👋 Hi FingalEMers,

Welcome to the second Fingal East Media newsletter of the week — our weekend edition, covering Friday 26th to Sunday 28th June.

This week, we’re following up on something you asked for. In our recent poll, readers told us they wanted to know more about the Swords Cultural Quarter, so we’ve taken a closer look at what is planned for the heart of Swords, including Culture House Fingal / Áras Cultúir Fhine Gall, the new county library, theatre, gallery, public spaces and wider changes around Swords Castle.

You’ll also see the same quick poll again in this edition. If you already answered it earlier in the week, thank you — there’s no need to do it again. We’re keeping it in for anyone who missed it.

Our sponsor this week is Now Coco, a Ballyboughal-born Irish drinks brand putting a fresh twist on coconut water, and our weekend calendar is packed with things to do across Fingal East, from workshops and community events to live music, open days, family fun and big outdoor concerts at Malahide Castle.

And finally, in our “stuff from Fingal East we just like” section, we look at Derek Landy, the globally bestselling Irish author behind the Skulduggery Pleasant series, and his links to Lusk.

🏟️🎭 Swords Cultural Quarter — what’s planned for the heart of Swords

You asked, and we’ve been digging. In our recent poll, the Swords Cultural Quarter was one of the topics readers wanted to know more about, so we took a closer look at what is actually planned for the heart of Swords.

The project is one of the most significant developments planned for the town centre. The idea is to create a new cultural, civic and public-space hub around North Street, Seatown Road, Bridge Street and Main Street, close to Swords Castle and County Hall.

At the centre of it all is Culture House Fingal / Áras Cultúir Fhine Gall, the new cultural centre being built beside Swords Castle. It has previously been referred to as the Swords Civic & Cultural Centre, but the newer name gives a better sense of what Fingal says it wants the building to be: a welcoming “meeting house for everyone”, rather than something formal or distant.

The building itself will be a four-storey development of around 5,700 sq m, designed by O’Donnell and Tuomey and being constructed by Duggan Brothers. It is expected to include a new County Library, a 165-seat theatre, an art gallery, arts spaces, a maker space, café, local studies and archive facilities, offices and supporting spaces.

This is not just a small branch library being added to the town. It is being described as a new County Library, with archive and local studies facilities included, which should make it a much more significant public resource for Swords and the wider Fingal area.

The wider project is also about improving the public realm around the town centre. The plans include new civic space, stone paving, lighting, street furniture and artwork around the Cultural Quarter area. There are also works planned to improve the connection between Culture House Fingal and Swords Castle, particularly along North Street.

That matters because this is about more than one new building. The aim is to give the historic centre of Swords a stronger cultural and civic focus, with the castle, the new Culture House, County Hall, public spaces and surrounding streets working better together.

The timeline has been a long one. Public consultation on the original Civic and Cultural Centre took place back in 2015, the Part 8 planning notice followed in 2022, enabling works began in 2023, and the foundation stone was laid in 2024. The current expectation is that the centre will open in the first half of 2027.

The cost is substantial too. Culture House Fingal itself has been described as a €40m project, while the wider programme, including public realm works and associated housing, has been described as costing in excess of €60m. As part of the overall development, 36 new homes are also being built on Seatown Road, across from the new Culture House.

For Swords, this has the potential to be a major change. If delivered well, it could give the town centre a proper cultural anchor, a much stronger public space, and a new reason for people from across Fingal to spend time in the heart of the town.

Friday 26th June

• Donabate | Donabate Library | Watercolour Painting with Catherine King | Relaxed beginner-friendly watercolour workshop painting a wildflower meadow. | 10:00-12:00

• Donabate | Lambay House | Baby Massage Course | Gentle baby massage class for parents and babies. | 10:00-11:00

• Lusk | Skinny Batch Bakery | Brunch & Coffee Meetup for Remote/Hybrid Worker in Lusk | Friendly lunchtime meetup for local remote and hybrid workers. | 12:15

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

• Malahide | The Beach House | Wonderous Trio/Westhampton Beach | Last-minute trio gig with Mark Bonder, Kevin McCann and Kenny Forgione. | 18:30-21:30

• Donabate | Donabate Parish Hall | Peninsula Voices | Fundraising concert in support of UNICEF. | 19:30

• Naul | The Séamus Ennis Arts Centre | Daoirí Farrell Trio | Celebrated Irish folk singer and bouzouki player live at TSEAC. | 20:00-23:00

