The pubs in Blackrock are reeling back the years, on the Bank Holiday Weekend, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October 2024 – bringing you the ultimate Tribute Band experience!   Get ready for a musical journey with headline acts such as the Blooze Brothers, Thin Az Lizzy, Elvis Tribute, and supported by local legends such as Colm Lynch and Paul McGuinness.

We would welcome participation from restaurants and retailers also.  Please get in touch HERE if your business would like to join the party!

Broadcaster Maia Dunphy took centre stage on 26 September 2024, championing one of Ireland’s largest fundraising events, the 32nd annual Bewley’s Big Coffee Morning for Hospice. Kettles were boiling across homes, schools, workplaces, and sporting clubs nationwide, all in support of the country’s hospices.

Maia showed her support at her local hospice, Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services in Blackrock, as the event organised by Together for Hospice got underway.  The campaign, representing 24 hospices across Ireland, aimed to raise €2.4 million this year.

At the recent Blackrock Business Association AGM, a new Board for 2024/2025 was installed.

The Board members are as follows:

Chairman:      Tom Feeney

Secretary:       Vivienne Bradley

Treasurer:       Brendan McLoughlin

Elected Board Members:

Jim Kenny

Jane Carroll

Neil Kilgallon

Michelle O’Reilly

Sheena Crean

Co-opted Members:

Martha Fanning

Gwen Browne

Gwen Thomas

Nicola Fox

Nigel O’Rourke was recently featured in the Irish Independent newspaper explaining the origin of the now famous Rock Shandy!

If you want to know where the iconic Irish drink came from, look no further than Jack O’Rourke’s Pub: on a wall in the men’s toilets to be exact.  Owner Nigel O’Rourke recently put up a sign in the bathroom explaining exactly where the drink’s name was born.  “In the early 1960s, Frank Murphy, former managing director of Club Orange owner C&C, was a member of the Blackrock swimming club that used the open sea baths near the pub.  After training on a Sunday morning, the swimmers would go to O’Rourke’s pub in Blackrock for a drink. Their favourite tipple was a combination of Club Orange and Club Lemon, with the location putting the “rock” into rock shandy.  They’d be thirsty for sugar and something bitter – you wouldn’t want to hit the stout or whiskey straight away – so they would get Club Orange and Club Lemon and mix it in a pint glass with ice.  That’s how rock shandy was created”. “They’d have it with a packet of crisps too,” said Nigel!!

TU Dublin have been researching the socio-economic and mobility impacts of the reconfigured Main Street in Blackrock Village since the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the last few months, the research team have returned to the Village to interview a number of businesses in the area 4 years on since the start of the pandemic, to gauge views on the trading environment and future of the Village.

They are concluding their research shortly, and would like to extend a final invite to any businesses who may be interested in talking with the research team. They would particularly like to talk with new businesses that have come into Blackrock Village/Main Street in recent months and years, or established businesses that have recently expanded or invested significantly. If you would like to participate in this important research, please contact sarah.rock@tudublin.ie before 12 October 2024, or phone 01-2206641.

Frascati Centre again pulled out all the stops to launch their Autumn/Winter 2024 Fashion, with an amazing Fashion Show styled and produced by Anne Marie Gannon.  Two lucky Makeover 2024 Winners were treated to a full beauty, body and fashion makeover, styled and managed by celebrity stylist Emily O’Donnell.  Both winners were revealed live on stage and walked the catwalk.

The wonderful and talented singers of Corus, led by Mary Lowe performed an uplifting and entertaining concert, followed with well-known songs performed by X-Factor Finalist Mary Byrne who brought the house down!

Over 300 Guests were treated to fine fare from Camile Thai, Musashi and Thindi and drinks were proudly supported by Aldi and ICIAR.  A grand raffle was held with fantastic prizes from Home Store + More, Sugar Coated, Sugar Daddy, Hart Gallery, Boots, Musashi, Carl Scarpa, Pamela Scott, Vienna and Yogahub.  All stores supported the Fashion Show, and the Makeover was supported by Pamela Scott, Serena, Fashion Relief, Carl Scarpa, Peter Mark, Sugar Coated and Shields Dental.

All proceeds from the entire evening went to Breast Cancer Ireland.

Superintendent Gordon Woolfe from Blackrock Garda Station has asked us to remind the public that when contacting the Gardai it is best to use the “999/112” phone number.  The system has been changed so that the “999/112” numbers are not just emergency numbers.  Routine or regular type calls, for example about an abandoned car, can be rung into either of these numbers.

National Fitness Day – Blackrock Village Centre

“A Walk in the Park”

To mark National Fitness Day on 23 September 2024, some of the retailers and centre management from Blackrock Village Centre downed their tools and enjoyed a lunchtime walk around the wonderful and historic Blackrock Park. The weather was kind and made the bracing stroll around the Park all the more enjoyable. The occasion also reminded us all that this magnificent public amenity is there for us all to enjoy anytime!!

