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1 Huge roads plan opposed PENINSULANEWS The Newsletter of the Donabate Portrane Community Council www.donabateportranecommunity.com CHRISTMAS 2010 Christmas trees for sale in aid of Community Council Donabate Portrane Community Council will be selling Christmas Trees on 11th and 12th December in the grounds of St Patrick’s RC Church. All proceeds will go towards the running costs of the Community Council. Please support your local council. An objection has been submitted by Donabate Portrane Community Council to the proposals to construct a 4km distributor road in Donabate. Fingal County Council has applied to An Bord Pleanála for permission for the road that it intends to build linking the Portrane road to the Hearse road by crossing Ballymastone and Corballis. The county council says the road is needed to facilitate housing developments and to deal with future congestion. But the distributor road, which is proposed to be a dual carriageway for 3km, has been opposed as it is seen as a renewed attempt to build a monster sewage plant on the peninsula. An objection has also been submitted to An Bord Pleanála by Fairshare, the group set up to oppose the siting of a massive sewage plant in Portrane. In its application, Fingal County Council states: “…the road will open up development lands at Ballymastone and Corballis and will facilitate traffic from the proposed Portrane wastewater treatment plant.” Chairman of Donabate Portrane Community Council Gareth Lee said expressions like “proposed Portrane wastewater treatment plant” could only mean one thing – Fingal County Council is attempting again to dump a monster plant on the area. Donabate Portrane Community Council said it was opposed to the new road as it is being built to open up the area to excessive housing development, and is a “Trojan horse” attempt to build a monster sewage plant in the area. The community council feels the road will merely facilitate unsustainable development on the peninsula, as part of the controversial Local Area Plan passed by the county council in 2006. The objection states that there is more than enough zoned land in the local authority area, with no need for large-scale development in Donabate. Fingal has one of the highest number of ghost estates in the State at 152. The proposed road is also seen as excessive in scale. The planning application for the road has gone straight to An Bord Pleanála as the county council argues that the road is a piece of national infrastructure. Donabate Portrane Community Council has dismissed this argument in its objection to the planning appeals board. From the Editor Christmas time is fast approaching and as the year draws to an end we can reflect on what has been a turbulent year in our country, with knock-on effects in our small community. On a happier note, however, we have much to celebrate in our community. Inside you can read about the many awards that have been won and the recent 100th birthday celebrations in Donabate. In this edition of ‘Peninsula News’ Peadar Bates has written a great piece on the history of Ballisk, which is undergoing huge change at the moment with the educational campus well under way there. We have articles on the proposed Donabate distributor road, a schools update and an update on how the Transition Towns group is striving to make us more self reliant as a community. As the economy takes a toll on our peninsula, it is all the more important that we value our local businesses and tradespeople if we want them to survive in these tough times. A reminder also as the cold weather sets in to remain road-safety aware as motorists and as pedestrians. Our peninsula roads are still rural roads with often poor visibility, so please slow down and be seen. Donabate Portrane Community Council would like to wish you all a peaceful Christmas and a happy and healthy 2011. Nollaig Shona agus Ath Bhliain faoi mhaise.

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Page 1: PenNews Christmas 2010FINAL - Donabatedonabateportranecommunity.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/...Centre and ALSAA sports grounds at Dublin Airport. All of the coaching and practice

1

Huge roads plan opposed

PENINSULANEWSThe Newsletter of the Donabate Portrane Community Council

www.donabateportranecommunity.com

CH

RIS

TM

AS

201

0

Christmas trees for sale in aid of Community Council

Donabate Portrane Community Council will be selling Christmas Trees on 11th and 12th December in the grounds of St Patrick’s RC Church.All proceeds will go towards the running costs of the Community Council. Please support your local council.

An objection has been submitted by Donabate Portrane Community Council to the proposals to construct a 4km distributor road in Donabate.Fingal County Council has applied to An Bord Pleanála for permission for the road that it intends to build linking the Portrane road to the Hearse road by crossing Ballymastone and Corballis.The county council says the road is needed to facilitate housing developments and to deal with future congestion. But the distributor road, which is proposed to be a dual carriageway for 3km, has been opposed as it is seen as a renewed attempt to build a monster sewage plant on the peninsula.An objection has also been submitted to An Bord Pleanála by Fairshare, the group set up to oppose the siting of a massive sewage plant in Portrane.

