There is huge anticipation for the upcoming Lusk Summer Festival. The Community Event will be held on Saturday 20th of June, at Orlynn Park Green, and will be another fun-filled day for all the family.
Bring along your picnic blankets to enjoy our live music from acts such as Max Turner, Medlife Crisis, Ella Clarke and Eva Campbell. Also, don’t forget your reusable water bottle to get fresh water at our rehydration station.
You can browse our large market for the perfect Father’s Day gift, or even treat him to an early present and buy something at one of our delicious food trucks!
For the kids there will be facepainting, local sporting club events, rides and slides, lots to keep them entertained. Lusk Autism Friendly Town will be there with a calm space for the day if your child needs some quiet time, Please also stop at our Love Lusk stand to get a wristband for your child to keep them safe in case they get separated.
Any little bookworms or magicians will be delighted the Fingal Mobile Library will be returning with their books and magic show. This was one of the highlights of last year’s festival so we recommend not missing it. Keep an eye on social media for more information closer to the time.
This is a Community Event, entirely run by volunteers, and as always, we could do with your support. Please contact volunteers@lusksummerfestival.ie if you could spare your community even three hours there is still plenty of time on the day to enjoy the festival with your family.
Our event couldn’t happen without the continued support of Progressive Credit Union and Fingal County Council. We also have wonderful support from local businesses providing sponsorship and prizes for our raffle. We are hugely grateful for all their support. If your business would like to sponsor or provide a prize, please contact donations@lusksummerfestival.ie.
So mark your calendars, pack up the kids and join your neighbours in celebrating the wonderful community of Lusk! See you all there!
Over the past few months, LSA has enjoyed a hugely successful and exciting period, with athletes producing outstanding performances both at home and on the international stage.
At the end of March, Dara Carr delivered an incredible performance representing Ireland at the European Masters in Toruń, setting a new national record in her age category. International success continued as Sinéad Farrell earned selection to represent Ireland at the World U23 Skyrunning Championships in Croatia following her victory in the Wicklow Way Half Marathon. Sinéad returned home with a silver medal in the 5km race and a bronze medal overall across the weekend’s combined events.
Anna Gavigan kept the international success alight, winning the Ter Specke Bokaal in Amsterdam with a superb throw of 53.73m.
Closer to home, LSA athletes impressed at the Dublin Graded Meeting. Xavi Hubert claimed bronze in the Men’s Senior High Jump Championships with a season’s best of 1.60m, while Léa Hubert and Michelle Branigan delivered strong sprint performances and personal bests. The momentum continued at Dublin Graded Meet 2, where PBs came thick and fast across the squad, alongside another gold medal for Anna Gavigan in the Dublin Championship Discus.
The club also proudly hosted its first ever Women in Sports event, where Dara Carr and Anna Gavigan shared inspiring stories and highlighted the importance of encouraging young girls and women to stay involved in sport.
Meanwhile, LSA athletes took on some of the world’s biggest marathons. Alexandria Conway and Ciara Cullen completed the iconic Boston Marathon, marking their 5th marathon major. Outstanding performances also came from Alex Wood at the Connemara Half Marathon, Stephan Bueck at the Vienna City Marathon, and Darragh Doherty at the Manchester Marathon.
Congratulations to all our athletes on their incredible achievements.
We have a strong club presence heading to Cork at the end of May for the Cork City Marathon and Half Marathon! Wishing them all the very best of luck!
Keep up to date on all the events by following LSA on our website and social media pages!
Website
https://lambaysportsathletics.ie/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/lambaysportsacademy
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/lsadonabateportrane/
Adult memberships queries:
lambaysportsathletics@gmail.com
Little Athletics and Juvenile athletes (7-18) :
lsajuvenilereg@gmail.com
Table quiz fundraiser raises €5,500 to support athletes who will represent our community at the Special Olympics Ireland Games in June!
16 athletes and 6 volunteer coach chaperones from Donabate Portrane Special Olympics Club will proudly represent communities across Fingal at the Special Olympics Ireland Games, taking place in sports venues around Dublin from 18th–21st June. This is a fantastic achievement for the Special Olympics club and one they are incredibly proud of.
