Hi FingalEMers 👋,
There is a huge amount happening across Fingal East this weekend, with everything from markets, workshops and family activities to live music, sport and community events.
It is an especially busy weekend in Donabate and Portrane, where the three-day Summer Festival gets underway on Friday. There is a packed programme planned across the weekend, including family entertainment, sensory activities, coastal walks, open-water events, markets, workshops and a fireworks finale on Sunday evening.
We also have two pairs of tickets to give away for La Fiesta 26 at The Lark in Balbriggan. The highlight of the festival is ESENCIA, a spectacular live flamenco production featuring internationally acclaimed dancer Daniel Caballero, accompanied by live guitar, violin, percussion and traditional flamenco singers.
Each winner can choose to attend on either Friday 7 or Saturday 8 August. You can enter through the poll below, but please do not enter again if you have already entered the draw. Your original entry has been recorded and remains valid.
Entries close at 9am on Friday, and the winners will be selected and contacted by 10am.
We are also delighted to welcome James Young Interiors as this week’s sponsor. Based on Turvey Avenue, they have more than 30 years of experience in furniture restoration, upholstery and bespoke furniture, and you can learn more about their work further down in today’s edition.
Enjoy the newsletter—and enjoy what promises to be a very busy weekend across Fingal East.
Would you like to enter our La Fiesta ticket draw?
This week's sponsor
James Young Interiors
Have a favourite chair, sofa or piece of furniture that has seen better days? Based on Turvey Avenue in North County Dublin, James Young Interiors has more than 30 years of experience restoring, repairing and reupholstering furniture for homes and businesses across Dublin.
From dining chairs, sofas and leather couches to antiques, headboards and office furniture, the team can repair worn or damaged pieces and give them a completely new look. It can be a particularly good option for furniture with sentimental value—or a well-made piece that deserves to be restored rather than replaced.
James Young Interiors also designs and manufactures custom-made furniture using 100% Irish hardwood. Bespoke headboards, wall panelling, bookshelves, window seats and corner units can all be created to suit your home and the space available.
See examples of their work and find out what might be possible at James Young Interiors. And don’t forget to tell them you’re a FingalEMer!
News
Tracking all the developing stories that affect our community.
🚇 Some of the jaw-dropping numbers behind MetroLink
Dublin’s transport problem is already among the worst in the world. The city is now ranked as the 11th most congested on the planet, with drivers losing an average of 95 hours during 2025 to traffic delays. That represented a 17% increase on 2024 and a 32% increase on 2023. If the problem continues, congestion is expected to cost the Irish economy approximately €1.5 billion every year by 2040.
MetroLink is designed to address that challenge on an extraordinary scale. The proposed line will extend for 18.8km from Charlemont to Swords, passing through Dublin Airport and serving 16 stations. The system will be capable of carrying up to 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction and as many as 53 million passengers annually. Journey times from Swords to Dublin city centre could fall to approximately 25 minutes, while the airport would finally gain a direct rail connection.
The financial and engineering figures are equally striking. The current estimated cost is around €9.5 billion—approximately €500 million for every kilometre of railway—although an unlikely upper estimate of €23 billion has also been cited. At that level, its cost per kilometre would be comparable with New York’s Second Avenue Subway, potentially making MetroLink one of the most expensive underground railway projects ever constructed. It is also set to become the largest infrastructure project in Ireland’s history.
The size of the project becomes even more significant when viewed alongside the planned growth of Swords. The town had a population of 40,776 in Census 2022, but Fingal County Council’s long-term strategic vision envisages Swords developing into a sustainable city of as many as 100,000 people. Supporting growth on that scale will require far more than new housing: it will need high-capacity transport, employment, schools, services and a town centre capable of serving a population more than twice its present size.
That growth could also create opportunities throughout Fingal East. A larger and better-connected Swords could bring more customers, employment and investment to businesses in Malahide, Donabate, Rush, Lusk, Skerries, Portmarnock and Balbriggan . The full benefit will depend on frequent bus services, safe cycling routes and effective connections between those towns and the MetroLink stations. With the right supporting network, MetroLink could become much more than a railway into Dublin—it could form the transport backbone of a growing regional economy and help Fingal East develop into one of Ireland’s most important places to live, work and do business.