In its application, Fingal County Council states: “…the road will open up development lands at Ballymastone and Corballis and will facilitate traffic from the proposed Portrane wastewater treatment plant.”Chairman of Donabate Portrane Community Council Gareth Lee said expressions like “proposed Portrane wastewater treatment plant” could only mean one thing – Fingal County Council is attempting again to dump a monster plant on the area.Donabate Portrane Community Council said it was opposed to the new road as it is being built to open up the area to excessive housing development, and is a “Trojan horse” attempt to build a monster sewage plant in the area.The community council feels the road will merely facilitate unsustainable development on the peninsula, as part of the controversial Local Area Plan passed by the county council in 2006.The objection states that there is more than enough zoned land in the local authority area, with no need for large-scale development in Donabate. Fingal has one of the highest number of ghost estates in the State at 152.The proposed road is also seen as excessive in scale. The planning application for the road has gone straight to An Bord Pleanála as the county council argues that the road is a piece of national infrastructure. Donabate Portrane Community Council has dismissed this argument in its objection to the planning appeals board.

From the EditorChristmas time is fast approaching and as the year draws to an end we can reflect on what has been a turbulent year in our country, with knock-on effects in our small community.On a happier note, however, we have much to celebrate in our community. Inside you can read about the many awards that have been won and the recent 100th birthday celebrations in Donabate. In this edition of ‘Peninsula News’ Peadar Bates has written a great piece on the history of Ballisk, which is undergoing huge change at the moment with the educational campus well under way there. We have articles on the proposed Donabate distributor road, a schools update and an update on how the Transition Towns group is striving to make us more self reliant as a community.As the economy takes a toll on our peninsula, it is all the more important that we value our local businesses and tradespeople if we want them to survive in these tough times.A reminder also as the cold weather sets in to remain road-safety aware as motorists and as pedestrians. Our peninsula roads are still rural roads with often poor visibility, so please slow down and be seen.

Donabate Portrane Community Council would like to wish you all a peaceful Christmas and a happy and healthy 2011. Nollaig Shona agus Ath Bhliain faoi mhaise.

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Donabate Tidy Towns national resultsCongratulations are due as Donabate once again had great results in the national Tidy Towns competition. This year Donabate gained an extra six points in the national competition, with a total of 251 points. Three extra points were gained in each of the litter and biodiversity categories, which were categories that the Tidy Towns committee had put a lot of extra effort into in 2010. Special thanks goes to Fingal County Council’s biodiversity officer Hans Visser, who worked closely with the Tidy Towns Committee and other community groups on the production of a biodiversity plan for our peninsula, which the judges were impressed with. If anyone is interested in helping out on the Tidy Towns committee please call Blaithin O’Donnell on 0851264660.

Tidy Towns group wins Dublin Bus grantThe Donabate Tidy Towns committee has been successful in winning a €1,000 grant from the Dublin Bus Community Support Programme for the purpose of setting up a community vegetable and flower garden. The idea is that the garden, which would be inside a housing estate, would serve as a model for other housing estates to set up their own communal vegetable gardens, teaching residents how to raise their own produce, literally at their doorstep with the help of their neighbours. Initial survey results have indicated that Turvey estate might be a suitable location for this first model garden, so if any Turvey residents are interested in helping out on the planning and setting up of this garden please call Paul Daly on 0866035200

Fingal Joint Policing Committee public meeting

About 30 residents from a variety of estates on the peninsula attended this meeting at St Patrick’s BNS on Nov 10th last. The Fingal JPC attempts to foster better relations between the Gardai, the local authority and local communities. As such, there were some quite senior representatives present. Residents were able to bring particular concerns directly to the authorites. Sgt Kevin Toner and Garda John McCarthy from the CPU attended and a few new issues were brought to their attention.Chief Super Gerry Phillips also addressed the meeting and made some interesting comments on the policing infrastructure in the Greater Manchester area as compared to that of Dublin, and specifically north Dublin.Check out fingaljpc.ie for more information.

