This Saturday 8th March - we have a change of place for our walk - we are doing the Brigid’s Walk first in Dundalk - we will honour Patrick at our next walk!
We will meet at the Parish Hall 11 30am - do a car-pool then head up to North Dundalk for our 6/8km walk - then we will head into a good cafe restaurant for food & refreshments!
Last month the Pacers went on a scenic coastal route. They took the train from Donabate to Portmarnock then walked back to Malahide. This is an easy flat walk about 6/8km - we had to use the road as the tide was in on the Portmarnock beach, it was still a lovely walk with good sights & good toilets open in
Portmarnock & in Malahide at the beaches on the way.
It is a great way to spend a few hours on a Sat afternoon - a nice walk, a good chat, finishing with great food! We also get to see new places - a bit of exploring!
Further information from Carolyn 087-284307 or Des 087-7846813
Donabate Parish Hall & The Men’s Shed have come together for a special FREE event for adults with a focus on Irish Music to celebrate Paddy’s Day on Wednesday 12th March from 12noon - 2pm. Light refreshments served. Singin & Dancin welcome from all those attending - or just come & listen! All FREE and for you!
The Plonkers & Parish Hall - had a fantastic event for Valentine’s on a Wednesday in February - it was full of fun - lots of dancin & singin! A large crowd came from a variety of groups in the Parish and as many men as women! We are a Parish with great musical talent - Gerry & the Plonkers are beyond amateur with a number of professional musicians in their midst! Noel (Dowling) brings an added dimension - with sound & lights, like one was at a good wedding! This gives people an opportunity to dance nowadays without waiting on a wedding or a big birthday to happen!
So, let us have a great one for Paddy’s Day - we will celebrate St Brigid too - as we had no event for her! So if you do a bit of Céilí or line dancin’ great - if not, get up and dance & sing anyway. Not alone is it good for the body, but it’s also uplifting for the spirit and a bit of craic on a Wednesday afternoon! They are sometimes joined by Edel (Dempsey) whose long whistle renditions are fantastic & famous!
The Music Makers were on in February also with a special event and it was a great success; hopefully to be repeated and further report is elsewhere in the magazine.
The Parish Office has been looking at Cultural & Educational Camps for the Parish Hall for 2025 at suitable times after successful camps last year and may have some spaces left. Also, if you have any queries re renting for daily activities & classes contact the Parish Office on 01- 8434574
Labour Councillor Corina Johnston has voiced concerns about the reliability of the 33B Bus Service for Donabate, Portrane and The Burrow. “At a recent meeting with the CEO of Go Ahead Ireland I raised my serious concerns in respect of the following: the reliability of the 33B bus service; the current and future of contract; the impact unacceptable cancellations has on commuters in Donabate and the Burrow, Portrane with every second bus servicing this area with commuters late for school, work, college, hospital appointments and having to take a taxi at a huge cost; the need for double decker buses to be utilised on the Donabate peninsula given our growing population to ensure passengers are not left behind; concerns regarding buses bypassing the town centre ; need for improved communication with commuters; need for connectivity between trains and buses.”
Johnston continued; “in response Go Ahead Ireland confirmed: recent service issues as a result of issues with recruitment of mechanics and winter flu; Recruitment process for additional drivers underway; improvement in services over last week with further improvements and return to full services anticipated within 10 days; double decker buses used at peak with ongoing monitoring of service capacity; Go Ahead has entered into a letter of intent with the National Transport Authority (NTA) for a new contract for Outer Dublin Metropolitan Area (ODMA) North and South to commence in October 2025; anticipated Bus Connects roll out in 2026 with every bus to service the Burrow, Portrane with the 33B services operating to and from Dublin Airport, improved connectivity between trains and buses •investigation of buses bypassing Donabate town centre ; communications review underway
Johnston concluded, ”I will continue to raise the ongoing issues with the 33B service with Go Ahead Ireland and the National Transport Authority (NTA) to ensure a reliable bus service is provide for commuters.”
