Dear Resident,

I wish to take this initial opportunity of sincerely thanking each and every person and particularly the people of Donabate and Portrane for voting for me in such huge numbers on Friday 7th June last. As an unelected Local Area Representative for Donabate over the past 5 Years I received many comments to the effect that “I Had No Mandate”. I have received your mandate which I will always respect and have regard to.

I wish to thank the public for the courtesy shown to me and my canvassers during the campaign. I am extremely humbled and overwhelmed by the hundreds of messages of support received over the last few days. I want to thank my good friends Duncan Smith TD & Cllr Robert O’Donoghue for their support & assistance over the last 5 years, Sean, Francis and Brendan Ryan, Tony McDermott, Tommie O’Sullivan, my family, friends and many neighbours who encouraged and supported me every step of the way. I want to also remember the late Cllr Gerry McGuire who I have no doubt would be so pleased with this result. It has been said to me that I am the first woman from the peninsula ever elected to FCC since it was established in 1994 which if true makes this such an important milestone for me personally and for our community.

I wish to congratulate Cllrs Rob O’Donoghue, Paul Mulville, Cathal Boland and Eoghan Dockrell on their election. I look forward to working with you all. My Commiserations to all defeated candidates as I am aware of what you must be feeling as I went through this process 5 years ago.

As Your Councillor you can be assured that I will endeavour to implement policies that are in the best interest of our expanding communities. I intend to pursue a number of issues including the provision of a much-needed multifunctional Arts Youth and Cultural centre for our growing community. I look forward to working on your behalf as your elected Cllr. Please feel free to contact me on any issue.
Councillor Corina Johnston
Labour Party

Bhí ard oíche i gCumann Gailf Baile an Bhéibhearaigh, le déanaí ag Tráth na gCeist bliantúil Gaelscoil na Mara. Eagraithe ag coiste tuistí, Cairde na Scoile, chun airgead a bháiliú ar son na scoile. Ba mhaith leis an gCoiste buíochas a ghabháil le gach duine a thug tacaíocht don feachtas báiliú airgid, a cheannaigh ticéidí don chrannchur, a tháinig go dtí an tráth na gceist agus dos na gnó aitúil a rinne urraíocht ar duaiseanna álainn don chrannchur. Buíochas le Cumann Gailf Baile an Bhéibhearaigh freisin as an bhfáiltiú a thugadar dúinn.

Is pobal beag bríomhar sinn i nGaelscoil na Mara agus táimid ag dul ó neart go neart. Tá tacaíocht phobail an leithinis an-tábhachtach dúinn agus muid ag fás, ár mbuíochas libh.

The parents association of Gaelscoil na Mara, Donabate would like to thank the local community for their support in hosting a hugely successful Fundraiser Table Quiz held in Beaverstown Golf Club on May 10th. Gaelscoil na Mara has a small but thriving school community, with dedicated, enthusiastic teachers and parents who strive to support and encourage their children’s education through the Irish Medium.
It’s important to have these annual fundraisers to help the school and bring the school and local community together. Maith sibh, to all the table quiz participants.

We hope that the Table Quiz will become an annual event and we look forward to welcoming you again.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the various local businesses who sponsored prizes for our raffle, including: Lynders Mobile Home Park; Supervalu Donabate; Tesco Distribution Centre, Turvey; Stephen Hand; Páirc an Chrócaigh; Triangle Coffee Co; Life Pharmacy; Country Crest Farm Shop;; Jones Garden Centre; Newbridge House & Farm; The Sea Sauna; Good Vibrations Yoga & Sound; Beaverstown Golf Club; Moss Actuarial Ltd.

The foundation stone for the highly anticipated Broadmeadow Greenway between Malahide and Donabate was laid recently with plans for the new pedestrian and cycling route to be completed by 2026.
The granting of the foreshore license for the project has been signed and will see the 6km coastal walking and cycling route providing beautiful views of the Malahide Estuary.

As part of Fingal’s planned network of greenways and cycle routes, the Broadmeadow Way will also connect with the proposed Sutton to Malahide Greenway and the Fingal Coastal Way and will be an important link in developing the network of sustainable transport routes in Fingal.

The greenway will be comprised of new and existing sections of pathways and roads in both Malahide and Donabate, with new infrastructure also extending across agricultural lands to link with the Donabate Distributor Road and Corballis East lands to the south.

The Estuary itself will be bridged alongside the existing rail line by a new 180m long, 12-span bridge constructed on piers which were placed by Fingal County Council to facilitate future development following the rail line reconstruction after its 2009 collapse.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien said: “The laying of the foundation stone here in Malahide marks an important milestone in the construction of the Broadmeadow Greenway. This key piece of strategic infrastructure will benefit tourists, day trippers and locals alike, providing a welcome connection between Donabate and Malahide and giving people of all ages a great opportunity to explore the Fingal coastline.”

Construction of the Broadmeadow estuary bridge section will take place during the summer months of 2024, and the contractor, Jons Civil Ltd, has now commenced work on this part of the project. The greenway sections on the Northern and Southern causeways is planned to take place during Summer 2025 and Summer 2026 alongside landward works on both sides.

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly added, “The Broadmeadow Greenway is a significant investment that will see us deliver a high-quality amenity that will be a key part of the Fingal Coastal Way. Once completed, it will not only be transformative for Malahide and Donabate, but it will also open up greater access to the region and bring many health and wellbeing benefits.”

A huge thanks to FCC especially Shane Sutton & Martin from King Landscaping who laid the 2nd Boules Court last month. It is hoped that with the 2nd Court the game can be developed further. So come and join Active Age for All & or Men’s Shed and we will have a few sessions in July to get you going. It is great fun and a small bit of exercise! Please note the good work FCC are doing in the park eg the painting of the benches for the hub!

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.