Rush | Rush Library | Christmas Harp Recital | Teresa and Mary O’Donnell are harpists and singers who have performed internationally. Both are former musicians in residence with Fingal County Council. Their concert will include a mix of carols and festive pieces for all to enjoy | 18:00-22:00

Balbriggan | The Lark Concert | Jack and the beanstalk | Join Jack, Jill, Glammy and everyone’s best pal Dan de Man, as they try to save their beloved cow from the clutches of the Evil Trumpingtons! (runs through to 30th Dec) | 11:00-13:00

Rush | Rush Sailing Club | Christmas Day Swim | In aid of Irish Cancer Society. Donate online @JustGiving.com RushDaffodilCommittee-ChristmasSwim25 | 11:00-12:00

Malahide | St. Sylvester's GAA Club house | St. Stephen's day coffee morning & trad session | We will have some experienced musicians there to lead us in some songs and tunes as we celebrate "Wren Day" and raise some funds for the Red Cross Gaza fund. | 12:00-14:00

Balbriggan | Ardgillan Castle | Kids Christmas Clay Workshop | Join ceramic artist Sallyanne Morgan for a clay modelling workshop and take home an original clay sculpture. | 14:00-15:30

Bon Appetit’s closure (with a final service date of Sunday, 4 January 2026) is significant because it marks the end of a restaurant that became part of Malahide’s “life events” calendar — the place people picked when they wanted a meal to feel like an occasion, and where generations of locals (and plenty of visitors) built memories over a couple of decades.

But the story runs deeper than one well-loved restaurant, because 9 St James’s Terrace has been a landmark address in Malahide dining for decades. Chef Johnny Oppermann (with his wife Eileen Carton) opened Johnny’s in Malahide in 1973, and it became one of the names associated with raising standards locally; after that era, the building continued as Bon Appetit under Patsy McGuirk through the 1990s and into the mid-2000s, before Oliver Dunne opened his own Bon Appétit there — including, by his own account, welcoming the first customers on 1 December 2006.

The wider significance is that Bon Appétit helped put Malahide firmly on Ireland’s food map: Dunne’s cooking earned a Michelin star in 2008, and the restaurant held one Michelin star for multiple consecutive years (often cited as 2008–2015). Over time it evolved into a multi-space venue — restaurant/brasserie and other elements — while keeping that reputation for quality that made people travel to a north Dublin village specifically to eat there. So this isn’t just “another closure”; it’s a real changing-of-the-guard moment for Malahide’s hospitality scene, and the end of a long chapter for an address that has meant a lot to local dining culture.

Minister Patrick O’Donovan TD announced €987,498 in arts capital grants to five Local Authorities to develop up to 22 artist workspaces under the Artist Workspaces Scheme (part of a €6m fund aimed at increasing affordable creative workspace capacity).

Balbriggan is specifically included: Fingal County Council received €300,000 for Balbriggan in this round of awards.

The scheme launched on 12 June 2024, and the announcement says the total awarded to date is €1,208,854. It also notes the scheme remains open until the overall fund is exhausted, with up to €300,000 available for densely populated areas and up to €150,000 for less densely populated areas.

Skerries RNLI volunteers were tasked by Dublin Coast Guard shortly after 3pm on Tuesday, 16 December after a 999 call reported two vessels in difficulty between the Perch buoy and the rocky shoreline behind the lifeboat station. The inshore lifeboat launched was the Atlantic 85 “Louis Simson”, with Philip Ferguson at the helm alongside Joe May, Joe Keane and Aileen Boylan, heading straight to the scene.

The first boat — carrying two men — had become disabled after its propeller fouled and it struck rocks. A second boat — with one man aboard — tried to assist but also ended up in trouble after fouling its propeller and hitting rocks. The two boats were in an area known for strong currents, and with daylight fading and the tide beginning to flood, the lifeboat crew decided the safest option was to tow both boats back to Skerries Harbour, one at a time.

Because one vessel had an anchor deployed, the crew towed the other first, carefully positioning the lifeboat close enough for a volunteer to board and help secure the tow line, bringing the boat into deeper water before towing it safely into harbour. They then returned and repeated the process for the second vessel. Conditions at the time were reported as Force 3–4 westerly winds, a smooth sea and good visibility, and all three men made it safely ashore — with additional support from launch and operations volunteers Shane Jenkinson, Paul Hamilton, Jim Boylan, Stuart Dalziel, Ronnie Horan and Peter Duff.

23rd December – 8.00am to 8.00pm (Last vehicle entry 7.30pm)

24th December – 8.00am to 12.00pm (Last vehicle entry is 11.30am)

25th December – Closed

26th December – Closed

27th December – Closed28th December – Closed

29th December – 8.00am – 6.00pm (Last vehicle entry is 5.30pm)

30th December – 8.00am – 6.00pm (Last vehicle entry is 5.30pm)

31st December - 8.00am to 12.00pm (Last vehicle entry is 11.30am)

1st January – Closed

2nd January – Resume Usual Opening Hours

Usual Opening Hours:

East of Cloch Choirmeal (Accessible via School Lane & Ringfort View), Balrothery, Balbriggan, Co Dublin

🚦 Fingal East: Traffic / roadworks (Mon 22 Dec → Sun 28 Dec 2025)

Ardgillan Castle

Donabate-Portrane Community Centre

Lusk Community Cultural Centre

Lusk Village Square

St. Macullins Centre, Lusk

Malahide Castle

Millbank Theatre, Balbriggan

Seamus Ennis Arts Centre, Naul

The Little Theatre, Skerries

Joe May's Pub, Skerries

Swords Castle