Donabate wins two Cleaner Community awardsDonabate gained two prestigious titles in the Fingal County Council Cleaner Communities awards which were announced in October.Jane Farrell, the Square, Donabate made our community proud by winning the title of ‘Best Presented Front Garden’ in the Balbriggan/Swords category which also covers the Donabate-Portrane peninsula. Jane was also the winner of the local Tidy Towns best front garden in 2009, so we are delighted that she is flying the flag for Donabate.In addition, Donabate Portrane Community and Leisure centre has won the “Best Presented Community Centre” category in Fingal. Even with all of the disruption that building work can bring and the extra temporary prefabs that have had to be installed for the Donabate Community College it is great to see that the centre can still come up trumps in the awards. Congratulations to Jacinta Lowndes and all of the hard working team at the centre.

Lynda Sutton (DPCLC) with Cleaner Communities Award.

St Patrick’s BNS wins Tidy Towns awardThe pupils, staff and parents of St Patrick’s Boys National School showed they know a thing or two about tidiness when they again scooped first prize in the Dublin region in the Supervalu schools’ award section of the National Tidy Towns. That makes four out of five wins in the Dublin region over the past five years.

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Portrane Hockey Club The Hockey Club is building towards September 2011 when they expect the completion of the new international standard all-weather pitch, being built in tandem with Donabate Community College. This new Astro Turf Pitch, right in the centre of our community, promises to be a superb facility not only for the sport of hockey but also for the wider sporting community.In September 2010 the hockey Club launched their ‘Junior Academy’ which provides hockey to our Under 6 Boys and Girls born in 2004/2005. To date there are almost 100 kids who have joined. The club continues to provide hockey at Under 8s,10s,12s,14s and 16s for Girls and Boys at both the Community Centre and ALSAA sports grounds at Dublin Airport. All of the coaching and practice sessions are based on games and fun, linked to a light competition element which teaches the children the basics of hockey. At Adult Level the club also has our Vets for over 40s and Senior Men’s Teams. Should you require any further information please check out their website www.portranehockeyclub.com or contact Adrian at 0876859260.

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Donabate TaeKwon Do ClubTaeKwon Do is the ideal sport for all age groups, in children it is a great energetic sport which incorporates the traits of discipline, respect, self-control, self-confidence, team work as well as the ultimate goal of reaching different colour belts through the grading syllabus. The Donabate TaeKwon Do club has nurtured two young students to Black Belt - they reached this goal in December 2008. The Adult Classes are extremely popular,…a great way to lose weight and tone up!TKD TIGERS (Total Kids Defence) has also started at the club. This class is a life skills and danger awareness course based around TaeKwon Do. Through fun activities, exercise drills and role playing games, children from ages three to six build self-confidence. Call Mr. Hanlon on 086 39 55024 for details.

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St. Ita’s AFCLast season has been a great one for St Ita’s AFC, as it continued the success of previous seasons both on and off the pitch. On the pitch the juvenile and senior men’s teams did themselves and the peninsula proud – with several league and cup successes. Twenty-two teams along with a thriving nursery makes St Ita’s one of the largest soccer clubs in north Dublin. A club of St Ita’s size, continuously expanding, requires significant funds to simply function. In that regard the club wishes to put on record its appreciation of everyone who has assisted with sponsorship in whatever shape or form, particularly all those who assisted with this year’s Mini Euro tournament. This tournament is the club’s flagship event - roll on July 2011! Contact Joe McKenna ([email protected]) or the Club Registrar: Conor Tonra ([email protected]) for further information.

