Fingal County Council has honoured 49 Transition Year Students from across Fingal for their participation in the groundbreaking Football and Fitness Transition Year (TY) Course.

Ran in conjunction with the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) the students received their certificates in a ceremony attended by outgoing Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy, the FAI’s Assistant Technical Director Shane Robinson, and Fingal County Council Director of Sport David Storey. Also present were Republic of Ireland Under-21 Manager Jim Crawford and Republic of Ireland Women’s National Team player and Swords native Jamie Finn.

While the joint initiative has heavy focus on football and fitness, it also helps equip students with valuable life skills. Participants gain a full Fitness Instructor’s qualification from Litton Lane Training and complete the FAI’s Coach Education pathway, earning PDP1 and PDP2 qualifications alongside a gym instructor qualification. The students also undertake modules covering maths and English, as well as learning about topics such as sports psychology and nutrition, and there’s even cooking lessons involved on how to produce high-performance meals for athletes.

This year saw 19 of the graduates represent Ireland in both the boys and girls underage international teams. Previous graduates from the course are also now playing for Ireland’s Men’s National Team, as well as seeing many making their own mark across all tiers of football in Ireland, England and Scotland.
Highlighting the introduction of the girls’ TY course this year, Jamie Finn said: “It’s amazing to see a programme like this coming out of Fingal, particularly as it helps open up new opportunities for young women passionate about football and fitness. Along with nurturing talent it also helps prepare students for future challenges in sports and in other fields.”

FAI President Paul Cooke said: “On behalf of the FAI, I would like to congratulate all the boys and girls who have completed this course and graduated today. The TY course is innovative and a great benefit to all these young players as they look to a career in football at home or abroad. Fingal County Council are again to be congratulated for their commitment to this course and for their commitment to introduce a first TY Football and Fitness Course for girls this year.”

Notable awards were given to standout students on the course. Among the female graduates, Aoibhe Brennan was honoured as Player of the Year, and Ruby Broderick Kinsella was recognized as Student of the Year. For the boys, Chris Conlon was named Player of the Year, and Oscar Shubar Keely received the Student of the Year award.

Thrive Balbriggan has officially launched the new Balbriggan Great Places & Spaces Wellbeing Map at the Balbriggan Summerfest on June 1st Bremore Castle.

The Balbriggan Great Places & Spaces Wellbeing Map is intergenerational project which identifies places and spaces that promote good mental health and well-being in Balbriggan. The Map was produced based on survey responses collected from local Transition Year students and community of Balbriggan who indicated in which locations they feel relaxed, happy, energised or calm.

The project was coordinated by Thrive Balbriggan. The Map was created by local artist Lauren Fernandes and designed by local graphic designer Áine O’Beirne who is also Thrive Balbriggan Vice Chairperson. The project was inspired by Wexford Great Places and Spaces Wellbeing Map which was administrated and coordinated by Wexford Mental Health Association.

Speaking at the event, the Project Lead, Séamus Quigley said: “This map is a representation of Balbriggan and what it has to offer to its community in relation to places and spaces. We want this map to further raise awareness of our own mental health and wellbeing and how through interaction; whether that be with other people or their local environment, we can enjoy a more positive experience.”

“We want the people of Balbriggan to create a stronger sense of relatability with regard to the positive impact local places and spaces have on them and to also further explore and identify locations or trails unknown to them beforehand. Our aim for Balbriggan Great Places&Spaces is for it to continue to grow through continual engagement within the community and ensure it becomes even more accessible through means of a digital and interactive platform. We want to sincerely thank the community of Balbriggan for their contributions in creating this map and for the continued support for Thrive Balbriggan”.

Thrive is a community-led movement to create a happy and healthy place to live by conducting projects and events aiming at improving mental health and wellbeing. Thrive was introduced to Ireland in 2021 by Mental Health Ireland and currently operates in two locations in County Fingal in Balbriggan and Swords.
Thrive Balbriggan is an initiative of Mental Health Ireland and is supported by Fingal County Council. For further information please contact thrivebalbriggan@mentalhealthireland.ie or visit Thrive Ireland – Mental Health Ireland.

