Cllr Rob O’Donoghue has welcomed the opening of the new parkland and playground located at the North of the Lusk Sports Hub. The lands were taken in charge by Fingal County Council in early June and opened to the public. The facility will have an official opening with the Mayor in attendance in the coming weeks. Additionally, the Council have commissioned assessments for the suitability of the site for continued development of the transferred lands as a Sports Hub. The results of these assessments should be available in the near future and will be used to inform the planning process for the development of sporting infrastructure at the Hub.
Cllr O’Donoghue commented, “I warmly greet the transfer of the parklands and playground to the Council. I have visited the site on a number of occasions since it has opened and the playground is consistently in use by children and parents in the area. Now that we have the lands in Council possession, we can really start to look at the development of sporting facilities in the Hub. The clubs and community groups that have come together under the Lusk 2020 committee have been pushing for this handover for some time and I would like to thank them for the innumerable hours they have put in as representatives of their organisations to date. Their discussions and commitment on the 2020 committee will provide not just Lusk but Fingal with state-of-the-art sporting facilities for the coming years”
It was everything we could have asked for and more. The Gods delivered the weather because the Gods love Hurling. It was a phenomenal success filled with colour, craic, great skills, great competition, brilliant hurling, and it was really just a sight to behold. We can’t go any further without acknowledging the trojan work done by Niall and Lucy O’Connor. To have the event run in the way that it was is a testament to the spirit and effort by Niall, Lucy and all the organising committee. Thanks to The Shoreline. We continue to build a great relationship. Thanks to Joe, The Piper. Thanks to St Johns for their time and dedication. Thanks to the crew on the shop who were flat to the mat from start to finish. Thanks to all the Mams and Dads, coaches, referees, car parking crew, our Grounds committee and all the officers who helped at different times to make it as special as it was. Thanks to Leithinis Donabate Portrane. It was a privilege to welcome you guys down and we hope to see you again. Thanks to Céire Rhein for all the quality photography. We thank all our members who attended and made the last night a rip roaring success. Finally if we can say thanks and well done to all the players. You were quite simply magnificent.
Did you know that croquet was well known as a sport in North County Dublin? So, where did croquet come from, well that is a bit obscure but wherever it originated it was developed in Ireland in the early part of the nineteenth Century. One famous man Swords native Cyril Corbally and his brother Herbert of Rathbeale Hall, Swords were famous international croquet players, Cyril in particular winning many international tournaments. Cyril went on to help develop the game of croquet as we know it today. When he married Eleanor Colville Cobbe and moved into Newbridge House he set up the lawn to the side of Newbridge House. The croquet parties and games there soon became legendary. In 2019 the lawns were re-opened having been restored to international standard by Fingal County Council with the support of the Croquet Association of Ireland. It is now the home of Newbridge House Croquet Club, which welcomes new members.
We have a wide range of abilities in the club, with some members playing socially and for fun, while others play competitively and on the international circuit. If you wish to join us, you will be given a warm welcome. Check out the website at. nhcroquet.com or email us at nhcc@gmail.com . Sunday afternoons will generally find some members out on the lawn, and you can join us for some trial games, or email beforehand if you prefer. Membership for Year 1 is Euro 55 and all equipment is supplied free, therefore no further outlay is required. Come along to Flavours of Fingal on 1st /2nd July for a chat with some players and have a go. Our next big tournament takes place on 8th July when the Cyril Corbally Cup takes place. This will give you an opportunity to see some of the best players compete for the beautiful trophy. Come along, give croquet a go, soon you will be “jumping through hoops” and you will be hooked.
Leithinis were delighted to welcome Craobh Cluain Tarbh to Donabate for a Junior session. A great afternoon was had by all. A big thank you to Erin for leading the session. Thanks also to Derbhil and Vivienne from Cluain Tarbh for arranging and to our own Ian and Paul for organising and making sure everything ran smoothly on the day Also a shout out to the Parish Hall committee for the use of the grounds. Finally well done to all the junior musicians from both branches. The future of Comhaltas is safe in your hands See you all at the next session.
