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Communities
In spring, Fingal not only wakes to longer days, but also to the steady rhythm of neighbours at work. The light stretches well into the evening now, and with it comes a shared sense of purpose: summer is on the horizon, and there is much to prepare.
In Balbriggan, volunteers gather along the harbour walls armed with paintbrushes and litter pickers. The sea is calmer, the wind kinder, and laughter carries across the water as benches are sanded and flower boxes fixed into place. Someone brings tea in a flask; someone else arrives with trays of seedlings ready for planting. What looks like simple tidying is something deeper — a quiet declaration that the village matters.
Further inland in Lusk, community groups clear winter debris from green spaces and set about planting beds of colour that will bloom by June. Children trail behind, learning the names of flowers and the value of showing up. Older residents share stories of springs past, reminding everyone that these efforts stitch generations together.
Around the castle grounds of Malahide Castle, volunteers coordinate clean-ups and plan summer festivals. Posters are designed, pathways repaired, hedges trimmed back to reveal historic stonework. The longer daylight hours make it possible; after work, people still have time to give an hour or two before dusk settles.
The importance of this work is not measured only in hanging baskets or swept streets. It is measured in belonging. Visitors will come when the weather brightens, drawn by tidy harbours, vibrant gardens, and welcoming smiles. Local businesses will benefit. Children will grow up knowing that community is something you build with your hands.
By the time summer arrives, Fingal will look effortless in its beauty. But beneath the blossoms and bunting lies spring’s true achievement: neighbours working side by side, shaping places they are proud to call home.
The Locals Team
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Lusk unveils design for its first Urban Park
Community Led Project to Transform Historic Passage into Biodiversity & Food-Growing Hub
A once-forgotten laneway in the heart of Lusk is set to become the town’s first Urban Park, with the design unveiled at a public meeting on Saturday 21st February in the Lusk Cultural Centre.
The Forgotten Laneway Project began over two years ago when local resident Mark Boland envisioned transforming the neglected passage into a vibrant community space. He was soon joined by two other Lusk residents, Colin Browne and Tara Ryan, and together they set about turning the idea into a deliverable project with the help of Fingal County Council.
The laneway itself forms part of Lusk’s layered history. Over the decades it served multiple purposes within the town including its use
by the British Army to access the local remount farm, where horses were trained and prepared for service across the British Empire.
Following the construction of the town’s ring road, the route fell into disuse and gradually became forgotten. Now, it is being reimagined as a future-focused community space.
The project team have worked closely with Fingal County Council community department and were granted a licence for the laneway in 2025. A key element of the initiative is the development of a genuine circular economy model. Food scraps from the adjacent HSE community facility will be converted into nutrient-rich compost and used in the park’s raised growing beds where local families will get to grow food sustainably within their own community. This approach reduces waste, supports soil health and promotes sustainable
growing practices. After extensive consultation and planning, the team secured €52,000 from the Climate Action Fund, which will be used to enhance biodiversity and promote food growing within the new park.
The Climate Action funding also included €12,000 for sustainable lighting for Lusk Athletics, allowing winter training to continue under energy-e icient floodlights. A further €50,000 was secured under the Community Recognition Fund, providing the capital required to start the transformation of the laneway.
With initial funding in place, the group commissioned award winning garden designer Peter Donegan MSGLD to create a design that is inclusive, accessible and biodiversity-rich. The proposed park includes raised growing beds, native planting, pollinator friendly features and community gathering spaces. Accessibility has been central to the
design, ensuring the space can be enjoyed by people of all abilities.
Also, as part of the development, a competition will be launched among local art students in the town of Lusk to design a permanent centrepiece for the new Lusk urban park. A donation of €5,000 from the local Tidy Towns has been allocated to create an installation celebrating their 45 years in Lusk and honouring the extraordinary work of the original committee whose e orts helped shape the town.
The unveiling of the designs was held on the 21st of February in the local Cultural centre in Lusk and gave residents an opportunity to view the design, meet the project team and learn how to become involved. The Forgotten Laneway project team hopes the park will serve not only as a green space, but as a wonderful example of sustainable urban regeneration.
CommunityLocals.ie
Peter Donegan MSGLD Designer & Robert O’Donoghue TD
Colin Browne (Forgotten Laneway) & Tara Ryan (Forgotten Laneway)
Peter Donegan MSGLD (Designer) & Mark Boland (Forgotten Laneway)
Have your say on new Lusk social space
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Commoning invites residents of Lusk to take active part in a series of collaborative design and building sessions to create a small social space for, and by, the town of Lusk.
