On 19th August last a group of 21 Active Age for All members were transported in style to Howth Castle in a Leonards coach. On arrival at the castle, we were greeted by our guide Daniel with whom we explored the castle and gardens hearing about the family history and the architectural evolution from a Norman keep to the grand mansion that it is today.

The castle’s origins date back to 1235 when the St Lawrence family built the original keep, and the property has remained in the same family until recently. Happily, the new owners plan to preserve the castle and grounds and to remain open to the public.

The most famous story relating to the castle involves the renowned pirate queen of the west of Ireland Granuaile (Grace O’Malley) who in 1576 sought hospitality at the castle and was refused. Much angered by this breach of the Irish tradition of hospitality she abducted the Earls grandson and only released him on condition that the castle gates always remain open and that a place be set at the table for unexpected guests, a practice that continues to this day.

After a fascinating couple of hours touring the castle and grounds, we all took the short walk to the village of Howth where we all found some lunch and even time for a short ramble in the harbour before the bus back to Donabate. A special thank you to Daniel whose knowledge and obvious enthusiasm for the subject of the castles history made for a very enjoyable trip.

St. Ita’s AFC, based in Donabate and Portrane, Co. Dublin, is proudly celebrating its Centenary in 2025. Founded in 1925, the club has spent the past century at the heart of the community, providing football opportunities for players of all ages and abilities. There are currently 38 soccer teams and 2 futsal teams.
From its earliest days, St. Ita’s AFC has stood for more than just sport. The club prides itself on promoting teamwork, sportsmanship, and respect while offering a welcoming, inclusive environment where everyone can enjoy the beautiful game. With thriving youth coaching sessions, senior fixtures, and the much-loved Mini-Euros tournament, the club continues to inspire the next generation of footballers.

The Mini-Euros, first introduced in the 1980s by Tony Franklin, has grown into one of the club’s flagship annual events. Attracting over 500 children aged 4–16, it brings the Donabate and Portrane community together each summer in a week-long festival of football. Entirely volunteer-driven, the Mini-Euros reflects the spirit of St. Ita’s: inclusive, community-focused, and built on a passion for the game.

As part of its centenary celebrations, St. Ita’s AFC will host a Centenary Gala Night on Saturday, 18th October 2025, in The Grand Hotel, Malahide. The evening will include a four-course meal, live music, dancing, and a chance for past and present players, parents, volunteers, and supporters to come together and celebrate 100 years of footballing tradition. Tickets are €85 and can be paid in instalments.
For tickets go to https://stitasafc.com/pages/centenary-gala-night.

St. Ita’s AFC looks forward to marking this historic milestone with the community that has supported it for the past 100 years — and to building another century of football memories in Donabate and Portrane.

Get ready for a scorching Halloween night like never before! Events in Fingal proudly presents the “Festival of Fire.” Taking place on Friday 31st October, this thrilling event will ignite your Halloween spirit at four incredible locations across Fingal: Bremore Castle in Balbriggan, Swords Town Park, Malahide Castle, and Millennium Park in Blanchardstown.

Experience the Magic of Music:
The Festival of Fire kicks off with an electrifying musical prelude that will set the mood for an unforgettable night. From spine-tingling tunes to haunting melodies, our musical lineup will captivate your senses and keep you grooving.

Spectacular Fireworks Displays:
As the clock strikes 7:30 PM, brace yourself for an awe-inspiring spectacle! Our breathtaking fireworks displays will light up the night sky, casting vibrant colors and patterns that will leave you mesmerized. It’s the perfect way to celebrate Halloween with friends and family.

Event Locations: Bremore Castle, Balbriggan: Step into the enchanting world of Bremore Castle, where history meets the mystical allure of Halloween. 7pm Enjoy a Scary disco. 7.30pm Fireworks. Please note No Parking is Available. Please walk or cycle.

