Recently, the Parish Hall & its equipment were used for part of the wonderful St Patrick’s Festival in Donabate. Congratulations to the hardworking committee on a great event. The photos tell the story from the Parish Hall.

Earlier in February the Crossroads Group held their AGM; their aim being to further more cultural, arts & youth activities and extend the amount of facilities in the community.

Training took place by over 20 people for the set up & take down of the Parish Hall’s New Riser Stage, thanks to all those volunteers. There were at least 2 people from many groups who came to train so that their group could sign out the stage for events.

Our community is growing and we are here if you need us in the Parish Office from 9:30am - 12:30 Monday - Friday. Please phone 01 8434574.

The commencement of works to construct the €10 million Ballymastone Recreational Hub, Donabate has been officially marked with a contract signing. Designed to meet the needs of the growing and diverse population, the project will provide high-quality recreational amenities, promote sports and physical activity, and serve as a lasting community asset for generations to come.

Phase two of the works at Ballymastone will consist of the construction of state-of-the-art sports pitches, dedicated athletics infrastructure and play/skatepark facilities. The Recreational Hub will form a major part of the community and follows on from the continued delivery of 1,200 homes at Balmoston on a 32-hectare site by Fingal County Council with Glenveagh as developers.

Present at the contract signing were Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Tom O’Leary, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, as well as representatives from the appointed contractors, Kilwex Civil, St Patrick’s GAA Club, St.Ita’s AFC, Lambay Sports & Athletics, local councillors, and members of Fingal County Council’s Parks and Landscapes Department.

Speaking following the contract signing, Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Tom O’Leary said: “I’m delighted to see works progressing on this €10 million recreational hub for Donabate. The Hub will provide families, young people, and residents of all ages with a space to gather, play, and thrive. I want to acknowledge the hard work and collaboration that has brought us to this point, and I look forward to seeing this new community asset take shape and serve our residents for many years to come.”

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly said: “At Fingal County Council we recognise the importance of not just delivering housing but creating communities. The Ballymastone Recreational Hub will be a fantastic and essential community facility for the Donabate area and will greatly contribute to the lives of the new residents in the area. I want to thank our Parks and Landscapes Team, local councillors, and members of the local clubs and wider Donabate community for their contribution to the delivery of this project”.

Also included in the plans for the hub is a new entrance from the Donabate Distributor Road, a car park, bleacher stands, as well as electric vehicle charging spaces and bicycle parking.

The gods were smiling on Donabate on Saturday 14th March with blue skies and warm sun in time for the St Patricks Festival Parade, the first one in living memory I’m told. Active Age for All were delighted to take part and came equipped with a banner, placards and much enthusiasm. There was a great buzz in the village and the mood of both walkers and watchers was happy and excited to be part of a community coming together to have fun and celebrate our fabled saint.

The Active Age committee have been busy of late with some more activities to add to our programme in response to suggestions from the membership. These are:

*Give the Gym a Go: an 8 week course being held in the DPCC gym on Friday mornings from 11 to 12 with Gym instructor Ross. It is geared towards instructing participants on how to use the gym equipment safely and effectively.

*Intergenerational project, a 4 week pilot scheme with AAfA and the Transition Year students from Donabate Community School. A full report on this will be in the next issue.

*Cards, games, crafts & chat is an informal, relaxed session every Thursday from 2 to 4pm in the Portacabin in the community centre where members can play a variety of games, such as, cards, scrabble or chess while the crafters sew, knit and crochet, all whilst enjoying a tea/ coffee, biscuits and a chat.

*Computer course: a laptop housekeeping course which will be coming on stream in the near future, more news on this at a later date.

On Saturday 14th March, Donabate St. Patrick’s Festival Committee organised Donabate’s first St. Patrick’s parade and festival. A wonderful community day was had by all and the sun shone! Gerry & the Plonkers, the Men’s Shed music group, were honoured to be the closing act in a day full of fun and entertainment, and a few shedders volunteered to help out with stewarding the parade. Earlier last month, the Plonkers played at a celebration of International Women’s Day in Parlickstown House.

January and February’s exceptionally wet weather played havoc with preparations for this year’s growing season at our plots in Turvey Allotments and members were playing catch-up last month. So, hopefully they have managed to make up for lost time.

Recently a few members had a guided tour of Leinster House with local T.D., Duncan Smith, arranged by local councillor Corina Johnston. We’d like to thank Duncan’s secretary, Nora, for her help in making it a wonderful day out. Now with summer approaching, and better weather we hope, the Men’s Shed will be looking at arranging more outings. A visit to the Shackleton Museum in Athy is on the cards.

Replay Instruments Project is an innovative initiative of Fingal County Council, Music Generation and Crosscare to rejuvenate older musical instruments and accessories for donation to schools and other community groups. Through the Irish Men’s Sheds Association’s Liaison, Pat Duff, the Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed is participating in this project. We have already taken in a guitar for restoration and hopefully it will be ready soon for donation to a local school.

As ever, our usual weekly exercise classes, croquet at Newbridge House, music practices and our Thursday get-togethers continue. So if you or someone you know would like to join us, please call Jim on 086-3694316.

Corina Johnston, Labour Party Local Area Representative Donabate and Portrane has revealed that the opening of the anticipated Broadmeadow Way Greenway project has been delayed until 2028.

Councillor Johnston said, “Over the last few months I have received a number of queries in respect of the opening of the Broadmeadow Way Greenway. I have been raising this matter with FCC since elected and received the below reply at last week’s council meeting to my question raised on this project.”

The query from Councillor Johnston reads, “To ask the Chief Executive to provide a progress report on the Broadmeadow Way Greenway project to confirm the cost to date and if this project will be delivered on time and within budget?”

