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Christmas, not just another date on the Calendar
In Fingal, Christmas has never been just a date on the calendar. From Balbriggan to Rus and Lusk to Swords, what makes Christmas truly special here is not the glitter of shopfronts or the bustle of seasonal markets, but the unmistakable sense of community—an unspoken understanding that this is a time to slow down, look around, and appreciate the people who share our little corner of the world.
Throughout Fingal, children rehearse school nativity plays, grandparents share recipes handed down through generations, and neighbours exchange greetings that seem more heartfelt in December’s crisp air. Whether it’s decorating a tree in Donabate, enjoying a winter walk along the Malahide estuary, or sharing a festive meal in Rush, the rhythm of the season reminds us that connection is our greatest gift.
Community groups across Fingal play a vital role in nurturing that spirit. Local sports clubs organise toy drives, parish halls host Christmas fairs, and volunteers ensure that those who might otherwise feel forgotten are welcomed into the fold. These efforts, often quiet and unseen, are the true heartbeat of the season. They shine a light on the generosity that defines Fingal—people showing up for one another not because it is expected, but because it is who we are.
In a world that often feels hurried and divided, Fingal’s Christmas traditions remind us that belonging is built through small acts of kindness and shared moments—carols sung in the town, a thoughtful knock on a neighbour’s door, a warm drink after a cold evening supporting a local event.
As we gather with loved ones and celebrate the season, let us hold onto what Christmas teaches us every year: that our community is strongest when we celebrate together, support one another, and make space at the table for all.
May this Christmas bring peace to your home, joy to your family, and renewed pride in the community we are fortunate to call our own.
The Locals Team
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Happy Christmas from the Men’s Shed
Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed activities will continue through the run-up to the forthcoming festive season. We have our music practice most Mondays, croquet at Newbridge House on Tuesdays, weather permitting and our regular get-togethers for tea or coffee and a chat on Thursday mornings at the Scouts’ Den on the Portrane Road. Our plots at Turvey allotments have been winterised but some work continues in the polytunnel. So, if you, or someone dear to you, would like to join us, please call Jim, our PRO, on 086-3694316.
Last month we had a fascinating tour of Dublin Castle; hopefully we’ll have photos of that for next month’s edition. Our annual dinner will be held in Keeling’s on 5th December, where we’re sure of a great singing session.
Gerry and the Plonkers have been busier than ever, with three gigs
last month for Lusk ICA, Donabate Memory Café and for International Men’s Health Week. This last event, organised by the Dublin Men’s Sheds, was held in Donabate Portrane Community Centre, with Jim Hawkins as MC and the Mayor of Fingal, Tom O’Leary and local councillors Eoghan Dockrell and Corina Johnston in attendance. Paul Fleming, a movement and yoga coach, spoke about the need to keep active and demonstrated several simple exercises. John spoke to us about his personal experiences of addiction and suicide ideation. His message was simple: it takes bravery to ask for help! Eric Lawlor, a comedian, and the Plonkers provided the entertainment.
Donabate Portrane Men’s Shed wishes a Happy Christmas to all our members and to our community for all their support over the past year.
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Plonkers at Lusk ICA event
Plonkers at International Men_s Health Week event
Paul Fleming demonstating stretching exercise
How To Reduce Your December Spending?
By Dave Kavanagh
Traditionally, December is when we tend to spend the most. Is there a way to soften the impact? Of course there is. Firstly, manage expectations: Most people can’t remember what they got 2 years ago, so don’t put yourself under too much pressure for “big” presents. Next, leave the credit card at home: At about 20% interest, adding debt for things you don’t need to overspend on, only starts the new year off in a negative. Be realistic with food shopping: The shops are only closed for 1-2 days, do you really need to stock up so much? In the days/weeks after Christmas, make a list of all the things you bought but didn’t really need or through out, and keep it for next year, so you don’t repeat the same mistakes. Kris Kindle: Talk to family and close friends to agree to pick one person and buy them a present for a set limit, to ease the burden. There are things you can also do all year round that can save you enough to cover the cost of Christmas: Switch utility providers, the savings can be quite substantial. Compare before you shop for larger items: Just because one store has a sign saying the fridge you want is reduced from €799 to €699, doesn’t mean that another store that does not have a sale on, isn’t selling the same fridge for €649. Take the time to shop around when your car or house insurance
renewals come in, it can be well worth the effort. Review premiums that you pay regularly, such as mortgage protection or life cover, especially if they were taken out directly with a bank who could not compare. Finally, go through a few months’ bank statements: we regularly find people paying for things like subscriptions or gym memberships, that should have been cancelled years before or that they simply no longer require.
