Niamh Grist recently took over as the new Manager of the Blackrock Village Centre, having previously worked as Business Support Manager in Dundrum Town Centre.  She succeeds Seamus Carroll who for many years has been the face of the Centre and who was well known to business owners and customers alike as its voice and champion. Seamus will be a hard act to follow and Niamh wishes to acknowledge his invaluable assistance during the managerial transition.

Niamh has been very impressed with how rich historically the Village is and just how vibrant, bustling and interesting it is today.  She is extremely thankful to the whole Village community who have been incredibly welcoming.

“As I walk through the centre, up and down Main Street and around the village, my experience is of an incredibly interesting and unique location, a true hub of activity with a fantastic mix of shops, restaurants, and innovative local businesses”.

“I’m excited to be working with all of you to make Blackrock Village the destination of choice for shopping, leisure, and relaxation.  My priority is to create an environment where businesses can flourish and where our customers and visitors feel welcome, valued, and inspired.  It is clear to me that Blackrock is fortunate to have such a strong business community, and I look forward to supporting you all in my new role”.

“We’ve got it all,” says the Blackrock Business Association logo.  I believe that we certainly do!”

The Blackrock Business Association (BBA) is delighted to announce that the inaugural ROCKFEST 2024 music festival will take place in Blackrock village over the Bank Holiday weekend, 26 & 27 October 2024.  Rockfest 2024 will add to the other events/festivals in Blackrock during the year which include the Leprechaun Chase, Bloomsday and Santa’s Arrival.

The Blackrock bar (in conjunction with Heineken and DLRCoCo) is leading the charge with a series of your favourite tribute bands across various bars and restaurants in the Village.  Dust down your Stetsons and feather boas and prepare to boogie the night away!  Follow @the.blackrock for updates on the weekend lineup and schedule.  If your business would like to get involved, please click here to get in touch. It would be great to make it a community-wide event, spanning more than bars and restaurants so we welcome all potential involvement. Perhaps your store can offer discounts for the duration of the festival, or perhaps you can dress your boutique window to match your favourite 90s rock band.  The sky’s the limit and we’d love to hear your suggestions!

Click here to email your suggestions

Shop-lifting and aggression in shops has risen to epidemic proportions of late and stores like Centra in Blackrock are bearing the brunt of it.  Jim Kenny, owner of Centra and great community person has had enough and wants more attention focused on this growing societal problem.

“During Covid it became increasingly difficult to deal with an aggressive element amongst the public and the problem grew like a fungus.  Aggression stood out like a beacon and led to an ‘I can do what I want’ attitude.  Theft is now rife, amongst both young and old, especially amongst unruly groups of teenagers”.

Jim says that retailers are easy pickings for thugs and thieves.

“Right now, we have to protect ourselves as Gardai can’t touch the under 16’s, and the kids know it.  I, and my son have been assaulted and both my private house and business threatened to be burned down.  When politicians are threatened in this way, it is all over the papers and becomes a discussion for tv and radio programmes and yet retailers suffer this everyday”.

Here are Jim’s 4 actions points:

We the law abiding citizens need to be protected.

Politicians need to change the law – not talk about it.

Gardai need support and numbers to start policing on the beat again

The judiciary needs to start imposing tougher sentences and more prisons need to be built.

In line with Frascati’s continued support for Breast Cancer Ireland they will host yet another great night of food, wines, fashion & fantastic music from both the amazing ladies of Corus and the wonderful X Factor finalist Mary Byrne!

The event themed Here Come the Girls! is being hosted in Frascati on Thursday 26th September from 6.30pm  with a delicious reception showcasing the great foods & wines Frascati has to offer and followed by a Fashion Show of the gorgeous AW24 ranges across the boutiques, shoe stores and Lorraine Keane’s Fashion Relief store. The Centre yet again will be transformed into an Amphitheatre.

To Book tickets NOW through Eventbrite, go to https://qrco.de/beRlXA or simply scan the QR Code. Tickets only €35 (plus booking fee)

All proceeds from ticket sales, raffle and Fashion Relief sales will go directly to Breast Cancer Ireland!

