Category Archives: Tidy Districts

10 Jun 2020

Spring Clean 2020

This weekend the postponed An Taisce National Spring Clean will take place. We usually organise groups to litter-pick and remove weeds but this year is different due to the continuing Covid 19 restrictions. So instead we are going for an individual/ family approach. 

Could you donate an hour to pick rubbish and weed a local area close to you? Areas that need particular attention are weeds between the roadside and kerb. Residents are also encouraged to edge the grass verge outside their house and to help neighbours who are unable to do this themselves.

Contact us if you need supplies; we have gloves, bags and a limited supply of litter-pickers. There will also be a number of volunteers on the green outside the shops on Saturday morning between 10am-12pm.

All collected bags should be returned to the green by Monday morning for collection by the council. Only council blue bags will be collected. 

A few basic guidelines that need to be adhered to:
– Wear gloves
– Bring a bag for the litter/ weeds
– If weeding on the roadside wear a hi-vis vest and face oncoming traffic
– Put the gloves in the rubbish bag
– Wash your hands afterwards

One thing that Covid has taught us is how important it is to have amenities close to us. Please help us to keep our area clean. 

Take pictures before and after and send them in to us. Let’s try to cover the whole of Roebuck and to also stay safe.

Some examples of areas that need attention:

13 Apr 2020

Eastery Updates

Hope you all had a nice weekend, as nice as possible anyway. Chocolate always makes things better we find, so hopefully you all got an egg or two to munch on.

Local Books
One of our members has let us know that he is very happy to loan and deliver books to anyone who is cocooned and short of reading material. Email us and we will put you in touch. He has thousands of books (Enid Blyton’s Famous Five to James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake) and will probably be able to find something of interest for you. In good weather he will leave a box of books at his gate from which people can borrow. We’d like to thank him for this very generous offer. A great service.

Easter Decoration Competition – Photos
We had a great response to our Easter Decoration competition, and the bunny judges were out on Saturday delivering the Easter egg prizes. We’ve put some photos of the beautifully decorated houses up on the website.

Other Photos
We’ve also put some other recent random photos from around the area up on the website too. Sure why not.

Banking Freephone Numbers
Banking freephone numbers have been set up for people cocooning. (Information taken from this Irish Times article.)
AIB: 1800 207 232
Bank of Ireland: 1800 946 146
KBC Bank: 1800 804 472
Permanent TSB: 1800 218 000
Ulster Bank Ireland: 1800 656 00

Planning
There is no sign of the IGB secondary school planning application drawings/details up on the DLR Planning website yet. According to the DLR website, the external scanning company they use is closed. The new emergency legislation means that the clock has been effectively stopped on the time period available to lodge an observation until April 21st. So that means there should be just under 5 weeks from that date to make an observation if you wish. Well unless things change again. More information regarding the changes to planning etc. can be found here.

DLR Biodiversity
DLRCoCo posted some biodiversity ideas and activities to do at home or in self isolation. The bird guide could be useful, and the mammal tunnel is an interesting idea. Although be prepared for what you might discover…
More here.

DLR Community Call Freephone Number
The DLR Community Call helpline now has a freephone number. 1800 804 535 or 01 271 3199. Both lines open from 8am – 8pm You can also email covidsupport@dlrcoco.ie
Please note: These numbers/email is not for ordinary Council services.

New Trees
You may have noticed some new trees in verges around the area. It looks like PJ from the Council was busy a few weeks ago putting in some new trees for us. (PJ sometimes works in mysterious ways, but we won’t hear a word against him.) If these new trees are outside your house (or the house of neighbours who might be cocooning), can you ensure they get regularly watered over the coming few months? If there’s a dry patch, they won’t survive.

27 Mar 2020

Updates and Ideas

Spring Clean + Photos
We had originally scheduled this for Saturday April 25th, but we will have to postpone it. We’ll get back to you with a new date at some point in the future.

In the meantime, you can click here to see some lovely calming photos of the flowers in the area. I’m sure most of you have already spotted all the springtime floral displays while out on your daily constitutional. Thanks to the Tidy Districts Team, and the local grass-cutters for all their great work. The place looks beautiful.

By the way, if anyone wants to send in photos, please do, and we’ll put them on the website. (We did this with the Beast from the East, just over two years ago now. We got some great photos that time.)

Charity
Today is Daffodil Day. There are no collections on the street, but there are still ways to help. You can visit the Irish Cancer Society website, or you can text DAFFODIL to 50300 to donate €4.

Volunteer, if you can
Alone are looking for volunteers…(can volunteer to call people on the phone)
https://alone.ie/Or if you feel you need their support you can call 0818 222 024, 8am to 8pm.

Keeping the kids entertained
Art For Lynam’s:
Some of the kids in the area will be busy creating some masterpieces to go on display in Lynam’s over the next while. We’re expecting some works of art! A great idea.

