Clondalkin

Loving learning: Graduate’s delight at award ceremonyTHERE were lots of great smiles at Col-linstown Park Community College at its award ceremony for adult students, where The Gazette met Caroline and Jack Sheridan, with Nichola Flanagan.

Nichola showed her FETAC-

approved certificate, which she, and more than 200 other students, achieved through their hard work on a number of full- and part-time adult education courses.Full Gallery on Pages 8-9

€1.8m flood works bill for Council

PAUL HOSFORD

SOUTH Dublin County Coun-cil (SDCC) is to spend almost €2 million dealing with the aftermath of the severe flood-ing that engulfed the county last month, The Gazette can reveal.

At a council meeting this week, SDCC said the cost of works relating to flood dam-age would amount to €1.8 mil-lion, and are to be recouped

through insurance and OPW grant funding.

The figure was revealed as the council was roundly com-mended for its handling of the crisis.

On Monday, October 24, 88.8mm of rain fell, causing flooding in estates and chaos on the roads.

Over a 48-hour period of flooding, SDCC received 6,692 phone calls, 432 web queries and 45,000 web page views.

YOUR COMMUNITY • YOUR PAPER November 17, 2011

Sam on tour: All-Ireland trophy comes to Round TowersPage 28

Soccer: Whelan key part of Euro 2012 campaignPage 32

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NURSING A WIN: Glory for a local Home with Innovation Award Page 6

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2 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 17 November 2011

DAWN LOVE

[email protected]

A CLONDALKIN resi-dent has been shortlisted for the Home Cook Hero Awards.

Eibhlinn Thornton is one of 10 people from Dublin to have been shortlisted in this year’s prestigious competition.

E a s y F o o d s a i d they had received an “astounding response to its call for entries” to

their Home Cook Hero Awards this week, as they announced the shortlist who will have to cook their recipies for a tough judging panel.

Open to all ages, Easy Food were looking for supermoms or dads, supergrans or granddads, superkids – or someone that is just plain super in the kitchen.

More than 1,000 tried-and-tested recipes were entered into the compe-

tition, with some pretty mouth-watering reci-pes to tantalise all taste buds.

Finalists have now been invited to cook their recipe for the judges on Friday, November 18, at the state-of-the-art kitch-ens in Cooks’ Academy, and the winning recipes will be announced at a black-tie gala dinner, hosted by Marty Whelan, at the Shelbourne Hotel that evening.

G i n a M i l t i a d o u , co-founder of Zahra Publishing, said of the entries: “We are delight-ed and amazed with the overwhelming response we got to the Easy Food Home Cook Heroes competition.

Tasty treats“We received entries

of tasty treats from every corner of Ireland, and from tiny chefs, aged six-years-old, right up

to more seasoned home cooks, who preferred not to mention their age.

“Myself and the other judges have a hard task ahead of us to pick indi-vidual winners out of each of the 11 categories on November 18.”

The 11 winners will each win €1,500-worth of goodies, plus the oppor-tunity to be showcased in The Easy Food Home Cook Hero Cookbook.

A high calibre of judg-

es have come on-board for the Home Cook Hero awards, including TV chefs Catherine Fulvio, Catherine Leyden and Andrew Rudd, as well as Vanessa Greenwood, of Cooks’ Academy, and Gina Miltiadou, publish-er of Easy Food Maga-zine and co-founder of Zahra Publishing.

The judges will be looking for tasty food that is quick and easy to make.

Clondalkin resident in top food finalCONTEST Woman one of 10 Dubliners shortlisted for cookery award

COURTS: JAILED FOR ROLE IN RACIST ASSAULT ON STUDENT

Left man disfigured in attackA FATHER has been jailed for his role in a vicious, racist assault on an African PhD student, which left him perma-nently disfigured and blind in one eye.

Luke Casey (25), of Greenfor t Gardens, Clondalkin, beat Mr Mapfumo Cuidzam-bwa (30) with a hurley about his body, while his co-accused, Stephen Mooney (24) of Green-fort Lawns, Clondalkin, struck his head a number of times with a golf club, breaking the unarmed victim’s facial bones and sinking his right eye into its socket.

Witnesses to the assault later told gardai that Mooney could be heard shouting: “Do you want to see me crack a nigger’s skull?” Mooney was jailed for four years last July.

Casey was jailed for three years and nine

months by Judge Patri-cia Ryan, after she twice emphasised that the max-imum penalty available to the court was five years.

She said she had to reduce this sentence on the basis of Casey’s guilty plea, and also took into account the State’s evi-dence that it was Mooney who had inflicted the seri-ous injuries, and who had instigated the attack.

