There is something very special about reaching a milestone that spans 60 years — and in 2026, the ladies of Lusk ICA (Irish Countrywomen’s Association) are delighted to celebrate an incredible 60 years at the heart of the Lusk community!
For six wonderful decades, Lusk ICA has brought women together in friendship, learning, laughter and community spirit.
Generations of members have shared skills, supported local causes, enjoyed countless social occasions and, most importantly, created friendships and memories that have lasted a lifetime.
Now it is time to celebrate — and we Ladies plan to do it in true Lusk ICA style!
Our very special 60th Anniversary Celebration Party will take place on: Saturday, 10th October 2026 venue: Bracken Court Hotel Balbriggan.
It promises to be a fantastic occasion filled with friendship, fun, memories, laughter and plenty of opportunities to celebrate everything that makes the women in Lusk ICA so special.
It will be a chance to look back at the wonderful journey of Lusk ICA, remember the many members who have helped make the group what it is today, and look forward to the years ahead.
Sixty years deserves a celebration — and we intend to make it one to remember!
But before we can put on our dancing shoes we need your help.
Save the Date - Bingo Night –-To help raise funds we are holding a fun-filled Bingo Night on Thursday, 10th September 2026 in Lusk Soccer Club at 8pm.
Bring your friends, bring your family, bring your lucky dabber — and get ready for a brilliant night of BINGO, prizes, laughter and craic!
Whether you are a seasoned bingo player or someone who simply loves a great night out with friends, this is an event you won’t want to miss.
So gather your friends, mark Thursday, 10th September in your diary and come along to support Lusk ICA. You never know — your lucky numbers might just make you a winner!
Six Decades of Memories – One Amazing Community
The story of Lusk ICA is really about the women who joined all those years ago, the women who kept the association going through changing times, and the members who continue to bring enthusiasm, friends about cups of tea, conversations, shared skills, outings, celebrations, fundraising, friendship and plenty of laughter along the way!
Over 60 years, times may have changed, but the importance of friendship, community and coming together remains just as strong.
And that is something worth celebrating.
So, join us for our Bingo Night on Thursday, 10th September at Lusk Soccer Club and help us raise funds for the big celebration
60 Years Young and Still Going Strong
Come along. Bring your friends. Bring your laughter. Bring your lucky numbers and let us celebrate!
In Memory of Antoinette Doran
It is with great sadness that we remember Antoinette Doran, a much-loved and highly respected member of Lusk ICA.
Antoinette was a true ICA lady — warm, friendly and always smiling. She was a wonderful fundraiser for Cancer Research and, along with many other dedicated members, was very much the backbone of our guild.
Her kindness, friendship and contribution to Lusk ICA will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by all who knew her.
Our sincere sympathy to Jim her family and friends.
The Lambay Cinema Club was formed to give local residents a chance to see a wide range of movies from around the world that otherwise would be difficult to track down.
To kick off our Autumn/Winter season we once again return to our home at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Church in The Square, Donabate, with a film that really demonstrates our commitment to showing films that entertain while giving us a glimpse into other worlds.
Our season opener is DJ Ahmet, a Sundance festival award winner that introduces us to Ahmet, a fifteen-year-old teenager from a remote Yuruk North Macedonian farming village who becomes “the first celebrity from the village” after a video of him chasing his escaped sheep through an illegal rave goes viral on TikTok.
Life is difficult on the farm with Ahmet’s family struggling after the death of his mother. His younger brother, Naim, hasn’t spoken since her death and his grieving, strict father regularly takes him to local healers to try and get him to speak.
Meanwhile, Ahmet copes by daydreaming during class until his father removes him from school so he can work on the farm full time. He also worships his teenage neighbour, Aya. She is considered to be worldly wise as she lived in Germany for a while before having to return for her arranged marriage to an older man she hates the sight of.
Ahmet uses music as a form of escape and shows his affection for Aya by rigging up his tractor to play music so she and her friends can practice their dancing.
Critics have described the film as “totally charming”, “delightfully humorous”, “hugely lively”, “charming and optimistic” and “laugh-out-loud.”
DJ Ahmet will be shown at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland church in The Square, Donabate (K36 Y521) on Thursday Sept 17th at 8pm.
Tickets go on sale on Thursday Sept 10th at 9am and cost €10 (€8 for students/OAPs)
For more information and to buy tickets, please visit lambaycinemaclub.com
Bring your own cup for free tea and coffee – we even supply the biscuits!