In case you haven’t heard, from next Monday, 30th, RTE will be broadcasting 1 hour of school from 11am-12pm (Monday to Friday) with a catch up in the afternoon.
https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0320/1124339-rte-to-launch-school-on-tv-teaching-initiative/

There are also a raft of celebrities (some slightly more current than others… ) helping out in their specialist subjects. Details below.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/celebrity-homeschooling-services-joe-wicks-17977894

If young people are finding this time tough, there are some great resources and help at Jigsaw.
https://jigsawonline.ie/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=DublinTown

Culture Vultures
Abbey Theatre – Cypress Avenue is streaming on line: https://www.abbeytheatre.ie/whats-on/cyprus-avenue/

We also have the https://www.metopera.org/ broadcasting free online.

Every Thursday from the British National Theatre – live streaming of some of their shows.
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/mar/26/national-theatre-to-broadcast-shows-online-on-thursdays

Recommendations from the media20 of the best travel films, according to The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/mar/27/20-best-travel-films-movies-cinematic-stunning-locations-laptop-tv?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

And some Good news stories from around the world
Dutch Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra record Ode to Joy from their home.
https://www.rte.ie/news/newslens/2020/0326/1126579-ode-to-joy/
Harvard Health Publishing (Harvard Medical School):
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-coronavirus-pandemic-is-not-good-but-the-news-is-not-all-bad-2020031919247

The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/27/covid-19-a-good-time-to-look-for-good-news

Prospect Magazine (free online articles & archive until April 20th!)
https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/science-and-technology/coronavirus-hand-washing-uk-lockdown-sanatizer

Good News Network
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/another-roundup-of-positive-updates-on-covid-outbreaks/

Finally a beautiful piece from John O’Donohue

This is the time to be slow,
Lie low to the wall
Until the bitter weather passes.

Try, as best you can, not to let
The wire brush of doubt
Scrape from your heart
All sense of yourself
And your hesitant light.

If you remain generous,
Time will come good;
And you will find your feet
Again on fresh pastures of promise,
Where the air will be kind
And blushed with beginning.”

John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings


07 Nov 2019

Spring Bulbs

You may have noticed the Tidy Districts’ Team out planting bulbs over the last few weeks. These amazing ladies are planting over 50kg (i.e. a serious amount of bulbs) around our area. There is going to be a riot of colour here come the Spring time. Daffodils, tulips, crocuses, snowdrops etc. etc.

07 Nov 2019

Reclaim the Footpaths

We are re-launching our Reclaim the Footpaths initiative we successfully ran a few years ago. We’ve had quite a few complaints recently from residents (including wheelchair users) in relation to hedges and trees overhanging, and encroaching onto, the footpaths in the area.

We are asking that residents look at the path outside your house and remove any vegetation from your garden growing above the footpaths. If your hedge is encroaching onto the footpath, it needs to be cut back to be in line with the garden wall.

Parents with buggies, or small kids on bikes/scooters, know how annoying it is when passing houses with big hedges that encroach out onto the footpath. It makes going two abreast difficult, if not impossible. It is also a particular problem for wheelchair users.

“Twig Eye”

As well as being really annoying for walkers and wheelchair users, it’s a safety concern, especially at night when it’s hard to see vegetation. Nobody wants to make a trip to The Eye & Ear with “twig eye”!

If you need help to cut back your hedge, we can pass on contact details of a reliable local hedge-cutter.

12 Sep 2019

Runners Up – Tidy Districts Competition 2019

We were awarded Runners Up in this year’s Tidy Districts Competition! Well done to our fantastic Tidy Districts’ Team, and to everyone who came out and helped during the year. We’ve won a prize for 3 out of the last 4 years. Not bad, not bad at all.

Winners and Runners Up 2019

You can read more about it on the DLR website. While the competition is primarily an anti-litter and anti-graffiti competition, it has evolved over the years and now considers biodiversity, ecological projects and community engagement. This year, a new climate change category was added. This category seeks to encourage and reward positive climate action. So if anyone has any ideas please let us know.

31 Jul 2019

Tidy Districts’ Board

As part of entering the Tidy Districts’ Competition, we have to design a board/poster highlighting all the various relevant activities during the year. This is the board for this year. Well done to all who help to keep the area looking so nice all year round.

25 May 2019

Cutting Back Hedges and Trees

We are asking all residents to cut back hedges and trees that are encroaching out onto the footpath. There are some hedges in our area that are causing problems for wheelchair users and for parents and minders with buggies with other small children in tow. We have received a few complaints about this, so please tackle your hedge! If you are unable to keep your hedge trimmed, please let us know, and we can co-ordinate a volunteer effort to get it cut back.

We will be approaching some residents over the coming weeks to discuss particular hedges that have raised complaints.