👋 Hi FingalEMers,

We hope you are managing to stay cool out there, because Fingal East seems to be collectively melting this week. If you are looking for something to do once the sun eases off, we have a packed weekend edition for you, with local news, a lovely new Fingal Libraries pen-pal project, a look at the restored heritage glasshouses at Newbridge Demesne, our featured event at Swords Castle, and a full Friday-to-Sunday events calendar.

We also have a lovely giveaway this week. Sharon from Soluna Sound & Movement, whose Sound Bath at The Chapel in Swords Castle is our featured event, has kindly provided a pair of tickets for Sunday July 12th from 12pm to 1:30pm. If you would like to be entered into the draw, just click the giveaway option in the poll below before midnight on Thursday. We will pick one winner from the entries and contact them directly.

And finally, we finish this edition with one of those Fingal East stories we just love — Dr David Hickey from Portmarnock, whose remarkable life has taken him from Dublin GAA glory to rugby in France and then on to life-changing work as one of Ireland’s leading transplant surgeons.

By selecting Yes, enter me, you will be entered into our draw for two tickets to the Soluna Sound Bath at The Chapel, Swords Castle on Sunday July 12th from 12pm to 1:30pm. One winner will be selected at random from valid entries. We will only use your newsletter email address to contact you if you win.

🛋️✨ This week’s sponsor: Jaqi, Malahide

A lovely addition for anyone locally who enjoys interiors, design, or simply having a browse somewhere a little different. Irish interiors brand Jaqi has opened a new shop and studio in Malahide, bringing its considered approach to furniture, lighting, artwork, vintage pieces and lifestyle objects closer to home.

Jaqi was founded by interior designer Jackie Tracey and already has a Dublin city space at Charlemont Square. The new Malahide opening gives local readers another place to discover the brand, which combines a curated retail collection with the wider work of Studio Jaqi, its full-service interior design and architecture practice.

So, whether you are planning a bigger home project, looking for a standout piece, or just want some inspiration for making your space feel more personal, Jaqi is well worth a visit. You can browse online or call into the new Malahide space to see the collection for yourself.

Visit Jaqi

🌿🏛️ Newbridge heritage brought back to life

One for anyone who enjoys seeing local heritage restored with care. Fingal County Council has announced that the Heritage Glasshouses and Garden Room at Newbridge Demesne in Donabate have officially reopened, with the opening carried out by the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Tony Murphy.

The works included the restoration of a number of historic spaces, including the Messenger Peach House Vinery, the Messenger Propagation House, the Melon House, the Aviary Yard Vinery and the Ivy House Garden Room. The council says the project was carried out in line with the Conservation Management Plan for Newbridge Demesne.

Fingal County Council also said the restoration was supported by specialist consultants, contractors and records made available by the Cobbe family, the original owners of Newbridge Demesne. The council described the work as part of its continuing conservation and restoration of this public amenity, which includes Newbridge House, parkland and the Traditional Farm.

🖋️💌 Fondly, Fingal Libraries brings back the art of letter writing

Fingal Libraries are inviting adult library members to take part in Fondly, Fingal Libraries, a new letter-writing exchange programme developed in partnership with Delaware Libraries in the U.S.A.

At a time when so much of how we communicate is instant and digital, this is a lovely chance to slow things down and be matched with an overseas pen pal. Anyone interested can fill in a short registration form online or in their local Fingal library, with all materials and postage provided.

Find out more

🧘‍♀️🎶 Featured event: Sound Bath at Swords Castle

This week’s featured event is Soluna Sound and Movement’s Sound Bath at Swords Castle, taking place on Sunday July 12th from 12pm to 1:30pm.

The session takes place in the beautiful Chapel at Swords Castle and offers a gentle space to unwind, reset and reconnect through sound and stillness. Booking is by WhatsApp to Sharon on 086 1674542.

For anyone who has not tried one before, a sound bath is usually a relaxation session where you sit or lie down while instruments such as singing bowls, chimes or similar sounds are played around the room. The idea is not to “do” very much at all, but to slow down, listen, and let the sound create a calm, restful atmosphere.

