Celebrating Tradition, Friendship and Generous Support. Centrally located on the Swords Road, within sight of Dublin Airport, Sportslink Bowls Club stands as a beacon of camaraderie and friendly competitiveness. With 25 years of history behind us, our club has grown to become a cherished gathering place for enthusiasts of all skill levels.

The club is thrilled to announce that they have recently received generous funding from Fingal County Council, a gesture that has invigorated our club. This support has enabled us to purchase new equipment, including special equipment for our older and less vigorous members, who are a hugely important part of our club. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Fingal County Council for their invaluable contribution which ensures that our club will thrive for many years to come.

The club story begins 25 years ago, when a group of bowlers just gathered on the Sportslink bowls green, united by their shared love of bowls. Over the years, we have expanded our membership, with limited facilities, to become the thriving friendly club that we are today.

The Bowls Club is more than just a sports facility.It is a vibrant social centre, where lifelong friendships are forged. We take part in league, cup, championship and practice sessions, with social events that bring together families and friends. Our club prides itself on its inclusive atmosphere, encouraging everyone to take part, regardless of age, ability or disability.

Whether you are a seasoned bowler, or a curious newcomer, we invite you to join our Bowls Club. Come and experience the joy of the game, the warmth of our community, and the beauty of our surroundings. Together we can continue to build on our proud history, and to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Would it be possible for the parent’s association of MCS to advertise our upcoming plant sale in your magazine please? The details are as follows-

The Parents Association of Malahide Community School are holding their annual Plant Sale on the second weekend in May. The times are as follows: Friday 9th - 3pm to 6pm, Saturday 10th - 10am to 6pm &, Sunday 11th - 11am to 3pm.

It will take place in the school canteen and there will be lots of colourful flowers, window boxes, hanging baskets, compost and more for sale. Everyone is welcome so please come along and support this fundraising event. All profits will be spent by the PA to improve the school facilities and support the students in various ways. We hope to see you there.

Congratulations to the students at St Sylvester’s National School, Malahide who were recently presented with €2,000 worth of O’Neill’s sports equipment by Shiel’s Londis Malahide as one of the five winners of Londis’ nationwide competition to coincide with the airing of Ireland’s Fittest Family on RTÉ One television, proudly sponsored by Londis.

Londis shoppers were simply asked to nominate their local Primary or Secondary School to be in with an opportunity to win the O’Neill’s sports equipment, further reflecting Londis’s ongoing commitment to supporting local communities and rewarding shopper loyalty.

John Shiel of Shiel’s Londis Malahide is pictured with St Sylvester’s National School Malahide representative Donna McGinty receiving their prize.

Fingal County Council will move immediately to complete detailed design of the public realm changes to New Street in Malahide following a recent High Court decision to dismiss a challenge to the scheme
At last night’s monthly meeting, councillors welcomed the High Court decision and were told that the Council will now engage with all stakeholders to complete the detailed design as quickly as possible before going out to tender for the €6m project which will take around 16 months to complete. A detailed timeline for the project is being drafted and will be circulated to councillors when completed.

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Brian McDonagh, said: “Councillors past and present have supported the plan to pedestrianise New Street and they will be delighted to see the project finally getting the green light to move ahead. The public realm improvements will enhance New Street and create much needed space in the centre of the village for people.”

AnnMarie Farrelly, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, said: “Planning permission for the New Street project was granted in January 2024, so it is our intention now to complete the detailed design, allocate the funding, and go to tender as soon as possible. The New Street project links in with both the Broadmeadow Greenway and the Sutton to Malahide Greenway and is a key competent of our active travel plan for the area.”

David Storey, Director of Environment, Climate Change, Active Travel and Sport, said: “We continued to work on the detailed design over the last number of years, so we have a lot of the work done. The funding will come from the active travel allocation given to us each year by the NTA who have been strong supporters of the project.”

The New Street project, which was commenced in 2020, is designed to bring an open air, European-style feel to the heart of Malahide village.

View a 3D visualisation of the reimagined New Street in Malahide: https://fingal.live/3kscfecv
Further information on the New Street project is available at: fingal.ie/newstreet

We hosted a very successful coffee morning, organized by Antoinette Doran and her team in Murray’s Top Shop, and raised the great sum of €5,385 in aid of Irish Cancer Society.

We wish to thank everybody in the parish in particular Senator Lorraine Clifford Lee and Labour Councillor Mark Boland for their time, and all who generously contributed and supported this very important cause.

We Want to say thank you again to Debbie in Tesco of Rush for the generous donation of €582.00 from the blue tokens Community Fund. Many thanks to everyone who voted for us.

ongratulations to RoseAnna Darby, who has been voted in as president at our recent AGM and she wishes to thank her committee for all their hard work.

Last month, members from LAG met with bus provider, Go Ahead (which delivers the 33 and 33a bus services) to discuss the various issues that the members of the community have raised regarding these services.

