Men’s Shed in Rockfield Park

The Blackrock Men’s Shed was formally opened by Cathaoirleach Denis O’Callaghan on Sat 30 September 2023, in the presence of a large group of Men’s Shed members, local residents, public representatives, and a number of different stakeholders.  We wish the Men’s Shed continued success in their base in Rockfield Park!

The Irish Men’s Sheds Association formed in 2011 and had its birth in Tipperary where the first men’s shed was set up. Following the formation of the first shed in Ireland, the movement began to grow rapidly, with now over 400 sheds registered with the Irish Men’s Sheds’ Association and at least 12,000 men visiting a shed every week.

Cormac Devlin TD; Cllr Marie Baker; Cllr Denis O’Callaghan, Cathaoirleach; Cllr Martha Fanning

Siobhán Nic Gaoithín, DLR Age Friendly Programme Manager; Tom Mooney, Senior Men’s Shed member

Granada FC girls with Mayor Charlotte Libert-Albanel

All Granada FC eyes were on Paris last month, as the Granada U15 girls were hosted by Vincennes FC for a super match with the local football club of our twin town.  This was the first match of its kind between Granada FC and Vincennes FC and follows a series of visits from their boys’ teams over the past couple of years.  After the match the girls were treated to a special ceremony by the Mayor of Vincennes, Charlotte Libert-Albanel.

Granada FC would like to thank the many people involved in helping to organise this memorable event, including supporters within the Blackrock Business Association.

Granada FC Chairman Ciaran Kane, Mayor Charlotte Libert-Albanel and Paddy Cranfield

Commercial & Operations Director Granada FC

The two teams!

At the recent AGM of the Blackrock Business Network it was agreed to change the name from Blackrock Business Network to Blackrock Business Association.   It was felt that this name better reflected the status and purpose of our organisation.

The Board for the 2023/2024 terms is constituted as follows:

Chairman:   Tom Feeney

Secretary:   Vivienne Bradley

Treasurer:   Brendan McLoughlin

Elected member:       Jim Kenny

Elected member:       Nicki Cloonan

Elected member:       Jane Carroll

Elected member:       Des Powell

Elected member:       Neil Kilgallon

Co-opted member:    Nicola Fox

Co-opted member:    Martha Fanning

Co-opted member:    Michelle O’Reilly

Co-opted member:    Gwen Browne

On 7 September 2023 the Frascati Centre celebrated 40 years of retail and lifestyle offerings to the Blackrock Public and beyond.   Drinks and canapés were served from 7pm with Rebecca Storm gracing the stage afterwards where she rolled back the years with a wonderfully high energy performance of songs from the musicals.  Viv Gaine, Manager of the Centre, thanked everybody who had contributed to the success of the centre and supported Frascati over the years.  Our thanks to Viv and Rachel for putting on such a top class event!

Rebecca Storm, Cormac Devlin TD, Jennifer Devlin, Tom Feeney

You may have heard rumours circulating regarding the former Zurich House on Frascati Road and the imminent arrival of a group of refugees.  Many of these rumours are well wide of the mark.

The facts as far as we are aware are as follows:

1. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has been offered the Frascati Road building to provide accommodation for refugees.
2. The provider/building owner is progressing designs to convert the premises to accommodate this provision.
3. The provider will have to engage with Building Control by way of a Building Control Management System submission to obtain the necessary approvals/certification.
4. No contract has yet been signed, nor will be signed, until the property is considered suitable for use.

The Blackrock Business Association has been in touch with the Department seeking further information on numbers, timing and on various other matters, but no information is forthcoming.  We have expressed our serious concern about this information deficit, and have pointed out that this strategy is counter-productive in that it is allowing the information vacuum to be filled by rumour and disinformation, and is probably having the opposite effect to that which was intended.  We will keep you updated on developments.

We hope to have the Christmas Tree erected in the Village Square on

16/17 November 2023.  On the following Sunday, 26 November 2023, Santa will once again parade down Main Street on his way to the Blackrock Village Centre!

Welcome to Local Enterprise News

Upcoming Training Opportunities

Start Your Own Business Course

Begins 18 October 6.30pm – 9.30pm

Looking to turn your business idea into a reality?
Gain in-depth knowledge and skills needed to kickstart your entrepreneurial journey.  From refining your idea to understanding business fundamentals, we’ll cover it all.
Connect with like-minded individuals, build a network of support, and receive expert advice tailored to start-ups.

BOOK NOW

How to Submit Income Tax Return Form 11 on ROS

16 Oct 9am – 5pm

A practical demonstration of the use of Revenue Online Services (ROS) to submit an income tax self-assessment Form 11 Return.

