Recently the Peninsula Pacers went to Clogherhead. So for the first real walk of the season we did a nice short one - suitable for all abilities. There are great views on this short walk of cliffs, sea and sandy beaches. There is a great fish shop at the harbour and when the fish & chips trailer cafe is open, it is second to none for fresh & crispy food. This time we ate in The Forge in Termonfeckin set in a lovely garden and trinkets shop. Our next walk is Saturday 4th November to Carlingford for a longer hike! 90% on the flat! Out on the Greenway & back by the forest. We hope to stop in Fitzpatrick’s on the way home a great eating house closer to Dundalk. If you are reasonably fit & interested in walking, please contact Carolyn Smith 087 9284307 or Des Carthy 087 7846813

Last month, a group of musicians from Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed, jokingly christened Gerry and the Plonkers! by one member, played a short set at the Positive Aging event organised by Active Age for All in Donabate Portrane Community and Leisure Centre. The event also included other music and readings. The Men’s Shed choice of songs, hits from the 50s and 60s, reflected the age of the musicians and most of the audience. The well-attended event was enjoyed by all. And to confirm the wide range of interests covered by the Men’s Shed, we also had a visit to Dáil Eireann. A full report and photos of this will be available for the next issue of Donabate/Portrane Local. If you are interested in joining us, please contact our PRO, Jim, on 086-3694316.

Corina Johnston Area Representative said; “I am delighted that the provision of a much needed Cultural, Arts and Youth facility was endorsed at our recent well attended public meeting held by Duncan Smith TD and I in Donabate. At the meeting we outlined that the Local Area Plan provides for 4000 homes with the population to exceed 20,000 in the next 10 years with no indoor community facility for the growing Cultural, Arts and Youth Groups. These groups have no permanent home to support their growing numbers and activities with no stage, inadequate parking facilities, no facility for permanent exhibitions or storage of equipment. “Johnston continued; “A number of Crosscare youth workers addressed the meeting and confirmed that they have no permanent home to provide the vital youth services needed in Donabate. According to Census 2022 31% of the Donabate population is under 19 years with 41% aged under 30. Given the huge youth population with an increase in anti-social behaviour it is imperative that a permanent youth facility is included in such a facility.” Johnston continued;” it was great to see so many people and especially our young people enthusiastically addressing the meeting in support of this multi-functional facility in Donabate. The Local Area Plan provides for a community facility on lands at Ballymastone, the provision of a community/cultural/exhibition and performing Arts centre for Donabate- Portrane and encourages the development of multi - functional community buildings.”

Johnston concluded;” it now appears that the people of the Donabate Peninsula will get the housing units but not the Purpose Built Cultural and Community facility. The meeting soundly rejected this proposition with a committee set up to commence a campaign for this facility. The first priority is to secure a site in the Ballymastone/ Corballis area. A Motion will be submitted to the next council meeting (hopefully a cross party one) on this issue. . A local authority site needs to be identified for this purpose before all the suitable land either secures planning permission or is built upon.”

The Parish Hall has most groups and activities fully up and running again - there were some took short breaks for the summer period. Classes such as Irish Dancing, Pilates, Mother & Baby Breast Feeding, Flowers Friends - to name a few are taking place. Groups such as Senior Citizens who provide a great meeting point for older people & organise the best trips ever! and Leithinis Grúpaí Cheoil Trad Sessions for members are also going strong! The Parish Hall Programme sets aside some blocks of time for events & activities to take place to ensure that cultural & creative activities take place which enrich & serve our fast-growing community. This term it is hoped that a youth or children’s camp will take place at October break followed by the fantastic exhibition of Photography by Through the Lens in mid-November, then the ever popular Donabate Dramatic Society Production will take place towards the end of November. The calendar would not be complete without the Christmas Fair on the first Saturday in December. There is still some limited availability to book the Parish Hall for activities & events so if you wish to do so please contact the Parish Office 01 8434574immediately!

After a successful summer, Autumn is shaping up to be a busy season for Lambay Sports & Athletic Club. In August we saw an exciting milestone in the history of our 12-year-old club when the first sod was turned on the Ballymastone Sports and Recreational hub. Club co-founder Jennifer Tanner and Club Chairperson Steven Rice were present to witness this landmark moment. The Club also had great club success in Tullamore in August. Our Ladies Track and Field Team placed 6th in Division 1 of the National League Final. Later that month, also in Tullamore, Shane O’Farrell placed 8th in his age category in the National Half Marathon, in a time of 1:15.57.

