10 members travelled on the 12th August to visit these centres. While sun was on the forecast, the rain happened too – but reports from all agree it did not dampen their day out. Being able to eat inside was really quite a novelty too! The Interpretative Centre has lots of lovely walks and a café and is well worth the day out – but do book ahead online. It is free but they need to know numbers for each self-guided tour. Flexibus operates in the Navan, Louth and Fingal areas and has been offering free trips to older members from these communities during the summer.As AAfA members who registered in July know, all classes so far are fully booked. The only problem is that we have not received the go-ahead from government for August and we hope that by the time you are reading this, we will have started again. If not, we will wonder what the vaccination bonus really is for us…
We still owe money to some… we still have quite a few members who were with us in 2020 when we had to shut down classes. Many members are carrying a small credit balance with us and we would encourage you to make contact and renew your membership card by just using some of your balance. If you want to do this, please do email us on activeageforall@gmail.com or text the AAfA mobile 086 8806808 and let us know. Don’t forget that your new card will give you discounts in the usual suppliers.If you are new to the area or new to retirement – you just need to be 55+ - you can call in to DPCC and collect an AAfA New Member form and fill it out and leave it for us, or email us at the address above and we email a form out to you. We can make contact and will do our best to include you in classes as soon as possible.
We were all saddened to hear of the death of Kiernan Hughes, our friend and member of Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed. Although we had seen little of Kiernan over the past eighteen months due to his underlying health condition and the risk of Covid-19, a couple of members had kept contact with him by phone. We all fondly remember his wit, his stories and his repertoire of Frank Sinatra songs with which he often entertained us at our get-togethers. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
On a lighter note, members of Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed have been busy at our plots at Turvey Allotments. The decking, funded by a grant from Fingal County Council, is taking shape and will be finished soon. We’ve had a very successful year, with a bumper crop of potatoes, tomatoes and onions, as members learn more about the art and science of horticulture. Or maybe it was just a good year for the veggies! As Covid-19 restrictions ease, we are welcoming new members. If you wish to join us, please call Jim on 086-3694316.
Fingal County Council are soon to begin work on the Boules Court beside the Croquet Lawn. Initially we understood this perfect location may not be possible but in the end it has come good! These two activities Boules & Croquet are complimentary and will form a little hub of activity beside Newbridge House. 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 to enjoy as amenities. Fingal Parks Department and in particular, Therese Casey & Lourda Darcy are to be complimented for the work they have done on this project. We all eagerly await the completion of the facility!
On a sunny Thursday in August over twenty people from the Peninsula Pacers met at the car park beside the Brook Pub and went on two different walks. One a Historical Ramble of the Burrow hosted by Peader Bates our local historian, The other was a Coastal Loop through Portrane Hospital out to the beach, then along the Cliff Walk on to the Portrane Beach and around by Rogerstown Estuary up Marsh Lane. Both groups met back at the Brook Pub - for cakes & coffee or pizza & pints. A really enjoyable day was had by all. Please see the photos of the walks recently forwarded from Carolyn of the Historical Ramble Short Walk Group with Peader Bates local historian; who told local stories of the Burrow area.The group enjoyed refreshments at The Brook, in the new outdoor space. It is hoped to continue with longer & shorter walks maybe one a month. If you are interested in walking please contact Carolyn on 087 9284307 or Breda on 086 8693243
June saw another round of virtual competitions run by Special Olympics Ireland.Our club saw twice the number of competitors this time around; with 24 athletes representing our club, in 4 of the 5 sports offered. DPSO club had at least one competitor in each competition (except the wheelchair races) offered, which included Basketball, Bocce, Golf as well as several athletics events.Well done Sorcha for taking first place in golf, despite the fact that we didn’t have any left handed clubs available for her. Special Olympica competitive events are open to athletes aged 8 and over -we had two of the youngest competitors as Liam and Tom had only just turned 8 by the qualifying date. There have been some very heavy post bags for our athlete’s post men as their medals were delivered over the past week.Some of our volunteers reminded us that they are also athletes and competed in the adult section of the challenges; Becca, Ciaran and Ruairí all winning medals in Bocce. We are especially delighted with this as we have plans for Bocce in our club. Several of our coaches are training as Bocce officials. Well done to everyone! No club sessions for a while as we enjoy the summer break. Looking forward to lots more fun and games in September and hopeful for real life competitions in 2021-2022.
Leithinis Donabate Portrane CCÉ will recommence classes for adults and children in traditional Irish music in late September or early October. Along with our classes in banjo, bodhrán, button accordion, fiddle, flute and tin whistle, we hope to also offer classes in concertina. A limited number of loan instruments will be available to those registered for classes. Due to the evolving public health guidelines, at the time of writing we do not know what format these classes will take. If you took classes with us last semester, we will email you about arrangements for enrolling. If you are a newcomer, please consult our website (www.leithinis.com) or, better still, register your interest by emailing us at leithinis@comhaltas.net.
