Donabate Library (in the Community Centre) will stay closed through all of December while it moves to Ballisk House, opening early Jan 2026.

A Mobile Library will call to the Community Centre car park on Thu 18 December, 2–4pm.

See here for more detail.

Skerries | Skerries Library | Festive Story Time | 15:00-16:00

Malahide | Malahide Library | Christmas Craft | 15:00-16:00

Rush | Rush Library | Festive Family Movie | 17:30-19:30

Balbriggan | Balbriggan Library | Festive Family Movie | 17:00-19:00

Balbriggan | The Lark | Sing Social Club - Christmas Party | Celebrate the season with a medley of Christmas classics, plus Prosecco and nibbles at the interval. Come along to the Irish Institute of Music & Song for a fun, friendly drop-in singalong—no auditions, no commitments, and no sheet music. Just turn up and sing! | 19:00 - 21:00

Skerries | Skerries Harps Clubhouse | Christmas Bingo | Christmas Special. Bring your hats and jumpers! Lots of spot prizes 🎁 | 20:00-22:00

Skerries | Skerries Library | Christmas Craft | 15:30-16:30

Malahide | Malahide Library | Christmas Craft | 15:30-16:30

Balbriggan | Balbriggan Library | Christmas Craft | 15:30-16:30

Malahide | Malahide Library | Festive Family Movie | 16:00-18:00

Rush | Rush Library | Festive Family Movie | 17:30-19:30

Balbriggan | Balbriggan Library | Festive Family Movie | 17:00-19:00

Skerries | Skerries Library | Christmas Crafts | 15:30-16:30

Rush | Rush Library | Festive Family Movie | 17:30-19:30

Balbriggan | Balbriggan Library | Festive Family Movie | 17:00-19:00

Balbriggan | Pocket Park | Balbriggan Christmas Decoration Swap! | Come down to the Pocket Park for a festive evening of swapping your old Christmas decorations for something “new to you". We’ll have a singalong with BUSC, treats for the kiddies, and the unveiling of our 2025 community-made decorations!

Bring a decoration, take a decoration, and help us spread some sustainable Christmas magic in Balbriggan. | 19:00 - 21:00

Rush | Rush Library | Festive Family Movie | 17:00-19:00

Balbriggan | Balbriggan Library | Festive Family Movie | 17:00-19:00

Balbriggan | Tesco, Millfield Shopping Centre | Bake Sale | ZHP Balbriggan - All very welcome . Please come along and support our kids | 16:00-18:00

Balbriggan | Bremore GAA Club | Say good bye to the old club facilities | Celebrating the past and ringing in the future | 19:00 -23:30

Naul | The Seamus Ennis Centre, The cottage café | Traditional Irish Music Slow Session with Paudie O'Connor | Join us for our regular Slow Session with Accordion player Paudie O’Connor, who will host a traditional music session live in the Séamus Ennis Arts Centre, with participants joining in from afar, over Zoom. | 19:00-21:00

Balbriggan | The Lark | Sensory Show: Jack and the beanstalk panto | This special sensory show uses softer lighting and reduced sound so everyone can enjoy it. Join Jack, Jill, Glammy and Dan de Man as they try to rescue their cow from the Evil Trumpingtons — with magic beanstalks, sky-high castles, and loads of songs and dancing in this year’s Lark Panto. | 14:30 - 16:30

Balbriggan | Balbriggan Library | Festive Story Time | 10:30-11:30

Malahide | Malahide Library | Sewing machine Workshop | Interested in learning how to use a sewing machine? Have a sewing machine at home gathering dust?Come along to this demonstration workshop where our knowledgeable facilitator Lynn will demystify the workings of the sewing machine. | 11:00-13:00

Rush | Rush Library | Christmas Carols | It’s free so bring a friend. | 14:00 -15:00

Donabate | Donabate Golf Club | Christmas Cracker 3 man scramble | Prize giving follows golf, great food and creamy Christmas pints. Christmas jumpers optional (but highly encouraged!) | 11:30-23:30

Balbriggan | Bremore GAA Club | Say hello to the new club facilities | Celebrating the past and ringing in the future | 14:00-20:00

Swords | Kettles Country House Hotel | Come & meet Santa Claus | Everyone’s invited. Bring the little ones for festive magic, photos, and a chance to meet the big man himself. | 14:00-15:30

Swords | St. Columba’s church | Annual Christmas carol service | All ages fun and festive service featuring traditional Christmas carols. Followed by refreshments and mince pies in the hall | 15:00 - 16:30

Donabate | Donabate Golf & Tennis club | Christmas Carol | Everyone is very welcome to come along and sing Christmas carols, old and new, in a warm, festive atmosphere. 🍽️ Food available all day🎁 Ena’s Christmas Hamper will be raffled on the night, tickets available via BRS. Bring family, friends, and your Christmas spirit. 🎄 | 16:30-19:00

Swords | St. Colmcilles Church | Carol Service | With tea & coffee afterwards. | 17:00-18:00

Lissenhall, just north of Swords and west of the M1, has moved into a new phase after the Land Development Agency (LDA) announced it has acquired a major landbank there. The site is around 86 hectares (about 212 acres) and is significant because it includes the proposed location for MetroLink’s “Estuary” terminus. The LDA says the area has the potential for a large new mixed-use district, with housing, local services and community amenities planned around high-quality public transport.