St. Pat’s GAA FootballGAA Football has been played on the peninsula of Donabate /Portrane for over 100 years. At present they have two adult football teams, an adult hurling team, juvenile football teams at all ages, two juvenile ladies teams and a thriving academy and nursery. On the playing field this season the adult 1st team (playing in Division 4) have reached promotion playoffs - if they gain promotion they will be just one step away from senior football. The ladies under 15 team reached the C Championship final – unfortunately, they went down to a strong Man-O–War team. With all of these teams and the continuous development of facilities, St Patricks rely on sponsorship and fundraising, including the weekly club lotto and the many events held in 2010.Full details of all club activities are available on the club website http://stpatsgaa.com or for further information email

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While St Patrick’s BNS are still glowing from success of their achievement as winners of the Dublin Regional schools award in the National Tidy Towns competition, there is also a lot more happening at the school. The school’s nature awareness programme (OWLS – aimed at increasing awareness of our natural environment by using outdoors as an Outdoor Classroom) is really being enjoyed by all the classes involved, with Andrew Fleming from OWLS organising spring bulb planting at the school.

The school’s open day in October was a proud day for pupils and parents alike where displays of artwork, musical productions, sporting achievement and the Jollyphonics and Numberworlds programme were on show in the school hall. Visitors also got the opportunity to visit the classrooms and were introduced to the interactive whiteboards which are now part of all classrooms.The school has a long sporting tradition and was delighted to welcome back the Gaelic leagues run by Mr. Manning & Mr. Gleeson. A big welcome was extended also to Mark (St. Pats GAA) and to Nasir (Portrane Hockey Club) who are coaching with the school. Hurling is underway in the school - a very big thank you to Cumann na mBunscoil for donating hurleys and equipment. Speech & drama, Science Club, Tin whistle, Chess, Tennis and Basketball also continue this term. You can learn more about the school and events by visiting the website on www.stpatsbns.ie

The building project for DPETNS went to tender in October and a successful contractor was notified in early November. The school is currently waiting for contracts to be signed. The latest news from the Department of Education and Skills is that the new school should be built in 2011. The new building will be located adjacent to the current site but further down the Beaverstown Road. November is Human Rights Month at DPETNS and the children are learning about the importance of Human Rights. The children are learning all about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Education about Human Rights forms a central part of the Learn Together Programme and is the hallmark of the ethos of Educate Together schools nationwide.With 447 pupils enrolled in the school there is a lot going on. The children in 6th class have just completed a First Aid training day, the children in 5th class are learning Cycle Safety skills and 4th classes are involved in a cross border project called Dissolving Boundaries with partner school, Carnegie Primary School in Ballymena. The children in 4th , 5th and 6th classes are learning the songs from ‘Seussical the Musical’ which they will perform for their parents in December. They are grateful to the St Patrick’s Parish for use of their Hall .This year the school is working towards their 4th Green Flag - Transport and Travel. Last year they made links with the local Senior Citizens group and found that both the younger and the older people had so much to learn from each other. There are plans to go on trips with their senior friends when the weather gets warmer in the Spring.For further information see www.dpetns.ie

The girls of Scoil Phádraic Cailíní have had a busy Autumn term with a visit from children’s author and the current Laureate na nÓg, Siobhán Parkinson, where the senior classes had the opportunity to quiz the writer about writing techniques. The school was a hive of activity on 23rd November for the school open day with each pupil displaying a piece of professionally mounted original art work. Their proud parents also had the opportunity to see the girls’ subjects on display in the classrooms and experience ballet, Irish dancing and view science experiments.6th class girls are busy preparing for the annual jumble sale which will take place on the 14th of December in the school hall. Stalls will be made up of bric-a-brac, dvds, books, toys, jewellery and bags. Proceeds will go towards school funds and a local charity.On the 16th of December, a group of 260 girls from senior classes will head off to the 2010 production of ‘Aladdin’ in the Gaiety Theatre. A ‘surprise visitor’ and a magic show has been organised for the junior classes

on the same day. www.scoilphadraiccailini.com

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Donabate Historical Society: The history of Ballisk Common

