Get ready for a scorching Halloween night like never before! Events in Fingal proudly presents the “Festival of Fire.” Taking place on Friday 31st October, this thrilling event will ignite your Halloween spirit at four incredible locations across Fingal: Bremore Castle in Balbriggan, Swords Town Park, Malahide Castle, and Millennium Park in Blanchardstown.

Experience the Magic of Music:
The Festival of Fire kicks off with an electrifying musical prelude that will set the mood for an unforgettable night. From spine-tingling tunes to haunting melodies, our musical lineup will captivate your senses and keep you grooving.

Spectacular Fireworks Displays:
As the clock strikes 7:30 PM, brace yourself for an awe-inspiring spectacle! Our breathtaking fireworks displays will light up the night sky, casting vibrant colors and patterns that will leave you mesmerized. It’s the perfect way to celebrate Halloween with friends and family.

Event Locations: Bremore Castle, Balbriggan: Step into the enchanting world of Bremore Castle, where history meets the mystical allure of Halloween. 7pm Enjoy a Scary disco. 7.30pm Fireworks. Please note No Parking is Available. Please walk or cycle.

Swords Town Park (Behind the Castle): Join us in the heart of Swords for a Halloween celebration like no other. The park will come alive with the spirit of the season. 7pm Enjoy a Scary Disco. 7.30pm Fireworks.
Malahide Castle: Explore the grounds of the magnificent Malahide Castle, surrounded by the magic of Halloween. 7pm Enjoy a Scary Disco. 7.30pm Fireworks.

Millennium Park, Blanchardstown: Get ready for an explosion of Halloween fun in Blanchardstown’s Millennium Park. 7pm Enjoy a Scary Disco. 7.30pm Fireworks.

Don’t miss out on this unforgettable evening of music and fireworks. Bring your family, friends, and a sense of wonder as we light up the Halloween night in Fingal. It’s a celebration you won’t want to skip!
Mark your calendars for Friday, October 31st, and join us at one of our four fantastic locations. Festival of Fire promises to be the highlight of your Halloween season.

There are even more Halloween-themed events planned for the month of October and to see what’s on in your areas please go to fingalcoco.ie.

The Marathonkids Ireland 2025 programme was launched today at Morton Stadium in Santry, with more than 8,000 primary school students from 150 schools across Fingal, Dublin City, Louth, and the Gaeltacht regions set to take part in this year’s initiative.

In Fingal, over 3,500 pupils from more than 30 schools in Fingal will join the 8-week programme, which encourages 5th and 6th class students to build healthy lifestyle habits through running, physical activity, and wellbeing education.

Marathonkids isn’t about racing, as students gradually build up to completing the full marathon distance of 42.2km through weekly runs, while also learning about topics such as healthy eating, hydration, rest, and positive mindset.

Mayor of Fingal, Tom O’Leary, said: “Marathonkids has been a fantastic participation programme for over 10 years. It gives children the opportunity to take part in the lifelong physical activity of running with the bonus of getting to run on the track here at DCU Morton Stadium.”

The initiative is very much about every child achieving the marathon distance together, learning as they go, and finishing with a celebratory final mile at Morton Stadium in early November.

Marathonkids looks to make running fun and achievable for all, not just sporty kids. It was introduced in Ireland in 2015 with a pilot supported by Fingal County Council and the Dublin Marathon. Over a decade on it is now recognised as one of Ireland’s largest participation programmes for children and embedding itself as an annual fixture in the school calendar.

Seán Ó Riain, CEO of Dublin Marathon, added: “We’re proud to partner with Marathonkids again this year. The programme introduces thousands of children to running while also promoting health and wellbeing in a fun, achievable way. It’s a vital part of our community work and an investment in the future of sport in Ireland.”

Dublin-based visual artist, Maria Atanacković, has been named as the recipient of the Ardgillan Castle Studio Award 2025-26. This prestigious award provides a fully funded studio space for a professional artist for a one-year period, commencing on 1st October 2025.