Among some of the main points from the meeting include the following:

• Go Ahead services:

o Bus Timetable: Last July an additional 4am service from Skerries was added to the timetable. Go Ahead are now seeking to determine whether an additional 3am service would be feasible. A request was also made to reinstate the 8.10am service to Balbriggan. All decisions regarding the addition of buses are made by the National Transport Authority.

o Service Levels: Only 1.29% of services were cancelled last year. Punctuality is quite poor (at 67%) and there is a department dedicated to improving this. Next Generation AVL (Automatic Vehicle Location) will be rolled out from the end of this year which will give much more accuracy in terms of reliability, which should drive service improvements.

• Complaints: There is one centralised complaints system for bus services on all routes through the Transport for Ireland help centre. Tel. 0818 294015 or use online contact form available on https://www.transportforireland.ie/support. Please continue to raise any issues through either of these contact points as TFI relies on data to update services.

• Bus Connects: The controversial overhaul of existing bus services is due to be rolled out from September this year. It is estimated that the changes for this area will be introduced in September 2027. From then onwards, Dublin Bus will cease to serve this area; instead, Go Ahead will take over the full service. Also, buses serving this area will go as far as Swords and passengers will then have to disembark and get a further bus to the city centre. The existing 33x service will remain apart from a name change. LAG, like many other members of the community have serious concerns about these plans and we will be exploring ways to lobby the NTA to make changes over the coming weeks.

It’s not every day LSA members gather at the airport to welcome home a European Athletics medallist, but that’s just what happened on St Patrick’s Day when LSA’s Anna Gavigan arrived back in Dublin from the European Throwing Cup in Nicosia, Cyprus with a Silver medal for Under 23 Women’s Discus.

Anna was in good company and it was an added bonus for LSA to meet Olympian Nicola Tuthill who took Gold in the Women’s Under 23 Hammer, and Oisin Joyce who took Bronze in the Men’s Under 23 Javelin, at the event in Cyprus

Anna won her European Silver Medal with a massive new Personal Best throw of 53.91m. She is coached by Donabate resident Gerry Ronan. Anna joined LSA as a 10-year-old and she also coaches younger athletes at our Thursday sessions.

Our Under 20 athletes have been busy competing in the Schools Cross Country and the National Indoor Championships. As the focus moves to outdoor Track and Field, our Juvenile groups are taking advantage of the bright evenings and moving to different training venues around the peninsula.

Our club members were out on the Dublin roads at the end of March, providing valuable support for our Dublin City Half Marathon athletes, whilst other members travelled to Dundalk for a Half Marathon.

eanwhile our latest Couch to 5k group had a fun graduation. We’re very proud of their commitment and enthusiasm and looking forward to following their progress.

We will shortly announce details of the 2025 LSA Road Race, scheduled for November - follow us on social media for details.

Congratulations to all our athletes, coaches & supporters.

Socials: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lambaysportsacademy - Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lsadonabateportrane/ - https://lambaysportsathletics.ie/

Adult memberships queries: lambaysportsathletics@gmail.com - Little Athletics and Juvenile athletes (7-18): lsajuvenilereg@gmail.com

We at Donabate Portrane Special Olympics club would like to express our sincere gratitude to The Carriage and Wayne and Eithne Hand for their generous and wonderful support they have shown our club.

They, along with their very generous customers and community raised €4,000 for our club during their Christmas Day appeal where they supplied free hot drinks with all donations going to the club.

It was lovely to stop by recently in person, to thank them and of course to enjoy their hot coffee and treats. So, if you are around Tower Bay for a cliff walk, sea swim or a hot sauna we recommend you stop by The Carriage and enjoy one of their delicious treats and hot drinks!”

Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed has been very active over the past month and has plenty arranged for the coming months.

This is a busy time of year at our plots at Turvey Allotments where tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage and cucumbers need regular attention. Work parties were organised for clean-ups and rosters for daily watering.

Gerry and the Plonkers, the Men’s Shed music group, continue to play for community groups. They entertained enthusiastic audiences at two recent concerts for Memory Cafés, the first in Skerries GAA clubhouse and since then in Donabate Portrane Community Centre.

The Irish Men’s Shed Association, to which our shed is affiliated, is holding a large event in Newbridge Park in early June as part of Men’s Health Week. Our shed is honoured to have been asked to play a major role in helping to organise it and Gerry and the Plonkers will provide musical entertainment.

A course for members is being arranged on the correct use of the defibrillator that was bought with a HSE grant for the joint use of the Men’s Shed and the Sea Scouts. Hopefully, we’ll never have to use it, but if an emergency arises, it is vital that it is used properly.

All of this is alongside our regular weekly activities – exercise classes, croquet in Newbridge, music practice and not forgetting the all-important coffee mornings on Thursdays. So, if you or someone you know would like to join us, call our PRO, Jim, on 086-3694316.

Every year Bloomsday which celebrates - James Joyce - is held on the 16th June - this year that falls on a Monday - so the Pacers are doing a little walk around Dublin to view some of the Buildings & Places associated with the man himself!

We will take a look at his statue, then his school Belvedere College ….continue past some other places of interest then … stop by Davy Byrnes & what is now Kennedy’s. Fancy hat required for all weathers! Contact Carolyn 087 9284307 for further information or Des 087 7846813.