With the Donabate Community College under construction and the permanent Educate Together school in the pipeline on Ballisk Common, these are exciting times for Donabate Parish as regards education. The townland of Ballisk (Baile an Uisce) –“Town of the water” is an appropriate name for an area that was always prone to flooding. Part of these lands belonged to the Barnewalls of Turvey House and "were traditionally commonage lands. However, in the early part of the 19th century an act was passed in the British parliament, which allowed Barnewall to enclose his Ballisk lands, thus denying access to the traditional users of these lands. Shortly afterwards, 200 locals assembled and threw down the fences which Barnewall had erected around the commons. A large force of police and soldiers were called to restore order. From this time these lands were let to selected tenants.The earliest record of an educational establishment in Ballisk dates to 1802. Its situation is shown on a map of the same date. No other information has been unearthed regarding this establishment. However, we must presume that the Barnewalls had some input into its running. Some twenty odd years later George and Sophia Evans built and endowed two schoolhouses on the townland of Ballisk, on the Portrane Road, in the grounds of the 1914 national school which still stands and has been converted into residences. Because the lands of Ballisk were commonage lands, people from outside the parish tended to gravitate towards the village where they were allowed to build their wretched hovels, the measurements of which were normally 16 feet by 12. They were usually divided into two rooms although many contained but one room. When this was the case the grown up sons slept in one corner. Straw and rags were often the only bedding and coverings of a labourer's family. The thatched roofs frequently allowed water to pour into the cabins during heavy rain, necessitating the movement of beds from one place to another. The floors consisted of the natural earth and were low, uneven and damp, often going down one step, thus allowing water to flow freely into the cabins. Many of these cabins had only a hole in the roof or at the back of the fireplace to carry off the smoke. Some had no windows. The ones that did have them very often stuffed them with straw or old bagging to keep out the elements.According to an observation at the time, 'nothing could exceed the wretched conditions of the poor labourer's cabin, with little or no light entering but what was admitted by door and no fresh air at all when the door was shut except through the chimney or a hole in the roof. These wretched hovels could not in any other country be considered sufficient to shelter cattle, and when filled with eight or ten people, with only rags for covering, they presented one of the most melancholic spectacles which it is possible to behold.'Peadar Bates.

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Donabate Historical society holds regular talks on the history of the Donabate-Portrane peninsula

Transition Towns Donabate and Portrane

The Transition Towns Donabate Portrane group (TTDP) has been very busy since our last report in the Springtime. Much of the recent activity has centred around the setting up of a monthly car boot sale and community market, with the first market taking place in September in St Patrick’s Paris Hall. The market is aimed at making our community more sustainable by encouraging the production of local food and other goods and by the recycling of second hand goods within the community. A new addition since the October market is an indoor second hand nursery equipment sale and many parents, parents to be and grandparents are delighted with the value and range of goods on offer. To take a table or car boot pitch costs just €8 or €4 for food producers. As the group is not for profit the costs can be kept low by volunteers.

TTDP will be facilitating a free training course to be held in the St Patrick’s Parish Hall, Donabate which will run over 6 weeks, one evening a week beginning in January/February 2011. This course will enable locals and individuals interested in starting a food business that can be run from or as an addition to the proposed new weekly market to be run from Spring 2011. If you wish to express an interest in this free training or to book a place, please email [email protected] with your details

For further information on the group see www.ttdp.ie and to book a table at the monthly market call Sean on 086 6015746.

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A letter has been written to food retailer Tesco by Donabate Portrane Community Council appealing to it not to build a massive wind turbine on Turvey Avenue.The letter has been written to appeal to Tesco after it got the go-ahead for 86-metre wind turbines at its huge distribution centre.An Bord Pleanala has given permission for the twin structures in Donabate, despite the plans having been slammed by the local community.The supermarket chain had originally wanted to make them 100 metres, but the board reduced the overall height.The two 850kw turbines will be located at Tesco's massive dry grocery distribution centre located north of Hearse Road and south of Turvey.An Bord Pleanala said it took the decision “having regard to national and EU policy relating to the development of sustainable development resources”.In addition, “the general stability of the site for a wind-powered electricity generating facility” was a factor.