To support the costs associated with these athletes attending the Games, a team of volunteers from Donabate Portrane Special Olympics Club held a fundraising event on the evening of Wednesday the 29th of April. 37 teams gathered on the night to participate in a table quiz and to have a chance of winning some of the amazing raffle prizes on offer, which were kindly donated by local businesses.
Club volunteer Louise Duffy said ‘We are incredibly grateful for all of the support we have received with our event, whether it was by way of attending, buying raffle tickets or donating a raffle prize. The night really highlighted the generosity and community spirit that is out there. Sending athletes and chaperones to the Ireland Games will cost our club over €10,000, so the €5,500 raised at our table quiz event will go a long way in ensuring that our selected athletes get to take advantage of this amazing opportunity’.
The club would like to thank the following local businesses and donors for making the event such a huge success. Donabate Portrane Tennis & Golf Club, Bliss, Eamon Lawless, Windward Management Hotels, Cadbury Chocolate, Newbridge House, Roganstown House & Country Club, Donabate Community Centre, Corballis Farm Horse Trekking & Therapeutic Riding Centre, Maxol Donabate, Iarlaith Keane, Supervalu Donabate, Razors Edge Barbershop, Keeling’s Pub, The Brook Pub, Jones Garden Centre, McCartan Pharmacy Donaghmede, Adelle Cully Ceramics, Pasta Castello, Cates Café, House of Hounds, Ciara Lee, The Sea Sauna, Donabate Pharmacy, Tobin’s Pharmacy Donabate, Life Pharmacy Donabate, Esthetique, Vik Barbers, CrepeBerry’s, Beacus Beag, Sea Scoops, Tower Bay Brew & Grogan’s Portrane.
Special Olympics Ireland, provides year-round sports training, athletic competition, and developmental programmes for almost 7000 athletes annually. Giving our athletes continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendships with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
From 18th-21st June 2026, over 1,200 athletes and thousands of volunteers and supporters will come together for the Special Olympics Ireland Summer Games - a thrilling competition and a celebration of the skill, determination, and abilities of athletes. See Ireland Summer Games 2026 | The Special Olympics for more information.
May was a busy time at Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed’s plots at Turvey allotments, with continuous tending, watering and weeding, which will continue into June. But it is hoped that all the hard work will pay off with the promise of a bumper chop despite the late planting due to the abnormally wet winter.
Last month, Gerry and the Plonkers (the Men’s Shed’s music group) were honoured to be asked to play at an appreciation do in the Grand Hotel, in Malahide, for Alone volunteers. Alone is a wonderful charitable organisation, which provides support for vulnerable older people. So, it was a privilege for the band to provide the entertainment at this event. By all accounts, the volunteers and the band had a very enjoyable afternoon.
Recently our new member, Ray, took on the role of outing organiser for the Shed and has already arranged a visit in June to the Croke Park Museum and has other outings in the pipeline.
Our regular weekly activities of music practice on Mondays, croquet in Newbridge Park on Tuesday, exercise classes and a get-together for a cuppa and chat on Thursdays.
If you or someone close to you would like to join us, please contact our PRO, Jim, on 086-3694316.
Donabate Library was strongly represented at the Inaugural Hydrogen Grand Prix (H2GP) at the National Arena on Thursday, 23rd April, with ‘Ecomotion Donabate’ being awarded the Team Spirit award, which honours teams demonstrating exceptional sportsmanship, collaboration and resilience. The team was made up of Blaze, Sarah, Savanagh, Robyn and Beabhínn who took part in the , the 3.5-hour endurance race.
The event was the culmination of an education STEM programme where students designed, built and raced hydrogen-powered remote-control cars. Five teams from across the country qualified for the national finals after winning their regional H2GP Sprint race.
The H2GP is a global racing series and empowers the next generation of engineers, problem-solvers and clean energy champions. Through hands-on, project-based learning students get to enjoy the buzz of designing, building and racing hydrogen-powered cars while also gaining real-world experience in renewable energy technologies.