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 @Davekav_ advice on Twitter and Instagram. 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, LMFM and TV3.
Johnston calls for Dedicated Youth Services Centre to be prioritised
Johnston said: “Since elected I have been raising the need for dedicated youth services in Donabate and have been working with Crosscare youth services for the provision of such services. Donabate has a very young population with 31% of the population under 19 years of age (census 2022). This will continue to grow with so many young families moving into the area.
A recent UNICEF report found that Irish teenagers have among the lowest life satisfaction scores in highincome countries, despite excelling academically with nearly one in three 15-year-olds reporting low life satisfaction research commissioned by the Department of Children and Youth, published last year, found play and recreation amenities for adolescents are under-resourced and under-facilitated.
Johnston continued; “Our young people have no dedicated indoor space. Many are bored with nothing to do but hang around which can lead to anti social behaviour. The Minister for Justice recently confirmed in a response to Duncan Smith TD that 22 youths have been referred to youth services from Donabate in the last year.
A dedicated youth services centre can provide Youth Cafes & Group Education, Training and Employment Support, Life Coaching, Counselling Services, Summer Programmes, Mental Health and Well Being Programmes, Drug and Alcohol Awareness, Film , Photography, Performing Arts as well as a drop in space with a music and games room, snooker table, kitchen area, chill out space with support from fully qualified youth workers.”
Johnston added ;”In response to a recent question raised with the Minister of Education and Youth on this matter the Minister confirmed that supporting the provision of youth services is a priority for her department and that she is committed to developing and implementing a policy for youth spaces at local level with an action plan currently being worked upon.”
Johnston concluded; ”The young people of Donabate cannot wait for plan after plan to be published with no action. A dedicated youth services centre must be provided as a matter of urgency. Early intervention is vital. It’s the very least our young people deserve. I will continue to pursue this very important matter.”
5.9%
Peninsula Pacers Walk the ‘Jacko’
On a beautiful Saturday morning in November a group of 12 from the Peninsula Pacers met at Rivervalley Community Centre to walk the ‘Jacko’ in the Ward valley. It was organised by Rosaleen O’Reilly, one of our members who lives in the area. She brought along friends Dominic and Margaret to share some of the interesting history of the area.
We set off by the very busy sports pitches
and it was great to see so many youngsters out training and playing games. Along our route, led by Dominic, he pointed out some of the local landmarks so we could get our bearings and we marvelled the fact that we were so secluded in nature yet in the middle of a busy urban area.
Our route took us to the Knocksedan bridge, a historic meeting spot for volunteers of the 1916 rising, passing the old mill race on the way. The
mill race once provided power to run a flour mill and a saw mill but went out of use when steam and electricity took over.
After nearly two hours of pleasant walking along the Ward river in the lovely autumnal woods we all arrived at Peacocks restaurant for a very welcome drink and some lunch. A lovely day enjoyed by all.
Commnuity News
Active Age for All Celebrate 10th Anniversary
Oh, what a night it was on Friday 24th October 2025 in the Shoreline Hotel, Donabate. It was the 10th anniversary party for Active Age for All on the peninsula and we celebrated in style!
About 100 gathered that evening including some of the original committee who got the whole movement going along with much help from Fingal Co. Co. and Donabate/Portrane Community Centre. There were Peig McManus (first chairperson), Brid Hayes, Willie Cahill and Chrissy Ivory from the 1st committee, Louise Edmonds and Janette from Fingal Co Co and Jacinta Lowndes and Sandra Matthews from the Community Centre, all of whom have been, and continue to be, helpful and supportive in any way they can. Unfortunately some of the original committee were unable to attend, they are Eilish McDermott (Vice Chair), Breda Dockrell (Secretary), Miriam Scully (Treasurer), Mary O’Connor (Asst Treasurer) and Edie Keeley (Activities Organiser)
Music was provided by the Men’s Shed group ‘Gerry & the Plonkers’ and
boy did they entertain us! With music suited to the audiences’ generation we danced and sang the night away. Leonards Coaches provided the transport and on request Decci Leonard was happy to delay the home run as people were having so much fun!
The Shoreline Hotel looked after us so well from planning to party, and the dinner was delicious, a big thank you from all of us. Thanks also to Mary McKenna from the AAfA camera club who set up a slide show of AAfA photos which provided a lot of trips down memory lane.
