Under the guidance of Kieran Troy from Myriam Tours, seven of us joined the excursion of 7 nights to northern Italy to the 4 star Spa International Terme Hotel in the Abano near the province of Padua.
First day we went by coach to the port and took a boat, in glorious sunshine to the picturesque Island of Burano. This is the most colourful island in the Venetian lagoon and is famous for lace making and pretty, colourful houses
Next day we visited the province of Treviso, a medieval city with beautiful palaces and squares and historical churches.
Then back to our hotel in Abano to enjoy lovely spa waters of the hot swimming pools and jacuzzi. Nearby there was a beautiful pedestrian walkway with lots of art, jewellery leather and dress shops.
On Sunday we travelled to Padua, St. Anthony’s Basilica, it is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in Italy to visit, where the Franciscan St. Anthony from Lisbon, is buried.
On Monday we went on a trip to the magnificent city of Venice, and saw St Mark’s square and basilica, the Rialto bridge, the Bridge of Sighs, and enjoyed hilariously trips on the Gondolas.
Monthly meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month in the Lusk Scouts Den at 8:15 PM. New members are welcome.
Freedom FM, the online radio station dedicated to the music of the 90s and noughties, is thrilled to announce its launch on the DAB+ digital radio platform. This expansion allows listeners in Lusk, Rush and surrounding areas of north county Dublin to enjoy the station’s nostalgic mix of chart-toppers, dance anthems, R&B classics, and rock favourites in crystal-clear digital quality.
Reestablished as an online station in August 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdowns, a former Dublin based pirate radio station from the 1990s Freedom FM quickly gained a dedicated following. The station’s online success led to temporary licensed FM broadcasts across major Irish cities, including Dublin, Cork, Limerick, and Galway each year since 2021. Now, with its transition to DAB+, Freedom FM is set to reach Lusk and Rush for the first time.
Freedom FM recently secured a content licence from the broadcast regulator Coimisiún na Meán which allowed it join the new DAB+ digital radio platform, as part of a trail service operated by Fáilte DAB and licensed by the communications regulator COMREG.
From humble beginnings as a pirate station in suburbs of Dublin in 1995, the station has evolved to reflect its geographical reach with presenters hailing from across the island, yet retaining that fun and youthful presentation style.
Freedom FM will be reliving the 90s and noughties with a mixture of Pop, R‘nB, Dance and Rock music as well as specialist music shows around the clock during it’s time on the DAB+ digital radio network. The station will continue its online broadcasts too via www.freedomfm.ie , on smart speakers, and through it’s free online app available on the App Store or the Google Play Store.
Our club members have been enjoying the beautiful weather recently. Some of our Juvenile athletes have had the opportunity to have their first experience on a full-size outdoor track facility when they competed with almost one thousand other young athletes in the Dublin Track and Field League at Tallaght Athletics Club, right where Rhasidat Adeleke started training just over ten years ago.
Our athletes competed in Shot Putt, Discus, Turbo Javelin, Javelin, High Jump, Long Jump and track events from 60m to 800m. Very soon we will have our own track and field facility, right here in Ballymastone.
We are very grateful to our volunteer coaches and to the parents who volunteered to help run the events.
Our secondary school aged athletes had great success in the North Leinster Secondary Schools Championships, with a total of six medals and some of them progressing to Leinster Championships. They represented their schools, Donabate Community College and Loreto College Swords. Congratulations also to Sara Dolczak who won the intermediate 400m at the Loreto Games.
Meanwhile our Under 20s, Seniors and Masters athletes have been participating in the Dublin Graded Meets. Congratulations to Xavier Hubert who won a Senior Dublin Championships Silver Medal in High Jump and Anna Gavigan who won Senior Gold in Discus.
Out on the roads and in the parks, club members have had some incredible performances in the London and Copenhagan marathons, and in the Dublin Race Series. Closer to home we had some notable Park Run milestones with Willie Cahill completing his 200th Park Run in glorious sunshine at the Donabate Park Run.
Save the Date for the LSA Peninsula Race on Sunday 16th November 2025. More details will be available shortly on our social media channels.
On a sunny Saturday at the beginning of May a group of Peninsula Pacers and Active Age for All members did a walk to explore Donabate beach and ‘The Island’. We set off from the Shoreline Hotel and walked to the top of the beach, incidentally you are at the top of the beach when you can see the Malahide church steeple ( and nowadays the Marina) down the river. On the way we remarked on the frightening degree of erosion visible at the top half of the beach, it is very concerning.
At the top of the beach we crossed over into ‘The Island’ so known because of the well-known golf club there of that name. This is an area of marram grass, scrub and tidal inlets which at this time of the year is home to nesting skylarks whose distinctive singing was lovely to hear as we watched them soaring into the blue sky.
