Balbriggan’s Front Strand has lost its ‘Poor’ status in an Environmental Protection Agency report on Bathing Water Quality, with almost 20 samples resulting in ‘Excellent’ ratings.

Intensive works by Fingal County Council over five years, aimed at improving water quality at Balbriggan’s Front Strand, have paid off, it has been revealed.

Since a poor rating in June 2023, 23 samples have yielded 18 ‘Excellent’ ratings.

Now, the EPA has deemed Front Strand to have changed status and all-season notices advising people not to swim will be lifted.

Fingal County Council’s Balbriggan Beach Management Plan, introduced by the authority’s Environment section, and implemented with the help of Uisce Éireann, identified risks causing poor water quality at Front Strand.

And the authority introduced an action plan to mitigate against the causes of poor water quality, which included water misconnections, waste water accidental releases and wastewater stormwater overflows.
Other issues identified were agricultural run-off, dog fouling, bird fouling, water pollution from oil leaks and challenges presented by heavy rain.

Dr David Begg, Chairperson of the Our Balbriggan Leadership Group, which oversees Fingal County Council’s Our Balbriggan Rejuvenation Programme, warmly welcomed the announcement.

“A lot of work has been done to address issues at Front Strand over the last five years and it is great to finally see this effort reaping positive results.

“Much has been accomplished, particularly around misconnections, and hopefully the improvement in water quality can be maintained.”

It is another boost for the Balbriggan Harbour area as work continues to deliver the major infrastructural elements of the Our Balbriggan Rejuvenation Programme.

Work is progressing on the plan’s flagship €15million project, the re-development of the Quay Street and Harbour area.

The €54-57million Our Balbriggan Rejuvenation Programme is led by Fingal County Council’s Economic, Enterprise, Tourism and Cultural Development Department.

Balbriggan Meals on Wheels was founded in 1975 to provide meals for people who are ill, recovering from a serious illness, or for some reason are unable to provide meals for themselves.

On May 8th, Balbriggan Meals on Wheels hosted a special 50th Anniversary event to celebrate serving the Balbriggan Community for the past 50 years.

Balbriggan Meals on Wheels would like to thank those who sponsored the celebration and all those who came along and joined on the night. Huge thank you also to all those members of the local community who have helped us out over the years, by volunteering, through sponsorship, by donating to our service and supporting our fundraising events. We are truly grateful to everyone who has supported us.

For more information on Balbriggan Meals on Wheels and their services, please contact 01- 8416743 (Mon – Sat between 9am and 1pm) or email mealsonwheelsbalbriggan@gmail.

Camping season is in full swing with Scouts from all over Fingal just finished their County Shield Event. This is a competition amongst them all to see who can rise to the challenges set for them over a weekend. As well as camping and cooking and being totally self-sufficient for the weekend, this year‘s event was held at the Scout campsite in the Bog of the Ring, with approximately 200 people participating and helping run it, Scouts have spent weeks preparing for this event.

Training included meal preparation and cooking, camp skills where they must build all their own furniture for the weekend. First aid training is also a priority in the scouts with a very real-life scenario presented to them involving multiple casualties. Each team has eight members, and they work together from 10 o’clock on Friday morning till about 3pm on Sunday this year. Friday’s weather was quite frankly awful, but they got on with it and no complaints. It’s a great opportunity for young people to mix and see other scouts from the towns around North Fingal.

Friendships were made on the weekend that will last a lifetime. And it was a totally phone free zone. The top 3 teams qualify for the all-Ireland competition held in late August. With up to 1000 participants. This year’s event will be held in Limerick.

As Ireland readies itself for the summer bathing season, Fingal County Council is delighted to announce it has once again been awarded Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards in 2025.

The beaches at Portmarnock (Velvet Strand) and Balcarrick Beach in Donabate have each retained their Blue Flag status, reflecting their outstanding water quality, safety, and environmental management. In addition, Balcarrick Beach has once again received a Green Coast Award, which recognise beaches for their natural beauty, clean environment, and high-quality bathing water.

Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Brian McDonagh, welcomed the news, saying: “The Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards are a reflection of the hard work by council staff and our communities to keep our beaches clean, safe, and welcoming for everyone. As someone who has been swimming on Portmarnock Beach my whole life, I am delighted that we have yet again retained our flag. I want to particularly thank all the Tidy Towns and Clean Coast groups for the work they do on our beaches.”

Director of Operations in Fingal, MaryT Daly, added: “These awards are not only about water quality but also about community engagement, environmental education, and sustainability. I want to sincerely thank all the community groups, volunteers, and residents whose ongoing efforts play such a vital role in keeping our beaches clean, safe, and environmentally sound. I encourage everyone to enjoy all of our beaches responsibly and continue supporting efforts to protect our natural coastline.”

