We will have photos & article on our Bloomsday Trip to Dublin in the next edition.

In the meantime, we are planning for our next few walks in the Autumn/Winter.

We hope to have walks in September, October, & November & maybe December to include Rogerstown Park & Estuary - Rush, The Ward River Heritage Park - Swords, The Dodder Park Walk - Dublin (Southside.)

These will be walks of about 2hrs each and fairly easy 7/8km - we stop for food before heading home!

Enjoy walking & keeping fit over the summer!

Last month, Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed was proud to play our part in participating in a special event for Men’s Health Week in Newbridge Park, attending by over 80 members from 10 of the sheds across Fingal. Gerry & the Plonkers, our music group, provided the entertainment on the day.

As well as that, Gerry and the Plonkers had a busy June, playing at Vintage Picnic at Swords Castle and Memory Café in Donabate Portrane Community Centre and they have more concerts for local community groups lined up over the coming month.

But Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed is more than just music, with several members active in our two plots in Turvey Allotments. This year has already produced a bumper crop of garlic. The tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage and cucumbers are also coming along well. We also have our weekly exercise classes, croquet at Newbridge and our Thursday morning get-togethers for a cuppa and a chat.

We are always open to new members and new ideas for activities. So, don’t be shy.; come along and join us. Call our PRO, Jim, on 086-36944316.

A group from Active Age for All and others from Failte Isteach ( kindly supported by Fingal Co Co) enjoyed a trip to Dublin Castle and the Chester Beatty Library at the end of May. We departed Donabate/ Portrane Community Centre on a dull drizzly morning but happily the day improved by the time we got to the castle and spirits were in no way dampned.

At the Castle we met our lovely guide Ellie who led us on a very interesting and informative tour. She explained that the site is at ( now over) the dark tidal pool where the Poddle river joins the Liffey, this was called Dubh Linn ( black pool) and is the origin of Dublin city’s name. Originally a Gaelic settlement then taken over by the Vikings, who called it Dyflin, then from 1204 to 1922 it was the seat of English rule in Ireland. It was developed into a medieval fortress by King John which remained largely intact until a major fire in 1684. In the 1980s during remedial works to some of the buildings part of the original wall and Viking structures were discovered and can be explored by visitors today. On the 16th January 1922 the last Viceroy of Ireland handed Dublin Castle over to Michael Collins and the government of the new Irish state. Since that historic moment a tradition of state ceremony has continued at the Castle and from 1938 each one of Ireland’s presidents has been inaugurated in St Patricks Hall, the grandest of the State apartments.

On our tour we visited the cellars contained the remains of the Powder Tower and the original castle wall; the Chapel Royal and the State apartments which are very impressive.

We lunched in the Chester Beatty library at the Silk Road cafe before exploring the treasures of the library. Then a quick cup of coffee before we had to head back to our bus and home. All in all a very enjoyable day, plans for the next outing are in being worked on already !

Councillor Tom O’Leary (Fine Gael, Balbriggan) has been elected as Mayor of Fingal at the Council’s Annual General Meeting held in County Hall in Swords recently. His election means he becomes the 20th Mayor of Fingal. The AGM also saw the election of Cllr Gráinne Maguire (Independent, Balbriggan) as Deputy Mayor.

Cllr O’Leary is a long-term resident of Skerries and has served as a Councillor in Fingal for over 15 years. He is a proactive advocate on key local issues and has held significant roles on transport, strategic infrastructure, planning, coastal management and housing during his time on the council. Married and with three adult children, he has worked as a parliamentary assistant to a number of Fine Gael spokespeople/Ministers in both the Dáil and Seanad.

Addressing councillors for the first time as Mayor, Cllr O’Leary said: “It is a great honour to be elected as the 20th Mayor of Fingal. I sincerely thank my colleagues for placing their trust in me to serve in this role to help ensure Fingal continues to be a great place to live for all.

“Throughout my time as a councillor, my focus has consistently been on delivering homes, strengthening infrastructure, and enhancing community facilities across Fingal. From affordable housing and measures to tackle anti-social behaviour, to improving youth amenities, schools, and sports facilities - I am proud of what we’ve achieved and am eager to build on that and ensure that Fingal continues to thrive.

“I am particularly looking forward to seeing progress made on the delivery of a new Sports Hub in Skerries, accelerating the delivery of more homes alongside key community infrastructure, advancing the development of the Bremore Deepwater Port, the opening of the new Skerries Carnegie Library,

Expanding our Active Travel initiatives and identifying a large annual event for the people of Dublin 15.”
Councillors also selected the Chairs for each of Fingal’s three Area Committees at this evening’s AGM.

