and dedication to succeed in whatever they might be interested in “They all seemed keen to get involved with the colouring competition and we can’t wait to see the entries on display at the Laytown Races on Monday 16th September.” All the students from Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh will have the chance to enter the racing themed colouring competition by colouring in the drawing of a horse ridden by a jockey holding an ice-cream on Laytown beach Entries will be judged on three age categories The Laytown Race Committee will sponsor gift cards for each category as follows: first prize €50 second prize €30 and €20 for third prize plus a number of highly commended prizes to be won May 21, 2024 | , , , On our Meath coastline with the beaches of Mornington Laytown and Bettystown this area  has witnessed a population explosion It also a large geographical area with a lot of the newer developments along the coast would probably see Drogheda as the main town serving the needs of area but it expands right into Slane were it could be regarded heartland of the Keogan sisters now a senator and Geraldine a sitting councillor co-opted on her sisters success in the Seanad back in 2020 again it sees all candidates looking to be re-elected in this election In 2019 Sharon Keogan topped the poll with 2039 votes closely followed by another Sharon and was followed by third place in the first count of party colleague Fine Gael’s Paddy Meade who pulled in  1,455 No 1’s The fourth home was Labour’s Annie Hoey which then allowed Elaine McGinty to coopted to the seat in 2020 Slane’s Wayne Harding (1196 first preference votes) 1451 Duleek’s Stephen McKee (1023 first preference votes) 1432 and Laytown’s Tom Behan (861 first preference votes) 1164 completed the numbers in the electoral area In all 15  people contested in the last election How will the votes fall in June will be interesting to see and nothing can be taken for granted This time round Peter Whelan carries the aspirations Sinn Féin have Balrath based  plumber Séamus Lynch and from the coast at Mornington candidate Cathal Mac Réamoinn a local businessman from Julianstown Declan O’Neill will be hoping to make inroads for Fine Gael as it is a well populated They may hope there is newfound confidence with the new leader and Taoiseach Simon Harris for the party There are a further three non party candidates Carol Lennon and Marjeta Qevani based in Mosney Accommodation Centre There is also the addition of Independent Ireland party candidate Raymond Westlake based in Julianstown along the coast This will be challenging district for all involved come the Friday in early June Elaine McGinty has slammed what she calls ‘the unacceptable delays’ in the proposed Laytown Garda station Following a recent parliamentary question by TD Ged Nash it has been revealed that the much-needed Garda station is still ‘a long way away’ This comes as Meath continues to have the lowest Garda numbers per head of population must answer for the severe decline in Garda frontline numbers The people of Meath area are being left without adequate policing This is not just a bureaucratic issue; it is a matter of public safety and community confidence,” she says "The delays in the Laytown Garda station are a direct failure of Fine Gael’s policies This response makes it clear that the government has been dragging its feet She urges the Government to prioritise the Laytown Garda station "Meath is a growing county with diverse needs from the bustling towns to the tranquil countryside have a right to feel protected,” adds Cllr McGinty “The absence of adequate policing resources undermines this right and erodes trust in our law enforcement institutions." “Morning walk at the Cottage” taken by Pawel Zygmunt There is something special about the early morning light in Laytown that has inspired photographers for years and the resultant images have featured many times in An Taisce’s Love Your Coast photography competition This year was no different and a beautiful image taken by Pawel Zygmunt of the much photographed Nanny Cottage entitled “Morning walk at the Cottage” - was a finalist in the  'People and the Coast' section of the competition “A serene morning unfolds by River Nanny Cottage in Laytown as two people enjoy their morning walk peacefully along the riverbank The gentle light creates a golden-pink glow while the cottage in the background quietly stands as a reminder of the tranquil countryside." Another man who is no stranger to success in the Love Your Coast photography competition is well known local man Dave Stanley who won the competition outright in 2019 and has been shortlisted several times since most notably in 2021 with an image of a steam train crossing the bridge over the River Nanny which brought him much acclaim Dave had another image shortlisted in this year’s competition a striking portrait of a man he encountered while walking with his dog on the pier at Howth which he called The Old Man and the Sea Dave said “When I saw Steve sitting on Howth’s harbour wall in a pensive mood I immediately thought of Hemingway’s novel I had to try and quickly capture that moment with the boats as a backdrop." In the 15 years since its inception in 2010 the Love Your Coast photography competition has been a celebration of the extraordinary beauty of Ireland’s coastline that Clean Coasts’ volunteers work diligently to protect.  the competition attracted hundreds of amateur photographers from all around Ireland this year each with their own unique way of capturing stunning photographs of Ireland’s beautiful coastline.  