On Friday the 2nd of October Rush Tidy Towns held a gala event for it’s volunteers in Rush Golf Club. The guests were welcomed by Piper Adam McCann, and following a lavish meal the formalities commenced, leading to awards being presented by Mayor Tony Murphy and Chairperson of Rush Tidy Towns Brendan O’Reilly to over 20 worthy winners.
The main winners on the night were:
Volunteer of the year - Ken Goslin
Newcomer of the year - David Mills
Project of the year - Harbour Park edging, Ken/Mick’s team
Gardener of the year - Edel’s team
Chairperson Brendan O’Reilly congratulated all the attendees and winners, and thanked Rush Golf Club for their excellent hospitality and all the local sponsors associated with the event.
The award ceremony was sponsored by local TD Robert O’Donoghue, and Roger Bell from Bell Architects. Prizes were sponsored by SuperValu Rush and Joyous Garden. Music was provided by piper Adam McCann and Adrian Leonard and sponsored by Creative Ireland.
Mayor Tony Murphy paid tribute to all the Volunteers and the Committee for all their hard work and dedication and added that the presentation of Rush is a credit to them all.
Please support the Rush Multipurpose & Youth Facility Christmas Card Fund raising event. We are selling packs of 10 Christmas Card, Local Art by Local Artists. This is a great opportunity to support your local community and fend your friends and relatives a warm “Rush Christmas Greeting”
The Rush Multipurpose & Youth Facility, a vibrant hub of activity and opportunity for children, young people, and community groups from Rush and the surrounding areas. Open to the public six days a week, our facility is designed to meet the diverse needs of our community through a wide range of activities and services.
Rush Multipurpose & Youth Facility is a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) and a Registered Charity
At Rush Multipurpose & Youth Facility, we are committed to fostering a positive and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. Our goal is to support community development by offering programs and resources that promote community welfare.
For detail where you can buy the Christmas cards (They also make a great Christmas Gift for a loved one) Local Art, Local Artist.
For more information please email info@rmyf.ie, Phone: 01-8702934 or call in to see us: Rush Multipurpose Youth Facility, The Millbank, Rush, Co Dublin.
The members of Rush AFC are delighted to learn that they have been awarded with the Shein ‘Fabric of the Community’ award, with the North County Dublin football club receiving €10,000 to support its work with young people and families in the local community.
The programme is offering a total of €40,000 to grassroots organisations across Ireland this year, including charities, community groups, sports clubs, youth organisations and social enterprises, with three further monthly awards to be made between now and the end of 2026.
Founded in 1970, Rush Athletic FC has almost 500 active players, including more than 100 girls and ladies, and has grown significantly in recent years. The club was awarded FAI Clubmark accreditation in 2022, recognising its commitment to governance, safeguarding and standards in grassroots football, and its former players include Irish international Izzy Atkinson, who represented Ireland at the last FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“We are delighted to be the first recipient of the SHEIN ‘Fabric of the Community’ programme awards,” Shay Dempsey, Chairman of Rush Athletic Football Club, said. “We want to make sure that every child who wants to play football has the opportunity to do so. This funding will help us continue to provide that opportunity while allowing us to invest in the club and the volunteers who make it possible.”
The €10,000 grant will help Rush Athletic support its growing membership, providing new equipment and training gear, as well as accredited FAI coaching and first-aid training for volunteers, ensuring safe, high-quality training while supporting player development.
Rush is getting ready to sparkle this Christmas as the Kenure Woods Christmas Market returns on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th November, promising two wonderful days of festive shopping, music, entertainment and Christmas magic for all the family!
Organised by Rush Tourism in collaboration with Rush Community Council, this much-loved community event is all about bringing people together, supporting local businesses and encouraging everyone to Shop Local, Support Local and Keep Christmas Spending in Rush!
A Christmas Market Full of Local Treasures
Kenure Woods will be transformed into a festive wonderland, with a fantastic selection of local craftspeople, artists and independent traders offering unique handmade gifts, Christmas decorations, jewellery, artwork and plenty of special finds for under the Christmas tree.