Card Factory opened its doors in the Frascati Centre at the beginning of August 2024 and as a leading specialist Retailer of cards, gifts and celebration essentials, it is the one-stop-shop for all life’s celebratory moments. They are open 7 days a week.  Check out https://frascaticentre.ie/card-factory/ for opening hours.

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Chamber Business Awards 2024 are now open!

The Chamber’s Awards are open for nominations, and it would be great for the Blackrock Business Community to enter and to see our Network’s hard work recognized.

Please take the time to review and complete the nominations suited to your business. Feel free to enter in as many categories where appropriate!  Enter NOW @   www.dlrchamber.ie/awards

The Olympic Torch in Vincennes!

This summer, while Paris was ablaze with Olympic spirit, the Château de Vincennes became the place to be.  From July 26 to August 11, 2024, this historic monument, a symbol of France’s royal history, was transformed into a free fan zone.  This initiative was part of a drive to make the Olympic Games accessible to all, by offering a comfortable, family-friendly setting in which to follow the events.  The organisers created a space where sport and heritage meet, creating a unique setting for this sporting celebration.

Citizens of Vincennes watching the Olympics on the big screen in the Chateau!

Some Irish supporters parading in the Chateau!

Tom Feeney, Blackrock Business Association; Marie Helene Knoops, Mayor Montigny-le-Tilleul; Charlotte Libert-Albanel, Mayor Vincennes; Joe Yochum, Mayor Vincennes Indiana, and Mrs Yochum

As part of the preparations for the games, invitations were issued to partner towns to celebrate the arrival of the Olympic Torch to the Town Hall.  Partners towns represented included Blackrock/Dun Laoghaire, Montigny-le-Tilleul in Belgium and Vincennes in Indiana, USA.

After Ireland’s triumphs at the Olympics, how do you follow that?! Well Blackrock Village Centre was thrilled to host the chess legend and Ireland’s only Chess Grandmaster Alex Baburin taking on 12 people SIMULTANEOUSLY in a captivating live event in the centre on Saturday 31 August leading to such a successful and exciting chess event

Alex Baburin regularly partakes in Chess Olympiads around the world. He is the mastermind behind the Grandmaster School of Chess and has introduced thousands of children to chess in the Greater Dublin area.  He is also author of the acclaimed book – Winning Pawn Structures.

The Community Recognition Fund was introduced in 2023 by the Department of Community & Rural Development(DRCD) to recognise the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland.

Based on the continued impacts on communities throughout the country and the need to support these communities in welcoming new arrivals where large numbers of citizens from other countries are currently living, a further €50 million is being provided under the Community Recognition Fund 2024.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has been allocated €765,487 by the DRCD to deliver projects over 2025 and 2026, with funding being allocated across 2 application windows as outlined in the table below:

DRCD Application Window 2: 1 August – 30 September 2024

Dlr County Council seeking  applications from 16th August – 16th September ’24

DRCD Application Window 3: 1stJanuary 2025 – 31 January 2025

Dlr County Council will seek applications in November/December 2024

Funding is targeted to invest in the communities, villages and towns in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown where the highest level of new arrivals are located including Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection or International Protection Applicants and where a clear need for investment is identified.

Closing date & Enquiries:

Applicants will be advised that all enquiries in relation to the Community Recognition Fund 2024 should be directed to: integration@dlrcoco.ie / 01 205 4893

Applications in any form (hardcopy or e-mail) should arrive not later than 5.00pm Monday 16 September 2024 via email to integration@dlrcoco.ie / or by post to:

Community Recognition Fund2024

dlr Local Authority Integration Team,

Community & Cultural Development Department,

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council,

County Hall, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, A96K6C9.

integration@dlrcoco.ie / 01 205 4893

On Thurs 15 Aug 2024, at a special lunch event, Ruchii Restaurant celebrated the first anniversary of their new restaurant location and also Indian Independence Day. Sateesh and Vicky wish to thank all their customers for their support and patronage over the past year.