Speaking about the event, Marianne Checkley, CEO Kinia said:
“Today was a great success and we want to commend all the teams and their teachers. An incredible amount of time was put in from each team and they should all be very proud of their achievement of being involved in the first ever H2GP PRO national final.
To mark the end of our Spring/Summer 26 season, Lambay Cinema Club is pleased to present The Ballad of Wallis Island – the hit 2025 UK comedy that one reviewer called “Warm, perceptive and quietly life-affirming.”
The film centres on an eccentric lottery winner called Charles Heath and his attempt to force the reunion of two of his musical heroes.
Musician Herb McGwyer made his name in a popular folk duo with former creative and romantic partner Nell Mortimer. Now a struggling solo artist, Herb accepts a lucrative offer from Heath to perform a private gig on a remote island. The appearance fee will fund Herb’s new album.
But it turns out Charles - who has very personal reasons for organising the gig - has also invited Nell to play, forcing Herb into an unexpected McGwyer Mortimer reunion.
Co-writers and co-stars Tom Basden and Tim Key, alongside director James Griffiths, have delivered a winning crowd-pleaser with The Ballad of Wallis Island. With a perfect mix of humour and poignant character work, this film is a total charmer.
The Ballad of Wallis Island will be shown at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland church in The Square, Donabate (K36 Y521) on Thursday June 11th at 8:00pm.
Tickets go on sale on Thursday 4th June at 9:00am and cost €10 (€8 for students/OAPs)
To celebrate the onset of Summer, we will be providing a complementary wine reception before the screening.
For more information and to buy tickets, please visit lambaycinemaclub.com
We will be taking a break over the Summer with our Autumn season kicking off in September. To make sure you are kept up to date with our latest news, follow us on Facebook and Instagram and make sure you are signed up to our mailing list. Visit our website for details.
If you want to get in touch, email us at info@lambaycinemaclub.com
Pam Lecky, a local crime writer, living in Donabate has just released a brand new crime series: The Clew Bay Detectives, which will be published on the 16th of June.
Set in the fictional village of Glenfinn near Westport along the Wild Atlantic Way in County Mayo, Ireland, the series follows Ali Brennan, a landscape designer with a surprising talent for solving crimes. When the body of a wealthy businessman is discovered on a remote island in Clew Bay, Ali and her nephew Gavin are drawn into the complex mystery surrounding his murder.
Welcome to Westport, where the wild beauty of Ireland’s western coast hides deadly secrets…
Reeling from a devastating breakup, landscape gardener Ali Brennan escapes to the small coastal town of Westport, hoping its rugged shoreline and quiet rhythms will help her rebuild her life. But peace is short lived when wealthy landowner John Clifford-Murphy is found dead on a remote island in Clew Bay – alone, and inexplicably without his phone or vital medication.
The local Gardaí are quick to rule the death an accident. Ali isn’t so sure… especially when Clifford-Murphy’s widow begs her to look more closely. Joined by her enthusiastic college-dropout nephew, Gav, Ali begins to ask questions the tight-knit community would rather leave unanswered. And when her ex-boyfriend, Detective Aidan Cahill, turns up to inform her that her life is under threat, Ali is forced to confront the past she thought she’d left behind.
As secrets surface, the danger escalates. When Ali herself becomes a target – waking terrified and alone on the shores of nearby lake Doo Lough – it’s clear the investigation has drawn her into something far darker than she ever imagined. Can Ali uncover the truth before the killer strikes again?
The series is published by Storm Publishing with the second book in the series slated for publication in November 2026, and the third in June 2027.
Donabate Portrane Sustainable Energy Community (DPSEC) is a volunteer group working to make our community more sustainable through practical, inclusive events. The group was established in late 2023 by a group of locals passionate about climate action, biodiversity, and community empowerment.
Our objectives include improving the energy efficiency of buildings, increasing the use of renewable energy, helping nature to thrive, and promoting more sustainable consumer behaviour and transport choices.
In 2024, we were delighted to be awarded over €15,000 in Climate Action Funding from Fingal County Council, in partnership with Donabate Portrane Community Centre. With this funding, we were able to purchase items for the Community Centre which help to promote sustainable living and the circular economy. These include a set of reusable cups, a bike repair station, five new bike lockers, clothing rails for swap shops, five sewing machines, and raised beds for growing food.
