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
Broadway came to Balbriggan as the North Dublin town is hosting a number of international stage stars.Tenor Morgan Crowley and singer and actress Yassmin Alers are among the internationally acclaimed artists who joined the Irish Institute of Music and Song’s summer series of concerts. Award-winning Crowley took to the stage on (August 6) for an evening of classic songs and stories, with New York-born Alers performing a concert full of musical favourites also recently..“For the first time ever, Balbriggan will also welcome internationally renowned stars from the stages of Broadway and the West End, as well as our own Wexford Opera House and the National Concert Hall,” said IIMS CEO, Michael Dawson. Alers is awaiting the release of Spielberg’s West Side Story movie, where she performed on screen during the infamous dance between the two rival gangs.She has arrived at the IIMS as the fourth artist in residence, following Paul Oakley Stovall, Nikhil Saboo and Eurovision singer Lesley Roy. She will spend her time in residence providing educational workshops, mentorship to local and national organisations.The summer series at the IIMS venue in Church Street, Balbriggan, sees weekly events staged each Friday and Saturday, running until the end of September. Public health guidelines mean the audience at each performance will not exceed 44.Guests, You can book a package which includes an overnight stay in the Bedford accommodation (www.bedford.ie), dinner in the LaLa restaurant and two tickets each night for an intimate show. To book, visit www.irishinstituteofmusic.com or phone 087 950 5992. ( NB) none of the above websites are accessible through here
The event programme and online registration have launched for Dublin’s first Climate Action Week (DCAW21), taking place from Monday 13th to Sunday 19th September 2021. A range of online and in-person climate action events are now open for registration at www.dublinclimateactionweek.ie. The broad range of events address the theme areas of Energy & Buildings, Transport, Flood Resilience, Nature Based Solutions, Resource Management and Citizen Engagement.The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Climate Change 2021 Report, categorically underlines the need for urgent action on climate change by all sectors of society. One of the highlights of the DCAW21 Programme includes a Climate Action Panel Discussion with the Chief Executives of the four Dublin local authorities, taking place online on Tuesday 14th September 2021 at 10am. A number of online film screenings are planned, and outdoor climate film screenings will take place at venues across Dublin. There are also a range of family events, including workshops for children and guided walks in public parks. The Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, the Mayors of South Dublin County Council and Fingal County Council, and the Lord Mayor of Dublin City Council, have jointly stated in the online Programme Promotional Video: ‘The Dublin Region is acting on climate change causes and impacts, and we are making positive changes. We’ve organised Dublin’s first ever Climate Action Week, to showcase our climate action progress to the people of Dublin and elsewhere. We’ve launched an exciting programme of events across a range of themes. There is something for everyone. You can register for these events on our Dublin Climate Action Week website www.dublinclimateactionweek.ie.(Nb: Not accessible through this medium). We invite you to join us. Discover more about acting on climate change so we are all Taking Action, Together’.