Despite all the public health restrictions, 2021 was an active year for members of Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed. Our plots at Turvey Allotments have been the mainstay of our activities. In April, we took on a second plot. Thanks to grants from Fingal County Council, Fingal LCDC, Fingal Camber, Tesco and the Department of Rural and Community Development and the hard work of our members, the once neglected patch was transformed into a well organised and productive plot. Briars, brambles and weeds were removed; the ground was dug and manured; a new polytunnel was erected; raised bed and pathways were installed and a bountiful harvest was produced.But our activities were not confined to tending the allotments. When the weather permitted during the spring and summer months, members met on Portrane Green to enjoy take-aways from Pipers’ and at ‘The Shoreline’ for a coffee. Later in the year, we met on Thursdays at the back of the Scouts’ Den and even had a demonstration by the Barn Owl Project there. Due to colder weather and rising concerns about Covid, these gatherings were suspended. In co-operation with Active Age for All and thanks to Fingal County Council, we have secured a time-slot on Tuesday mornings for croquet at Newbridge House.We hope that we can soon get back to our previous activities– indoor gatherings for a cuppa and a chat, table tennis, exercise classes and visits to places of interest. If you are interested in joining us, please call Jim on 086-3694316.

If you are thinking of learning a traditional Irish instrument in a relaxed and friendly environment as a New year’s resolution Leithinis Donabate Portrane CCE will open online registration for lessons to new members/students of all ages in a wide range of instruments from Monday 17th January to Sunday 23rd January, 2022. We will contact our current students about the new term of classes by email over the next few weeks.The 12 lessons will run on Monday evenings from the 7th February until the 24th May ( with breaks for midterm, Easter and Bank Holidays). We have a range of instruments to rent.There will be a number of slow sessions on Friday evenings during the term which will allow students of all abilities to practice their tunes along with others.We are lucky in Leithinis to have a number of very experienced teachers teaching in our branch. Check out our website www.leithinis com for further details.We have a number of talented traditional Irish musicians living on our Peninsula. A traditional music session led by Denis Stack and friends will be held in Keeling’s on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 9pm This is a great opportunity to see local experienced musicians showcasing their talents and to see what you can achieve by enrolling and learning a traditional instrument. We are offering lessons in Tin Whistle, Bodhran, Fiddle, Accordion, Concertina, Banjo and Guitar. If you are interested in lessons please email us at leithinis@comhaltas.net, with nace, age ( if under 18), instrument of choice and level and we will get back to you. We look forward to hearing from you and in the meantime..Happy New Year from Leithinis Donabate Portrane CCE .

For more than a year the Parish Hall has been undergoing some much needed refurbishment & repairs. The works included repairs to the roof & ceilings, painting of the entire inside of the hall, walls doors and ceilings, painting of the outside doors, the sanding and varnishing of the Main Hall floor, new floors in the Green Room, Meeting Room and the two lobbies, repairs to toilets, windows and radiators, upgrading of electrics including the addition of a number of new sockets, a new fire alarm system, new fold up tables, new trolleys, new screens, new black out blinds and new Irish Dance mats etc.The Parish Hall Committer wishes to sincerely thank Fingal County Council Community Dept. especially Rafe Costigan, Senior Community Officer & Janette Scott, Community Officer for help with the process of seeking grant aid and for support of this project. Also, Fingal LCDC and the Dept. Of Rural & Community Development for the grant aid towards the works. In addition, local councillors and public representatives also actively sought and helped secure this funding from FCC and we are very grateful.The programme for the Parish Hall is divided into weekly activities such as (Irish Dancing, Cards, meetings, clubs, music nights) and cultural blocks. In February/ March from Friday February 18th - Sunday 13th March, it will again do a “Cultural Blocks of Time” of about 3 weeks - where all weekly activities will be suspended - and hopefully Plays, Films, Exhibitions and Culture Camps etc can take place during this period.If you missed applying before Christmas to Bernie & Fr Pat Reilly to be part of the 3 week “Cultural Block” please contact them before Friday 7th January. This will all be subject to Covid guidelines and regulations that apply at the time.We wish everyone in our Community a Happy & Healthy New Year and if you have any queries re the use of the Parish Hall, please contact us, Bernie can be contacted at & any queries to:stpatricksrcdonabate@gmail.com or 01 8434574.