In terms of scale, the numbers being discussed are substantial. The LDA has referenced the potential for roughly 6,000 homes on the wider lands over time, while other reporting around the transfer has cited lower figures such as 3,000–3,500 homes—likely reflecting different assumptions about density and phasing. Either way, it’s clearly being positioned as one of the biggest future growth areas on the north side of Dublin, with “Metro Economic Corridor” zoning intended to support compact development linked to the rail line and a park-and-ride concept at the northern end of Swords.

What happens next is less about immediate construction and more about planning, coordination and sequencing. The LDA will need to work with Fingal County Council and the MetroLink agencies to move from a headline announcement to a detailed masterplan, including transport design, schools/childcare capacity, community facilities, and how the new district connects into Swords and the wider road network. For local residents, the key point is that Lissenhall is now firmly on the map as a future Metro-linked growth hub—but the pace will depend on the planning framework, infrastructure delivery and the MetroLink programme itself.

In the past week, coastal erosion on the Fingal east coastline has jumped back into the spotlight after a recent RTÉ report featuring Portrane residents who say they’re watching the sea creep closer and are renewing calls for emergency measures to protect homes. That interview-driven coverage captures what people along this stretch have been saying for years: erosion here isn’t an abstract “future climate” problem — it’s something that can escalate quickly after heavy weather and big tides, leaving families feeling like they’re living on a rolling deadline.

Zooming out, the evidence shows this has been an ongoing, measurable issue for roughly two decades, not a one-off. Geological Survey Ireland’s county shoreline-change work (tracking 2000–2021) highlights Portrane and Rush as the highest-erosion areas in Dublin, with rates reaching about -3.4 metres per year, while Donabate and Portmarnock are also flagged as erosion hotspots. And if you dip into state archives, you can see coastal protection and funding questions being raised nationally in the mid-2000s — proof that “holding back the tide” has been on the public agenda for a long time.

What’s changed is the scale and complexity of the response. Fingal has formalised local engagement through its Coastal Liaison Group (including Portrane and Rush), while also leaning on interim measures — such as SeaBee units — to slow erosion where risk is highest while longer-term solutions move through design, environmental assessment, and statutory approvals. More recently, the proposed Portrane coastal protection scheme has progressed through key marine consenting steps (including a Maritime Area Consent process), but the long-term reality is that major coastal engineering has to be balanced against sensitive habitats and the planning system, which is why residents keep pushing for “do something now” measures alongside the larger plan.

Annabel Russell, a Balbriggan-based founder, has given the town a real reason to celebrate after winning the Tech & Digital Award at the Women in Business Excellence Awards. It’s a standout national recognition, and it puts a bright spotlight on the kind of talent and innovation that’s coming out of Balbriggan.

Annabel is the driving force behind TotsSpots.com, a parent-friendly platform that makes it much easier to find baby, toddler and kids’ classes and activities. It’s the kind of service families genuinely appreciate—quick to use, practical, and designed to help parents connect with great local options while also supporting the groups and businesses running them.

Her award win didn’t happen by chance. Annabel brings years of tech experience to what she’s building, and the momentum around Tots Spots has continued to grow, with further recognition also coming her way. For Balbriggan, it’s a brilliant local success story—and a reminder that big, impactful ideas are being built right here.

Following previous successful schemes, it has been decided, by Fingal County Council, to provide free parking on 3 Saturdays in December 20th in the following towns:

Planning permission is sought for:

Swords | Balheary Road | (Horse Hay → Church of the Immaculate Conception): road closure Mon–Fri, 07:00–19:00 (ducting works).

Swords | Seatown Road: closed all week (from St Columcille’s Drive/Seatown junction to North Street/Seatown junction). Dublin Bus (41x): diversions in place due to the Seatown Road closure (some Seatown stops not serving).

Balbriggan | Harbour Road / Seapoint Lane junction: road closure Mon–Thu (24 hours) for resurfacing and a new step area.

Balbriggan | Link & Harbour Road: ongoing closure all week for reconstruction/resurfacing. (Allow extra time, expect local diversions, and watch for temporary speed limits/signage on approaches.)

Malahide, Doabate, Rush, Lusk, Skerries, Portmarnock & Ballyboughal