Hi FingalEMers 👋
We begin this morning with sadness following the passing of Glen Hansard, one of Ireland’s most distinctive and much-loved musicians. From The Frames and Once to the Oscar-winning Falling Slowly, his music reached audiences around the world. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
As we look ahead to the weekend, there is still plenty happening across Fingal East — including one of our biggest giveaways yet.
Our Vikings & Slavs Heritage Show giveaway is still underway, with five pairs of general admission tickets and three ceramic workshop places up for grabs for this Saturday’s event at Swords Castle. If you have already entered the draw, please don’t enter again — your original entry is already included.
Elsewhere in this edition, we look at the new sensory garden created for Balbriggan charity Remember Us, more than €46,500 awarded to local creative projects, and the remarkable career of Swords native Justin Howard, who is helping to operate major European Space Agency missions.
We also have a packed events calendar, including the Vikings & Slavs Heritage Show in Swords and a full weekend of activities during the Rush Harbour Festival.
Now, let’s get straight to that giveaway.
🛡️ Win tickets to the Vikings & Slavs Heritage Show
We have five pairs of general admission tickets and three places at the ceramic workshop to give away for the Vikings & Slavs Heritage Show at Swords Castle on Saturday 1 August.
You may enter the general admission giveaway, the ceramic workshop giveaway or both.
How to enter: Select your preferred option in the poll below. After making your selection, you can enter your mobile telephone number in the additional feedback box that appears.
Providing a telephone number is optional. We are requesting it because, in previous giveaways, we have sometimes experienced delays receiving responses from winners by email.
Winners will be contacted by email by 10:00 on Friday and asked to confirm that they can attend. If the tickets have not been claimed by 19:00, we may use the mobile number provided to contact the winner before offering the tickets to another entrant.
Your telephone number will only be accessed and used in connection with this giveaway. It will not be used for marketing, shared with another organisation or copied into our subscriber records.
Please only enter if you are available to attend the event on Saturday 1 August.
Which giveaway would you like to enter?
This week's sponsor
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News
Tracking all the developing stories that affect our community.
Wavin helps Balbriggan charity open sensory garden
Balbriggan charity Remember Us has opened a fully accessible sensory garden for people with additional needs and their families.
The garden was developed with support from Wavin Ireland and includes a vegetable garden, wheelchair-accessible swing, games area, sandpit, play shed and an outdoor music system.
Remember Us founder Nora Roban had been planning the garden for several years. Wavin Ireland supported the project and members of its team also volunteered to help create the new space.
Established in 1998, Remember Us provides activities and a social outlet for more than 250 families across North Fingal.
| Read the full story |
€46,500 awarded to Balbriggan artists and community groups
Eleven creative projects involving local artists and community groups in Balbriggan are to share more than €46,500 through the new Making Waves Seed Funding Scheme.
The successful collaborations involve Balbriggan Integration Forum, Ardgillan College, Balbriggan Women’s Shed, Balbriggan Tidy Towns, Balbriggan Men’s Shed, Balbriggan Bird Club, Balbriggan Breastfeeding Support Group, Thrive Balbriggan, Remember Us, Balbriggan Historical Society and Foróige.
Individual grants range from €2,300 to €5,000, with the projects taking place between September 2026 and February 2027. The programme will give local people opportunities to participate in creative activities alongside professional artists.
The projects form part of Creative Places Balbriggan, an Arts Council-funded initiative coordinated by Fingal Arts Office. They will be officially launched during a public Culture Night event at Ardgillan Castle on Friday, September 18.
| Read the full story |
Events Calendar
Things to do in the week ahead.
🛡️ Featured Event: Vikings and Slavs take over Swords Castle
Swords Castle will travel back to the early medieval period on Saturday 1 August when the Ancestral Nest Vikings & Slavs Heritage Show returns for its second year.
Organised by Polonica Eire, the event will bring together Viking and Slavic history through live combat demonstrations, historical displays, traditional crafts, music and dance.
⚔️ Visitors can explore the castle grounds, meet historical re-enactors and experience some of the sights, sounds and skills of life during the Viking and early medieval periods. To see more detail click here.
