We know that in the past, Swords definitely had stone walls surrounding it.Queen Elizabeth 1 in 1575 called Swerdes (Swords) ‘…our good and walled town of Swerdes.’
But just where are these walls? Lacking physical evidence, the patterns of footfall around the village give us a good indication of how things looked back in medieval days. The passage shown in both pictures is called locally the ‘gut’, presumably because of it’s constricted width.
In fact,this old alleyway was the site of the postern(secondary) gate for Sword’s walls.The main gate of the medieval town had to be located where the main roads meet, ie just down from Witherspoons on main street.This particular gate was rarely opened, being heavy and cumbersome, with folk generally entering the town via this smaller ,postern one.
The earlier picture reveals that the outside wall of the present-day pizza shop, was in fact part of the original town walls of Sword. The complex of buildings jutting out from main street here were part of the defensive medieval main gate complex of Swords.
This upper, southern section of Swords was for centuries the heart of the English garrison here, with St Columbas ,the Vicarage (Glebe) , RIC barracks (Church street) and toll booth, all nearby .Older inhabitants of Swords have told me they felt that this area was the more ‘protestant’ part of the village, the later developing main street being mainly Irish and nationalistic in their outlook.
Fingal County Council and Broomfield Construction have officially started work on transforming a rundown 19th century townhouse in Swords. The project will refurbish, convert and extend the old building to create 13 new homes on North Street, right in the centre of the town.
The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Tom O’Leary, and the Council’s Chief Executive, AnnMarie Farrelly, visited the site in December to mark the beginning of construction. The Council’s architects outlined how the project supports Fingal’s “Town Centre First” goal — which focuses on bringing unused or derelict homes back into use.
Once finished, the development, called North Court, will offer a mix of one bed and two bed homes. This includes three age friendly units and two built to universal design standards. All homes will be allocated to people on the Council’s social housing list.
Urban regeneration is a key part of the Council’s housing strategy, which has received a record €884 million under the 2025–2028 Capital Programme.
North Court is next to another major project — the €40 million Swords Cultural Quarter. This will include a library, theatre, gallery, maker space, arts spaces and a café, all within an iconic new building due to open in 2027. The project also includes improving the area around Swords Castle to create a better public space for events.
By making use of existing services and being close to jobs and public transport, North Court will offer sustainable living for the 38 people who will eventually move in. Turning a semi derelict site into new homes will also help improve the look and feel of the street.
Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Tom O’Leary commented on the occasion: “I am delighted to turn the sod on North Court Swords which will provide much needed housing, including age friendly homes, in the heart of the town close to all amenities. Developments such as this, which sees the conversion of semi derelict houses into three new homes and additional ten apartments to the rear, contribute to combatting dereliction and breathing life into our town centres”.
Swords Autism Friendly Town Group is a new community-led initiative established in summer 2025 by community leaders, Autistic adults, and parents of Autistic children living in the Swords area.
They are currently planning a large multi-agency autism symposium in April, bringing together services, families, and Autistic voices to strengthen understanding and inclusion across the Swords area.
This community event will focus on the major stages across the lifespan, including moving from preschool to primary school, primary to secondary school, and secondary to tertiary education or adult day services.
“In a very short space of time, the response from the local community has been truly overwhelming. We now have an active WhatsApp community of over 250 members across multiple channels, where families and Autistic adults share trusted information, local supports, and peer connection. For many families who previously felt isolated, this has already become a vital source of support,” explained Events Coordinator Caroline St Leger.
Alongside online connection, Swords Autism Friendly Town Group have facilitated several in-person initiatives, including: A Friday night teen social club; An Adult Support Group and an Adult Social Hangout.
“Our aim is simple: to ensure Autistic people and their families feel visible, supported, and connected within their own community,” Caroline added.
For more information, please contact swordsautismfriendlytown@gmail.com.
Rush Tidy Towns: Celebrating Achievements and Looking Ahead
Rush Tidy Towns continues to make a real impact on our community and coastline, with recent milestones highlighting the dedication of volunteers and the strength of local support.
National Recognition for Coastal Care
Rush Tidy Towns was honoured with the Clean Coasts Community Action Award for its outstanding efforts to protect and enhance our beaches. From planting Marram Grass to organising clean-ups and promoting sustainable beach use, these initiatives have helped preserve the natural beauty of our coastline. This award is a testament to the hard work of volunteers and the community spirit that drives these projects.
Tiny Towns – Our Future in Action
Behind every vibrant flowerbed and litter-free street is a team of young volunteers from the Tiny Towns group. These kids have been busy throughout the year. From watering plants, cleaning beaches and woods, helping at local events, and even contributing to the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Their energy and creativity remind us that the future of Rush is in good hands. A special thanks goes to local businesses, including The Salty Blonde and The Little Chip, for supporting the group with gifts and vouchers, and to the 38th Rush Scout Group for their continued involvement.
A Calendar That Captures Rush
The annual Rush Tidy Towns calendar has become a much-anticipated tradition. Launched at a festive event in the Strand Bar, the calendar showcases stunning scenes of Rush, selected from a photography competition open to all residents. The calendar is an important fundraiser that helps sustain Tidy Towns projects. Available in local shops, the calendar is a perfect way to share a piece of Rush with friends and family near and far. A big thank you to our sponsors for making this possible.
Why It Matters
These achievements aren’t just about awards or events, they’re about creating a cleaner, greener, and more connected community. Every beach clean, every flower planted, and every calendar sold contributes to making Rush a better place to live. If you’d like to get involved, whether through volunteering or supporting our initiatives, reach out to Rush Tidy Towns tidytownsrush@gmail.com. Together, we can keep the momentum going in 2026!