Water pumping station at “The Hand”Many local residents have been wondering about the excavation and building works happening at the Hand junction of the Portrane and Beaverstown roads. It is, in fact the site of the new underground water pumping station being built by Fingal Co. Co in conjunction with the upgrade of the Portrane water works and new pipe laying at strategic points on the peninsula. As the topography of Donabate is quite flat, sewage from the town cannot flow by gravity to the new treatment works in Portrane. So an intermediate station is needed to "push" it along. Essentially what happens is the station is located at the lowest point on the system gathering all the local sewers to one point. The sewage then flows into a large underground sump. When it reaches a certain level, the pumps start automatically and pump it up the R126 towards a 2nd pumping station closer to Portrane (also under construction) which will pump it onto the new treatment plant. Odour is not usually an issue at pumping stations as the sewage is not left in the sump long enough to go septic. However, additional measures are being put in place to ensure no environmental nuisance is caused by odour. Construction of the pumping station will continue through 2011 with a view to being in operation by the end of next yearThe community council would hope that at some point in the future we could add a sculpture at the paved area to the front of the railings: a sculpture that would commemorate the name given to this area locally “The Hand” as it was the meeting point of five small roads or pathways.

Donabate bridge moves west

The Manisty cast iron footbridge in Donabate Station will soon no longer feature on the Donabate landscape.As part of the station’s redevelopment the bridge is to be moved to accomodate a bridge which provides greater accessibility and which will also allow any future extension of the DART past Malahide station. The bridge has also over the years deteriorated in quality and from a safety point of view would have been unsuitable for its current traffic levels.The bridge is not to be destroyed however and its new home according to the station plans will be the West Clare Railway in Moyasta, near Kilrush in Co. Clare, which is doing a fine job of preserving steam trains and associated railway equipment from a bygone era. It will be nice to see a little piece of Donabate being preserved like this and perhaps many of our locals might include the West Clare Railways in their holiday plans and see how our old bridge is keeping. www.westclarerailway.ieThe bridge is scheduled for removal in Spring 2011.

Tesco turbines approved

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The views expressed in the Peninsula News are not necessarily those of the Community Council. The Peninsula News is distributed to 3000 plus homes in the Donabate-Portrane area. If you are prepared to deliver the newsletter in your area please let us know. [email protected]

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Newbridge House and Farm update

Newbridge House and Farm has been an integral part of our community since its foundation in the mid 1700s and it continues to be a great resource for leisure pursuits that is right on our doorstep.Newbridge House has a fantastic schedule of Christmas events starting December 4th, with the turning on of the lights, including a Living Crib, guided farm tours, carriage rides, feeding of Santa’s reindeer and of course the Big Man himself Santa Claus will be coming to pay Donabate some very special visits on 11th, 12th, 18th and 19th December. As Santa is always popular, visits need to be pre booked on the Newbridge House website. The popular Sunday market is also in operation in Newbridge House in December.Full details on www.newbridgehouseandfarm.com

A very big congratulations to Molly Murray who in October celebrated her 100th birthday. Molly was born in Lusk, but has spent most of her life in Donabate.She is the proud mother of nine children, who in turn have given her 21 grandchildren, and 30 great grandchildren.Molly returned to Donabate from the nursing home in Lusk, where she now resides, to celebrate her birthday with many old friends and neighbours. The day’s celebrations were organised by the community council and the Donabate Senior Citizens committee, and Molly received a painting of Donabate by local artist Ruth Baker to add to her birthday presents, which included greetings from both President Mary Robinson and Queen Elizabeth II. Many local dignitaries helped her mark the occasion in Donabate parish hall which echoed to the sound of a lone piper playing ‘Happy Birthday’ as Donabate raised its voice in song to this truly remarkable lady. Molly, however, not to be outdone, sang a few songs of her own to the gathered crowd! Birthday

Local lass celebrates 100th birthday

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Donabate Presbyterian Church now up and running

After a period of preparing the ground, Donabate Presbyterian Church has started to meet on Sundays. Minister Andy Carroll and the new congregation are ready to welcome people to the church. They meet in the Donabate Portrane Community Centre from 10.30-11.30am each Sunday. During the service there is a programme just for children with craft, songs, Bible time, and games. There is also a supervised crèche area. Andy Carroll says: “Donabate Presbyterian Church is open to anyone who wants to know more about Christianity or who has questions about God. People are welcome no matter what their background or where they come from – even if it’s just to call in and have a look.” For more details contact Rev Andy Carroll, 10 Beverton Grove, Donabate, or e-mail [email protected]. Their website is www.donabatepc.org.