Further on we passed the remains of the bridge and landing area of the golfers’’boat which was used to bring golfers over and back from Malahide until the 1970s. The old clubhouse sat above this area on what is now a tee box.
After a trudge down the ‘stoney beach’ we crossed back over to Donabate beach by way of the right of way between the Island and Corballis golf clubs. Then it was back to the Shoreline Hotel for soma welcome food and drink.
The need for a permanent Gardaí presence and Garda station in Donabate has been raised by Councillor Corina Johnston who recently met with senior Gardaí to raise her concerns.
Johnston said;” Myself and Duncan Smith TD met senior gardai in Ballymun recently following my request to the Garda Commissioner for a meeting in regarding Garda resources in the district and in particular the fast-growing Donabate area. At the meeting we highlighted the urgent need for permanent Garda resources and the need for a Garda clinic to commence on the peninsula immediately. We also raised the need for the provision of a Garda station in the long term.
“We raised our concerns regarding the increase in Anti Social Behaviour in Donabate and referrals by Gardai/Juvenile Liasion officers to youth services (Crosscare) who run projects that are community based, multi-agency youth crime prevention initiatives that aim to divert young people from anti-social or criminal behaviour. We believe with the growing young population permanent youth services and a centre must be provided as a priority to support our youth on the peninsula.”
Johnston said; “In response the Gardai acknowledged our concerns and need for Garda resources and a station on the peninsula and confirmed the following: ongoing issues with recruitment and retention of Gardai which is compounded by increasing retirement numbers. As a result an increase in Garda numbers in the district is not envisaged in the short to medium term.
‘Peninsula Voices & Friends’, led by Áine & Tony, will host a Fundraiser Charity Concert in Aid of UNICEF - in Donabate Parish Hall on:
Friday 27th June (Doors Open 7 30pm), starting at 8 00pm
Available Tickets on Eventbrite - No Ticket Sales at the Door - Adult Only Event - Raffle on the Night!
This will be a great concert & is for a very worthy cause – children.
There will be a variety of musical genres over the two days e.g. pop, rock, trad & folk! something for everyone!
Friday 27th June
‘Peninsula Voices’ - see separate article.
Saturday 28th June
‘Music Makers’ will hold a special event for over 15’s to play & perform under their leaders, Noel Dowling & Seán Collins. From 2 - 4pm the younger performers will play & from 6 – 7:30pm the older performers will play.
These bands and soloists will include e.g.:
- Sophie Victoria & friends
- Either Side of The City
- Reminisce
- Nj & the Makers
- Graham Kenny
- And the one & only Adam Farrelly
From 4 - 5pm
‘Leithinis CCÉ’, our local Comhaltas group will play some Irish traditional tunes.
From 5 - 6pm
‘Festival in a Van’ will take to their outdoor moving stage, with their own performers from outside the area & with some local guests joining them!
From 8 - 10pm
Breanndán Ó Beaglaoich – see separate article.
It should be a great two days of music for a good cause & another chance to display some local talent. There can never be enough opportunities, especially for young people, to participate in Cultural events – e.g. music, singing, dance, drama, photography, art….!
School is over … so start the holidays with a bit of fun for all! Put the dates in your calendar now, on the phone & or at home.
We hope to have food and refreshments available on the day.
We wish to thank FCC in advance for their support for the ‘Music Fest’. We especially would like to thank Niall from The Music Outlet in Swords, near The Plaza, our music equipment supplier who sponsored extra equipment for the ‘Music Fest’.
Please note the events are aimed at older children, teens and adults. Parents, we ask you please to be present to celebrate your kids and/or keep an eye on them. Thank you.
We look forward to having a safe and enjoyable day!
Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed aims to provide a safe environment for men to socialise and connect with one another while participating in activities and projects of mutual interest. Along with our weekly get-togethers on Thursday mornings at Donabate Scouts’ Den on the Portrane Road, we have a wide variety of activities and outings.
We have two plots at Turvey Allotments which require tender loving care at this time of year, with a rota of members tending to watering and weeding to ensure a bumper harvest later in the year.
There are weekly exercise classes using equipment, some of which was donated and more purchased with HSE and Fingal grant-aid. These classes are ably led by our own Fintan Delaney and tailored to suit the needs of our members.
Gerry and the Plonkers, our music group, have weekly practice sessions in the Scouts’ Den. These are obviously paying off, as the Plonkers have created quite a name for themselves with recent gigs in Beaverstown Golf Club and Donabate Portrane Community Centre and up-coming gigs at Swords Castle (as part of Vintage Picnic) and Newbridge House, which is part of Fingal Men’s Sheds Walk and Talk on Monday 9th June organised by the Irish Men’s Shed Association and Fingal County Council.
