Local Enterprise Office Fingal has announced the five finalists for the Fingal Enterprise Awards 2026, a county-level competition that recognises innovation and growth in small business. The overall winner will be revealed during Local Enterprise Week, at the Fingal Enterprise Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, 3 March 2026. The top prize is €5,000, with €1,000 for each of the other finalists.

The shortlisted businesses span climate, people-and-wellbeing, purpose-led strategy, food & drink, and children’s products: Climate Matters (Skerries), a climate technology and sustainability consultancy; Donna Reilly People & Wellness (Balgriffin), providing HR consultancy, leadership development and wellbeing supports; Mantra Strategy (Malahide), focused on impact creation through purpose-led strategy and inclusion; NowCoco (Ballyboughal), a premium sparkling coconut-water drink brand (this is our personal favourite - it’s amazing - you have to try it.) and Snugz (Malahide), a children’s wellbeing brand built around storytelling and play-based emotional support.

Next up, the finalists go through a detailed judging assessment, and the Fingal winner will then represent the county at the National Enterprise Awards at the Mansion House, Dublin, in June 2026. We wish them all the best of luck!

Fingal County Council has lined up funding for urgent coastal protection work at The Burrow, Portrane, after storm damage and continuing erosion raised concerns for properties along the shoreline. The immediate response is a short-term protective measure designed to stabilise the most exposed section and reduce the risk of further land loss.

The bulk of the budget is being provided by the Office of Public Works, contributing €622,703 towards an overall cost of €700,000. The funding was confirmed during a site visit involving Ministers Darragh O’Brien and Kevin Moran, alongside Fingal and council representatives, with the focus on getting emergency works moving quickly.

At the same time, the council says it’s progressing a longer-term coastal erosion and flooding plan for the area through the planning process. If that permanent scheme is approved and funded, it would involve a more extensive set of defences along a wider stretch of coastline, with an estimated price tag running to tens of millions.

Dublin Airport’s growth has been dramatic since its first scheduled Aer Lingus flight in January 1940 — from just 10,000 passengers a year in the early days to a record 36.4 million passengers last year. That record sits well above the long-standing 32 million annual passenger cap, a planning condition tied to the 2007 permission for Terminal 2 and originally linked to concerns about road congestion.

The Government is now moving to abolish that cap through the Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026, which would allow the Minister for Transport to revoke or amend the limit by order and prevent a similar cap being introduced again. Supporters argue the cap is holding back connectivity, jobs, tourism and investment — but critics, including Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman and environmental campaigners, say removing it risks “growth at any cost”, with knock-on impacts for noise, local roads (including the M50) and climate goals. Particular concern is being raised about a draft provision that would disapply certain Climate Act requirements to actions under the Bill.

The cap is also tangled up in an ongoing legal case: after a High Court referral to the Court of Justice of the EU, an Advocate General has indicated the passenger cap can be treated as a valid operating constraint when allocating take-off and landing slots — with a final judgment expected in the coming months. Meanwhile, Dublin Airport operator daa welcomes the move, airlines and business groups are pressing for fast passage, and local residents under flight paths warn the lived reality of noise is already worsening. In parallel, daa’s separate “infrastructure application” (including extra piers and stands and a higher capacity proposal) is still progressing through planning, with Fingal County Council and the noise authority working through the assessment and consultation steps.

Swords

Rush

Lusk

Swords | Broadmeadows National School | Internet Safety Parents Session | We have an extremely important and informative event coming up for all parents in our school community. Never has internet safety been more important for our children. Spread the word! | 09:00-11:00

Swords | Peacocks Pub Rivervalley | Rivervalley Rangers AGM | Anyone wishing to be considered for election to the committee must submit a written nomination in a sealed envelope to the secretary (details below) at least 7 days prior to the AGM. | 19:00-21:00

Malahide | Malahide Library | Spring Gardening with host Marie Hirst from Unwind with Plants. | This talk will cover tips for a good start to the growing season including sowing seeds, protecting new plants from frost, pruning techniques, plant nutrients, and moving or dividing plants while they are still dormant. | 18:30-19:30

Donabate | Newbridge House & Farm | We’re Open This Monday – Farm Only! | Looking for something simple, wholesome and outdoorsy this midterm? (please note: no house tours on this day). It’s the perfect chance to: 🐑 Meet our adorable newborn animals 🌱 Get the kids out in the fresh air 🚜 Enjoy a relaxed stroll around the farm🌼 Make easy, happy family memories | 10:00-17:00

Dublin City | Fairview Park | Skate School - Midterm Camp | Starting Monday Midterm Skateboarding camp if you or anyone you know are interested just send us a message for more information | 10:00-12:00 | Mon-Fri

[Special Mention] 🎯Meath | Bettystown Library | Nutrition & Lifestyle Strategies for Endometriosis | This 1-hour workshop delivered by Dietitian Aoife Quinn, aims to empower women with endometriosis through evidence-based nutrition, lifestyle, and self-care tools. | 19:00-20:00

Dublin City Centre | The Irish Film Institute | Jean-Luc Godard: Alphaville | One of Godard’s most inventive movies, Alphaville blends sci-fi and film noir to winning effect. Godard shot the film on location in Paris, which Raoul Coutard turns into an icily dehumanised city of the future. | 18:00-20:15

