Happy New year! We look back at Lusk’s progress and look forward to changes in the coming year. In LAG’s 2020 online community survey, and in the comprehensive Lusk Vision 2030 survey, it was abundantly clear that there is a huge need for facilities and activities for our young people. We conducted a Youth survey in 2021, from which we gained a clear picture of the needs of our young people. We will use this information to help us to bring to life plans for our youth. This will be in line with the Lusk Vision 2030 plan. LAG have had ongoing engagement with Fingal Co Co regarding the programme of works. During the year, we saw road and path improvements, new fencing on the tennis courts, bandstand renovation, new traffic lights and new benches on the ring road among others. It was the largest amount ever spent on Lusk in the programme. We have listened to the community’s feedback on required improvements, and we have requested the majority of these for next year. The support of our committee member, Cllr Rob O’Donoghue makes this happen with far more ease. We have been busy planning a pilot Lusk Summer Festival, so watch this space! We have been planning our biodiversity garden through the year and had a great bunch of volunteers clearing the site in early Autumn. We met with delays due to access issues, however we are hoping to move on with this project quickly. We submitted a comprehensive document to the Fingal Development Plan and we raised almost €3000 for our Christmas lights, thanks to your generosity, and we have enjoyed them throughout the festive season! We are delighted to be part of the Lusk Vision 2030 Implementation Group and we look forward to working with other groups in the community to bring the vision to life. Foroige Youth Club is back up and running in the Carnegie Library on Friday nights from 7 till 9. It is fantastically run, and it really needs to be supported. Get in touch with us on 0863017842.

Lusk ICA held their Christmas Market last month. There was a great selection of stalls both inside and outside the Scout Den. We had some lovely food and craft stalls and everyone had a great time. Thanks to everyone who supported the market, it was a wonderful way to start the Christmas festivities. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year.

St Pats recently added the Dublin Intermediate and Junior 3 Chanpionship titles to their long and illustrous history. Congratulations to both squads and teams, their coaches, management and mentors.

Corina Johnston, Labour Party local representative is calling on Fingal County Council to carry out resurfacing works at the car park in the Ballymastone sports grounds and to include the upgrading of this car park in the Ballymastone Recreational Hub project. Johnston said; “Duncan SmithTD, Cllr Rob O’ Donoghue and I have been in ongoing contact with Fingal County Council regarding the condition of the car park in the Ballymastone Sports Grounds, the home of St Pats GAA and St.Itas AFC Soccer club. Earlier this year in response to representations from club members and parents of juveniles, we secured a commitment from Fingal County Council that they would carry out remedial work on the surface of the carpark. This was carried out in May, however it has deteriorated further in recent months and could now be classified as a health and safety risk for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike.”Johnston continued; “In response to our recent request for a permanent solution we have received the following disturbing response from the Council. “ The car park is of a temporary nature and there are no plans to carry out any further works this year. It is the responsibility of the various Clubs to liaise with parents attending the grounds, and request that they take due care and attention in accessing the sports pitches. Any further remedial works to the car park will be looked at in the context of other priorities in 2022. Fingal County Council have also stated that this car park does not form part of the Ballymastone Recreational Hub. “ Johnston added, Given the facilities that will be available Ballymastone will have the capacity to attract county and national events. I am appalled that Fingal County Council approved the recreational hub without including the long established car park.“ Corina Johnston concluded; “if this decision is not overturned it will ultimately result in a new “overflow car park” along the Distributor Road. This road was never intended for this purpose and would be a health and safety issue.“

A few years ago an ad hoc Tourism Group comprising people with backgrounds in business, tourism, culture, history & recreation etc in Donabate Portrane, came together and initiated the making of a new Tourism Heritage map of the area.There had been one produced some 25years earlier by some of the same people, through the Community Council with Leader Funding. This group became aware that recent maps of other areas in Fingal had been produced and it was time for a new one of our area. They contacted the Tourism Officer in FCC & local representatives and set about working together, producing a number of drafts to arrive at a suitable map. During these Covid times, this very attractive map was finished and published. It is very welcome in highlighting our beautiful & unique peninsula. Well done to all concerned!

Looking back on the Peninsula Pacers first year, even though we really only got going in the early summer due to the restrictions of the pandemic, we managed to pack in a good variety of walks. There were walks from 12km to 5km, some themed as in the Find a Follie in St Annes Park, some rural some urban, we even managed to find a leprechaun whisperer! We look forward to more explorations and discoveries in the New Year when the weather improves and the days brighten. New members are always welcome and if you would like any information please contact: Carolyn Smith, 0879284307, or carolyns@live.ie

