As part of TradFest 2024, St. Patrick’s RC Church in Donabate hosted the world premiere of ‘Ocean Child’, a specially commissioned musical composition based on the tragedy of the ill-fated Tayleur, which sunk off the coast of Lambay in 1854 with the loss of nearly 400 lives.

Martin Harte, CEO of Tradfest, and FCC collaborated to bring about this beautiful musical composition by Belfast man Neil Jordan and the famed actor Stephen Rea, also a Belfast man living in our midst, did a wonderful, emotive narration on the story of the ‘Ocean Child’.

Our magnificent old church was the perfect setting for such a sad story to be told. It had the gravitas, beauty and calm that was perfect for such an event. Martin’s team transformed the church with stage setting and lighting to create the perfect atmosphere. Thanks to Fr. Pat and the Parish Office and all who contributed to the occasion.

The links with the community are strong. The Irish for Portrane, Port Reachrann, means the Port of Lambay and some people from the island eventually found their way to the Peninsula. Local lore has it that the rescued Ocean Child was handed by a survivor, possibly a Frenchman, to Jane Dockrell, who swaddled him in her shawl and brought him to her family home near Knockbane, the highest point on the Island. Sometime later, the a pastor from Dublin, persuaded them to part with the child as his grandmother had been located in England. Later in life, Jane Dockrell married Charles Smart and came to live in the Burrow, Portrane where she passed on this story to her descendants.

It is important to remember and thank the people many from Fingal, including Donabate and Portrane, who kept the story alive - authors like Peadar Bates, Edward Bourke and Cormac Lowth; divers like Jerry Byrne, Billy Crowley, Laddie De Jong, Myles Dockrell, Paul Fogarty, Tony Morelli, Tom Shakespeare and Ronnie Warren; and boatmen like Liam Butterly and Simon Hoare. Sadly, some are no longer alive, but some are still with us to tell the tale. Our beautiful church, with its stunning Harry Clarke windows, is always our home for all our religious occasions but it’s also a place to have the very best of historical and heritage events.

After another successful festival in September, the Bleeding Pig Cultural Festival committee have taken a well-earned rest but are now busy preparing for the Bleeding Pig Cultural Festival 2024, from Thursday 12th to Sunday 22nd of September. The festival will feature all the usual favourites, along with some new and exciting events, with something to please all age groups and all cultural appetites. Keep an eye on the Bleeding Pig Facebook and Instagram pages closer to the date for more information. For now, the Bleeding Pig people are busy making arrangements to celebrate International Women’s Day. This year, the celebrations will be on Sunday 3rd March, from 12.30pm until 4.00pm in the Donabate- Portrane Community Centre. This year, the event will focus on a sustainable environment and community, and will feature, among others, workshops about Sustainable Fashion, and Beekeeping and Pollination, Climate Ambassadors from An Taisce, and more. This event is a free celebration of women, no booking is required, and everyone is welcome to drop into the Community Centre and enjoy the celebrations. On Thursday March 7th, the Bleeding Pig Festival will screen a feature film for International Women’s Day. The film, “Driving Madeleine” will be shown in the Parish Hall. Check out the Bleeding Pig Facebook page for more details and information about this event. The Bleeding Pig Festival committee are always seeking new recruits. If you would be interested in getting involved in the festival, which has become one of the local annual highlights, please contact any of the committee members. On behalf of the Bleeding Pig Festival committee, we wish you a happy International Women’s Day, and Happy Easter

CCÉ Leithinis members were delighted to perform at a TradFest fringe event in The Brook Pub, Portrane on the 28th January. Our regular traditional Irish music slow session for Leithinis members, led by Erin, continued every second Friday evening in Donabate Parish Hall. The adult session took place in Keeling’s Pub, Donabate on Friday 26th (photo below) and the regular Trad Session for experienced musicians continued on the first Tuesday of the month in the Brook Pub in Portrane. Our new term of classes in Traditional Irish Music for adults and children (7+) in Banjo, Bodhrán, Button Accordion, Concertina, Fiddle, Mandolin, Flute and Tin Whistle commenced on January 22nd in Donabate Portrane Educate Together National School. The Leithinis Committee would like to wish all our members a very enjoyable St. Patrick’s Festival.

