Public Health Nurses are the backbone of community healthcare. They support families from the very first days of a newborn’s life, provide essential developmental checks, deliver care to our elderly and vulnerable neighbours, assess needs in the home, promote independent living, manage chronic illness, provide wound and palliative care, and ensure people are connected to the wider health system when they need it most.
Yet despite this vital role, Donabate a community of almost 15,000 people has been left with only 2.5 Public Health Nurses. This is an alarming ratio of 1 nurse for every 6,000 residents, far below what is needed to deliver safe, timely, and comprehensive care. With rising birth rates and a growing elderly population in the area, this shortfall places enormous pressure on staff and raises serious concerns about whether our most vulnerable residents are receiving the full range of services they deserve.
This situation is not sustainable. It is not fair to our community, and it is not fair to the nurses who are doing everything they can under impossible conditions. Additional Public Health Nurse staffing must be provided to Donabate without delay.
The current Health Centre originally built to serve just 2,000 people has seen little improvement over the decades and is no longer fit for purpose. For years, the HSE has acknowledged the need for a Primary Care Centre in Donabate. The decision last year to abandon the planned facility on Turvey Avenue, on the grounds of “value for money,” was deeply disappointing and entirely at odds with the needs of a rapidly expanding community.
A modern Primary Care Centre is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Donabate cannot continue to grow without the healthcare infrastructure required to support its people.
I have raised this matter directly with the HSE, and Duncan Smith TD has brought it to the Minister for Health. We await their responses and will consider further action as needed. Our community deserves a health service that is properly staffed, properly resourced, and capable of meeting the needs of every resident from newborns to older adults.
Lambay Cinema Club was established in 2022 with the aim of bringing quality cinema to the peninsula. Our monthly screenings at St Patrick’s Church of Island Church in The Square continue to attract new and regular attendees and our 2025/26 season, has been our most successful yet.
Our season finale which took place in June (despite local power cuts) saw our audience enjoying The Ballad of Wallis Island – the Bafta nominated and BIFA (British Independent Film Awards) winning British comedy.
This marked the final screening in a varied programme of Irish, English and foreign language films including Korean hit Minari, Irish language horror film Fréwaka, Moroccan drama The Blue Caftan and French language Joyeaux Noel. We started 2026 with Irish drama Christy, followed by French/Vietnamese musical drama In the Nguyen Kitchen.
To mark International Women’s day, we had a sellout showing of Blue Road – The Edna O’Brien Story. We closed out the season, with Nine Queens, the classic Argentinian Heist movie and Souleymane’s Story – the award-winning story of an Guinean immigrant in Paris and his journey towards French citizenship.
We will be back in September, with another varied and interesting schedule of excellent movies, including our first ever Audience Choice – where you get the final say. More details to be released in due course. This year we also will be making a guest appearance at the Donabate Portrane Summer Festival in August – so keep a lookout for more information on that.
To keep up to date with our programme, scan the QR code to join our mailing list.
Remember, the Cinema Club is open to everyone – no membership needed. We look forward to seeing you at a future screening.
Many people reach a point in life when they realise they should be more active. The challenge is not recognising the need for exercise, but finding an activity that remains engaging year after year.
Most physical activities focus primarily on fitness. Others challenge the mind but involve little movement. Few activities develop the body, stimulate the brain and create meaningful social connections at the same time. Aikido is one of those rare exceptions.
This Japanese martial art develops balance, coordination, mobility and body awareness while simultaneously challenging practitioners to learn new movement patterns. Training takes place with partners rather than opponents, creating a supportive social environment where people help one another progress.
This combination becomes particularly valuable as we age. Maintaining physical mobility is important, but so too are mental engagement, confidence and a sense of community. Aikido brings all of these elements together in a single activity.
In many ways, learning Aikido is similar to learning a new language, except that the body becomes the instrument of communication. At first, unfamiliar movements can feel awkward and challenging. Over time, however, the body begins to organise itself more efficiently. Movements become smoother, more economical and better coordinated. Practitioners also develop greater spatial awareness, learning to understand their position in relation to other people and to move confidently and efficiently through space.
The combination of physical activity and continuous learning is particularly valuable as we age. Training challenges both body and mind, helping practitioners maintain mobility while keeping the brain actively engaged. Many students find that concentrating on movement and working with a partner provides a welcome break from everyday worries. They leave class feeling calmer, more focused and more energised than when they arrived.