These committees focus on the local delivery of services within their respective regions, addressing issues such as roads, litter, playgrounds, water services, housing, and libraries. The newly elected Chairs for this year are:
• Balbriggan/Rush-Lusk/Swords: Cllr Luke Corkery
• Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart/Castleknock/Ongar: Cllr Eimear Carbone-Mangan
• Howth-Malahide: Cllr Cathal Haughey

Macleans Cleaning Services Honoured with Second Business All-Star Accreditation
Macleans Cleaning Services, based in Balbriggan, County Dublin, has received its second consecutive Business All-Star Accreditation 2025 from the All-Ireland Business Foundation.

Under CEO Emma Maclean’s leadership, the company has solidified its reputation for consistent excellence, reliability, and a customer-first approach within the commercial and educational cleaning sectors.

Neil and Emma Maclean from Macleans Cleaning Services celebrate after Macleans Cleaning Services were honoured with Business All-Star 2025 accreditation by the All-Ireland Business Foundation.

As a family-owned, Irish-run enterprise, Macleans Cleaning Services prides itself on trustworthy, friendly, and professionally trained staff - each Garda-vetted and insured.

By providing tailored solutions across offices, schools, and facilities, their onsite supervisors ensure strict adherence to high standards using top-quality machinery and materials.

The 2025 accreditation reaffirms their unwavering commitment to service integrity, continuous improvement, and the well-being of both clients and employees.

Reacting to the news, Emma Maclean, Chief Executive Officer of Macleans Cleaning Services, said: “We are thrilled to receive our second consecutive Business All-Star Accreditation 2025. This honour reflects the dedication of every cleaner, supervisor, and support staff member at Macleans. Our mission has always been to provide a service that goes beyond cleanliness—adding value, safety, and peace of mind to our clients’ environments. This recognition inspires us to keep exceeding expectations.”

Announcing the accreditation, Kieran Ring, Deputy Chair of the AIBF Adjudication Board, said:
“Macleans Cleaning Services has demonstrated exceptional consistency in delivering high-quality, reliable cleaning solutions. Their family-centric culture, combined with rigorous staff training and dedicated onsite supervision, sets them apart. Earning back-to-back All-Star status speaks volumes about their integrity, operational excellence, and genuine care for clients and community alike.”

Kapil Khanna, Managing Director of the AIBF, added: “Macleans Cleaning Services exemplifies the true meaning of a family-run business that delivers professional excellence at scale. Their commitment to ongoing training, quality machinery, and client satisfaction has raised the bar for the cleaning industry. We congratulate Emma Maclean and her team on this well-deserved back-to-back accreditation.”

On Saturday, August 2nd, the heart of Balbriggan will beat a little louder as the community gathers at Glebe North Football Club for the Fran Malone Memorial Cup — a charity football match that’s more than just a game. It’s a tribute, a celebration, and a rallying cry for support, all rolled into one.

This year’s match is in proud support of CRITICAL CFR Balbriggan, (https://criticalcharity.ie/), a volunteer-led emergency medical response group that’s redefining what it means to serve. These are the people who drop everything when a call comes in — trained responders who act as an extension of the National Ambulance Service, racing to the scene of cardiac arrests, heart attacks, strokes, and choking incidents. Their mission is simple but profound: to save lives.

The volunteers of CRITICAL CFR Balbriggan are community locals. They’ve undergone rigorous training, Garda vetting, and are preparing to launch August 2025.

Leading up to the CRITICAL CFR Balbriggan launch, the most ambitious and largest scale community project in the town’s history, COMMUNITY HEARTS, a masterclass in grassroots community action with the installation of residential defibrillators for every estate in the town. Ensuring all residents of the second most densely populated town in Ireland are within 3-5 minutes of their nearest accessible defibrillator.

The Fran Malone Memorial Cup, just like Fran, is dedicated to helping others, the football match for charity carries forward Fran’s legacy of compassion and generosity. Last year’s match raised over €8,000 for hospice care. This year, every euro raised will go toward equipping CRITICAL responders with the tools they need to save lives.

So come down to Glebe North on August 2nd. Cheer on your local legends, meet the volunteers, and be part of something bigger than football. Whether you donate, volunteer, or simply show up — your presence matters.

Let’s make this match one to remember. For Fran. For Balbriggan. For all of us.

Dedicated fund-raising page: https://criticalcfr.enthuse.com/cf/fran-malone-memorial-cup. Facebook Page for CRITICAL CFR- Balbriggan. www.criticalcharity.ie/

The Balbriggan Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the appointment of Jude O’Sullivan as its new president. The transition took place during a recent gathering where Councillor Tony Murphy provided a brief history of the Chamber, highlighting the significance of the Chain of Office and the motto engraved on it. “Mollain an obair an bhaile”

During the event, Chris Harmon from Country Crest expressed gratitude to the outgoing president, Richard Berney of UHY Farrelly Dawe White, Accountants, Balbriggan for his dedicated service to the Chamber, and a Richard ‘s contributions were acknowledged. Unfortunately Richard sadly passed away on the 24th May and our thoughts are with his family. May Richard RIP.