We had a very busy and enjoyable time over the last month with our Pop-up Museum, Historical Walk and tours of Bremore Castle as well as our May talk by Aidan Arnold. Thank you to everyone who visited our exhibition in the Pop-Up Museum space on the corner of Bridge Street and Dublin Street over the two weekends. We were delighted to display a small sample of the significant number of our historical Artefacts and photographs and videos which are of huge local and national interest. The exhibition featured The People, Places and Textile Industry of Balbriggan and topics featured included the Linen & textile industry including Smyco, Harry Reynolds, The Sack of Balbriggan, Bremore Castle, and some of our extensive 1893 local Balbriggan photo collection. Many thanks for the wonderful support from all of you in the Balbriggan community, Fingal Heritage Officer Christine Baker, elected representatives and visitors from other Heritage Groups - we loved the chats. We would like to especially thank those who donated items for our collection and helped us with identifying some of the people in our photos. Remember if you have something of interest or photos to share please contact any of the Committee or send email to balbrigganhistsoc@gmail.com.

We led our usual Historical walk during Summerfest also and were delighted with the huge crowd who joined us and our tours of Bremore Castle were hugely popular also.

We are taking a little break now for the summer but will be back in August, in the meantime we hope you can get out and enjoy the rich heritage we have all around us in Balbriggan during the summer.

May was a fantastic start to summer for the Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs who fundraised for Guide Dog Day for two days in Millfield Shopping Centre, Balbriggan and a wonderful sum of €1,689.90 was raised.

Tom O’Neill and his guide dog Qeb also joined a sponsored walk with Buíon Peadar agus Pòh Brigins (St Peter & St Paul’s Brigins) Juniors of Girl Guides where €270 was raised. We were lucky enough to also get a donation from two fantastic young children, Alannah (aged 11) and Erin (aged 8) who saved €450 over a year with the help of their family and gave it to Tom for the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, we want to say a big thank you to Alannah and Erin and also to everyone who supported us over Guide Dog Day and the people that continue to do so.

The Branch also attended the sunny Balbriggan Summerfest during the bank holiday weekend in June where Tom O’Neill and his Guide Dog Qeb were set up to meet our lovely supporters and €536.52 was raised, a big thank you to our volunteers and all who came along to support us. On the day there were raffle tickets for €5 to win a holiday and these can still be purchased by contacting us on the below contact details. You could be jetting off on a holiday worth €5,000, but remember you have to be in it to win it! All money that is raised by the Branch, goes to headquarters in Cork and allows them to train assistance Guide Dogs to help blind people and a children with Autism. At the start of the year there were five Guide Dog partnerships and five Assistance Dog partnerships that graduated and as of March 2024 there are 110 pups being puppy raised.

If you are involved in an event in the area through summer and would allow our branch to put a stand in we would be very grateful for another chance to raise some additional funds! If so, please contact us via the following: Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, Phone/text: 085 7663107, Email: guidedogsbalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook: Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs.

The annual Blue Flag and Green Coasts awards were announced recently with sandy stretches in both Portmarnock and in Donabate being recognised this year.

Balcarrick Beach in Donabate, with its 3.4km stretch of sand, vibrant rockpools, and healthy sand dunes, has received both a Blue Flag and a Green Coast Award for the third consecutive year, making it one of the few locations in Ireland to achieve this distinction. Only 10 such beaches have been given double recognition.

Further south in Fingal, Velvet Strand in Portmarnock has once again been honoured with a Blue Flag, having first received one in 2014 and maintaining it ever since. Across Ireland there were 94 Blue Flag and 65 Green Coast award sites that have met the stringent criteria set by An Taisce.

