A new €10m six-lane 25 metre public swimming pool is to be built in Balbriggan, Fingal County Council has announced. The new facility will be built at Castlelands, one kilometre south of the town.

The project has now moved to preliminary design and planning stages. It is expected the project will be ready to go to planning by the end of this year and, subject to funding, construction could commence by the end of 2026.

The new facility will incorporate a changing village, reception area with café and a viewing gallery. It will be located south of the area’s Link Road, directly opposite the site of a proposed new school. An integrated design team led by UK-based company ReCreation has developed preliminary plans.
The provision of a public swimming pool was a key ask of the survey by Balbriggan.ie in 2019, aimed at shaping an order of priorities to transform the town. The findings subsequently shaped Fingal County Council’s ongoing €54-57million Our Balbriggan Rejuvenation Programme.

In 2024, a study which reached out to local teens also highlighted the need for a public swimming pool in Balbriggan. Dr David Begg, Chairperson of the Our Balbriggan Leadership Group, which oversees Fingal County Council’s Our Balbriggan Rejuvenation Programme, warmly welcomed the announcement.
He said the swimming pool would have a profound and positive social impact on Balbriggan. “As we know, Balbriggan is home to one of the youngest, fastest growing and most diverse populations in Ireland. There is an unmatched determination across the community of Balbriggan to build a bright future for the area and this initiative will assist in doing just that.

According to AnnMarie Farrelly, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, the long planned facility will prove hugely significant.

“Fingal County Council has long been aware of the need for a public swimming pool in Balbriggan. We will plan well to deliver a very significant facility for the people of the town and surrounding areas.
“The announcement is another significant milestone in our ambition to redevelop Balbriggan and represents further significant investment in the town by Fingal County Council. It makes perfect sense for any new swimming pool in Fingal to be located in Balbriggan, given its ever growing young population.”

Balbriggan Summerfest is returning once again this year from 27th May to 1st June 2025 with a packed programme of events for all the family. Running since 2009, Balbriggan Summerfest has grown into a vibrant community event that brings together residents, local groups, organisations and visitors to celebrate what Balbriggan has to offer. From live music, carnival fun, family-friendly events, sports and seaside traditions, the festival showcases the wonderful spirit of the community.

Balbriggan Summerfest has always been about people, neighbours, families, local clubs, organisations and volunteers coming together to create memories for everyone. It gives local people a platform to showcase their talents in music, art, craft, food and sports. The Balbriggan Summerfest Committee make every effort to keep everything local, reflecting the many cultures, traditions and talents that make the town such a vibrant and welcoming place. By celebrating what is unique about Balbriggan, the festival creates community pride and encourages people to take part by getting involved or just simply enjoying the festivities.

With the current regeneration projects happening across the town, the festival location has changed to Bremore Castle which means that some of the festival favourites such as the Duck Derby have had to be put on hold. However, over the week, the community and visitors can enjoy a varied line up of events such as the Summerfest 5k, charity football match, fireworks display, Bremore Castle tours, Blessing of the Boats, live music, carnival, vibrant food and craft market and much more.Our festival is not just about events, it is about bringing together the community, making memories and highlighting all that is great about our town.

It is that time of year again when Guide Dog Day is fast approaching. If you would like to support us, our Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs will be fundraising on Guide Dog Day, Friday the 23rd of May in Millfield Shopping Centre, Balbriggan where we will be selling merchandise along with holiday raffle tickets at €5 to potentially win a luxury holiday worth €5,000! We will also be fundraising on Saturday the 24th of May in Supervalu, Balbriggan where if you missed us on Friday, you could get your hands on our merchandise and those exciting raffle tickets at €5 each.

If you do not make it down to see us on either day, don’t worry there are more ways you can support our Branch. Did you know for example, that we placed a Q.R. code in Supervalu in Lusk of a large collection dog, so if you don’t have change to put into the large dog, you can scan the code using your phone and donate to the Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs as much or little as you like. We also have Q.R. codes on our large dogs in Balbriggan in Supervalu, Millfield Shopping Centre, Cuddles Pet Store located beside Millfield Shopping Centre. We also have them located in Skerries in Supervalu, The Framing Shop, McMeel’s Pharmacy and the Shore Line Hotel located in Donabate where you can simply tap your phone to donate to our Branch. We appreciate all your continued support and hope to see you on Guide Dog Day. Keep an eye on our social media pages for more information and events to come.
If volunteering is something you would like to do, you can contact the Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs by phone/text 0857663107, email: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs.

