At Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed, we continue to expand the range of our activities. In addition to our usual weekly exercise classes on Mondays, croquet on Tuesdays and tea and chat on Thursdays, we recently had a pitch and putt outing to the scenic course in Deerpark, Howth. Although no one expects a call-up to the Ryder Cup team, we had a great morning, enjoying the company and the spectacular scenery. Also recently, we enjoyed our first annual Christmas dinner since 2019 in Keeling’s, again great company and wonderful tunes and songs. What a talented bunch! Based on the standard of performances, we hope to start a weekly jam session for members with an interest in music. We wish our members and the wider community, who has supported us over the years, a very happy Christmas and hope to see more members joining us in the New Year. If you’re interested, please call Jim on 086-3694316.

Bleeding Pig Cultural Festival 2022 ~ 2023 So, another hugely successful Bleeding Pig Cultural Festival has come to a close. After a Covid-induced absence of two years, the festival made a welcome return to the peninsula in September. The festival boasted 11 days of fun-filled cultural activities for all ages and all cultural tastes. From Art & Craft Workshops to Gala Concerts, Céili Dancing to Guided Tours, and Short Films to a Casino night, the timetable included something for everyone. All events in the Bleeding Pig Festival were free of charge. We are very grateful to all generous festival sponsors, without whose assistance the festival could not happen. Our sponsors include Fingal County Council, Tesco Ireland, SuperValu, DoughBox Pizza, Roughan & O’Donovan Engineers, Donough Higgins and D&S Construction Limited, Screenlink Printers, Cates Café, Forget-Me-Not Flowers, Life Pharmacy, Progressive Credit Union, Keelco Limited, John B. Dockrell Limited, Film Equipment Hire and Wiley Design. The organiser are also very grateful to all the premises on the peninsula who offered their locations as venues for festival events, including Donabate/Portrane Community Centre, Donabate Library, Pea & Pod Café, the Brook Pub, Keelings Pub, St. Patrick’s RC Church, St. Patrick’s Church of Ireland, and the Parish Hall. The committee worked hard to put the festival together and make it such success. If you would like to be part of the Bleeding Pig Cultural Festival and are interested in joining the committee, contact Eilish McDermott on 0877911833, or any committee member. The committee met last weekend for a workshop and cabinet re-shuffle and the new committee was voted in as: Festival Director Eilish McDermott Chairperson Anne Hand Vice-Chairperson Peig McManus Treasurer Larry Carolan Secretary Eilish McDermott PR & Advertising Sharon Scally, Áine Duffy, Emer Weston A huge debt of gratitude is due to Breda Dockrell for her tireless contribution to the festival since its’ inauguration in 2013. Breda is retiring from the committee and taking a well-earned break. We wish her all the best for the future. The next item on the Bleeding Pig calendar is the Winter Miscellany on Sunday December 18th at 6.30 in St. Patrick’s Church of Ireland. This festive favourite features stories written by members of the Chinkwell Writers, together with musical interludes from the Blanchardstown Brass Band, the Bevertones, Willie Cahill, Kate Smartt, Louise Flood School of Irish Daning, and the Yukeleles. 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Bleeding Pig Cultural Festival and the celebrations will be worthy of a decade of successful, fun, entertaining cultural events! Keep an eye on FaceBook and the Bleeding Pig website for details of events to come.

Corina Johnston, Labour Party Area Representative is calling on Fingal County Council to carry out emergency works to save the Beach Lane access Road to 12 homes and public right of way. Johnston said; “Duncan Smith TD and I have been calling for the Seabees to be extended from the corner of the Beach Lane access Road to past the public right of way, which is accessed by fishermen and bird watchers, for a number of years. The situation has become critical in recent days with coastal erosion taking metres from the dunes along this stretch of beach and washing away the dunes at one point undermining the access road and making it virtually impassible. “Johnston added;” I visited the area in recent days and met with residents who are fearful they will no longer be able to access their homes before too long especially with the high tides and winter season upon us with no coastal protection measures in place. The public right of way to the beach has also been undermined with a huge drop now from the right of way to the beach which is unsafe and unstable. It is evident that if nothing is done now to safeguard the access road it will become impassible within days and the public right of way will be diminished further and will disappear into the sea.” Johnston added;”Duncan and I have been in contact with the CEO and senior officials of Fingal County Council over the last few weeks insisting that the Seabees be extended immediately from their current location from the corner of the access road to past the public right of way in order for the road and right of way to be saved.” Johnston continued; “ A number of months ago our motion calling on the council to compulsory purchase order the access road was passed at a council meeting and while discussions had been ongoing with a land owner to provide an alternative access to the lane these discussions have ended without an agreement. The council need to immediately commence the CPO process to ensure the future viability of the entire access road. “ Johnston concluded; “Duncan and I have highlighted the seriousness of the situation with the CEO of Fingal County Council and Minister Darragh O’Brien and requested that this matter be given urgent priority and an assessment be carried out at this location with the Seabees extended to ensure the future viability of the road and the public right of way. “

