The first band in Malahide was established over 100 years ago. Now in Autumn 2024, the Malahide Pipe Band is offering beginners of all ages the opportunity to learn and play the pipes or drums.

For parents, playing the pipes or drums offers young people a hobby to learn and play a musical instrument, be part of a music group, and grow in confidence by performing at local events.

For adults, it is never too late to learn a musical instrument. If you have ever heard or seen the pipes or drums and you would like to try, now is your chance!

Just email for more information. Information evenings planned. Classes in Malahide.

Everyone is welcome.

While the evenings are starting to become cold, dark and wet, at Junsa Taekwondo the classes are warm, bright and welcoming . Our full classes have now returned and are welcoming new members. If you want to learn a new skill, get fit or want to reach your full potential in the world of Olympic Taekwondo then we can help you get there. We are members of Taekwondo Ireland the national governing body of WT in Ireland and have direct pathways to help our students fulfill their future either as an Olympic athlete, a poomsae world champion, or as an international referee. OR if you just want to have fun at a local level, we can help you get there.

The Dublin City Marathon is almost upon us and as usual there will be a big contingent of Lusk athletes taking part. The hard miles have been run so it’s almost time to enjoy the taper and reap the rewards of your hard work. Enjoy the day and best of luck to everyone. Welcome to all recent new members and well done to all who have joined our latest Fit4Life or Fit4Youth groups. Thanks as ever to all club coaches and other volunteers who’s continued commitment and hard work enable our club to go from strength to strength.

On the 30th August all the Lusk ladies got together and organized a wonderful Garden Party, in Maria Bairds enchanting back Garden. We danced all evening to the boogie-woogie sounds of the Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed music group Gerry and The Plonkers.

How thrilled everyone was to support our President Rosanna Darby representing Lusk ICA in the recent Fingal Pride of Place competition displaying photos of all the activities of our members, and the beautiful Pride Of Place flower arrangement by Jacinta Connolly.

We had a gorgeous night in NCH listening to the The Sound of Hollywood - The Best of MGM.
The Lusk Guild will now meet on the 1st Thursday every month after the Scouts Beavers at 8.15pm. And we would be delighted for new members to come along.

Last month, Lusk took part in the national Pride of Place awards, where we were given the opportunity to showcase the best of our community. It was a privilege to be part of this and gave us an opportunity to look back at all that we have achieved as individual groups and as a community over the last few years. Lusk is in a unique position in Ireland as the only town to have a town centre first plan already in place and in the early stages of being implemented, with cooperation between our town centre first committee and Fingal County Council.

On the day, we presented a strategic overview of what has already been achieved in Lusk and our plans for the future. We presented how volunteerism shapes our community, and the strong influence of heritage that exists here. We presented our local growers, and the judges even had an opportunity to taste locally produced wine, Lusca Wines!

We showcased our plans for the sports hub, visited Lusk National School and the amazing new autism unit in Rush and Lusk Educate Together National School. Our community groups represented themselves and our town so well and they should all be proud of what they have achieved individually. We have an amazing community, that is hugely and selflessly committed, and deeply rooted in volunteerism and we now look forward to the awards ceremony in November. Watch this space!

In advance of a meeting with An Garda Siochána and Foroige, we invite you to email us at luskactiongroup@gmail.com with any current issues of concern.

LAG have engaged with public representatives and authorities over concerns regarding the effect of new train timetables and noise issues from low flying planes on a flight pathway from Dublin Airport that is in breach of its planning permission. We will update on our Facebook page as information becomes available.

We will be submitting a road safety document to Fingal County Council soon. If you have any particular concerns, please get in touch with us at the above email address.

The success of the Pride of Place on 3rd September was about how every community group came together to explain how each group was making a special contribution to our growing town. The Lusk For Life Town Centre First plan was central to our Pride of Place presentation to the judges. Lusk For Life provides the roadmap to address the community and sports infrastructural challenges that the town will face over the coming decade.

We can all see the current explosion in housing in our town and this is the forerunner to significant increased population, so the pressure is on to get new and additional facilities to serve our town. Minister Joe O’Brien recently announced €77,000 expenditure towards designing a skatepark project and undertaking a feasibility study for farmer’s market project for the town. While these are welcome Town Plan project steps, we need to maintain the pressure to deliver more community facilities, faster and in line with best practice sustainable principles. If we do not, we will not stay on target for what our increasingly diverse and expanding community needs.

The lesson of Pride of Place was how the power of working together can deliver a coherent brand for Lusk. Lusk For Life involved coming together to create a Town Centre First Plan. Implementing the plan is a bigger challenge that requires working together to deliver our infrastructure. We need to use our Town Team as well as our Community and Business Pillars to channel our priorities to bring about positive change for Lusk.