River Clean Up

Super job today and unprecedented. Marcus, Richard and Paul under the guidance of committee member Matt with support from adjacent site developers Barrymore and Meegans cleared 4 skips of rubbish from the river between Kenure Woods and the Skerries Road. 5 hours of hard graft walking the river in waders. The river is flowing freely this evening, and bear in mind, this flows into the North Beach. Thank you gents, and to Ger for the photos

Swift Boxes

Our first big biodiversity project of 2025 was completed today with the installation of 2 triple entry swift boxes at St. Catherine’s primary school. We would like to thank all who helped get this off the ground, our local volunteer Linda Mellon, who is part of the Fingal branch of BirdWatch Ireland, Mary Ryan, our friends in St Catherine’s primary school and Stephen for helping with the location choice and installation. Swifts are an endangered species and need all the help they can get. Did you know a swift will not land once between its migration from Africa to Ireland and vice versa?

Kenure Park Light

We are delighted to see the decorative lights going up at the entrance to Kenure Woods today. This was a bug bear of ours through personal experience, so we put a formal request into the lighting section in Fingal County Council last year citing health and safety concerns on a path which has so much footfall. The 38th Rush Scout Group also put their weight behind the request.

When Brazilian indie folk artist Jean Lone returned home after spending a year in Malahide, the area captured his heart so much that he decided to write and record a new song titled ‘Sweet Malahide’.
Based in Mossoró, Brazil, Jean’s new track blends warm acoustic textures with nostalgic storytelling, capturing the beauty and emotions tied to the place.

“The production, recording and mixing of the track were carried out in my home studio, and the cover of the single is a watercolour painting handmade by my partner, Bruna Medeiros, visually capturing the poetic essence of the song,” Jean explained.

To listen to Sweet Malahide please visit: https://onerpm.link/103214560540

The introduction of annual perpetual awards by the Club in 2024 marks a significant milestone in recognizing and honouring the outstanding contributions of its members. These awards not only celebrate individual achievements but also build a lasting legacy of excellence and community spirit within the club. Here’s a breakdown of the five distinct awards and the 2024 winners:

SylsCC Spirit Award: This award is presented to the member who has inspired and positively influenced others throughout the year. The 2024 recipient is Deirdre.

SylsCC Good Shepherd Award: Given to the ride leader who consistently goes above and beyond to support fellow cyclists. This year’s recipient is David.

SylsCC Leader of the Pack: Awarded to the member who has shown remarkable improvement in their performance over the year. The 2024 recipient is Seamus.

SylsCC Rookie of the Year: This award recognizes a first-year club member who has demonstrated exceptional enthusiasm for cycling. The winner for 2024 is Tracey.

SylsCC Community Award: Awarded to the member who has made a meaningful impact on the broader community. The 2024 recipient is Phillip.

At the Gala Awards Ceremony, each of these deserving members was presented with a silver salver to commemorate their achievements. The club is proud of their diverse accomplishments, which include significant personal feats like completing the Mallorca 312 and conquering the Australian Munda Biddi Trail, as well as contributions to the club’s social program, providing exceptional care during rides, and new members who embrace the club cycling and social ethos. The recognition of these achievements further strengthens the club’s sense of community and shared values.

This annual awards program will surely continue to inspire future members, creating a rich history of celebrated excellence over the coming decade.

Malahide Lions Club was delighted to recently present a cheque for €960 to Aoife’s Clown Doctors. The donation will pay for four visits of the Clown Doctors to either Temple St. or Crumlin Children’s Hospitals in Dublin.

Aoife’s Clown Doctors was set up to provide visits to hospitals by professional clowns, using humour as a form of healing joy to sick children, the staff who care for them and the children’s families. This is done by professional actors working in pairs, meeting the individual children at their bedside and in the waiting rooms and corridors of the hospitals. The clown doctors parody the hospital routine with jokes and antics involving the children, staff and the children’s families.

The charity relies solely on fundraising events, charity partnerships and donations to pay for the clown doctors’ visits.

As well as visiting Temple St. and Crumlin hospitals in Dublin, the clown doctors also visit Galway University Hospital, Portiuncula University Hospital in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway and Mayo University Hospital. Nearly 2,000 children in these hospitals were visited by the clown doctors in 2024.

