By Maria Corcoran

My husband Niall and I have been volunteering for the past 3 years in our estate The Links, Donabate creating flowerbeds. We have planted flowers at the entrance and further down the road too plus we started to use the graveyard for water for the shrubs and flower bulbs we planted. So then we kept adding to the area we worked on and as they say the rest is history! Fingal County Council are aware of our creations over the years and have supported us in any way they can help so that is fab.However Niall and myself love living in this area and feel this work in any spare time we get is a way of giving back to our estate. We love our community and the amazing compliments we get off the people is just powerful! I do post from time to time on Donabate village facebook page so if you look for me maria fitzgerald corcoran you can see our dedicated team work put into everything. We plant our own flowers or buy online or even from the garden centres near and far! Everything like tools are our own we even bought a new petrol lawnmower at Woodies in June. I would love just to show our Seniors out there that don’t have Internet access or are even housebound what our flowerbeds in the cemetery and The Links look like!

Editors note: Maria just wrote into us and attached the pics (jpegs) and we are more than happy to publcise the tremendous work her and Niall and friends are undertaking at The Links. If you or someone you know is giving up their time to improve your area or volunteer in the community and you feel they should be recognised for it, please drop us a line with details and we will be happy to give them the recognition they deserve also.

The months of May and June were busy for our group. lots of work was undertaken throughout the Donabate village and the roads leading to it, with footpath and roadside clearance works to the fore. Flower beds required plenty of attention and there is an overload of yellow roses from planting in earlier years. The flower beds at the roundabout beside the hotel were overhauled with some new planting and the grasses cut there. We hope to plant a few trees close by in November at this location. Plants were installed at the welcome stone to Fairways/Spires/Donabate Village . We asked the Council for the two tree trunks cut on the New Road to be given as a feature here, but it never happened, sadly. Littering has been a major problem at week ends and we have gone out late at night to try and tidy up, but Herring Gulls are out early in the morning opening bags. Pizza boxes are a big problem. In Portrane we observed the lettering was worn at the anchor. We mentioned this to the Council last February and the lettering was redone in early June. We also asked for the leakage to be fixed from the anchor, but still remains to be sorted. The display stone at Tower Bay still requires the lettering to be redone and we asked the Council last February to have this matter attended to. Tidy up works took place in Seaview Park and Tower Bay carpark is regularly visited for cleaning up of litter. The roadside flowers at the entrance give a pleasant feel to this location. We have been active in lobbying for the removal of invasive Sea Buckthorn from the Burrow sand dunes. This plant has the potential to wipe out the rich flora and the supporting pollinators and butterflies , including the vulnerable listed Small Blue butterfly. The flowering plants here include Kidney Vetch and Birds-foot Trefoil which are critical for the bees and Small Blues, with Kidney Vetch the only food plant for Small Blue. Despite the beach being narrowed at the Burrow, the Little Terns so far have had a successful breeding season

In 2011 the Dublin Community Games came to visit Donabate to recruit volunteers to form a local group. The Donabate Community Games was formed and the athletics group was where Dara Carr and Jennifer Tanner met for the first time. Two people with a love of sport and a background in athletics.In June 2011, 270 juveniles turned up to the trial, and athletes and volunteers proudly lined up behind the Donabate Portrane Community Games Flag in our royal blue and white.Soon afterwards, and with the help of Gerry Ronan we set up Lambay Sports Academy (which changed to LSA very quickly).Initially we were a juvenile club. Over the years our Juveniles participated in Dublin and National Championships and the Community Games. Several of our young athletes made it onto the podium over the years, and our first National medal was won by Glory Uzomefuna in the Under 12 600m National Indoor Championship in 2017.In April 2019 we added the Adult Running Group. We started with a womens Couch to 5k. Quickly it became apparent that more people were interested in longer distances and interval training. Fast forward 2 years and we now have a growing vibrant adult group catering from Couch to 5k, half and full marathon and interval groups. Our adult Track and Field group is growing in momentum with recent participation in the Dublin Graded Meets and Leinster Championships. As we mark our ten year anniversary it is fitting that some of our original Juvenile athletes are now competing as Seniors and assisting with coaching our next generation of young athletes and that the club now has a National Senior medal winner.Our vision is of a club for all generations bringing athletics to the peninsula. We’ve been around 10 years but we are only getting started and with the athletics track in Ballymastone coming closer to reality it looks like the next ten years will be even more exciting than the first! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook - Search “LSA”.

