LSA members have taken to the roads in the last month with lots of our members taking part in the Lusk 4 mile Road Race and the Bohermeen Half Marathon at the start of March.

In Lusk, James Keegan was the first LSA member home in 23:42 for the 4 miles. Grace Brady was the first female in 31:30.

In County Meath the following weekend, Shane O’Farrell led the twenty seven LSA athletes home, covering the thirteen miles in 1 hour 20:18. Sinéad Kiernan was the first LSA female finisher in 1 hour 39:16.

Meanwhile, the Indoor Track and Field season continues. Our Little Athletics group had a busy day of competition at the Dublin Spraoi Games in Abbotstown. A small group of LSA Under 20 and Masters athletes competed in the Leinster Championships in Abbotstown, The following week our Masters were back in action at the National Masters Championships in Athlone.

Masters athletes Dara Carr (W55) and Enda Gavigan (M60) took double Championships titles in the 60m and 200m at both Leinster and National Championships. Xavier Hubert (M45) claimed the Leinster High Jump title, and a second place finish in that event in Athlone

Our female relay teams claimed Gold and Bronze in the Leinster Championships and went on to mark International Women’s Day with a Bronze. We also had a Mixed Masters Relay Team who claimed Bronze in Athlone.

The Cross Country season concluded with Sinéad Farrell and Reuben Capocci qualifying for the All-Ireland Championships. Huge congratulations to Sinéad who helped her team to victory in the Senior Girls event.
We are very grateful to all the coaches and parents who volunteer their time to help all the members of our club. We always welcome new members.

Keep up to date on all the events by following LSA on our website and social media pages!
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lambaysportsacademy
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lsadonabateportrane/
Twitter https://twitter.com/LSARunning
https://lambaysportsathletics.ie/
Adult memberships queries:
lambaysportsathletics@gmail.com
Little Athletics and Juvenile athletes (7-18):
lsajuvenilereg@gmail.com

9 DL 14 Sproai Games with David Gillick WEB

Last month there was a great do in the Parish Hall there was singing & dancing thanks to Gerry & the Plonkers Band, and eating delicious sambos made by Cates Cafe & drinking tea & coffee served by the Tea Team! All thanks to the Parish Hall Committee.

It is just great craic to have 6 times a year in the dark months of October, November, December, January, February & March an event like this for adults only on the Peninsula. Witness people meeting for the first time in one photo and all the folk just getting up dancing in another pure craic!

We were delighted to see Louis from Active Age for All committee & Rafe from FCC our hard working Community Officer there, see the two lads chatting at the door!

Sandra, Manager from the Community Centre also came to support - her ‘Memory Cafe‘ which is just fantastic continues on the third Wednesday of the month in one of the Studios from 11-1pm there is anything from poetry so witty … to flower arranging so creative … to singing so uplifting! & delicious refreshments generally homemade don’t miss it!

Other news Music Makers (see other article) Drama Society Play in mid-May always a must & Camps in the Summer starting with Drama in early July for youth.

If you want to request a booking in the hall for daily activities & or events please call the Parish Office on 01 8434574 - the Parish Office takes all requests, wishes & wants in in mid May and in early June works on the Programme of Activities - daily or events - to produce by the end of June a Programme for the year to try to meet the needs of our ever growing community.

A very Happy Easter to all in our community.

If you are a man who enjoys the company of other men, why not join us at Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed? We have a variety of weekly activities, including exercise classes, croquet in Newbridge, music jam sessions and Thursday morning get-togethers from 10am to noon for tea/coffee and a chat at the Sea Scouts’ Den on Portrane Road.

We also have two plots at Turvey Allotments, which need continuous attention at this time of year. We have onions, tomatoes, garlic, cauliflower and broccoli planted, but opted out of potatoes this year, after last year’s disaster with potato blight. Perhaps with the improving weather, we can plan for coffee/tea get-togethers on the decking at one of our plots for members who don’t regularly visit the allotments.
Gerry & The Plonkers, our music group, who as their name suggests don’t take themselves too seriously, have gone from strength to strength, with frequent concerts for community groups. Recently they played at the International Women’s Day Sing-along in Parslickstown House and in Donabate Parish Hall. On both occasions, they were joined by a special guest, Edel Dempsey, on flute and whistles and received enthusiastic responses from the audiences.

