👋 Hi FingalEMers,
Good morning and welcome to another week across Fingal East. September may be well under way, but the weather still hasn’t entirely got the autumn memo, with another warm start to the week ahead. And after a weekend when Trump’s visit to Ireland brought one of the biggest security operations we’ve seen in some time — including plenty of activity around Dublin — things return to rather more local matters this morning.
And there’s plenty happening locally. We have a great Fingal success story from Lusk, where Shane Halpin has become Ireland’s first horticulturalist — and Dublin’s first winner — to take the FBD Young Farmer of the Year title. We also take a closer look at Toastmasters clubs across Fingal East, continue our preview of the Fingal Festival of History, and cover a substantial new housing proposal for Balbriggan alongside the latest roadworks and traffic changes around Swords and Donabate.
Our Featured Business this week is Jack Murphy Clothing, a three-generation Irish clothing company whose headquarters remain in Skerries while its products are sold far beyond Fingal. And in the events calendar, there’s another very busy few days ahead, with our Featured Event taking us to Donabate on Thursday night for Lambay Cinema Club’s screening of DJ Ahmet.
Finally, we’d like your view on MetroLink. If it opened tomorrow, what would you actually use it for — commuting, getting to the airport, heading into the city, Park & Ride, or perhaps not very much at all? With Swords and Dublin Airport right at the heart of the proposed route, it’s a particularly relevant question for this part of Fingal.
Now, let’s see what’s happening across Fingal East this week…
If MetroLink opened tomorrow, how would you be most likely to use it?
THIS WEEK’S FEATURED BUSINESS
🧥☘️ Jack Murphy Clothing — From Skerries to an International Irish Fashion Brand
You might be surprised to discover that one of Ireland’s established heritage clothing brands is headquartered right here in Skerries. The story of Jack Murphy Clothing stretches back through three generations of the Murphy family. Jack Murphy moved to Skerries with his wife Frances and established a corsetry and lingerie business, bringing together his knowledge of garment construction with ideas drawn from practical military clothing. His son Michael later joined the business, learning everything from pattern-making and design to sales and distribution, before helping steer it towards the outdoor clothing for which the Jack Murphy name became known.
Today, Jack’s granddaughter Sarah Murphy leads the third generation of the family business, which remains based in Skerries but has grown far beyond North County Dublin. Jack Murphy specialises in tweed, waxed and waterproof outerwear, with its clothing sold both in Ireland and internationally. The company describes its approach as “slow fashion” — producing classically tailored garments designed to last rather than chasing short-lived trends. That approach has also gained national recognition: Jack Murphy was a finalist in both the Retail and Outstanding Small Business categories at the 2025 SFA National Small Business Awards, receiving a Highly Commended award in Retail, and was also one of six finalists in the 2025 Fingal Enterprise Awards.
And the Skerries business continues to evolve. This year, Jack Murphy collaborated with Adare Manor on an exclusive collection of Irish wool tweed coats and blazers, with designs inspired by the colours and landscape of the Adare estate and produced with specialist Irish weavers. It’s quite a journey from a small corsetry operation in Skerries to an Irish heritage brand with an international customer base — while the company’s home, customer care operation and headquarters remain in Hacketstown, Skerries. A great example of the kind of Fingal East business that can be operating on our doorstep while reaching customers around the world.
News
Tracking all the developing stories that affect our community.
🥒🌱 From Lusk to Young Farmer of the Year — Shane Halpin
There’s another national success story coming out of Fingal East. Lusk-based horticulturalist Shane Halpin has been crowned the 2026 FBD Young Farmer of the Year, becoming both the first Dublin winner in the competition’s history and the first horticulturalist to take the overall title. Shane runs Welgro Produce with business partner Seán, producing cucumbers across sites in North County Dublin, including glasshouses in Rush. He also picked up the competition’s Other Enterprises Award for his work in commercial protected horticulture.
His route into cucumber growing wasn’t particularly conventional. Shane originally trained and qualified as a mechanic, but says farming and growing had always been in the background through his family. After spending time working on a potato and onion farm in New Zealand, he returned to study horticulture at TU Dublin, graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Horticulture in 2020. The opportunity that became Welgro emerged when the long-established cucumber operation in Rush — where cucumbers had been grown since 1982 — became available as its previous growers approached retirement. Shane and his partners took it on, initially operating from a three-acre nursery before expanding. Today the business grows around seven acres of cucumbers across three sites, employs 10 people full-time and as many as 35 during peak harvesting, supplying Irish-grown cucumbers to retail, wholesale and food-service customers from March through November.