Fingal County Council will immediately begin the process of procuring a new operator for its successful attractions at Malahide Castle, Newbridge House and the Casino Model Railway Museum following the decision of Shannon Heritage to withdraw from their contract. The Council was disappointed to learn of Shannon Heritage’s decision and will continue to work with them as we move into a six-month transitionary period.The properties in Malahide and Donabate, which include Malahide Castle, the Butterfly House, Newbridge House and Farm and the Casino Model Railway Museum, are open to the public and continue to attract large numbers of visitors.

Fingal County Council has moved into the public consultation stage for the Ballymastone Recreational Hub in Donabate. The purpose of this phase of the project is to give the public an opportunity to comment on the Council’s plans as part of its application for planning permission under Part 8 of the Planning and Development Act. Individuals, organisations, clubs and community groups are all encouraged to participate in the process.The Ballymastone Recreational Hub will provide for a wide range of sporting and recreational activities as a shared public facility; these facilities include a floodlit eight lane all-weather athletics track surrounding a grass soccer-sized pitch, a full-sized all-weather GAA pitch, which also provides for two all-weather soccer pitches, with floodlighting, a combined playground and skatepark, car/cycle parking, a six metre wide access road, extensive walking and cycling infrastructure, bleacher seating and extensive landscape planting.The Mayor of Fingal, Councillor Seána Ó Rodaigh, said: “I want to encourage everyone to express their views on the Ballymastone Recreational Hub in Donabate regardless of what they are.” The Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, said: “The Recreational Hub in Donabate is an important piece of strategic infrastructure for Donabate and Portrane and will be a major addition to the existing sports facilities on the peninsula. The Recreational Hub will be built alongside the recently approved scheme of 1,200 private, affordable and social homes in Ballymastone which are being developed by the Council and our partners Gleveagh Living.” Submissions can be made online at www.consult.fingal.ie (nb: not accessible through this medium) or by post in writing addressed to: Senior Executive Officer, Planning & Strategic Infrastructure Department, Fingal County Council, County Hall, Main Street, Swords, Co Dublin K67 X8Y2. Submissions have been open since Tuesday 6th July 2021 and will stay open until Wednesday 18th August 2021. Only postal submissions received by 5pm on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 or online by midnight that evening will be considered.

Corina Johnston the Labour Party Local Area Representative welcomes the provision of additional transport infrastructure on the peninsula which includes bus stops on the Hearse Road, a shelter and new stop in the village and a shelter at the bus stop at the end of Turvey Avenue.Johnston said;” ever since the first resident moved into Semple Woods estate on the Hearse Road in 2019, Duncan Smith TD and I have identified the need for bus stops adjacent to the estate to facilitate residents travelling to and from the peninsula. Since then we have been in ongoing discussions with the National Transport Authority (NTA), Fingal County Council and the bus company Go Ahead Ireland. I can now confirm that we have been notified by the NTA that the two bus stops will be installed during the month of August. This will be of great benefit to commuters travelling to and from Swords and Portrane.” Johnston added;” The NTA have also confirmed that the provision of a much needed bus shelter on the R132 at Turvey, which was granted planning permission late last year will be installed over the coming months. This is a direct result of our ongoing discussions with the NTA on behalf of the residents.”Johnston continued; “ I am very pleased that a planning application has been submitted by the NTA for the provision of a new bus stop within Donabate village. This will replace two existing bus stops and will incorporate a badly needed bus shelter and real time passenger information unit. This development is as a direct result of a proposal first mooted by myself and Duncan Smith TD at a meeting with the NTA in August 2019 and which we have vigorously pursued since then with the NTA, Fingal County Council and the bus company Go Ahead Ireland. I firmly believe that if planning permission is granted and the facility installed it will facilitate a free flow of vehicular traffic through the village. “Johnston concluded; “ these much needed facilitates when installed will improve the travelling experience for bus commuters on the peninsula. “

