Primary Education has been provided for the children of Lusk since 1823, predating the establishment of formal national education of 1831. From a two-room bungalow, housing 120 children, to the vast campus we have today, accommodating nearly 1000 children, it is difficult to comprehend the changes that have occurred during this time. The original schoolhouse, and the 1874 building that stands on the same site and is now the parish centre, soon became too small for the population and so in 1955 a new school was opened on Chapel Road. This building grew with the village and was extended several times, ending its life as a 32-classroom vertical school. In 2018, Lusk National school formally split into a Junior and Senior school, each one consisting of 16 classrooms. The history of this school has been intertwined with our own national history. It has witnessed the Great Famine, two World Wars, the struggle for Irish Independence and the foundation of the Irish State. It saw electrification, sanitation, decimalisation and technological advances that those first students couldn’t have dreamt of. In recent times, our town and school have seen an explosion of population and have welcomed many families from all corners of the world to our village. We have also had to adapt quickly, embracing remote learning during the pandemic, which took the classroom out of the school buildings and into the houses of the village. This long and proud tradition of education has been a testament to the people of Lusk, the resilience and togetherness of the community and a determination to provide a wide-reaching service to our students. So why not join us on Saturday 7 October as we turn the pages of history and celebrate 200 years of Lusk National School at 2:00pm-5:00pm. We hope the day will be one filled with nostalgia, laughter and learning as we celebrate two centuries of education. We look forward to opening our school doors to the community, to share old stories and your experiences, and to present you with our modern classrooms and equipment. Please send any photos you have of our school to 200years@lusksns.ie We hope to see you there to honour our 200 years of education and the countless memories that have shaped our community.

Our Lusk ICA summer outing was organized by Marie A O Sullivan to the new Grange Heritage centre on 19 August followed by a lovely meal in the Bracken Court, Hotel. And a number of our members joined up with the senior citizens group for a day trip to Belfast. We visited the Ulster folk museum, Stormont, and a guided tour around the city. Followed by a lovely mean in the Carrickdale Hotel.
Our guild meetings are held in the Scouts Den at 3:30 pm on the first Tuesday of each month All are welcome. We have Chair Exercise on a Tuesday in the Community Centre at 11am and Light Exercise in the Hub at 11.30 also on a Tuesday.

Best of luck to all our teams in their Championship matches in the 2023 season. All support is welcome at our fixtures. Details on dates, venues and times of home fixtures can be viewed on our website at roundtowerslusk.ie Nursery, - LGFA, AMFC, GAA Boys and Girls – Club would like to invite new members to play GAA – Please Get in Touch! Great Fun to be had! Check our website for non-player/player membership of the Round Towers roundtowerslusk.ie Parents and Mentors – We need your help and support! Round Towers are progressing through our Club Development Programme with many different initiatives and wider projects to upgrade our facilities for all ages to enjoy the GAA game. We welcome you comments, ideas and or support that you can offer. Please get in touch through our online networks, club website and or Facebook. - Traditional Music Night - The Traditional Music on the last Tuesday of the months has been a huge success and would like to continue these nights for our retired members of the community to come along and catch up and enjoy a musical evening with friends and new members of the Round Towers Club. A Special thank you to all that organise events in our Adult Men’s Committee! Lotto – Our Weekly Lotto is in excess of €12,000. This is a crucial fundraiser for the club and you can play here: klubfunder.com/Clubs/Round_Towers_Lusk/lotto Draw in Club Thursday @9pm. //linktr.ee/roundtowerlusk . Seachtain na Gaeilge – Please do visit our GAA Round Towers Lusk club website on the below web address to explore many social events and the O’Neills shop. - Entertainment – The TAP Bar in GAA club in Lusk has got some fantastic events coming over the month and would be delighted to see you there and enjoy some Live music. Relax in comfort and enjoy sporting events on the big screen in the TAP on the Big Screen. TRAD Night – Last Tuesday every month great music night session in the TAP Bar - Stay posted on Facebook on upcoming events. Enjoy GAA matches and other sports event with light refreshment on large screen in TAP BAR. Outdoor seating area available. Please visit our website on linktr.ee/roundtowerlusk or call in and check our club bar for a refreshment also open for bookings including family events and parties!

