The Portrane–Donabate peninsula forms a distinctive hammer-head shape. This is because each of the mouths of both estuaries surrounding the peninsula are partially closed by large sand spits stretching north to south. The northern spit contains Portrane beach which almost touches Rush South Beach but for a narrow channel entering the Rogerstown Estuary. A stretch of low limestone cliffs to the south of Portrane beach leads to Balcarrick[6] or Corballis Beach, which is the east face of the southern spit. The southern Broadmeadow estuary is likewise almost completely enclosed and is fed by the Broadmeadow River. The shelter provided by the spits makes the estuaries important wildlife habitats and both are protected under the international Ramsar Convention.[7]
Mute Swans in the Broadmeadow estuary Donabate
History
The 1911 census recorded that Donabate had a population of 734 people who lived in 150 dwellings. It remained a small village for more than a century. In later years, the area's access to the capital city of Dublin has improved with upgraded roads and the re-opening of a former railway station. The census of 1996 recorded that the population was 1,868; by the time of the 2002 census it had doubled to 3,854. The 2022 census recorded a population of 9,669.[1]
Donabate & Portrane - a history, first written and published in 1988 and revised 2001, includes information on the beginnings of Donabate around the 7th century AD, the building of Lanistown Castle (likely in the 14th century) and Newbridge House (between 1698 and 1705) and the subsequent purchase of the estate by the Cobbe family in 1736. In 1846, Charles Cobbe forwarded a petition for the establishment of a relief committee during the Great Famine.[8]
In July 2022, a tunnel was found by accident in the Corballis area of Donabate, on land subject to a planning application later granted in November 2022,[9] when a farmer turned a stone on his field. The stone covered the entrance of a chamber and a tunnel, possibly dating from the early medieval period, 7th century AD to about 1100 AD.[10][11][12]
In 2024, Glenveagh Homes began to construct 112 new homes in an estate named Ballisk Park.[13]
Donabate Portrane Community Council is the community council for the Donabate Portrane Peninsula.[citation needed]
Donabate Portrane Community and Leisure Centre opened in 2001. The town has a Chamber of Commerce, Scout Group (63rd Dublin 14th Port Donabate), soccer clubs (St Ita's AFC and Portrane Athletic), a G.A.A club (St Patrick's), Karate and Tae-Kwon Do clubs, a snooker club, a Historical and Folklore Society, and a Tidy Towns Committee.[15]
Education
National schools (primary schools) serving the area include Donabate Portrane Educate Together National School, St Patrick's Girls National School, and St Patrick's Boys National School. Donabate Community College VEC is a local post-primary school (secondary school). Donabate opened its first Gaelscoil primary school, Gaelscoil na Mara, in 2020.
Other churches in the area include: Church of Ireland (St Patrick's Church), since 1968 it is part of the Group of parishes which include Swords and Kilsallaghan[16] (Donabate having also been merged with St. Catherine's Church, Portrane, since 1835) and Donabate Presbyterian Church, which meets at Donabate Portrane Community Centre.[17]
Sport
Golf
There are five courses on the peninsula: The Island Golf Club, Beaverstown Golf Club, Balcarrick Golf Club, Donabate Golf Club (a 27-hole course) and Corballis Links Golf Club (a public course). The peninsula was once home to a sixth club, Turvey Golf Club, situated on the former Turvey estate, that has since closed. Several of these courses have views of the estuaries or the open sea, including links courses such as The Island, which is ranked as one of the top 20 courses in Ireland.[18]
GAA
The local Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club, St Patrick's GAA or Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, Naomh Pádraig, dates from 1924. It has a membership of over 300 as of 2009[update].[19] The club plays at Robbie Farrell Park, Ballymastone in Donabate. Gaelic football and hurling are played at adult level as well as at under-age levels from an expanding nursery section. The club colours are green and black.[citation needed]
Football
St. Ita's Athletic Football Club (AFC) has been active in Donabate/Portrane from the early 20th century. As of the early 21st century, they play in the Leinster league and field several underage teams.[20] The main pitch is the grounds of the St. Ita's Hospital and they also play on pitches in Portrane and Ballymastone. The club's colours are green and white.[21]
Water sports
Chasing a kite on Corballis Beach
Kayaking, sailing and wind surfing are undertaken at Balcarrick / Corballis beach and in the Broadmeadow estuary.[citation needed] There are also marinas in nearby Rush and Malahide. The use of jet skis and fast powerboats is restricted by law in the estuaries and beaches and regulated by permit.[22]
Both Balcarrick / Corballis and Portrane beaches are staffed by lifeguards during the summer months. In 2009, Portrane beach was among several Irish beaches to lose its blue flag status due to poor water quality,[23] but subsequently regained blue flag status and from 2011 to 2015.[24] Corballis / Balcarrick beach has an area used by naturists.[25]