William Murphy won the overall ‘Photographer of the Year’ title as well as 1st place in the ‘People and the Coast’ category in the Clean Coasts 2024 Love Your Coast photography competition with his photo ‘An Fear Marbh agus an Fear ag eitilt’ In County Louth a photo by Sean Berry “Bioluminescence” taken at Port Beach was shortlisted in the Coastal Landscape category "After an evening of astrophotography at Port beach I noticed a blue flashing glow from the corner of my eye and quickly realized that something quite rare in Ireland was happening” Sean said “I quickly made my way down to the beach and set up shot This will always be one of my favourite photographs and proof that you can spend a lot of time planning and prepping a photograph but every now and again Mother Nature can provide something completely unexpected and special." An Taisce’s Clean Coasts Programme Manager, Bronagh Moore " The Love Your Coast photography competition is one of the highlights of An Taisce’s Clean Coasts calendar “It is a wonderful reminder of why the work we do with communities to help protect and care for Ireland’s waterways Seeing the beauty of our coastline captured in these photographs you can’t help but feel inspired and driven to do everything you possibly can to protect and care for our marine environment “The Love Your Coast photography competition stands as a testament to Ireland’s coastal beauty and character as captured through the lens of talented photographers who take part in the competition year after year “Clean Coasts wants to congratulate each of the winning and shortlisted photographers and thank them for being part of this year’s competition. “ The Dart is coming to Drogheda soon but will enough people be able to afford the fares The National Transport Authority has once again failed to deliver on promises of fare reductions for commuters and other passengers living in the Drogheda and East Meath area After many years of campaigning by local TDs the NTA finally announced in January that Drogheda and Laytown would be included in the new Dublin Commuter Zone by September 2024 which would result in significantly lower fares but that has now been put back to early 2025 So, despite a major drive to get people to travel by public transport rather than use their cars the question of intolerably high fares has yet to be tackled Needless to say local TDs are up in arms over this delay which Deputy Fergus O’Dowd was told by the NTA was due to "significant technical challenges.” “I find that completely unacceptable” O’Dowd said “I recently met with the Chief Executive of Irish Rail and he had been very positive about the impending change in fares and said Irish Rail were certainly not going to be found wanting in terms of implementing whatever technical systems were required O’Dowd said: “The only fair outcome would be for a temporary fare reduction for the targeted areas until such time that the new technical processing systems are in place.  “The residents of Drogheda and East Meath deserve better and I must insist that the government directly intervene and expedite these reduction one way or the other.” Sinn Féin TD Imelda Munster was less conciliatory saying: “For many years now I’ve been raising the issue of the unfairness of rail fares between Balbriggan when compared to Gormanstown Laytown and Drogheda and was told that the review would address these issues “The review was finally published in April 2023 – almost 15 months ago and in January of this year the NTA outlined in its Fare Determination that fare reductions in the Dublin Commuter Zone would be introduced in September “Now that we’re less than two months out we’re hearing that there will be further delays This shows a woeful lack of preparation from the NTA “It demonstrates that there is no urgency on the NTA’s part to deliver on their commitments to deliver affordable and fair public transport and fares “The NTA have blamed Irish Rail and others but they should have engaged and ensured that this change could be delivered on time for commuters to avail of more affordable public transport when people go back to work after their summer break "This is a very disappointing development for commuters and the fact that this could have and should have been avoided compounds it.”  Labour Deputy Ged Nash also slammed the delayed rollout of the new Dublin Commuter Zone. “For too long South Louth and East Meath-based train users have been cash-cows paying unjustifiably high adult daily monthly and annual rates to use trains on the busiest line in the country” he said we have been forced to pay almost double the price for the same length of train journey as Wicklow commuters He said that extending the Dublin Commuter Zone to Drogheda and Laytown as promised would have seen a massive saving for commuters students and working-families at a time when incomes are already stretched by a sustained cost-of-living crisis "the anticipated new fare system would have reduced the cost of a single train journey from Drogheda to Dublin Connolly station from €11.95 to €6. The delay in implementing a fairer fare structure is unacceptable at this stage and the NTA must urgently get their act together “Louth & East Meath commuters need immediate relief from these unreasonable fares in advance of the upcoming Budget I am calling on the Minister for Transport to directly intervene and take action to expedite this process Addressing this issue promptly is essential to support the thousands of people who rely on public transport daily and for those who wish to commute in a more sustainable matter.”