St Patrick’s Day weekend is here and Dublin 15 is gearing up for a busy few days of parades, events and celebrations.

We’ve also got some interesting local initiatives this week — including a great new project helping teenagers get back cycling after bike theft.

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Fingal will host seven St Patrick’s Day parades this year, with celebrations taking place across the county.

The Blanchardstown parade starts at 12pm, running from the junction of Church Avenue, Mill Road and Mary Street, along Main Street and finishing near Blanchardstown Garda Station.

Other parades will take place in:

• Swords – 11am
• Balbriggan – 12pm
• Malahide – 2pm
• Rush – 1pm
• Lusk – 1:30pm
• Skerries – 3pm

There’s also a community parade in Donabate on Saturday March 14th at 1:30pm.

This year Fingal County Council is introducing a Best Dressed Group competition for the four main parades in Blanchardstown, Swords, Balbriggan, Malahide.

Prizes include:

🥇 €1,000 for first place
🥈 €500 for second place
🥉 €500 for third place

Road closures will be in place around parade routes and nearby areas to allow the events to run safely.

Road closure information here.

A new initiative launched by Fingal County Council aims to help teenagers who have had their bikes stolen.

The “Second Spin” project — run in partnership with the Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun — provides free refurbished bikes to young people so they can keep cycling.

Over the past decade, cycling has grown significantly in Ireland thanks to investment in walking and cycling infrastructure. However, bike theft remains a major barrier, particularly for teenagers who may not be able to afford a replacement.

The programme works by collecting donated or abandoned bikes, refurbishing them, and giving them to teenagers who have lost their own to theft.

Participants are also encouraged to donate their refurbished bike back to the scheme in the future if they later purchase a new one — helping support the circular economy.

Tony Cantwell brings his new Fringe Award nominated comedy show to Draíocht tonight. I listened to him as a guest on the Talking Bollox podcast recently and he’s got a very interesting story.

The show features wildly personal stories, surreal perspectives and the offbeat humour that has made him one of Ireland’s most recognisable comedians.

Star of:

• Last One Laughing (Amazon)
• Good Boy (RTÉ)
• Young Hot Guys podcast

📅 Tonight, March 13
📍 Draíocht
⏱ Duration: 2 hours (including interval)
🔞 Age: 18+

After six years touring theatres across Ireland, Glory Days bring their acclaimed Bruce Springsteen tribute show to Draíocht for the first time.

Expect a night packed with big anthems, storytelling and the energy that made “The Boss” legendary.

📅 March 14
⏰ 8pm
🎟 Tickets €25

Looking for a Mother’s Day gift idea?

Ireland’s Glas Quartet present Bridgerton Symphonic, featuring music from the hit Netflix series performed live alongside visuals and atmospheric lighting.

📅 March 27
⏰ 8pm
🎟 Tickets €27.50
📍 Draíocht

Fingal County Council has requested further information on major housing proposals by Glenveagh Homes.

The builder submitted two large residential developments:

• 1,350 homes at Belcamp Manor near the Malahide Road
• 815 homes at Flemington Lane in Balbriggan

The council has asked for a masterplan and raised concerns about potential car dependency due to a lack of public transport planning.

Developers now have until 7 August to respond.

Last week we shared the news that the first Popeyes restaurant in Ireland is opening in Blanchardstown.

Many people expected it to take over the recently closed TGI Fridays unit - but the location has now been confirmed.

The new restaurant will open at the Green Entrance of Blanchardstown Centre, in the former Tuthills space near Dunnes Stores and Manning’s Bakery.

Blanchardstown continues to be a testing ground for international brands entering the Irish market, and Popeyes’ arrival is expected to generate strong interest when it opens later this year.

A student from Castleknock Community College has been awarded a trip to Strasbourg after taking part in the Graduate.ie Active Citizenship & Democracy Programme.

Caoilfhionn Short received the prize after completing the programme and was invited to spend a day in the European Parliament as part of the Euroscola programme.

The initiative encourages young people aged 12–18 to learn about topics including:

• housing
• waste
• planning
• road safety
• voting

The trip brought together students from all 27 EU member states to discuss democracy and European values.

Congrats, Caoilfhionn!

A major logistics and light industrial development has been approved near Clonee in County Meath.

The project will include five warehouse and logistics buildings with a combined floor area of over 50,000 square metres.

Plans include:

• three large logistics warehouses
• eight smaller industrial units
• staff facilities and office space
• parking and service yards
• solar panels on all buildings

Access will be via the existing Hub Logistics Park entrance, which will be extended to serve the new development.

A cold and breezy Friday with sunny spells and frequent showers. Some showers may be wintry, with sleet or snow possible on higher ground, and a chance of hail or isolated thunderstorms. Highs of 5–8°C with gusty westerly winds.

🌙 Tonight will turn colder with showers easing and clearer spells developing. Frost, mist or fog patches are possible. Lows of -1 to +3°C.

🌤 Saturday will start mostly dry with bright or sunny spells, especially in the east. Scattered showers will move eastwards during the day before fading in the evening, with cloud increasing in the west. Highs of 7–9°C with light to moderate west to southwest breezes.

Fingal County Council is considering expanding its mobile sauna pilot scheme after strong demand.

Saunas currently operate at locations including:

• Skerries
• Balbriggan
• Rush
• Portmarnock

Councillors have suggested new locations such as Howth as interest continues to grow.

Operators currently pay:

If you run a local business, event, class, or community initiative, you can now promote it directly to our now 950+ Blanchardstown locals through The Blanch Bulletin.

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That’s it for Edition 10.

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