The Studio Award covers all studio rental, utilities, and administration costs, offering the recipient a unique opportunity to develop their practice in a supportive and inspiring environment.

Fingal County Council and Ardgillan Castle Ltd. currently support 15 studio spaces for artists and designers working across a diverse range of practices. This initiative, which began in 2020, continues to foster creativity and professional development within the local arts community.

Fingal County Council Arts Officer, Sarah O’Neil, commented: ‘We are pleased to announce Maria Atanacković as our Ardgillan studio award recipient. This funded year long residency provides an opportunity for professional artists to explore and refine their work in the historical grounds and castle of Ardgillan.’

Welcoming the studio award, Maria Atanacković said: ‘I’m delighted with this opportunity to scale up and develop my practice. I intend to use the dedicated time and space to translate the geometric visual language that I’ve developed through printmaking into more ambitious sculptural forms.’

Maria is a Dublin-based artist working across printmaking, assemblage and textiles. Through abstraction and experimentation, she constructs pieces that explore space, composition and form.

Councillor Tom O’Leary (Fine Gael, Balbriggan) has been elected as Mayor of Fingal at the Council’s Annual General Meeting held in County Hall in Swords recently. His election means he becomes the 20th Mayor of Fingal. The AGM also saw the election of Cllr Gráinne Maguire (Independent, Balbriggan) as Deputy Mayor.

Cllr O’Leary is a long-term resident of Skerries and has served as a Councillor in Fingal for over 15 years. He is a proactive advocate on key local issues and has held significant roles on transport, strategic infrastructure, planning, coastal management and housing during his time on the council. Married and with three adult children, he has worked as a parliamentary assistant to a number of Fine Gael spokespeople/Ministers in both the Dáil and Seanad.

Addressing councillors for the first time as Mayor, Cllr O’Leary said: “It is a great honour to be elected as the 20th Mayor of Fingal. I sincerely thank my colleagues for placing their trust in me to serve in this role to help ensure Fingal continues to be a great place to live for all.

“Throughout my time as a councillor, my focus has consistently been on delivering homes, strengthening infrastructure, and enhancing community facilities across Fingal. From affordable housing and measures to tackle anti-social behaviour, to improving youth amenities, schools, and sports facilities - I am proud of what we’ve achieved and am eager to build on that and ensure that Fingal continues to thrive.

“I am particularly looking forward to seeing progress made on the delivery of a new Sports Hub in Skerries, accelerating the delivery of more homes alongside key community infrastructure, advancing the development of the Bremore Deepwater Port, the opening of the new Skerries Carnegie Library,

Expanding our Active Travel initiatives and identifying a large annual event for the people of Dublin 15.”
Councillors also selected the Chairs for each of Fingal’s three Area Committees at this evening’s AGM.

These committees focus on the local delivery of services within their respective regions, addressing issues such as roads, litter, playgrounds, water services, housing, and libraries. The newly elected Chairs for this year are:
• Balbriggan/Rush-Lusk/Swords: Cllr Luke Corkery
• Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart/Castleknock/Ongar: Cllr Eimear Carbone-Mangan
• Howth-Malahide: Cllr Cathal Haughey

Camping season is in full swing with Scouts from all over Fingal just finished their County Shield Event. This is a competition amongst them all to see who can rise to the challenges set for them over a weekend. As well as camping and cooking and being totally self-sufficient for the weekend, this year‘s event was held at the Scout campsite in the Bog of the Ring, with approximately 200 people participating and helping run it, Scouts have spent weeks preparing for this event.

Training included meal preparation and cooking, camp skills where they must build all their own furniture for the weekend. First aid training is also a priority in the scouts with a very real-life scenario presented to them involving multiple casualties. Each team has eight members, and they work together from 10 o’clock on Friday morning till about 3pm on Sunday this year. Friday’s weather was quite frankly awful, but they got on with it and no complaints. It’s a great opportunity for young people to mix and see other scouts from the towns around North Fingal.

Friendships were made on the weekend that will last a lifetime. And it was a totally phone free zone. The top 3 teams qualify for the all-Ireland competition held in late August. With up to 1000 participants. This year’s event will be held in Limerick.

