decide what activities and classes to join in September. We have a full programme for you again for this Autumn with limited spaces, so you need to decide early. To help you to decide, Active Age for All will hold an information day in the Shopping Centre on Friday the 25th of August to talk about our programme of classes and activities for the Autumn and to give general information about Active Age. We will have our new brochure and programme with us, so call in and collect one. Registration for classes will take place on Monday 4th September and Tuesday 5th of September from 11.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. each day. By then we should have our new website up and running, and if all goes to plan, it will be possible to book and pay for your classes online for September.
We also had a very enjoyable Ardgillan Castle Trip. On a beautiful sunny morning last month, the AAfA Camera Club went onan outing to Ardgillan castle. The castle was under renovation and covered in scaffolding so not very picturesque, however there were plenty of other photographic
opportunities. We snapped away in the Rose Garden with its background of Victorian glass houses and walled garden. The wildflower meadows with backdrops of woodland and beautiful seascapes gave us plenty of scope for the perfect photograph. For any information about Active Age for All see our website activeageforall.com or email us at activeageforall@gmail.com or TEXT only to 0868806808.
On Saturday 9th September the Peninsula Pacers will meet at the Parish Hall at 11 30pm for their annual Portrane Donabate Cliff Walk with an extra loop of the Burrow for the longer walkers! This special walk coincides with the Bleeding Pig - Pizza & Trad event in the afternoon at the Brook Pub - this was a great event last year with music and dancing fantastic entertainment at the end of the walk – we hope to have as good a weather this year!
Corina Johnston, Local Area Representative has welcomed the new access into Newbridge Park, off the Hearse Road, Donabate. Johnston said; “I am delighted that the proposed pedestrian and cycle access into Newbridge Park off the Hearse Road Is nearing completion. I first became aware of the need for the entrance in 2020 when I witnessed parents with children and some with buggies trudging along a very narrow footpath and dangerous road to access the Park via Newbridge Ave. As a result we raised this issue with FCC at that time and have continued to do so on a regular basis. The provision of this entrance was also conditioned in the planning permission for the Semple Woods Estate and is an objective in the Donabate Local Area Plan.” Corina Johnston also went on to say;”Regrettably it has taken longer to complete than expected however problems were identified which had to be resolved. These included the proximity of the animal paddock within the park to the new roadway and the need to prevent animal access to the public road. I wish to compliment all concerned within the council for resolving this important issue and thus enabling the laying of the access.Hopefully this will now facilitate the completion and opening of the entrance as a matter of urgency. Corina added; “This new entrance into Newbridge Park will connect with the proposed pedestrian and cycle route across a new bridge over the railway line which in turn will connect Corballis, Donabate Village and the Railway Station with Newbridge House and Farm. We have been informed by the council that a procurement process for the appointment of a contractor for this work has already commenced. “
Balbriggan’s own Andrew Coscoran recently broke his own Irish 1500m record for the second time in two months. This was another outstanding performance from Andrew at the Silesia Diamond League meeting in Chorzow, Poland in mid July as he finished 4th with an amazing time of 3.30:42, - knocking over two seconds off his previous best that he recorded in Nice in June ! The race was won by Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway in a new European record time of 3.27:14. Kenyan’s Abel Kipsang and Reynold Kipkorir Cheruiyot finished second and third, respectively in the race. Coming as it does following his recent great form it is another excellent result for Coscoran who is being coached by Feidhlim Kelly. Andrew Coscoran now holds the national record for the metric mile indoors and outdoors. He will now turn his attention to making a final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest later this month. Fantastic Andrew - Balbriggan is proud of you
Although heavy rain meant Glebe North FC had to somewhat abandon their plans at the end of the recent week 1 of their Summer Camp it did not dispel the smiles and enthusiasm for the club and the camp from some of their young participants. With a very wet Friday, the club closed their week 1 of FAI football camps. However the kids said overall it was a a great week with a lot of fun while learning and developing football skills. Well done to the club who called the early ending which was the right call due to very poor weather conditions. While disappointed, the smiles on the kids faces and the fact they are looking forward to next year tells the whole story. A big thanks to the coaches Robbie, Sean, Michael, Eoin, Graeme, Alan and Sarah. Well done to all!
Staying with Soccer and Congratulations to Balbriggan’s own Diane Caldwell on her selection for the Ireland squad who flew out to Australia and New Zealand recently for Ireland’s first ever appearance at a FIFA Women’s World Cup! What an amazing achievement, well done Diane!