Donabate Portrane Community Council would like to particularly thank the Donabate Senior Citizens group which put in Trojan work to organise the day.

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Donabate and Portrane Senior Citizens ClubThe Donabate and Portrane Senior Citizens Club meets every Wednesday and Friday morning in St Patrick’s Church Hall, Donabate, from 10am to 12noon. The Wednesday morning meetings turn out to be the smaller of the meetings with discussion, news, refreshments, ad hoc activities, reminiscences, talk of local happenings and the very popular gentle Yoga on the first Wednesday of each month The Friday meeting is larger. After the usual warm welcome to all over refreshments, there are announcements regarding the various talks with guest speakers and arrangements for outings are finalised. This is followed by a short game of Bingo for the final half-hour. The annual Christmas Dinner was held on Sunday December 5th and as always our peninsula seniors let their hair down and enjoyed a great night out! The club is open to all Senior Citizens of the area with no admission charge. Call Eileen Walsh, the Manager of the Day Centre at 8434366 or Mary McLaughlin, Treasurer, at 8435702. Now that winter is well settled in it is very comforting to know that there's a warm welcome here!

Renowned local group the Lambay Singers are busy preparing for a packed Christmas season. They kick-started their festive season at the switching-on of the Christmas lights in Donabate village on Saturday, December 4, in what has turned into an annual seasonal highlight for our peninsula residents.Under the baton of new Musical Director George Rice, the choir will perform ‘Yuletide Carols and Antique Airs’ in St. Patrick’s Parish Hall on Sunday December 12th at 8pm. This followed by concerts in to the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre in the Naul on December 17th at 8.30pm and St. Macullin’s Cultural Centre in Lusk where on Saturday 18th December at 8pm. In a new departure for the Lambay Singers, the group have been invited by the Dublin Airport Authority to perform a carol-singing evening in the new Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport on Monday December 20th from 7pm to 9pm. In May of this year, The Lambay Singers completed a series of sell-out concerts in Swords, Lusk and the Naul called “Paradiso Classico”, which featured some well-known classical choral works as well as some more contemporary pieces. The Lambay Singers made history with “Paradiso Classico”, when they became the first choir since the 14th century to perform in the newly renovated Medieval Chapel at Swords Castle. The singers are very grateful to all at Fingal County Council for allowing them the privilege of singing in such a spectacular venue. The Lambay Singers number about 24 and the group are always seeking to recruit new members to swell their ranks. Singers do not need to be able to read music, all you need is a love of good singing and a willingness to work hard at rehearsal to produce that perfect harmony! The group are also interested in recruiting musicians to accompany them at rehearsal and for performances. If you are a keen singer or musician and you are interested in joining the Lambay Singers, or for more information or ticket details, please contact Emer Weston on 0863691871.

Seasonal dates for the Lambay Singers

Community Council welcomes new membersDonabate Portrane Community Council (formerly Donabate Parish Council) is the recognised representative body of the Donabate peninsula and is always on the lookout for new members. The community council reviews and comments on major planning applications and planned infrastructure, and liaises with state bodies such as the HSE; its ultimate aim is to ensure that the Donabate peninsula continues to be a better place in which to live, work and play. More information on the council and its activities can be found on the website: www.donabateportranecommunity.com.The council meets the first Wednesday of every month from 8.30-10pm in the community centre and there are in addition various sub committees that deal with issues as they arise or on a permanent basis such as the education, planning, Neighbourhood watch and Tidy Towns committees.All committee members give their time voluntarily. Positions are normally filled at the AGM which is held in April each year, but there are some vacant positions on the council should anyone wish to volunteer from the New Year. The council is keen to improve its links with local sporting and community groups and residents associations, and would welcome contact from representatives who are also welcome to attend council meetings. We are very aware of the need to improve the facilities for young people on the peninsula but, we can only do this with the help of additional volunteers.You might want to come along to one of our meetings and find out a little more about what we do. For further information please contact our secretary David Moore on 0872702844 or [email protected].

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