(Suitable for Sole traders, Partnerships, Company Directors and Landlords)

REGISTER NOW

WhatsApp for Business

26 Oct 10am – 1pm

WhatsApp Business makes interacting with customers easy by providing tools to automate, sort, and quickly respond to messages.

This half-day workshop will show you how to use WhatsApp to grow your customers & business.

REGISTER NOW

8 Week Online Marketing

& Social Media Course

Begins 24 Oct 6.30pm – 9.30pm

Unlock the secrets to online marketing and social media success for your business!

Learn how to devise & execute a customised digital marketing strategy for your business from start to finish in just 8 weeks

DLR Grants 2024

DLR Grants 2024 is now open for applications (read more here) There will be several information webinars held online, as below. Link to join a meeting using the following link  https://www.dlrcoco.ie/grants

• General information – 18th of October, from 6.30pm to 7.30pm (please note the updated date)
• Arts Grants Information Session – There will be an Artist’s coffee morning in DLR Lexicon (project room beside the gallery) on Tuesday 17 October at 11am which will offer a chance to ask any questions about the Arts grants. No need to book.
• Arts Grant Online Information Session – There will also be an online briefing session for the arts grants scheme on Thursday 19 October at 10.30am. Please email cbrown@dlrcoco.ie to book a place

Open Consultations

1. Draft DLR Litter Management Plan 2024-2026 is now open for consultation – The deadline for receipt of submissions is 12 noon on Friday, 27th October 2023. Read more here

2. DLR Draft Climate Action Plan 2024-2029 is now for submissions. The deadline is the 3rd of November 2023. Read more here. The upcoming information sessions are scheduled as follows:

• The Parish Pastoral Centre, Holy Cross Church, Main St, Dundrum, Co. Dublin, D14 K820 on Tuesday, 03 October from 3.00 pm to 7.00pm.
• The Assembly Hall, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council County Hall, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, A96 K6C9 on Tuesday, 10 October from 3.00 pm to 7.00pm.

• The Round Room, The Mansion House, Dawson St, Dublin 2 on Tuesday, October 17th from 3.00 pm to 7.00pm.

Other Funding and Opportunities

1. The LAWPRO Community Water Development Fund 2024 is now open for applications. Your local community or voluntary group can now apply for a Community Water Development Fund (CWDF) grant to deliver a project in 2024.This Fund helps local communities deliver projects and initiatives that enhance your local water environment, delivering multiple benefits for water quality, biodiversity and climate action. The Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO)administers the Fund on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. There will be €520,000 available in grants under the 2024 Call. The deadline for applications is 12 noon on the 6th of December 2023. Read more here

2. Helium Arts – Free Online Autumn/Winter Art Programmes – Registrations are now open – A chance for children and young people (ages 6-15) with *lifelong physical health conditions to explore their creativity and grow in confidence, while making new friends and having fun along the way! The online programme consists of both on and offline creative activities and is available nationwide so children and young people can take part wherever they are! Read more here

3. Information session on career opportunities in the Public Service – the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Public Appointments Service (PAS) invite you to join an online discussion on career opportunities in the public service. This event will take place online on Wednesday4th October 2023 from 17.30-19.00.As part of Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Week in the Department of Foreign Affairs, we would like to invite people from immigrant backgrounds to join an information session on career opportunities in the Public Service. Read more here

4. Reminder that the DLR Festival of Inclusion is on until the 8 October, with many activities to join. Read more here.

Training Opportunities

OCTOBER TRAINING – A collaboration between DLR PPN and Dublin City PPN – read training descriptions here

• 5 October – Power Point for Beginners – To register, email info@dublincityppn.ie
• 11 October – How to set up and run a community and voluntary organisation, Part 1 – To register, click here
• 12 October – Power Point Info Graphics Advanced – To register, email info@dublincityppn.ie
• 18 October – How to set up and run a community and voluntary organisation, Part 2 – To register, click here
• 19 October – WordPress 1 – Setting up domain, hosting and the building blocks of WordPress – To register, email info@dublincityppn.ie
• 25 October – Understanding and influencing local policy to include PPN – To register, click here
• 26 October – WordPress 2 – Understanding pages, posts and creating your homepage – To register, email info@dublincityppn.ie

NOVEMBER TRAINING –

• 1 November – Understanding how your local council works to include PPN  – To register, click here
• 2 November – WordPress 3 – Building your other pages, security and essential plugins (speed, SEO, etc.) – To register, email info@dublincityppn.ie