Our work Programme for 2023 consisted of a new shrubbery bed at the Square area, and a cobble and locking surround at the Heritage Stone on the Rathmore Road - this has now been completed and our appreciation goes to Fingal County Council. With all the new development in Lusk it is difficult to keep Lusk spic and span. Over the years Lusk has won many awards and it has been to the great credit to the community involved. Keep Lusk Tidy and litter free, - Pat Kelly. Also, we have news of the Lusk Tidy Towns book. The Past and Present - Picture Book for the Lusk Tidy Towns Association which has now been completed, and a second edition will be put together over the next few months.

The community of Lusk awoke to a surprising development recently, as two communications
masts sprung up seemingly overnight at the Dublin Road and Skerries Road roundabouts. These unannounced installations raised eyebrows and concerns among the community who value our heritage town. Lusk Action Group have submitted appeals to An Bord Pleanála in challenge of both licence approvals. We believe that these masts have been inappropriately positioned in the context of our heritage town and have concerns regarding the potential health and environmental impacts that these structures may have. Masts such as these have sprung up in other areas of the country, using a piece of legislations which does not requires public consultation. Simultaneously, the town has been grappling with inconsistencies in bus services of the buses 33X, 33, and 33A. These services have been at the centre of complaints, with delays and instances of passengers, particularly young people, being left stranded by drivers. This has left many members, and particularly parents, frustrated and calling for improvements in the services. Public transportation is an essential lifeline for many Lusk residents, enabling them to access employment, education, and essential services in the neighbouring areas. Therefore, when the bus services experience disruptions, it directly impacts the daily lives of the people in this community. When it comes to changes that affect the town, there is rightly an expected level of consultation and transparency from the authorities. Lusk Action Group has lodged a submission to the National Transport Authority (NTA), based on feedback from the community, to seek effective and long-lasting solutions to these issues as our population increases. We are in consultation with our local elected representatives to advance these concerns with the NTA, Dublin Bus and Go Ahead. Lusk heritage is what makes it a truly unique and cherished place to call home. The sudden appearance of communication masts without consultation and the ongoing bus service issues have understandably rattled many community members. Lusk Action Group is working by advocating for the community interests and seeking answers to these pressing issues.

Cllr Rob O’Donoghue has welcomed progress regarding the timeline for the provision of amenities at the Lusk Sports Hub. Responding to his motion seeking the next steps in the provision of amenities at the Hub Fingal County Council informed the chamber that a planning application for development of Rathmore Park is in development by the Council. The proposed layout of sporting facilities in the Hub which has been developed with the stakeholders of the Lusk 2020 group which includes, Round Towers GAA, Lusk Athletics, Lusk Utd, The Lusk Community College, Rush and Lusk Educate Together and the Lusk Community Council is ongoing and will strongly feed into the final design that will seek planning permission. The next step in the process is one in which work is ongoing on the environmental assessment of the proposals for facilities at the Hub and the results of these assessments will then inform the timeline for the submission of the planning permission at the site. Speaking to his motion concerning a timeline for provision of facilities at the Hub, Cllr O’Donoghue stated, ‘with the transfer of the lands and playground in the north of the Hub during the summer, I can finally see the start of the endgame with bringing the Hub project to fruition. This will provide facilities including pitches and a running track that are desperately needed by the clubs in the town to develop their ever-growing memberships. It has been a long road to get to this point and the organisations in the Lusk 2020 group deserve credit for sticking to the process and engaging with each other and FCC to get the project to where we will be able to apply for planning permission for these much-needed amenities.’

In other Hub news, the Council are to carry out ground improvements in the open area at the North of the Hub and are in the process of procuring new goal posts which are projected to be erected by November.

