May and June were incredibly busy months for our club athletes with lots of Juvenile competitions and plenty of options for the adults as well. The summer months are full of Graded meetings, road races and mountain running. Rest assured there’s a training programme for everyone to follow. There are always big numbers at Tuesday and Thursday training and Ardgillan hills on a Sunday morning are becoming increasingly popular. Well done to all who took part in the Dublin Juvenile Championships and good luck to those competing at the Nationals.

Cllr Corina Johnston has welcomed the commencement of a Garda Community Engagement Initiative in Donabate town centre. Johnston said;” I am very pleased that a Community Engagement Initiative as part of Operation Irene commenced in Donabate on Friday 13th June in response to ongoing representations by Duncan Smith TD Smith TD. This is a positive step for our growing community. “

”As part of this initiative the Garda community engagement vehicle will be parked in the car park in the Parish Hall from 6pm -9pm every second Friday until the end of August to meet local residents and discuss any issues or concerns that they may have. This initiative will also include a Garda presence around the town centre. I wish to thank Superintendent Barry and Inspector Clune for their support for this initiative and Fr Pat and Bernie for facilitating the use of the Parish Hall car park. It is of vital importance to the people of Donabate and Portrane that a permanent Garda presence be provided in Donabate and Portrane and that a Garda station be provided in the long term especially given our growing population. Duncan Smith TD and I intend to pursue this vigorously,” she added.

What a summer so far! In May and June we had Dublin Track and Field Championships for our Juveniles, Leinster Track and Field Championships for Senior and Masters, road races for adults, and training all around our beautiful peninsula from Newbridge House, to Donabate Beach and Ballymastone.

LSA members took part in the Bob and Mary 5k in Enfield, the VHI Dublin Women’s Marathon, the Irish Runner 5k in the Phoenix Park to name a few.

Back in April Ciara Cullen and Ali Conway represented LSA as part of Sonia’s Squad in the Sonia O’Sullivan Cobh 10k. In Athy, our own Michal Kowalski was the overall winner of the “Try a Tri” triathlon category, with members of our Fit4Life group also competing!

Little Athletics finished up their season with a great evening on the Mondo track in Morton Stadium. There was great camaraderie and team spirit, and the icing on the cake was when it was announced that Ollie Sheridan had won the Silver medal in the Under 10 500m in the Dublin Championships. Eliza Hussain also won Silver in Under 16 Discus, with Léa Hubert’s Under 16 Gold in Javelin completing the trio of LSA medals.

Our younger juvenile groups have now finished regular training until September, and our older Juveniles continue training towards competing in Dublin Graded Meets and National Championships. Our volunteer coaches enjoyed a well-deserved night out in Keelings to mark the end of Thursday evening training for this season.

Dara Carr was our sole Masters athlete in the Leinster Championships in SETU Carlow where she won her 100m sprint category. At the same event Anna Gavigan set a new Championship record in Senior Discus with a best throw of 52.3m.

Our adult groups continue training and competition throughout the summer. To get involved send us an email - we always welcome new members.

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

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

Save the date for our Peninsula Road Race - Sunday 16th November 2025.

We will have photos & article on our Bloomsday Trip to Dublin in the next edition.

In the meantime, we are planning for our next few walks in the Autumn/Winter.

We hope to have walks in September, October, & November & maybe December to include Rogerstown Park & Estuary - Rush, The Ward River Heritage Park - Swords, The Dodder Park Walk - Dublin (Southside.)

These will be walks of about 2hrs each and fairly easy 7/8km - we stop for food before heading home!

Enjoy walking & keeping fit over the summer!

Last month, Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed was proud to play our part in participating in a special event for Men’s Health Week in Newbridge Park, attending by over 80 members from 10 of the sheds across Fingal. Gerry & the Plonkers, our music group, provided the entertainment on the day.

As well as that, Gerry and the Plonkers had a busy June, playing at Vintage Picnic at Swords Castle and Memory Café in Donabate Portrane Community Centre and they have more concerts for local community groups lined up over the coming month.

But Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed is more than just music, with several members active in our two plots in Turvey Allotments. This year has already produced a bumper crop of garlic. The tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage and cucumbers are also coming along well. We also have our weekly exercise classes, croquet at Newbridge and our Thursday morning get-togethers for a cuppa and a chat.

We are always open to new members and new ideas for activities. So, don’t be shy.; come along and join us. Call our PRO, Jim, on 086-36944316.

