Year in Review 2019: April
By Brendan Grehan
APRIL was a busy month with many events taking place.
The spring had arrived in force and it is traditionally the month when trees and flowers begin to “open” – plenty of events were out in the open in the great open spaces of the county.
Participants in the Run for Rita in Tymon Park
Over in Tymon Park in Tallaght, over 400 people ran 5km in aid of Run for Rita.
The event, now in its sixth year, is held in memory of Kilnamanagh woman Rita Savage, who passed away in 2008 after battling breast cancer.
The runners raised €10,000 for a local boy with autism to undergo training with My Canine Companion dog.
It was reported this month that Gardai in Clondalkin, Ballyfermot and Lucan were forced to hire vehicles from private rental companies to carry out their duties.
The rented vehicles are not used for emergency responses, but they are necessary for gardai to fulfill a range of less intensive duties across the DMR West division.
Garda Car
Back in Tallaght, Tesco pulled its food delivery services from a number of areas in West Tallaght after drivers were subjected to robberies and assaults.
Ken Mulkerrins from Lucan underwent a life-saving heart transplant after a number of false calls.
The father-of-two earlier this year took part in a Quest Adventure Race in Glendalough which involves a 12km cycle, an 8km run and a 1k swim. A former Irish Freestyle Kayaking champion, Ken is grateful for his ‘super-hero heart donor”.
Back in Cherry Orchard, utility workers who were installing public lighting were allegedly harassed by local youths.
More than 2,700 surgeries and procedures were cancelled at Tallaght University Hospital between January 2017 and February 2019.
A local legend passed away in Tallaght this month. Paddy Finlay, aka Paddy Drac, died following a short illness.
The community came out in force this month to remember and celebrate the Tallaght legend.
Paddy Drac
Famous for taking part in the St Patrick’s Day parade in the city centre each year, Paddy regularly donned his cape in support of community and charity events.
A student from Firhouse in UCD, Rosie Aljohmani has been selected to join this year’s class of the prestigious Washington Ireland Program (WIP).
Dancers from Tymon North’s Smash It Dance Academy brought home seven trophies from the All-Ireland International Dance Teachers’ Association (IDTA) Championships this month.
Also this month, Gardai carried out a number of raids in West Dublin as part of “Operation Coatee”, a large-scale investig-ation into bogus insurance claims.
Gardai carried out a number of raids in West Dublin as part of “Operation Coatee”, a large-scale investigation into bogus insurance claims
Up to six high-value cars and jewellery worth in excess of €300,000 were seized along with a substantial amount of documentation and financial records.
In Rathfarnham, archaeologists discovered evidence of a medieval settlement on lands at the site of former Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave’s Home.
A fundraising campaign was set up in support of Hughie Smith, a father-of two who was involved in a serious accident while competing in a sidecar racing event in Mondello on April 6.
TAGS Lifestyle