Cllr Adrian Henchy has said he is very pleased to see activity finally get underway on the repair and restoration of the historical and strategically important Newbridge House and Farm perimeter wall in Donabate. The Cllr said, “I Have been campaigning and calling for at every opportunity I have got within Fingal County Council on this important issue for the repair and restoration of the surround wall since I was first elected to Fingal County Council in 2014. I received confirmation this week from the Architects department of the Council that monies have now been committed to the repair & restoration and the contractor is presently setting up site to commence works. These works will comprise a number of phases and phase 1 will see the repair and restoration of the wall from the current main entrance in the direction of Cobbes lane and Turvey Avenue. These works will also comprise of restoring and installing the original main gates which have been in storage along with the pillars into Newbridge House & Park.” He said, “ The first phase traffic management wise should provide for minimal disruption to traffic given most of this section is off the main road but lessons will be learned from this phase regards the more challenging parts of the wall restoration into the future. My thanks to both the Architects & Operations department, FCC especially senior architect Fionnuala May on all her work in advancing these works and also the board of Malahide Castle & Newbridge House limited for supporting this major piece of infrastructural repair & improvement.”.

Recently Leithinis had a trial run at setting up their new gazebos. They did a small, socially distanced, sanitised event - adhering to all Covid guidelines - with a few members. It was the first time people had played together in over a year, so while a bit rusty they rattled of the trad tunes! We want to sincerely thank Fingal County Council for grant aiding our comhaltas group to buy two gazebos. FCC showed great vision in supporting this venture which permits events to take place safely outdoors as soon as lifting of restrictions allow. We hope to be able to allow some other groups, on certain special occasions, to be able to use them also on site at the Parish Hall. We are indebted to Donabate Parish Hall Committee also for their vision, in allowing us to put them up at this location and to hold events of this cultural nature. Keep playing your Irish Traditional tunes and we look forward to good times in the future; as Covid Restrictions abate to many good Gigs in our Gazebos! For further information contact E-mail us to eithinis@comhaltas.net- query to Secretary Jim O Donohoe. Further information re the Autumn programme in the August edition.

St Pats were delighted to chosen recently to feature in the LGFA County Board’s ‘Club Focus’ series. Pats have grown from a small North Dublin football club set up in 1924 to a 950+ member club covering Ladies Football, Camogie, Gaelic Football & Hurling operating on the ‘One Club’ model sharing Clubhouse and pitches. They are active in the primary and secondary schools where their players enjoy the best of Club & School coaching & fixtures. A Ladies team was begun in 2000 but unfortunately due to emigration, the team folded. LGFA was resurrected later in the 2000s with two juvenile teams A task force was set up to increase the number of LGFA teams with the aim of having a team every 2 years. Injections of fresh blood into the section over the last few years have seen the Club far exceed this goal. Their social media hashtag is #ProudToBePats and they now proudly boast LGFA teams at almost every year. LGFA is the fastest growing section of the Club! They’ve also increased their female representation on the Club Executive and committees; female player representation on player committees now accepted as standard. Their referees all learn LGFA, Football & Hurling rules ensuring that future players are aware of all sections of this growing club. Despite the restrictions, 2020 was a successful year for LGFA in the Club. Their Adult squad – mentored by Aidan Coppinger & Adrian Brophy – only missed out progressing to their Championship Semi Final on goal difference. They went on to beat a strong Kickhams side in the Shield Final. The minors in Division 4, U16s in Division 3 and U14s in Division 3 all fought their way through to their Championship Semi Finals before the season came to a shuddering halt.Their teams are delighted to be back training and that the season has begun for Cup, League and the Championship. The future is the Club is bright – the future is Green & Black! If you live in Donabate/Portrane and you’d like to get involved in LGFA – juvenile or adult – or G4M&O, just contact them at info@stpatsgaa.com. (NB: not accessible through this medium). Similarly if you’d like to get involved with GAA, just drop them a line as new members are always welcome in all ages and codes. Ní neart go cur le cheile.

The Mayor of Fingal Cllr. Seána Ó Rodaigh was delighted to make a presentation to St Patrick’s Boys National School Donabate this morning as winners of The Battle of the Book 2021. Fingal County Librarian Betty Boardman and author Brian Gallagher were also on hand to meet the winning class and their teacher Sarah Donohoe. The Battle of the Book is an annual competition run by Fingal Libraries. The programme is designed to encourage the children to read and gain confidence, to discuss a common book providing a shared experience of reading and to ignite a reading for life culture.Every year 6 schools in Fingal receive 30 copies of a book by a well know author, this year’s book was “Pawns” by Brian Gallagher to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the Sack of Balbriggan. The other schools that took part this year were Pope John Paul II National School, St. Oliver Plunkett School, St Patricks Boys National School, Castaheany Educate Together, Sacred Heart National School and St. Mary’s National School.