Autumn brings about a wealth of activities, training, funding opportunities and calls for participation and consultation, so please have a read below.

1. Dlr are delighted to offer member groups the following free training sessions, as part of our ongoing collaboration with Dublin City PPN. To reserve a free place, please email Ruth at info@dublincityppn.ie

• Thursday, September 19th, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Facilitation Skills for Online Meetings with Clare Mulvany Online via Zoom.
• Thursday, September 26th, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Facilitation Skills for In-Person Meetings with Clare Mulvany, Online via Zoom.
• Wednesday, October 2nd, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Grant Applications with Evelyn Fitzpatrick, Online via Zoom.
• Wednesday October 9th, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Mastering PowerPoint for Impactful Presentations with Fiona Walsh, Online via Zoom.

2. Dublin Climate Action Week from 9th to 15th September 2024. Building on the success of previous years, a great variety of events are planned to take place across Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown throughout the week. Events will range from nature walks, workshops to advise businesses and individuals on grants and reducing energy bills or learning to love leftover food, to a wetsuit swap shop, a WEEE recycling event and lots of other ways to connect with your local community and have fun! Read more here.

3. Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) Panel – Deadline 2nd of September 2024. Dlr have been asked to circulate information in relation to an EU funded project led by the Department of Health. This project will develop new services, that will enable the collection, use and sharing of health information to plan for future health and social care needs of patients and the public and for better, safer care. A team at the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is beginning to work with the Department of Health to develop a plan on how to engage with the public in relation to these new developments. HIQA is creating a Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) panel to support the development of new services that allow the collection, use and sharing of health information for service improvement, research and innovation. To help guide HIQA’s work and for more information please, visit: Collecting, using and sharing health information for better health services, policy, research and innovation • PPI Ignite Network(ppinetwork.ie)”

4. National Funding Opportunities –  To read the list of National Funding Opportunities, please click here
– Community Centres Investment Fund 2024
– ESF+ ‘New Solutions’ funding to support Social Innovation
– Research Support Programme – The Housing Agency
– Strategic Funding – The Arts Council
– SSGT Family Matters Grant Programme
– Healthy Ireland Walking Tracks initiative – IRFU & FAI
– Certified Proud Fund
– LGBTI+ Youth Fund 2024
– Youth Services Grant Scheme opens to new applicants
– Growing Social Enterprise fund launched
– Artist in the Community Scheme
– Arts and Disability Connect (Round Two)
– 2024 Walks Scheme Expansion
– Community Food Initiative at Home Funding 2024
– Age & Opportunity Active National Grant Scheme
– 2024 Community Recognition Fund
– PEACEPLUS Programme – Cross Border Funding
– Seniors Alert Scheme (SAS)
– The Hospital Saturday Fund
– Community-based CCTV Grant Aid Scheme
– Free Toolkit Helps Irish Sports Clubs Tackle Waste
– Movement for Good 2024
– SEAI Energy Master Plan Funding for Sustainable EnergyCommunities
– LEADER Funding
– PayPal Giving Fund Ireland
– Artist Workspaces Capital Scheme
– Baboró Go See Fund
– Supports for Social Enterprises and SMEs
– Digital Repository Ireland Community Archive Scheme 2025

5. International Funding Opportunities –  To read the list of International Funding Opportunities, please click here
– Lady Freethinker Urgent Need Fund – Animal Welfare
– PSEA Outreach Fund
– Climate Creatives Challenge
– Play for Nature Grant Program
– Purpose Earth Grant
– ProVeg Grants
– Call for Artists in the Agri-Food Sector
– The Lush Spring Prize
– Patagonia Environmental Grants
– Advancement of Wildlife Research
– Meet and Code 2024

6. Survey – Barriers to Participation in PPN to investigate the diversity of participation and where appropriate explore the barriers and challenges for diverse groups inactively participating in PPNs. To read more and participate in this survey, please click here.