Fingal would also urge dog owners to clean up after their pets. Just one instance of dog poo can contaminate an area the size of a tennis court, posing a serious risk to public health. To highlight this, see this informative animation that illustrates the real impact of not picking up after your dog: https://youtu.be/7bas6zvBmM4.

For details on locations along Fingal’s 88km of coastline, visit: https://fingal.live/2p8rdrrw.

By Mike Power

With longer days and (hopefully) sunnier skies, this time of the year is ideal for giving you and your family the ‘walking habit’. Beginning walkers prefer to have definite starting and ending points, while making the walk a ‘heritage hunt’ gives the kids something to collect and examine later. They can collect ‘magic’ stones to examine at home. Walking and exploring is healthy, interesting and ‘bonds’ a family together. The whole Swords area is rich in interesting heritage walks. I’ve chosen these particular strolls both for their enjoyment, and to safely avoid the ever-present danger of the traffic that swirls everywhere around our village nowadays.

Walk 1. The Ward Heritage Park Walk

Most Swords folk are familiar with the ‘Jacko’ but have you ever continued your walk past the children’s playground and into the park ahead? If you do, you will be rewarded by the discovery of an area full of interest for all family members to explore, especially your dog !

This fabulous but little-known park lies to the west of Swords. If driving there, Park at the Brackenstown roundabout down from the Manor. The entrance to this park lies on your right, past some iron railings and down the hill to begin your walk. Continue to explore the area, walking around a pond which locals call ‘Ushers’ but which was actually dug out by a local nobleman Viscount Robert Molesworth in the 1710s.

You can do short, (3/4 hr) medium, (1 hr), and long ( 2hr) walks in this park. Further information at:

Walk 2: The Brackenstown Road/Swords Village Heritage Walk

Again, drive to the Brackenstown roundabout, park and walk straight ahead. This small track was the original road into Swords! Emerge onto the Brackenstown road proper and walk ahead until you see on your right a set of wooden stairs leading back down to the park. The kids will love this! Descend into the ‘Jacko’ and walk back along the path to your right. Let the kids play in the playground, before ascending the path opposite. When up this path, walk ahead to your left to rejoin your car at the Brackenstown roundabout.

Happy Walking!

Look out for Mike’s book on Swords: Swords History and Mysteries. A Community Guide, to be published in August.

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped at our Marram grass event on the South Beach in April. It was also great to meet Heidi from Malahide Tidy Towns and Catherine from Donabate Tidy Towns, both of whom helped out. We also got a great talk from Aidan Clean Coasts representative on the importance of the dunes and the unique properties of Marram grass, and finally the kids were transfixed our by Liane, Clean Coasts biodiversity officer who showed them how to identify mermaids, purses and other examples of marine life.

Let’s Play Easter
Thank you to everybody who came along to our free Let’s Play Rush Easter Event in Kenure Woods today in conjunction with Rush Tidy Towns, 38th Rush Scout Group, Rush Community Council and funded by Fingal County Council & Progressive Credit Union Ltd. In particular thank you to all the volunteers with special mention for the Scouts who were fantastic. This is yet another circular economy event as all the props used for the trail, and all the toys are reusable.

Best Kept Town
Rush has a unique opportunity to shine on the National stage. We are one of only 3 towns nominated in the large town category of the national Best Kept Town competition. See the flyer to see how you can contribute to the efforts to put our best foot forward. Judging happens during May.

Courtesy of Rush Tidy Towns.

The 2025 Inclusion Games are set for the 5th and 6th of July! Watersports Inclusion Games VII is an award-winning free multi-watersports event for all abilities/disabilities from the physical, intellectual, sensory and learning spectrums and those who experience barriers accessing mainstream sport.

Aimed especially at young people but catering for all ages, participants together with family and friends can access the exciting sports of Sailing, Canoeing, Kayaking, Paddleboarding, Powerboating, Motorboating, Dragon-boating, Snorkelling and much much more!

The event showcases the latest adaptations and innovations for optimised watersports delivery and promotes the benefits to health and wellbeing of accessible inclusive watersports participation. All activities and equipment are provided and no experience is necessary.

Watersports Inclusion Games is organised by Irish Sailing and Malahide Yacht Club in association with Canoeing Ireland, Irish Wakeboarding and Waterski Federation, Diving Ireland, Spinal Injuries Ireland and many others.

Our landmark multi-activity event, in its 7th year, will be hosted by Malahide Yacht Club. Located on the beautiful Broadmeadows, Co. Dublin, this wonderful venue will offer a wide range of watersports and wonderful accessible on shore facilities right beside the lake. There will be all the usual exciting offerings of Sailing, Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding, Powerboating, Motorboating, and Waterskiing, on offer with Snorkeling and Dragon-boating returning, following the successes at the Ramor Games in 2024.

All in all, there will be a fine spectacle of activities over the weekend and a fun-filled event is in store for all participants and volunteers.

