PCA  created the video below to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the historic transatlantic flight by Captain Charles Kingsford Smith which departed from Portmarnocks Velvet Strand on 24th June 1930.

 PCA  2023/2024

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THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR SUPPORT

 PLEASE HELP SOLUTION NOT POLLUTION TO RAISE THE MONEY NEEDED TO APPEAL THE  PLANNING PERMISSION GIVEN FOR THE GIANT SEWAGE PLANT AT CLONSHAUGH AND OUTFALL TO IRELANDS EYE 

An Bord Pleanala have just approved the Giant Sewage Plant and outfall just one km from Ireland's Eye .

Given Irish Waters poor Track record it will be just a case of waiting for a sewage discharge in the future and the loss of our Blue Flag for 4 years . Our Environment is been assaulted on land Sea and Air.

This is your last chance to stop this monstrosity .Solution not Pollution is mounting a judicial challenge to this decision on the basis that there are huge breaches of the habitats directives and that there are ECO  alternatives to this plant 

 We really need your support on this and please contribute what you can .

https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-our-seas-judicial-review-of-gddp-fundraiser

Happy Guys from Portmarnock Arch Club 

A lovely poem about Portmarnock Beach coming all the way from Australia written by Eimear Henry who misses her velvet Strand !

Photo Credit: Catherine McMahon (& Rossi) Portmarnock uncovered ( Fab photo!)

Portmarnock Beach.

 So rugged wild and wonderful

The sands stretch far away

And the marram leaves sway in the breeze

On a clear, crisp Autumn day

.

And the grey green  sea waves sing to me

Their quaint familiar hum

‘Neath the pale blue skies and low sun rise

Of my beloved home.

And flocks of seagulls dance their song

Above the tower’s grey

And sunshine glistens quietly

On mysterious Lambay

.

And though the birds move with the clouds

And soft winds ruffle hills

That  silvery sea in front of me

It stands forever still

Eimear Henry

PCA NEWS APRIL 2018

Airport Runway

We are very grateful to our Councillor Brian McDonagh for raising the matter of the proposed appointment of Fingal County Council as the competent authority to monitor aircraft noise at Dublin Airport. The matter was raised at the Howth Malahide Area Committee meeting. The Minister will shortly receive a letter from the group expressing their dismay at the action of the Minister. As you know Fingal County Council who are excellent in most of the services they provide are the most unsuitable organisation to undertake the monitoring.

Bird Boxes and Benches

The Men’s Shed have produced excellent bird boxes which we are in the process of distributing throughout the village to encourage more wild bird nesting in our area. The majority of the boxes have been given to the schools with the remainder being given to local householders. (See picture). It is important to remember that if you have been feeding our wild birds through the winter you should continue to do so in the summer and autumn to maintain numbers We have also funded some benches which will be installed in the centre of the village in the next few weeks. This work has been made possible by the grant and prize we received from the Tidy Towns Organisation.

Railway Station

A group from the PCA met with the representatives from  Iarnrod Eireann to enquire about improvements that are
needed to the station and surrounds. We had a good meeting and are hopeful of a positive response. Among
the matters raised were ; Graffiti under the bridge and on walls at the Dublin end of the platform, planting of bulbs
of the embankment behind the inward platform, provision of planters between the shelters for summer and autumn flowers. The surveyor also mentioned that he would address improvements to the handrails and boundary fence on the outward platform. We also looked at a general tidy up in the area at the ticket office.
If you see any urgent issue that should be brought to the attention of Irish Rail contact the station master at
Malahide Railway Station 01 – 8286960. He is responsible for Portmarnock station

Wildflower Meadows

The Parks Department will be commencing a programme to establish wildflower meadows in this area over the spring and summer. A small number of football pitches at the PSLC end will be retained and the remainder left over to nature. Walkers will be accommodated through the provision of cut pathways. The PCA are hopeful that we can establish natural woodland in parts of this area in the future.

Paddys Hill Park has been allowed to develop as a wildflower haven. There are a succession of flowers there during the year.

An area of the green on Heather Walk has been developed as a wildflower haven with cowslips and orchids especially plentiful.

Cowslips are also very prominent on the Texaco Green.

Velvet Strand

The beach is in excellent condition.
 There was a lot of sand movement and exposure of rock. While this erosion mayseem to be damaging it has no real long term consequences. The sand is removed at one point on the coast but it is deposited elsewhere. You will have also noted that there was a lot of deposition of seaweed and dead fish after the storms. This material will rot and provide organic matter and nutrients for sea scutch and Marram grass to establish and form new dunes. Unfortunately along with the natural materials deposited you will also see lots of plastic, products
used to clean teeth and to apply cosmetics. We have got to find other ways to make ourselves beautiful!.
Beach Cleaning commenced on Saturday the 22nd of May. 10.00am
Meet at the Kiosk. All are welcome

It has been great to see so many swimmers on the beach over the last year.

IVY 

People have varying opinions about Ivy. Many think it is damaging to walls and it will allow dampness into buildings. They believe it is unsightly and an indication that a person is not “taking care” of their property.
If you look at old stone walls there is no doubt that it gets into old lime mortar and will eventually cause the walls
to fall as the stems of the ivy expand. On old mature trees it increases the load the trunk of the tree has to bear and makes them more susceptible to blowing over in the wind.
Many of the trees on the backroads around Portmarnock appear vulnerable to me on superficial observation while I drive by.
There are however, great benefits to having Ivy. It is a native plant and plays host to large numbers of insects and other bugs. It is therefore a great source of juicy meals for many of our small birds. The Holly Blue, a charming small blue winged butterfly feeds on the nectar of both holly and ivy flowers. I see them in my garden every year. It is very unlikely that ivy will damage modern walls as it finds it very difficult to penetrate cement plaster.
I cut it back every 3 years so that it does not become too heavy a load for the wall to bear. In conclusion it is not good on old stone walls but is hugely beneficial in our gardens and much prettier to look when compared to concrete blocks

Contacting the PCA:

If you wish to contact the PCA on
any issues in our community or volunteer for any of our
committees why not email portmarnock1@gmail.com. You can visit our Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PortmarnockCommunityAssociation

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