'Marvellous and multicultural' Balbriggan grows

POPULATION INCREASE:THE ELECTORAL area of Balbriggan Rural has had the highest population increase in the State since 2006, according to this year's census.

In 2006, the area’s population was 9,615. In the intervening years it has grown to 15,146, an increase of 57 per cent.

A number of new housing estates have been built between Balbriggan town and the area to its northwest that lies between the M1. Since 2006 the boundary of Balbriggan Town Council has also been extended.

“Blanchardstown, Swords and Balbriggan were all originally designated as growth areas so we were allowed to rezone rural land to accommodate the huge influx of people to Fingal,” explained May McKeon, a Balbriggan councillor since 1974.

Four schools, including two Educate Together schools, have been built since the last census.

The new arrivals include large Polish, Latvian and Lithuanian communities who came to work on the region’s market farms, as well as African nationals from Nigeria, Somalia, Eritrea and Kenya.

“A lot of local people would have bought second houses in recent years and seen the potential of making an investment in property,” Ms McKeon said, speaking about the housing developments. At the Castleland Park development in north Balbriggan four-bedroom houses are for sale from €235,000.

Earlier this summer the Millfield shopping centre opened in the town; a huge development anchored by one of the biggest Tesco stores in Ireland creating 450 jobs. There are 30 other units in the development.

“It may take time to get the other shops there up and running given the present economic downturn. There is a danger that traditional shops on Balbriggan’s main street might be under threat from Millfield,” said Ms McKeon.

The region’s main employers apart from the market gardens and farms are Bridgestone Ireland and the Passport Office where passports are processed.

Three years ago the long-defunct arts festival, was revived and renamed Balbriggan Summerfest.

“When we started in 2009 it only went on for a weekend,” explained chairwoman Gráinne Maguire. “This year it had become so successful and been so supported by the community that it was a week long.”

New events at the festival this year included a triathlon challenge, which had more than 150 entrants, and a school choir competition, with Loreto secondary winning the senior prize and St Molagas Senior national school taking the junior prize.

“There is a fantastic community spirit around the place,” she said.

David O’Connor, a councillor with Fingal County Council, described Balbriggan as “marvellous and multicultural”. In giving an example of how multi-cultural the area has become, he said that last night he was due to play in the final of the Final Cricket Cup League, where one third of the players were “African, Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan.” He said the Millfield centre was a “vote of confidence in the growing population”. “It’s the only shopping centre of any consequence to open in Ireland in the last few years.”