In this project, all members get to be part of the design. No experience in construction or design is necessary, only a willingness to work with and understand others. Join the group, have a cuppa, and be a part of the future of the town! This is an inclusive project and everyone over 18 is welcome. A small pot of funding from the Arts Council and Create has been secured for the initial “research and development” phase, and there are opportunities for more in the near future.
The project is facilitated by architecture[vb] in collaboration with Lusk Community Council. architecture[vb] is a partnership between two recent architectural graduates, Jamie and Irene. Our work focuses on collaboration, vernacular materials, sustainability, and shared authorship in architecture. We have both worked with or studied Lusk during the course of our education and are now keen to build on that!
Jamie’s thesis, ‘Understanding the Everyday’, included a workshop with community members in Lusk. He now works for an architecture
practice in Dublin that focuses on public architecture. Irene’s recent work includes a collaboration with residents of St Michan’s House in Dublin while specialising in sustainable and vernacular materials, collective ways of building, and permaculture.
The name commoning comes from the Commons - an area of land or resources that belong to and affect a community who manages them collectively. Many of these commons existed in Lusk, as the names of townlands show! commoning builds on this idea and uses ‘bottom-up thinking’ to create something truly by and for the community of Lusk.
Design Sessions: March 28th, April 11th+18th
Prototype Building Sessions: April 25th+26th
Location: Lusk Community Cultural Centre
To let us know about how we can make the sessions more accessible for you or for any questions, please email us at architecture.verb@ gmail.com
This project is funded by the Arts Council Artist in the Community Scheme, managed by Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts.
March is for all the Mammies out there!
“The daffodils are up, the days are getting longer and spring is finally in the air. March is a time for getting out and about again and, very importantly, celebrating the Mammies, Grannies, Mothers-in-law, Step-mums, Aunties and all the wonderful Mother figures in our lives. If you would like to treat a special Mam, here are some of our favourite gift ideas......
You can personalise a gift for her from Wanapix.ie and use code MAMSWANAPIX26 for 10% discount. You can personalise gorgeous tote bags, blankets, makeup bags, calendars, frosted glasses, t-shirts, aprons, goodies & lots more. Delivery is fast and the quality is superb. Mammies (me included) love their products!
Bracken Court Hotel does a gorgeously decadent Afternoon Tea. We treated our Mam to this recently, with Prosecco, and it was so lovely. Their Sunday roasts are also delicious if you want to treat her to dinner on March 15th.
National Concert Hall has great shows and concerts coming up, their gift vouchers are a great gift idea.
Droichead Arts Centre has some wonderful events coming up, perfect for
treating Mam to a night out.
If she likes coffee, Irish brand Artessa Coffee has fab coffee fusions and keep cups. Their bamboo keep cup is brilliant.
Cocoa Brown products make fab gifts - its a glow up in a bottle!
Another Irish brand we love is SoSu, their makeup sets and snazzy nail polishes are stunning.
For beautiful Mothers Day gifts with free gift wrapping, Design Gallery Drogheda is well worth a visit.
A spa trip to Farnham is a gift any Mammy would love; their heated outdoor pool is stunning.
Flormar makeup is affordable and really nice, great for anyone on a budget.
Willow & Wisp Flowers make beautiful wreaths and hand tied bouquets, plus a wide collection of locally made gifts.
Freddy jeans are a firm favourite with mams.ie members and followers. Super comfy and so flattering. See our Freddy. ie competition on mams.ie
And keep an eye on mams.ie & our socials @mams.ireland on FB and @mams.ie on Instagram for more Mother’s Day ideas and competitions!”
Are You Gambling Your Financial Security?
By Dave Kavanagh
In a week where I have arranged pay out of another Serious Illness Cover claim, many people are in the “it’ll never happen to me” group, when it comes to planning for events that could potentially impact finances. Let’s face it, nobody wants to think that anything “bad” will happen to them but the reality is, bad things happen whether we like it or not. The three areas most relevant are, Life Cover, Serious Illness Cover and Income Protection. Of course, we would hope that we are not going to die prematurely, we are not going to get seriously ill and accident or illness will not prevent us from being able to work. Sadly, in this small country of ours, about 6,000 people die each year NOT of natural causes (under age 65), over 43,000 new cancer cases every year (the cause of more than 50% of Serious Illness claims) and the average time off work for an income protection claim is close to 5 years! When I do group talks, I often ask the question whether anyone’s close family or friends have been affected by cancer? I have only ever had one person say “no”. When I ask whether the same close family or friends have ever won the lotto jackpot, not surprisingly, it’s (almost) always “no”. Yet with odds of 10.7 million to 1 to win the lotto jackpot, people spend a relatively
Euromillions and scratch cards etc.) believing and hoping that it will happen to them. The same people have a 1 in 4 chance of being diagnosed with one of the Serious Illnesses covered BEFORE they are 65.
