As things are beginning to get back to something resembling normal and community hubs are able to start opening again the Through the Lens camera club mounted an exhibition in the Donabate/Portrane Community Centre.The group had not been able to get together for meetings since the pandemic struck but have been staying in touch by email and WhatsApp. However the restrictions did not stop the cameras clicking and members have been out and about practising and honing their skills.The idea of an exhibition was suggested as a way of getting together as a group and kick-starting our activities again. We are very grateful to the community centre for allowing the exhibition; and to Alain Rochecouste for organising all the practicalities without which it would have never have got off the ground.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
Cllr Adrian Henchy has welcomed the budget adopted by Fingal County Council recently. In order to keep pace with continued growth across the county, Fingal County Council has adopted a spending plan of around €300m for 2022 which will help deliver improved services and see supports remain in place to help reenergise economic development in a post-Covid environment. Cllr Henchy said, “The budget is an increase of around €13m from the previous year and means the equivalent of €1012 per head of population will be spent in a number of key areas such as roads, parks, housing and the environment. While it comes against a backdrop of ever-increasing demands for the wide array of services that the council delivers, there have been no rises made to commercial rates or Local Property Tax. I very much welcome the significant increases in the budget to help deliver a range of operational services across local communities, including road maintenance, traffic management, increased street cleaning, improvement works at parks and open spaces, as well as for projects as part of the Council’s efforts to encourage active travel. Some €1.2m has also been set aside to assist the recovery and development of the tourism sector in Fingal.This is a very positive and well-balanced budget which will play an important role in Fingal’s ongoing economic recovery as we hopefully emerge from Covid. It confirms that we are committed to undertaking the necessary steps to help progress the best possible outcomes for our citizens and that we can continue to encourage business development opportunities. The budget includes allocations to the following key areas:(A) €89.1m - Housing & Building, (B) €32.7m - Road Transport & Safety, (C) €19.4m - Water Services (D) €24.9m – for Development Management, (E) €49.4m - Environmental Services, (E) €52.3m - Recreation & Amenity, (F) €1.5m - Agriculture, Education, Health & Welfare, (G) €30.4m - Miscellaneous Services. While there was a reduced number of events held in 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions, funding allocated for 2022 will allow Fingal to host several key events which had been postponed or cancelled throughout the pandemic and means it will be able to further develop its culture and arts programme. That will see the highly popular Flavours of Fingal return in July 2022 .
“Give me justice, treat me fair
And I’ll not be discontented
Nor I’ll not be laughed at anywhere
But highly represented”
(Song: Do Me Justice)
The Tower Singing Circle is taking part in Fingal Inclusion Week (Nov.15th – 20th).The Theme is “Emigration”There are many kinds of Emigration songs –funny, heartbreaking, ironic, maudlin and we hope to have a selection of these on the night.The above lyrics are from the Irish Emigration song “Do Me Justice” which is about an Irish emigrant’s experience in England and the portrayal of Irishmen as “ a knave or fool”. So join us on Monday 15th November at 9.00pm. Everyone is invited to join us on Zoom and sing or just listen. Zoom link will be on the Bleeding Pig Cultural Festival website nearer the date. bleedingpig.ie
Donabate Quilters returned to their quilting meet ups In September.Everyone was delighted to be back and looking forward to working on their quilts. Some were looking for help with a particular pattern and others were already setting out to work on their Christmas projects.That is not to say that they were idle during the long restriction on classes. As you can see from the photographs below members were very busy…making baby quilts, quilts for friends that had helped, making memory pieces of a parent who had died, to give to their family and generally keeping busy.Donabate Quilters are delighted to take part in Fingal Co. Co.’s Inclusion Week and are holding an exhibition of their work in St. Patrick’s Church of Ireland on Saturday 20th November from 11.00am – 4.00pm. Everyone is invited and it is FREE.
