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Volume 4 Issue 2 - March 2020

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Local News

Active Age for All - Give it a Go! Are you 55+ or newly retired? Do you want an opportunity to try out some new activities? We are having an open day in the Sports Hall in the Community Centre from 3.00 – 5.00 on Thursday 12th March. It is open to all members, and anyone who would like to see, or try out some of the activities that we run. We particularly want to launch our new Table Tennis Table that was sponsored by our local Progressive Credit Union and also Fingal County Council.All people who fit the bill are more than welcome to come and try all these activities –Table Tennis, Indoor Bowls, Pickleball (pickleball is particularly good if you have played tennis or badminton and want an activity for the winter months).You need no previous experience or expertise - it is just a fun event for everyone. There will be leaders there to help on the day… just wear loose clothing and runners with non marking soles. This is a FREE event and your chance to take up a NEW activity and meet NEW people. Just show up – no need to book.We look forward to seeing you ALL there on the day. Any queries please contact activeageforall@ gmail.com or Text only to 086 88068708.

Adrian Henchy- Coastal Erosion update Recently in County Hall Swords in the offices of the Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, a very important, comprehensive and robust meeting took place to finally once and for all come up with a credible and sustainable plan to address the rapid level of Coastal Erosion that we have all been living with and seeing along the Portrane coastline. At the meeting we finally got to see the long awaited and much anticipated report from RPS Consultants who were tasked with the specific purpose of assessing and coming up with recommendations to address coastal erosion, provide a flood risk assessment and what flood defence options would they recommend from the assessment. They said since 2014 750,000 cubic meters of sand has been lost along the Portrane Coastline and from 1970 to today the Portrane coastline eroded by between 40 -50 meters.RPS came up with a specific proposal for Portrane involvng the installation of “Sea Groynes” all along Burrow Beach and the re-nourishment of sand on the beach of Portrane by importing sand from appropriate locations and 4

DONABATE LOCAL-MARCH 2020

the building of flood defences along the Portrane Coastline.The overall estimated cost of the proposal is between 15-16 million euro. Both the Office of Public Works (OPW) and National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) are fully briefed and in agreement with this proposal once it gets through both the environmental assessment process (EPA) and the planning process with An Bord Pleanala. While the planning application is been prepared, it is proposed as a interim emergency solution to further extend the SeaBees at Portrane Beach towards the Rogerstown Estuary and to further reinforce the area at the corner of Seaview Park and Portrane Green to protect the important road network.It was also agreed at the meeting to hold a public meeting soon for the residents of Portrane which will be attended by RPS consultants. It is now up to everyone to fully get behind this proposal which is a very significant investment but absolutely needs to happen in order to protect and enhance the wonderful community of Portrane.

Finance

Our New Year and a new financial outlook By Dave Kavanagh So, March 2020. The time when many “New year, new me” changes may have faded into memory. So many great intentions of life improvements were planned, The reality is, for many, these events occur, whether or not you have planned for them. There are 40,000 new cancer cases diag-nosed in Ireland every year, and yet many still think “it’ll never happen to me”. If any of these type of events would cause a financial loss to you or those dependent on you, making some time to at least establish what options are available, is the least you should consider. There are so many other benefits to reviewing your finances, not least of which, it can leave you with more money! Two of the tips I constantly tell people is to examine 3 months’ bank statements and to do a monthly spending exercise. Going through the bank statements can help identify things that maybe you should no longer be paying for, or

that you are duplicating. Keeping a spending diary for a month will give you a clear picture of detailed outgoings, allowing you to identify spending that you could possibly do more efficiently and permit you to make any changes necessary. The end result of making the time for such an important topic, will not only usually leave you better off financially, but put you more in control of your finances, thereby reducing the stress/anxiety often associated with money. Dave Kavanagh QFA has been advising people financially for over 25 years. For quotes or information (with no cost or obligation) he can be contacted by emailing info@financialcompanion.ie or use the contact form on www. financialcompanion.ie or phone 087-6414570. Combined with his previous role of gym/nutrition adviser, he regularly gives talks and workshops at seminars and events for groups, companies and government departments on financial wellbeing, positivity and motivation. As heard on RTE 2FM and TV3.