🧘 Soluna Sound Bath – The Chapel at Swords Castle
We know many of you entered our Sound Bath ticket giveaway a few weeks ago, and unfortunately only a handful of FingalEMers were lucky enough to win. If you missed out, here's another opportunity. Soluna Sound Bath returns to the beautiful Chapel at Swords Castle this Sunday, and thanks to a cancellation, a limited number of places have become available on a first come, first served basis. Tickets are €40 per person. To book, simply WhatsApp Sharon on 086 167 4542. You can also find out more by visiting the Soluna Sound Bath Facebook page.
Events Calendar
Things to do in the week ahead.
💃 Featured Event: La Fiesta brings a taste of Spain to Balbriggan
The Irish Institute of Music & Song will be transformed into a celebration of Spanish food, music and culture when La Fiesta comes to Balbriggan on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 August.
Taking place across the IIMS campus, the two-day festival will feature authentic Spanish food and drink, live music from Spanish duo Zurito, flamenco dance workshops, family entertainment, market stalls and activities throughout the grounds.
🪇The centrepiece of the weekend will be two exclusive Irish performances of ESENCIA by internationally acclaimed flamenco dancer Daniel Caballero . Accompanied by live guitar, violin, percussion and traditional flamenco singers, the show offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience world-class flamenco here in Fingal East..
Where: Irish Institute of Music & Song Campus, Church Street, Balbriggan
When: Friday 7 and Saturday 8 August
Friday 7 August
- Balbriggan | The Victory Garden, 7 Bremore Cottages | The Victory Garden Summer Opening | Visit this privately owned ornamental garden, which forms part of the Dublin Garden Trail | 11:00–17:00
- Portrane | Portrane Green | Donabate & Portrane Summer Festival: Fun Family Friday | The festival begins with a sensory session, carnival, craft and messy-play activities, face painting and a family rave | From 14:00
- Balbriggan | HER Upstairs | Balbriggan After Work Social | An informal social evening for remote and hybrid workers living or working in the Balbriggan area | 18:30
- Balbriggan | The Lark Concert Hall | La Fiesta 26: ESENCIA | Daniel Caballero and his ensemble present an evening of traditional and contemporary flamenco as part of La Fiesta 26 | 20:00
- Lusk | The Tap Bar | Round Towers Lusk Table Quiz | Test your general knowledge and support the local GAA club | 20:30
Saturday 8 August
- Malahide | Casino Model Railway Museum | Explore Fingal Market | Browse local food, crafts and artisan products in the grounds of the museum | 10:00–16:00
- Malahide | Malahide Library | Summer Stars Storytime | A relaxed morning story session for younger children; all are welcome | 10:00–10:30
- Malahide | St Sylvester’s Parish Centre | Iyengar Yoga with Sue | A Saturday morning Iyengar yoga session focusing on alignment, posture and controlled movement | 10:00–11:30
- Skerries | South Strand Beach, beside the lifeguard hut | Yoga Fundraiser for Gaza | An outdoor yoga session supporting humanitarian relief; bring your own mat | 10:00
- Portrane | Various locations around Portrane | Donabate & Portrane Summer Festival | Saturday’s programme includes sensory play, the Gearó Fóley Cup Swim, coastal walks, birds of prey, a farmers’ market, magic and craft workshops | From 10:00
- Malahide | Malahide Library | Hand Sewing for Clothing Repairs | Learn practical hand-sewing techniques that can extend the life of clothing and textiles | 11:00
- Swords | Outside River Valley Community Centre | Seed & Plant Share | Bring along spare seeds or plants to swap and share with other local gardeners | 11:00–13:00
- Balbriggan | The Victory Garden, 7 Bremore Cottages | The Victory Garden Summer Opening | Explore a colourful private ornamental garden featuring mature planting and unusual varieties | 11:00–17:00
- Lusk | Clonrath Hill | Macramé Wall-Hanging Workshop | Create your own decorative wall hanging during this guided, hands-on workshop | 13:30–15:30
