Reasons To Be Cheerful Pt 2025

When your world turns upside down…

t only took us a mere 15 years of charting this town every single day to realise that, eh, you don’t have to suffer fools gladly.

In fact, you don’t have to suffer them madly either.

Especially when you’ve got no fecks left to give.

Keep the home fires burning… Pic: Mark Diamond

Such was the case this year with the BS that hit de Facebook and beyond when we dared to highlight the struggles facing Greystones shops. Top of the list was the near-5-year closure of The Cliff Walk, followed by the rail works grinding every summer bank holiday weekend visit to a halt. And last on the list was the supersized and industrialised Plaza Market (brought to you by Chinese car manufacturer BYD©), which has more than doubled in size over the past four years and tipped much of the town’s Christmas shopping to the harbour and away from the main street. It’s a very real issue that deserves far more than nasty, one-sided vitriol.

The abusive emails to the Guide and others from one particular market organiser – alongside their social media trolling – was truly shocking. And worrying. Especially when this person shouted abuse at us on the streets, our suspicion that they may be in need of some mental help being instantly and heavily reinforced.

In truth, there was a darkness to Greystones in 2025 that we have never witnessed before, a mixture of anxiety and anger in the air, as though we’re all going a little stir crazy from endless rail works, road works and The Cliff Walk being boarded up. Having to live in a world where President Joffrey got reelected only added to the unnerving sense of helpless doom agus gloom.

One of our favourite Facebook interactions of the year – and one of the most telling – had a lady stating that the town’s shops were very quiet that day, and that we should all do our best to support them, a sentiment that was greeted with a wonderfully indignant comment that began, ‘Please remember to check your privilege‘. Boom!

Which remind us – akin to 5.6 billion dogs barking and desperately wanting your attention, we’ve also come to the realisation that social media is actually an unnecessary evil. Only 1 in every 50,000 of those dogs is worth a second of our love and undivided distraction.

Which is why, outside of important news, we’re aiming to post just one Greystones round-up a day in 2026 on our social media – especially on Facebook, where so many trolls now go to die. Our posts there will be largely about looking back; our posts on Instagram will be more about looking forward. If you ever need to find out what’s going on in Greystones, that will all be on the main site. As always.

In the meantime, to show that, even in these strange and strained time, life can still be rock agus roll, we rounded up some of Greystones happiest 2025 campers…

Rodney and Audrey Evans Legends
We were lucky enough to enjoy a happy and healthy 2025. Thrilled with our wonderful Volunteer Ireland award, which we hope gave a lot of publicity to our beloved Tiglin and The Lighthouse. Now in our eighties we will continue in the work as long as we can, always excited when we see people coming out of addiction. We are so blessed having our kids and grandkids all around us. What more would we want in 2026 but continued good health and lots of time with our wonderful family and friends.

Yvonne O’Neill Greystones Town Team
2025 was a wonderful year for Greystones Town Team events. We kicked things off with our biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebration yet and were fortunate to have several funding applications approved for our sustainable, heritage, Public realm and event infrastructure.

In August, Picnic in the Park was a great success, made possible by our Leader application and the generous support of businesses in our community and the surrounding areas.

Christmas in Greystones remains one of our town’s most popular traditions. This year, we teamed up once again with our friends from our twinning town, Holyhead, to bring pure magic and joy to the event. We are also very proud of our Shop Local, Love Local campaign, which ran alongside our 12 Days of Christmas social media competition.

A special mention must go to our sponsors, both big and small. Without the continued support of our local Main Street and surrounding businesses, these events simply would not happen. We offer our sincere thanks to each and every one of them.

As a volunteer, I get great satisfaction and happiness from being part of a wonderful team, and if anyone would like to join us please contact us by email at [email protected].

Here’s to an exciting 2026 for all of us at Greystones Town Team.

Ailbhe Skay The Whale 
The reopening of the theatre a few months ago has genuinely been one of the highlights of the year for me. What began as a vision last January among a small group of volunteers became a reality in September, when we finally reopened the theatre doors. It took a huge amount of hard graft and a committed team to make it happen.

At a time when so many small venues are closing around the country, we are incredibly lucky to have this live performance space in our town — since September, the response from the community has shown just how much it’s valued. People keep telling us how delighted they are to have it back.

Having the theatre open again gives locals somewhere to go for a proper night out, somewhere that feels like an occasion without having to traipse into Dublin. Over the past few months, you can feel the momentum building again — people meeting up, heading out, and making a night of it. That energy comes from having all the right ingredients: the right space, lighting and sound, an audience that’s behind you, and, crucially, people willing to put in the work to make it all happen. It reminds us why live shows matter in the first place.

