Donabate parkrun returned at the end of September after a long absence due to the pandemic and we celebrated our 6th anniversary in October. There have been regularly attendances of over 150 participants and it’s been fantastic to see everyone enjoying their 5km run, walk or jog as well as catching up with friends for a chat and coffee. We recently purchased a defibrillator which will be available if needed at parkrun each Saturday. This was possible thanks to the generosity of donations made by parkrunners. We are truly grateful for this. We usually need up to 20 volunteers each Saturday to cover all the roles needed for a successful and safe parkrun. Some would say that it’s even more fun volunteering than actually running a parkrun so please get in touch if you could help for an hour. Donabate parkrun is a free, timed 5k run, walk or jog that takes place at 9:30am every Saturday at Newbridge House. You can contact us by email if yo are interested at Donabate@parkrun.com or send us a message on Facebook.

It’s not often that we get to write about History Makers but that’s what the U13 boys squad from St Pats are! A massive Buladh Bós to them for winning their Juvenile Hurling League for the first tice in the Club’s almost hundred year history. They were the first Juvenile team in the Club ever to compete at this level and now only a few scant years later, they’re the first to take a Juvenile Title. Winning a League Title in any sport is a fantastic achievement but to win one in a recently introduced discipline with no older juvenile squads ahead to guide you is a feat unto itself.This squad might be the first to play both Hurling and Football but they’re not the only ones. They’re leading the charge in Pats Juvenile section where U13 down all play Gaelic Football along with Hurling/Camogie. What a fantastic position to be in as the Club approaches their century in 2024. Who could’ve imagined back in 1924 that they’d have 1,100 members and be playing Football, LGFA, Hurling & Camogie. If you or your children would like to join the fun, just email them at info@stpatsgaa.com

We are delighted to announce that work commenced on the construction of our second full size all weather pitch in Gannon Park recently. Weather permitting we will be training and playing games on the new pitch by December.

Recently Junsa Taekwondo have found themselves a new training venue in the Scout den in Lusk , and what a fabulous venue it is too. After a long wait because of all the restrictions we can now train indoors with the correct protocols.You could actually see our students faces light up when we opened the doors of our new training hall Fabulous! Please take a look at our pics of our guys and girls Taekwondo training at the Scout den. Junsa Taekwondo are always inviting new students to take part in their training sessions whether they want to train for fun , fitness, confidence or want to become an Olympic hopeful please contact Junsa Taekwondo on Facebook or Master Stuart Russell on 087 777 5202.

A summer of focused training plans came to fruition for 20 of our athletes who competed in the National Marathon Championships in Belfast recently. There were some fantastic performances with lots of PB’s on the day. Congratulations to all and well done to the big group of supporters who travelled North to cheer you on. A special mention for Richard Foy who followed up Belfast by running the Manchester Marathon only 7 days later. Well done also to all who completed the London and Dublin Virtual Marathons during October. Our Juveniles have been enjoying Cross Country action and our Fit4Life group have made great progress.

And this is exactly what seems to be happening in Lusk! In the past few months more and more children are joining the Lusk United ranks with additional U8 boys teams emerging and a 3rd U12 team also being formed and competing . A true testament to all the hard work being carried out by coaches, instilling the love of the game and inspiring others to want to play. Our Ladies Kick Fit team, determined not to be outdone, have competed and enjoyed a tournament in Malahide as well as in their first competitive match in Swords. The ladies did themselves and the club proud! As Lusk United thrives we continue to become an integral part of the community. Our ladies Kick Fit team hosted a tea evening and a coffee morning raising almost €700 euro for St Francis’ Hospice, while our underage players collected trick or treat bags to donate to Fr Peter McVerry Trust. It is hoped these bags helped some children have a Happy Halloween. Our pictures show our players enjoying themselves and our thanks to Paul Maguire for the photos.

