Cllr Adrian Henchy has welcomed what he termed as good news regarding Ballisk House Donabate. He said,” I am very pleased to receive confirmation this morning from the Director of Economic Enterprise, Tourisim and Cultural Department of Fingal County Council, that they have completed the purchase of Ballisk House Donabate (formely Donabate Credit Union) While the closure of the Progressive Credit Union was a major blow to our local community this is a positive outcome in that the building and site which was delivered by our local community many years ago now rightfully returns to our local community. The coming weeks and months will see firmer plans put in place for the future potential use of the building for our local community.My thanks to Fingal County Council for the thier diligent work in getting this over the line and for the support of my peninsula colleague Cllr Paul Mulville who has also strongly supported this campaign at every opportunity we got within Fingal County Council.” Cllr Henchy said regarding the closure of Credit Union in Donabate,” I have just concluded a meeting with Fingal County Council Director of Economic/Enterprise/Tourism and Culture Emer O Gorman and her officials also attended by my colleague on the peninsula Cllr. Paul Mulville and other Fingal Councillors. Emer gave a background to the sale of Council owned lands to the then Donabate Credit Union in 1995 to allow for the building of Ballisk House the home of Donabate & District Credit Union. This was a full sale of the land to the credit union and the council did not insert any conditions or buy back clauses on the sale of the land at that time. I took the opportunity to impress upon Emer and Fingal County Council the history of the iconic building, I am encouraged by the fact Fingal County Council are agreeable to reaching out to Progressive Credit Union with a view to keeping this building and site in retaining it for Community usage and I very much welcome the Councils agreement to fully explore this. I will also once again be writing to the Progressive Credit Union to request a meeting with the Chief Executive in order to impress upon him the critical need to keep this service operational for the peninsula of Donabate Portrane both now and into the future and to reverse the plans they have to close this vital service.”

With almost 1,200 members, St Pats is the biggest sports club in Donabate Portrane. They’ve been going from strength to strength year on year. They now field 9 adult teams in Mens & Ladies Football, Hurling, Gaelic For Mothers & Others along with social football for Dads & Others.

They have Juvenile Football for boys & girls at all ages and Hurling / Camogie from U13 / U11 downwards. Their Academy for children born 2015, 2016 or 2017 takes place on Saturday mornings. No doubt, you’ll have seen their social media tag #ProudToBePats; well 2022 was certainly a wonderful reflection of their plan and purpose! Their first Mens Football squad enjoyed a fabulous season winning the Dublin Intermediate Football Championship breaking through to the Senior Championship ranks! Their second squad won back-to-back Junior Championships gaining promotion. While their Ladies & Hurlers were unlucky to bow our at Semi-Final stage. All this along with their recent success receiving the maximum amount in the Capital Sports Grant means the Club is certainly on the up. They’ve always had a great tradition of welcoming new members to all their teams but having added additional Mens & Ladies football teams this year, they’d be particularly pleased to hear from adult players at all levels - hurling and football - whether you’re returning to play or taking up Gaelic Games for the first time. Now’s the perfect time to join in! If you or your friends / family would like to join the Club, just contact Órlaith on info@stpatsgaa.com and she’ll direct you to the right team for you.

Active Age for All started their year with a very successful AGM in January and a new Committee was elected. Registration for classes took place at the beginning of February and we had a great response with most classes nearly full. People are delighted to get back to in-person classes once again. They started on the 14th of February, but we do have some places left in Chair Yoga, Singing, Music, and Bridge. So come along and try a new activity this Spring! If you are interested in joining classes or just becoming part of AAfA please contact us, details given below. Application forms are also available from reception in DPCC.At present we are running a program for our members to improve their digital skills. We are using Acorn Tablets, which are simplified computer tablets for older people. This is a Try & Buy program, whereby members are loaned a tablet for three months to enable them to learn how to do email, connect to family, use WhatsApp and send and receive photos. We are providing classes free as part of the programme. At the end of three months they are returned and then they are loaned to a new cohort. If you are interested in joining this programme please contact us or leave your details at reception in DPCC.We are all looking forward to a more normal Spring and the start of our outside activities Croquet and Boules. Contact details: please email us at activeageforall@gmail.com or text 086 880 6808.

Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed has now resumed our pre-Covid activities, albeit with caution, withexercise classes on Monday mornings, croquet & boules on Tuesday mornings, coffee & chat on Thursday mornings and plans being made for an outing soon. We are also exploring how to get involved building owl boxes, under the guidance of the Barn Owl Project. Recently, we held our first proper AGM in two years, at which a new committee was elected, with Seán Buckley as our Chairman. We also completed our self-assembly storage shed, which proved to be a greater challenge than the instructions implied. Now that we are back to our “new normality”, we are actively recruiting new members. If you are interested, please contact Jim on 086-3694316.

After a year and 11 months of lessons over zoom our face to face classes resumed on the 7th February. We now have 49 students taking lessons in 9 different instruments. In addition to our classes our Grupai Cheoil Gatherings for members are back up and running. The next session will be on the 4th of March in the Parish Hall which will be a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. We would strongly encourage all our members to partake in these sessions as they allow our students to play the tunes they have learned at the lessons with other students who are at a similar level.We have alot of experienced and talented traditional Musicians living on the Peninsula. If you are interested in seeing them showcasing their skills come along to the Traditional Irish Music Sessions led by Denis Stack in Keelings on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month at 9pm. An enjoyable night will be guaranteed. Further information about our classes, teachers and sessions can be found on our website leithinis.com or our FB page Comhaltas Leithinis Donabate Portrane. Or contact us on leithinis@comhaltas.net.

On the Boules Court recently installed by FCC Parks Department nearly thirty people turned up for the Boules Coaching Course organised with Tom Donnellan (Bayside Boules) in early February for people to learn the basic rules and techniques of the game.

They came from various organisations Active Age for All, Men’s Shed etc and as individuals, to learn how to play, so we would all be on the same page! FCC have been active in building courts in various parks in Fingal recently and when this is well underway, we hope they will consider a second court for Newbridge Park. This would complete a recreational hub with the Croquet area which already allows for two games to take place at the same time. It was a great success - Tom a true professional and in the past a PE Teacher, along with his good wife Eileen - delivered a great course - easy to understand with everyone getting a go, it was also great fun! Can we especially thank Lourda Darcy from FCC - for pulling out all the stops to get not just one but two seats in place in the perfect location, sitting at right angles to the court promoting good socialising! Also, the Boules Rules signage board is excellent.Congrats again to all at FCC for the Court and to all the people who turned up to learn & play! Breda Dockrell 086 8693243

On Monday 24th January The Tower Singing Circle celebrated the songs, poetry and music of Scotland’s poet Robert Burns.The Donabate/ Portrane peninsula has quite a few residents who are from Scotland and we welcomed them to join us in our celebration.Local piper Mick McNamara started off the celebrations with a rousing “Scotland the Brave” and this was followed by the traditional “Address to the Haggis”. Janey Wylie wielded her knife with great gusto as she said“An’ cut ye up wi’ ready slight,Trenching your gushing entrails bright,” to loud applause.Anne Condon read “The Selkirk Grace” and “To the Immortal Memory” was given by Hugh Carroll who read “The Birl for Burns” by Seamus Heaney. Former Portrane resident but now living in Calgary, Canada, Sean Buckley, gave a very complimentary “Toast to the Lassies” and Eilish McDermott gave a less than complimentary “Reply to the Toast to the Lassies” We were joined by our guests for the evening - Angela and Jack Plunkett. Originally from Glasgow, Angela and Jack have a huge repertoire of songs.We were delighted to welcome Emily Peart full time Highland Dance Tutor from the Sollus School of Highland Dance based in the Sollus Centre in the village of Bready just 7 miles from Derry. Emily performed the Highland Fling.Margaret Godwin introduced members of The Tower Singing Singers and visitors who sang a variety of Burns and Scottish songs.

Recently Donabate Parish Hall as part of their Cultural Programme had or will have: The Through the Lens Photography Group put on an exhibition on the last weekend in February.-The Bleeding Pig Cultural Group are putting on a film early March to celebrate International Women’s Day -The Donabate Dramatic Society will have a production at the end of April. During the time slots for these events to take place the daily activities are suspended. This programming approach allows for blocked events and daily activities to co-exist to provide for the whole communities needs. The plan at present is to close the parish hall to weekly activities for a period of 3 weeks in October 2022 and a staggered closure during the period of February/March 2023 to allow cultural events to be held. There may be some other periods for Cultural Camps during the holiday periods.We hope and trust that you will support activities and events in your newly relaunched Parish Hall. On Friday 25th March all groups and individuals currently using and connected to the Parish Hall will be invited to the Parish Hall on that evening for a relaunch of all the activities & events with the Lord Mayor of Fingal County Council present, Cllr Seána Ó Rodaigh and other Councillors in the area and Officials.The photographs are of the set up of the screens grant aided by FCC being set up and the painting of the railings at St Patricks Parish Church grant aided under the Village Renewal Scheme. We are proud and delighted so far with the work done on the Parish Hall and cannot thank Fingal County Council enough for the support in the form of grant aid towards these works. Your community Parish Hall at over 200 years old Is the oldest operating facility in the Dublin Diocese, isn’t that something to celebrate!