A special thanks went to Blackrock Village Centre retailers Holland&Barrett and SuperValu Blackrock for providing the sustenance for the trek!!

Regus comes to Blackrock

Regus Blackrock has officially opened its doors and is now ready to welcome the Blackrock community.  If you need an office space, you can start working immediately – in a recently renovated space in Temple House across the third and fourth floors.  The 1980s building has been transformed into modern, sustainable offices spaces. Regus’s offices are fully serviced and have everything taken care of—from the furniture to the high-speed Wi-Fi.

For any enquiries, contact Regus via email dublin.blackrock@regus.com, or phone +353 1 575 7000.

Sea Shanty is a charming seafood and wine bar located upstairs in Conway’s Pub in Blackrock offering a delightful array of fresh oysters, mussels, and clams.

Known for its cozy atmosphere, it’s run by sommelier Elena and Chef Sebastian, who pair Irish-sourced seafood with carefully selected wines. Whether you enjoy oysters raw, cooked, or tempura-style, Sea Shanty provides a unique culinary experience that highlights the finest flavours of Ireland’s coastline.  Sea Shanty has just opened and we wish them every success in this exciting venture.

Big Beach Clean Weekend

17 Tonnes of Litter Removed!

Clean Coasts received overwhelming support and commitment from volunteers and communities across Ireland for the Big Beach Clean weekend that took place on the last weekend of September.  This year, a record number of over 600 clean-ups were organised by volunteers who removed over 95 tonnes of litter nationwide, making this Clean Coasts’ largest clean-up event yet.   In Co Dublin, over 100 groups and over 2,800 volunteers removed an estimated 17 tonnes of marine litter with clean-ups taking place in various locations across the county.

Blackrock Tidy Towns’ volunteers completed their big beach clean over the weekend – collecting approximately 54kg of litter from the area.

Wheelie bins and recycling bags continue to be permanently placed out on Rockhill beside the large planters.  Clearly they are very unsightly and are attracting negative attention by passers by.   This has been going on since May 2024.  The owners of the bins are once again kindly asked to only put their bins on the street on collection days.

Upcoming Training this Autumn with

LEO DLR

Upskill and develop your business with Local Enterprise Office training workshops and courses taking place throughout October 2024. From Small Business Accounting to Digital Marketing, there’s something for everyone.

Don’t miss out and book a place today!

View all training workshops here

1.Draft Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) Scheme 2024-2029 Consultation
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has considered a draft Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) Scheme and has issued the draft scheme for public consultation. The purpose of the SPCs is to advise and assist the Council in the formulation, development and review of policy in relation to functions of a strategic nature. SPCs bring together both Elected Members and people actively working with social, community/voluntary, economic, cultural, business and environmental bodies. The Council is now seeking submissions from interested parties in relation to the configuration of the scheme. Public consultation closes October 14th 2024. Read more here.

2. All Ireland Coastwatch Citizen Science Survey
The Coastwatch Survey is designed to give an overview of the state of the coast. It involves volunteers from all walks of life checking their chosen 500m stretch of coast (survey unit) once around low tide, and jotting observations down on the survey questionnaire while on the shore. This citizen science work can be augmented with water tests. Data is then collected and pooled to provide a snapshot of the state in areas surveyed at that time. Coast watch All Ireland Survey launched 5 September 2024 and runs until 15 October 2024.

Dlr would be delighted if you could join them in this annual citizen science shore survey, whether experienced surveyor or total newcomer. It’s interesting, fun, energising and sometimes challenging and contributes enormously to our knowledge of the coastal rim. With climate change, new policies and laws this is a crucial time to have up to date information and thousands of eyes on the shore. For more information and details on how to sign up, please click here.

3. Bioeconomy Ireland Week 2024
Bioeconomy Ireland Week 2024 will be taking place 14 to 20 October 2024. This year’s theme is “Demonstrating Biobased Solutions for a Greener Ireland.” Event details can be found here.

4. Department of Rural Community Development Supports
There are a range of different investment schemes and supports available for rural and community development. To find out more, click here.
1.CLÁR – Small-Scale Rural Projects
2. Community CentreInvestment Fund
3. Community Recognition Fund
4. Community Services Programme
5. LEADER programme for Rural Development
6. Local Road Improvement (Local Improvement Scheme)
7. Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme
8. Rural Regeneration and Development Fund
9. Seniors Alert Scheme
10. Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP)
11. Town and Village Renewal Scheme
12. Walks Scheme

5. Local Consultations open to the DLR Community
There are 10 open consultations that the local DLR community can participate in, including the DLR Harbour Masterplan, the proposed development at Cabinteely Park, the Road Maintenance Operation Facility and more. Please see all at this link.