Adding to the magic, the wonderful David Owens will be playing festive favourites on his baby grand piano, creating a beautiful Christmas atmosphere throughout the weekend.
Families can also look forward to free festive entertainment, with the hilarious Juggling Jack Frost and a host of colourful Christmas characters bringing laughter, surprises and plenty of photo opportunities for children of all ages.
Saturday – Let’s Light Up Rush!
The excitement builds on Saturday afternoon when the Christmas celebrations move to the Carroll Estates Stage at 4pm, where Rush Musical Society and The Rock Choir will fill Kenure Woods with festive carols and Christmas favourites.
Santa Claus will make his grand arrival, piped into the main stage area by St Maur’s Pipe Band, before officially switching on the Kenure Gates Christmas Lights, signalling the start of the festive season in Rush!
It’s set to be a magical moment for families and a wonderful new Christmas tradition for our village.
Sunday – An Elf-tastic Christmas Adventure!
The festivities continue on Sunday 29th November, with the Christmas Market once again packed with local traders, delicious food, festive treats and beautiful music from David Owens.
But there’s an extra sprinkle of Christmas mischief in store!
This year, Rush Tourism is introducing a brand-new Elf on the Shelf Christmas Treasure Hunt through Kenure Woods.
Families will follow a magical woodland trail, solving clues, completing fun Christmas challenges and collecting Elf stamps along the way, with mischievous elves and festive characters adding to the excitement.
And the best part? Participating families will have the chance to take home their very own Elf on the Shelf, just in time for the Christmas fun to begin!
Shop Local, Celebrate Local, Support Rush!
Rush Tourism and Rush Community Council would like to extend a sincere thank you to our generous sponsors, Rush Credit Union, Carroll Estates and Fingal County Council, whose support helps make this wonderful community celebration possible.
Keep your business in Rush to keep Rush in business!
Follow Rush Tourism on Facebook and Instagram for event updates, entertainment details and information on the Elf on the Shelf Christmas Treasure Hunt.
An Exhibition of Paintings by Rush Artists
Margaret Dobinson
Bernadette Galloghly
Liam Kearns
Following on from the success of last year’s exhibition, local artists Margaret Dobinson, Bernadette Galloghly and Liam Kearns are delighted to announce that they will again be showcasing new work in the Lusk Community Cultural Centre, Katie Hunt’s Cottage, Church Road, Lusk, Co. Dublin, K45 CP40 from Saturday 31st October to Sunday 15th November 2026.
This year’s exhibition will include a variety of paintings ranging from local seascapes, places of interest visited, classic still life and portraiture of humans and animals.
Rush Tourism has been overwhelmed by the response to this year’s Heritage Week programme, Rush 1926–2026: A Walk Through Time, with large attendances at every event and an extraordinary reaction both locally and from much further afield.
Throughout the week, residents joined a series of walks and talks exploring the people, families and places that have shaped Rush. But perhaps the greatest surprise was the response on social media. Stories and photographs reached former Rush residents now living in far-flung parts of the world, as well as descendants of people whose grandparents and great-grandparents once lived and worked on the Kenure Estate.
And with those connections came some remarkable pieces of Rush history.
We met people who still hold rent books dating from the 1840s for land rented from the Palmer family, while another family has opera glasses purchased at the final auction of Kenure House. One particularly special connection came from the grandchild of Lady Palmer’s goddaughter, who still treasures Lady Palmer’s Bible as a precious family possession.
These are the personal connections that bring local history to life. They remind us that the story of Kenure and old Rush is not something confined to history books—it survives in families, photographs, documents, treasured possessions and memories passed from one generation to the next.
One of the highlights of the week was hearing John Walsh trace the story and connections of families who have lived in Rush for generations. John himself is a direct descendant of the Walsh family whose connection with Kenure stretches back to the 1700s. Hearing how these families developed, intermarried and remained part of the fabric of Rush—and how many of their descendants are still living and running businesses here today—was fascinating for everyone who attended.