Nothing can stop our dynamic group of seniors who, through the pandemic, kept classes going online. Noticing that their weekly email that covered ideas about gardening, handy tips, and links to information that may have been of interest to members. Out of the approximately 200 members, we had 40 who did not have digital communication and this meant that they were not supported as other members were and when we started our Zoom exercise classes, they were not able to connect to them. We needed a solution to this isolation The ACORN project! We applied for a grant and were thrilled to receive it from the ‘Keep Well Campaign’ from Fingal Co Council and Age Friendly Fingal. With the help of this grant and the support of Donabate Portrane Community Centre we purchased 10 Acorn Tablets. The project is now running 4 x 3-month training courses where the AAfA member will have a loan of the ACORN tablet for three months. It is all about building people’s confidence and patience in classes. Staying connected to friends and family will be much easier. ACORN Tablets are simplified so that they are easier to use. Training has started in the local community centre with our first cohort of AAfA members and the classes are given by some of our members who have been specially trained to deliver the training and classes. If you live in the Donabate/Portrane area and would like to get involved in this project please contact us at DPCC where you can leave your name and phone number and we will get back to you about it. You can also text us your name and the word ‘computer’ to 086 8806 808. We would really like to offer this opportunity to as many people as possible.Active Age for All members would like to express our gratitude to Fingal County Council, Age Friendly Fingal, and DPCC for all their support with this Project. A Happy and Healthy New Year to you all !

Through the Lens photography club are happy to announce that their limited edition calendar for 2022 is now on sale! The calendar has enjoyed great popularity over the last few years; it makes an ideal gift to send to loved ones who live abroad, or indeed a welcome New Years present anywhere.The calendar is the clubs’ only fund-raising activity for the year .Given the present pandemic situation we fully understand that some people are reluctant to venture out too much, so if anyone would like to order a calendar we will gladly deliver. For orders please contact Carolyn Smith 0879284307. Also the Through the Lens AGM will be held in Donabate Golf Club on Monday 10th January at 7.30pm. The Through the Lens Photographic Group is open to anyone over 18, from beginners to more expert, who would like to join a group of like-minded people who enjoy photography. For more information call 085 2682266, or email info@throughthelens.ie. Club membership is €50/year, this includes pavilion membership and €20 bar credit. We cater for people 18 and up, and welcome all levels of skill and experience. We wish all our sponsors and supporters a very happy bright and healthy New Year.

Four businesses in the Fingal area are pedalling into the busy festive season with brand new eCargo bikes from Fingal County Council. These state of the art eCargo bikes are intended to replace the use of motor vehicles for local area deliveries. As part of its commitment to climate action and providing sustainable travel alternatives, Fingal County Council is providing the bikes free of charge to the businesses for 12 months.The initiative launched recently with delivery of the first two eCargo bikes to businesses in Malahide and Donabate with further launches happening next week in Rush and Blanchardstown. The bikes have been branded for each business and have been purchased by Fingal County Council. Maintenance of the bikes will be handled by Bleeper Bike for the duration of the pilot.David Storey, Director of Services for Environment, Climate Action and Active Travel, says throughout the next 12 months we will monitor how the bikes are used, what impact this switch to bike delivery has on how they do business and the impact on the environment compared to their usual delivery methods. We will also be getting regular feedback from the businesses themselves on how customers are responding.’ Amongst the businesses selected for the initial phase of the eCargo bike project are: The Village Garden Centre, Malahide, and the Altitude Coffee, Donabate.Hugh Cooney, CEO of Bleeper Bike, says he looks forward to building a picture of success as the bikes go into use. ‘Our eCargo bikes take advantage of the latest technology, they are lightweight and easy to manoeuvre so they are ideal for convenient local delivery. We will also gather data as they are used which will help us understand how the bike impacts the business and where and when they are best used. That data will help us plan for really successful adoption of eCargo delivery bikes.’

