A meeting was held recently to finalise routes & details of the Slí na Sláinte project hoping to come to Donabate in the near future.

This initiative started in 2019, then covid hit & we were also waiting on three situations to be resolved - the lights to cross at the entrance to the Links, the lights & new footpath on Turvey Ave & the new footpath at the corner of The Hand Ballisk & Beaverstown.

This small focused group came together for this project to be achieved - so hopefully we are nearly there! Thanks to the hard work in particular of Jennifer Tanner & Dara Carr from Lambay Sports & Athletics Club who have been involved since the start and a number of other people who have put the effort in since the beginning Eilish McDermot, Gerry Kirwan, Peader Bates, and some who have come on board recently to help get the Slí na Sláinte across the line - namely the three local Cllrs Corina Johnson, Eoghan Dockrell & Paul Mulville. Key to bringing this project forward are the Irish Heart Foundation formerly Tara Curran & now Dáire Conway Health Promotion Officer. FCC formally Lourda Darcy and now Aileen O’Connor Parks Superintendent are also instrumental in the success of the project. We will keep you updated!

Funding has been secured for the installation of a Rock Armour Revetment at Burrow Beach, Portrane, to prevent further erosion of this section of coastline which is threatening homes in the area.

The Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien TD, and the Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Kevin Boxer Moran TD, announced today that €622,703 in funding will be provided by the Office of Public Works towards the €700,000 cost of the emergency works.

Meanwhile, a long-term solution for the protection of the coast at The Burrow will move a step closer on Wednesday when Fingal County Council submits the Burrow Coastal Flooding and Erosion Risk Management Plan (CFERM) to An Coimisiún Pleanála for approval. The CFERM plan has already been the subject of a significant level of analysis and local consultation, and the Council has already received approval for the plan from the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA).

The two ministers were joined by the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Tom O’Leary, local councillors, the Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, and officials from both the Council and the OPW when they visited Portrane this afternoon to view last week’s damage to the coastline from Storm Chandra and announce the emergency works funding.

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Tom O’Leary, said: “I am delighted that the Ministers have agreed to provide funding through the OPW towards the €700,000 cost of emergency works at the Burrow. This will hopefully provide further protection for the homes that are under threat until the permanent solution can be constructed.”

The decision to proceed with the emergency works follows consultation between Fingal County Council, the OPW and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with specialist advice from the Council’s consultants Tetra Tech RPS.

Approximately 300 metres of coastline at the southern end of The Burrow Beach has been identified as the most vulnerable section of the coastline on the peninsula and the rock armour will be installed here.

Donabate Village is getting ready for the very first St Patrick’s Festival and Parade which will be held on Saturday 14 March.

Residents of all ages are warmly invited to come out, line the streets and take part in what promises to be a lively and colourful afternoon for the whole community. The parade will begin at 1.30 pm and will feature local schools, sports clubs, community groups and musicians, all coming together to celebrate our national day and the spirit of Donabate Portrane.

Following the parade, the festivities will continue in the village with music, entertainment and a welcoming festival atmosphere for families and friends to enjoy. This year will also see an Artisan Food Village on the green at St Patrick’s Church, showcasing local food producers, sweet treats and quality coffee, the perfect place to gather and soak up the celebrations.

The St Patrick’s Festival is a special occasion and a wonderful opportunity for neighbours, new residents and long-time locals alike to connect and celebrate together. Organisers are encouraging everyone to walk into the village where possible, wear a splash of green and join in the fun.

Come along, support your local community and help make this year’s St Patrick’s Festival in Donabate a memorable day for all.

Donabate St Patrick’s Festival Committee

On Thursday 18th December 2025 Active Age for All held their annual Christmas Carols fund raiser in the community centre for St Francis Hospice.

It was very well attended and we were splendidly entertained by the Bright Sparks crèche childrens’ choir; the Active Age singing group with Muireann and the ‘No Name Band’ of Willie, Maurice, Brian and Fran. Non-alcoholic mulled wine, mince pies and lots of other goodies were served as everyone joined in with the singing.

Due to peoples generosity we had a huge array of prizes for the raffle; we actually ran out of raffle tickets but DPCC came to the rescue with extras. The first prize was a 32’’ Sony TV which was won by Sybil Harte-Weir, that was a nice start to Christmas Sybil!

As always the staff of DPCC excelled themselves in helping with every aspect of the event, a BIG THANK YOU to them all for helping to make the day such a success.

This year we raised €1500 for the Hospice, a wonderful foundation which provides palliative care for people, both in their own homes or in a dedicated centre or hospital, providing comfort and dignity for both patient and family at end of life.

Many thanks to the AAfA committee, DPCC and all who attended for making a real contribution to the true Christmas spirit.

In 2025, almost 1100 films were released in cinemas across the combined UK & Ireland market. However this is only a small part of the estimated 7,000 films produced each year globally.

Of those released in UK and Ireland, only 224 are widely screened meaning that smaller, less headline-grabbing films are harder to find in commercial cinemas.

This means that we are all missing out on some great films and the Lambay Cinema Club is doing all it can to bring these lesser-seen, but world-class movies to the peninsula.

The Lambay Cinema Club was born out of the Bleeding Pig cultural festival in 2022 and is run by volunteers. We have monthly screenings in the unique setting of St Patrick’s Church of Ireland church in The Square and aim to show the best of World and Irish cinema.

Everyone is welcome and we even provide the Tea and Biscuits!

For more details please visit www.lambaycinemaclub.com to get details of upcoming films. You can also sign up to our email list so you are kept informed of future screenings and also book tickets. Tickets are on sale one week in advance.

We’re proud to be rooted in our local area, and equally proud of the growing audience who support us each month. Whether you’re a regular or visiting for the first time, you’ll always find a warm welcome at Lambay Cinema Club.