Last year the Donabate Portrane Darkness Into Light walk raised over €21k to help keep the wonderful work being done through Pieta going. This year’s planning and organising is already well underway for the walk which takes place on Saturday morning 10th May at 4.15am in Newbridge House. We had a wonderful group of volunteers and participants join us to deliver what was a moving, memorable and successful event both in terms of bringing our community out and together as well as from a fundraising perspective. We like to keep things simple so for this year’s event we are hoping to exceed the 450 participants we had last year and the amount we raised so we encourage you, your family and friends to sign-up, join us and help make the Donabate Portrane DIL walk another memorable one. The online link to register and fundraise for the walk is open and we encourage people to sign up as early as possible - https://www.darknessintolight.ie/#Signup. We will have an in person registration day in Donabate this year closer to the event for those who miss out online but as with everything the earlier you register the better. Thanks everyone!
The Donabate Portrane Darkness Into Light committee.
Active Age for All held it’s AGM on Friday 17th January this year and we were very pleased with the attendance, many of whom stayed for a cuppa and a chat when the business was done. Active Age continues to go from strength to strength due in no small part to the vision of the first committee and the dedicated work of following committees. None of this would have been possible without these volunteers and the support and cooperation of the community centre management and staff, a big debt of gratitude to all. Many committee members past and present represent AAfA on various organisations and groups: Valerie Henderson (Donabate/Portrane Liaison Group), Mario Mc Cormack ( PPN), Louis Gunnigan ( Town Centre First), Carolyn Smith ( D/P Community Council), Peig McManus ( Forum for Older People), & Mary Farrell ( DPCC Board)). This year we are delighted to welcome on board Adriana Ganet as tutor for Spanish 2 (intermediate) on Monday mornings. We are also very pleased to have two past committee members returning to the committee, Mary Farrell and Carmel Carey; and welcome to first timer Ann O’Hanlon.
Active Age is now entering its 10th year, and we plan to continue growing and developing with the community of the peninsula.
Through the Lens has had another successful calendar sale with the 2025 issue. The club has produced a limited edition of 300 calendars for the past few years with the help of the local businesses who take advertising space in it. It started as a fund raiser for the club whilst also being able to sponsor a local group, it is also a good exercise for the members and a promotion for the club. All photos selected for inclusion must be related to the peninsula and may probably be an historical reference in years to come given the rapid changes afoot in the area.
This year we are proud to sponsor Foroige a local youth group based in the community centre. Foroige caters for 12- to 18-year-old teenagers and they meet every Friday from 7.30 to 9pm. There are table games as well as snooker and table tennis, and drinks and snacks are available on the night. They do trips such as to the Awesome Walls and take part in activities like the Foroige Dublin & National talent championship.
Contact for Foroige: Kevin Barnes 087-9580129 and contact for Through the Lens: Mary McKenna 087-2321852.
Work has commenced on the new Donabate Library which is scheduled to open by the end of this year.
The development of the new public library at Ballisk House is one of a number of projects being undertaken by Fingal County Council that will enhance the provision of community facilities in the Donabate area as envisaged under the Donabate Framework Plan and the Capital Programme agreed by the elected members of Fingal County Council last October.
The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Brian McDonagh, said: “I am delighted that the contractor is on site and work has begun on Donabate’s new library which, when opened, will offer so much more to the local community than just books. The move from its present location in the Community Centre will also free up significant space which can now be used by different groups on the Donabate peninsula.”
Fingal County Council acquired Ballisk House in 2022 following the decision of the Progressive Credit Union to close its Donabate branch which had been located in the premises. The land had originally been owned by the Council but was sold in 1995 to Donabate Credit Union to facilitate the building of Ballisk House.
Vision Contracting were appointed last December to carry out the refurbishment works on Ballisk House and went on site at the end of January to commence phase one of a two phase project. It is anticipated that the new library will open to the public by the end of this year.
Phase one will deliver a contemporary library with children’s and young adult areas on the ground floor of the building. The installation of wheelchair accessible lifts will provide access to the adult lending area and a library events space on the first floor. The new library will also be a ‘My Open Library’, which will give registered members access to the building beyond normal staffed hours.
Planning has begun for Phase Two of the project which will consider the addition of an extension to the building to further enhance library facilities.
March promises to be a busy time for Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed. Work on our allotment plots has already started in earnest for the next growing season and our weekly HSE-sponsored Healthy Eating classes with Suzanne continue.
Our music group, Gerry and the Plonkers are set to play three gigs during March. On Wednesday 12th, they play a St. Patrick’s themed as part of their monthly FREE concert in Donabate Parish Hall, which we hope will be be as successful as last month’s Valentine’s themed concert. Light refreshments will be provided and adults are welcome. They are also honored to be invited to play at a function in Blanchardstown for a women’s group and at this month’s Memory Café in our local Community Centre on 26th March.