The Blue Flag scheme, now in its 37th year in Ireland, is an esteemed international award assuring beachgoers that a beach meets high standards in water quality, facilities, safety, environmental education, and overall management. To earn a Blue Flag, Irish beaches must satisfy these rigorous standards.
The Green Coast Awards highlight beaches with excellent water quality and management practices that protect the natural environment, emphasizing community involvement. These beaches must be managed by local authorities in cooperation with local clean coast groups.

Director for Operations at Fingal County Council, Mary T Daly said: “The Blue Flag and Green Coast recognition we received this year showcase our ongoing efforts to maintain all our natural assets along the 88km of Fingal coastline. Now, as we come into the busy summer months, we hope that everyone who visits a beach this year will play their part in helping to keep them beautiful by bringing their rubbish home or using the bins provided. Litter left on beaches poses a risk to the environment and wildlife and can have a negative impact on water quality.”

Presenting the 2024 awards, Minister Hildegarde Naughton TD said: “We all know just how lucky we are to have such beautiful water quality and natural beauty across our shores and this year’s recipients are testament to just how exceptional and rich in diversity that our beaches are. Congratulations to everyone involved and I want to wish a very happy and safe bathing and swimming season to everyone for 2024.”
For more information about Fingal’s beaches go to: https://www.fingal.ie/visitor/trips/find-beach.

Over €220,000 in funding has been allocated to 130 community groups and organisations across Fingal at an event held ringside at Phoenix of Ballyboughal Boxing Club.

The Department of Rural and Community Development’s Local Enhancement Programme (LEP) 2024 is administered by Local Community Development Committees, with support from the Local Authority, in each area. The funding provides capital supports essential for the many small community groups and organisations, particularly those who serve disadvantaged areas in rural and urban areas.

This year also saw additional funding allocated towards many Women’s Groups in Fingal, helping to support the growing number of Women’s Sheds located in the county, as well as providing a welcome boost to local groups which provide much needed social networks for women.

Announcing the successful projects for Fingal, Minister Joe O’Brien TD said: “The Local Enhancement Programme 2024 provides vital support to community groups in order to help them improve their facilities. It supports small-scale funding for projects which range from purchasing IT equipment to minor renovations to buildings. Ultimately the Programme responds to local needs. These investments allow community groups to carry out the invaluable work they do on behalf of others in local areas throughout the country. The impact of the Local Enhancement Programme is considerable.”

John Quinlivan, Director of Economic Development at Fingal County Council, said: “The LEP represents a substantial funding source that complements other support from Fingal County Council. We deeply value the essential work of volunteers and community groups who are out there actively making Fingal a better place to live, so it is thanks to Government funding like the LEP that groups can continue to play an important role within our communities.”

LEP funding was made available to support small capital works/improvements, the purchase of equipment for community use, including tables and chairs, tools, signage, laptops and printers, lawnmowers, canopies and training equipment. A full list of groups is available here: LEP Recipients 2024
The Local Enhancement Programme 2024 was launched in December 2023 with funding of €6 million available nationally, which included €1 million in funding ring-fenced specifically to support Women’s Groups.

The 40 newly elected members of Fingal County Council have met for the first time today as the council’s Annual Meeting was held at the County Hall in Swords.

There were 12 new faces in the council chamber, with the Annual Meeting coming exactly two weeks after the local elections took place. They will join the 28 returning Councillors as the public representatives of the people of Fingal over the next five years.

The AGM saw the election of Cllr Brian McDonagh (Labour, Howth-Malahide) as the new Mayor of Fingal, with Cllr JK Onwumereh (Fianna Fáil, Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart) being elected as Deputy Mayor.
A happy resident of Portmarnock, Cllr McDonagh was first elected to the council in 2014. With a professional background in IT & politics, he is fluent in Irish. The new Mayor of Fingal said his priorities would include the issues of housing, community services, active travel and the delivery of community infrastructure.