In January Peninsula Pacers braved the elements and walked from Portmarnock Train Station to Malahide Village - mind you the weather forecast on all sites stated clear blue sky all day! Either climate change is daily or a Friday end of week weather report!

Anyway, a stop at Sands for coffee - remember Mango in the 70th & 80th - revived them all to stomp on to McGoverns Restaurant in Malahide - where a great meal was had.

We have a number of new leaders & will be sharing the walks - we hope to do one a month until June - most walks are from 8/12km and at a reasonable pace - reasonable fitness needed. Walks mostly on the flat but not always. Walks will include the Dodder & hopefully the New Newry to Omeath Greenway & maybe a trip back to lovely Leitrim and the Canal.

Further information for this month - please contact Breda on 086 8693243

Fingal Libraries is delighted to announce the opening of the new Donabate Library in Ballisk House. It comes following a €2 million refurbishment project which began in January 2025 and has transformed Ballisk House into a modern, welcoming public building at the heart of the community.

The new library was officially opened today by the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Tom O’Leary, along with Chief Executive of Fingal County Council AnnMarie Farrelly, County Librarian Betty Boardman, County Architect Fionnuala May, the Director of Economic, Community and Cultural Development, John Quinlivan, and children from Gaelscoil na Mara.

Fingal County Council purchased Ballisk House in 2022, after the closure of Donabate Credit Union. The new library provides an improved, accessible space for reading, learning and community engagement and represents a significant investment in local services for the growing Donabate area.

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Tom O’Leary said: “It is a pleasure to celebrate a milestone for Donabate and for Fingal, the opening of our new public library in Ballisk House. This remarkable new space will serve the people of Donabate for generations to come.”

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, said: “This building speaks to Fingal’s belief in the value of libraries as dynamic, forward-looking spaces that respond to evolving technologies and the needs of a growing community. We are committed to investing in our communities and creating places where everyone feels welcome.”

Among the many exciting features of this new facility is the introduction of the My Open Library service which is expected to begin shortly. With opening hours extended from 8am to 10pm, 365 days a year, this service gives library members the freedom to use the space beyond normal staffed hours including Sundays.

The celebration to mark the official opening of the new library included a circus performer, the Bohemian Strings string quartet and a magic show for the children of Gaelscoil na Mara from Reuben the Entertainer.

Director of Economic, Community and Cultural Development, John Quinlivan, said: “The opening of the new library marks the completion of phase one of a two-phase project. Planning for phase two — the expansion of this building and the enhancement of its facilities - will begin in early 2026 and is already at feasibility stage.”

Councillor Corina Johnston has welcomed the addition of an extra 33D bus service in Donabate following a prolonged campaign first being raised in the Dáil nearly seven years ago. However, Cllr Johnston also called on the NTA to also add an extra return service in the evenings.

Speaking on the issue, Cllr Johnston said, “Duncan Smith TD first raised the need for additional 33D bus services with the NTA at a meeting in Leinster House in August 2019 and have been pursuing the need for 33D additional bus services and public transport ever since. In April 2025 the NTA confirmed to us that additional 33D bus service would commence before the end of 2025. We were pleased to receive confirmation early last week from the NTA and Dublin Bus that the additional bus service will finally commence on 9th February at 7am. While welcoming this additional service in the mornings given the current bus is full to capacity, we were disappointed that no additional return service will be provided in the evening. This is unacceptable as trains as completely full at peak times with the population along the line increasing and Donabate population growing at a very fast rate.

“I was very disappointed to be informed that the Bus Connects implementation, which includes direct bus services from Portrane to Dublin airport and UCD via Dublin City centre, has been delayed to 2027. These services were to be implemented in 2023. I am calling on Minister for Transport and Local TD, Darragh O’Brien to intervene, ringfence the funding for these services and to ensure they are prioritised and delivered without further delay.””Donabate is one of the fastest growing areas in the country. Many planning permissions have been granted on the provision of improved public transport services. This is not the case in Donabate. Duncan and I intend to pursue this matter further and will keep you informed of developments, she added.

With a break for Ch ristmas and the New Year, no gigs in January for the Gerry & the Plonkers (the Men’s Shed music ground) and the plots in Turvey Allotments winterised, January was a quiet month by the normal standards of Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed. However, we have some photos, which weren’t available for last month’s issue, from the Plonkers’ Christmas gig in St. Michael’s House.

Although we had no special events in January, our usual weekly activities continued - exercise classes, music practice, croquet in Newbridge and a cuppa and chat on Thursday mornings. Also, plans are being made for some special outings over the coming months.

If you, or someone close to you would like to join us, please call our PRO, Jim, on 086-3694316. We always have a warm welcome for new members.

On the 9th December last, undeterred by Storm Bram, a group of volunteers from Donabate and Portrane Meals on Wheels met in the Shoreline Hotel for a Christmas dinner. We were delighted that Mandy and Donna, our chef angels from St Ita’s catering could join us and have dinner served up to them for a change! We had a lovely evening, enjoyed a delicious dinner, and had time to renew old acquaintances and meet new members. A big THANK YOU to our generous sponsors SuperValu and Glenveagh Properties, and to the Shoreline for looking after us so well.

As our community is growing rapidly it is going to be necessary to have two delivery groups for the Donabate area. Would you like to give something back and volunteer as a Meals on Wheels driver ? We are seeking friendly and reliable people to join our team, to go to our elderly and vulnerable neighbours, making a real difference in their lives. You would need to commit to 2 hours, twice a month, on set days. You use your own car and would need a reasonable knowledge of the Donabate area, though it doesn’t take long to find your way around. No experience is necessary, we provide training and support, an experienced driver will travel with you for as long as you need. If you are looking for a rewarding way to give back please call 086 8276555