The social aspect is equally important. Aikido is practised with partners, creating opportunities to meet people and build friendships. At Takemusu Aikido Society, training is followed by conversation, laughter and a strong sense of community that keeps people coming back year after year.
One of the club’s members, Eugene, joined in his fifties with no previous martial arts experience. He soon discovered a passion for training and continues to work on improving his mobility, particularly in his hips. Like many adult beginners, he found much more than exercise. He found an enjoyable challenge, a lifelong learning experience and a welcoming community.
Takemusu Aikido Society has received funding through the Age & Opportunity Active National Grant Scheme 2026. Thanks to this support, newcomers aged 50 and over can attend one free Aikido class per week throughout Jne, July and August.
No previous martial arts experience is required, and there is no need to register in advance. If becoming more active has been on the to-do list for some time, this summer may be the perfect opportunity to start. It is never too late to learn something new, improve wellbeing and discover what the body is still capable of achieving.
More information is available from Takemusu Aikido Society at www.aiki.ie or by emailing info@aiki.ie.
On Friday 22nd May our branch celebrated another Guide Dog Day, and this year was extra special as it was The Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind 50th birthday! We kicked off celebrations with a merchandise sale on Friday in Millfield Shopping Centre in Balbriggan, where a fantastic sum of €915.56 was raised and another merchandise sale in SuperValu, Balbriggan on Saturday and raised another fantastic sum of €698.69. On both days we sold raffle tickets for €5 giving a chance to win a €5,000 holiday voucher along with guide dog cuddly toys and pens, to name but a few. Also, on Friday at Millfield Shopping Centre there was a gathering of guide dogs with Guide Dog Qeb, Assistance Dog Gigi, Ambassador Dogs Cassie and Adel in attendance much to the joy of passer-by’s who stopped to say hello to our fury friends.
As part of the Guide Dog Day celebrations Tom O’Neill and guide dog Qeb joined Buoin Peadar agus Pol Brigins and Guides for a sponsored walk where great fun was had by all. A fantastic few days of celebrations was had, and we want to say a big thank you to everyone who supported our branch over that weekend and who continue to support us every day.
As a lot of you would know, our next fundraiser after Guide Dog Day would normally be the Balbriggan Summer Festival over the June bank holiday weekend, however the festival didn’t happen this year. If anybody knows of a festival or any event anywhere in the North County that our branch could have a merchandise stand at anytime in the summer months so we could make up for lost funds due to the festival not taking place, please get in contact on the details below.
You can contact Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Irish Guide Dogs by phone/text 0876489479, email: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs.
Swords Boxing Club is celebrating an extraordinary achievement after six of its young athletes captured Irish national titles at this year’s Junior and Schools Championships—an exceptional return from just seven entrants.
In a display of skill, determination, and depth of talent, Danielle Smithers, Rhys Kinsella, Victoria Nic An Bhaird, Sarah Lilly Byrne, Rian Branagan, and Evan Prunty each emerged victorious in their respective divisions, marking one of the most successful campaigns in the club’s history.
The near-clean sweep underscores the strength of the Swords club’s development system, with coaches and supporters praising not only the results but also the discipline and commitment shown by the fighters in the lead-up to the championships.
“To come away with six national champions from seven boxers is something special,” a club representative said. “It reflects the hard work these young athletes put in every week, as well as the dedication of our coaching team and the support from families and the local community.”
Each of the six champions demonstrated composure and technical excellence throughout the competition, navigating tough draws to reach the top of the podium with all six claiming unanimous decision victories in their final. Their success highlights Swords Boxing Club as a growing force in Irish amateur boxing, particularly at underage level.
With momentum firmly on their side, Swords Boxing Club now looks ahead to the upcoming four nations championship (this June in Scotland), national cadet championships, and European championships in Turkey, confident that this latest triumph is a sign of even greater achievements to come.
Swords locals will have the opportunity to see what is on offer from an array of artisan producers on June 7th called “Magic of Beauty and Creativity | Bewitch”.
Taking place at Bewitch Your Beauty & Kortell House of Beauty in Swords from 11am 5pm the artisan and beauty event will bring together women from the Swords and wider Dublin area who create products with their own hands — including handmade items, jewellery, artwork, candles, home baking, and other unique creations.
The goal of the event is to support local makers, small businesses, and women-led creativity, while creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for the community.