The charity was set up in 2005 in memory of Aoife Hendrick from Malahide who sadly died of leukaemia, having spent periods of time in Crumlin Hospital’s St. John’s Ward. Aoife’s parents set up the charity so that Aoife’s legacy would live on through the smiles and laughter of other children.

The students of Portmarnock Community School went ‘Back to the 80s’ over four nights last month with students from all year groups within the school community taking part in the production.

Some familiar faces from previous award-winning school productions featured along with a host of new faces making their stage debut. First year Grace Flanagan of Drama House Ireland took on the role of teacher Sheena Brannigan, while returning to the cast this year were 2nd year Trystan Bruen of Billy Barry fame, 5th year Sarah Brady, and 5th year Ryan Mc Hugh from the Gaiety School of Acting while taking part for her final year was Kate Shalvey of 6th year who has previously starred in the school’s productions of Mamma Mia and Grease.

Director Amy Fidgeon proposed this jukebox musical for its upbeat floor-fillers. She commented that the classic tunes from the 1980s were “nostalgic, yet current because they are so ubiquitous on our radio stations.” She also felt that the storyline was “a classic tale of the troubled teen years” and she is very excited to see this come to life on the stage in Portmarnock Community School. The show featured choreography by Leanne Downey of Showtime and the musical direction of Lauren Gaffney who recently debuted her very own show off Broadway.

Back to the 80s told the story of a group of high school friends as they navigate the ups and downs of teenage life, love and friendship and was narrated by Corey Palmer.

The audience were also treated more than 20 hit songs from the 80s including “Material Girl,” “Wake me Up Before you Go Go,” “Don’t stop Believing,” “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “Man in the Mirror,” “Eye of the Tiger,” “Time of My Life,” and many more, Back to the 80s is a musical for the grown ups: a toe-tapping, hand clapping trip down memory lane.

The Lusk 4 mile road race took place in early March and was a huge success with over 1,000 entries for the 4 mile as well as hundreds more for the Thomas Ashe Dash. Many thanks to all sponsors , club members and the local community who helped in any way.

The men’s race was won by John Travers of Donore Harriers in a time of 18:43 with Annemarie McGlynn of Letterkenny AC winning the women’s race in a new course record of 20:30. The Lusk AC winners were Conor McGuirk and Emma Przymusinska.

There was also success for the club in the recent Leinster Indoor Championships and Nationals. Club members continue to clock up the miles with Half Marathons in Lisbon and Marathons in Brescia, Italy as well as events closer to home. The 40-day 6am 5k challenge started on 5th March and is open to everyone in the community from Lusk NS each morning.

Local man Ian Cortina is currently in training to run a 130km ultramarathon in under 24 hours at the Waterville Trail Running Festival in Waterville, County Kerry on May 3rd, in aid of Fingal Additional Needs.
The challenge is very personal to Ian who explained, “My mother sadly passed away on 7th May 2024 from complications of dementia. A cruel, vicious disease for which there is no cure. One of the last things I promised to her was to complete an endurance event and try to fundraise for a worthwhile cause. The Waterville 130km ultramarathon is held close to the anniversary of her passing, which I feel is a prominent event to aim for and commemorate her memory.”

“As a parent to a child with additional needs, initiatives such as Fingal Additional Needs are invaluable and do so much good for local children and young people who I believe ALL have the right to thrive and grow with equal support and opportunities in life and their local communities,” he added.

The race begins at 4pm on Saturday 3rd May and Ian will have 24 hours to finish the race by running 3 laps, continuously across the Kerry Way. Cut off times are 8 hours per lap - so a 4pm start with the first cut-off at 12 midnight. The second lap cut-off is 16 hours (8am Sunday) and the final lap is to be finished before 4pm on Sunday 4th May.

Fingal Additional Needs offers afterschool programs, camps, and sports activities designed to create safe, fun, and structured environments where kids can thrive, while giving families much-needed support.
“By chucking a few bob in to my fundraiser, you will be helping to cover the cost of equipment, rental spaces, and materials that make their sessions engaging and so beneficial. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my fundraiser. I hope you can help me by donating whatever you can. Simply click the Donate button above. All donations are processed securely,” Ian added.

You can find more information about the race here: https://www.runwtf.com/130km and to donate please go to https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/wtf130