The Annual Peninsula Walk took place on Sat 14th Sept to coincide with the Bleeding Pig Festival and Trad & Pizza at the Brook Pub. A great day had by all - walkers, musicians & ceile dancers!

The next two walks are listed below:
Saturday 19th October

Walk from Greystones to Bray - this is a challenging new route of about 10km - exact route TBC.
Saturday 9th November

Walk a flat easy route either Beach, Canal or Greenway also about 10km.

There will be further walks in January, February & March 2025.

All walks subject to the weather! If interested: Contact Carolyn on 087-9284307 or Des on 087-7846813

For a few years since we got the acoustic panels, we have been working towards providing a good space for over 18s to practice their music.

We are now ready to rock & roll! Actually, any type of music is welcome e.g. trad, jazz, folk, rock.
Noel Dowling, new to the parish, will be the leader of the Music Makers. Read his bio below and you will know why! He will be ably assisted by local musician and songwriter Sean Collins.

It is intended to run the sessions once a month on a Friday evening, starting for all on October 18th at 7pm. (This may become twice a month). We have the equipment for you to use; you just bring your instrument along.

Please email musicmakersph@gmail.com or WhatsApp or text 089-4916437, the Music Makers’ phone monitored by Noel, with an expression of interest if you are over 18 and playing music at present with nowhere to rehearse or create music in a warm inviting atmosphere - where you don’t drive the neighbours mad!

Noel is a husband and father of two living in Donabate and is a lifelong music enthusiast whose passion for music was ignited during family sing-alongs and gatherings. He studied Sound Engineering & Music Production at Ballyfermot College under the guidance of Pat Daly and Pete Holiday. Over the years, Noel worked as a sound engineer for renowned bands like U2 (on their Claw tour), Brody Dalle, Mumford & Sons, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Sneaky Sound Systems, among many more….

Outside of music, Noel has been a youth club leader at St. Pappin’s Youth Club and is currently on the committee of Gaelscoil Na Mara. Now working in Global HR Operations, Noel continues to support the music community and shares his love for music as an unofficial member of Gerry & the Plonkers. Music remains his first love, and he is passionate about nurturing future generations of musicians.

It’s all music this month Gerry & the Plonkers will be playing in the Parish Hall from 12 - 2pm on Wednesday 16th October all adults in the Parish welcome, especially seniors refreshments sponsored by the Parish Hall Committee. They will have a gig in November & December also. Then in 2025 three more gigs are planned for January, February & March.

Any queries re booking, events and activities contact Parish Office 01-8434574.

From time to time, Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed organises special events or outings to places of interest to its members. Last month was a particularly busy month for such outings.

In early September, members participated in the Boules Coaching course at Newbridge House, jointly arranged by Active Age for All and the Men’s Shed and ably delivered by Tom and Eileen Donnellan from Bayside Boules.

In mid-September, a group spent an interesting day at the National Ploughing Championships near Stradbally, Co. Laois. and in the month, a guided tour of Croke Park was arranged, which included the Skyline Tour, a thrilling rooftop walkway. It’s hoped to have photos of these outings for next month’s article.

Gerry & the Plonkers, the Men’s Shed music group, had a quiet September, but gigs in Donabate Parish Hall are lined up for the next three months, on 16th October ,13th November and 4th December, all on Wednesdays from 12 noon to 2pm. Light refreshments will be provided and all adults in the community are welcome.

Of course, the Men’s Shed weekly activities of exercise classes, croquet at Newbridge, work on our plots at Turvey Allotments and our Thursday morning get-togethers at the Scouts’ Den on Portrane Road, all continue as usual. So if you, or someone you know, would like to join us, just call our PRO, Jim, on 086-3694316.

Homes located at Brook Beach and Healy’s Lane in Portrane are in danger of being completely lost unless emergency coastal protection measures are not put in place as a matter of urgency according to local Cllr Corina Johnston.

“The residents of The Burrow, Portrane are deeply frustrated, angry and worried at the extent and magnitude of the coastal erosion over the years. The residents are fearful the impact the upcoming high tides, which are due to hit the coastline in the coming weeks, will have on their homes. The Beach Lane access road to 10 homes and properties was severely undermined in recent months and the upcoming high tides will make access inaccessible unless an alternative access is found.”

Duncan Smith TD has raised the need for emergency protection measures with the Tanaiste in Dáil Éireann and the OPW in further response confirmed it is open to Final County Council to seek additional funding for emergency works through The Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme.
“We have reached crisis point in Portrane. Unless emergency coastal protection measures are carried out along the beach and an alternative access route is found for the homes fronting Beach Lane it is inevitable that a number of homes will have to be evacuated. On behalf of the concerned residents, I am calling on FCC to seek the necessary funding,” Cllr Johnston added.