We also collaborated with the local Scout Den on the most recent Climate Action Fund and are currently waiting to hear if it was successful.
One of our most popular initiatives has been our clothing swap shops, which take place every few months on a Saturday afternoon in the Community Centre. A swap shop is a place where people can bring items they no longer need and take home items they will use, for free. This helps to keep our resources in circulation for longer and reduce the cost of living for families. We have organised special swap shops for Halloween costumes, Christmas jumpers, and at the Portrane Summer Festival.
We also hold repair cafés at our swap shops, where one of our volunteers can help you to repair an old item of clothing, or to practice simple sewing and mending techniques on scrap fabric. We can help with both sewing machine and hand sewing skills.
We have lots more projects in the pipeline (or electricity line!), so keep an eye on our social media to find out what’s happening next- just scan the QR code on this page.
We love collaborating with other organisations like community groups, businesses, public bodies and social enterprises to share knowledge and resources and maximise our ability to achieve our vision. Equally, we are always looking for new volunteers to join the organising committee or provide one-off support for events.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at donabateportranesec@gmail.com or on social media if you would like to collaborate or support our work - we would love to hear from you!
All children in Fingal who are starting primary school in September are being invited to visit their local library to pick up a free book bag and take the opportunity to join the library.
Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, T.D., together with Minister of State for Charities, Gaeltacht and the Islands & Rural Transport, Jerry Buttimer, T.D., today announced the launch of this year’s My Little Library free book bag for almost 60,000 children starting primary school.
The My Little Library initiative 2026 is expected to lead to tens of thousands of families picking up their book bags and joining their local library. Since its launch, an average of 20,000 4–5-year-olds have joined their local libraries annually.
The books and resources in the book bag, which is available in both English and ‘as Gaeilge’, support children and their parents in the transition to primary school.
From 11th of May 2026, all children completing the universal Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) pre-school programme and starting primary school are invited to visit their local library and pick up a free book bag. The bags will be available throughout the summer. All families will be invited to join the library if they are not already members.
Minister Foley said she was pleased to announce the 2026 My Little Library initiative.
“I’m really pleased to announce the launch of the free My Little Library book bags for all children in Fingal who will be starting primary school later this year. I really do encourage all their families to pick up their child’s free book bag in their local library.
The books are available as Gaeilge and as Bearla. Tá rud ann do gach duine. The books are available in both English and Irish so there really is something for everyone. This is also a great opportunity for young people to join their local library and indeed enjoy the wonder and the gift of reading.”
At the heart of Fingal’s thriving food scene is the Fingal Food Circle, a dynamic network of local food and drink producers. Meet them manning their stalls at Flavours of Fingal (Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th July) and at Explore Fingal Food Markets throughout the summer.
Taking place on the first weekend of July at Newbridge House and Farm, Flavours of Fingal is the county’s flagship event—and a must-visit for food enthusiasts. Blending the charm of a traditional county show with the energy of a family festival, this two-day celebration brings together everything that makes Fingal special, with food taking centre stage.
Flavours of Fingal features a dedicated food marquee, where Fingal Food Circle members and Fingal Farmers showcase their produce across dozens of vibrant stalls. Highlights include live chef demonstrations by TV chef Erica Drum, alongside talented local chefs, all spotlighting the very best of local ingredients.
Food Circle members love the opportunity to connect directly with fellow food lovers and you can mee them at markets throughout the summer. For details on all Fingal Markets visit www.explorefingal.ie/markets.
Explore Fingal Market Dates – June/July 2026
June
Every Saturday Malahide: Casino Model Railway Museum (10am-4pm)
Saturday 13th Blanchardstown: Millennium Park (12noon-6pm)
Saturday 20th Swords: Swords Castle (10am-3pm)
July
Every Saturday Malahide: Casino Model Railway Museum (10am-4pm)
Saturday 4th/Sunday 5th Flavours of Fingal, Newbridge House and Farm (11am-6pm)
Saturday 4th Blanchardstown: Millennium Park (12noon-6pm)
Saturday 18th Swords: Swords Castle (10am-3pm)