Irish Adventure Athlete Daragh Morgan recently completed a challenging run from Ireland’s most southerly point Mizen Head in West Cork up to its most Northern Point - Malin Head in Co Donegal.
He encountered all types of weather, typical of our Irish Summer - winds, rain, sunshine - as he set out early each morning running through Counties Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Offaly, Longford, Westmeath, Leitrim, Cavan, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Donegal. He ran a marathon equivalent 42km or more each day carrying his own one man tent & all supplies for the challenge in a jogging pram.

Along the route he met many friendly & helpful locals in towns, villages & rural communities with many offering encouragement, advice & refreshments.

He stopped off at celtic sites, holy wells, Glentstall Abbey on the route making it a spiritual journey as well as a running challenge.

He arrived in great spirits & good sunshine on Sunday August 11th at Malin Head after starting out from Mizen Head on August 1st, running over 600km, 15 marathons equivalents.

Malahide Library is delighted to be starting a new book club in September. The club is called “Bibliofiles” and will be an informal, lively one-hour meeting once per month to discuss a chosen title in the popular/literary fiction genre, starting with Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life.

The construction of Lakeside Memorial Park, a new 24-acre cemetery in Portmarnock is moving at a steady pace and is expected to open in mid to late 2025.

The Minister for Housing, Local Government, and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, visited the construction site recevntly, marking a significant milestone in the development of this innovative project which will redefine the traditional cemetery experience in Ireland.

”Lakeside Memorial Park is a forward-thinking initiative that honours our heritage while addressing the evolving needs of our community. This project not only provides a peaceful resting place but will also integrate beautifully with the natural backdrop of St. Marnock’s Church. This project reflects the founders, Niall, and Henry’s dedication to delivering respectful and dignified burial options while enhancing our local heritage and providing an open amenity for all to avail of,” Minister O’Brien said.

The unique project, developed by founders, Niall O’Connor, and Henry Wildgust, will provide an array of distinguished burial choices - traditional and large family plots, niches in stately columbarium walls, and large in-ground ash plots, all within a beautifully landscaped 25-acre park (which is slightly larger than St. Stephen’s Green). The park is “designed to celebrate life” and will include the planting of approximately 1,200 trees, the creation of a large lake, café, children’s play area, and many beautiful walks and peaceful places for quiet reflection and remembrance. Once complete, Lakeside Memorial Park will be a fantastic addition and wonderful amenity for the local area.

For more information on Lakeside Memorial Park, please visit www.lakesidememorialpark.ie

Malahide & Swords residents are facing an unprecedented level of traffic chaos in the coming two years, according to David Greene, Chair of the Malahide Community Forum. The Forum is the umbrella group for over 20 residents’ associations in Malahide and they have been monitoring plans for bringing huge electrical cables from an offshore wind farm near Balbriggan through Swords and Malahide to join up with the national grid at Balgriffin.

“The recently lodged planning application by the wind farm operators seeks full road closures for months at a time along Estuary Road, the Swords Road and the Malahide Road into Balgriffin”, says Greene.
“The wind farm operator held public consultation meetings but never mentioned the extent of these full road closures. Diversions are planned but that only makes the situation worse as it forces all traffic (buses, lorries, cars, bikes and pedestrians) onto smaller roads and residential estates” according to the Malahide Community Forum who have analysed plans lodged with the planning application.

With residents of both towns already complaining about the extent of traffic gridlock throughout the day, these plans will have a huge detrimental impact on all residents. “Imagine trying to get kids from Seabury to Malahide Community School -it could take up to an extra hour to complete that journey. Thinking of going from Malahide to the airport? You’ll probably need to allow an extra 45 minutes to complete that journey at the latest, and possibly more at peak times” notes Greene.

The Forum say they have identified an alternative route that avoids road closures by going cross-country, which is considered standard operating procedure in the UK. It would be a shorter route, cost less and lead to lower carbon emissions because of less traffic jams. Whilst the wind farm operator did meet the Forum to discuss their proposed route, Greene feels that the operator was too far advanced in their plans to fully consider the alternative route.

The Forum say they are appealing to An Bord Pleanala to force the operator to give proper and full consideration to their proposal. They are also engaging with local councillors, seeking to get Fingal County Council to also compel the operator to take into account the alternative route proposal.

Calling all history buffs! Join us at Malahide Castle for an Oral History Open Day in celebration of Heritage Week 2024 on Saturday 24th August. This is a fantastic opportunity to share and listen to stories about the Talbot family and Malahide Castle from yesteryear in an open mic-style setting.

Here’s what you can expect: Share your personal stories: We want to hear your unique perspectives on Malahide Castle’s rich history. Uncover hidden gems: You might be surprised by the fascinating stories waiting to be unearthed! Connect with the community: Bond with fellow history enthusiasts and create a tapestry of Malahide Castle’s past. Contribute to history: Your story becomes part of the ongoing narrative of Malahide Castle.

Got some pictures and memories? - We want you to share them with us!

Help us build our understanding of the castle’s history by adding to the narrative. Whether you have a story to tell or just want to listen, everyone is welcome.

The event is free but spaces need to be booked by visiting: www.malahidecastleandgardens.ie/heritage-week-oral-history-open-day

There was great excitement at the annual Malahide Family Fun Day that took place on ‘The Green’ on Saturday 13th July in beautiful sunshine

Beginning with an interactive Ceili dance the fun continued throughout the day with activities such as a Kids V Parents TikTok Dance, Face Painting, Carnival Games, Balloon Modelling, and much more.

Huge Congratulations to our 1st Year boys and girls Basketball teams who gave up their weekend away in Carlingford with the rest of their year to compete in the All-Ireland Basketball finals in Limerick at the beginning of May. They were a credit to their school, their parents and their club.

The Girls won silver medals, finishing 2nd after 6 really tough games. The Boys were beaten in the plate quarter final having picked up a few injuries late last week. Well done to all the players, parents and coaches!

A very successful AGM was held on April 23rd with Residents from 16 estates representing over 1500 households in Malahide attending. We also heard from some of our Local Area Councillors.
Thank you to The Grand Hotel for facilitating us with a room.

Topics covered included: Forum’s work on behalf of the Community since the last AGM in April 2023; Addressing the demographic challenges including stepdown accommodation and need for services for a town of Malahide’s size; Local Area Plan for Malahide; Addressing the deterioration of the look and feel of the village/ town; Establish a clear hierarchy of priorities that puts local needs first and those of visitors second; Protecting Bridgefield; Local Bus service; Dart+ North Turnback at Malahide Station; Meeting support for better route for North Irish Sea Array (NISA) cabling through Malahide Area; Introduction of Community policing areas; Spread the word about Malahide Community Forum

For more information please go to https://malahidecommunityforum.ie

Portmarnock Community School had its annual Sports awards Ceremony on Thursday 9th May. Our guest speaker was Mark Coyle who is the current captain of Shelbourne Football Club. He spoke to our students of the importance of resilience and taking ownership of your sporting successes and failures.

The sports awards ceremony is an annual event and it is to recognise the positive impact that sports can have on a young person’s life, which we all value and wish to acknowledge here in PCS. The awards ceremony is a celebration for all our students who participate in sports throughout the year - not just the athletes receiving awards.

Malahide Chamber of Commerce has just recently launched a new Malahide Brochure and Map’s delivered today. The new brochures are aimed at helping to promote Malahide as a retail and visitor location.

The new brochure has also been launched as a resource for locals and visitors alike. “The new Brochures will be distributed to Visitor centers, accommodation providers and to Shops. Thank you to all the Businesses who directly supported the project,” the Chamber stated.