Donabate parkrun returned at the end of September after a long absence due to the pandemic and we celebrated our 6th anniversary in October. There have been regularly attendances of over 150 participants and it’s been fantastic to see everyone enjoying their 5km run, walk or jog as well as catching up with friends for a chat and coffee. We recently purchased a defibrillator which will be available if needed at parkrun each Saturday. This was possible thanks to the generosity of donations made by parkrunners. We are truly grateful for this. We usually need up to 20 volunteers each Saturday to cover all the roles needed for a successful and safe parkrun. Some would say that it’s even more fun volunteering than actually running a parkrun so please get in touch if you could help for an hour. Donabate parkrun is a free, timed 5k run, walk or jog that takes place at 9:30am every Saturday at Newbridge House. You can contact us by email if yo are interested at Donabate@parkrun.com or send us a message on Facebook.

It’s not often that we get to write about History Makers but that’s what the U13 boys squad from St Pats are! A massive Buladh Bós to them for winning their Juvenile Hurling League for the first tice in the Club’s almost hundred year history. They were the first Juvenile team in the Club ever to compete at this level and now only a few scant years later, they’re the first to take a Juvenile Title. Winning a League Title in any sport is a fantastic achievement but to win one in a recently introduced discipline with no older juvenile squads ahead to guide you is a feat unto itself.This squad might be the first to play both Hurling and Football but they’re not the only ones. They’re leading the charge in Pats Juvenile section where U13 down all play Gaelic Football along with Hurling/Camogie. What a fantastic position to be in as the Club approaches their century in 2024. Who could’ve imagined back in 1924 that they’d have 1,100 members and be playing Football, LGFA, Hurling & Camogie. If you or your children would like to join the fun, just email them at info@stpatsgaa.com

Recently, The Tower Singing Circle had an event by zoom as part of Fingal Inclusion Week. The theme of the night was Songs of Emigration. Performers sang a range of songs from Doonaree to N17 and people emigrated from the Southside to the Northside for the night! There was even one person from Canada - Seán Buckley from The Burrow who emigrated there many decades ago. The Tower Singing Circle wish to thank FIngal County Council for their support for the event especially Janette Scott Community Officer for our area, who joined them at the beginning to wish them well. The Tower Singing Circle meet on zoom on Monday nights, any song is welcome and the invitation is available by emailing a request to margaretgodwin59@gmail.com.

November was another action packed month for our Athletes. We were very excited and happy to welcome 15 new Young Athletes from our waiting list! Some of our new friends had been waiting over a year to join us, so it was lovely to finally meet them and their parents. We had lots of fun practising our running, jumping, balancing, throwing and catching! We did lots of smiling, laughing and giggling too – even though we really don’t need any practice with those.It’s not just our athletes who are busy. Our volunteers between them have invested hundreds of hours in training courses; from child safeguarding to sports specific coaching. One of our coaches, Louise, has just finished training to train other coaches. Louise is now a qualified tutor with Special Olympics Ireland who will deliver the Sport Ireland Coaching Children course to aspiring SO coaches. Well done Louise!

We had some visitors from UCD School of Health and Human Performance to observe how awesome we are; our club is helping with a physical activity study in conjunction with Special Olympics Ireland. One of the purposes of the study will be to develop coaching drills for SO Clubs. The results will also help to develop a video gaming application capable of supporting movement skills through a safe, educational and fun play experience.We had great fun helping Hayley and their wonderfl eam and we already can’t wait for their next visit.

News from the North Pole is that all of our athletes are on the good list again and you know who will have treats for them again this year! On behalf of all our club members we’d like to say thank you to all our supporters for another wonderful year.We wish you all a happy and peaceful festive season.