A group from Active Age for All and others from Failte Isteach ( kindly supported by Fingal Co Co) enjoyed a trip to Dublin Castle and the Chester Beatty Library at the end of May. We departed Donabate/ Portrane Community Centre on a dull drizzly morning but happily the day improved by the time we got to the castle and spirits were in no way dampned.

At the Castle we met our lovely guide Ellie who led us on a very interesting and informative tour. She explained that the site is at ( now over) the dark tidal pool where the Poddle river joins the Liffey, this was called Dubh Linn ( black pool) and is the origin of Dublin city’s name. Originally a Gaelic settlement then taken over by the Vikings, who called it Dyflin, then from 1204 to 1922 it was the seat of English rule in Ireland. It was developed into a medieval fortress by King John which remained largely intact until a major fire in 1684. In the 1980s during remedial works to some of the buildings part of the original wall and Viking structures were discovered and can be explored by visitors today. On the 16th January 1922 the last Viceroy of Ireland handed Dublin Castle over to Michael Collins and the government of the new Irish state. Since that historic moment a tradition of state ceremony has continued at the Castle and from 1938 each one of Ireland’s presidents has been inaugurated in St Patricks Hall, the grandest of the State apartments.

On our tour we visited the cellars contained the remains of the Powder Tower and the original castle wall; the Chapel Royal and the State apartments which are very impressive.

We lunched in the Chester Beatty library at the Silk Road cafe before exploring the treasures of the library. Then a quick cup of coffee before we had to head back to our bus and home. All in all a very enjoyable day, plans for the next outing are in being worked on already !

Councillor Tom O’Leary (Fine Gael, Balbriggan) has been elected as Mayor of Fingal at the Council’s Annual General Meeting held in County Hall in Swords recently. His election means he becomes the 20th Mayor of Fingal. The AGM also saw the election of Cllr Gráinne Maguire (Independent, Balbriggan) as Deputy Mayor.

Cllr O’Leary is a long-term resident of Skerries and has served as a Councillor in Fingal for over 15 years. He is a proactive advocate on key local issues and has held significant roles on transport, strategic infrastructure, planning, coastal management and housing during his time on the council. Married and with three adult children, he has worked as a parliamentary assistant to a number of Fine Gael spokespeople/Ministers in both the Dáil and Seanad.

Addressing councillors for the first time as Mayor, Cllr O’Leary said: “It is a great honour to be elected as the 20th Mayor of Fingal. I sincerely thank my colleagues for placing their trust in me to serve in this role to help ensure Fingal continues to be a great place to live for all.

“Throughout my time as a councillor, my focus has consistently been on delivering homes, strengthening infrastructure, and enhancing community facilities across Fingal. From affordable housing and measures to tackle anti-social behaviour, to improving youth amenities, schools, and sports facilities - I am proud of what we’ve achieved and am eager to build on that and ensure that Fingal continues to thrive.

“I am particularly looking forward to seeing progress made on the delivery of a new Sports Hub in Skerries, accelerating the delivery of more homes alongside key community infrastructure, advancing the development of the Bremore Deepwater Port, the opening of the new Skerries Carnegie Library,

Expanding our Active Travel initiatives and identifying a large annual event for the people of Dublin 15.”
Councillors also selected the Chairs for each of Fingal’s three Area Committees at this evening’s AGM.

These committees focus on the local delivery of services within their respective regions, addressing issues such as roads, litter, playgrounds, water services, housing, and libraries. The newly elected Chairs for this year are:
• Balbriggan/Rush-Lusk/Swords: Cllr Luke Corkery
• Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart/Castleknock/Ongar: Cllr Eimear Carbone-Mangan
• Howth-Malahide: Cllr Cathal Haughey

Macleans Cleaning Services Honoured with Second Business All-Star Accreditation
Macleans Cleaning Services, based in Balbriggan, County Dublin, has received its second consecutive Business All-Star Accreditation 2025 from the All-Ireland Business Foundation.

Under CEO Emma Maclean’s leadership, the company has solidified its reputation for consistent excellence, reliability, and a customer-first approach within the commercial and educational cleaning sectors.

Neil and Emma Maclean from Macleans Cleaning Services celebrate after Macleans Cleaning Services were honoured with Business All-Star 2025 accreditation by the All-Ireland Business Foundation.

As a family-owned, Irish-run enterprise, Macleans Cleaning Services prides itself on trustworthy, friendly, and professionally trained staff - each Garda-vetted and insured.

By providing tailored solutions across offices, schools, and facilities, their onsite supervisors ensure strict adherence to high standards using top-quality machinery and materials.

