< Previous© May 2020 The Meath Coaster 20 Sophie made this poster with her family to thank and celebrate the workers who are helping use School Transport Fees The government has announced that fami- lies are to receive refunds for school trans- port fees for periods of schools closures due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. Local TD, Fergus O’Dowd, has welcomed the announcement and confirmed that these payments will be made at the end of the school year once the exact period of clo- sures is confirmed. “On the topic of school transport, school bus contractors will con- tinue to receive a 50% payment while schools are closed in this academic year.” Local Businesses which are open The Lime Kiln Julianstown opening times for The Pantry Shop are Monday, Tues- day, Wednesday Thursday and Sunday 10 am to 6 pm - Friday and Saturday 10 am to 8 pm. They are fully stocked with the essentials and continue to bake fresh bread and ready-to-go meals each day. Blacks Garden Centre – They are open via e mail or check their Facebook page for details McLoughlins Oil – open for orders and the Price is getting better every day! §www.change.org/SaveJulianstown Everyday on average 23,000 vehicles go through Julianstown and this figure is set to increase. A draft Meath County Development plan is currently open for public submissions. People in Julianstown are asking our Councillors to support measures that will guarantee a traffic-free Julianstown. If you are fed up sitting in daily traffic jams, care about the environment or want to support your neighbours then please sign the petition to make Julianstown traffic-free www.change.org/SaveJulianstown www.eastmeath.org PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION to© May 2020 The Meath Coaster 22 D ear Friends, Sonairte is currently closed to the public due to COV- ID-19 restrictions. We look forward to opening our doors again as soon as the situation permits. We know times are hard for everyone at the moment. Routines have changed, family and friends are missed, and unfor- tunately loved ones lost. We must stand together to defeat this, keep fighting and being safe. Please follow all instructions and advice being given, and continue to look out for each other. Rest In Peace We were all devastated by the recent un- timely death of Clare McEnany. She is a huge loss for those of us in the East Meath area which was already trying to come to grips with the earlier passing of another great community stalwart, Emir Dolphin. They deserve our eternal grati- tude. Sonairte St. Mary’s Church of Ireland Face book E very morning at 10.30am on the Church of Ireland, St Mary's, Julianstown Facebook page there is live Morning Prayer and all are welcome to join in. We look forward to the day when we can gather again in church.". § Drogheda Driver Test Centre Covid 19 delays Drogheda driver test centre but RSA committed to delivery L ocal TD, Fergus O’Dowd, has re- ceived an update from the Road Safe- ty Authority stating that the current Covid 19 crisis will impact the timeline for the provision of the new Drogheda Driver Test Centre on the Mell Road. “The Covid 19 crisis is an unprecedent- ed health emergency and we need to ac- knowledge that delays will be inevitable. “The test centre plans should be relative- ly straight forward from a planning and build perspective. “I’m committed to ensuring that this test centre is delivered for the people of Drogheda and we no longer have to travel to neighbouring towns to take what is a very stressful driving test in unfamiliar surroundings.” A New World We fell asleep in one world, and woke up in another. Suddenly Disney is out of magic, Paris is no longer romantic, New York doesn't stand up anymore, the Chinese wall is no longer a fortress, and Mecca is empty. Hugs & kisses suddenly become weap- ons, and not visiting parents & friends be- comes an act of love. Suddenly you realise that power, beauty & money are worthless, and can't get you the oxygen you're fighting for. The world continues its life and it is beau- tiful. It only puts humans in cages. I think it's sending us a message: "You are not necessary. The air, earth, water and sky without you are fine. When you come back, remember that you are my guests. Not my masters.© May 2020 The Meath Coaster 23© May 2020 The Meath Coaster 24 Stories from the waterside C ounty Meath, just like everywhere in Ireland, has a rich heritage of story- telling. It is part of our national identity and defines who we are as a nation. Sto- ries bring local places to life and helps us to remember and cherish what makes those places so special and to pass it on to future generations. Meath’s rivers, lakes, streams, coast and canals have long been associated with Irish mythology, inspiring legends and folklore through the ages. They are beau- tiful, forever changing with the seasons. Nature is at its best where there is water, and people have lots of stories and memo- ries around watercourses. With changes to our countryside, some of this is being lost, and so a story-writing competition has been launched by the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO), in partnership with The Heritage Council and The Heritage Officer Programme, In- land Fisheries Ireland and Waterways Ire- land, to capture these stories. The stories can be factual – recording what is special about wildlife, fishing, heritage, traditions and crafts, or just how things were or are – or they can be from your own or someone else’s imagination. The storyteller doesn’t have to be an ex- pert and the aim is to encourage all the family to get involved. According to Aoife McGrath, Community Water Officer based in Co. Meath with LAWPRO: “We hope that everybody in Meath with an interest in their local wa- terbody will take part in this exciting com- petition and share their stories with us”. Photo: River Boyne, Trim, Co. Meath (Courtesy: Aoife