Donabate Local V10i10-Nov 2026 by Irish Media Group

DONABATE

LOCAL FREE DOCKRELL Councillor

& Portrane

Eoghan Eoghan Dockrell

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Volume 10 Issue 10 November 2026

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A Season of Family, Community and Christmas Spirit As the winter sets in Fingal, bringing crisp mornings, shorter days and that all too familiar chill, it brings a growing sense of excitement in the air in our towns and villages with preparations for Christmas beginning to take shape! From Swords to Balbriggan; Malahide to Rush, and the many villages in between, Fingal begins to take on a special glow at this time of year. Shop windows sparkle, Christmas lights brighten our streets, and local businesses prepare for the busiest season on the calendar. Community groups, volunteers and local organisations are already working behind the scenes to make the coming weeks memorable for residents of all ages. For many, Christmas means welcoming loved ones home, sharing a meal around the table and creating memories that will last long after the decorations have been packed away. For children, it is a time of wonder and anticipation; for older generations, an opportunity to share traditions and stories that

connect families across the years. Remembering those who may find this season difficult is also of equal importance. Loneliness, financial pressures and the loss of loved ones can make winter a challenging time. A simple phone call, an invitation for a cup of tea or a helping hand to a neighbour can make an enormous difference. The true strength of Fingal lies in its people and their willingness to look out for one another. As Christmas approaches, let us support our local businesses, attend community events and make time for those around us. Whether through volunteering, donating to a local cause or simply offering a warm greeting on a cold morning, every small gesture counts. Winter may bring darkness earlier, but together we can ensure Fingal shines brightly with kindness, generosity and hope. That is the real spirit of Christmas.

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Lambay Cinema Club Marks Fingal Inclusion Week this November To mark Fingal Inclusion Week, we present The Blue Trail, a favourite on the film festival circuit and winner of the Silver Bear Jury Grand Prix at the 2025 Berlin Film Festival. Focussing on a feisty 77-year-old fighting against an ageist system, this film shows that you should never underestimate the older members of society. Part adventure film, part dystopian sci-fi and part coming of (old) age story, The Blue Trail is a vibrant and playful new film from acclaimed Brazilian filmmaker Gabriel Mascaro. In the near future, the Brazilian government has created ‘colonies’ where older people are sent to live out their last few years to free up space for the more productive younger generations. Teresa, however, refuses to accept that fate. She is instead determined to fulfil her ultimate dream - to fly in an aeroplane. After escaping from the authorities, she embarks on an eventful boat voyage down the Amazon river to find a willing pilot who will fly her. Encountering new friends and experiences along the way, she discovers a freedom she never knew she was missing. Critics have described the film as “visually striking”, “subversive and bit-

tersweet”, and “amazing, captivating, exciting and authentically beautiful.” It shows that people over 70 are as capable of rebelling as much as those decades younger. The Blue Trail will be shown at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland church in The Square, Donabate (K36 Y521) on Thursday November 19th at 8pm. Tickets go on sale on Thursday November 12th at 9am and cost €10 (€8 for students/OAPs) For more information and to buy tickets, please visit lambaycinemaclub.com Bring your own cup for free tea and coffee – we even supply the biscuits! If you want to get in touch, email us at info@lambaycinemaclub.com. Everyone is welcome and we look forward to seeing you on the 19th.

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Local News

Men’s Shed’s Allotment Plots Prepared for Winter

In October after a very fruitful harvest, members of Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed worked hard preparing our plots at Turvey Allotments for the winter. The raised beds were dug over, manure provided by Fingal County Council was spread and the beds were covered with Mypex weed membrane. Hopefully, next year’s crop will be as good as this year’s. Last month, Gerry and the Plonkers, the Men’s Shed group, provided the entertainment for the 60th anniversary celebrations of Lusk ICA in the Bracken Court Hotel. By all accounts, a great time was had by the audience of 100 or so, as they danced the night away to the sounds of 60s and 70s hits from the

Plonkers. The Plonkers will also perform at the Men’s Wellness Day being organised by the Fingal Men’s Sheds and due to be held in Donabate Portrane Community Centre on Thursday 19th November. This event, with an expected attendance of 80 or more, will feature talks about men’s physical and mental health and will include a guided exercise session. Between now and Christmas, Ray, our Events Organiser, hopes to arrange a couple of outings to places of interest to members. So, if you or someone close to you, would like to join the Men’s Shed, please call our PRO, Jim, on 0863694316.