Alongside the artisan market, the event will also include: beauty consultations; professional photography; raffle prizes and gifts; beauty and haircare products all in a friendly and social atmosphere
The event is organised within the Russian-speaking community in Dublin, but it is open to everyone.
Ryan Cowzer took gold at 54kg in the Neilstown Box Cup, putting in three strong performances and finishing the final with a first-round stoppage.
Mark Quinn claimed gold at 55kg after an exciting, hard-fought final.
Senan Fox earned silver, battling his way to the final and losing a very close decision to a quality opponent.
Christopher Lawrence secured silver after a strong semi-final win, but was unable to contest the final due to family circumstances.
Ruby Skelly showed real dedication to make 48kg, and with no opponent in her division, was awarded gold.
A strong weekend overall, finishing with 3 golds and 2 silvers.
Rush Community Council has announced a new student bursary to support eligible students from the Rush electoral district who are pursuing third-level studies in journalism, photography and media-related fields.
The bursary is funded through remaining funds associated with Rush Community News, which is no longer in publication. Rush Community Council has approved the use of these funds to continue supporting education and the development of community-focused media skills.
The bursary is open to students residing in the Rush electoral district who are entering their second year or above of an eligible course.
Commenting on the launch, Erin Cartlidge, Chairperson of Rush Community Council, said:“This bursary has been established to ensure that the remaining funds from Rush Community News are used in a way that supports education and recognises the importance of media and communication skills within our community.”
Full details of the application process will be announced shortly.
For further information, please contact Rush Community Council at manager@rushcoco.ie
Monday April 27th: The sun shone for the first RUSH FESTIVAL OF WRITING, which took place on Saturday, April 25th and saw some of the country’s best writers descend on the seaside town for a day of conversations and workshops.
The day began with two workshops for children at the beautiful Rush Library, which was formerly the town’s 18th century church, where former Children’s Laureate na nÓg Niamh Sharkey held a workshop based around her latest picture book Penguin TV before encouraging attendees to take to the floor and share their own drawings by joining her infamous giant ‘doodle’.
Alan Nolan brought his unique energy to his Draw Your Own Superhero workshop with a hilarious presentation on his own work, as well as talking readers and writers aged 8-12 on how to design their own comic book creations.
The day continued at the nearby festival hub at Rush Community Centre, where festival co-founder Lauren Murphy quizzed celebrated authors Sinéad Gleeson and Anna Carey on their creative practices in an illuminating conversation about how and why they write - as well as practical advice on how to get your work published. On a similar theme, acclaimed author Belinda McKeon led a two-hour afternoon workshop for adults on Creative Writing, with one attendee saying it was “particularly beneficial” for developing character and story.
At The Strand Bar & Restaurant, Irish cultural icon and raconteur Eamon Carr regaled a captive audience in an enthralling conversation led by journalist Pat Carty, which took in his work as a poet, songwriter and journalist. The Horslips man also shared some amusing stories about his first time in Rush many years ago!
The evening events took place in front of capacity crowds at the Millbank Theatre, where at 5pm crime fiction writers Catherine Ryan Howard and Andrea Mara proved as entertaining in conversation as they are in the written form. The world-beating duo discussed the pros and cons of the big-budget TV adaptations of their work, how they stumbled upon the genre of crime fiction, their sources of inspiration and more in a lively discussion led by Sinéad Cuddihy of Tired Mammy Book Club.
Finally, following a short speech by Mayor of Fingal Cllr. Tom O’Leary, who spoke of the importance of the creative arts and the particular abundance of talent in North County Dublin, the festival’s headline event began at 8pm with one of Ireland’s greatest writers, John Banville in conversation with author Kevin Curran.
Their hugely entertaining discussion was both profound, enlightening and humorous as Mr. Banville noted the importance of imagination in writing, his experience of winning the Man Booker Prize - noting how “all prizes are just like the big red toy fire engine you get at Christmas” - and how all of his books are “reserved sins”, while playfully threatening to direct the hordes of tourists that have descended upon his locality in Howth towards Rush.
The Rush Multipurpose & Youth Facility have received new sensory kits from Fingal which is available to use in our facility! The following is available:
A pop-up tent that can be placed in a quiet area, to be used as needed by a child seeking a calm and comforting space.
A sign-in sheet will be provided for individuals to complete when borrowing the kit, to help us track usage and ensure it remains accessible to all. The sensory kit will remain in the facility at all times and returned to reception after use.
A backpack containing a variety of sensory toys and lights.
