Hey Blanch, welcome to Edition 14 of The Blanch Bulletin.

Another big week locally - from major job announcements to one very convincing April Fools joke that had a lot of people doing double takes 👀

As always, if you’re enjoying the newsletter, share it with someone local - it really helps it grow.

Let’s get into it 👇

A major new public information campaign has been launched locally, aiming to tackle the growing normalisation of recreational drug use.

Led by the Blanchardstown Local Drug & Alcohol Task Force, the “Think Before You Buy” campaign focuses on the wider impact of drug use — not just on individuals, but across communities.

The key message is simple: drug use is not a private issue.

It’s linked to:

In a statement to the Blanch Bulletin, Community Safety Coordinator, Philip Jennings said:

The campaign also tackles the “bystander effect” — encouraging people to speak up and challenge behaviour that has become normalised.

Local schools, sports clubs, youth groups and businesses are now being asked to support the initiative.

There’s growing concern that parts of Dublin 15 are falling into a gap when it comes to public funding.

The issue? Many local areas are considered:

With the population expected to exceed 140,000 in the coming years, areas like Blanchardstown, Castleknock, Clonsilla and Mulhuddart are increasingly seen as being stuck in between — despite clear demand for:

Local groups are identifying problems — but struggling to access the funding needed to actually deliver solutions.

Drone delivery company Manna is scaling up in a big way — with 400 new jobs announced globally, around 300 of them in Ireland.

The company already operates locally in Blanchardstown (you’ve probably seen the drones near McDonald’s), and has completed 250,000+ deliveries to date.

The new roles will be split across:

It follows a $50m funding round, bringing total investment to $110m.

Despite some local concerns around noise and planning in recent years, the company says its drones are quieter than traffic and do not record video.

Another major jobs boost for Dublin 15 — with West Pharmaceuticals opening a new manufacturing facility in Damastown.

The expansion will create 330 highly-skilled jobs, bringing its Irish workforce to around 1,400 employees.

The new plant will focus on injectable medicines, including treatments for:

The facility is designed to meet rapidly growing global demand — particularly linked to new weight-loss and diabetes drugs.

Blanchardstown Centre caused a bit of chaos this week with an April Fools post that had a lot of people doing a double take.

Builders working on the new Blue Mall uncovered a hidden underground level dating back to 1995 - complete with 40 unused retail units.

The reality… not quite… it was all an April’s Fools joke. 🤡

📍 Draíocht
🗓 Wed 22 April
⏰ 7:30pm
🎟 €7.50 / €6 conc

A powerful and unique documentary — and the first feature film produced in Irish Sign Language.

The film follows three Deaf couples sharing their experiences of:

It’s described as a story of resilience, identity and connection — and will be followed by a live Q&A with the producers (with ISL interpretation).

📍 Draíocht
🗓 June 6th
🎟 Free

A full day of creativity for young people, including:

Everything is free — with a mix of drop-in and bookable events.

📍 Millennium Park
🗓 May 2–3

Craft trader applications are now open for this year’s festival celebrating culture, food and community.

👉 Apply: [email protected]

Draíocht is celebrating its 25th birthday with 25 pairs of tickets up for grabs.

Shows include:

Friday (Good Friday):

A windy day with fresh to strong west to southwest winds, with outbreaks of rain and showers throughout. Temperatures of 10–14°C.

Friday Night:

Clear spells early, followed by cloud and rain moving in from the southwest. Lows of 1–7°C, colder in the north.

Saturday:

Looking like the worst day — wet and windy, with strong gusts and heavy rain at times. Highs of 10–14°C.

Sunday (Easter Sunday):

Cooler and breezy with a mix of sunny spells and showers, some heavy. Temperatures around 7–11°C.

📍 Scoil Bhríde
🗓 May 24th
⏰ 12pm–6pm
🎟 Free

A huge local event celebrating 200 years of Blanchardstown Brass Band.

Expect:

If you run a local business, event, class, or community initiative, you can now promote it directly to our 1000+ Blanchardstown locals through The Blanch Bulletin.

We offer featured placements and sponsored spots to help local organisations get extra visibility in the newsletter.

Interested? Reply ‘INTERESTED’ with some details about what you would like to advertise and we can discuss further or download our media pack below.

We currently have availability on:

And as always, if you have:

Reply ‘INTERESTED’ to this email and we’ll take a look for an upcoming issue.

Thanks {{first name | Blanch}} and have a great weekend! 😊