Playing to local crowds again, for me personally, has been a real joy, as has meeting new faces. There’s something uniquely rewarding about hosting events for neighbours, friends, and familiar faces, and sharing in that sense of pride in what’s happening locally.

And the theatre being back isn’t just good news for performers; it’s vital for anyone who wants a platform or a way to express themselves. In its own quiet way, it lifts the whole town… me thinks.

Cormac Breatnach Musician 
During 2025, with the support of The Arts Council I was privileged to perform and record music and to develop as a musician. In a world with so much suffering and inequality, it is important for me to be creative.

Being creative has allowed me to plan for and further deal with a hugely traumatic event. Curating a special event in Vicar St. next March in tribute to my brother and others wrongly convicted in 1976 of the Sallins mail train robbery has allowed me to reach out to (and gain support from) many of our best artists, poets and writers to join together for a memorable night of hope and resilience during which art, memory and protest will be celebrated.”

Rodrigo Fernandes Reinventor
2025 was definitely a year of many challenges and obstacles for me, but stepping out on my own after years of running bars was so worth it. I run a cleaning company now and it gives me the freedom to see my young daughter whenever I want, and it gave me back my weekends too. So, 2026 is looking very bright indeed…

Aubrey McCarthy Tiglin
Looking back over the past year, it is hard for me not to feel grateful for the sheer range of experiences that came with life in the Seanad. The 2025 election feels like both a lifetime ago and just yesterday, and the privilege of representing people there is never been lost on me. One of the most surreal moments was recently being asked to welcome President Zelenskyy and his wife Olena during their visit which is really a reminder of how interconnected our world really is. There were quieter but equally meaningful moments too, like saying goodbye to President Michael D and Sabina who were always great friends of Tiglin and then attending the inauguration of President Catherine Connolly. Another recent unforgettable event was meeting the new Pope Leo during a private audience in Rome. Each of those moments showed me how life can bring you on a mad journey so it is best to buckle up and enjoy.

Alongside that, Tiglin has been busier and more impactful than ever. We have seen record numbers of people reaching out for help, which is both alarming and yet motivating, and we also shared some of our proudest days watching families celebrate loved ones graduating and stepping into recovery. There were uplifting milestones too: more awards for the Rise at the Cove café, packed evenings of fun and craic at The Lighthouse homeless café, and meaningful fundraising for children’s cancer services. Other highlights included welcoming Katie Taylor and her husband Sean to Tiglin, and I also got to spend a memorable evening with Mel Gibson over dinner, and even watched Braveheart with his family. When you step back from it all, it certainly has been a year of challenge, fun, celebration, and adventure, the kind that reminds you why the work of Tiglin matters in the first place. I have learned that dealing with the messiness of life can be the best bits! No matter how messy it gets , I have learned to live deliberately. Anyway, I am now heading to Rise at the Cove to enjoy the best Latte and Pastel de nata in the world. Happy new year, everyone!

Brendan Hydlebrand aka The Warden Dorlindon Nature Sanctuary
The sound of ancient Irish and European music played where our ancestors mostly used to play it: a natural environment..and the passion of talented musicians performing in front of an enthralled and captivated audience magically brought back hundreds or thousands of years when our symbiosis with nature was not yet compromised.

Also… Witnessing the release of fully recovered native wild animals by greatly competent and deeply caring wildlife rescue volunteers in Dorlindon Nature Sanctuary, large or small yet all majestic

Also… The delight of couples celebrating in Dorlindon Forest one of the three most significant and ancient rituals of mankind (and in a way of life and nature itself), surrounded by primordial elements: earth, water, air and fire, themselves becoming the embodiment of a faith and crowning element.

Rebecca Hoban & Shane Finn Outwest Clothing
We are so excited to be opening our store in March 2026! 2025 has been a weird and wonderful year in so many ways, and here at Outwest we have tonnes to be grateful for.

Our team grew, with new members joining the retail crew and our team embracing bigger roles as Outwest continues to grow. Our collections expanded too, with new jackets, accessories and cotton layers giving our customers even more choice. We hosted events across the country – from Donegal to Waterford, Wicklow to Mayo and, of course, our home in Kerry, where we ran our annual flagship event: Outwest Fest.

We also grew our in-store presence by extending our shop floor, and our online presence continued to climb. Our online following is up, our community is thriving, and we’re now seeing customers placing their 10th (and beyond!) orders with us. That level of loyalty, after just three short years, means the world.

Looking ahead, 2026 is absolutely brimming with opportunity. We’re counting down the days until we open our Greystones doors and fully immerse ourselves in this incredible new community.

You can find more Reasons To Be Cheerful down through the years right here.

And if you want to bitch about any of the above, please email [email protected].