February was a busy month for Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed. Work on our plots at Turvey Allotments, preparing for the new growing season, started in earnest. Our HSE-sponsored Healthy Eating course continued on Wednesdays, along with our exercise classes on Mondays, our music practice sessions on Wednesdays and our regular Thursday morning get-togethers. We had a fascinating tour of Newbridge House, arranged by Jane with Michael as our guide and a big thanks to Emma for the photographs. We even had the pleasure of meeting with some of the Cobbe family, who regaled us with stories of the history of the house and the family. Our music group, Gerry and the Plonkers, played a free concert in Donabate Parish Hall, as part of the two-day event “Tayleur Tragedy Talks and Tales”, adding a selection of sea-faring songs to their normal repertoire specially for the occasion. If you, or someone you know, are interested in joining the Men’s Shed, please call Jim, our PRO, on 086-3694316. We always welcome new members.

A draft “Framework Plan” was recently shared by Fingal County Council where it stated that “the development strategy for Donabate, as set out in the Development Plan, is to promote the provision of all necessary community, commercial, cultural and social facilities in tandem with new residential development”. It further states that “there was a high level of agreement about the needs of the Donabate community: such as…the need for a civic / cultural / arts centre - a performance space etc. was also highlighted.” While it is great that the need for an indoor cultural centre (that would benefit the entire community) is acknowledged and referenced in this draft framework, we need to see real progress on accomplishing this objective. Presently, there is significant residential development in Donabate without the provision of adequate facilities. Now is the time to locate a suitable site for a cultural centre. If the Council is serious about providing adequate space for social and cultural facilities, then they should commit to this objective. The Tilbury site is a perfect example of a location that would be ideal for a standalone, multi-purpose cultural centre. It is in an excellent location, between the planned developments at Ballymastone and Corballis East. Given there will be thousands of houses built in Donabate in the coming years and we’ll likely have a population of over 20,000 by 2030, we cannot miss this opportunity to build a standalone, multi-purpose cultural centre. The Local Area Development Plan for Donabate clearly commits to providing support for the provision of a “Community / Cultural / Exhibition Arts Centre.” Development Plans cannot merely be aspirational documents. We have a reasonable expectation as a community to receive adequate indoor cultural and social facilities to match the significant residential development in our area. An action plan should be put in place with the Council and community groups to ensure that this objective is realised. If you agree with what I’ve stated here and would like to support this campaign for a cultural centre, please email me at: EoghanDockrellFG@gmail.com

Labour party area representative Corina Johnston recently asked, “Why should the public have confidence and participate in the planning process when objectives in statutory plans are ignored contrary to council policy and the wishes of the general public and elected Councillors?” Corina Johnston said, “The Fingal Development Plan 2023-2029 Core Strategy envisages the population of the Donabate peninsula growing to 12720 by 2029. The population was 11783 in the 2022 census. I believe we have already surpassed the council’s estimate. Construction work has commenced on phase one of 1200 units on council land in Ballymastone. An application for 1020 housing units at Corballis East is with Fingal CC and a decision is imminent. In accordance with the Local Area Plan (LAP) almost 3000 houses remain to be built in Donabate which will bring the population to over 20,000.” Johnston added; “The LAP also has an objective for the provision of a purpose built Multi-Functional Community Facility. To date FCC are refusing to identify and provide a site for this much needed facility in Ballymastone. Duncan Smith TD and I recently held a well-attended public meeting to raise this issue. The meeting was unanimous in their view that the community facility must be delivered in tandem with the housing. A committee was formed (Crossroads) to campaign for this facility.” Johnston continued; ”At a time when the people of Donabate are without adequate public transport, when some parents have to leave their homes at 6:30am to bring their children to childcare outside our parish, when new parents into the parish are unable to secure school and childcare places for their children in Donabate, is it any wonder people are becoming frustrated and angry with the lack of infrastructure in the area? Childcare facilities are now conditioned in planning permissions and are not being delivered on time and in accordance with the scheduling conditioned in the permission. This is totally unacceptable. “Johnston concluded; “for the future of our Community FCC must identify a site now, before every remaining land is either built upon or planning permission granted. The provision of schools, other necessary infrastructure and amenities should be provided in tandem with development.”