On the Malahide Village Green, Saturday 17th May the Malahide Reusable Cup Project will be launched by the Fingal Mayor – Brian McDonagh. The project aims to remove the disposable cup completely from Malahide by introducing a voluntary ban. The project is being driven by Fingal County Council working with VYTAL, VOICE Ireland, Malahide Lions Club, Malahide Tidy Towns and St. Sylvesters parish committee.
But why? What makes the disposable cup the focus of such a coordinated attack?

Well, the Quantity of waste is one good reason. In 2018 a Dail report declared that over 20,000 cups were being disposed of in Ireland every hour!

Secondly, the Carbon Footprint of a disposable cup is quite substantial. The raw materials (paper and plastic) go through several phases of processing and transport before the cup spends 15 minutes or so in use, then it begins its end-journey to landfill or incineration.

These are good reasons, but there are other reasons emerging from studies across the world.

When plastic breaks down tiny bits of plastic break off. These are called microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs), and they are poisoning the world at an alarming rate. The effects of these particles on the human body is now the subject of studies around the globe. In Turkey in 2024 scientists looked specifically at disposable cups. They showed that the intake of MNPs of an individual who consumed 2 cups per week could be up to 18,720–73,840 particles every year.

But are MNPs harmful?

A study published in July 2024 from Wenzhou University in China reported the particles increasing cell death. MNPs cause inflammation and they predicted effects on the Heart, Bowel, Immune and Stress responses. More research into the long-term effects has started.

The website of the National Library of Medicine in the USA outlines the effects of MNPs on human cells.
The Malahide Reusable Cup Project aims to remove disposable cups by November this year but they will need the support of everyone in Malahide to succeed. Land and sea are already riddled with MNPs and it’s impossible to avoid them, but it might help if we stop pouring them down our throats!

For more information on this and other projects check our Tidy Towns Malahide Facebook page

The Malahide Young Musician of the Year Competition (MYMY) took place on March 29/30th. Established in 1981, it has seen over 40 years of young musicians perform as soloists and groups. Many professional musicians have won the competition as youths, including Malahide-born Ailbhe McDonagh, who was invited to be this year’s adjudicator. Open to local young vocalists and piano, guitar, string and woodwind players, this year’s competition included a rock and pop section for Electric guitar. There were a record 74 hopefuls competing across the 12 categories. The overall competition was won by talented young Maeve Farrelly, a student in the Malahide School of Music who sang Almost Nearly Perfect from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Musical with aplomb. The main sponsors of this year’s competing were Evara and the Malahide Active Retirement Association (MARA). The chairperson of MARA, Marion Hayden-Doherty is a local music legend, her own children having participated in and won the MYMY in past years. She was central in championing the fundraising with MARA, and also in coordinating a special Prize-winners recital which took place in Malahide Library for MARA members on Saturday April 5th. It was truly wonderful to see the older generation supporting the local young talent, and the joy that music brought to all. A new trophy was required this year as the former one had been damaged beyond repair. Dedicated to Derek and Rhona Keogh, who founded the original competition in 1981, all names of previous winners have been engraved with plenty of space for the next 45 years for future winners.

After a hugely successful event in 2024, Malahide Lions Club, organisers of the Malahide Classic and Vintage Motor Show, are delighted to announce that their sponsorship partner for the 2025 Show will again be Carole Nash Insurance, one of Ireland’s largest motorcycle and classic car insurance specialists.
The Malahide Classic and Vintage Motor Show will again take place at the Grand Hotel in Malahide on Sunday 18 May and will feature some rare and expensive cars. This will be the eleventh running of the event which attracts car lovers and families from across Leinster and further afield.

Expect to see up to 100 beautiful old cars on display ranging from American brands to old British classics like Austins, Triumphs and Jaguars and sports and continental marques like Mercedes, Porsche, Renault, Volkswagen, TVR… the list goes on. There will also be one or two special featured vehicles as well as ice cream and games for children.

Colm Tully, Managing Director of Carole Nash Ireland, said “We’re really proud to be supporting The Malahide Classic and Vintage Show again this year. It’s a great event for the local community and one not to be missed for Classic Car enthusiasts. There’ll be a fantastic range of vehicles on display, with all the proceeds from the event going to two very worthy causes!”

Brian Dooley of Malahide Lions Club commented “We are hugely grateful to Carole Nash Ireland, the leaders in classic car and motorcycle insurance, for their continued support which will once again ensure a high-quality family and enthusiasts’ event while also raising funds for two very important charities”.
The Show will open at 11.00am and admission will cost €10 per adult, no charge for children under 16, with the entire proceeds going to two vital causes – Bumbleance Childrens’ Ambulance Service and Jack & Jill Foundation.

There will also be a Carole Nash team in our function room so you’re more than welcomed to say ‘hello’ to the team and get a free goodie bag!