- Balbriggan | Balbriggan Library | Summer Quiet Reading Club | Bring your own book and enjoy an hour of peaceful reading in a relaxed silent-book-club setting | 14:00–15:00
- Swords | Otter Space Games & Community | Flesh and Blood: Silver Age Skirmish | A competitive tabletop card-game event for Flesh and Blood players | 15:00
- Malahide | Hidden Acres | Pilates Wine-Down | An evening combining Pilates, relaxation and a social wine-down in an outdoor setting | 19:00–22:00
- Swords | Fingallians GAA Club | Derek Warfield & The Young Wolfe Tones | A live evening of Irish ballads and traditional music | Doors 19:30; show 21:00
- Malahide | Tree of Life | Self-Care Sound Bath | A guided evening of sound, rest and relaxation; booking is required | 19:30–21:00
- Balbriggan | The Lark Concert Hall | La Fiesta 26: ESENCIA | A second opportunity to experience Daniel Caballero’s live flamenco production | 20:00
Sunday 9 August
- Balbriggan | The Lark Concert Hall | ClassicalKids.ie Interactive Kids Concert: Wind | An engaging introduction to wind instruments created especially for young children and their families | 11:00
- Malahide | New Street to Malahide Castle | Mirrors & Bubbles Pedal Party Parade | Join a colourful community cycle from New Street to the Fingal Sports Festival at Malahide Castle | 11:15
- Malahide | Malahide Castle & Gardens | Fingal Sports Festival | A free family event offering the chance to try a wide range of sports and activities | 12:00–17:00
- Swords | Violet Sky | Scrapbook Social | A relaxed afternoon of creativity and connection, with materials supplied and no artistic experience required | 12:00–14:00
- Portrane | Various festival locations | Donabate & Portrane Summer Festival: Sunday Programme | The three-day community festival concludes with family entertainment, open-water activities and its fireworks finale | From 12:00
- Balbriggan | The Lark Concert Hall | National Theatre Live: The Playboy of the Western World | A cinema screening of the acclaimed stage production of J. M. Synge’s classic Irish play | 15:00
- Donabate | Shoreline Hotel | Music Bingo | Replace numbers with songs in an evening of music, bingo and prizes | 20:00–22:00
📢 Finally, stuff from Fingal East we just like — Caitlín R. Kiernan, from Skerries to science fiction and prehistoric sea monsters
Caitlín R. Kiernan
Some Fingal East connections take us completely by surprise. Caitlín R. Kiernan was born in Skerries before moving to the United States as a child, and went on to build not one but two remarkable careers — as an internationally acclaimed writer of science fiction and dark fantasy, and as a vertebrate palaeontologist.
As a writer, Kiernan has produced more than a dozen books, numerous comics and more than 200 short stories, novellas and vignettes. Their best-known works include The Drowning Girl, Agents of Dreamland and the Alabaster comics. Along the way, they have won two Bram Stoker Awards, two World Fantasy Awards and a Locus Award — a serious level of recognition in the world of imaginative fiction.
But the part we really like is that the writing career is only half the story. Kiernan is also a Research Associate in Vertebrate Paleontology at the University of Alabama Museums and has published scientific research on mosasaurs — enormous marine reptiles that were among the top predators in the oceans during the age of the dinosaurs.
In 2023, Kiernan co-authored research describing two new species, including Ectenosaurus shannoni, identified from the remains of an animal that lived around 82 million years ago.
There cannot be many people whose CV includes internationally acclaimed novels, comic books, major literary awards and the scientific naming of prehistoric sea creatures. From a Skerries beginning to a career spanning fiction and fossils, Caitlín R. Kiernan is one of those Fingal East connections that deserves to be much better known.
We just like that. Well done, Caitlín! 👏👏
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.
Sponsored by Yearmark
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