McGrath, Community Water Officer)© May 2020 The Meath Coaster 25 The competition is open to everyone and entries can be in English or Irish. The clos- ing date for entries is 31 st May 2020. For more information contact your local Com- munity Water Officer, Aoife McGrath at amcgrath@lawaters.ie or you can find further information at www.lawaters.ie. Details of the competition To enter, just write your original story in 600 words or less: it can be a story of your own or one that you have been told. There are great prizes to be won to a total val- ue of €4000, made up of 10 prizes worth €300 each and 10 prizes worth €100 each. The lucky prize winners can choose from local providers to do any of the following activities with family or friends: guided fishing for the family, zip-lining over a lake, family kayaking adventure or other water-based activities. You can choose book tokens or arts and crafts tokens if you prefer! Prizes will support local businesses and operators. Details for the competition are available at www.lawaters.ie. online via www.lawa- ters.ie. Send entries: • By email to stories@lawaters.ie • By post to Stories from the Waterside, Local Authority Waters Programme, The Lodge, Ballingarrane Estate, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, E91 X370. Further details and terms and conditions are available at www.lawaters.ie. Find us on Facebook @LAWPROteam and Twitter @WatersProgramme. If you require any further help or information contact your local Community Water Of- ficer, Aoife McGrath at 085-8083682 or email amcgrath@lawaters.ie. § Large Ground Floor Office Space For Rent Floor Space: 5 metres x 8 metres approx. Location: City North Business Campus, Stamullen, Co. Meath 01-9680344 Monthly rent of €850 includes electricity & gas. Good natural lighting. It has a fully alarmed access. Located just off the M1 motorway, beside the City North Hotel. Free car parking. Viewing highly recommended. Please Contact: 01 9680344 or 086-0412396 (Fiona Burke) for more information© May 2020 The Meath Coaster 26 Gerry Watson Obituary O n Saturday 18 th April, the funeral took place of the much loved and highly regarded Laytown resident, Gerry Wat- son. The enormous outpouring of mes- sages, phone calls and tributes from the community are testament to his immense popularity and an indication of the size of the crowds who would have attended to pay their respects in different times. Friends and neighbours stood in their gar- dens as a mark of respect as the small num- ber of family members walked the route from Gerry's home to the funeral Mass in the Sacred Heart Church, Laytown. The route to his final resting place at Reilig Mhuire was also poignantly lined with members of the local community. "Gerry was a most obliging man, so high- ly regarded in the local business commu- nity and known to all as a gentleman", said Fr Denis McNelis PP, celebrant at Gerry's funeral Mass. "He'll be missed for his great sense of humour, for his kind- ness, for the compassion he showed and for his generosity; he was never in bad form, and always had something positive to say". Born on 8 th March 1931 into a family of tradesmen, Gerry became a carpenter himself. The 4 th generation family busi- ness of building contracting and funeral directing based in Dyer Street, Drogheda where Gerry grew up, is 100 years in busi- ness, now carried on by his son Robert, of which Gerry was very proud. He himself was an only son among four sisters. After a nine year courtship, he married a farmer's daughter, Biddy Butterly, a un- ion that lasted 59 years. Working together, they provided much comfort and support to so many families they served in their funeral business during their time of loss in the local area and beyond. Gerry was widely regarded in the local business community and was rewarded with a Civic Award in 2018 by the then Mayor Frank Godfrey for his great contri- bution to Drogheda. His many interests included vintage cars, rowing, rugby and the Drogheda Histori- cal Society. A spokesman for the Boyne Rugby Club said "Gerry was a prominent part of the club's history, but his contribution, whilst I'm sure was appreciated at the time, went unheralded because that was the type of individual Gerry Watson was; quiet, unas- suming, helpful and always discreet". He was involved with work on many of the religious buildings of all denomina- tions in the area and had a great interest in their history. A man of great generosity, he was past President of the Rotary Club and very involved with Meals on Wheels. He was proud to be honoured with various titles within the Knights of Columbanus, in- cluding the premier position of Grand Knight in 2002/3, who provided a Guard of Honour outside the church. Three things were important to Gerry - family, friends and faith. He passed away peacefully at home, in his sleep, in his 90 th year. § R.I.P.© May 2020 The Meath Coaster 27 041 98 444 98 041 98 111 98 086 838 4444 www.eastcoastcabs.com EAST COAST CABS SERVICING MEATH COAST & DROGHEDA REGIONS CABS - 4, 6 & 8 SEATERS NEW RANGE OF MINI-VANS COACHES - 16, 24, 36 & 54 SEATERS AVAILABLE© May 2020 The Meath Coaster 28 T he children and teachers in Réalt na Mara Girls School are adapting to remote learning and teaching with great energy and enthusiasm. The teachers are up-skilling and becoming very creative in a whole new way of teaching, making the most of online resources many of which are free to parents for the duration of the restrictions. We hope that all of you are staying safe and in good health. Please re- member to • Wash your hands • Keep a safe distance • Coughing and sneezing etiquette We hope to see you all back in school, healthy and well when the government say it is safe to do so. In the meantime it seems like Senior In- fants are having a lovely time in their homes writing, baking and making, as these photos show. § Réalt na Mara Girls SchoolNext >