Many thanks are due to our generous sponsors whose help went a long way to our having a truly memorable anniversary party, they are: Shoreline Hotel, Cairn Homes, Donabate/Portrane Community Centre, Glenveagh, SuperValu and Ganson.
All in all, we all had a wonderful evening with a strong sense of community that bodes well for the ongoing success of Active Age for All.
Parish Hall Party
Donabate Parish Hall Party for all adults takes place on Wednesday 3rd December, from 12 - 2pm Gerry & the Plonkers with Social Dancing & Singing Favourites - Light Refreshments. Come & get into the Christmas spirit… ALL welcome to listen or join in – Free event Sponsored by the Parish Hall! Please join us for a fun filled few hours!
Then on Saturday 6th December: Santa Claus & Christmas Fair & Turning on the Lights takes place at The Parish Hall & St Patrick’s Church - not to be missed - Santa Claus & Mrs Claus will be waiting on you this Saturday!
Round up of the year! Over the year the daily classes have been taking place and are running great there are also block events like the Donabate & Portrane Dramatic Society who put on two great plays, the AAfA & Through the Lens Photography Group who put on an amazing photo
exhibition, Marese’s Art Exhibition celebrating local art, Gerry & the Plonkers played for the adults of the Parish to enjoy social music, singing & dancing occasions, & the Bleeding Pig Cultural Festival holding many events over the year. A MusicFest was also held in June - where Peninsula Voices did an amazing fundraiser for Gaza, Festival in a Van & Music Makers & Leithinis CCÉ and Brendan Begley took part over the weekend. A highlight of the year was the Parish Hall hosting Kieran Hanrahan’s final Céile House in a special location before his retirement.
To all of our users we thank you and to you our growing community we wish you a very happy & healthy Christmas.
If you have any queries or requests, please do not hesitate to contact the Parish Office in the mornings on 01-8434574
Make this Christmas even more special by buying Irish
When Christmas shopping this year, please Buy Irish. Remember that Amazon or Shein won’t sponsor your kids jerseys, it’s local businesses who support local communities! Here are some of our fave products….
Love candles? Rathbornes1488 in Dublin are the oldest candle makers in the world! They make beautiful candles in incredible scents, fab for creating ambience and gifting.
MyKindOfDress.com has fabulous party dresses. If you’re a jeans and nice top kinda gal, use code “mumstown20” for 20% off Freddy Jeans!
Looking for a Christmas party venue? Bracken Court has fab party night & festive afternoon tea options.
The Gem Treatery vouchers are ideal for gifting teachers who love a coffee run; or anyone who loves ice-cream, sambos and crepes!
Farnham Estate festive packages are wonderful for Christmas mini breaks and they have Santa and Afternoon tea and lots on.
www.wanapix.ie has personalised calendars, mugs, glasses, mouse mats, tote bags, makeup bags and loads more. Use code MAMSWANAPIX for 15% off!
For winter days out, Avondale Tree Top walk, Smurfs Village and Skypark Adventure Lights are stunning. While National Concert Hall and Casino Model Railway Museum Polar Express are great indoor events.
Ilac SC has great shopping with LFC store, Stitch-a-Name, Lovisa, Smiggle, Normal, Hoco, Dunnes and Santa’s Magical Cabin! Interactive and fun, see www.santaexperience.ie and also check them out at Kilnamangh, Dublin 24
For coffee lovers, Irish brand Artessa fusion blends, in ground coffee or beans, are delicious gifts.
Nutrgove SC has free parking and lots of stores including Penneys and Regatta and a fab Santa Claus too!
Hampers & Co. huge range of hampers come in
gorgeous boxes, so no need to wrap. Irish, clever and easy – love them!
Elave Skincare is a fantastic Irish brand for all skin types with gift sets for baby, junior and adults - all made in Dundalk.
Glimmerboxes are a Glimmer of happiness in a box. We love the Gamer, Brighter Days Ahead & Christmas boxes.
Chocolate Garden has lovely Hot Chocolate tins, perfect for treating hot chocolate fans and their chocolate is Gluten free too.. Mienas Nougat is a wonderful handmade brand and a great stocking filler.
Tipperary Crystal have fab bags, jewellery and lots of offers on their Christmas range. Design Gallery in Drogheda is a treasure trove of gifts with free gift-wrapping service. Willow & Wisp Mornington has gorgeous locally made gifts, like Shelley’s Driftwood.
Follow us on @mams.ie & @mams.ireland on FB for our festive competitions!