The reply from Fingal County council reads, “Progress on the detailed design phases of the other elements of this project is continuing. Engagement with Irish Rail and with the National Transport Authority is ongoing for the causeway works.

Construction of this environmentally and technically challenging project has been divided into different works packages which will be delivered in stages:

Construction of the Broadmeadow Estuary Bridge took place in 2024. Works are complete.

The tender for the construction of the greenway along the causeway has been issued. It is expected that construction of the Northern Causeway will not be completed until 2027.

Construction of the greenway along the Southern Causeways will commence during the summer months of 2026.

Construction of the Donabate landward works and the Malahide landward works will take place during 2026 and 2027. A stage 1 Tender assessment has been completed in advance of a 2-stage tender process to establish a framework for works contractors for the various landward works contracts. The landward elements of the Broadmeadow Way in Donabate i.e. from Newbridge Demesne, through Kilcrea lands to the east side of Corballis railway underpass will be delivered through this framework.

Due to the seasonal constraints of working within the estuary, along with the technical challenges of building on the Northern Causeway, it is expected that the opening of the Broadmeadow Way will be in early 2028.

A lot of the scheme is yet to be constructed with some tenders underway and more to follow. The tender costs for the project are not yet available. FCC will require gateway approval from the National Transport Authority prior to construction contracts being put in place.

Johnston concluded;”While recognising the many technical challenges and multiple stakeholders involved in this projected I am very disappointed that this project has been delayed further until 2028. I will continue to pursue this matter and will keep you informed of developments.”

Through the Lens camera club are pleased to report very successful sales of our 2026 calendar, and we are delighted to have been able to donate €600 to the Donabate/Portrane Special Olympics group to help them on their way to competing in the 2026 Irish Special Olympics in June ( 18th to 21st ).

The Special Olympics group provides year round sports training, athletic competitions and developmental programmes for their members giving them the opportunity to participate in the sharing of skills and friendships with their families and other Special Olympic groups.

Through the Lens members look forward to cheering them on in the Irish Special Olympics, and getting some good photos, when they compete in June.

Through the Lens provides an informal, friendly and supportive environment to anybody interested in photography, whether it’s learning how to use your camera or how to get better pictures with your smart phone, all levels of photographic skills are catered for. The club is open to all over 18yrs, we meet every second Tuesday in Donabate Golf Club at 7.30pm and anyone interested is welcome to come along and give us a try. Look up our website www.thoughthelens.ie for further information.

Every year, International Women’s Day celebrates the social, cultural, economic and political achievements of women. To mark this year’s event, Lambay Cinema Club will be showing Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story on Thursday March 5th at 8:00pm.

This 2024 documentary features iconic, taboo-breaking Irish Novelist, Edna O’Brien, who definitely made a big cultural and social impact. In archive footage from throughout her career, including her final interview at the age of 93, she reflects on her life and what many would call, extraordinary career, alongside contributions from Jessie Buckley, Gabriel Byrne and Anne Enright.

Defying Ireland’s patriarchal, religious constraints with her 1960 debut novel, The Country Girls, she became a literary sensation. Vilified in Ireland and escaping an abusive husband, O’Brien was a prolific, controversial, taboo-breaking powerhouse who made a fortune and lost one. This film tells the whole story of this remarkable woman.

Tickets cost €10 (€8 for OAPs / Students).

For more information and to get your tickets please go to www.lambaycinemaclub.com.
The Lambay Cinema Club holds monthly screenings at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Church at The Square, Donabate, K36 Y521.

Members of Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed were saddened to learn of the recent passing of Willie Walsh. We remember Willie as a quiet, but wise man, always cheerful and a true gentleman. He was a regular at our Thursday morning get-togethers until he moved to Beechtree Nursing Home a couple of years ago.

e were proud to be asked by his family to form a guard of honour at the entrance to Donabate Cemetery as the funeral cortege arrived. Willie will be sadly missed by all who had the good fortune of knowing him. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

On a lighter note, Gerry and the Plonkers, the Men’s Shed music groups, have two gigs coming up in March after a quite time since Christmas. The first is a celebration of International Women’s Day in Parlickstown Community Centre. The second, closer to home, is part of the St. Patick’s celebrations in Donabate on Saturday 14th March, which is being organised by Donabate St. Patrick’s Festival Committee. This promises to be a great event for all; so get out and get involved.

Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed had our AGM at the end of last month, too late to include a full report in this article. We’ll have more information for next month’s issue.

The Men’s Shed is in the process of acquiring additional new equipment for use in our weekly exercise classes, led by our own Fintan Delaney. We also continue our weekly croquet outings in Newbridge Park, weather permitting, our regular music practice sessions and our Thursday morning get-togethers in the Scouts’ Den on the Portrane Road. So, if you or someone close to you would like to join us, please call Jim on 086-3694316.

Saturdays:
Feb 28th-NO walk took place due to weather conditions.
Mar 21st-Planned the Royal Canal
April 25th-Planned the Leitrim Blue Way
May 16th-Planned Dunlaoghaire to Dalkey (OR the
Newry Greenway if possible to do a successful reckie before the date!)
Special Day Walking Tour of Dublin City: Tuesday June 16th 2026
(for James Joyce Bloomsday Events)
This year we have some new leaders who have done the GetIrelandWalking 1 Hour Course for to Lead Group Walks!
New! Margaret O’Brien, Rosaleen O’Reilly
Join! Des Carthy, Carolyn Smith, Breda Dockrell, Jim O’Donohoe

Walking is the cheapest and best form of exercise!

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!