There’s something particularly appropriate about Ireland’s first horticultural winner coming from Lusk and Rush, an area with generations of history in market gardening and food production. Shane himself describes the two towns as a major growing area, producing a wide range of crops, and Welgro has more recently added Brussels sprouts alongside its cucumber business. At a time when Irish growers are dealing with rising labour and energy costs, tighter margins and pressure from imported produce, his success is also a reminder that commercial horticulture remains a significant — if sometimes overlooked — part of the Fingal economy. A local enterprise that began as what Shane jokingly described as a Covid cucumber project that “sort of got out of hand” has now produced Ireland’s 2026 Young Farmer of the Year.
🎤🗣️ Think Toastmasters Is Just About Public Speaking? Think Again.
Mention Toastmasters and most people probably picture someone standing at a lectern delivering a formal speech. But that’s only part of it. Toastmasters is also about learning to think on your feet, communicate more clearly, give and receive feedback, build confidence and become more comfortable speaking in everyday situations. Meetings typically mix prepared speeches with short impromptu “Table Topics”, evaluations and different meeting roles, allowing people to develop those skills gradually in a supportive environment.
There are four clubs within the Fingal East area we cover. Swords Toastmasters meets every second Monday at Forrest Little Golf Club, with members gathering from 19:45 for a 20:00 start. North Dublin Toastmasters is also based in Swords and currently meets at 19:45 on the first Tuesday of the month in St Cronan’s Parish Hall, with its third-Tuesday meeting held online. Malahide Toastmasters, established in 1981, meets in the Grand Hotel at 20:00 on the second and fourth Wednesdays from September to June, while Balbriggan Toastmasters meets at 20:00 on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the Parochial House beside St Peter & Paul’s Church. All four are open clubs, so you don’t need a particular profession or background to join.
And importantly, you don’t have to arrive ready to give a speech. Prospective members can simply visit, watch a meeting and see how it works before deciding whether they want to get involved. Over time, people can move from listening to taking on small roles, answering a one- or two-minute Table Topic, delivering prepared speeches or helping evaluate others. So whether you want to feel more confident in a meeting, handle a job interview better, give a wedding speech, make stronger presentations at work or simply become more comfortable expressing yourself, Toastmasters may be worth a look even if you’ve never thought of yourself as a “public speaker”.
Fingal Festival of History
🏚️📜 Part 2 of 2: From Kenure House to the 1926 Census — Fingal’s local stories brought to life
In Part 1, we looked at how Fingal has been connected to the wider world for almost 2,000 years. Part 2 brings the story back home, with this year’s Fingal Festival of History exploring some of the people, places and events that have shaped communities across the area — from the great house at Kenure and a notorious Malahide murder case to family diaries, Balbriggan Harbour and the people recorded in the 1926 Census.
In Rush Library on 28 September, local historian Niall Gosson will tell the story of Kenure House and Demesne, once one of the great houses of the area before its demolition in 1978. Then, at the Carnegie Library in Swords on 3 October, genealogist Claire Bradley revisits one of the darkest episodes in Malahide’s history — the La Mancha murders of 1926, when eight people were found dead following a fire at the house on the Swords Road. At Donabate Library on 5 October, Dr Susan Byrne will explore the diaries of Eleanor Cobbe Corbally of Newbridge House, whose observations on everything from revolution and medical care to gardening and the weather provide a remarkably personal picture of life in the 1910s and 1920s.
In Balbriggan Library on 8 October, local historian Dr David Sorensen will tell the story of the town’s harbour, including how the construction of its second pier in the 1820s helped create the sheltered inner harbour that supported Balbriggan’s commercial growth. The festival then brings things right back to the people who lived here, when on 11 October Rush Tourism’s John Walsh leads a guided walk through Rush using the newly released 1926 Census to explore the families who lived and worked in the town a century ago. Many of the same surnames can still be found locally today — a reminder that history isn’t only found in castles, archives and old documents, but in the streets, families and communities around us.
Civil
Planning decisions, road closures & community notices.
Planning
🏗️🏘️ 146 Homes Proposed for Flemington & Bremore, Balbriggan
- Lagan Homes Balbriggan Ltd is seeking permission for a large-scale residential development on a 4.4-hectare site north of Flemington Lane.