Swords Town Park (Behind the Castle): Join us in the heart of Swords for a Halloween celebration like no other. The park will come alive with the spirit of the season. 7pm Enjoy a Scary Disco. 7.30pm Fireworks.
Malahide Castle: Explore the grounds of the magnificent Malahide Castle, surrounded by the magic of Halloween. 7pm Enjoy a Scary Disco. 7.30pm Fireworks.

Millennium Park, Blanchardstown: Get ready for an explosion of Halloween fun in Blanchardstown’s Millennium Park. 7pm Enjoy a Scary Disco. 7.30pm Fireworks.

Don’t miss out on this unforgettable evening of music and fireworks. Bring your family, friends, and a sense of wonder as we light up the Halloween night in Fingal. It’s a celebration you won’t want to skip!
Mark your calendars for Friday, October 31st, and join us at one of our four fantastic locations. Festival of Fire promises to be the highlight of your Halloween season.

There are even more Halloween-themed events planned for the month of October and to see what’s on in your areas please go to fingalcoco.ie.

The Marathonkids Ireland 2025 programme was launched today at Morton Stadium in Santry, with more than 8,000 primary school students from 150 schools across Fingal, Dublin City, Louth, and the Gaeltacht regions set to take part in this year’s initiative.

In Fingal, over 3,500 pupils from more than 30 schools in Fingal will join the 8-week programme, which encourages 5th and 6th class students to build healthy lifestyle habits through running, physical activity, and wellbeing education.

Marathonkids isn’t about racing, as students gradually build up to completing the full marathon distance of 42.2km through weekly runs, while also learning about topics such as healthy eating, hydration, rest, and positive mindset.

Mayor of Fingal, Tom O’Leary, said: “Marathonkids has been a fantastic participation programme for over 10 years. It gives children the opportunity to take part in the lifelong physical activity of running with the bonus of getting to run on the track here at DCU Morton Stadium.”

The initiative is very much about every child achieving the marathon distance together, learning as they go, and finishing with a celebratory final mile at Morton Stadium in early November.

Marathonkids looks to make running fun and achievable for all, not just sporty kids. It was introduced in Ireland in 2015 with a pilot supported by Fingal County Council and the Dublin Marathon. Over a decade on it is now recognised as one of Ireland’s largest participation programmes for children and embedding itself as an annual fixture in the school calendar.

Seán Ó Riain, CEO of Dublin Marathon, added: “We’re proud to partner with Marathonkids again this year. The programme introduces thousands of children to running while also promoting health and wellbeing in a fun, achievable way. It’s a vital part of our community work and an investment in the future of sport in Ireland.”

Dublin-based visual artist, Maria Atanacković, has been named as the recipient of the Ardgillan Castle Studio Award 2025-26. This prestigious award provides a fully funded studio space for a professional artist for a one-year period, commencing on 1st October 2025.

The Studio Award covers all studio rental, utilities, and administration costs, offering the recipient a unique opportunity to develop their practice in a supportive and inspiring environment.

Fingal County Council and Ardgillan Castle Ltd. currently support 15 studio spaces for artists and designers working across a diverse range of practices. This initiative, which began in 2020, continues to foster creativity and professional development within the local arts community.

Fingal County Council Arts Officer, Sarah O’Neil, commented: ‘We are pleased to announce Maria Atanacković as our Ardgillan studio award recipient. This funded year long residency provides an opportunity for professional artists to explore and refine their work in the historical grounds and castle of Ardgillan.’

Welcoming the studio award, Maria Atanacković said: ‘I’m delighted with this opportunity to scale up and develop my practice. I intend to use the dedicated time and space to translate the geometric visual language that I’ve developed through printmaking into more ambitious sculptural forms.’

Maria is a Dublin-based artist working across printmaking, assemblage and textiles. Through abstraction and experimentation, she constructs pieces that explore space, composition and form.

