decide what activities and classes to join in September. We have a full programme for you again for this Autumn with limited spaces, so you need to decide early. To help you to decide, Active Age for All will hold an information day in the Shopping Centre on Friday the 25th of August to talk about our programme of classes and activities for the Autumn and to give general information about Active Age. We will have our new brochure and programme with us, so call in and collect one. Registration for classes will take place on Monday 4th September and Tuesday 5th of September from 11.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. each day. By then we should have our new website up and running, and if all goes to plan, it will be possible to book and pay for your classes online for September.

We also had a very enjoyable Ardgillan Castle Trip. On a beautiful sunny morning last month, the AAfA Camera Club went onan outing to Ardgillan castle. The castle was under renovation and covered in scaffolding so not very picturesque, however there were plenty of other photographic
opportunities. We snapped away in the Rose Garden with its background of Victorian glass houses and walled garden. The wildflower meadows with backdrops of woodland and beautiful seascapes gave us plenty of scope for the perfect photograph. For any information about Active Age for All see our website activeageforall.com or email us at activeageforall@gmail.com or TEXT only to 0868806808.

On Saturday 9th September the Peninsula Pacers will meet at the Parish Hall at 11 30pm for their annual Portrane Donabate Cliff Walk with an extra loop of the Burrow for the longer walkers! This special walk coincides with the Bleeding Pig - Pizza & Trad event in the afternoon at the Brook Pub - this was a great event last year with music and dancing fantastic entertainment at the end of the walk – we hope to have as good a weather this year!

Corina Johnston, Local Area Representative has welcomed the new access into Newbridge Park, off the Hearse Road, Donabate. Johnston said; “I am delighted that the proposed pedestrian and cycle access into Newbridge Park off the Hearse Road Is nearing completion. I first became aware of the need for the entrance in 2020 when I witnessed parents with children and some with buggies trudging along a very narrow footpath and dangerous road to access the Park via Newbridge Ave. As a result we raised this issue with FCC at that time and have continued to do so on a regular basis. The provision of this entrance was also conditioned in the planning permission for the Semple Woods Estate and is an objective in the Donabate Local Area Plan.” Corina Johnston also went on to say;”Regrettably it has taken longer to complete than expected however problems were identified which had to be resolved. These included the proximity of the animal paddock within the park to the new roadway and the need to prevent animal access to the public road. I wish to compliment all concerned within the council for resolving this important issue and thus enabling the laying of the access.Hopefully this will now facilitate the completion and opening of the entrance as a matter of urgency. Corina added; “This new entrance into Newbridge Park will connect with the proposed pedestrian and cycle route across a new bridge over the railway line which in turn will connect Corballis, Donabate Village and the Railway Station with Newbridge House and Farm. We have been informed by the council that a procurement process for the appointment of a contractor for this work has already commenced. “

It was everything we could have asked for and more. The Gods delivered the weather because the Gods love Hurling. It was a phenomenal success filled with colour, craic, great skills, great competition, brilliant hurling, and it was really just a sight to behold. We can’t go any further without acknowledging the trojan work done by Niall and Lucy O’Connor. To have the event run in the way that it was is a testament to the spirit and effort by Niall, Lucy and all the organising committee. Thanks to The Shoreline. We continue to build a great relationship. Thanks to Joe, The Piper. Thanks to St Johns for their time and dedication. Thanks to the crew on the shop who were flat to the mat from start to finish. Thanks to all the Mams and Dads, coaches, referees, car parking crew, our Grounds committee and all the officers who helped at different times to make it as special as it was. Thanks to Leithinis Donabate Portrane. It was a privilege to welcome you guys down and we hope to see you again. Thanks to Céire Rhein for all the quality photography. We thank all our members who attended and made the last night a rip roaring success. Finally if we can say thanks and well done to all the players. You were quite simply magnificent.

Attention local artists, do you want to show your paintings at an outdoor exhibition in donabate? We are looking for expressions of interest.Please contact our group, Peninsula Artists on this email mareseart@eircom.net

Calling all visual Artists on the Donabate/Portrane Peninsula. Whether you are Painter, Sketcher or a Doodle, we (the Peninsula Artists group) are inviting you to show your work in an open-air exhibition at “The Hand” in Donabate Village on the weekend of 26th /27th August from 11am to 5pm both days. Uisce Éireann have kindly offered the use of their railings to display your art work. All art work will be hung from the railing ONLY, safely avoiding any damage to the railings or contact with the roses underneath. There will be a nominal charge for each display space. This is to cover public liability insurance. Excess funds will be donated to the local Tidy Town Group. (The group who plant the Roses!). If you are interested in taking part, please email your expression of interest to mareseart@eircom.net.

Did you know that croquet was well known as a sport in North County Dublin? So, where did croquet come from, well that is a bit obscure but wherever it originated it was developed in Ireland in the early part of the nineteenth Century. One famous man Swords native Cyril Corbally and his brother Herbert of Rathbeale Hall, Swords were famous international croquet players, Cyril in particular winning many international tournaments. Cyril went on to help develop the game of croquet as we know it today. When he married Eleanor Colville Cobbe and moved into Newbridge House he set up the lawn to the side of Newbridge House. The croquet parties and games there soon became legendary. In 2019 the lawns were re-opened having been restored to international standard by Fingal County Council with the support of the Croquet Association of Ireland. It is now the home of Newbridge House Croquet Club, which welcomes new members.