- The proposal includes 146 homes — 120 houses and 26 apartments — with a mix of one, two, three and four-bed units.
- A new creche is also proposed, along with a Multi-Use Games Area, active travel hub, cycle route and public open space.
- Three new vehicular accesses are planned from Flemington Lane, together with two pedestrian crossings and associated parking and infrastructure works.
Traffic
🚧🚦 Road closures & changes planned
• Swords — North Street: Phase 2 of the Swords Public Realm works continues. North Street remains northbound only between Main Street and Fingal Community College, with southbound traffic unable to continue onto Main Street. Diversions are via Watery Lane or the R132. Southbound bus services are also affected, with Routes 33, 41C and 43 diverted and several North Street stops temporarily closed.
• Swords — R132: Works continue between the Estuary, Bostik and Seatown junctions. The R132 may be reduced to one lane outside peak hours, between 10:00 and 16:00, as required. The northbound right-turn lane into Bostik remains closed, with a signed U-turn diversion at Swords Food Park. Route 101 passengers are also being advised to allow extra journey time because of the ongoing works.
• Swords — Seatown Road: Active Travel works continue from Monday 14th to Friday 18th September. Two-way traffic will be maintained during the day, but further footpath, kerbing and ducting works begin on the south side of Seatown Road on Wednesday/Thursday, with pedestrian diversions in place around the IDA Roundabout and towards the M1 flyover.
• Swords — Rivermeade Park: A temporary School Street trial begins on Wednesday 16th September as part of European Mobility Week. Rivermeade Park will close to through traffic on weekdays from 08:40-09:10 and 14:20-14:50 until 22nd September. Local and emergency access will be maintained where possible.
• Donabate / Portrane — Portrane Road: The Portrane Road Enhancement Project remains under construction, including wider footpaths, new crossings, traffic-calming measures and a new bus lay-by. One lane of traffic is being maintained throughout the works, with local access continuing.
Events Calendar
Things to do in the week ahead.
🎬 Featured Event: DJ Ahmet — Lambay Cinema Club
There’s something a little different happening in Donabate this Thursday evening. Lambay Cinema Club returns for its Autumn/Winter season with a screening of DJ Ahmet, continuing its mission to bring some of the best international, independent and arthouse cinema directly to the Donabate–Portrane peninsula.
Founded by local residents in 2022, Lambay Cinema Club is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit community cinema which transforms the atmospheric St Patrick’s Church of Ireland in The Square, Donabate, into a pop-up cinema each month. It has developed a loyal local following by showing films that audiences may rarely get the opportunity to see in mainstream cinemas.
This month’s choice is DJ Ahmet, the acclaimed coming-of-age film from Macedonian director Georgi M. Unkovski. Set in a remote Yörük village in North Macedonia, it follows 15-year-old Ahmet as he finds freedom in music while dealing with his father’s expectations, the traditions of his community and his feelings for a girl who has already been promised to someone else. The film won both the World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award and the Special Jury Award for Creative Vision at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
📅 Thursday 17 September
🕗 20:00
📍 St Patrick’s Church of Ireland, The Square, Donabate, K36 Y521
🎟️ €10 | €8 students/OAPs
And in keeping with the community cinema atmosphere, you can even bring your own cup for free tea and coffee — with the biscuits supplied.
