#idratherbeinbaldoyle

Walk of the Week #2

Seagrange Park in Baldoyle!

What once was a swamp land is now a beautiful home to colorful flowers and trees, all thanks to Baldoyle Wild Towns and all their amazing work.

Positives

It has a playground and a basketball court for kids and teens. Baldoyle United FC plays games on the football pitches. There is a high grass area with a nature path which is great for the bees, as is the all the patches of flowers that are maintained to welcome biodiversity. The park also has the Trackside Lawn Tennis Club and the Baldoyle Boxing Club. Seagrange park got rid of the kissing gates at the entrances to allow for more accessibility for all!

Negatives

There is still a small area of the park that once it rains, the swamp reappears and there is slight flooding on the paths. As we live in Ireland, we experience a lot of rain so this needs to fix asap!

Back in the day everyone knew everyone but now our lives are moving so fast we think we don't have time to get to know neighbours which. We need to do better as social connections improve peoples lives tenfold, so it's worth making the effort to rebuild that sense of community.

So here's a list of how to increase community engagement and get to know the people you love around.

Attend events Join a club, attend local events like open mics, poetry sessions, tidy towns or learning a new skill with acting classes, computer skills or yoga and mindfulness. Just find something you enjoy or go out of your comfort zone but make the effort to keep it up and make friends.

Create your own event if nothing around you feels like the right fit then create one! Start a coffee morning, a walking group or a book club. When doing something you're interested in it will increase you life enjoyment! Find a third space and make it a ritual every week, 2 weeks or month.

Building a community takes effort, you have to be proactive and intentional on building these relationships within your community. It also pays to know people, as my mom is now close with the owner of a café and even when the café is full he finds space for her!

Did you know Baldoyle was famous for horse racing back?

It started in 1829 and became hugely popular due to the location as the trained served those from Drogheda to Howth. During the 20th Century, insurers could no longer insure the racecourse and so racing stopped in the 1970s.

Currently the racecourse grounds now home over 2000 houses. A pub called the Racecourse Inn was built in 1980, with the new community center also being named after the once hugely popular horse racing track in 2025.

If you enjoy old men talking slowly about history and horse racing then you will love the RTE documentary on the Baldoyle Racecourse! Give it a listen.

Walk of the Week !!

This week we walk the Racecourse Park in Baldoyle. Its the home to Na Dubh Ghall GAA with 3 football pitches, 2 GAA pitches and conjoining paths throughout the park. It is also home to an outdoor gym, playground and the new and improved Racecourse Community Center.

Positives

Great place for the sportier walker/runner with flat paths throughout and a lack of swamps in the grass that can be found in the neighbouring Seagrange Park. One lap of the park is 1km approximately is handy for runners and great for me as one lap with my little dogs is more then enough to tire them out.

Negatives

Racecourse Park does need more plants as the park is very green and lacks a pop of color. There was some construction happening near the playground so I couldn't get any pictures to highlight the park facilities.

You need to check out the new Baldoyle Community Center!!!

Including in the center

Sports hall with 3 courts

4 multipurpose rooms for clubs and events

Sports rooms for Baldoyle United, Suttonians and Na Dubh Ghall GAA

REVIEW OF DUBLIN BAY CAFFE

A lovely café that offers coffees, hot or cold and delicious pastries.

Coffee

I ordered a flat white with oat milk and my friend had a flat white with regular milk. The coffee was very nice, one of the best I've ever had. The oat milk used was on the sweeter side which I prefer. It cost €4.40 which is steep for a flat white but using alternative milk comes with a price.

Vibes

Dublin Bay Caffe is right on the bay with beautiful views over to Sutton, Portmarnock and Howth. The weather was not great so we sat inside which is just as nice as the view. The café was originally a cottage but now converted to serve Baldoyle and the staff were very attentive and kind to all customers. As the café sits on the bay, it has a nautical theme but it is very subtle and warm inside.

I would highly recommend for a catch-up as we stayed for over two hours and the staff never rushed us to leave even though we only bought one drink each. I think it has been a great addition to Baldoyle as there was a constant stream of customers but it would be amazing if they started offering sandwiches and the like.

Starting in April the actor and director William Morgan every Monday and Tuesday 7-9pm in the new Racecourse Community Centre.

Find out more by clicking the link below