On 2nd October the St. Colmcilles G4M&O ladies hosted a Gaelic Football Blitz, in aid of St Francis Hospice. There were 4 teams Erins Isle (Finglas), St Maurs (Rush), Starlights, (Santry) and us, each player had to pay €10 registration, that along with a raffle, where all the prizes were donated by local companies. Also, 2 beautiful children Indiana and Georgia, brought down their old toys and sold them for the charity. All our referees on the day offered their fee back to the charity and all the girls made this event a great occasion.Along with this last December, during Covid one of our members Neal Howard shaved off his beard. Money raised in total was of €3,005.The hospice is a charity very close to the hearts of all the ladies in the team, two of the girl’s mammies were cared for by the hospice staff and this is our way of giving back.

Former Republic of Ireland international John O’Shea was the special guest at the launch of the sixth year of the Football and Fitness Transition Year Course which is run by Fingal County Council and the Football Association of Ireland.The course, which attracts participants from across Fingal, gives TY students an opportunity to sample full-time football training while also fulfilling their educational requirements and obtaining qualifications in coaching and fitness training.The 2020-21 course was officially launched by Deputy Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Daniel Whooley, FAI President Gerry McAnaney and Fingal County Council’s Chief Executive AnnMarie Farrelly at a special ceremony in Corduff Sports Centre where the course is based. John O’Shea, who won 118 international caps, and is one of Ireland’s most successful footballers ever, took part in a Q&A session during which he imparted plenty of sound advice to the young students who travel every day to Corduff from across the county. Ireland Under-21 assistant coach and former international player O’Shea said: “It was a pleasure to meet all the students and coaches at Corduff and to help them celebrate the launch of the sixth year of the Football and Fitness Transition Year course run by the FAI and Fingal County Council. As I explained to the students, I would have loved to have such an opportunity available to me when I was their age. This is a great programme which offers them a pathway into football and the fitness industry whilst continuing their studies at the same time. There are so many career opportunities now available in sport and I wish them all the very best of luck for the year ahead.” The President of the Football Association of Ireland, Gerry McAnaney said: “The transition year programme at Corduff offers an excellent opportunity for those players on the course to further their football career in tandem with their education. It is an exemplary programme that we would love to expand on across the country. Our thanks to Chief Executive AnnMarie Farrelly and Fingal County Council for their ongoing support for this wonderful programme and my thanks to our FAI staff for their commitment to the development of these young players.”

We at Balbriggan Rugby hosted our first home Youth Leinster League match of the season lin mid October, when our U16’s played Lansdowne OB/DLPSP. It was a tough match, against very good opposition, with Balbriggan holding out for a win. Well done to all the team coaches and mentors.

Recently we held our first night back training since Covid lockdowns and we settled into our new training facility. It was great to see new members join our team and get hands on experience with our medical and trauma scenarios. This training is essential for our members who are back on duty in our community.Exciting news for Swords Division. We have a new training premises for our weekly training.HSE EVE Estuary Centre, Lissenhall Great, Swords, Co Dublin. Our Members weekly training is a very important part of what we do, ensuring our members are up to date on knowledge, skills and abilities. This veune offers us space, facilities and excellent storage. Cadets meet Wednesday evenings from 7pm-9pm.Adults meet Thursday evenings from 8pm-10pm. Thank you to all the staff in the Centre for facilitating us and we are extremely excited about our new venture.While some of our Cadet units have been around for a long time, we are always looking to open new units where there is a group of young people eager to learn First Aid in a fun and relaxing environment. Our Cadet unit in Swords opened its doors in April 2019 and, after enrolling their first group of Cadets, had to close its doors in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As the restrictions start to ease, the volunteers in Swords are ready to reopen their doors and welcome both new and returning Cadets. In their short existence, Swords gave some of our older Divisions a run for their money with their Cadets attending public events to provide pre-hospital emergency care alongside the adult volunteers, taking part in our national competitions, and also being part of the World Record Attempt at Croke Park.