• Balbriggan | The Lark | Celebrating Barry – The UK’s No.1 Manilow Las Vegas Concert Experience | Feel-good Barry Manilow tribute show with live band and hits. | Time not stated

Saturday 27th June

• Donabate | Lambay House | And Now, Yoga | Gentle beginner-friendly yoga class at Community Well. | 09:30-10:30

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

• Skerries | The Square | Celebrate 10 Years of The Willow Rooms Holistic Clinic | Free wellness event with meditation, therapist Q&A, hormonal health, taster sessions and breathwork. | 10:00-15:00

• Swords | Holywell Community Centre | Sensory Play Session | Sensory play adventure with Snowflakes autism support. | 10:30-11:30

• Swords | Fingallians GAA Club | The Swords Record Fair | Free record fair with vinyl, CDs, chat and browsing. | 11:00-16:00

• Donabate | Donabate Library | Páistí! Scéalta! Amhráin! Spraoi! | Irish-language storytelling, songs and play for children with Ciarán Ó Fainín. | 11:30-12:30

• Swords | ALSAA Sports Complex | Aer Lingus Lawn Bowls Club Open Day | Try lawn bowls with equipment supplied and all welcome. | 12:00-15:00

• Balbriggan | The Lark | Shuteen Erdenebaatar Quartet | Jazz quartet presented by Music Network at The Lark. | 13:00

• Swords | Rivervalley Pitch | St Finians GAA Family Fun Day | Family fun day with games, activities and community craic. | 13:00-16:00

• Donabate | Corballis Farm Horse Trekking and Therapeutic Riding Centre | Horse Riding Saturday | Members-only riding session with Snowflakes autism support. | 14:00-15:00

• Malahide | Malahide Library | Author Talk: Junda Vaitke | Lithuanian-language author talk with discussion and Q&A. | 15:45-16:45

• Malahide | Malahide Castle | Michael Bublé | Outdoor summer concert with Michael Bublé and special guest Gabrielle. | 16:00

• Naul | The Séamus Ennis Arts Centre | The Muddy River Band | Songs of Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Van Morrison live at TSEAC. | 20:00-23:00

Sunday 28th June

• Donabate | Donabate Portrane Community Centre | Car Boot Sale | Community car boot sale supporting the Donabate and Portrane Summer Festival. | 10:00-14:00

• Lusk | Murray’s Pub car park | Lusk Tidy Towns Community Clean Up | One-hour community clean-up with materials supplied. | 11:00-12:00

• Portmarnock | Jameson Golf Links at Portmarnock Resort | Southern Cross Flight Day: Portmarnock, Newfoundland and Beyond | Heritage event marking the Southern Cross flight from Portmarnock Beach. | 14:00-16:30

• Balbriggan | Ardgillan Castle | 58th Annual Rose & Sweet Pea Show | Summer flower show hosted by Balbriggan & District Horticultural Society. | 14:00-17:00

• Lusk | Ballough Place Artist Residence | Map & Print Workshop | Creative map and print workshop with artist Sophie Carroll-Hunt. | 14:00-17:00

• Malahide | Malahide Castle | Calvin Harris | Outdoor summer concert at Malahide Castle. | 16:00

• Balbriggan | Location not stated | Self Care Soundbath | Relaxing soundbath session with Orna Bissett Sound & Wellness. | 18:00-19:30

• Donabate | Lambay House | Manipura Chakra Yin Yoga & Sound Bath Workshop | Restorative yin yoga and sound bath workshop with Sharon. | 19:00-21:00

📢 Finally, stuff from Fingal East we just like — globally bestselling author Derek Landy

Derek Landy is one of those Fingal East names whose work has travelled a long way from home. Raised just outside Lusk, Landy went on to become the creator of the hugely successful Skulduggery Pleasant series, the sharp, funny and very Irish fantasy books built around a skeleton detective, magic, danger and plenty of sarcasm.

Before Skulduggery Pleasant, Landy had already written screenplays, including Dead Bodies and Boy Eats Girl, but it was the arrival of that wonderfully strange character — Skulduggery himself — that changed everything. The series became an international success, published in dozens of languages and winning major awards, including the Red House Children’s Book Award and Irish Book of the Decade.

What we particularly like is that Landy did not strip the Irishness out of the story to make it travel. He leaned into it. The books are full of Irish settings, humour, rhythm and attitude, and readers around the world responded to that. From daydreaming on a market garden farm near Lusk to creating one of the best-known Irish fantasy series of modern times, Derek Landy is another reminder that Fingal East has produced people whose work reaches far beyond the area. Well done, Derek. 👏👏

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.