Fingal has a new leader after Cllr Adrian Henchy (Fianna Fáil) was elected by fellow Councillors recently to become the region’s 18th Mayor. Originally from Portrane, and representing the Rush-Lusk electoral area, he joined Fingal as a Councillor in 2014.
From his role as a Councillor to his involvement in numerous local initiatives, Mayor Henchy’s focus has always been on making a positive difference in the lives of the people he serves. A dedicated health professional with a passion for public service, he said he is ready to usher in a new era of progress, collaboration, and innovative leadership for the County. Henchy succeeds Cllr Howard Mahony, who handed over the chains of office at today’s AGM.
In securing the role as Mayor, Cllr Henchy was nominated by Cllr Eoghan O’Brien (FF) who said it was a privilege and an honour to nominate him for the position.The nomination was seconded by Cllr Brian Dennehy (FF).
“I am humbled to have been elected to serve in this prestigious post,” said Mayor Adrian Henchy. “I am committed to working tirelessly to build a stronger, more inclusive, and vibrant Fingal. Together, with the support of our community, we can achieve great things and help build a Fingal that thrives economically, socially, and environmentally. I would particularly like to focus on delivering more houses, not just the bricks and mortar of the homes themselves but also ensuring we are building sustainable communities around them.”
Cllr Grainne Maguire (Ind, Balbriggan) will serve as Deputy Mayor of Fingal for the second time. She was nominated by Cllr Tony Murphy (Independent) and seconded by Cllr Karen Power (Green Party Comhaontas Glas). Joining as a Balbriggan Councillor in 2013, Cllr Maguire had previously served on Balbriggan Town Council from 2009. She has extensive experience in local government and is a well-known figure in Ireland’s youngest town for the work she does across many different groups and for her passion around local issues.
At the AGM, praise was given to the outgoing Mayor and also to Deputy Mayor, Cllr Cathal Boland, for their unwavering service to the people of Fingal across the last year.A strong advocate of Dublin 15, former Mayor, Cllr Howard Mahony, has undertaken a large number of activities during his term, attending 365 community and Council related events across the year.
Donabate/Portrane Tidy Towns were busy over the last number of months doing a clear out along the perimeter walls and the hedging and ditch areas behind the cemetery. Over the years, these areas had become a bit of a dumping ground for a lot of waste plastic materials from the graves and had accumulated to an unsightly mess. Many volunteers spent a number of evenings emptying the ditches of refuse and bringing it to the front of the cemetery for collection by Fingal County Council. The rubbish collected was primarily plastic flowers, candles, grave ornaments and grave maintenance items, such as paint and left over marble. There was however evidence of domestic waste dumped with full rubbish bags, parts from chairs and suitcases among what was removed.
Quite often these ditches were water logged and not very accessible but perseverance saw the clear out through to the end and we would like to thank all volunteers who participated in the clean up.
As a result of the clean up, the hedgerows and ditches have become a more pleasant home for some of the plants and animals that may call this area of Donabate their home. Hedgehogs, badgers, foxes, birds, insects, etc do not have to be moving, feeding and living in an area with large sacks of rubbish and bits of plastic from the cemetery. We hope wildlife and biodiversity will improve as a result. There are two rubbish bays located in the cemetery, one in the middle part at the top perimeter wall and the second just on the right hand side as you enter and we would ask all visitors visiting the cemetery to leave any refuse in one of those bays for collection by Fingal County Council. Our pictures show the same spaces before and after the clean up, well done to all concerned.
Donabate Parish Hall has the Programme for Daily Users e.g Cards, Senior Citizens, Wellness Group, Irish Dance just organised. The Block Users Programme is also just organised at this point e.g: Photography Exhibition, Dramatic Society Plays and Youth Camps. Both Daily Users and Block Users programme of activities and events will run for the remainder of the year 2023 & until the summer of 2024. If you are interested in either Daily or Block bookings please contact the Parish Office immediately - as there may be some limited availability that would suit your needs. We accept bookings from groups or individuals - our main focus is on serving the increasing requirements of our growing community. The Parish Hall recently had the local Irish Traditional Music Comhaltas Branch - Leithinis CCÉ using the outside space for a music event in a gazebo! Please do not hesitate re any query to contact the Parish Office 018434574.