Lambay Sports & Athletics) is Donabate & Portrane’s busy vibrant athletic club, just emerging out of lockdown and ready to embrace an exciting future ahead! LSA is as rapidly growing local athletic club, established in 2011. We promote health, well-being, and physical fitness with a lot of fun for all ages and all abilities throughout the community. The club is growing from strength to strength with over 300 members. Our busy little club has competed in some recent events where our adult and juvenile members have excelled in their personal goals. Creating new records at our local parkrun to winning medals at the National Indoor Masters Championships 2022 in Athlone. Our adults also take part in events organized by other Athletics Ireland clubs such as the Raheny 5 Mile earlier this year, the Lusk 4 mile in March and the Dublin City Marathon in October. We cater for all abilities with groups starting from complete beginners with our walking and Couch to 5k group to intermediate and advanced intervals. Our juveniles age groups have recently competed in the Dublin Indoor Championships 2022 in Abbotstown. For many it was their first experience of the National Indoor Arena and they loved it and were wonderful ambassadors for the club. There were smiles and fun all around and new PB’s created. SAVE THE DATE - We are excited to announce that we are currently in the process of organizing our own race to take place on the peninsula on 22nd May 2022. Keep an eye on our social media pages for more details. We are looking forward to working with the local community and inviting our friends from other clubs from across the country to compete. Keep up to date on all the events by following LSA on facebook, instagram and twitter. Facebook : facebook.com/lambaysportsacademy, Instagram contact details are Instagram.com/lsadonabateportrane/ and Twitter at Twitter.com/LSARunning For additional information on the above please visit our website lambaysportsathletics.ie /Registration for 2022 NEW Membership is now open and our new ‘Couch to 5k’ is starting at the beginning of March.

Cllr Adrian Henchy has said he is “ absolutely delighted to confirm the Capital Sports Grants announced for 2022 have been a very successful outcome for a number of Sporting clubs and organisations across the Donabate-Portrane peninsula. My sincere thanks to my colleagues Minister Darragh O Brien and Minister Jack Chambers who gave me the time on many occasions to strongly support my local clubs in their endeavours to improve on and off the playing facilities. I am especially grateful to Minister Chambers who met with me in recent weeks giving me the opportunity to strongly put forward my case on the merits of the clubs across Donabate Portrane. Sincere thanks and recognition to all of these individuals, you know who you are, your clubs know who you are and we as a wider local community are lucky to have you driving these enormous improvements in our sporting facilities across Donabate Portrane..With overall funding of well over €550,000 awarded across Donabate Portrane, congratulations to the following clubs:Donabate Portrane Community Centre Gym Adaptation Multi-sport, Balcarrick Golf Club- Balcarrick women into golf development.Donabate Golf Club - Equipment and Drainage, The St Ita’s AFC Multi-Sports Areas Soccer, St Patricks GAA Club, Donabate - Installation of fully drained sand based pitch for Gaelic Games, Portrane Hockey Club - Equipment project for Hockey.The overall record funding allocation both nationally and for Donabate Portrane was secured following negotiations between Minister with responsibility for Sport Jack Chambers and Michael McGrath, Public Expenditure Minister.These allocations are the country’s largest ever Sports Capital & Equipment Programme distribution.The assessment process for grant provision was adjusted for this year’s programme with greater marks awarded to projects which would increase female participation, as well as increasing participation for people with disabilities.Under the Sports Capital Programme over 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that time to over €1billion.Finally once again on behalf of everyone in our local community a massive thanks and recognition to all our local clubs for the incredible work you do and congratulations to all the successful clubs in been rewarded Capital Sports funding, an immensely proud time for the Club Executives, teams and club members.