As Ireland readies itself for the summer bathing season, Fingal County Council is delighted to announce it has once again been awarded Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards in 2025.

The beaches at Portmarnock (Velvet Strand) and Balcarrick Beach in Donabate have each retained their Blue Flag status, reflecting their outstanding water quality, safety, and environmental management. In addition, Balcarrick Beach has once again received a Green Coast Award, which recognise beaches for their natural beauty, clean environment, and high-quality bathing water.

Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Brian McDonagh, welcomed the news, saying: “The Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards are a reflection of the hard work by council staff and our communities to keep our beaches clean, safe, and welcoming for everyone. As someone who has been swimming on Portmarnock Beach my whole life, I am delighted that we have yet again retained our flag. I want to particularly thank all the Tidy Towns and Clean Coast groups for the work they do on our beaches.”

Director of Operations in Fingal, MaryT Daly, added: “These awards are not only about water quality but also about community engagement, environmental education, and sustainability. I want to sincerely thank all the community groups, volunteers, and residents whose ongoing efforts play such a vital role in keeping our beaches clean, safe, and environmentally sound. I encourage everyone to enjoy all of our beaches responsibly and continue supporting efforts to protect our natural coastline.”

Fingal would also urge dog owners to clean up after their pets. Just one instance of dog poo can contaminate an area the size of a tennis court, posing a serious risk to public health. To highlight this, see this informative animation that illustrates the real impact of not picking up after your dog: https://youtu.be/7bas6zvBmM4.

For details on locations along Fingal’s 88km of coastline, visit: https://fingal.live/2p8rdrrw.

Monday 19th May, between 3-6pm, you are invited to the Volunteer Expo at the Grand Hotel Malahide, which promises to be an informative, exciting and inspiring event.

Hosted by Fingal Volunteer Centre, the Volunteer Expo is a unique opportunity to explore volunteer roles with 30+ local / national charities and not-for-profit organisations throughout Fingal and North Dublin, which all rely on volunteers to help them make a difference in our communities.

Whether you’re new to volunteering or would like to try something different, this Expo is the perfect place to start. You will have the opportunity to speak directly with representatives from organisations about their various volunteer roles.

As an active volunteer himself, the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Brian McDonagh will be visiting to show his support to volunteering.

There will be a wide variety of organisations ready to answer your questions. Among them, the Irish Cancer Society, Dog Trust, Mental Health Ireland, ALONE, Pieta, the Irish Red Cross, Meals on Wheels, RNLI, Age Action, Irish Girls Guides, Foróige, Howth & Sutton Autism Friendly, Portmarnock Integrated Arch Club, Skerries Community Association, and many more.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to learn and practice CPR with Malahide & Portmarnock Community First Responders.

The Malahide Lions Club will be raising public awareness on their ‘Message in a Bottle’ project aimed to encourage people to keep their medical information easily accessible.

Phoenix FM Community Radio will be doing an Outside Broadcast, speaking to volunteers and organisations about their experiences.

For the visitors interested in volunteering their skills with organisations that have board vacancies, Boardmatch will be giving information on this particular type of volunteering that is critical to the running of organisations.

The landscape of volunteering has evolved significantly in recent years. You can find one-time opportunities like stewarding at Flavours of Fingal, monthly commitments like driving patients for the Irish Cancer Society, joining a charity’s board member, or more regular roles like befriending for an hour every week. There is something for everyone!

The Volunteer Expo will mark the beginning of National Volunteering Week which runs from the Monday 19th to Sunday 25th of May.

For more information visit the Fingal Volunteer Centre www.volunteerfingal.ie, email: info@ volunteerfingal.ie or call 01 8991921.

The rich heritage of Fingal’s textile industry is currently being celebrated with a new exhibition at Ardgillan Gallery inspired by unique embroidery and lace patterns that originated from the area nearly 250 years ago.