Donabate Parish Hall Committee recently sponsored the refreshments for an FCC Inclusion Event held in the Parish Hall in November. Leithinis CCÉ hosted the Event for the Ukrainian Community - who are doing the Fáilte Isteach English language course in Donabate Portrane Community & Leisure Centre. It was a fantastic Session of Music, Song & Dance celebrating both Cultures, Irish & Ukrainian. The night was all about participation & integration and was enjoyed by all. Donabate Parish Committee wishes the Community a Happy Christmas and look forward to seeing all who use the Parish Hall back again in the New Year. We welcome new users and will try to accommodate them in our diverse and growing community. There will be daily activities & cultural slots in the New Year. So, if you are interested, please contact Bernie in the Parish Office as soon as possible with any requests! Tel: 01-8434574 or Email:stpatricksrcdonabate@irishmediagroup.ie

Over 100 years old, Portrane Hockey Club has been at the heart of many generations in the village. With over 350 adult and junior members, the club has joined together the community, encouraging new members to try a new sport in a fun, relaxed environment. The club now has 7 senior teams, 3 men’s and 4 ladies with a range of junior Leinster league teams from age 5 through to U16’s. Portrane HC caters for all hockey levels from the serious player to the social player. With the club on the Donabate pitch six days a week, there is something for everyone! Last season was a very successful season for the senior teams with league wins for many and cup finals being won after a hard-fought season. Both the men’s and ladies first teams play at division one and Challenge A respectively. This success transferred into our junior teams with many boys and girls walking away with well-earned Leinster titles at the end of the season. Portrane Hockey Club is a club for all with competitive teams and a great social atmosphere both on and off the pitch. The supporters come together in their purple colours for home matches at the Donabate pitch with great camaraderie from push back to final whistle. The club wouldn’t be where it is today without it’s hard-working committee and coaching staff. Last season saw the new additions of coaches Ross Hetem and Anthony Glutz, both from South Africa. They can also be seen playing for the men’s first team each week in their bid to win division one. If you would like to give hockey a go and join Portrane Hockey Club, please contact Anita Patterson secretaryportranehc@gmail.com or message Portrane Hockey Club on Facebook or Instagram

Marathon fever was in the air in LSA in October as the mileage and training intensified. The theme of the 2022 Dublin City marathon was the Power of Support and this was well and truly evident amongst members of LSA. Over thirty of our adult members ran the Dublin City Marathon last month, supported in their journey to that point by many more. See our Social Media pages for the latest information.Our club provided a supported pathway to the marathon: training sessions, company and hydration for long runs, and Zoom talks with advice on everything needed to get from the start line through the 26 miles.The Dublin race series builds up to the Marathon. Back in August, the Frank Duffy 10 mile race was also the Dublin Athletics 10 mile Championships. Huge congratulations to our coaches Eimear Caulfield and Shane O’Farrell who placed 2nd and Steven Rice who placed 3rd in their age categories in the Dublin Championships.Then in September the Dublin City Half Marathon took place in the Phoenix Park. The notoriously tough and hilly course tested our group. Huge congratulations to Willie Cahill who had a fantastic run and placed second in his age category. As Marathon Day approached LSA was well represented in Lusk at the East of Ireland and Longwood 3/4 Marathons. Meanwhile, we are excited to see our Little Athletics and Juvenile section growing and some of our younger members have had their first taste of competition in Cross Country. Congratulations to Mark Kelly on a Dublin Medal with an excellent 4th place finish in the recent Dublin Championships. Well done all, and thank you to our volunteer coaches for their support. For memberships queries or to get involved please contact lambaysportsathletics@gmail.com - Keep up to date on all the events by following LSA via our social media pages! Facebook facebook.com/lambaysportsacademy or indeed
instagram.com/lsadonabateportrane twitter.com/LSARunning For additional information on the above please visit our website lambaysportsathletics.ie/