In addition to these regular activities, the Men’s Shed also from time to time organise outings to places of interest. As reported last month, a group of members enjoyed a guided tour of Kilmainham Gaol Museum, which is steeped in the history of Ireland from the late 18th century to the early 20th. They saw the cells where Robert Emmet, Charles Stewart Parnell and Countess Markievicz were imprisoned and the Stonebreakers’ Yard where 14 of the 1916 Rising leaders were executed. The Men’s Shed’s next planned outing is to EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum.

We are always open to new members. So, if you or someone you know is interested in joining us, call our PRO, Jim, on 086-3694316.

8 DL 01 Gerry The Plonkers at Parslickstown House WEB

Last month the Peninsula Pacers did the Balbriggan to Laytown trail walking by the coast - a long walk but enjoyable with scrumptious food in the - Cottage Inn - Italian Restaurant. One can take a circular bus from Laytown to Bettystown every 15 minutes - a great service if one is on a day out!

Our next walk will be our annual city tour - this year for James Joyce & Bloomsday - details in the May edition of the magazine.

Contact Carolyn or Des for further details.

Leithinis Comhaltas played a session in SuperValu Mall on Sunday March 8th. We were delighted to have a large group of musicians, both young and old play with us on the day.

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann is the largest group involved in the preservation and promotion of Irish traditional music in Ireland. Leithinis, meaning peninsula, is the name given to our local Donabate Portrane Comhaltas Branch. We run lessons for adults and children on Monday evenings in the Donabate Portrane Educate Together School on Beaverstown Road. We also host a Stay and Play Slow Session from 7.30-8.30 on Mondays at the school. Twice a month we host a slow session in the Parish Hall, Donabate. It’s a very supportive and sociable way for adults or children to learn a new instrument, meet new people and learn a new skill.

A wonderful group of Leithinis musicians visited St. Patrick’s Boys School and Scoil Phádraig Cailiní on March 10th as part of the schools’ Seachtain na Gaeilge celebrations. The children showed great musical abilities in singing and playing themselves and learned about Irish traditional instruments such as banjo, fiddle, bodhrán, tin whistle, and button accordion. A big thank you to the teaching staff of both schools for facilitating our visit and to our members for promoting annd representing our branch so well. It’s wonderful to have a collaborative musical relationship within the community. We’ve been in contact with all the schools in Donabate and we look forward to future collaborations.

Recently, an Open Mic Extravaganza was held in the Parish Hall one Sunday afternoon. It was a special event organised by the Music Makers in collaboration with the Parish Hall; so, with adults present to keep an eye as minors played & sang, the 15-year-olds & upwards got a chance to perform their music, some of them for the first time!

It was all about participation - giving it a go - not about perfection; so, you could start & restart, no problem at all! They even got to have a coffee and a chat with pals and meet a few new like-minded music lovers. It was a success for all those that came and they all want more!

Fridays are music nights in the Parish Hall. Two Fridays a month Leithinis CCÉ run their Slow Sessions. They are an established group with a committee and run under Comhaltas as the umbrella organisation. The other two Fridays, Music Makers invite musicians who are over 18 come & do their thing! Under age cannot be catered for on a regular basis - only for occasional events unfortunately. A committee of adults needs to be established, or a group needs to be found as an umbrella, so that the younger teenagers can be included in regular sessions.

At present the Parish Hall and some responsible adults keep the show on the road. So simply commitment is needed to further the Music Makers! The enjoyment and real buzz the young ones got from the afternoon was just brilliant & infectious.

It is hoped to run another special event coming into summer for all the local budding talent over 15yrs. In the meantime, if you as an adult have something to bring to the party in terms of energy, expertise, effort & enthusiasm, please do not hesitate to contact Noel (Dowling) & Seán (Collins) at this email:
Musicmakersph@gmail.com

NEXT MUSIC MAKERS SESSIONS - Friday 4th April, Friday 2nd May & Friday 6th June.

The Memory Cafe in Donabate is run by the Donabate/Portrane Community Centre in co-operation with Active Age for All. The cafe is held on the last Wednesday of every month from 11am to 1pm in the community centre and is always free of charge.

Memory cafes offer people with dementia and their care partners the opportunity to enjoy regular enjoyable social interaction with others in similar circumstances in a safe welcoming environment.
There are regular talks and presentations from healthcare professionals and support groups; for instance the March Memory cafe had presentations from Maria Heffernan from Healthy Eating made Easy and Mary Woods Murphy from St Francis Hospice in Raheny. Also popular is playing cards and games that promote physical co-ordination and mental acuity.