Mayor McDonagh said it was an honour to be elected as the first Mayor of this Council’s five-year term.
“I am extremely proud to represent a County as culturally diverse as the one we have, particularly as it continues to be one of the fastest growing regions in the country in terms of population and the economy. As a group of Councillors, we all bring different life experiences and a healthy mix of professional backgrounds and skills to the table. I am looking forward to now getting to work to help ensure we are delivering the services that the people of Fingal deserve.

“I’d like to also say how delighted I am to have Cllr JK Onwumereh as Deputy Mayor as he represents the best of a new Ireland.”

At the meeting, the incoming Councillors thanked previous Councillors for their commitment to the community over the past five years.

Fine Gael and Labour with seven councillors each are the largest parties in the new Council and there are also seven councillors with no party affiliations. Fianna Fáil have six councillors, Sinn Féin have four and both Aontú and the Social Democrats have two each. Three parties, Independents4Change, the Green Party and the National Party have one councillor each.

Firstly I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who came out and voted for me in the local elections, while my overall vote was down on 2014 and 2019, I am still truly humbled that over 900 people gave me your Number One vote. Serving my local community as an elected member on Fingal County Council for the past ten years has been the honour of my life.

As always I really appreciate all the messages of support over the last few weeks, and, even more, so the many, many kind messages since the result and losing of my seat on Fingal County Council. I know from the messages, so many of you appreciate the work that I have carried out in our area both before my time as a County Councillor and since my first election in 2014. Although I have not secured a seat this term, I know I have given my all, gained a huge amount of experience and I have really enjoyed the honour and privilege of being your Councillor for the last ten years. While making progress on so many matters can be frustratingly slow, I am proud of advancing so many projects and indeed look forward to seeing many of the projects I have been working on in more recent months and years as they continue to filter through. This year 2024 saw the 3 year Fingal County Council Capital programme of works adopted and contained within that plan are a number of multi-million Euro projects specifically for Donabate Portrane that I worked on very hard over the last 10 years to get into the plan.

When first elected in 2014 the local and central government investment into the Donabate Portrane peninsula was paltry, however I take real pride in more recent years that this investment has risen well into the millions and I earnestly hope this level of deserved investment into our local community will continue into the future.

For me, some of my own personal highlights over the 10 years include seeing the return of the Blue Flag and Green Coast award to Balcarrick beach, Donabate, the opening of the Donabate Distributor Road, the establishment of the Fingal Coastal Liaison Committee,the first of its kind in the country to address coastal erosion and the success of both the Flavours of Fingal and our own local Donabate Portrane Summer Festival are real highlights, that I fought and worked hard on and was glad to see make real and substantial progress over my 10 years.

Going forward, I also am well aware from the years of preparatory work of so many new and upcoming projects including the Broadmeadow Greenway connecting Donabate to Malahide,the upgrade of the Hearse Road, Donabate from the Lissenhall Interchange, ongoing major investment and improvements at Newbridge House and Park and the delivery of the world class Sporting and Recreational Campus at Ballymastone which I have worked so closely on with our 3 local anchor clubs, St. Pats GAA, St. Ita’s AFC and LSA Athletics club since 2014. A segregated Greenway connecting Portrane Village to Donabate village should also be delivered by the Council’s Active Travel team. A new Library including a major expansion at Ballisk House Donabate is also imminent which will also allow for significant additional space at our fantastic local Donabate Portrane Community Centre. While I absolutely would have preferred quicker progress on these projects, it is still reassuring to know these projects have certainty of delivery and will be delivered for Donabate in the upcoming years.

I am also proud to have worked on increasing permeability and accessibility throughout Donabate, with two new pedestrian entrances to Newbridge House and Farm, the improved footpath works at Turvey Avenue, the recently introduced increasing hours of opening at Ballisk Gate and the vastly new upgraded footpaths at Corballis with further improvements to come. Without doubt the project I worked hardest on in collaboration with both Scoil Phadraic Cailini, St. Patrick’s Boys National School, local residents and businesses is the long overdue proposed new footpaths and safety improvements on the approaches to both schools along the Portrane Road. Progress has been painfully slow but I have carefully monitored this and the coming months should finally see these works get underway. My thanks to both Schools especially Ms. Greene and Mr. Horan for their perseverance and patience in awaiting these much needed infrastructural improvements. My gratitude to local residents also for your cooperation and understanding.