We also have occasional outings. The most recent late last month was a pitch and putt morning at Deerpark in Howth.
We are always open to new members and new ideas for activities. So, if you or someone you know would like to join us, please call our PRO, Jim, on 086-3694316, or drop in to the Scouts’ Den on a Thursday morning. You’ll always get a warm welcome and a cuppa.
Join us on Saturday June 28th at Donabate Parish Hall for an intimate concert with Breanndán Ó Beaglaoich. This special event in Fingal is part of a nationwide tour marking the launch of the famous Irish traditional accordion player Breanndán Begley’s autobiography. It is available in English as Of My People and in Irish as Clann na Seanmhuintire.
In this intimate and powerful memoir, Breanndán reflects on a life rooted in the wild beauty of Corca Dhuibhne and shaped by the rich traditions of the Kerry Gaeltacht. Born into a family of musicians, he shares vivid memories of a childhood steeped in song, music, dance, and folklore - and of carrying that tradition to stages around the world.
With warmth, humour, and fierce honesty, he recounts a lifetime of performance, adventure, and cultural activism in defence of language, land, and music.
This is a heartfelt celebration of Irish tradition and the community that shaped and sustained him throughout his life.
Tickets available on eventbrite. This is a unique event, in our Parish Hall, not to be missed!
Every year, on the last Sunday of April, Phoenix Park transforms into a lively celebration of Japanese culture during the Experience Japan Hanami Festival. Visitors from across Ireland gather to enjoy authentic food, live music, traditional and modern dance performances, cultural workshops, art displays, and martial arts demonstrations. Families picnic on the grass, children try their hand at calligraphy and origami, and performances on the main stage bring Japan’s rich heritage to life in the heart of Dublin.
The festival takes its name and inspiration from Hanami, the Japanese tradition of admiring cherry blossoms. In Japan, sakura blossoms are more than just beautiful flowers — their brief blooming period is a powerful symbol of the fleeting nature of life. This awareness of impermanence, and the calm acceptance of it, is deeply woven into Japanese culture. The same philosophy shaped Bushido, the code of the samurai, where martial arts were not merely for combat but for cultivating discipline, resilience, and clarity of mind. These old values remain central to Japanese society even today.
That’s why martial arts demonstrations became an organic part of the Experience Japan Festival. This year’s performances featured both classical and modern disciplines — from Kashima Shinto-ryu, a traditional sword style, and Naginata, a polearm-based art, to Karate and Aikido, which adapt centuries-old principles to the modern world. Despite their differences, all these arts share the same core values: self-awareness, control, and respect.
Takemusu Aikido Society, a local club, proudly represented the Balbriggan community at this year’s festival. We train weekly at the Balbriggan Clubs Community Centre, and it was a pleasure to bring our practice to a wider audience in Phoenix Park.
Our 20-minute demonstration didn’t just display Aikido techniques — it guided the audience through the art’s structured progression, offering insight into how Aikido is studied and internalised over time. Aikido, though modern, is rooted in older forms of Jujutsu and swordsmanship, and it carries forward the samurai spirit: composure under pressure, centred movement, and profound respect for both partner and opponent.
The demonstration followed the traditional structure of Aikido studying: starting with sword-work, moving through empty-handed techniques, and concluding with staff practice. We began with solo and paired sword forms, demonstrating how Aikido movements originate from classical swordsmanship. Sword exercises form the foundation of Aikido, training balance, focus, coordination, and a refined sense of timing — all essential skills that underpin the entire art.
We then transitioned to empty-handed techniques, demonstrating how throws progress from basic to more advanced forms, including powerful hip throws. In Aikido, effectiveness doesn’t come from brute force, but from blending with an attack and redirecting it using whole-body movement. To highlight this principle, a 12-year-old boy performed clean, precise throws on a well-built adult partner — a beautiful illustration of how skill, timing, and connection outweigh size or strength.
We then moved on to staff techniques, the third pillar of Aikido practice. These exercises blend the principles learned through sword and empty-handed practice, building precision, rhythm, and responsiveness.
To conclude, our head instructor demonstrated how the same movements could be applied across all situations — empty-handed, disarming a sword, or neutralising a staff. This final sequence illustrated the universality of Aikido’s principles, regardless of weapon or context.
The demonstration ended with a dramatic staff-versus-sword defence, bringing everything full circle: from sword, to body, to staff — all connected in one seamless flow.
It was an honour to represent Balbriggan at this celebration of Japanese culture. We welcome new members of all ages and backgrounds to join us on the mats and explore the depth, clarity, and grace of Aikido for themselves.
To learn more, visit www.aiki.ie or find us on social media.