ALL CONTRIBUTORS PLEASE NOTE** Due to increasing demand for space in our magazine could all contributors please note OUR STRICT DEADLINE FOR ARTICLES AND PICS IS THE 14TH OF THE MONTH PRIOR TO PUBLICATION ** Thank you.

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Pacers Enjoy Fine Day Out Walking!

Glorious weather was had in Skerries for an 8km walk to celebrate National Walking Day - led & organised by Margaret O’Brien walkers enjoyed a walk past the Mill, down to the coast along the beach & up to Red Island then to the Harbour for food in one of the many restaurants. Our Halloween Walk is to the Docks from Clontarf and the following one is the Dodder River walk so a bit of contrast in them All!

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Marking 90 years of Drama!

The special 90th anniversary year of Donabate Portrane Dramatic Society continues! After the very successful run of The Importance of Being Earnest in May The society is delighted to be presenting another Irish classic, the very moving and much-loved story of SIVE by John B Keane, running Thursday, Friday Saturday the 12th,13th,14st and 19th,20th,21st November. Now that she’s finishing school what will become of the orphaned Sive, who has been looked after

by her uncle and his wife, and how much say will Sive and her loving Grandmother have in her fate? SIVE is essentially a battle between Love and money; Love, and the costs it can ask; versus the sordid choices people are drawn to by Money, or the lack of it. Though written in 1959, the story still resonates. As Conor Cruise O Brien said : “The very young and the very old have a lot in common; they’re both kicked around by the

middle-aged”. Last performed to packed houses on our 70th anniversary in 2006, it looks like it’s as popular as ever. Thursday 12th November is sold out, but tickets can be booked at https://www.ticketsource. com/donabate-portrane-dramatic-society. Drawing towards the end of this great year the society would like to thank everyone who helped and came out to join in our special events during 2026, from leading the first Donabate-Portrane St Patrick’s day parade followed by readings from the group and the unveiling of a plaque in the Parish Hall commemorating our first performance, to our 90 minutes for 90 years miscellany in Triangle Coffee, in July, and in September our very special Gala Dinner in the Donabate Golf Club, attended by, oddly enough, 90 guests including long-standing members, former members and those with personal or family connections going right back to the start in 1936, ably interviewed by Charlie Weston to share reminiscences and stories of DPDS, celebrating not only its theatrical achievements but also the friendships, community connections and countless memories created along the way. Mary Byrne provided a wonderful selection of songs spanning the 1960s right through to the present day. Her incredible voice and engaging performance made for a memorable evening, with everyone thoroughly enjoying the entertainment. A special mention must go to Rita McDermott, whose dedication, hard work and enthusiasm were instrumental in bringing this wonderful celebration to life. Working alongside fellow members of the society, Rita put an enormous amount of effort into making the evening such a success. She was also at the Shoreline to receive our award from the Donabate Community Council, with thanks to all who helped us in our bid;. another great fillip for DPDS in this year of years. If we can we’ll try and squeeze in one or two other happenings before the year’s out, but here’s to 90 years of drama, laughter and friendship — and many more to come

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Commnuity News Active Age for All Townhall and Social Evening

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Active Age has now settled into the autumn term for the start of its’ 11th year in action. We now offer 16 different classes and activities with multiples of some due to their popularity. Our membership is now over 300 and given the growth of population in the area we want to prepare ourselves for increased demand for membership and an expansion of subjects on offer. With that in mind the committee thought it would be a good idea to gather the information that we will need going forward. So we would love you to join us for a relaxed and friendly evening in the Shoreline Hotel on Wednesday 11th November from 7 to 10.30pm. The evening is open to all 55+, you do not have to be a member, so if you know someone who would enjoy a lovely evening out do come along. Your voice matters, we want to know what you think we’re doing well, what we could do better, and what you

would like to see in the future. After we have picked your brains we will move on to the social part of the evening with music, chat and light refreshment. Transport will be provided by Leonards Coaches starting at Marsh Lane at 6.30pm, picking up at all bus stops to the Shoreline Hotel with return at 10 .30pm. You can register to attend (we need to have an idea of numbers) with Eventbrite, or email us on www.activeageforall.com to let us know you are coming and we will register you. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Fingal Co Co very much for all the support they give to us at every level be it grant aid, advice or any help we need at the time. Also a big thank you to my hard working committee who do so much behind the scenes to enable out organisation to be the success it is.