As a public representative, I worked extremely hard to build relationships and alliances across the County, to represent and fight hard on so many issues on behalf of my local community and to build proper plan-led frameworks such as the Fingal County Development Plan, the Donabate Local Area Plan and the recently adopted following many years of work and consultation, Donabate Urban Framework Plan which are now in place to ensure the ongoing phased and sustainable development of Donabate. For me, it is essential that these Plans acknowledge the unique contribution the Peninsula makes to the wider Fingal area and that all future development on Donabate Portrane greatly adds to our beautiful peninsula while taking nothing away. I am very proud to now have these plans and frameworks in place to underpin future development across Donabate and Portrane.

I also want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank my family, friends and team, my supporters, and the Fianna Fáil Party members who spared no effort, and left no stone unturned in my re-election bid, and ran a really positive campaign. While losing my seat is very disappointing on a personal level, I fully respect it as a strong supporter of democracy and local government. Donabate Portrane is an incredible place, full of incredible people and has an incredibly bright future.

Fingal County Council faces a challenging five years balancing the need for growth alongside the social, environmental and climate issues that exist. I wish our incoming elected members, Cllr. Boland, Cllr. Dockrell, Cllr. Johnston, Cllr. Mulville and Cllr. O Donoghue every success and goodwill during their term. I hope that they can work constructively together to ensure that Donabate Portrane remains an incredible place to live and secure the delivery of the new levels of physical and social infrastructure that will be needed in tandem with the new housing and developments that are on the way.

By Jon Kavanagh

These days it’s all too easy for our homes to become a twentieth century fortress; surrounded by a digital moat, rendering it necessary to make an appointment – preferably by text, when we wish to visit family or friends. The times when people walked in, using the password “Anyone at home?”, belong in the annuals of social history.

Yesteryear, the door was on the latch and the kettle on the hob. Scarcely a day would pass without someone dropping in for a cup of tea and a chat. Now, we drive SUV vehicles along the motorways at speeds that would scare Jeremy Clarkson, as we rush from one crisis to the next. Then, we leisurely travelled along the byroads of Fingal on high nelly bicycles, stopping off to socialise along the way. On seeing a familiar, if unexpected figure approaching, my mother would issue her call to arms, “Run to the shop and get a pound of cooked ham, a loaf and a fruit cake”.

Those delivering goods played an important role in more ways than one. The coalman, milkman, and postman/woman doubled jobbed as town criers; bringing news of births, deaths and marriages. And yes, the odd bit of gossip and scandal (guess who had one too many and lost his dentures on the way home from the pub on Sunday night) were exchanged. The coalman once took on the additional role of peace envoy, carrying messages of reconciliation between my mother and my aunt who were on non-speaking terms. Wielding the iconic case the local GP made house calls.

Lest I paint a picture of Utopia, visitors were not always awarded the fatted calf. I recall my father speaking a language I can’t repeat in a family magazine, on hearing the incoming footsteps of a local resident, who held a master’s degree in the art of making a nuisance of themselves. But by in large, those crossing our threshold were a welcome distraction to our day. Life has changed, we can’t, nor would necessarily we want to go back. But at a time when people can pass away, and not be discovered for months or even years, perhaps we all should be just a little more vigilant in our neighbourhoods.

It was a very proud day for Balbriggan, North Co. Dublin and the Arts in general as The Lark Concert Hall at The Irish Institute of Music & Song was voted as Ireland’s Favourite New Building in the RIAI People’s Choice Award.

“We could not have won this award without the support of everyone who voted for us. Thank you, thank you, thank you,” reads a statement from The Lark.