At the end of February, Men’s Shed members had a fascinating guided tour of Kilmainham Gaol, covering many of the main historical events in Ireland from the late 18th century to the early 20th. A fuller report will be included in next month’s article.
Needless to say, our regular weekly activities continue - exercise classes, croquet, music practice and Thursday get-togethers.
So, if you or someone close to you would like to join us, call our PRO, Jim, on 086-3694316 or just drop in to Donabate Sea Scouts’ Den on Portrane Road between 11am and 1pm on Thursday mornings.
The Balbriggan Chain of Survival is a programme managing multiple projects for emergency volunteer responders within the community of Balbriggan. The purpose of each project is to reduce avoidable fatalities.
CRITICAL Balbriggan Community Responders is a project that is now separately run and managed by the esteemed charity CRITICAL https://criticalcharity.ie/. Volunteers from Balbriggan have undergone online training, Garda vetting and are now in the process of their practical training with a vision of launching mid-2025. As a CRITICAL Balbriggan Community Responder, we will be an extension to the National Ambulance Service, and will be actively responding to emergency dispatch calls for heath attack, cardiac arrest, stroke and choking incidents.
According to the Irish Heart Foundation, over 70% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur at the home. The COMMUNITY HEARTS project is in partnership with Smart Medical and Re-turn as a national pilot for residential defibrillators being installed, enabling residents to be within 3-5 minutes, or, 400-500 metres of their closest accessible defibrillator. The overall ambition of the project is to have 24/7 AED coverage for 95% of Balbriggan’s population.
Orange Bins are placed all across Balbriggan to collect returnable bottles and cans to raise the required funds for the COMMUNITY HEARTS project. In addition to residential defibrillator instalations, an installation has been carried out at Bracken Cabs, open 24/7 to the public, and an ideal location with both residential and commercial activity being 24/7 in that area. Westbrook Grove, Clonard Street, Tara Court residential installations are complete, with Clonard Court, Tara Cove, and many more estates in the planning. Planning is in place to install a 24/7 defibrillator at the Balbriggan Court House, and to support Balbriggan 34th/161st Scouts with their installation at Market Green.
Orange Bins are placed all across Balbriggan, from the Rugby Club, through the town at The Lark Concert Hall, Glebe North Football Club, the Senior Citizens Hall, St. Peter’s and Paul’s Primary School, to the other side of the community at Balbriggan Football Club.
There are hundreds of residents collecting and donating their bottles and cans for the cause. To support national pilot for residential defibrillators a Go Fund Me Campaign has been setup to run 5km daily to bring awareness to the Balbriggan Chain of Survival programme.
To date, there’s been 432 daily 5km runs in a row, over 60 contributors and €1,816 raised which as supported the purchase of the first four defibrillator and cabinets. For details of the Go Fund Me click here https://gofund.me/917253f0
There are several ongoing projects within the programme, to find out more, please check out our social pages BalbrigganCOS or contact BalbrigganCOS@gmail.com”
To celebrate Brigid’s bank holiday the wonderful community of Balbriggan gathered for a spectacular, illuminated procession through the streets of the town.
To celebrate the St Brigid’s bank holiday in February 2025, Balbriggan held a spectacular, illuminated procession through the streets of the town and onto the beach. Balbriggan is one of Europe’s most diverse towns and is expanding into a vibrant hub of creative expression and life.
Performers from Luxe Landscape Theatre Company were joined by community groups at the Lark Concert Hall.
Accompanied by an ethereal soundtrack, they carried lanterns together from the Lark, gathering the community at George’s Square and in a powerful and emotive performance, spread Brigid’s light on a processional journey down Mill Street to a celebration on the beach. This family-friendly event celebrates the return of Spring with a celebration of light, hope, and the coming together of this wonderful and beautifully diverse community.
This breathtaking procession was developed through a collaboration between Creative Fingal, Fingal County Council, Our Balbriggan, Community Wellness, Luxe Landscape Theatre, and the entire Balbriggan community. It demonstrates how the Creative Ireland Programme delivers through collaboration and partnership to promote understanding and appreciation of the value of creativity in all its forms. It remains a wonderful and unique opportunity to celebrate community and creativity and to mark the celebration of Lá Fhéile Bríde, St Brigid’s Day.