BOOK TICKETSMonday 14th September
• Balbriggan | Balbriggan Library | Scrabble Club | A friendly adults’ Scrabble session for word lovers. | 11:00-12:30
• Balbriggan | Glebe North Clubhouse | Dance Fitness for over 60s | Easy low-impact movement with music, chair work and balance exercises. | 11:30-12:15
• Balbriggan | ASTER Family Resource Centre | You First Wellness Café | Drop in for a cuppa, a chat and peer-led wellbeing support. | 14:00-18:00
• Donabate | Donabate Library | Sensory Friendly Quiet Time | A calmer library hour with reduced noise and activity. | 17:30-18:30
• Balbriggan | Balbriggan Library | Knitting & Crochet Club | A relaxed adults’ craft meetup for knitting, crochet and conversation. | 18:00-19:00
• Fingal | Online & in-person | AI & Digital Leadership for SMEs | Practical LEO programme on AI, automation and digital transformation for SMEs. | 18:30-21:30
• Balbriggan | Balbriggan Library | Sensory Friendly Quiet Time | A quieter library hour with reduced noise and activity. | 18:30-19:30
• Balbriggan | Balbriggan Library | Irish Conversation Group | Friendly Gaeilge conversation and practice for adults. | 18:30-20:00
• Malahide | St Andrew’s Church | Choir Fingal Open Rehearsal | An open evening for anyone interested in joining the choir. | 19:00
• Balbriggan | The Lark | The Lark Cinema Club: The General (1926) | A big-screen showing of Buster Keaton’s classic silent comedy. | 19:00
• Swords | Thornleigh ETNS, Applewood | Zumba Class | A welcoming dance-fitness class suitable for a range of abilities. | 19:00
• Swords | Swords Castle Entrance | Swords Men’s Walk & Talk Group | A relaxed community walk with conversation along the way. | 19:15
• Swords | Holywell Community Centre | Self-Protection Training | Practical training focused on confidence, awareness and personal safety. | 20:00
Tuesday 15th September
• Swords | Swords Parish Centre, Brackenstown | Hatha Yoga | A gentle morning Hatha yoga class with Caroline. | 09:30-10:45
• Swords | County Hall | Crafting for Scale – Growth Bootcamp | Day two of an intensive LEO programme for craft and creative businesses ready to grow. | 09:30-16:30
• Donabate | Triangle Coffee Co | Yoga & Coffee Morning with Aisling | Yoga and breathwork followed by a relaxed coffee get-together. | 10:00-11:00
• Balbriggan | O’Dwyers New Club House | Seaview Memory Café | A welcoming drop-in café offering conversation, connection and support. | 11:00-13:00
• Swords | Swords Parish Centre, Brackenstown | Chair Yoga | Accessible seated yoga focused on movement, mobility and relaxation. | 11:15-12:15
• Skerries | Skerries Library | Knitting & Crochet | A sociable afternoon drop-in for knitters and crocheters. | 14:30-16:30
• Balbriggan | Balbriggan Library | Creative Poetry Writing Club | An evening writing group for adults who enjoy poetry and creative expression. | 18:30-19:45
• Swords | Swords Library | Italian Conversation Group | A new weekly group for practising conversational Italian in a friendly setting. | 18:30-19:30
• Fingal | Online | Start Your Own Business – Session 6 | Part of LEO Fingal’s ten-session evening course for new and early-stage businesses. | 18:30-21:30
• Rush | Rush National School | Zumba Class | A lively dance-fitness class with a friendly local group. | 19:00
• Malahide | Bridgefield Car Park | Green Nuts Men’s Group – Walk & Talk | A friendly evening walk and chat for local men. | 19:00
• Balbriggan | The Lark | Fingal’s Got Talent – Live Heat One | The first live heat showcasing local performers on The Lark stage. | 19:30
• Skerries | Skerries Community Centre | Adult Dance Fitness | An upbeat all-levels dance-fitness class with no previous dance experience needed. | 19:30-20:30
Wednesday 16th September
• Fingal | Online (Zoom) | Enhancing Personal Effectiveness & Productivity | Practical LEO workshop on productivity, resilience and working smarter. | 09:30-12:30
• Fingal | Online (Zoom) | Finance and Scaling for SME Growth – Session 3 | Final half-day on funding, investment and financial planning for growth. | 09:30-12:30
• Swords | River Valley Community Centre | Iyengar Yoga with Sue | A midweek Iyengar yoga class focused on alignment, strength and flexibility. | 10:00-11:00
• Skerries | Skerries Library | Embroidery Drop-In | A relaxed afternoon embroidery session for local crafters. | 14:30-16:00
• Donabate | Parish Hall | Strength & Conditioning Classes | An evening strength and conditioning session for the local community. | 17:00-18:00
• Malahide | Malahide Library | Sensory Friendly Quiet Time | A quieter library hour with reduced noise and activity. | 17:30-18:30
• Fingal | Online & in-person | AI & Digital Leadership for SMEs | Final session of the practical LEO programme on AI and digital transformation. | 18:30-21:30