Jack Monaghan Head of Football Development and Dave Byrne Club Secretary at Balbriggan FC were delighted to get the opportunity to speak with Duncan Smith TD when they attended the Dáil recently to watch the Labour Party debate on funding grass roots football. The Government supported the Labour Party’s motion to invest in and support Irish football. We are looking forward to seeing investment and real action to develop and build the domestic football game in Ireland.
Huge congrats to Brian Dunphy and Aadi Wankhade who were part of the Leinster u15 team that won the Inter provincial title last month. Well done lads , all that hard has paid off for you!
Also this month and not to be outdone by the boys, a huge congratulations and a massive well done from all at the Brig to Erin Knight and Izzy McLean who were part of the Leinster team that won the Interprovincial Girls u15 tournament that was held recently. Well done Girls , keep up the hard work. Please also note Week 2 of the Cricket Summer Camp ..from 8 to 11 of August is upcoming..this is for ages 5 years and up and is a great way for children to enjoy the sport,
The Aer Lingus Social and Athletic Association was originally founded in 1966 by employees in Dublin Airport and is still going strong today, ALSAA Tennis Club is now open to everybody. Membership in the first year was £1.00, which was more expensive than it sounds as the club had no courts. Although no longer at £1.00 the membership is still great value particularly if you are interested in any of the many other sports ALSAA has to offer. In ALSAA Tennis Club, we pride ourselves in having a welcoming and intimate club where everybody is on first name terms. We cater to all levels, from the player who just wants some fun, social tennis to those who want to pit themselves against the very best in other clubs around Leinster. We are an extremely active club, hosting a range of club tournaments and events throughout the year. We’re always open to new membership so come check us out. Our club is located on the grounds of the ALSAA Sports Complex (.alsaa.ie), Swords Road, Swords, Co. Dublin – Eircode: K67 YV06.
So why don’t you join a vibrant Tennis Club? We take pride in having an active social tennis club for all our members, whatever your level. Enjoy club tournaments, social tennis, and our annual club championship. Something for everyone. You can check us out on our website (), on Facebook (https://facebook.com/alsaatennisclub) and our email address is alsaatennisclub@gmail.com.
We would love to have you as a member and all levels are welcome. ALSAA membership is €200 (which you spread out over 12 months), with membership to our tennis club being an additional €110. Please ring John on 087-6526378 if you have any questions or would like to join.
Skerries RNLI would like to say a huge thank you to all the staff and customers in Tesco Balbriggan They recently presented the life boat station with a cheque for €825 raised through the blue tokens. The local branches of Tesco and their distribution centre in Donabate have been incredible supporters through the years, always helping the volunteers to save lives at sea.
The demesne consists of the ancient townlands of Kilmainham, Ardgillan and Baltray. The district was originally controlled by the Gaelic O’Casey family and later the Earl of Tyrconnell. However, the period 1600 – 1700 saw great changes in the pattern of land ownership in Ireland due to the confiscation and redistribution of land after the Cromwellian and Williamite wars (1640s and 1680s respectively). In 1658, the “Down Survey” records that Ardgillan was owned by a wine merchant, Robert Usher of Tallaght, Dublin and by 1737, the property had been acquired by the Reverend Robert Taylor, one of the Headfort Taylor’s, whose grandfather had collaborated with Sir William Petty on the mid 17th century “Down Survey of Ireland”.Ardgillan remained the family home of the Taylors (later changed to Taylour) for more than two hundred years up until 1962 when the estate was sold to Heinrich Potts of Westphalia, Germany. In 1982, Dublin County Council purchased Ardgillan Demesne and it is now managed by Ardgillan Castle Ltd., under the auspices of Fingal County Council. Ardgillan park is unique among Dublin’s regional parks for the magnificent views it enjoys of the coastline. A panorama, taking in Rockabill Lighthouse, Colt Church, Shenick and Lambay Islands may be seen, including Sliabh Foy, the highest of the Cooley Mountains, and of course the Mourne Mountains can be seen sweeping down to the sea. The park area is the property of Fingal County Council and was opened to the public as a regional park in June 1985. Preliminary works were carried out prior to the opening in order to transform what had been an arable farm, into a public park. Five miles of footpaths were provided throughout the demesne, some by opening old avenues, while others were newly constructed. They now provide a system of varied and interesting woodland, walks and vantage points from which to enjoy breath-taking views of the sea, the coastline and surrounding countryside. A signposted cycle route through the park since June 2009 means that cyclists can share the miles of walking paths with pedestrians.