To ALL of the people who were a part of the BOULES COURT being put in place at Newbridge House recently well done! Great news! It started a few years ago with a conversation in France re playing Boules, with an old friend, PE teacher Tom Donlon, who was telling us about FCC putting in new courts in Bayside, where he lives, which he and some others had campaigned for! It sounded just perfect to put with the Croquet in Newbridge, so after he passed on all his knowledge, the campaigning began in earnest! Tom is coming out to us all in mid to late January, probably on a Wed afternoon to start to give us some instruction on the rules & coaching us on how to play properly! So, thank you to all the officials & Councillors, public representatives, community groups, activists and others who actually made it happen, what a welcome New Year present for our entire Community - especially those that have limited mobility, therefore have limited access to most sports. Fingal County Council in one week have put in a well located Boules Court beside the Croquet Lawn, exactly where it was requested. These two activities Boules & Croquet are complimentary and will form a little hub of activity at Newbridge Park.It is wonderful to have a facility which is truly inclusive, in that it has disability access on to the Boules Court and is close to the toilets and the cafe.Hopefully, along with some local groups having access, it will be possible to do casual advance booking of both of these facilities, like other parks, for many people both young and old in the wider community to come and enjoy these amenities.Fingal Parks Department Paul Smyth, Colm Connell and in particular, Therese Casey , Lourda Darcy and Aileen O Connor are to be complimented for the work they have done on this project in bringing it to fruition. Also, our local councillors Adrian Henchy, Paul Mulville, Rob O Donoghue and representative Corina Johnson, all who made representation for this Boules Court. Finally, the group that comprised members of LSA Jennifer Tanner, AAfA Carolyn Smith, & Men’s Shed Gerry Kiernan for their efforts in securing the Boules Court. Last, but not least thanks to Martin King Landscaping for his expert work on installing the Boules Court. Martin & Pat his assistant can be seen putting the final touches to the path leading to the court and are ready to use the machine for the final levelling.We are all eager to get going! If we are good we might even get another one next year from Santa - aka FCC! Slan & slainte, Breda (Dockrell) Donabate Portrane Liaison Group.

Despite all the public health restrictions, 2021 was an active year for members of Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed. Our plots at Turvey Allotments have been the mainstay of our activities. In April, we took on a second plot. Thanks to grants from Fingal County Council, Fingal LCDC, Fingal Camber, Tesco and the Department of Rural and Community Development and the hard work of our members, the once neglected patch was transformed into a well organised and productive plot. Briars, brambles and weeds were removed; the ground was dug and manured; a new polytunnel was erected; raised bed and pathways were installed and a bountiful harvest was produced.But our activities were not confined to tending the allotments. When the weather permitted during the spring and summer months, members met on Portrane Green to enjoy take-aways from Pipers’ and at ‘The Shoreline’ for a coffee. Later in the year, we met on Thursdays at the back of the Scouts’ Den and even had a demonstration by the Barn Owl Project there. Due to colder weather and rising concerns about Covid, these gatherings were suspended. In co-operation with Active Age for All and thanks to Fingal County Council, we have secured a time-slot on Tuesday mornings for croquet at Newbridge House.We hope that we can soon get back to our previous activities– indoor gatherings for a cuppa and a chat, table tennis, exercise classes and visits to places of interest. If you are interested in joining us, please call Jim on 086-3694316.

If you are thinking of learning a traditional Irish instrument in a relaxed and friendly environment as a New year’s resolution Leithinis Donabate Portrane CCE will open online registration for lessons to new members/students of all ages in a wide range of instruments from Monday 17th January to Sunday 23rd January, 2022. We will contact our current students about the new term of classes by email over the next few weeks.The 12 lessons will run on Monday evenings from the 7th February until the 24th May ( with breaks for midterm, Easter and Bank Holidays). We have a range of instruments to rent.There will be a number of slow sessions on Friday evenings during the term which will allow students of all abilities to practice their tunes along with others.We are lucky in Leithinis to have a number of very experienced teachers teaching in our branch. Check out our website www.leithinis com for further details.We have a number of talented traditional Irish musicians living on our Peninsula. A traditional music session led by Denis Stack and friends will be held in Keeling’s on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 9pm This is a great opportunity to see local experienced musicians showcasing their talents and to see what you can achieve by enrolling and learning a traditional instrument. We are offering lessons in Tin Whistle, Bodhran, Fiddle, Accordion, Concertina, Banjo and Guitar. If you are interested in lessons please email us at leithinis@comhaltas.net, with nace, age ( if under 18), instrument of choice and level and we will get back to you. We look forward to hearing from you and in the meantime..Happy New Year from Leithinis Donabate Portrane CCE .

For more than a year the Parish Hall has been undergoing some much needed refurbishment & repairs. The works included repairs to the roof & ceilings, painting of the entire inside of the hall, walls doors and ceilings, painting of the outside doors, the sanding and varnishing of the Main Hall floor, new floors in the Green Room, Meeting Room and the two lobbies, repairs to toilets, windows and radiators, upgrading of electrics including the addition of a number of new sockets, a new fire alarm system, new fold up tables, new trolleys, new screens, new black out blinds and new Irish Dance mats etc.The Parish Hall Committer wishes to sincerely thank Fingal County Council Community Dept. especially Rafe Costigan, Senior Community Officer & Janette Scott, Community Officer for help with the process of seeking grant aid and for support of this project. Also, Fingal LCDC and the Dept. Of Rural & Community Development for the grant aid towards the works. In addition, local councillors and public representatives also actively sought and helped secure this funding from FCC and we are very grateful.The programme for the Parish Hall is divided into weekly activities such as (Irish Dancing, Cards, meetings, clubs, music nights) and cultural blocks. In February/ March from Friday February 18th - Sunday 13th March, it will again do a “Cultural Blocks of Time” of about 3 weeks - where all weekly activities will be suspended - and hopefully Plays, Films, Exhibitions and Culture Camps etc can take place during this period.If you missed applying before Christmas to Bernie & Fr Pat Reilly to be part of the 3 week “Cultural Block” please contact them before Friday 7th January. This will all be subject to Covid guidelines and regulations that apply at the time.We wish everyone in our Community a Happy & Healthy New Year and if you have any queries re the use of the Parish Hall, please contact us, Bernie can be contacted at & any queries to:stpatricksrcdonabate@gmail.com or 01 8434574.