In his acceptance speech, Jude O’Sullivan thanked everyone for their support and expressed his enthusiasm for collaborating with Chamber members, the community, and local authorities to advance the Rejuvenation Plan. He emphasized the importance of this initiative in revitalizing the area and enhancing local business opportunities.

Jude also welcomed the recent upgrades to the Harry Reynolds Road, which now features a new Pedestrian & Cycling Route. This project not only connects local businesses, schools, and sports facilities but also significantly improves safety for pedestrians and cyclists, promoting active travel within the community.

As the Chamber moves forward under Jude’s leadership, there is a shared sense of optimism about the future and the potential for positive change in Balbriggan.

The second annual Balbriggan LGBTQ Pride was held on George’s Square on June 7th 2025. Local musicians from the Sceal Collective played on a rainbow stage outside the Our Balbriggan hub from 2pm to 6pm. MC Eddie McGuinness kept the day going smoothly. There were also street performers from Circusful, entering the crowd with juggling and dancing.

Community gardai, local politicians and representatives of many local groups attended the day. There was the chance to learn about services in Balbriggan on the information stalls, such as the Outcomers social meet up for LGBTQ adults in Flemington Community Centre and the LGBTQ Book and Film club in Balbriggan Library.

The Balbriggan LGBTQ Committee group is a member of Fingal PPN and received funding from Fingal County Council for the day. The committee was set up with the assistance of Outcomers LGBT Support Services.

To get in touch please email: balbrigganlgbtq@gmail.com.

GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs

What a summer it has been so far for the Branch of Guide Dogs. The branch has been busy and enjoying all the wonderful support, especially on Guide Dog Day where a fantastic total was raised on Friday the 23rd May in Millfield Shopping Centre of €1,126.11 and on Saturday the 24th May at SuperValu, Balbriggan a total of €698.64 was raised. We want to once again say thank you to all our volunteers and to everyone who supported us.

At the end of May, the Skerries Community Choir held a summer concert and a fantastic sum of €1,000 was donated; €400 collected on the night and a further €600 later from the choir. Tom O’Neill and guide dog Qeb were in attendance with some of our volunteers and a brilliant evening was had by all. A big thank you to Jane Carroll and all the Skerries Community Choir for supporting our branch. If you didn’t spot us at the Choir, you might have seen our wonderful volunteers who attended the Balbriggan Summerfest on the 1st June where merchandise and raffle tickets to win a luxury holiday were sold, with €324.30 raised. We still have raffle tickets available so be on the lookout for our next event which will be in Skerries Mills at the farmers market on Saturday 16th August and make sure to come get yourself one.
Tom and guide dog Qeb have also been busy, giving talks about what a guide dog does and also visual impairments. Tom and Qeb recently attended Buíon Peade ragus Pòh Brigins Junior Girl Guides, who did a sponsored walk for Guide Dog Day, with €320 raised. They also attended Tyndall College in Carlow and Ballinalee National School in Co Longford to give a final school talk for 2024/2025 and of course once again Qeb was the star of the show.

If you would like to keep up to date with our upcoming events, make sure to follow our social media pages for more information. You can contact Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Irish Guide Dogs by phone/text 0857663107, email: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs

There were two events over the last month to celebrate Swords Tidy Towns Gold Medal win and to recognise the enormity of us achieving it.

The first celebration event was hosted by the Old Schoolhouse in the Whiskey Room where food was provided free of charge for which we are very grateful. A thank you must go to Willie and his hard-working team for looking after us on the night. It was a very special evening spent with fellow volunteers who share the same community passion and love of Swords.

The second celebratory event was a Civic Reception with our local Councillors, the Mayor and the CEO of Fingal County Council. We were first seated in the main council chambers where the business of Fingal takes place. The Mayor gave a very complimentary speech as did our local councillors and our Chairperson. Afterwards we adjourned to the Atrium where we were treated to a sandwiches, wraps, cakes, coffee and tea provided by The Gourmet Food Parlour where we mingled.

A big thank you to Ann Marie Farrelly CEO who chatted with our members listening intently to their wants and needs for retaining the Gold Medal in 2025. Those in attendance were in complete agreement of the prestige that Swords has now being a national Gold Medal winner.

A special mention must go to our invited sponsors for their unwavering support over many years, we would not be gold medal winners today if wasn’t for their generosity.