Fingal County Council has welcomed the commencement of two new affordable and social housing developments which, when completed, will deliver in excess of 1,100 homes to the Fingal area. The official sod-turning ceremonies, attended by representatives of Fingal County Council, the Land Development Agency (LDA), Lydon, Ballymore, and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne, marked a major milestone in the delivery of affordable homes in Fingal.

Hampton Demesne, formerly known as Castlelands, will comprise a total of 817 homes, including 377 houses and 440 apartments in Balbriggan, and will be constructed in partnership with Ballymore. The development will include a childcare facility, playground, café and recreational amenities for children of all age groups.

Priory Fields, formerly Hacketstown, will deliver 345 homes, including 39 houses and 306 apartments and duplexes in Skerries. These 345 will be broken down into 101 social houses, 117 cost rental homes, and 127 affordable purchase homes. The proposed low-rise development will include a crèche, community space and pedestrian and cycle routes.

Speaking at the sod turning, Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Tom O’Leary, said: “I’m really pleased to see these two major projects for 1,162 new homes underway. The homes will provide a great opportunity for families to make their home within the wonderful communities of Balbriggan and Skerries. Community infrastructure is a key part of these developments and the €10m Balbriggan Swimming Pool Project in Balbriggan will complement these new homes.”

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly said: “It’s hugely exciting to see work underway on two excellent affordable housing projects in Fingal. This quality and mixed tenure of these developments is exactly what is needed in both communities. I would like to thank and congratulate all partners on their dedication which has brought the projects to this important stage, and I look forward to seeing them completed”.

A north county Dublin woman, who did not complete the Leaving Certificate, is studying to become a fully qualified accountant. Former stay-at-home mum Angela Comerford Lynch (45), from Balbriggan, says a funded accounting technician apprenticeship programme made it possible.

She said the two-year Accounting Technician Apprenticeship, offered by Accounting Technicians Ireland (ATI), gave her the foundations to build a career. Angela was apprenticed to locally based business advisory service, UHY Farrelly, Dawe, White (FDW), one of the largest audit, tax and advisory firms in the northeast. She praised the flexibility offered by the work, earn and learn programme which sees locally placed apprentices earn at least the national living wage.

“I left school at 17 but did not complete the Leaving Certificate. I worked in various roles, from bartender to quality controller in a printing company. I was a stay-at-home mum for 13 years. But I always wanted to return to education. So, in 2022, I finally decided to see what was available. I was not sure anything was possible, but the Balbriggan Adult Guidance and Information Service was a tremendous help. It recommended ATI’s Accounting Technician Apprenticeship,” she said.

Following completion of her apprenticeship, Angela earned a trainee accountant role with UHY FDW. She is now studying to become a Chartered Certified Accountant.

“The Accounting Technician Apprenticeship saw me attend Coláiste Íde, Finglas one day a week, and work for the other four. From day one, I loved the team at UHF FDW and ATI gave me the core foundations to build a career and was always supportive. The biggest benefits were being able to earn and learn while gaining two years’ valuable experience. I would recommend the ATI Apprenticeship to anyone looking to get into accountancy. Trying to get back into the workforce can be overwhelming for a mature student who must juggle work and family. But I have been able to maintain a healthy work-life balance. The programme has given me the confidence and work experience I needed to pursue a career in a field I came late to but adore.”

For more information on the ATI Accounting Technician Apprenticeship see accountingtechniciansireland.ie

On Saturday the 30th August, with many thanks to Irish Rail under their Corporate Responsibility, forty people, mostly volunteers with the Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs travelled to the open day at Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind headquarters in Cork. Forty seats were booked on the train, which also included six guide dogs

When the Branch arrived in Cork H.Q, a tour was the centre was organised and ran by local volunteer, Dermott and two volunteers from the branch received ‘A Long Service Award’ for their volunteering, both Anna Keane and Maebh Mitchell. Volunteer Anne Mulligan also had her name engraved in a plaque in the gardens of the centre for training her 10th puppy. We want to congratulate, Anna, Maebh and Anne, who is now on her 12th pup in training Lulu, and thank them for their many years of contribution to The Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind.