We have a wide range of abilities in the club, with some members playing socially and for fun, while others play competitively and on the international circuit. If you wish to join us, you will be given a warm welcome. Check out the website at. nhcroquet.com or email us at nhcc@gmail.com . Sunday afternoons will generally find some members out on the lawn, and you can join us for some trial games, or email beforehand if you prefer. Membership for Year 1 is Euro 55 and all equipment is supplied free, therefore no further outlay is required. Come along to Flavours of Fingal on 1st /2nd July for a chat with some players and have a go. Our next big tournament takes place on 8th July when the Cyril Corbally Cup takes place. This will give you an opportunity to see some of the best players compete for the beautiful trophy. Come along, give croquet a go, soon you will be “jumping through hoops” and you will be hooked.

Leithinis were delighted to welcome Craobh Cluain Tarbh to Donabate for a Junior session. A great afternoon was had by all. A big thank you to Erin for leading the session. Thanks also to Derbhil and Vivienne from Cluain Tarbh for arranging and to our own Ian and Paul for organising and making sure everything ran smoothly on the day Also a shout out to the Parish Hall committee for the use of the grounds. Finally well done to all the junior musicians from both branches. The future of Comhaltas is safe in your hands See you all at the next session.

Fingal has a new leader after Cllr Adrian Henchy (Fianna Fáil) was elected by fellow Councillors recently to become the region’s 18th Mayor. Originally from Portrane, and representing the Rush-Lusk electoral area, he joined Fingal as a Councillor in 2014.

From his role as a Councillor to his involvement in numerous local initiatives, Mayor Henchy’s focus has always been on making a positive difference in the lives of the people he serves. A dedicated health professional with a passion for public service, he said he is ready to usher in a new era of progress, collaboration, and innovative leadership for the County. Henchy succeeds Cllr Howard Mahony, who handed over the chains of office at today’s AGM.

In securing the role as Mayor, Cllr Henchy was nominated by Cllr Eoghan O’Brien (FF) who said it was a privilege and an honour to nominate him for the position.The nomination was seconded by Cllr Brian Dennehy (FF).

“I am humbled to have been elected to serve in this prestigious post,” said Mayor Adrian Henchy. “I am committed to working tirelessly to build a stronger, more inclusive, and vibrant Fingal. Together, with the support of our community, we can achieve great things and help build a Fingal that thrives economically, socially, and environmentally. I would particularly like to focus on delivering more houses, not just the bricks and mortar of the homes themselves but also ensuring we are building sustainable communities around them.”

Cllr Grainne Maguire (Ind, Balbriggan) will serve as Deputy Mayor of Fingal for the second time. She was nominated by Cllr Tony Murphy (Independent) and seconded by Cllr Karen Power (Green Party Comhaontas Glas). Joining as a Balbriggan Councillor in 2013, Cllr Maguire had previously served on Balbriggan Town Council from 2009. She has extensive experience in local government and is a well-known figure in Ireland’s youngest town for the work she does across many different groups and for her passion around local issues.

At the AGM, praise was given to the outgoing Mayor and also to Deputy Mayor, Cllr Cathal Boland, for their unwavering service to the people of Fingal across the last year.A strong advocate of Dublin 15, former Mayor, Cllr Howard Mahony, has undertaken a large number of activities during his term, attending 365 community and Council related events across the year.

Donabate/Portrane Tidy Towns were busy over the last number of months doing a clear out along the perimeter walls and the hedging and ditch areas behind the cemetery. Over the years, these areas had become a bit of a dumping ground for a lot of waste plastic materials from the graves and had accumulated to an unsightly mess. Many volunteers spent a number of evenings emptying the ditches of refuse and bringing it to the front of the cemetery for collection by Fingal County Council. The rubbish collected was primarily plastic flowers, candles, grave ornaments and grave maintenance items, such as paint and left over marble. There was however evidence of domestic waste dumped with full rubbish bags, parts from chairs and suitcases among what was removed.

Quite often these ditches were water logged and not very accessible but perseverance saw the clear out through to the end and we would like to thank all volunteers who participated in the clean up.

As a result of the clean up, the hedgerows and ditches have become a more pleasant home for some of the plants and animals that may call this area of Donabate their home. Hedgehogs, badgers, foxes, birds, insects, etc do not have to be moving, feeding and living in an area with large sacks of rubbish and bits of plastic from the cemetery. We hope wildlife and biodiversity will improve as a result. There are two rubbish bays located in the cemetery, one in the middle part at the top perimeter wall and the second just on the right hand side as you enter and we would ask all visitors visiting the cemetery to leave any refuse in one of those bays for collection by Fingal County Council. Our pictures show the same spaces before and after the clean up, well done to all concerned.

Donabate Parish Hall has the Programme for Daily Users e.g Cards, Senior Citizens, Wellness Group, Irish Dance just organised. The Block Users Programme is also just organised at this point e.g: Photography Exhibition, Dramatic Society Plays and Youth Camps. Both Daily Users and Block Users programme of activities and events will run for the remainder of the year 2023 & until the summer of 2024. If you are interested in either Daily or Block bookings please contact the Parish Office immediately - as there may be some limited availability that would suit your needs. We accept bookings from groups or individuals - our main focus is on serving the increasing requirements of our growing community. The Parish Hall recently had the local Irish Traditional Music Comhaltas Branch - Leithinis CCÉ using the outside space for a music event in a gazebo! Please do not hesitate re any query to contact the Parish Office 018434574.