One Friday In October a group of people from UkuleleUnited came together in the Parish Hall to have a music session and try out the new acoustic panels, they were very impressed with the quality of the sound since their installation. It is a really great location now for a music event and all involved had an enjoyable few hours of playing!

On Saturday 15th October a group of 16 from the Peninsula Pacers did a walk from Portmarnock to Malahide, this was a coastal walk of 10km, which started from the train station at Portmarnock leading to the Royal Dublin Golf Course end of the Portmarnock beach, where one walks the beach towards Malahide as far as the Martello Tower. We then took the coastal path beside the road for the last few kms into Malahide Village, finally a delicious lunch was had at Duffy’s. and tired but happy after a good walk in good weather bar the last ten minutes of rain people took the train home to Donabate. Further information please contact Carolyn Smith 087 9284307 or Des Carthy 087 7846813

After an absence of two years due to Covid-19, we are delighted to announce that the Donabate Christmas Lights Festival makes a welcome return on Saturday, December 3rd at 4.30pm, in the car-park of St. Patrick’s Church in the village. For the past 10 years or more, this not-for-profit, free local tradition has attracted huge crowds to the village to enjoy some seasonal festive refreshments and entertainment. This year is shaping up to be no different, with festive refreshments for kids of all ages! We have a surprise in store to provide the seasonal entertainment, more details to follow closer to the time. We will take up a charity collection at the event. In recent years we have collected almost €1000 for worthy causes. The organisers would like to thank Fingal County Council for sponsoring the event. Every year FCC source and install the Christmas tree and it has always been a beautiful tree. We look forward to enjoying another lovely tree this year. Many thanks also to CP Electrical who install the festive lights around the village.We are very grateful to local businesses, Tesco and SuperValu for their generous sponsorship of the event. SuperValu have always given us the delicious warm Mince Pies, washed down by Mulled Wine courtesy of Tesco. We are also grateful to Fr. Pat Reilly and all at St. Patrick’s Church for accommodating the event. Just across the road from the church, in St. Patrick’s Parish Hall, the festive Christmas Craft Fair also makes a welcome return. From 12-6pm, local crafters and artisans will showcase their arts and crafts. Drop in and browse the market and maybe even pick up a quirky Christmas gift or two! And boys and girls, unlike recent years when Santa visited Donabate online via Zoom, Santa himself will be in the Parish Hall from 2-5pm to meet you all. No appointment necessary for this.This event could not happen without the team of volunteer Elves. Many thanks to the team who give up their Saturday to help make the event such a success.So, come along to the village on Saturday 3rd December and join in the festivities. Let’s kick-start the Donabate festive season in style!

Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed’s plots at Turvey Allotment have been prepared for the winter. The beds were cleared, a layer of manure was spread and the beds were covered to stop all growth. So, except apart from garlic and spring onions in the greenhouses and an experiment with growing peppers, things will be relatively quiet there until February when we start getting ready for next season. But far from being inactive of the winter months, the Men’s Shed is planning on expanding our activities. Our regular Monday morning exercise classes resumed last month and our Tuesday morning croquet sessions at Newbridge House have on taken on extra edge, as the lads are determined to avenge their recent defeat by a ladies’ team from Active Age for All. We also meet at the Scouts’ Den on Thursday mornings for coffee and a chat, with the possibility of a table tennis or darts match if anyone is interested. In addition to these regular weekly activities, we had a pitch-and-putt outing last month and are planning a visit later this month to the Natural History Museum, better known to Dubs as the “Dead Zoo”. So, if you are interested in joining us, there’s always a welcome for a new face at our Thursday morning get-togethers in the Donabate Scouts’ Den on Portrane Road or you can call Jim on 086-3694316. We are always open for new members and new ideas about how we can expand our activities.