THE PORTMARNOCK COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

The Portmarnock Community Association (PCA) is a volunteer-run organisation that brings together residents of Portmarnock to protect, enhance and celebrate the local environment. By incorporating the Tidy Towns and Clean Coasts groups, the PCA represents the community on the Fingal Council Public Participatory Network and sits on the FORUM panel that voices the concerns of villages surrounding Dublin Airport.

The association's work centres on practical sustainability projects: setting up leaf-mould sites, installing water-refill stations on Paddy's Hill, the PSLC grounds and the beach, and encouraging households to fit water butts and mini-libraries. It runs school-based biodiversity programmes, produces waste-segregation guides, maintains a register of Tidy Towns equipment and works with local businesses to reduce plastic use. Ongoing ambitions include exploring vehicle-charging points and expanding wild-flower meadows along the coastal walk.

Past achievements include extensive tree and flower planting, bee-friendly gardens, home composting schemes, historic walking trails and community-led beach clean-ups. Membership is open to all Portmarnock residents, with an annual AGM held at the local hotel and golf club, and contributions directly fund the tools, insurance and materials needed to keep the village thriving.