Hockey
Portrane Hockey Club was founded in 1919 and fields hockey teams in the Leinster senior league. The club suffered from the introduction of compulsory synthetic pitches in the 1990s as they were unable to continue using their grass pitch in St. Ita's Hospital.[citation needed] However, the club remained active and an all-weather pitch was reportedly opened in 2011.[26]
Other sports
In equestrianism, the hunter trials of the Ward Union Hunt are held at Corballis Farm in Corballis Donabate.[27] The area also has a tennis club, Donabate Portrane Tennis Club, near Donabate Golf Club.[28]
Donabate has a fine historical "Big House and Estate" at Newbridge Estate. Newbridge House is a Georgian mansion built for Charles Cobbe, Archbishop of Dublin in 1736. It sits on 370 acres (150ha) of eighteenth-century landscaped parklands with perimeter woodland belts and fine vistas across lawns and wildflower meadows. The grounds also include a late medieval castellated tower house named Lanestown Castle. The estate was bought by Fingal County Council in a unique arrangement with the Cobbe family in 1985 and is now a public park, playground and model farm, while the family continue to maintain an apartment within the main building on a part-time basis.[30] The park also contains playing pitches used by local sports clubs.[citation needed]
Newbridge House was a location for the 1965 film The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.[31] In 2009 a previously unrecognised rare portrait of William Shakespeare was found to have been hanging in the drawing-room of the house.[32]
The Farm at Newbridge is located to the west and north of Newbridge House and beside the walled garden. Between 1989 and 1990, the County Council Parks Department undertook the renovation, reconstruction and restoration of the courtyard, haggard and adjoining buildings. A number of farm animals and fowl are now housed here, including several rare or show breeds, and it is operated as a visitor attraction.[citation needed]
Transition Town Donabate Portrane
Donabate's "Transition Town" movement have run a number of projects in the Donabate area. These include a local weekly food market and developments to change the disused St. Ita's Gardens & Farm into a working community farm and orchard.[33]
Wildlife
In 2008, Fingal County Council published a plan to develop a large wildlife park and natural amenity that would span both sides of the Rogerstown Estuary.[34] Fingal Parks Department gave a summary of some of the features of the plan as:
The proposed development will include new entrances, a car park with 120 car parking spaces, 250 allotments, 3km (2mi) of walkways, a new bridge adjacent to the railway bridge, woodland and hedgerow planting, hay meadows,
reintroduction of cattle to graze the grasslands and interpretative facilities.[35]
The plan, as published in 2008, included: bridges over the estuary; pedestrian links with Newbridge and the village; parking facilities; allotments; look-out towers; a new park on the old baleally landfill on the north side of the estuary; picnic areas; and 8 kilometres (5 miles) of woodland and grassland trails.[needs update]
Lambay from the Donabate Portrane Cliff Walk
Donabate Beach
Broadmeadow Estuary in Winter
Smyths Donabate village
Rogerstown Estuary
Rogerstown Estuary is an important wetland habitat. It has several designations in recognition of this including that of Statutory Nature Reserve. BirdWatch Ireland owns land on both the north and south shores of the inner estuary and played a large role in preserving the area in its natural state in spite of its proximity to large urban areas by purchasing tracts of land and entering into management agreements with the Council and landowners.[36] The Fingal Branch of BirdWatch Ireland operates two hides in Rogerstown which are wardened at weekends during certain times of the year.
On 21 August 2009 the 18:07 train from Balbriggan to Connolly was passing over the viaduct when the driver noticed subsidence and the embankment giving way on the northbound track.[38] The train passed over the bridge before it collapsed and the driver alerted authorities.[38] This was later determined to be caused by scour[39] A catastrophe was avoided but commuters faced significant subsequent disruption. A bus service was added between Donabate and Malahide train stations to facilitate passenger transport.[citation needed]
↑ "Donabate strategy unveiled". independent.ie. 9 December 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2025. designated as an 'expanding suburban village centre'
↑ Donabate Urban Centre Strategy(PDF). fingal.ie (Report). Fingal County Council. June 2010. p.5. Retrieved 22 August 2025. Donabate is designated as an 'Expanding Suburban Village Centre' in the County Retail Strategy
↑ St. David's Church, Kilsallaghan, Swords (St. Columba's), Donabate (St. Patrick's) and Kilsallaghan (St. David's), Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough.
Baronies broken out by civil parish (* denotes article not on the civil parish or barony specifically but on the modern district, village or town of the same name)
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