During October we supported Positive Ageing Week where the theme was reconnecting. While we do not have all our classes up and running due to some continued restrictions, we have about two thirds back and it is a wonderful feeling to have some structure and social interaction again in our week. On the Wednesday of Positive Ageing week, we met up in the Community Centre and had lunch supplied by TRIANGLE who are due to open in the Centre in November. If the fare at the lunch was anything to go by, we will be very happy to see Triangle open. The sandwiches were delicious. We do miss the opportunity to have a coffee or snack after our classes. The Wednesday afternoon gathering around 3 p.m. at the Community Centre is about having a place where we can just connect. Perhaps your class has not retuned yet? Meet on the Wednesday for a chat. Feeling a bit isolated? Meet on the Wednesday for a chat. Just show up and say ‘hello’. If there is one thing we may have learned during the pandemic restrictions, it is to get out and take all the opportunities we can! If you are new to the area or new to retirement – you just need to be 55+ - you can call in to DPCC and collect an AAfA New Member form and fill it out and leave it for us, or email us at the address above and we email a form out to you. We can make contact and will do our best to include you in classes as soon as possible.
A Folly is defined as a costly ornamental building with no practical purpose. They can be found all over the country on the lands of the grand old estates, their function usually being decorative whimsy on the part of the owner but sometimes they served as a memorial of sorts. St Annes Park, once the property of the Guinness family, is reputed to have at least 10 follies in the grounds. On a sunny Thursday morning 7 stalwart searchers set off from Olives Room cafe to see how many we could find.The park is bisected by the small Nanikin river which feeds an artificial duck pond and is bordered by a very pleasant walk. In addition to the follies there is a walled garden with a clock tower, an arboretum, a rose garden and many sports grounds. All of these features are accessed by lovely walks around the park.Aside from the folly search we visited the Peace Tree just outside the park on the Clontarf Road. This, we all agreed, is a stunning piece of art depicting a plethora of wildlife, both land and marine, native to Ireland. After a 4km exploratory ramble we returned to Olives Room cafe for lunch and a tally of follies ( photographic evidence was required !) We were pleased to find that we had located 9 of them, including Annie Lee Tower Bridge, the Temple of Isis by the duck pond, a Roman observation tower and a Herculean Temple. All of the pacers who took part in the walk agreed that this matter requires further investigation !
Peninsula Pacers walk The Bull Island
Whilst one of our recent monthly walks one group did a short walk and history tour of St Anne’s Park, the other group did a 10km walk through the park and on to a loop of The Bull Island. It was a great day with fantastic views. There are benches along the beach to rest on and a fantastic outdoor cafe -Happy Out- with a toilet nearby for 30cent! where we had lunch. We intend venturing south side in November doing a flat coastal walk from Dunlaoighre to Dalkey.
By Sophia Latham and Laura Matthews, TY Journalism
Jabba Jabba Jambe is a high energy interactive drumming workshop for drum circles that is performed in schools, youth groups and adults. We were fortunate to welcome Godfred and David Day to DCC recently for a full day workshop for TY students.David Day is the founder of Jamba Jamba Jambe. He has studied African world drumming for over 20 years in Ireland and with teachers around Europe, the US, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Ghana and West Africa. For over 10 years David has been providing drumming workshops and Drum circle events such as festivals and schools, corporate and community groups.Drumming circles allows groups to play traditional songs and it creates opportunities for people to experiment with different instruments. It was invented in the 12th century by the Mandinke tribe which is now in Mali in West Africa. It has been played by West Africans for generations and it is part of ritualistic life in countries in Africa. Each TY group got to experience both traditional African dance and drumming. The day started meeting Godfred and Dave. They explained the activities and we got started on the drumming. We learned about the stories of the jembe (the drums), we learned new rhythms and rhymes to use whilst we hit the drum. It was difficult to stay in time, but it was a lot of fun! We got to take part in some Traditional African dancing with Godfred. The dancing involved a series of simple repetitive movements, however the group couldn’t miss a step and had to keep time. If a step was missed it would look out of order and we would have to start from scratch! This was a lot of fun! Everyone enjoyed these activities and got to learn about different traditions in African culture.