CommunityLocals.ie
The Running Man (2025) – A HighOctane, Messy Thriller
By Jack Shanley
Edgar Wright’s take on The Running Man is less of a remake of the campy Arnold Schwarzenegger film and more of a gritty, modern adaptation of the original Stephen King novel. Starring Glen Powell as Ben Richards, the blue-collar man desperate enough to volunteer for a lethal, televised hunt, the film is a non-stop, kinetic thriller that often feels uncomfortably timely.
From the first frame, Wright brings his signature visual energy. The pace is absolutely frantic, rarely giving you a moment to catch your breath as Richards is chased across a dystopian, corporately-controlled America. This isn’t just a staged arena game; it’s a cross-country chase broadcast as primetime entertainment, complete with high-tech surveillance and a bloodthirsty viewing public. The action sequences are inventive and sharp, and the movie is powered entirely by Glen Powell’s performance.
Powell plays Richards not as a wisecracking action star, but as a man consumed by justifiable, seething anger. He’s running to get medicine for his sick daughter and railing against a system of extreme wealth inequality and broken healthcare. This is where the film feels strongest: its dystopian 2025 is less sci-fi fantasy and more “uncomfortably familiar” social commentary. It’s a world where propaganda and “FreeVee” reality shows are used to placate a miserable working class, and the film does a solid job of highlighting this critique.
However, the sheer speed of the film is also its biggest flaw. The constant movement leaves many of the supporting characters Richards encounters feeling underdeveloped or quickly forgotten. They’re colorful plot devices rather than fully fleshed-out people, which dilutes some of the emotional weight.
The biggest stumbling block is the final act. After establishing such a tight, brutal, and cynical world, the ending feels strangely Hollywood-ized. It’s too neat and lacks the dark, uncompromising bite that Stephen King’s novel delivered. It struggles to commit fully to either being a purely biting satire or an all-out action flick, landing somewhere in the middle.
I’d recommend checking out ‘The Running Man’ and see what you think of it; I shall give it a score of 3 and ½ stars, after my first watch. You can watch it at your local cinema today: Director: Edgar Wright– Rating: 15A –Genre: Sci-fi/Adventure – Run Time: 2h 13m Language: English. For more film content please follow @movies4fanatics on Instagram.
A bygone Christmas
By Jon Kavanagh
A childhood memory finds me awakening on a dark winter’s morning. Using my powers of deduction I concluded aloud ‘It won’t be long now till Santy comes’. Not a proclamation my mother wanted to hear as she struggled to boil the black kettle on the open fire, the only means of cooking in the time warp gate lodge where we lived. It may have been the Swinging Sixties but the decade of change had yet to pitch its tent in rural Fingal. A fellow Baby Boomer recently reminded me of how we looked forward to simple treats like a bottle of brown sauce at Christmas. Things we take for granted today were luxuries back then. The centerpiece of the season was my mother’s plum pudding, which she bought in instalments starting around midSeptember; week one a packet of raisins, week two a tub of mixed peal, week three a bag of brown sugar etc. The highlight of my year was scraping and consuming what remained in the mixing bowl after she placed the great load into a calico cloth. As the ingredients included a bottle of stout and a generous
helping of whiskey, I’m lucky not to have been charged drunk driving on my tricycle. Tension and steam filled the kitchen as the pudding was carefully place in an iron pot for eight hours of intensive care. It was crucial not to let the water go off the boil as the pudding would ‘take the water’ – a widely feared disaster. We would buy a Christmas cake in the local shop. Beautifully presented in a decorated cardboard box, it had thick layers of almond and white icing topped off with a toy Santa. Long before loyalty cards were invented, the shop keeper would give his customers a Christmas present; usually an Oxford Lunch Cake or a nice canister of tea.
My father decorated the tiny lodge with a string of brightly coloured balloons and sprigs of ivy as my mother proudly placed a new length of oil cloth on the rustic kitchen table. On Christmas Day we sat down to hearty meal of meat, two veg and packet oxtail soup, rounded off with the plum pudding, which thankfully didn’t ‘take the water’. Simple times we appreciated. Happy Christmas.
Councillors approve budget of €433m for 2026
Councillors have approved Fingal County Council’s budget of €433 million for 2026 which will sustain and enhance the quality of services being delivered as well as increasing funding for infrastructure projects across the county.
The 2026 budget is an 11.4% increase on last year and means the Council’s budget has more than doubled over the past 10 years from €214m in 2016. The Council is now spending €1,311 per person living in the county.
