Summer Projects celebrate 50 years of community fun for 200,000 Dublin children

Crosscare and Dublin City Council are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their community-led Summer Projects, a milestone honouring generations of volunteers who have enriched the lives of more than 200,000 Dublin children since 1976

News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 14:40, 18 Aug 2026 View Image Children play in a fountain as they enjoy the sunny weather (Image: MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)

For half a century, generations of Dublin volunteers have dedicated their summers to fostering a sense of community for more than 200,000 local children.

Crosscare and Dublin City Council are celebrating 50 years of Summer Projects in Dublin. Since 1976, thousands of volunteers have given their time to providing recreational and educational activities for children and young people across the capital.

Run by the local community for the benefit of the local community, projects supported by Crosscare and Dublin City Council have become a long-standing part of summer life in many areas. With such an established and respected history, many of the children who benefitted from projects decades before have now returned the favour to become volunteers themselves as adults.

A special event set to mark the 50th anniversary will take place on August 21. Lord Mayor of Dublin Daryl Barron will be in attendance to recognise the generations of volunteers who have made the projects possible.

Speaking ahead of the anniversary, Crosscare’s Melissa Monks said: “Reaching 50 years is a remarkable milestone, but the real story of the Summer Projects is the thousands of volunteers who have made them possible.”

“Many of our volunteers give up weeks of their summer, as well as evenings and weekends, to prepare activities. Some first became involved in Summer Projects as children and later returned as volunteers. That sense of one generation giving something back to the next is a major reason the projects have continued for 50 years.”

For veteran contributors, the journey has been as challenging as it has been rewarding. Declan Keenan from the St. Michan's Project remembers the chaotic energy of the 1990s as a time of 'seat of the pants' management.

"Counting heads was the big thing back then. Checking that cousins hadn’t just shown up and arrived when you didn’t even know they were there - it was a very different story. Arriving into some poor place like Bray and they wouldn’t have had any notice, it would have been like the hoards coming in off the boats from Vikings ," he joked.

Larry Dooley, Dublin City Council Area Community & Social Development Officer, said the figure of more than 200,000 children and young people who have taken part over the years represents “generations of children enjoying their summers, making friends, trying something new and feeling part of their community”.

“Volunteers are central to the success of Summer Projects; it is enormously satisfying to see local communities giving so much time and energy so children and young people can have an active summer,” she said.

While the activities offered through Summer Projects may have evolved over the decades, she stressed that their purpose remains largely unchanged: “To give children and young people opportunities to have fun, build friendships and confidence, and enjoy positive experiences within their own communities.”

“Crosscare, formerly CYC, and Dublin City Council have worked in partnership to support the local volunteers who deliver the projects. Support includes grants and additional activities as well as Garda Vetting and Child Protection Training.

“The anniversary is an opportunity not only to reflect on the impact of the past 50 years but also to recognise the ongoing importance of community volunteering.

"Summer Projects show what can happen when people in a community come together for children and young people. Fifty years on, that community spirit remains as important as ever.

“Crosscare and Dublin City Council are enormously grateful to every volunteer who has been part of a Summer Project over the past five decades. This anniversary belongs to all of them.”

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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