Fingal St. Patrick's Day Parades Preparations for St. Patrick’s Day this year are underway with seven parades organised across the county with Malahide set to host their first parade. The parades will yet again be lively celebrations of all things Irish and a fun day out for everyone.Over 100,000 residents are expected to attend the parades, over 15,000 people will participate alongside up to 1,000 community organisations and businesses in the parades. This will be a huge boost to local economies as thousands of people will be packing the streets to enjoy the day.Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Eoghan O’Brien said: “St. Patrick’s Day is a significant cultural event each year and the parades allow Fingal residents to celebrate it in their own communities. The parades are an opportunity for residents to see and engage with local community groups and businesses in their area. I look forward to attending the parades in Fingal and seeing all the diverse and creative floats this year. I would particularly like to welcome the addition of Malahide to the Fingal St Patrick’s calendar.”The history of Balbriggan will be front

and centre in their parade this year with the theme being the ‘Sacking of Balbriggan’, which took place a hundred years ago. Fingal County Council operates the three parades in Swords, Balbriggan and Blanchardstown while financially and operationally supporting all seven parades. Davis Events have been again engaged by Fingal County Council to deliver the 2020 parades.The Mayor of Fingal will be attending the parades in Swords, Malahide and Balbriggan this year with the Deputy Mayor attending the parade in Blanchardstown.AnnMarie Farrelly, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, added: “The Malahide community will be hosting their own St. Patrick Day’s Parade this year. Fingal County Council is delighted to be supporting this parade and all the other community-led parades in the county. The Fingal Events team works to organise parades that are an entertaining and inclusive cultural celebration.”

DONABATE LOCAL-MARCH 2020

Local News

‘Through the Lens’, Donabate/ Portrane Photography Club

Donabate Library Events for early March 2020 Contact us at Ph. 01-8905609 Email: donabate.library@fingal.ie

Spring is a time of renewal and growth. What better time of year to try or learn something new? You’ll find something to interest you in our Fingal Libraries Spring brochure, which covers events in all Fingal libraries: Engineers Week: e2 Young Engineers Ireland Tuesday 3rdMarch: 3.30 – 4.30pm The main idea of Young Engineers Bricks Challenge is learning the subjects through stories and demonstrations. The highlight of each lesson is the building stage of a model that demonstrates the lesson’s subject using LEGO® bricks and Technic LEGO®. Suitable for children aged 6 – 12 years. Booking essential. TTRS (Touch-Type Read and Spell) TTRS (Touch-Type Read and 6

DONABATE LOCAL-MARCH 2020

Spell) is a web-based program that offers not only typing but general literacy support for children and adults (approx. ages 6+). The software is web-based, so patrons can access it at their own pace and in their chosen location. New users of the system need to register in the library.

‘Through the Lens’, Donabate/ Portrane Photography Club, is now into its second year and looks forward to building on the good foundation developed last year.During the year we had guest speakers to several meetings; went on a few photo-shoot outings ( one example being an evening trip to Temple Bar for night/street photography); and we produced a 2020 calendar of local scenes to raise funds.Meetings are held every second Monday in Donabate Golf Club from 7.30 to 9.30pm. Membership is open to anyone over the age of 18 and the annual fee is €50 which includes pavilion membership in the golf club. You don’t need to be an expert, or indeed know anything at all about photography, to join. We’re all here to enjoy learning how to take better pictures, and how to manage them. As ‘homework’ for each meeting we choose a topic, eg: clouds or flowers, to encourage our members to get out, use their cameras or phones, plus employ all sorts of cunning and imagination with their pictures ! If you are interested in joining or would like further information please contact: 0896104996, or email: info@ throughthelens.ie

Donababate Portrane Mens Shed Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed meets in the Scout Den on Portrane Road every Thursday 10am to noon for tea/coffee and a chat. We have a memberled exercise programme on Mondays from 10:30am to 11:30am. Other activities include table tennis, darts, tending our allotment and outings of interest to members. We’re looking at opening on other days depending on interest. Membership is only €20 per year and €3 for each day’s attendance. All are welcome.

The Parent & Toddler Group meets in the library on Tuesday morning at 10.30am. Drop in and meet with other parents & toddlers. The Crafting Circle meets every Thursday in the library at 11.00am - everyone is welcome to join. Just bring along whatever craft you are working on! The Chinkwell Adult Creative Writing Group meets every second Saturday in the Library, 11am – 1pm. Contact us: communitylocalseditor@gmail.com

DONABATE LOCAL-MARCH 2020

Local News

Donabate Community Council Meets Council Boss The Chief Executive of Fingal County Council was told that Donabate is an area under huge pressure, and she was called on to invest more in infrastructure on the peninsula. It was also stated that residents of the area also want greater public consultation on how the peninsula develops.The Community Council pressed its case to have full, open public participation on the putting together of an Urban Framework Plan for Donabate. The community council secured a commitment that every address on the peninsula will have a leaflet delivered outlining what is in is in the Urban Framework Plan, with a

council email included so people can participate.Ms Farrelly was told that a packed public meeting in the town voted overwhelmingly to have full participation, rather than the inviteonly, limited participation process the county council is pursuing. Donabate and Portrane are bedevilled by chronic infrastructural deficits, council chief executive AnnMarie Farrelly and her senior team were told the peninsula is experiencing a massive housing development spurt, but the infrastructure is not following. Also the soon-to-open distributor road is too small to cater for traffic volumes, there is a shortage of school places, and water and electricity supplies are

constantly interrupted.Even when the new road opens there will still only be one road in, and one road out of the peninsula. And there will be no direct link, via a previously planned spur, to the M1.Donabate Portrane Community Council was pleased that Ms Farrelly agreed to the council carrying out a traffic management survey for the entire peninsula.Traffic chaos is a constant feature of the area, and trains are groaning with the numbers on them. Ms Farrelly was told Donabate Portrane Community Council had to take it on itself to get an Eirbus/ Fingal Express service for the peninsula.