Would you have an hour to spare on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday morning? If you would like to help out Balbriggan Meals on Wheels as a Volunteer Driver, please get in touch by calling 01 8416743 or emailing mealsonwheelsbalbriggan@gmail.com. Balbriggan Meals on Wheels has been providing meals to the most vulnerable members of our community since 1975 and was awarded the Community Hero of the Year at the recent Balbriggan Town Awards.

Get together with your neighbours to share food and enjoy some conversation and camaraderie this summer. Annual weekend of street parties and communities’ lunches. It doesn’t matter if you live in an apartment or house, all you need is a space to bring people together. Fingal County Council say people have had feasts organised in front gardens, on streets and greens, in car parks, laneways, local parks and community centres and can’t wait to see what you come up with! Registrations with Fingal County Council opened in February 2024. Once you have registered, you’ll receive your FREE Street Feast party pack, complete with bunting, posters, invites and a brilliant DIY guide! Fingal County Council ask that you host your Street Feast on the weekend of 25th – 26th May. So contact the Council now!

Fianna Fáil selected local woman Sinéad Lucey Brennan as its candidate in the Balbriggan LEA, to contest the Local Elections in 2024, following a Selection Convention last June. Since her selection as Fianna Fail’s candidate, Sinéad has been working tirelessly for the people of Balbriggan, Balrothery and the rural areas around those towns. She is a member of many committees and groups in the area. Sinéad comes to her candidacy with a strong background in local issues and a wealth of experience in both the tech sector and disability advocacy. She is originally from Cork and lives locally with her husband, Darran from Donegal, and their young daughter. Commenting on Sinéad’s candidacy, Minister Darragh O’Brien said: “Sinéad is exactly the kind of young, exciting and dynamic candidate Balbriggan needs. She is determined to help build a brighter future for the town as it undergoes unprecedented change and growth. I am excited to support her candidacy and look forward to working with her in the future.” Sinéad said “This is a great honour for me and I want to thank the members for their support and everyone who collaborated to make this happen. As a young working mum, I understand the needs of people and where I can support their future success and growth. My family and I have chosen to put down roots in this beautiful part of the world and I am excited about delivering and working for the people living in Balbriggan and the Local Electoral Area.”

Balbriggan & District Historical Society is looking forward to a new year of activities and we would be delighted if you can join us. For our first talk on March 27th, we welcome Skerries native Gerard Shannon for a talk on Liam Lynch titled - To Declare a Republic: The life of Liam Lynch, IRA Chief of Staff, 1892-1923.

General Liam Lynch was one of the most important republican leaders of the Irish revolutionary period. Hailing from rural Limerick, Lynch proved himself an accomplished guerrilla commander of the IRA’s Cork No. 2 Brigade in north Cork, masterminding important operations against British forces during the War of Independence. Following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, Lynch soon established him as a chief opponent to the settlement, seeing it as a betrayal of the Irish republican cause. On becoming leader of the anti-Treaty IRA at the outset of the Irish Civil War, Lynch was a major driving of republican resistance to the emerging Irish Free State, with his death in April 1923 ultimately signalling an end to the military fighting of the conflict. This talk from Gerard Shannon, author of the most recent biography of Lynch, explores the life of this fascinating figure.

Bio – Gerard Shannon is a public historian of the Irish revolutionary period from Skerries and has a MA in History from the DCU School of History and Geography. His first book, ‘Liam Lynch: To Declare a Republic’, was published in March 2023 from Merrion Press and featured on the non-fiction best seller lists. He is currently developing a biography of IRA leader Rory O’Connor, to see publication in early 2025.
For our April talk on the 24th we welcome local historian and Committee member our own Jim Walsh for a talk on the tragedy of the Bolingbroke children in 1930. His talk will focus on their death in a fire in Balbriggan, and the impact on the Bolingbroke family and the community of a tragedy remembered in Balbriggan almost a century later.

On May 29th we welcome Aiden Arnold for a talk based on his recent book Barnewall de Berneval - 800 years of a Norman Irish family. As we all know the Barnewall family were associated with Bremore Castle in Balbriggan so this will be of huge interest.

All our talks take place in the Bracken Court Hotel at 8pm on the last Wednesday of the month, and all are welcome. Membership is €15 or €10 for seniors or you can pay €5 for any individual talk. For any information see balbrigganhistory.com