If you want to get in touch, email us at info@lambaycinemaclub.com.
Everyone is welcome and we look forward to seeing you on the 17th.
The first six months of this year have been exceptionally busy, with 620 representations submitted to Fingal County Council on behalf of constituents across the electoral area. This volume reflects both the scale of growth in our communities and the increasing pressure on essential public services.
A substantial proportion of these representations relate to core local infrastructure issues — deteriorating road and footpath surfaces, missing or faded road markings, pothole repairs, road safety concerns, requests for traffic calming measures, pedestrian crossing provision, coastal erosion risks, planning enforcement matters, and the need for wider upgrades across our public realm.
These issues are not isolated; they are symptomatic of infrastructure struggling to keep pace with population growth.
In addition to Council matters, I have made numerous representations to national and regional bodies including the NTA, Irish Rail, Go Ahead, Dublin Bus, HSE, Gardaí, Uisce Éireann, EIR, Government Departments and other State agencies. The largest number of representations received relate to:
As a Peace Commissioner, I continue to support residents with witnessing signatures, verifying statutory declarations and assisting with official documentation. This is a free service available to all constituents.
Donabate is experiencing significant and sustained population growth. However, the delivery of essential infrastructure ( transport, education, water services, community facilities and Garda resources)
is not keeping pace with this rapid expansion. This mismatch is placing increasing pressure on families and communities who rightly expect timely, reliable and well planned public services.
I will continue to pursue these critical issues relentlessly on your behalf and advocate for the infrastructure and services our growing communities urgently need.
You can read my latest newsletter here:
https://mailchi.mp/bb6f2ddf53e5/community-update-july-2026
If you would like to receive regular updates on local issues and community events, you can join my mailing list by scanning the QR code in the newsletter or registering at the link below:
https://mailchi.mp/dc356852b3e1/corina-johnston-mailing-list
As a community we are absolutely delighted to welcome Fr John Bracken as our new Parish Priest! Fr John, who comes from Beaumont, was ordained in 1996 and has recently been Parish Priest in Churchtown. He was both surprised and honoured to be appointed by Archbishop Dermot Farrell to serve in the growing parish of Donabate, Portrane and Balheary.
Fr John recently shared his thoughts on his predecessor, the late Fr Pat Reilly, and spoke about the heartfelt words shared on rip.ie and on social media following the sudden passing of such a beloved pastor. He mentioned how, in Fr Pat’s humble way and under his gentle guidance, the parish was growing into a welcoming and faith-filled community, all the while practising servant leadership, active in social justice.
Fr John looks forward to working with our Parish Pastoral Council and within our local Early Saints of Ireland Partnership of Parishes of Swords, River Valley, Brackenstown and Donabate, in developing further our mission of Building Hope. He also looks forward to working with the Parish Finance Committee, who advise and assist the parish priest in matters of finance, compliance, fundraising and maintaining our church buildings and parish hall, and working too in the Parish Office - the welcoming face of the parish - where Bernie also supports our many volunteers in their varied ministries.
Fr John said, “I am so thankful for the warm welcome I have received as I start to make this lovely parish my home. I hope everyone who comes to worship in our faith communities of Donabate, Portrane and Balheary feels the same welcome. I want to extend that welcome to everyone, especially those who are new to the parish as I am.”
Weekend Mass times: Donabate Saturday 6.30pm (Vigil) & Sunday 11am, Portrane Sunday 9.30am, Balheary Sunday 11.30am
August was a busy month for Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed, as our regular weekly activities resumed after the July break, with croquet in Newbridge Park on Tuesdays and our Thursday morning exercise classes and get-togethers over a cuppa. Our plots at Turvey Allotments were a hive of activity where the daily watering and weeding is being rewarded with a bumper harvest.
In keeping with the motto of the Donabate Portrane Summer Festival - “a festival for the community by the community” - the Men’s Shed music group, Gerry and the Plonkers, provided entertainment on Portrane Green on the Saturday afternoon of the festival. By all reports, the Plonkers played their part in making it a great weekend enjoyed by all. The Plonkers celebrated their third anniversary by playing at the annual Turvey Allotments barbecue. The Plonkers also played a slot at Vintage Picnic, a free, age-friendly music festival for adults over 55, which this year was held in Millennium Park in Blanchardstown.