The new budget will see increases in some income streams that have not experienced rises for some years despite the Council’s expenditure more than doubling.
Commercial Rates, which amount to 40% of the overall income for 2026, will see an increase of 4% in the Annual Rateable Valuation to 0.1868. The Housing budget has increased by €24m to €159.8m and while funding for housing grants has increased by €2.5m to €9.4m while the Council’s contribution to the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive has increased by €1.25m to €5.3m.
There is an increase of €3.5m in the Operations budget which will include extra spending on road maintenance, public lighting, parks, playgrounds, recycling centres, harbours, public conveniences and burial grounds. The budget also provides for an additional €500,000 allocation to the annual programme of works with the full €3.08m works programme being brought to each Area Committee in January for approval by councillors.
An additional €600,000 has been provided towards the funding requirement for the delivery of a swimming pool in Balbriggan. The sports budget also includes sports capital grants of €975,000.
An extra €430,000 has been allocated for the development of arts in the County while there is an increase of €588,000 for events, tourism promotion and heritage properties. The Community budget includes an additional €590,000. This will provide additional funding for community grants as well as funding for the operation of the new community centre in
Baldoyle.
Fingal’s contribution to the running of the Dublin Fire Service will be €27.3m, an increase of €1.5m on 2025, with the remainder of the €139m it will cost to fund the service in 2026 being covered by contributions from the other three Dublin local authorities.
At the Council meeting in July councillors voted to reduce the rate of Local Property Tax by 5% for 2026 while in October they approved a three-year Capital programme containing over three hundred projects worth €1.43billion.
The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Tom O’Leary, said: “This record budget of €433m is the equivalent of the Council spending €1,311 for every person living in the county. Along with our €1.43billion Capital Programme, the budget is reflective of the huge amount of investment required to keep pace with Fingal’s growing population. We have to keep supplying services, building houses, and delivering infrastructure because we want to build a county that is meeting the needs of its residents.”
CommunityLocals.ie
Warm Christmas wishes from LSA
Many thanks to all the Donabate and Portrane community for their support in our Four Mile Road Race in November. The race was a great success with over five hundred adults and almost one hundred young people taking part. A big thanks to our organising committee and the almost one hundred club members who volunteered to make it such a success. Even the weather was kind on the day.
LSA trains throughout the year. We are a community based club, made up of volunteers. Our Juveniles train at the Hockey Pitch on the Beaverstown Road on Thursdays and our adult groups train on various days during the week. If you would like to get involved please contact us: For adult memberships queries: lambaysportsathletics@gmail.com and for little Athletics and Juvenile athletes (7-18) : lsajuvenilereg@gmail.com
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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 the 16th of this month. The first correct entry to be drawnwill win €50..Good luck
Across
1. A place of refuge from danger or hardship. (6)
5. A poor densely populated city district. (6)
10. Landlocked Central European country. (7)
11. Even more absurd. (7)
12. A metal piece of money. (4)
13. North and South country. (5)
15. Oven for a potter. (4)
17. A short day to be married. (3)
19. Substance which separates milk into solids and liquids. (6)
21. Great birds of prey. (6)
22. Quickly, speedily. (7)
23. Woven container with handles. (6)
25. Lacking physical strength or vitality. (6)
28. A state of matter. (3)
30. Dry like a desert. (4)
31. Slippers with no fitting around the heel. (5)
32. Popular Indonesian island. (4)
35. Just the place for sport and concerts. (7)
36. Trace the shape, as of bodies at crime scenes. (7)
37. No longer frozen solid. (6)
38. Change for the worse. (6)
SUDOKU ANSWERS
Down
2. A meeting of musicians. (7)
3. Boisterous songbird. (4)
4. A field where grass is grown to be made into hay. (6)
5. Breathed noisily, as if exhausted. (6)
6. Long fish. (4)
7. A pursuit of little importance. (7)
8. Craned at the performer. (6)
9. Swimwear for men. (6)
14. A performance of music especially by a soloist. (7)
16. A cap for the French. (5)
18. A hen kept for her eggs. (5)
20. A cheap and vulgar item. (3)
21. A mischievous fairy. (3)
23. Slowly cook food with a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pan. (6)
24. Vegetable mistakenly known for iron content. (7)
26. The sort of exercise that sets you up for the day. (7)
27. Expelled from your own country. (6)
28. Treated with adhesive, like an envelope. (6)
29. A good with faults, usually sold at a reduced price. (6)
33. A personal belief not based on proof. (4)
34. Flower supporter. (4)