The walks led by Niall Gossan and Declan “CJ” Costello also demonstrated the huge appetite that exists for Rush’s local history. Familiar streets, buildings and landmarks took on a completely different meaning when the stories of the people who once lived and worked there were brought back to life.
A very special part of the programme was Kenure Church, where Valerie and Anna proudly welcomed visitors and shared the story of this remarkable building, one of the great surviving legacies of the Palmer family and a very different era in Rush.
Rush Tourism would like to sincerely thank John Walsh, Niall Gossan and Declan Costello, who gave their time, knowledge and enthusiasm freely and made the week such a success. We are also hugely grateful to Christine Baker of Fingal Heritage, whose support from the very beginning helped make the programme possible, and to Valerie and Anna for their wonderful welcome at Kenure Church.
But our biggest thank you is to everyone who came along, contacted us from near and far, shared a memory, produced an old photograph or opened a box containing a treasured piece of their family history.
We were genuinely blown away by the response.
Heritage Week may be over, but the stories certainly aren’t. Every photograph, memory and family treasure shared with us adds another piece to the story of Rush—and shows just how strongly the Rush of today remains connected to the Rush of generations past.
For more than a decade, Rush juniors has welcomed children aged 4 to 14 to Kenure Park on a Sunday morning for a fun 2km run. We were actually the first ever junior parkrun event in Ireland and have hosted thousands of kids at 470 events since our launch in late 2015. There are now 47 junior parkruns across Ireland every Sunday morning, so we like to think of ourselves as trendsetters!
Despite cheering on around 30 young runners each week, we’ve recently struggled to fill our volunteer roster and have come very close to cancelling the event on several occasions. We have a very dedicated core group of Run Directors - thank you all - but are in need of additional casual volunteers who can help with tasks like marshalling, timekeeping, tail-walking and barcode scanning.
There is no pressure to commit to helping out every single week; even volunteering once every few weeks would make a big difference. The time commitment is very small - we meet just before 9.30am and are usually packed up and heading home before 10.15am.
So, what’s the benefit of volunteering? Firstly, a big hit of Sunday morning dopamine! What’s not to love about cheering on a big group of kids as they storm through the woods? You’d be supporting your local community, meeting new people, and encouraging the next generation to stay healthy and active.
If you’d like to come and help out – whether it’s once, twice, or on a regular basis – please drop us an email at rushjuniors@parkrun.com. We’d love to welcome you.
You can find out more about Rush junior parkrun at www.parkrun.ie/rush-juniors/ , or on our Facebook page - www.facebook.com/rushjuniorparkrun/ .
Rush Cricket Club recently celebrated a remarkable milestone — 50 years of consecutive women’s cricket, from 1976 to 2026.
The occasion was a wonderful celebration of the many players, past and present, coaches, volunteers, families and supporters who have contributed to this incredible chapter in the club’s history.
The celebrations began with a Youth Cricket “Give It a Bash” session, giving the next generation an opportunity to enjoy the game and experience the sense of fun and community that cricket brings.
This was followed by a very special ladies’ cricket match, with Rush women’s players from across the decades returning to the field. Past and present teammates joined together for a fun-filled game, reconnecting with old friends and creating new memories along the way.
The day concluded with a lovely afternoon tea and celebratory speeches, reflecting on the history of women’s cricket at Rush and recognising the many people who have helped it flourish over the past 50 years.
Rush’s contribution to women’s cricket has also reached the highest level, with a number of players who represented Ireland having played their cricket at Rush during their careers. We are incredibly proud of the Rush connection to Collette McGuinness, Caitriona Beggs, Ciara Metcalfe, Carole McGuire, Clodagh Conway and Aoife Beggs — all of whom represented Ireland and were part of the Rush cricket story at different stages. These players are a wonderful reflection of the talent, ambition and opportunities that women’s cricket at Rush has fostered over the years.