By Lia Bracken, Hazel McGoey and Ava Pender, TY Journalism
Recently, Donabate CC welcomed back students who had recently completed Leaving Certificate 2021. Sixteen students were presented with an award for outstanding results, each of whom received in excess of 500 points. Despite the struggles associated with the pandemic during their senior academic years, students worked diligently and with determination to achieve their potential. In conversation with our award recipients, their advice for the upcoming Leaving Certificate Class was “To study from Day One.” While the areas of study students are now pursuing were varied across the Sciences, Arts, Music, Business, Accounting, Philosophy, Medical Science, Analytical Science and across different college campuses, everyone agreed that effort from day one drastically improves your chances of succeeding in what you are passionate about. Thomas Crean, Sam Dolan, and Sean Collins advised students to have a clear head and know what path you want to go down before beginning preparations for the exams. They said having a clear understanding of what you want to do helps focus on your studies and proves easier overall. Many students applied for the accredited grades while also sitting the exams last June. Although they noted that sometimes it was stressful, they believed that this was the best decision given the circumstances. Ciara Kavanagh, Cara Spagnoletti and Ali Kavanagh remarked on the importance of doing your homework consistently. The rise in points this year gave rise to some students reevaluating their next step. Some are taking gap years while others are discovering new paths and interests. Eoin Moran, Jack Pender and Matthew Crowe stated the importance of choosing a career that you are really interested in and being aware of not letting financial reward cloud your judgement. Eoin noted that there might not be lots of career options after his degree in philosophy, but he really loved doing it.Congratulations to the following students who received presentations marking their incredible Leaving Certificate results: Leah Brogan, Sean Collins, Thomas Crean, Matthew Crowe, Niamh Cullen, Sam Dolan, Alanna France, Ciara Kavanagh, Ali Kavanagh, Eoin Moran, Senan O’Riordan, Jack Pender, Oisín Power, Liam Shorthall, Cara Spagnoletti, and Jennifer Thompson.Most started orientation or classes last week and we wish them, and all of the Class of 2021, the very best of luck in their studies and future careers.
Someone once said, “A marathon seems like a small thing when we consider the journeysthat others have to make”
It’s sometimes hard to remember that it’s only 10 years since LSA was established as a Juvenile athletics club, and even more surprising to think that it’s only two years since our adults group was formed. For this reason the River Rock Belfast City Marathon on 3rd October was a big day for LSA as it marked the first real life marathon for our adult members. Fifteen of our marathoners were running individually and had set their own personal goals. Another fifteen were running as part of our three relay teams. The benefit of being part of a club was evident with training groups, company for long runs, sharing of tips and the invaluable logistical and emotional support on the day.
The words of our athletes sum up the experience…..“It was my 8th marathon overall, but my first ‘real’ marathon as a member of a club, and what a difference that made!! It was like a local race, with so many familiar faces running in it and supporting us .” PB
“Last year’s virtual Dublin marathon was without all the good stuff that should come with it. The other runners beside you, the crowd, the cheers, finally running through the finish line!” SB
“The support from LSA was phenomenal. During the hills and headwinds of the second half of the run it made all the difference, as the words of encouragement gave the motivation to keep pushing for the line. What a great club!” PMcC
“First non-virtual marathon 3hr 11mins what an incredible day with a fabulous club and friends. What a weekend!” EC
Meanwhile, our Little Athletics group is now well established; some of our members have been participating in Holywell Junior Park Run on Sunday mornings, and our older juveniles have been getting a flavour of cross country competition at Dublin Athletics League races in Lusk and Tymon Park. Well done to all.For more information visit our website lambaysportsathletics.ie and for membership enquires please contact our Registrar on lambaysportsathletics@gmail.com or indeed you can Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook- Search LSA
October saw a welcome return to activities for our athletes and volunteers, as well as the launch of our athletics club! 15 athletes have graduated from our Young Athletes’ Programme to the athletics club (and we have a waiting list already!) under the expert tutelage of Maria and Dara Carr from Lambay Sports and Athletics.We were delighted to be given a CovID Emergency Funding grant by Fingal County Council, which we put to use in purchasing a personalised bag of sports equipment for every athlete in our club; due to CovID safety protocols our use of equipment in sessions was limited so providing each athlete with their own equipment is a big help, thank you Fingal County Council. We are also grateful to Decathlon Ireland for their discount to make our fund go even further, and to our volunteers for sourcing and storing equipment, and assembling the packs. Having their own equipment also allows our athletes to practice their skills at home; we’ve been enjoying the photos and videos of the equipment being put to use all over North Dublin! There are some future coaches among our athletes judging from the brilliant obstacle courses they are building Lambay Sports Academy have also given a boost to the club via their recent anniversary race, where our club was their nominated charity. A fabulous sum of €885 was raised which will be used to support our new athletics club. Thank you to LSA and everyone who donated.