Our men’s M50 team placed 8th overall, with Pat Cussen and Ken Spratt both placing 13th and Donal Kerr placing 20th in their respective age categories. Mary McNamara and Eimear Caulfield placed 12th and 17th in their respective age categories. LSA Masters Track and Field athletes are preparing for the European Masters Athletics Championships in Pescara, Italy in late September, whilst our distance runners are continuing their preparation for the Dublin City Marathon at the end of October. Our younger athletes are participating in the Dublin Cross Country Leagues. Our Little Athletics, Juvenile and Fit4Youth groups have returned to Thursday evening training on the Hockey Pitch and our Saturday Cross Country group for older Juveniles resumed with Hill training on Reilly’s Hill. Meanwhile, our Track and Field Competition group has recommenced training with coach Gerry Ronan. As you can see, we have a growing, diverse club and we aim to cater for everyone! We always welcome volunteers, especially the parents or guardians of our younger members. If you can help out, even occasionally, we will be delighted to welcome you to the team. Please talk to a coach at one of our training sessions.

At the end of August, a group from Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed visited Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin. After the fascinating audio-guided tour of the historic building, members moved on to partake in fish and chips at another historic venue, Leo Burdock’s on nearby Werburg Street. By all accounts, an enjoyable day was had by all at these two iconic Dublin landmarks.Earlier in August, Turvey Allotments Association held their annual bar-b-que at the allotments for members, their families and friends. Several members of Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed performed a short set of well-known songs at this open day. These outings were in addition to our regular weekly activities, exercise classes on Mondays, croquet on Tuesday, Music jam session on Wednesdays and Tea and chat get-togethers on Thursday. So, if you’re interested in joining us, please call our PRO, Jim, on 086-3694316.

The Pacers had a great walk in September we did our Annual Peninsula Walk to coincide with the Bleeding Pig Trad & Ceili event at The Brook Pub with Pizza at the Dough Hut.

We started from the Donabate Parish Hall around by the cliffs with a stop at Wayne’s for coffee and cake enroute to the event. Some of us took in an extra leg by going down to the end of the Burrow and back up by the marsh. It was the best day! The trad music, ceilidh dancing and just brilliant weather with good craic all day! The walks are usually on Saturdays so the next two are:21st October Clogherhead Short Walk and 4th November Carlingford Long walk. This is an informal group that come together to do walks and have a chat and coffee etc. The short walks are about 5/7km and the longer ones 10/12km. Of course, all are weather dependant, as they say there is no such thing as bad weather just bad clothes and footwear choices! For further information please contact: Des Carthy on 087 7846813 or Carolyn Smith on 087 9284307

The Bleeding Pig Cultural Festival launched on Thursday September 7th in the Brook Pub in Portrane, starring Uilleann Piper Eamonn Galldubh agus a chairde, with members of Comhaltas Leithinis. A large crowd enjoyed some ceol agus craic! On Friday September 8th we hosted Craft Workshops for Adults. “From Mud to Art” saw participants turn clay into ornamental hanging wall-art. Over the weekend, the peninsula was a hive of cultural activity, with Craft Workshops for Children, tours of the Martello Tower, Lego© Workshop, Sing-a-Longs, Yoga sessions, and a festival favourite, PizzaTrad. A huge crowd joined the Tara Céilí Band for some set dancing in the sun! Complimentary pizza was courtesy of DoughBox. The Short Film Festival ran from Monday 11th to Wednesday 13th, with large crowds attending to enjoy some short films and Q&A sessions. The Open Mic returned this year. Participants stood up to the Mic to entertain with music, comedy and more. The lovely Gala Concert in St. Patrick’s Church featured the Young Dublin Symphonia, and talented students of Kim Fallen-Bailey. The second weekend of the festival was busy: Music Workshops for younger children; Mol an Óige, a showcase of some fun-sized talent; Guided tour of Newbridge House; Casino Night with gambling fun and Rat-Pack entertainment; Take a Walk on the Wild Side! with Hans Visser, Bio Diversity Officer of FCC; Short plays from Donabate/Portrane Dramatic Society; September Miscellany featuring the Chinkwell Writers with musical interludes; Art, Photography and Quilting Exhibition; Singalong in the Brook Pub on Sunday afternoon to close the festival. Overall, a very successful and enjoyable 10 days of culture, with something of interest to all cultural tastes and all ages. The organisers are grateful to Fingal County Council for their support, and all the many festival sponsors. Without their generosity, this festival could not happen.