Swords | Fingal Local Studies & Archives Service | Changing Fingal - Stories from my place | Join Fingal Heritage Network in Swords for a “Changing Fingal – Stories From My Place” workshop to use the 1926 Census, maps, photos and local archives to trace the story of your town, street or family. | 19:00-20:30

Rush | Rush Library | History of St. Maur's - by Margaret McCann Moore | Margaret McCann Moore, author of 'St Maur's Chapel' will share her knowledge of the history of the Rush Library building. | 18:30-20:30

Malahide | St. Andrew's Parish Hall | Malahide Horticultural Society presents
Gardening Talk with Christopher Heavey | Christopher Heavey, always enthusiastically received by our audience, will give us a short talk on a horticultural topic of local origins drawing on his botanical knowledge and historical insights and will regale us with many garden related anecdotes followed by our AGM. | 20:00-22:00

Rush | Millbank Theatre | Rush Dramatic Society Presents: And Then There Were None | Ten strangers are invited to a remote island under various pretexts. Once there, they discover that their mysterious host is missing—and soon, one by one, they begin to die. | 20:00-22:30 | Wed & Thu

Swords | The Cock Tavern | Micil Distillery Tasting | A tasting through the award-winning range of Whiskeys, Poitin and Cream liqueur. We will be expertly guided through their entire production process, showcasing what goes in to crafting and creating each of their unique products. | 20:00-21:30

Swords | The Pavilions Shopping Centre | Daredevil Circus | The Daredevils are visiting Swords featuring Motorbike stunts and our Monster Truck Uncle Uncle Sam | 18:30-20:10

Swords | Upstairs in Peacock's Pub - Rivervalley | Tidy Town Fundraising Quiz night | Have a great night out while supporting the good work of Swords Tidy Towns | 19:30-21:30 |

Naul | The Séamus Ennis Arts Centre | A pop-up gaeltacht | A relaxed, friendly space where everyone is welcome to celebrate and connect through the Irish language. | 17:30 – 19:00

Naul | The Séamus Ennis Arts Centre | TSEAC Singing Session | Join us and our guest hosts for our regular monthly Singing Session here at TSEAC where it’s all about the art of song. | 19:00 – 21:00

Malahide | St. Sylvester’s Pastoral Centre - Beside Church | Parenting Teenagers | 10 week course | 19:30-20:30

Naul | The Séamus Ennis Arts Centre | The Pure Drop - Traditional Irish Music Series | Join us for an evening steeped in the rich traditions of Irish music as The Pure Drop returns to celebrate the timeless sounds that define our heritage. | 20:00-22:30

Balbriggan | The Lark | David O'Doherty: Highway to the David zone | A new opus from the hairy Enya, the Ryanair Bublé, the nine volt battery powered Beethoven. Talking, songs, talking during songs, talking while walking around – it’s got the lot. | 20:00-22:30

Malahide | Scoil Iosa Hall, Malahide Community School | Malahide Musical & Dramatic Society are proud to present The Witches of Eastwick | Based on the 1984 novel by John Updike, this award winning musical is set in the little town of Eastwick, where gossip is more powerful than truth and everyone knows everything about everyone else! Prepare to be thrilled, enthralled and thoroughly entertained. | 19:30-22:30

Lusk | White's Agri, K45FD78 Lusk | Hedge laying course | Conserve / Restore Hedge Learn Bush Skills, Meet Fab people. This is a one day course, but participants are welcome to attend for two days. | 10:00-16:00 | Fri &/or Sat

Balbriggan | Ardgillan Castle and Demesne | Acrylic Painting Class | Bring your favourite photo to life on canvas in this hands-on, personalized acrylic painting course. This is not a step-by-step class but a supportive space where you’ll receive tailored guidance and learn essential techniques. | 10:30-12:30 | Fri &/or Sat

Donabate | Donabate Library | Coiscéim, Coiscéimín, with Anita and Claire M. Dunne | 12:00-13:30

Balbriggan | The Lark | International Perspectives Chamber Music Series: A colourful evening of music with Omar Tomasoni, trumpet, Femke Ijlstra, saxophone and Éadaoin Copeland, piano | Fingal Chamber Music presents the inaugural International Perspectives Chamber Music Series, a concert series that offers audiences the opportunity to experience a diverse range of renowned, internationally acclaimed musicians performing colourful and meaningful chamber music programmes. | 20:00-22:30

Online | Online | ChatGPT for Intermediate Level Usage | This intermediate-level programme is designed for teams and managers who are already familiar with the basics of ChatGPT and want to deepen their capability in using it effectively and responsibly within the workplace. | 09:30-12:30

Malahide | Meet at the train station | Malahide Tidy Town - village green works | The team is out spreading bark mulch. We could do with local assistance. | 10:30-12:30

Skerries | The Hill Cricket Clubhouse | Quiz Night | There should be no questions at this point! 😂 | 20:00-22:30

Dublin City Centre | The Unitarian Church | Classical Musicians Network presents Pictures at an Exhibition for piano | Enjoy a special performance of the virtuoso piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky, performed by emerging Irish talent Jude McCann, in the historic surroundings of Dublin’s Unitarian Church on St. Stephen’s Green. | 14:00-15:00

Rush | Rush & Lusk Station Bus Stop | Explore Rush & Loughshinny | Our Trail is 10.9KM (Moderate Trail) Just be careful, because the route might be slippy, this is a loop. Dogs are welcome on leads | 11:45-15:00