Tuesday morning, 6th June, saw a group from Through the Lens Camera Club boarding the ‘Fish & Trips’ boat in Malahide Marina to go on a day trip to Lambay Island. The weather was fair but the seas a little choppy which resulted in a few bodies being well salted before we reached the island ! However the welcome there was warm and we soon dried out. Skipper Eamonn gave us a potted history of the island then we set off, accompanied by the lovely Saffy, to climb the hill for the views. She was full of interesting information about life on Lambay, and the best places to spot wallabies, deer or bird life. A pleasant couple of hours was spent taking lots of pictures (with our 2024 calendar in mind) and trying to spot the elusive wildlife. We were fascinated to watch, from the hilltop, an aerial battle between a grey crow and a kestrel..too far away for photos unfortunately. On return to the harbour we grabbed a snack and a rest then Eamonn brought us around the buildings there including the Bothy and cottages, living quarters originally for coastguards more recently for the workers; the tennis court for ‘real tennis’ a game beloved by King Henry 8th and the forerunner to the modern game of lawn tennis; the 19th century church which was restored around 1916. We were also allowed a peep into the whiskey store where barrels of Lambay Whiskey lie maturing in the sea air. After all the exercise and photo opportunities we returned to the harbour where Skipper Eamonn was hard at work on the boat putting together a delicious BBQ which we all enjoyed on the way back to Malahide. Thankfully the seas had calmed so no extra salt was added ! The day was thoroughly enjoyed by all and I think we may feel the need to explore again.
A beautiful walk was held recently in Skerries - from the Train Station to the Old Mill for Coffee & Market - then out to the coast along the promenade up around Red Island and then a lovely lunch and walk back to the Train Station - the walk was about 8km a slightly shorter route than usual but great! Our next walk is on Saturday 9th September - and is our original Peninsula Pacers walk around the Parish starting in Donabate Village, Corballis, Tower Bay, Portrane Green, (& The Burrow for a longer route) ending up in The Brook Pub. The walk is planned again to coincide with the Bleeding Pig Cultural Festival which has Traditional Music & a Ceile on that afternoon at their Pizza & Pint event. Last year the walk & the ceile were great craic in the beautiful sunshine enjoyed by all young & older! Contact Carolyn on 087 9284307 or Des on 087 7846813 for further information re Peninsula Pacers and types of walks to suit you!
On Friday 2d June the Active Age for All camera club went on a field photographic trip to Malahide Castle. The day was overcast but, most importantly, dry and warm and we spent a happy 3 hours or so around the grounds, the gardens and the butterfly house. The butterfly house is very warm and humid so it takes a while for the camera lenses to acclimatise and stop fogging up, but it’s well worth the wait as there is a lovely selection of different butterflys. Unfortunately the Castle itself was closed for filming (ironically) that day so we had to content ourselves with the outdoors. The trip gave us the opportunity to practise different camera settings and photography styles from Landscape to Macro (close-up) and to sharpen our ‘camera eye’. We finished up with lunch in the Avoca cafe, all in all a very enjoyable trip. There are already plans afoot for the next outing.
At the moment, AAFA is on a well deserved holiday, but your hard working Committee is still working away on your behalf planning for September. Our new Programme will be available in August. Croquet and Boules still continues on the usual days and is enjoyed by many enthusiasts,and Paul is running his normal Pilates class independly for the summer but not under AAfA banner. We would like to Congratulate Peig McManus on the successful publication of her new book ‘I Will Be Good’ her Dublin memoir What a great achievement, it is a brilliant funny book! We are very proud of her! Peig (pictured below) was one of the founding members of Active Age and it’s first Chairperson, she is one of our staunchest supporters. We are very grateful for all she did for AAfA and we are delighted at her success! If you are interested in joining AAfA or are looking for information please email activeageforall@gmail.com or see our website activeageforall.com Or Text only 0868806808.