I often see that people have their cars insured, house insured, pets, mobile phones, lap tops and jewellery insured but not themselves! It’s not until one of these events happens that people appreciate the financial loss that is suffered. An important detail is that even if people have cover in place from a few years back, they could well be paying over the odds premium wise or it may no longer be most appropriate. Take the time to check what is most appropriate for your specific circumstances.
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,
Lusk ICA ladies enjoy a winter full of activities
Congratulations to Lusk ICA drama who are very proud to have been awarded the first place for best Sketch “The Big Surprise” written and directed by Anne Smithers in the ICA Wicklow Drama Festival 2026
We made mobiles valentine trinket boxes and surprise crackers.
We had a truly fantastic and insightful morning
at An Grianán Adult Education College. The morning featured an opening address from ICA National President Mary D’Arcy.
We were privileged to hear thought-provoking contributions from:
Anna Ryan from Public Participation Networks
Ejiro Stratton from Hands For Unity
Ivica Milicevic from SOLAS Learning Works
Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, MEP
Alice Doyle of the Irish Farmers’ Association
Katherine O’Leary from the Farmers’ Journal
Siobhán Matthews of Soroptimists
Christine Lodge from Safe Ireland
Mairéad Phelan, ICA National Treasurer and Chartered Engineer
Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, MEP posed with us at the Empowering Women forum in An Grianan.
The ladies love nothing more than their weekly monday brunch in the Belfry Restaurant.
We recently enojoyed a flower arrangment worksop
Lusk Action Group March Update
Local Round Up from last quarter: Coastal Bus Connects Group: On 3rd December, representative members of the communities of Lusk, Rush, Loughshinny and Skerries (Coastal BusConnects Group of which LAG is the Lusk representative) and local TDs Louise O’Reilly TD, Grace Boland FG, (apologies from Robert O’Donoghue TD) and Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee met members of the National Transport Authority and representatives from the Department of Transport to discuss our BusConnects proposal for a continued all day, but improved service to Dublin City Centre. Apologies were made by the Minister for Transport, due to scheduling changes after President Zelensky’s visit. The NTA committed to providing a response in Q1 2026.
Lusk for Life-Lusk Town Regeneration Scheme: In December, the first Town Team meeting with the new community-led committee was held in the Fingal County Council buildings.
Lynne Barker, LAG was elected as the initial Chairperson of the group, and this position will be rotated. Community members currently on the team are Lynne Barker, Brian Arnold, Colin Browne, Frances Byrne and Michael Griffin. Local councillors will also sit on the teamCouncillors Mark Boland, Corina Johnston, Eoghan Dockrell, Cathal Boland and Paul Mulville. The team will be supported by the Town Regeneration Office in Fingal County Council.
The committee also hosted the first Community Forum meeting on 18th February with representatives from a wide section of community groups and businesses attending. Both the Town Team and Community Forum are hugely positive steps towards delivering the Lusk for Life, Town Centre First Plan.
Public Consultation for Proposed Variation to Fingal Development Plan 2023-2029: In January, LAG made a submission to FCC regarding the proposed re-zoning of lands for housing
development on two sites in Lusk for housing. Among the concerns raised included the volume of development in the town in the last two decades and the lack of accompanying amenities to support existing infrastructure.
Date for the diary! The LAG Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, 3rd March in the Cottage Community Centre at 7pm. All are welcome, especially any members of the community who may be interested in joining and getting involved in supporting local projects.
Marie O Sullivan and Fances Devane attended another DAA craft class in ALSAA with Antoinette Rae teacher.
& Events
Lusk AC members keeping busy at home and abroad
The races came thick and fast during February as club members were in action in Dundalk, Trim, Murcia and Donadea as well as cross country and indoor competition. Well done to all and to all the juveniles who participated at the Dublin Spraoi Games in the NIA. It’s not too late to take part in the 40-day 5k challenge and we hope you can join us for the Lusk St Patrick’s Day parade.
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Across
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)
Down
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)