Where: Swords Castle, Bridge Street, Swords
When: Saturday 1 August, 10:00–17:00
Friday 31st July
• Malahide | Malahide Golf Club | Women’s Irish Challenge | The final day of the tournament, showcasing emerging international women golfers | 08:00-17:00
• Donabate | Community Well, Lambay House, Ballisk Court | Baby Massage Course | The first session of a five-week course for parents and babies | 10:00-11:00
• Naul | Easter Snow Gallery, TSEAC | A Storytelling — Alison Barry Exhibition | A wildlife-inspired exhibition of original work | 10:00-16:00
• Balbriggan | Ardgillan Gallery, Ardgillan Castle | Consistently Inconsistent | Paintings, sculpture, collage and assemblage by Tina Poole and Antonio D’Souza | 10:00-17:00
• Balbriggan | The Victory Garden, 7 Bremore Cottages | Garden Opening | Explore a private ornamental garden during its summer open days | 11:00-17:00
• Rush | Rush Community Centre | Ros Eó Art Exhibition 2026 | A wide selection of paintings by local artists | 12:00-18:00
• Rush | Festival Park | Food & Drink Fair | Festival flavours, treats and refreshments | 14:00-18:00
• Rush | The Cove | K-Pop Party | A lively afternoon of K-pop music and dance | 14:00-16:00
• Rush | The Cove | Activity Zone | Free festival activities for families | 14:00-18:00
• Balbriggan | Flemington Community Centre | Metropolitan School of Dance | Children’s dance classes | 15:00-18:30
• Rush | The Haven | Sensory & Quiet Area | A calmer festival space away from the crowds | 15:00-17:00
• Rush | The Cove | Magic Show with Reuben | A free family magic show | 16:30-17:30
• Balbriggan | Flemington Community Centre | Elite Taekwondo Academy | A martial arts class for local participants | 18:00-19:00
• Balbriggan | Flemington Community Centre | Neurographia Classes | A creative drawing and self-expression session | 18:30-20:30
• Rush | The Pavilion | Live Forever — Oasis Tribute Band | A live Oasis tribute show for over-18s | 19:00-22:00
• Donabate | The Shoreline Hotel, Balcarrick | DJ & After-Dinner Karaoke | Friday-night music followed by karaoke | Time not stated
• Rush | Rush Golf Club | St. Maur’s GAA Golf Classic 2026 | A fundraising golf classic supporting the local club | Time not stated
Saturday 1st August
• Lusk | Clonrath Hill | Macrame Placemat Workshop | Create a beautiful placemat to elevate your dining space | 10:00-13:00
• Naul | Easter Snow Gallery, TSEAC | A Storytelling — Alison Barry Exhibition | A wildlife-inspired exhibition of original work | 10:00-16:00
• Malahide | St Sylvester’s Parish Centre | Iyengar Yoga with Sue | A welcoming weekly Iyengar yoga class | 10:00-11:30
• Malahide | Casino Model Railway Museum, Dublin Road | Explore Fingal Market | Local food, crafts and seasonal produce | 10:00-16:00
• Skerries | Skerries Mills | Skerries Mills Farmers Market | Local produce, breads, cakes and handmade crafts | 10:00-15:00
• Swords | Swords Castle | Ancestral Nest — Vikings & Slavs Heritage Show | Living history, combat, music, dance and traditional crafts | 10:00-17:00
• Balbriggan | Flemington Community Centre | SH Fitways | A Saturday fitness class for the local community | 10:00-11:00
• Balbriggan | The Victory Garden, 7 Bremore Cottages | Garden Opening | Explore a private ornamental garden during its summer open days | 11:00-17:00
• Rush | Rush Community Centre | Ros Eó Art Exhibition 2026 | A wide selection of paintings by local artists | 11:00-18:00
• Rush | Rush Community Centre | Sensory Room | A quiet and welcoming space during the festival | 12:00
• Rush | North Beach | 1km Colour Dash | A colourful family-friendly dash along the beach | 12:00-14:00
• Rush | Echlin Court | Festival BBQ | A relaxed community barbecue during the harbour festival | 12:00-16:00
• Rush | The Cove | The Brickx Club | Creative brick-building fun for children | 12:00-17:00
• Balbriggan | Flemington Community Centre | Spleodar | A Saturday community class and activity session | 12:00-14:00
• Rush | The Cove | Dance District Performance | A lively dance performance at the festival | 13:00-14:00
• Balbriggan | Flemington Community Centre | Emma Weldridge Dubin Dance Company | A local dance class and training session | 13:00-14:30
• Rush | North Beach | Sandcastle Competition | A creative beach competition for all ages | 14:00-16:00
• Rush | The Cove | Didgeridoo Rave with Marcin | An energetic and unusual live music session | 14:00-16:00
• Rush | The Cove | St. Maur’s Pipe Band | A live performance by the local pipe band | 16:00-17:00
• Rush | The Pavilion | Al Porter Live | An evening comedy performance for over-18s | 19:00-22:00
• Balbriggan | The Lark Concert Hall | Fleetwood Mac Tribute: Go Your Own Way | A live celebration of Fleetwood Mac’s best-loved songs | 20:00
Sunday 2nd August
• Naul | Easter Snow Gallery, TSEAC | A Storytelling — Alison Barry Exhibition | A wildlife-inspired exhibition of original work | 10:00-16:00
• Lusk | Clonrath Hill | Impressions from Nature Tile-Making Workshop | An adult ceramics workshop using natural textures and forms | 10:30-12:30
• Rush | Rush Community Centre | Ros Eó Art Exhibition 2026 | A wide selection of paintings by local artists | 11:00-18:00
• Balbriggan | The Lark Concert Hall, Church Street | Sing Social Club | A relaxed social singing session where everyone can join in | 12:00
• Rush | Rush Community Centre | Sensory Room | A quiet and welcoming space during the festival | 12:00
• Rush | North Beach | Fingal Rush Air Display | A spectacular afternoon air display over the coast | 15:00
• Rush | The Pavilion | The 80’s Generation | A lively evening of favourite hits from the 1980s | 19:00-22:00
• Donabate | The Shoreline Hotel, Balcarrick | Music Bingo | A fun pay-to-play bingo night with a musical twist | 20:00-22:00
📢 Finally, stuff from Fingal East we just like — Justin Howard (Swords Space Pioneer)
Justin Howard
This week, our Things We Like feature takes us from Swords all the way into space. Justin Howard is originally from Swords, attended Coláiste Choilm and still has family living in the area.
Justin has gone on to build an impressive international career in spacecraft operations and is currently the Operations Manager for EarthCARE, a major European Space Agency mission studying how clouds and airborne particles affect the Earth’s climate. He works as part of the Telespazio Germany team at the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt.
During his career, Justin has been involved in several significant space missions, including Herschel, LISA Pathfinder, BepiColombo and Biomass. From Coláiste Choilm to the European Space Agency, it is a remarkable achievement and another great example of someone from Swords making an impact on the international stage. Well done, Justin. 👏
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 bank holiday weekend, but don't forget we will talk on Monday morning.
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