Donabate Portrane Dramatic Society is delighted with the success of its latest productions as part of The Bleeding Pig Festival in September. Every year The Bleeding Pig Cultural Festival provides the dramatic society with a welcoming platform to showcase talent and passion for the performing arts. On Sunday the 16 th September DPDS presented the murder mystery “Books, Crooks and Murder” by Rosemary Whittaker in the Gin Bar, Keeling’s of Donabate. While a notorious reclusive author was presenting her newest book after years of public exile, a murder was committed. The detective who was on the scene needed the help of the audience that played a big role to crack the case! This was an entertaining event that kept the audience guessing until the end. The Brook Pub in Portrane hosted “Little Miss Fresno” by Ara Watson and Mary Gallagher on Sunday 17th September. This short hilarious play saw two anxious mothers in competition while rooting for their precious daughters at a local beauty contest, leaving the audience in stitches of laughter. DPDS is immensely grateful to The Bleeding Pig Cultural festival committee and thankful to the dedicated audience who attended these productions. DPDS is now already working on the upcoming autumn project that will take place in Donabate Parish Hall from the 23rd to the 26th of November 2023. This autumn DPDS will bring on stage two short Irish plays “Bedtime Story!” by Sean O’Casey and “A Galway Girl” by Geraldine Aron. The comedy “Bedtime story” will be directed by the talented and experienced Lisa Buckley, while “A Galway Girl” will see Aengus Gordon and Áine Dillen, taking on the directing role for the very first time with the society. “I first saw ‘A Galway Girl’ ten years ago in the Bewley’s Café Theatre, where I fell in love with this sweet poignant one act Play, by Geraldine Aran. I always wanted Donabate Drama to perform it. I’m delighted for the opportunity to direct and bring it to our audience; I know you will enjoy it as much as I have when I first saw it”, said Aengus. “I’m excited to be embarking on my first directing role with the society. ‘A Galway Girl’ is an honest account of a marriage in the 1950’s from both sides, it tackles the arguments, the struggles and the tenderness”, said Áine. The autumn production will offer a blend of comedy and heartfelt moments and promises to be a captivating and memorable experience for theatre lovers. If you want to become a member or a patron of DPDS do not hesitate to contact any member or us here at donabateportrane.drama@gmail.com. And don’t forget to follow Donabate Portrane Dramatic Society on Facebook and Instagram!

The first week in September saw queues for registration and booking of classes that are run by the Active Age for All group. This growing group now has over 230 paid up members for 2023 and it was great to see so many booking for classes. Some classes were filled within a couple of hours and all the free classes are now full. There are some spaces still available in a few classes. If you are interested in joining them, contact us on activeageforall@gmail.com or by text on 086 8806808. Rates will be pro rata as the 12-week term goes on. So, when and where is there availability? Monday: Dance for Fitness– integration of Dance/Pilates. Spanish. Tuesday: French. Yoga. Singing & Music – really good for breathing and lifting the sprits. Wednesday: Art. Tai-Chi. Chair Yoga – really good if getting up and down off the floor is a bit too much and you still want to keep the body subtle. Thursday: Pilates 3. Friday: Yoga. You can register on-line at activeageforall.com. Also, Positive Ageing Week takes place this year from the 1st - 7th October. As our contribution to Positive Ageing Week, AAfA are offering a free Singing/ Choir Class on Tuesday 3rd of October at 11.00 a.m. Everyone welcome. Donabate Sings for All! At this class our regular tutor Muireann will teach several songs which will then be performed at a lunch time session. We will be joined by Peig McManus who will read from her Memoir I’ll Be Good, The Donabate/Portrane Ukulele Group and the Donabate / Portrane Men’s Shed Plonkers - musicians, will entertain us with their music. From this Singing Class - Donabate Sings for All - we hope to offer a free 6-week relaxed fun singing course starting the 18th of October from 6 - 8 p.m. sponsored by Fingal CC Community Dept. and DPCC. All will be welcome - all ages and nationalities. From this class we would hope to start a Community Choir! If you need any information about the 3rd October, please do contact us at activeageforall@gmail.com or just turn up at 11.00 on the 3rd of October.