Friday 10th July

• Swords | Swords Library | Hands and Tales: Story Time for All | An inclusive storytime with Imogen Carter using spoken word and Lámh signs, suitable for children aged 0-6 with and without additional needs. | 11:00-12:00

• Skerries | Floraville Community Park | Sounds of Summer Launch Event | Free live music in the park with Ukeristic Congress and Luke Clerkin as Sounds of Summer gets underway. | 13:00

• Skerries | Skerries Library | Children’s Author Event with Alan Nolan | A free family-friendly library event with the children’s author as part of the Sounds of Summer launch. | 14:00

• Balbriggan | The Victory Garden, 7 Bremore Cottages | Garden Opening | Wander through the community garden during its summer open afternoon. | 14:00-17:00

• Rush | Rush Multipurpose Youth Facility | Sounds of Summer with Foróige | A free Festival in a Van live music stop with Asha Ari and Luke Clerkin. | 16:00

• Donabate | The Shoreline Hotel | DJ & After-Dinner Karaoke | Kick off the weekend with a DJ set followed by after-dinner karaoke by the sea. | 18:00-20:00

• Swords | St Colmcilles Club House | Autistic Teen Hang | A relaxed weekly hang-out for autistic teenagers, with games, art and crafts in a neuroaffirming setting. | 19:00-20:00

• Balbriggan | Glebe North Football Club | Fingal Rowing Club Table Quiz Fundraiser | A quiz night with prizes, spot prizes and a raffle in aid of the club’s covered storage shed for East Coast skiffs. | Doors 19:00; quiz 19:30-23:00

• Naul | The Séamus Ennis Arts Centre | David O’Doherty - Highway to the David Zone | Songs, stories and keyboard-powered laughs as part of the TSEAC Garden Party series. | 20:00-23:00

Saturday 11th July

• Swords | National Show Centre | All Breed Championship Dog Show | A full-day championship dog show hosted by the Irish Ladies Kennel Association. | 09:30-18:00

• Balbriggan | O’Dwyers GAA | Check Your Vitals | Free health checks for adult club members, including blood glucose, blood pressure and pulse monitoring. | 10:00

• Donabate | East Coast Bike Hire, Kilcrea Road | Guided Historical E-Bike Tour | Pedal through local history and coastal scenery on a guided e-bike adventure. | 10:00

• Malahide | Casino Model Railway Museum | Explore Fingal Markets - Malahide | A free-entry Saturday market with local food, craft and seasonal produce. | 10:00-16:00

• Skerries | Skerries Mills | Skerries Mills Farmers Market | Browse fresh local produce, breads, cakes, jams and handmade goods. | 10:00-15:00

• Malahide | St Sylvester’s Parish Centre | Iyengar Yoga with Sue | A welcoming weekly Iyengar yoga class with an experienced local teacher. | 10:00-11:30

• Malahide | The Project Room, Avoca | Portmarnock Art Group Annual Art Exhibition | The group’s 45th annual exhibition, featuring work by local Malahide and Portmarnock artists in support of St Francis Hospice. | 10:00-17:00

• Rush | Rush Library | Make a Birdhouse with Margaret Anne Suggs | A creative workshop where children aged 6-10 make their own paper birdhouse inspired by the idea of home. | 11:00-12:00

• Donabate | Unit 16, Donabate Town Centre | Vibe Yoga Free Classes | A free trainee-led yoga class supervised by senior instructors. | 11:00-12:00

• Swords | Outside Rivervalley Community Centre | Seed & Plant Share / Swap | Bring plants, seeds and gardening know-how to share with neighbours. | 11:00-13:00

• Swords | The Old Borough National School | Fierce Performing Academy Dance Intensive | A one-day advanced dance intensive for ages 15+, covering ballet, hip-hop and commercial styles. | 11:00-17:30

• Swords | The Carnegie Library | The Promise Love Story Auditions | Open auditions for a new musical showcase, with audition places bookable by email. | 11:00-16:00

• Balbriggan | Flemington Community Centre | WSKF Karate Training for a Cause | A training session supporting earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela. | 12:00-14:00

• Balbriggan | Flemington Community Centre | Guardian Girls Seminar with Sorcha McCorry Astudillo | A confidence and self-defence seminar designed to encourage and empower girls and women. | 14:00-16:00

• Rush | Rush Sailing Club | Rush Horticultural Pop-Up Show | A free community flower, fruit, vegetable, baking and craft show, with public viewing in the afternoon. | 14:00-16:00

• Malahide | Malahide Library | Make a Birdhouse with Margaret Anne Suggs | A creative workshop where children aged 6-10 make their own paper birdhouse inspired by the idea of home. | 14:30-15:30

• Malahide | Malahide Castle & Gardens | Whiskey Tour & Taste | A guided castle history experience followed by an Irish whiskey masterclass tasting. | 17:00