On a more serious note, last month we had a very informative presentation by a community nurse, arranged through the Marie Keating Foundation, about men’s health issues, including awareness of prostate, testicular, lung, bowel and skin cancer.
Over the next months, we hope to have a few outings to places of special interest in addition to our regular weekly activities. So if you, or someone near to you, would like to join us, don’t wait; contact our PRO, Jim, now on 086-3694316.
For many people, the word recovery is still associated with something private – something that happens behind closed doors, or only after a person has reached a point of crisis. We are trying to change that conversation.
The message from RIFE Fingal is that recovery should be visible, celebrated and supported by the whole community. Whether someone is recovering from addiction, trauma, mental health difficulties or simply rebuilding their life after a difficult period, they should be able to feel that they belong within their community rather than outside of it. With a sense of true belonging, there can be lasting wellness for individuals, families and communities.
This September, RIFE Fingal is promoting that message into the heart of Fingal through two community events:
Rivervalley Recovery parkrun – Saturday, 5 September 2026
A morning centred on movement, connection, wellness and recovery, bringing people together to walk/run at Rivervalley in a positive and welcoming community setting.
RIFE Fingal Holistic Family Festival – Sunday, 27 September 2026
A larger celebration of recovery, wellbeing, family and community, with the aim of creating a space where people of all ages and backgrounds can come together and experience what a recovery-supportive community can look and feel like.
These are not simply events that we want people to attend. They are part of something bigger that we are trying to build.
We want Fingal to become a place where recovery is spoken about openly, where people seeking a better life are encouraged rather than judged, and where families and communities can participate in recovery alongside individuals. Together we can make recovery possible for everyone.
That is why local media is important to us.
A photograph, a short article, an interview, an events listing or a journalist simply coming along and experiencing the atmosphere can help carry this message far beyond the people we are already reaching.
We would therefore be delighted if you would consider covering either – or hopefully both – of our September events.
I would also be very happy to speak with you personally about RIFE Fingal, why this work matters to us, what we have experienced within the community so far, and where we hope this movement can go in the future.
We are learning, building relationships and bringing people together. But there is real energy behind what is happening, and I believe there is a genuinely positive local story developing here.
Our message for the people of Fingal is:
Recovery is for everyone – and community can be part of the recovery journey.
Creative Places Balbriggan has successfully awarded 11 artists to work with local Balbriggan community groups through a brand-new funding scheme.
Making Waves will contribute over €45,000 to 11 artistic programmes to be carried out involving artists collaborating with local community groups in Balbriggan between September 2026 and February 2027.
Mayor of Fingal Cllr. Tony Murphy said: “I greatly welcome the Making Waves funding for the community of Balbriggan. Being a local councillor here, I am fully aware of the vibrant arts community in Balbriggan, and this is a great opportunity to share creative skills with the wider community. This seed funding will help stimulate more involvement in the arts and more accessibility to creative activities locally with the support of the Fingal Arts Office and the Creative Places Balbriggan Coordinator. My congratulations to the 11 artists who made the successful application and the community groups involved and I look forward to seeing what their collaborations will inspire and produce in the coming months.”
Creative Places Balbriggan is an Arts Council funded project coordinated by Fingal Arts Office. Its main aim is to connect with people, artists and places to allow ideas to develop into creative actions that are community-led and socially engaged. Under The Creative Places Balbriggan Strategy 2026-2027, the project has three main priority work pillars – Creative Youth, Creative Industry and Climate Action. The project is based for 3 years in Balbriggan, from 2025- 2027, with scope to develop in further 2-year cycles.
The Making Waves programmes will be officially launched at a public event as part of Culture Night on September 18 at Ardgillan Castle.
For further information, please see: Creative Places Balbriggan | Fingal County Council
It’s been another busy few months for the Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs and also a few months of fun filled with plenty of celebrations for our branch. With the final event of the summer culminating with continued celebrations of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blinds 50th birthday and also a milestone birthday for our very own, Tom O’Neill in O’Dwyer’s GAA club, Balbriggan. As I’m sure plenty of you know, Tom and his late wife Breege founded the Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs back in 1987 after Tom received his first guide dog, Frank and immediately noticed the positive quality of life Frank provided him. Inspired by his newfound confidence, Tom and Breege started with small group walks to fundraise and the community of the branch grew and grew and has lead to nearly four decades of community fundraising and over €5 million raised for the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. The tentacles of the fundraising in Balbriggan also resulted in the setting up of the Tuam Branch by Toms sister Mary Byrne, who raises about €20,000 annually and the foundation of the Cavan Branch by the late Brid McEvoy and Patricia Hannick in 2018, raising up to €10,000 annually.
