Welcome to our second newsletter which will update you on some of the projects we have been working on over the past year. We've been working on the projects alongside doing a weekly litter pick-up. Covid has been very difficult for all the residents of Raheny this year and we are looking forward to better times ahead.
Seamus Griffith
We were very saddened to lose the former chair of Raheny Tidy Village Group,
Seamus Griffith, who passed away in April 2020. Seamus was very well known in Raheny and contributed to the community since he and his wife Ann opened their Thrifty shop in St Annes in the 1960s. Seamus was involved in every event in Raheny and loved his adopted village. He served on the Raheny Business Association for 32 years and was Raheny’s first honorary lord mayor in 1984. Seamus joined the Raheny Tidy Village group nearly 15 years ago and at 81 he was still sweeping up the leaves, planting the flower beds and chatting to all.
The Raheny Business Association is planning to install a memorial to Seamus at the rose garden at the bottom of Main Street in spring 2021 where Seamus spent many hours tending the roses which he really enjoyed when they were in full bloom during the summer. Seamus left a wonderful legacy and touched the lives of many people as recounted to us by manys a passer by. We will not see his like again, may he rest in peace.
Thank you
Thank you to all of you who donated to our fundraisers in Supervalu, Raheny and on the Gofundme page last year. Thank you also to the many businesses in Raheny Business Association who contribute to Raheny Tidy Village. Your vital donations go towards our running costs and projects.
Lamp Base on Watermill Road
We asked Dublin City Council restore the lamp base situated at the junction of Watermill Road and All Saint's Road. DCC did a wonderful job. You can see below the beautifully restored lamp base, which was officially ‘opened’ by DCC and Raheny Tidy Village Group (former chair John Herbert and our co-ordinater Con Clarke) in 2020. We believe this lamp base was part of the Tramshed Company Limited tramline which ran from Clontarf to Howth and which opened in 1900.
Beach Clean
We were delighted so many volunteers showed up for a very successful beach clean of Bull Island last July. We hope to organise another beach clean this summer. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to hear about our special events.
Changes to Main Street
Need some oregano? Or perhaps some mint? Or even some chives? Well, all are available in our the herb planter on Main Street. All the herbs in this planter were donated from the gardens of Raheny Tidy Town volunteers. And the sign was made from an old tray.... #Sustainability! We have mint, thyme, oregano, coriander and chives growing in the herb planter. Help yourself!
This year Raheny Tidy Village added a trough to the village pump on Main Street. The trough is planted with succulents kindly donated by volunteers of the group.
The pump was erected in 2014 near the site of the original village pump which served the village prior to the introduction of mains water in 1948.
Perky's Coffee House (John Wiseman) and Castlerock Builders (Brian Flood) kindly donated their time to erect the new hoarding which Raheny Tidy Village group bought for the site on Main Street. We are delighted with the massive change it made to Main street. See before and after photos below.
Bugsy Hotel
Check out the new bug hotel
in the Scouts Den which we built last autumn. A bug hotel will attracts beneficial insects, offering them a space where they can propagate and hunker down for the winter.
Village Planters
Over the summer we refreshed the planters around the village by giving them a lick of paint. See picture below of tiles on the planters donated to us by the 3rd year art students in Manor House. The plants in the planters are now mostly perennial and pollinator friendly plants so the bees and butterflies will be happy to visit the planters!
Leaf Compost Bins
Sweeping up the leaves from the deciduous trees is one of the big jobs we do in Raheny each autumn. We now have three large leaf compost bins in the Scout's Den and one on Watermill Road and to compost leaves. Dublin City Council have placed leaf compost cages in Maywood as a pilot scheme for compost leaves from the estate. If you would like to help out with sweeping leaves, or indeed at any stage during the year, get in touch!
Raheny Tidy Village Chair
This year we were sorry to say goodbye to John Herbert, who has moved out of Raheny. We thank him for the wonderful job he did as chair of the group. Frank Nash has taken over as chair and has hit the ground running, managing many projects including several of those in this newsletter and others that are in the works.
Volunteer
Raheny Tidy Village meets Saturday mornings at 10.30am at the Scouts Den, when Covid restrictions allow. No experience or knowledge needed, just a willingness to help out. As well as the working on various projects you see in this newsletter, we are busy litter picking each week and are always delighted to have extra with that.
If you would like to join us, email us at rahenytidyvillage@gmail.com, or message us on Facebook or Instagram. All help is very welcome and no commitment is necessary. If you are under 18, bring a guardian with you.
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