There is a chronic shortage of crĂ¨che places as development is happening faster than services can be supplied, and planning applications are being allowed with severely limited open spaces. Questions were also asked by the community council as to why the public was not consulted on the plans for up to 1,200 houses on council-owned land at Ballymastone, unlike a similar situation in Castlelands in Balbriggan. Donabate Portrane Community Council told the chief executive it was most grateful to be afforded a chance to air its views, and sought additional meetings.

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 16TH OF THE MONTH PRIOR TO PUBLICATION ** Thank you.

CROSSWORD COMPETITION WINNER Congratulations!! Sean McManus

Balruddery Wood Balrothery, County Dublin YOU ARE LAST MONTHS COMPETITION WINNER HIDDEN WORD WAS: Lissenhall

DONABATE LOCAL-MARCH 2020

Healt

Home Cook Recipes

Shakshuka Tasty at Any Time Of Day The fantastic thing about this dish is that the ingredients are so flexible. You could add beans or chickpeas for further protein and fibre or as a vegan option instead of the eggs. Any vegetables can be added and the more variety, the more colourful it will be. Even spices can be added and adjusted to suit individual taste preferences. It’s a great dish to cook in a batch and it’s all in one pan which means less washing up! Ingredients: • • •

1 red onion 2 cloves garlic 2 different coloured peppers

• • • • • •

180g spinach 2 tins chopped tomatoes 4 eggs 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp chilli flakes Method:

1. Soften the onion, garlic and spices in a pan for 5minutes. 2. Add chopped peppers and tins of chopped tomatoes. 3. Place the lid on the pan and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes to reduce the sauce. 4. Make 4 wells in the mixture in the pan

and crack an egg into each. Allow the eggs to cook for 6-8mins depending on how well cooked you like your eggs! 5. Serve up with some nice bread if you like for a satisfying and tasty breakfast, brunch or at any time of the day! For workplace, preschool, primary and secondary school or community group talks and workshops, please email: niamh@ biabites.net See my ‘Fun food’ and ‘Recipes’ albums on ‘Biabites’ Facebook for other food ideas.

DONABATE LOCAL-MARCH 2020

WIN €50 !!! WIN €50 !!! WIN €50 !!! WIN €50 !!! This is easy… we are offering you the chance to win €50. All you have to do is correctly fill in the crossword and discover the name of an area in Fingal spelt out in the coloured squares. Then send the completed crossword and your answer by email, with your name, address and telephone number to communitylocals@ gmail.com before 5pm on March 16. The first correct entry to be drawnwill win €50..Good luck

DONABATE LOCAL-MARCH 2020

Down

1. An acknowledgement of appreciation. (6) 5. Not feeling secure, anxious. (6) 10. The metered Greek goddess of fertility. (7) 11. Leaning like a damaged ship. (7) 12. A person known for taking advantage of others. (4) 13. Device for finding aircraft. (5) 15. The lowest female singing voice. (4) 17. Skedaddle hides a parent! (3) 19. Takes samples of several dishes. (6) 21. A down-market violin. (6) 22. Seaside places. (7) 23. Rectangle with four equal sides. (6) 25. A period of ten years. (6) 28. Essential for writing. (3) 30. Smell like Magillicuddy.. (4) 31. One of God’s attendants. (5) 32. A mark made by dirt. (4) 35. Sharply exact and accurate. (7) 36. Part of a cake. (7) 37. The upward route on a mountain. (6) 38. Stand up against someone or something. (6)

2. Small villages straight out of Shakespeare. (7) 3. Military alliance of some European states. (4) 4. Drapes hide a sandwich filler. (6) 5. Put your material on the Internet. (6) 6. Primary compass direction. (4) 7. There’s no point in crying over this milk. (7) 8. Alter equipment for accuracy and effectiveness. (6) 9. Refuse to notice. (6) 14. Getting involved with the music. (7) 16. It’s a black and white animal. (5) 18. Gets annoyed like Tim Finnegan. (5) 20. Perceive the bishop’s seat. (3) 21. Provided food. (3) 23. Leather bands for binding things together. (6) 24. Of no help whatsoever. (7) 26. Puts into service. (7) 27. Stretch out and forward, like a limb. (6) 28. Very small creature. (6) 29. Someone in charge of a building, grounds or animals. (6) 33. Alcoholic beverage. (4) 34. Popular subject at UCD. (4)

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