Cllr Adrian Henchy has raised concerns over a proposed new development in Corbalis , Donabate. He said, “In recent days I received notification from Fingal County Council of a planned major Strategic housing development(SHD) for Corballis Donabate. While I fully recognise there is a housing crisis with a critical shortage of both homes to buy and rental properties it is still critically important that all new planning applications are underpinned by equal investment in both physical and social infrastructure. Donabate is already under going significant change and development with a number of planning applications currently been completed and others about to start so time needs to be given to allow these new homes fully integrate into the community.I make no apologies from the outset in declaring if this new application is in anyway both developer led planning and not in compliance with the local area plan, I will be using my voice within Fingal County Council on behalf of my local community Donabate Portrane to request that this particular application goes back to the drawing board.I will be closely studying and examining all the documentation to do with this application in the coming weeks to ensure it is in full compliance with both the Donabate Local Area Plan and the Fingal County Development plan and will be making representation to both Fingal County Council and An Bord Pleanala on behalf of my local community Donabate Portrane. I would urge as many local community groups and residents to carefully examine the plans which can found at www.corballiseastshd.ie. (NB: not accessible through this media) From my primarily review of these plans, I am very concerned at the scale of the proposed development, as it is, the largest planning application that has ever been submitted for Donabate. I will be meeting with Fingal County Council planning department and the Chief Executive to discuss this planning application in detail and to express my serious concerns and reservations in relation to the sheer scale and volume of housing given we already have a number of other planning applications currently active in the Donabate area.If you have any queries or you would like more details please do not hesitate to contact me Adrian.henchy@cllrs.fingal.ie. “ (NB: not accessible through this media)
Corina Johnston, Labour Party Local Area Representative has welcomed the installation of a much needed defibrillator in Portrane.Johnston said; “I am very pleased that a defibrillator has now been installed in Portrane especially as it can save the life of a person who has gone into Cardiac Arrest. The need for a defibrillator and signage in the area was first raised with me by a resident in Portrane during the first Covid lockdown in 2020. I discussed this locally and it was decided to go ahead and provide one. “Johnston added; “Liam Grogan, the owner of Grogan’s supermarket immediately agreed to locate the defibrillator within the shop, and for a notice to be erected on the outer wall. A local printer offered to do the design and print work the result of which is now on display in Grogan’s, The Brook and Pipers Take Away. “Johnston continued; “An outdoor display and information session on CPR and on the operation of a defibrillator took place on the Portrane Green. This was attended by a number of local people who were very impressed with the presentation. It was agreed that further sessions would be arranged in the coming months and the public will be invited.”Johnston said; “A huge debt of gratitude is due to the resident who initially raised this issue with me and to the Grogan family who have provided the premises . Also to Gerry Neville, our paramedic who presented the course, Jack Caverly, our printer ,Tom Kennedy the engineer for the occasion and to Sean Ryan. Without them, the defibrillator would not have been installed at least at this moment in time.”Johnston concluded; “In view of the potential benefit of a defibrillator where large numbers of people gather I firmly believe that all public houses, supermarkets ,our beaches and all sports facilities should be required to install one on their premises. I intend to pursue this objective vigorously.”
What to do if you come across someone in a Cardiac Arrest.
1 Call 999 or 112
2 Start CPR
3 Ask someone to get Defibrillator if nearby.
4 In the meantime, listen to emergency operator and follow instructions.
5 Turn on defibrillator and follow instructions.
6 Hand over to paramedic team when they arrive.
Defibrillators are located in:- Donabate Portrane Community Centre -Grogan’s Supermarket, Portrane. -Supervalu, Donabate and the grounds of a number of sports clubs and local schools.
Balbriggan Boys recently won the Leinster Junior A trophy for the first time in their history, beating Pembroke in the final by six wickets. Batting first Pembroke got 117, with Bruce Whaley top scoring with 35 before retiring.Hassan Shahid claimed four wickets, while Jesse Makris also bowled well, conceding just 16 off his four overs.Hassan was also to the fore with the bat, as he made 38 before retiring, with Jesse Makris enjoying the final, making 32.Skipper Fionn Bannister and Tom Harford brought home the win with Tom hitting the winning runs in the penultimate over.Jim Bennett and Martin Russell did the trophy presentations, praising “a great game played in good spirits’. Well done to all.
Calling all music enthusiasts aged between 16-24 – no previous experience required. A new youth-based music project established by Empower starting in September 2021 in Balbriggan. Would you like to get the opportunity to create and promote original music alongside skilled musicians and producers, take part in music workshops that focus on composition, digital production skills, instrumentation and integration through music. All you have to do is submit a short video either demonstrating your musical ability or simply outlining your interest in creating music to beatinternational@empower.ie and fill in your details on this link https://form.jotform.com/211023209645345