The 2025 accreditation reaffirms their unwavering commitment to service integrity, continuous improvement, and the well-being of both clients and employees.

Reacting to the news, Emma Maclean, Chief Executive Officer of Macleans Cleaning Services, said: “We are thrilled to receive our second consecutive Business All-Star Accreditation 2025. This honour reflects the dedication of every cleaner, supervisor, and support staff member at Macleans. Our mission has always been to provide a service that goes beyond cleanliness—adding value, safety, and peace of mind to our clients’ environments. This recognition inspires us to keep exceeding expectations.”

Announcing the accreditation, Kieran Ring, Deputy Chair of the AIBF Adjudication Board, said:
“Macleans Cleaning Services has demonstrated exceptional consistency in delivering high-quality, reliable cleaning solutions. Their family-centric culture, combined with rigorous staff training and dedicated onsite supervision, sets them apart. Earning back-to-back All-Star status speaks volumes about their integrity, operational excellence, and genuine care for clients and community alike.”

Kapil Khanna, Managing Director of the AIBF, added: “Macleans Cleaning Services exemplifies the true meaning of a family-run business that delivers professional excellence at scale. Their commitment to ongoing training, quality machinery, and client satisfaction has raised the bar for the cleaning industry. We congratulate Emma Maclean and her team on this well-deserved back-to-back accreditation.”

On Saturday, August 2nd, the heart of Balbriggan will beat a little louder as the community gathers at Glebe North Football Club for the Fran Malone Memorial Cup — a charity football match that’s more than just a game. It’s a tribute, a celebration, and a rallying cry for support, all rolled into one.

This year’s match is in proud support of CRITICAL CFR Balbriggan, (https://criticalcharity.ie/), a volunteer-led emergency medical response group that’s redefining what it means to serve. These are the people who drop everything when a call comes in — trained responders who act as an extension of the National Ambulance Service, racing to the scene of cardiac arrests, heart attacks, strokes, and choking incidents. Their mission is simple but profound: to save lives.

The volunteers of CRITICAL CFR Balbriggan are community locals. They’ve undergone rigorous training, Garda vetting, and are preparing to launch August 2025.

Leading up to the CRITICAL CFR Balbriggan launch, the most ambitious and largest scale community project in the town’s history, COMMUNITY HEARTS, a masterclass in grassroots community action with the installation of residential defibrillators for every estate in the town. Ensuring all residents of the second most densely populated town in Ireland are within 3-5 minutes of their nearest accessible defibrillator.

The Fran Malone Memorial Cup, just like Fran, is dedicated to helping others, the football match for charity carries forward Fran’s legacy of compassion and generosity. Last year’s match raised over €8,000 for hospice care. This year, every euro raised will go toward equipping CRITICAL responders with the tools they need to save lives.

So come down to Glebe North on August 2nd. Cheer on your local legends, meet the volunteers, and be part of something bigger than football. Whether you donate, volunteer, or simply show up — your presence matters.

Let’s make this match one to remember. For Fran. For Balbriggan. For all of us.

Dedicated fund-raising page: https://criticalcfr.enthuse.com/cf/fran-malone-memorial-cup. Facebook Page for CRITICAL CFR- Balbriggan. www.criticalcharity.ie/

The Balbriggan Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the appointment of Jude O’Sullivan as its new president. The transition took place during a recent gathering where Councillor Tony Murphy provided a brief history of the Chamber, highlighting the significance of the Chain of Office and the motto engraved on it. “Mollain an obair an bhaile”

During the event, Chris Harmon from Country Crest expressed gratitude to the outgoing president, Richard Berney of UHY Farrelly Dawe White, Accountants, Balbriggan for his dedicated service to the Chamber, and a Richard ‘s contributions were acknowledged. Unfortunately Richard sadly passed away on the 24th May and our thoughts are with his family. May Richard RIP.

In his acceptance speech, Jude O’Sullivan thanked everyone for their support and expressed his enthusiasm for collaborating with Chamber members, the community, and local authorities to advance the Rejuvenation Plan. He emphasized the importance of this initiative in revitalizing the area and enhancing local business opportunities.

Jude also welcomed the recent upgrades to the Harry Reynolds Road, which now features a new Pedestrian & Cycling Route. This project not only connects local businesses, schools, and sports facilities but also significantly improves safety for pedestrians and cyclists, promoting active travel within the community.

As the Chamber moves forward under Jude’s leadership, there is a shared sense of optimism about the future and the potential for positive change in Balbriggan.