The Parish Hall has most groups and activities fully up and running again - there were some took short breaks for the summer period. Classes such as Irish Dancing, Pilates, Mother & Baby Breast Feeding, Flowers Friends - to name a few are taking place. Groups such as Senior Citizens who provide a great meeting point for older people & organise the best trips ever! and Leithinis Grúpaí Cheoil Trad Sessions for members are also going strong! The Parish Hall Programme sets aside some blocks of time for events & activities to take place to ensure that cultural & creative activities take place which enrich & serve our fast-growing community. This term it is hoped that a youth or children’s camp will take place at October break followed by the fantastic exhibition of Photography by Through the Lens in mid-November, then the ever popular Donabate Dramatic Society Production will take place towards the end of November. The calendar would not be complete without the Christmas Fair on the first Saturday in December. There is still some limited availability to book the Parish Hall for activities & events so if you wish to do so please contact the Parish Office 01 8434574immediately!

After a successful summer, Autumn is shaping up to be a busy season for Lambay Sports & Athletic Club. In August we saw an exciting milestone in the history of our 12-year-old club when the first sod was turned on the Ballymastone Sports and Recreational hub. Club co-founder Jennifer Tanner and Club Chairperson Steven Rice were present to witness this landmark moment. The Club also had great club success in Tullamore in August. Our Ladies Track and Field Team placed 6th in Division 1 of the National League Final. Later that month, also in Tullamore, Shane O’Farrell placed 8th in his age category in the National Half Marathon, in a time of 1:15.57.

Our men’s M50 team placed 8th overall, with Pat Cussen and Ken Spratt both placing 13th and Donal Kerr placing 20th in their respective age categories. Mary McNamara and Eimear Caulfield placed 12th and 17th in their respective age categories. LSA Masters Track and Field athletes are preparing for the European Masters Athletics Championships in Pescara, Italy in late September, whilst our distance runners are continuing their preparation for the Dublin City Marathon at the end of October. Our younger athletes are participating in the Dublin Cross Country Leagues. Our Little Athletics, Juvenile and Fit4Youth groups have returned to Thursday evening training on the Hockey Pitch and our Saturday Cross Country group for older Juveniles resumed with Hill training on Reilly’s Hill. Meanwhile, our Track and Field Competition group has recommenced training with coach Gerry Ronan. As you can see, we have a growing, diverse club and we aim to cater for everyone! We always welcome volunteers, especially the parents or guardians of our younger members. If you can help out, even occasionally, we will be delighted to welcome you to the team. Please talk to a coach at one of our training sessions.

At the end of August, a group from Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed visited Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin. After the fascinating audio-guided tour of the historic building, members moved on to partake in fish and chips at another historic venue, Leo Burdock’s on nearby Werburg Street. By all accounts, an enjoyable day was had by all at these two iconic Dublin landmarks.Earlier in August, Turvey Allotments Association held their annual bar-b-que at the allotments for members, their families and friends. Several members of Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed performed a short set of well-known songs at this open day. These outings were in addition to our regular weekly activities, exercise classes on Mondays, croquet on Tuesday, Music jam session on Wednesdays and Tea and chat get-togethers on Thursday. So, if you’re interested in joining us, please call our PRO, Jim, on 086-3694316.

The Pacers had a great walk in September we did our Annual Peninsula Walk to coincide with the Bleeding Pig Trad & Ceili event at The Brook Pub with Pizza at the Dough Hut.

We started from the Donabate Parish Hall around by the cliffs with a stop at Wayne’s for coffee and cake enroute to the event. Some of us took in an extra leg by going down to the end of the Burrow and back up by the marsh. It was the best day! The trad music, ceilidh dancing and just brilliant weather with good craic all day! The walks are usually on Saturdays so the next two are:21st October Clogherhead Short Walk and 4th November Carlingford Long walk. This is an informal group that come together to do walks and have a chat and coffee etc. The short walks are about 5/7km and the longer ones 10/12km. Of course, all are weather dependant, as they say there is no such thing as bad weather just bad clothes and footwear choices! For further information please contact: Des Carthy on 087 7846813 or Carolyn Smith on 087 9284307