McCann FitzGerald LLP donate €1,000 to The Anchor Club, a parent led club for children with additional needs based out of Seabury Parish Hall, Malahide, Co. Dublin.
The annual Senior Citizens’ Christmas party hosted by Malahide Lions Club took place on Saturday 29th November in the Grand Hotel. Over 120 local senior citizens attended the event. Santa greeted each guest with a small gift as they arrived and the guests then sat down to a delicious three course lunch. After the lunch musical entertainment was provided by Derek Keyes and he had the crowd up singing and dancing. The afternoon finished with a monster raffle.
Club President Rose Minton welcomed all the guests and thanked the Grand Hotel and the hotel staff. She also thanked the Lions and their friends for all their hard work in making the event such a success.
Malahide Lions Club is grateful for all those who sponsored tables and donated raffle prizes. We would also like to thank Londis & Supervalu - Malahide, Tony Byrne Menswear, Aine McCabe, Malahide Castle & Gardens, Minister Darragh O’Brien T.D, Cllr. Jimmy Guerin, Ann Graves T.D. and Linda Weldon. The Club is also grateful to the Grand Hotel for its generous support for this event; no effort was spared from the wonderfully festive presentation of the venue to the quality of the fare. It all added up to a very enjoyable Christmas celebration for our senior citizens.
Welcome back to training and a warm welcome to our new members. There is still time to sign up to our Fit4Life & Fit&Fab groups. Calling all club members age 12+ to attend our Women in Sport evening with Catherina McKiernan. The event will take place on Friday 6th February at Corduff NS. Another important date for your diary is Sunday 1st March for the ever popular Lusk 4 mile. We expect the event to sell out again this year so please register before it’s too late. Best of luck to all athletes with upcoming races and training plans.
Thanks to all The ICA Members, including Antonette Rea our ICA Dublin Federation president for turning up at our “Day of Action” along side the Lusk Men’s Shed. Rob O’ Donoghue TD counciller Mark Boland and Senator Lorraine Clifford Lee came out and supported us , as we continue our campaign for a permanent site for our members in the town. It was a bitterly cold day but we receive a very warm response from all who passed by the protest.
Antoinette Rea the ICA federation president held another craft day sponsored by DAA in ALSAA. fabric wreath, baby mobile and a memory box.
Thanks to Anne Smithers for arranging four lovely nights entertainment and
shopping in the beautiful Glen Eagles Hotel Killarney.
Our bowling team enjoyed a great night in ALSAA Teresa Killoran Maria Baird Frances Devane and Caroline O’Malley.
We entered Christmas snowmen entered in the ICA Dublin Federation crafts competition by Lusk members Maria Baird Monica Kilty and Frances Devane (came 3rd)
After all those recent celebrations we sat back and Relaxed in the cinema to the beautiful Music of Andre Rieu.
We held our last meeting of 2025 in the Scouts Den and Instead of Christmas presents, members contributed towards the local St. Vincent de Paul.
We began the new year and celebrated Nollaig Na mBan in the lovely Pasta Castello Donabate. We exchanged and regifted lovely Christmas presents with each other.
The girls recently enjoyed the unforgettable music of Tom Jones in the Lark Theatre brought to life by top tribute artist Danny Roman
We want to send our condolences to our friends Pat Kelly on the recent passing of her husband John Kelly and also Olive Fitzgerald on recent passing of her husband Paddy Fitzgerald.
The ladies, want to wish you all a happy new year and look forward to another wonderful year for 2026.
On Thursday 18th December 2025 Active Age for All held their annual Christmas Carols fund raiser in the community centre for St Francis Hospice.
It was very well attended and we were splendidly entertained by the Bright Sparks crèche childrens’ choir; the Active Age singing group with Muireann and the ‘No Name Band’ of Willie, Maurice, Brian and Fran. Non-alcoholic mulled wine, mince pies and lots of other goodies were served as everyone joined in with the singing.
Due to peoples generosity we had a huge array of prizes for the raffle; we actually ran out of raffle tickets but DPCC came to the rescue with extras. The first prize was a 32’’ Sony TV which was won by Sybil Harte-Weir, that was a nice start to Christmas Sybil!
As always the staff of DPCC excelled themselves in helping with every aspect of the event, a BIG THANK YOU to them all for helping to make the day such a success.
This year we raised €1500 for the Hospice, a wonderful foundation which provides palliative care for people, both in their own homes or in a dedicated centre or hospital, providing comfort and dignity for both patient and family at end of life.
Many thanks to the AAfA committee, DPCC and all who attended for making a real contribution to the true Christmas spirit.
In 2025, almost 1100 films were released in cinemas across the combined UK & Ireland market. However this is only a small part of the estimated 7,000 films produced each year globally.
Of those released in UK and Ireland, only 224 are widely screened meaning that smaller, less headline-grabbing films are harder to find in commercial cinemas.
This means that we are all missing out on some great films and the Lambay Cinema Club is doing all it can to bring these lesser-seen, but world-class movies to the peninsula.
The Lambay Cinema Club was born out of the Bleeding Pig cultural festival in 2022 and is run by volunteers. We have monthly screenings in the unique setting of St Patrick’s Church of Ireland church in The Square and aim to show the best of World and Irish cinema.
Everyone is welcome and we even provide the Tea and Biscuits!
For more details please visit www.lambaycinemaclub.com to get details of upcoming films. You can also sign up to our email list so you are kept informed of future screenings and also book tickets. Tickets are on sale one week in advance.
We’re proud to be rooted in our local area, and equally proud of the growing audience who support us each month. Whether you’re a regular or visiting for the first time, you’ll always find a warm welcome at Lambay Cinema Club.
