Birdie

The Big Clean-up! Our Tidy Towns group will be very busy this Saturday, as they join the National Spring Clean-up event, in Lucan Village from 10am to 12 noon.

All comers welcome to give a hand!!!! The Bandstand! For a moment, Birdie thought it was a new Birdie Hotel, but no, a new Bandstand appeared on our Village Green this week. I wonder what the old lady (the Methodist Church), in the background, thinks of all the goings on!!!

Did you know that the actual Village Green site was at one time part of the Methodist Church land. It became separated when a new road was built giving access from Main Street to the 12th Lock on the Grand Canal, many years ago. Locals will often refer to what is now called the Adamstown Road, as the Lock Road.

Congratulations to Lucan I.C.A. on celebrating their 60th Birthday this year. They are one year older than Lucan Newsletter!

Bloom time on the horizon! It's that time of year again when Super Garden comes to our screens, in preparation for Bloom in the Park 2026. We'll be watching RTE every Thursday evening, as a warm-up for one of our favourite events.

The Ryder Cup! Safe to say, we'll hardly make it to this big golfing event, given the price of tickets this year. We'll have to be content with watching our heroes on TV. Hopefully, it will bring in big bucks for the country.

St. Mary's Camera Soiree

First things first. I'm afraid that I should have looked more carefully last week at the photograph of what I described as a person under a big umbrella. It has been pointed out to me that the person is actually carrying a kayak.

This week Joe was in St. Edmundsbury and sent us in photos of four butterflies that are found in Ireland during the month of April. Not being experts, we think that the photos are of the rather ragged Comma, the Common Blue, the Speckled Wood and what is considered the most beautiful Irish species, the Peacock. The website www.irishbutterflies.com is a very useful source of information on Irish butterflies generally.

Josie sent some lovely photos of blooms in her garden.

This year seems to be a year for dandelions. Many members of the Soiree admitted that their gardens are full of the much-maligned plant at the moment. Michael G submitted a photo of the flower head of one from his garden. Dandelions are thought to have evolved about 30 million years ago and they have been used by humans for food and as a herb for much of recorded history. They are one of the most vital early spring nectar sources for a wide host of pollinators so maybe we shouldn't be so ready to mow them down with the lawn mower! The name, dandelion, is a borrowing of the French dent de lion meaning lion's tooth, referring to the coarsely toothed leaves.

Stay safe until next week!