Perhaps the most special part of the day was seeing players reconnect with teammates — sharing stories, reminiscing about matches and memorable moments, and celebrating the friendships that have lasted long beyond their playing days.
Cricket brought us together — and 50 years later, it continues to do just that.
Rush Cricket Club looks forward to continuing this wonderful legacy and inspiring many more generations of girls and women to pick up a bat, take the field and become part of the Rush cricket family.
Another summer begins to draw to a close a the Let’s Play Rush Summer Sports Day takes place at Tayleur’s Point. The old-school style sports day filled with fun, laughter, and a wide range of sporting games and activities is open to all families in the area.
Developed as part of the European URBACT Playful Paradigm Project, Let’s Play Rush continues to create opportunities for people of all ages to engage in play and community activities. Supported by Fingal County Council and delivered in partnership with Rush Tidy Towns, the 38th Rush Scout Group, local representatives, and community organisations, the initiative highlights the town’s many public spaces including Rush’s beaches and harbour, Rush Library, the Millbank Theatre, Kenure Woods, and local playgrounds and green spaces.
This year’s event brought the community together through a variety of playful activities. Participants enjoyed youth and adult races, tug of war, egg and spoon competitions, and had the opportunity to play Giant Jenga and Connect 4. Families also engaged with local street artists and face painting, adding colour and creativity to the celebration.
Cllr Tony Murphy, Mayor of Fingal, who presented medals on the day, said, “What a wonderful event for the people of Rush and a massive word of thanks must go to Rush Tidy Towns, the 38th Scout Group Rush, members of the Let’s Play Rush Initiative and Fingal County Council who have made this a fun day for all. It further highlights what can be achieved with community participation and the positive contribution it makes to all our towns and villages across the county.”
Niall Mc Guirk, Healthy Fingal Coordinator with Fingal’s Environment, Climate Action, Active Travel and Sport Department, praised the project’s impact:
“We’re delighted to see the Let’s Play Rush Project going from strength to strength with the dedication and support of the local community in organising and running playful events in the town. The project encourages people of all ages to embrace play and enjoy the public spaces in Rush together, promoting a healthy, sustainable lifestyle and an inclusive environment for everyone.”
With strong community participation and growing enthusiasm, Let’s Play Rush continues to strengthen connections across Rush while showcasing the power of play to bring people together. Brendan O’Reilly, Chairperson of Rush Tidy Towns said, “the Let’s Play Rush Committee take great pride and satisfaction from delivering this free annual summer event, and the feedback we get from the community is nothing but positive. We couldn’t do this without the support and advice from Fingal County Council, and a massive thanks to them for their involvement”.
Rush farmer Shane Halpin has made history after he was named the 2026 FBD Young Farmer of the Year, becoming the first winner from Dublin in the competition’s history.
Shane runs Welgro Produce with business partner Sean, growing seven acres of cucumbers across multiple sites in North County Dublin. Having been involved in farming, particularly horticulture, from a young age, Shane established Welgro in 2021 on a leased three-acre nursery.
The enterprise has expanded each season, with an additional nursery purchased in 2023 more than doubling the growing area. Welgro now employs 10 full-time staff, rising to 35 at peak times with seasonal staff. The business supplies retail, wholesale and food service customers with fresh Irish-grown cucumbers from March to November and won the Teagasc Newbie Award in 2021.
Chairman of the FBD Trust Michael Berkery expressed his congratulations to all award recipients on the night.
“On behalf of FBD Insurance, I am delighted to congratulate Shane, our Young Farmer of the Year, and six category winners on this significant achievement. This competition, now in its 28th year, continues to attract enthusiastic and dedicated young farmers and Macra members from around the country. FBD Insurance is honoured to continue its long-standing partnership with Macra and support the FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards, which celebrate and recognise the vital role young farmers play in shaping the future of Irish farming. We hope these awards continue to inspire the next generation to build thriving, sustainable businesses that will strengthen rural Ireland for years to come.”