After 2pm on Saturday, the holiday raffle took place with nearly four hundred people present with a Sligo person winning the raffle. An online quiz was held on Guide Dogs while travelling to the centre to get everybody thinking about the work of the organisation. One of the volunteers who came along on the day, was a staff member of The Harvest Inn in Balbriggan and on her return, asked Anthony Reilly, owner of The Harvest Inn to do fundraiser which will be held on 10th October with more information to follow. As always, a fantastic day was had and a big thank you to Tom O’Neill for organising it, to H.Q. for having us and the wonderful staff at Irish Rail for all their help and assistance. Our Branch will also be back at the Skerries Mills Market on 18th October. We have some upcoming events in November, the 14th and 15th November we will be in SuperValu for our annual Christmas merchandise and again on the 28th and 29th November in Millfield Shopping Centre. Make sure you are following 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.

By Ken Duffy

July was a very busy month for our Swords Tidy Towns team of volunteers. We held the awards presentation for our Best Presented Estates competition and our Best Business Fronts competition.

Swords Tidy Towns Best Presented Estates awards 2025: 1st prize Rivervalley 500 euro; 2nd prize Seatown Terrace 300 euro; 3rd prize Carlton Court 200 euro. Most Improved Estate award: Lissenhall 50 euro; Best upcycled feature awarded to The Nurseries 50 euro

Wonderful community efforts evident all around Swords. Well done one and all. A special thank you must go to the Best Presented Estate committee and judges George Mongey, Mary Maxwell, Matt Cullen, Micheal Connolly and Martin Nulty of Nulty Landscapping chaired by Grace Dunne, fantastic work you guys. The generous prizes awarded would not be possible without the continued sponsorship of Members First Credit Union for which we are very grateful. Finally, not forgetting the tremendous support we receive from John Halford and his Fingal Horticultural Society team who put on a fantastic show each year, can’t wait for next year’s competition. We look forward to visiting your Estate in 2026.

This year’s winners of the Swords Tidy Towns Best Business fronts were as follows.

The Old Schoolhouse – Gold; McNamaras Chemist Dublin rd. – Silver. The Pound Bar - bronze.

Vincents Charity Shop. Castle shopping Centre. - most improved.

Well done to all our winners and to our Swords Tidy Towns volunteers Georgy Hughes and Matt Cullen for putting in the footwork.

After all that hard work it was time to let our hair down and there is no better bunch of people to do that than the Swords Tidy Towns team. A fabulous night was had by one and all at the Nathan Carter gig in Swords Castle. A massive thank you to Paul Barnes and his wonderful team at Fingal County Council for putting it all together, you did Swords proud. We dropped off at the 44 for a tipple after the concert and bumped into the Boomtown Rats who happened to be staying there, all in all, a very enjoyable night.

It seems there’s something in the Dublin mix this year as three local bakers have risen to the challenge and secured their places in the semi-finals of the National Brown Bread Baking Competition.

Helen Walker from Swords will be among the eight talented contestants competing at the National Ploughing Championships semi-finals in Screggan, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, on September 16th and 17th. The top four will go forward to the final on September 18th.

Speaking on the achievement, Helen said, “It’s my first time entering the National Brown Bread Baking competition and I’m delighted to be representing the Dublin ICA. I’m also absolutely petrified but bring it on!”.

The champion will take home €5,000 in cash and a NEFF Slide & Hide oven. Three finalists on the 18th will win €500 Euronics gift cards, while all other finalists will receive a €250 Euronics gift card and a Neff hamper.

Supported by Euronics in association with the National Ploughing Association and the Irish Country Women’s Association, the competition is set to be a feast for the senses with the Dublin bakers hoping to be crowned with the finest loaf.