This project aims to preserve and celebrate Fingal’s rich textile manufacturing legacy through a collaborative arts and local heritage initiative. Our project involves a group of artists who are in the process of creating original artworks inspired by the area’s history, particularly a number of unique artefacts originating from the Smyth & Co. hosiery factory formerly based in Balbriggan.

These artefacts, a set of three unique embroidery and lace pattern sample catalogues, serve as direct witnesses to Balbriggan’s vibrant social history spanning two centuries. Between the 1780s and the 1980s the work and social life that revolved around the town’s textile factories dictated the pace of life. This still resonates in Balbriggan’s identity today, evoking memories and inspiring new artworks and enterprises.
The exhibition opened on Saturday 12th April with an engaging speech by the artist David Newton and it was very well attended. The exhibition will continue until Sunday 11th of May and there are a number of accompanying events taking place.

Pharmacies need to come on board en masse to deliver the free HRT that women need, a Fine Gael TD has said. Grace Boland, Fine Gael TD for Dublin Fingal West, said that while details of the free HRT scheme will come as a relief to women around the country, pharmacists may be reluctant to engage.

Deputy Boland said: “I am grateful to Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill for engaging with all stakeholders including the Irish Pharmacy Union to ensure this scheme was rolled out. Implementing the free HRT scheme announced by her predecessor was always a priority for the Minister since she took office.

“Minister Carroll MacNeill is committed to supporting each participating community pharmacy by paying them a €5 dispensing fee per HRT product dispensed to all eligible patients, including those existing patients under the GMS/DPS Schemes and for all other patients prescribed HRT (“private patients”) and a €1,000 once-off grant to every participating community pharmacy.

“The implementation of the scheme should focus on the women in need of this medication. The symptoms women encounter during perimenopause and menopause are varied and women’s lives are hugely impacted by these symptoms. We need to focus on why HRT is such an important medicinal regime for women and how it can positively impact their lives and make daily living more bearable.
“I would urge all pharmacies including those the Irish Pharmacy Union represent to engage with the scheme proposed today by the Minister. It is essential that women have the support of their local trusted pharmacist when embarking on any medication; in particular, if any changes are needed during their treatment. Women will no doubt contact their own pharmacies to encourage them to engage with the scheme so they can be provided with the free medication they are now entitled to.”

In what is believed to be a first in Ireland, Fingal County Council has launched an ambitious new project that aims to reimagine housing estates as thriving spaces for both people and wildlife.

To help deliver a vision for greener and more vibrant communities, the council is now inviting local resident associations to nominate their area for a biodiversity makeover. The aim is to help transform underused or uncared for areas within a housing area into biodiversity-friendly space, creating areas that are more welcoming for nature, more engaging for locals, and more attractive for residents and visitors alike.

Urban areas offer great opportunities for wildlife. However, it is not always clear how to create the ideal urban habitat for a wide range of species. To help breathe new life into our urban spaces, making them greener, more beautiful, and more connected to nature, Fingal wishes to undertake a biodiversity makeover of three housing estates across the county to identify the most cost-effective way to make a housing estate more biodiversity friendly.

The makeover will cover the open spaces and front gardens of those residents interested in making their own gardens more biodiversity friendly. The species groups being targeted are breeding birds, bats, amphibians and insects. Biodiversity improvement measures include meadows, tree and scrub planting, ponds and wetlands, log piles, bird and bat boxes, no pesticide use and pollinator friendly garden planting.

Once the three housing estates are selected, a landscape architect will work with the local residents to re-design their open space and an ecologist will carry out a baseline survey to see what wildlife is there at the moment. The design is to be done over the summer months and we hope to carry out the improvement works in early autumn.

The ecologist will be monitoring the wildlife in the housing estate over the five years of the project to see which measures have the most beneficial impact on wildlife. The Council wants to involve the residents in the monitoring so that they too can get a good understanding what wildlife lives on their doorstep.
Resident Associations can learn more about the concept and find application details via: https://fingal.live/2p9czpmx. The deadline for submitting applications is 2nd May 2025. Any queries regarding this initiative can also be sent to biodiversity@fingal.ie.