• Fingal | Online (Zoom) | Fundamentals of Business Accounting – Session 3 | A practical session covering taxation and funding sources for small businesses. | 18:30-21:30
• Swords | Swords Library | Irish Conversation & Practice | A friendly evening session for practising spoken Irish. | 18:30-19:30
• Swords | Thornleigh ETNS, Applewood | Zumba with Gill | An energetic and welcoming midweek dance-fitness class. | 19:00
• Lusk | Murray’s Lounge, Station Road | Board Games Night – Grow Remote | An after-work social for remote and hybrid workers with board games and good company. | 19:00-23:30
• Donabate | Community Well Studio, Lambay House | Tai Chi & Qi Gong with Grace | The first week back for a gentle class combining slow movement and breathing. | 19:30-20:30
• Balbriggan | The Lark | Fingal’s Got Talent – Live Heat Two | The second live heat showcasing local talent on stage. | 19:30
• Swords | Fingal Liam Rodgers Community Centre | Pilates Taster Class | A €5 evening taster for the centre’s new Pilates classes. | 20:00
• Malahide | St Sylvester’s Parish Centre | 80s Dance Fitness | A new weekly dance-fitness hour with an 80s soundtrack. | 20:00-21:00
• Malahide | Grand Hotel | Physical Activity Facilities Forum Ireland | Day two of the industry forum bringing together leaders across sport and leisure facilities. | Time not stated
Thursday 17th September
• Swords | Swords Parish Centre, Brackenstown | Mat Yoga | A morning mat-yoga class combining movement, mobility and relaxation. | 09:30-10:45
• Malahide | Malahide Library | Toddler Time | A sociable library session for toddlers and their grown-ups. | 10:00-11:30
• Donabate | Newbridge House & Farm | Historic Walled Garden Tour | Guided garden tour with the Head Gardener, including areas usually closed to the public. | 11:00
• Balbriggan | Balbriggan Cancer Support Group | Jewellery Making Course | The second session of a six-week creative jewellery-making course. | 11:00-12:00
• Donabate | Donabate Library | Knitting Group | A friendly morning meetup for knitting, chat and shared creativity. | 11:00-13:00
• Balbriggan | Balbriggan Library | HSE Breastfeeding Support | A welcoming weekly support session for breastfeeding parents. | 11:00-12:00
• Swords | Swords Parish Centre, Brackenstown | Flex & Stretch | A gentle mobility and stretching class for an easier-moving day. | 11:15-12:15
• Balbriggan | Glebe North Clubhouse | Dance Fitness for over 60s | Easy low-impact movement with music, chair work and balance exercises. | 11:30-12:15
• Malahide | Malahide Library | Age Action Computer Classes | Friendly digital-skills support for older adults. | 12:00-14:00
• Malahide | Malahide Library | eServices Clinic | Drop-in help with library apps, eBooks and useful online services. | 14:00-15:00
• Swords | Swords Library | The Stones of Swords: New Perspectives in Local History | The final week of Mike Power’s course exploring local heritage, remains and artefacts. | 18:00-19:30
• Malahide | Malahide Library | Spanish Conversation | An informal evening group for practising conversational Spanish. | 18:00-19:30
• Fingal | Online | Start Your Own Business – Session 3 | Part of LEO Fingal’s ten-session Thursday evening start-up course. | 18:30-21:30
• Swords | Swords Library | Sensory Friendly Quiet Time | A calmer library hour with reduced noise and activity. | 18:30-19:30
• Rush | Rush Library | Scrabble | A relaxed evening game of Scrabble with fellow word lovers. | 18:30-19:30
• Swords | Swords Parish Centre, Brackenstown | Mat Yoga | An evening mat-yoga class for movement, flexibility and relaxation. | 19:00-20:15
• Naul | The Séamus Ennis Arts Centre | TSEAC Singing Sessions | A relaxed monthly singing session with special guest Gerry Cullen. | 19:00-21:00
• Malahide | Tree of Life, Kilronan House | Self Care Soundbath | An evening sound-bath session designed for deep rest and reset. | 19:30-21:00
• Rush | The Strand Bar | Rush Boyhood Memories – 1950s & 60s | Michael Coffey shares a video and local memories from growing up in Rush. | 20:00
• Swords | Holywell Community Centre | Combat Cardio | A high-energy cardio session combining fitness with combat-style movement. | 20:00
• Donabate | Donabate Portrane Community Centre | DPCC Community Bingo | A lively community bingo night with a friendly local crowd. | 20:30
• Skerries | The Bus Bar, Strand Street | Austin Walkin’ Cane | Live blues from the American singer-songwriter and guitarist. | 20:30
• Swords | Rivervalley Community Centre | Badminton | A late-evening community badminton session. | 21:00-22:00
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 next few days, and we’ll talk again on Thursday morning.
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