• Balbriggan | The Lark | Synapses | A play about love, memory and parenting at The Lark. | 20:00

• Swords | Peacock’s Bar & Lounge, River Valley Shopping Centre | Best of Bob Dylan Tribute - Live in Swords | Chrome Horse bring the sound and spirit of Bob Dylan to River Valley. | 20:00

• Naul | The Séamus Ennis Arts Centre | Footloose 80’s Cinema Night | An open-air cinema night in Piper’s Garden, with 80s style strongly encouraged. | 20:00-23:00

• Balgriffin | Innisfails GAA Club Bar | Innisfails GAA Race Night | A fundraising race night with prizes and plenty of club craic. | 20:00

Sunday 12th July

• Swords | Swords | Fingal 10K | The Irish Life Fingal 10K returns to Swords as part of the Dublin Race Series. | 09:30

• Malahide | The Project Room, Avoca | Portmarnock Art Group Annual Art Exhibition | A Sunday chance to browse local work from the group’s 45th annual exhibition. | 10:00-16:00

• Portmarnock | Saint Marnock’s Playground | Saint Marnock’s Bay Fest | A family sports day with Festival in a Van, face painting, games and community fun. | 10:00-14:00

• Lusk | Murray’s Pub Car Park | Lusk Tidy Towns Community Clean-Up | Join the local clean-up team for an hour, with materials supplied. | 11:00-12:00

• Swords | The Carnegie Library | The Promise Love Story Auditions | A second day of open auditions for the musical showcase. | 11:00-16:00

• Swords | The Old Borough National School | Fierce Performing Academy Performance Intensive | A performance intensive for ages 11-16, covering drama, acting for camera, singing and dance. | 11:00-17:30

• Swords | Swords Castle Chapel | Soluna Sound and Movement - Sound Bath | A restorative sound bath in the historic chapel, with booking by WhatsApp. | 12:00-13:30

• Swords | Otter Space Games & Community | Lorcana Wilds Unknown Set Championship | A constructed-format Disney Lorcana set championship with prizes for players. | 13:00

• Donabate | Newbridge House & Farm, The Walled Garden | Movies on the Lawn - Toy Story | A family matinee screening of Toy Story outdoors on the lawn. | 14:30

• Donabate | The Shoreline Hotel | Music & Games Night | Sunday evening entertainment with music, interactive games and family-friendly fun. | 18:00-20:00

• Donabate | Community Well Studio, Lambay House | Weekly Shamanic Drumming Meditation Group | A weekly Sunday evening group with Pia for connection, rhythm and meditation. | 19:00-21:00

• Donabate | Newbridge House & Farm, The Walled Garden | Movies on the Lawn - Dirty Dancing | An outdoor evening screening under the summer sky at Newbridge. | 19:30

📢 Finally, stuff from Fingal East we just like — Dr. David Hickey from Portmarnock to Croke Park to the operating theatre and more ... 😮

Every so often, Fingal East throws up a story that reminds you just how much talent has come out of this part of the world. David Hickey, from Portmarnock, is one of those people whose life could almost be split into three remarkable chapters — as one of Dublin GAA’s great footballers, as a rugby player in France, and later as one of Ireland’s leading transplant surgeons.

On the GAA side, Hickey was part of the famous Dublin team of the 1970s, the era of Heffo’s Army, when the Dubs became one of the biggest stories in Irish sport. He won three All-Ireland Senior Football titles with Dublin in 1974, 1976 and 1977, and was also recognised as an All-Star. For many Dublin supporters, that team helped shape the modern identity of Dublin football.

But Hickey’s sporting story did not stop at Croke Park. He also had a fascinating rugby chapter, spending time in France with Stade Rochelais in La Rochelle, long before Irish rugby players moving abroad became common. It adds another layer to an already unusual sporting life — a Portmarnock man who made his name with Dublin football, and then became part of the story of one of French rugby’s great clubs.

What makes Hickey’s life even more impressive is what came after sport. He went on to become a highly respected doctor and transplant surgeon, working at the very highest level of Irish medicine. From Portmarnock to Croke Park, from rugby in France to operating theatres where lives were changed and saved, David Hickey is exactly the kind of person worth celebrating in this part of the world.

Thanks for reading and for being part of this growing Fingal East community. Every share, reply and recommendation helps us reach more local people and shine a light on what’s happening around us.

Enjoy the weekend, and we’ll talk again on Monday morning.