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Donabate/Portrane Community Council Community Fund Awards

Donabate/Portrane Community Council were delighted to host a special event in the Shoreline Hotel on Friday 2nd October to present grant cheques from the Community Fund to the successful applicants. The Community Fund arose from a community – mandated agreement with Cairn Homes in 2024; €50,000 has been allocated now with a further €50,000 to follow in 2028. Congratulations to: Donabate Sea Scouts: €10,000, Donabate/Portrane Drama Society €5,000, Donabate SEC €5,000, Donabate/Portrane Summer Festival €5,000, Lambay Cinema Club €5,000, Portrane Hockey Club

€5,000, St Patricks Boys NS €5,000, St Pats GAA €2,500, St Pats Girls GAA €2,500, Lambay Singers €2,500, Tower Bay Swimmers €2,500. These grants recognise the dedication and community spirit of the organisations that make Donabate and Portrane such a good place to live. To our wider community thank you for your support of the Donabate/Portrane Community Council and your understanding that progress takes time, care and constructive co-operation. Finally, thank you to Cairn Homes for their help in administrating the fund.

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Across

1. Knitted jumpers fastening down the front. (9) 6. Adjust a musical instrument to the correct pitch. (5) 9. Symbols of businesses and organisations. (5) 12. Competed with others to see who is fastest. (5) 13. Making practical and effect of. (9) 14. A play for theatre, radio, or television. (5) 15. Make or become better. (7) 16. Severe physical or mental suffering. (7) 18. Country of the Pharaohs. (5) 19. Dishonest schemes, frauds. (5) 21. Declare a marriage to have had no legal existence. (5) 23. Unpleasant or repulsive, especially in appearance. (4) 25. Large neck ring worn by ancient Celts. (4) 27. Lawn game involving hoops and mallets. (7) 29. Something given as a reward to the winners of a competition. (5) 30. Bases for statues. (7) 32. Weapon accountable for the death of Goliath. (5) 33. The fourth planet from the Sun. (4) 34. Precious stones. (4) 35. Grasps tightly. (5) 38. A person who accumulates things beyond reason. (7) 39. A small, simple, single-storey shelter or house. (3) 40. Observer, onlooker. (9) 42. An event regarded as a portent of something to come. (4) 43. To go before to show the way. (4) 45. A miniature representation of something. (5) 47. The other city when Gomorrah is mentioned. (5) 49. Very tired, especially after working hard. (5) 51. Southeast European country, the capital is Tirana. (7) 54. A stupid or careless mistake. (7) 57. The opposite of the zenith. (5) 58. The closed urn hides a rascal. (9) 59. Watch over in order to protect or control. (5) 60. Areas for buildings. (5) 61. A poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead. (5) 62. Profession of Porthos, Athos and Aramis. (9)

Down 1. Welsh ‘dwarf dog.’ (5) 2. State again as a summary. (5) 3. Within a building. (7) 4. Entertain someone. (5) 5. English cheese which cannot be named after the village it got its name from. (7) 6. It is said that God loves one! (5) 7. A sound or sounds, especially when too loud. (5) 8. The faculty of vision. (5) 9. Long-handled spoons with cup-shaped bowls, used for serving soup. (6) 10. A sauce made with meat juices and flour. (5) 11. Roman slave who led a rebellion. (9) 17. An old horse giving out constantly. (3) 19. Dismisses from employment. (5) 20. Detest, loathe. (9) 21. A small insect. (3) 22. A place where a wild animal lives. (4) 23. Ineffectual, futile, good-for-nothing. (7) 24. Runs with a long bounding stride. (5) 26. Deceived by greater ingenuity. (9) 28. Persistently tried to persuade someone to do something. (5) 29. Extremely thirsty. (7) 31. A block of gold. (5) 33. Combine to form a single entity. (5) 36. To go away quickly. (5) 37. The smallest particle of a chemical element that can exist. (4) 38. Deceives or tricks someone. (9) 41. Snake-like fish. (3) 44. Each and every one. (3) 46. A simplified drawing showing the appearance or workings of something. (7) 47. Move goods illegally into a country. (7) 48. Divided Mediterranean country. (6) 50. An official inspection of an organisation’s accounts. (5) 51. A passage between rows of seats in a theatre. (5) 52. Without money. (5) 53. A person, typically a woman, employed to look after a child in its own home. (5) 54. Light sources. (5) 55. A male duck. (5) 56. Ship and plane detecting system. (5)

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