Refreshments of tea, coffee and home bakes are served and the cafe always winds up with music from local groups or musicians to enjoy and sing along with.

Saturday 8th February was a big day for Team LSA last month with four athletes competing in the National 50Km Championships at the 15th Donadea 50k. Conditions were a little bit challenging, but it did not stop Team LSA. Eimear Caulfield was LSA’s first female runner to compete in this Championship along with Dino Higgins, Stephan Bueck and Stephen Brennan. Alongside them was an unbelievable crew of supporters on the day!

We are extremely proud of all our members who were involved: from Eimear the first LSA finisher to the support crew who motivated everyone through to the finish line.

For anyone who aspires to running something a little shorter, we have just commenced a new Couch to 5k program - ideal for the complete beginner or those who are returning to running after injury or time out. This seven week program involves committing to running three days per week: Monday and Wednesday at 7pm at Donabate Portrane Community Centre and Saturdays at Donabate Park Run.
Meanwhile, our older Juveniles have had some great success at the recent Leinster Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships: Sinead Farrell progresses to All-Ireland Championships. She was an impressive third scorer on the winning Senior Girls Team. Reuben Capocci qualified for All-Ireland Championships in the Intermediate Boys event, with James Keegan and Leon Capocci both impressing in Senior and Minor Boys respectively.

We’ve had some great success at the recent Dublin Juvenile Indoor Championships in Abbotstown: James Keegan and Reuben Capocci took the title of Dublin 800m Champion at Under 18 and Under 17 respectively. They now progress to the National Championships in Athlone later this month with Liam Handley (Shot Putt), Lea Hubert (High Jump). Reuben also competes in the U17 1500m after his second-place finish in Dublin.

Congratulations to all our athletes and their coaches for their hard work and dedication.
Keep up to date on all the events by following LSA on our website and social media pages!

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lambaysportsacademy
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lsadonabateportrane/
Twitter https://twitter.com/LSARunning
https://lambaysportsathletics.ie/
Adult memberships queries: lambaysportsathletics@gmail.com
Little Athletics and Juvenile athletes (7-18) : lsajuvenilereg@gmail.com

This Saturday 8th March - we have a change of place for our walk - we are doing the Brigid’s Walk first in Dundalk - we will honour Patrick at our next walk!

We will meet at the Parish Hall 11 30am - do a car-pool then head up to North Dundalk for our 6/8km walk - then we will head into a good cafe restaurant for food & refreshments!

Last month the Pacers went on a scenic coastal route. They took the train from Donabate to Portmarnock then walked back to Malahide. This is an easy flat walk about 6/8km - we had to use the road as the tide was in on the Portmarnock beach, it was still a lovely walk with good sights & good toilets open in
Portmarnock & in Malahide at the beaches on the way.

It is a great way to spend a few hours on a Sat afternoon - a nice walk, a good chat, finishing with great food! We also get to see new places - a bit of exploring!

Further information from Carolyn 087-284307 or Des 087-7846813

Donabate Parish Hall & The Men’s Shed have come together for a special FREE event for adults with a focus on Irish Music to celebrate Paddy’s Day on Wednesday 12th March from 12noon - 2pm. Light refreshments served. Singin & Dancin welcome from all those attending - or just come & listen! All FREE and for you!

The Plonkers & Parish Hall - had a fantastic event for Valentine’s on a Wednesday in February - it was full of fun - lots of dancin & singin! A large crowd came from a variety of groups in the Parish and as many men as women! We are a Parish with great musical talent - Gerry & the Plonkers are beyond amateur with a number of professional musicians in their midst! Noel (Dowling) brings an added dimension - with sound & lights, like one was at a good wedding! This gives people an opportunity to dance nowadays without waiting on a wedding or a big birthday to happen!

So, let us have a great one for Paddy’s Day - we will celebrate St Brigid too - as we had no event for her! So if you do a bit of Céilí or line dancin’ great - if not, get up and dance & sing anyway. Not alone is it good for the body, but it’s also uplifting for the spirit and a bit of craic on a Wednesday afternoon! They are sometimes joined by Edel (Dempsey) whose long whistle renditions are fantastic & famous!
The Music Makers were on in February also with a special event and it was a great success; hopefully to be repeated and further report is elsewhere in the magazine.

The Parish Office has been looking at Cultural & Educational Camps for the Parish Hall for 2025 at suitable times after successful camps last year and may have some spaces left. Also, if you have any queries re renting for daily activities & classes contact the Parish Office on 01- 8434574