In 1995 the branch name changed to include ‘North County Dublin’ as no one was raising money in Skerries, Rush, Lusk, Oldtown or Garristown and now the branch also fundraises in Duleek, Stamullen and Ardcath, Co. Meath all thanks to the late Francis Wall of Duleek, who met Fred, another Guide Dog and brother of Toms first guide dog, Frank, when Fred went to live in Duleek in 1985 with his late owner Gerry Healy.
Tom and the Balbriggan/North County Dublin branch of guide dogs continues to be a very active Branch and as determined as ever to keep up the work. We want to wish Tom O’Neill a very happy belated birthday and thank him for everything he has done for the Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs.
You can contact Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Irish Guide Dogs by phone/text 0876489479, email: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Balbriggan
Branch of Guide Dogs.
If you had wandered into the Dublin Convention Centre on the second weekend of August, you would have found yourself in a world where fantasy and reality blur. Stormtroopers patrolled the corridors, Jedi knights crossed paths with medieval warriors, and superheroes queued for coffee alongside Victorian ghosts and Prussian generals.
This was Dublin Comic Con, Ireland’s largest pop culture event, which brought in over 20,000 visitors over the weekend of 8–9 August. For fans of comics, movies and video games, it was a sanctuary where dressing up isn’t just accepted but highly encouraged.
Among the cosplayers and costumed characters was an unexpected group from Balbriggan. Takemusu Aikido Society made its Comic Con debut this year, with a demonstration area and a table set-up where the group could meet visitors, talk about Aikido and introduce people to their martial art.
For many attendees, the demonstrations were their first encounter with Aikido, a Japanese martial art focused on blending with an opponent’s attack instead of meeting force with force. Takemusu Aikido Society presented different aspects of its weapons practice, including sword and staff, alongside empty-handed techniques, showing how these forms of training connect into a single, unified system.
What made the demonstrations special was that beginners had the opportunity to show some of the first techniques they learned. This gave visitors a chance to see that Aikido training begins not with impressive skills, but with simple movements gradually developed through practice. Takemusu Aikido Society sent an important message: no one needed to feel intimidated by flashy instructors’ displays. Instead, everyone could see a clear progression from novice to mastery through consistent practice, depending not on natural ability but on effort invested.
The club’s presence at Dublin Comic Con was like opening a door into a welcoming community. Aikido can seem mysterious from the outside, but by showing students at different stages of training, the group demonstrated that martial arts are accessible to everyone, no matter their age or experience. Visitors could see that they too could start as beginners and, with time and practice, develop real skill.
The weekend delivered plenty of unexpected moments too. Our instructor suddenly found himself in a friendly battle against a Jedi warrior who, much to the amusement of onlookers, was dispatched with remarkable efficiency. A Cyborg Ninja and Michael Jackson stopped to watch the action, clearly impressed but keeping their distance.
But the best part of the weekend was the sense of connection. Visitors stayed after the demonstrations to ask questions about both the techniques and the ideas behind them. Several people expressed genuine interest in attending classes. Strangers became friends over shared curiosity, and conversations sparked between people who otherwise would never have met.
By the end of the weekend, the group had shared their passion with hundreds of visitors and proven that a martial art founded on harmony can fit right in, even among the chaos of costumed characters and fantasy heroes.
Visit www.aiki.ie for full details about Takemusu Aikido Society. New members of all levels and ages are always welcome.
The races are coming thick and fast for our club members with something on the calendar almost every day of the week during the summer months. The Irish Runner race series took place in Phoenix Park and the Irish Life Dublin race series commenced with the Fingal 10k in Swords. There was a big contingent from Lusk for the latter including an army of volunteers. That race also signals the start of training plans for many athletes who are taking on the Dublin City Marathon in October or one of the other Autumn marathons. Best of luck to all with their plans. The club held a Heavy Throws event in Lusk which was a great success. Conor McGuirk ran his final race as a juvenile with a Championship record and we now look forward to seeing his career develop in the senior ranks. A reminder to register for the Man O War Round 7k which takes place on August 13th.