Both men pleaded guilty at Dublin Cir-cuit Criminal Court to assaulting Mr Cuidzam-bwa, causing him harm, and criminal damage of two cars at Greenfort Lawns in the early hours of October 1, 2006.

Detective Garda Paul Kelly told Mr Tony McGil-licuddy BL, prosecuting, that Mooney and Casey had been at the same house party as Mr Cuid-zambwa in Clondalkin.

Mooney was asked

to leave after he made unwelcome advances to a number of the women at the gathering. Both he and Casey damaged a number of vehicles that were parked outside the house.

The partygoers went out to investigate, but Mr Cuidzambwa was head-ing for home with his uncle when he was set upon.

Mr Cuidzambwa had moved to Ireland from Zimbabwe in 2001 to study electronic engineer-ing in UCD. He was stud-ying for a PhD in wireless communication when he was attacked.

His victim impact

report stated that he had to live with the horror of the assault on a daily basis, and is reminded of it each time he sees his scars whenever he passes a reflective surface.

M r C u i d z a m b w a described the attack as happening in “a racially-charged environment”. He had to take a year out from his doctorate studies and, when he returned, there was no longer fund-ing available, and he was forced to scale down to a Masters Degree.

He said he has since had to “scavenge” for jobs that are meant for people with disabilities, and he feels intimidated seek-

ing jobs, such as cleaning and waiting tables, to help his finances, because he believes employers may be prejudiced.

“All the dreams I had have vanished, and all the aspirations I had were snatched away by a golf club,” said Mr Cuidzam-bwa.

Det Gda Kelly said Casey has one previous conviction for a road traf-fic offence.

He agreed with Mr McGillicuddy that it was the State’s case that Mooney inflicted the major injuries and insti-gated the assault, but Casey had participated in the assault.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court

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17 November 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 3

CHARITY Song to raise vital funds for Pieta House

Keating looks to hit the top of the charts

PAUL HOSFORD

LOCAL Fine Gael TD Derek Keating is look-ing to make it to the top of the Christmas charts – and its all for a good cause.

Keating is the execu-tive director of a group of cross-party TDs and Senators who have come together to record a song for this year’s Christmas charts.

Its hoped the single, a cover of Simon and Garfunkle’s, Bridge Over Troubled Water, will raise vitally needed funds for Pieta House, the suicide awareness charity of which Keating is a direc-tor.

Keating has raised the issue a number of times in recent years and is look-ing to use the platform of the Dail to put the issue firmly on the national agenda.

“From back when I was a councillor, right until I was elected as a TD, I had one mission and that was to bring about awareness of suicide.

“To that end, I set about bringing together a group of members of the Oireachtas with the aim of making a CD to bring about awareness of the issue.”

With that in mind, Keating recruited a stellar cast, with Jim Sheridan, musical director of The

Late, Late Show coming aboard as musical direc-tor, and Dave Kearney joining as producer.

The group have also enlisted the talents of Lucan Gospel Singers and the Dublin Gos-pel Choir, with Keating joined by a number of members of the Oireach-tas.

Minister for Social Protection Joan Bur-ton, Minister of State for European Affairs, Lucin-da Creighton, Minister of State for Sport, Michael Ring and Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney have all got on board the project.

Also getting involved are Independent TDs

Cllr Derek Keating and recruits rehearsing the song

Stephen Donnelly, Fin-ian McGrath and Mick Wallace.

Other TDs that have got involved include Fine Gael deputies Regina Doherty, Frank Feighan, Tony McLaugh-lin, Terence Flanagan and Peter Mathews. Sinn Fein’s Padraig Mac Lochlainn is also weighing in behind the

initiative, while Fianna Fail deputy Robert Troy is being joined by his Seanad colleague, Averil Power and Labour Sen-ator Lorraine Higgins is also on board, along with Independent Sena-tor Eamonn Coghlan.

The group have been engaged in rehearsals for the last week and hope to have the record-

ing done soon.The project is being

suppor ted by Noel Recruitment, to ensure that all money will go to Pieta House.

“We have one goal; to send the message that there is help out there. We want to give people the message that Pieta House is there to help,” said Deputy Keating.

Digital Hub is on agenda SOUTH Dublin County Council has said that a proposed Digital Hub in Palmerstown has not gone off the agenda.

Responding to a ques-tion from independ-ent councillor Guss O’Connell, which asked for “an update on the County Library Develop-ment Programme and to indicate the progress that is being made to realise the objective of a Digital Hub for Palmerston?” council management, said that they would con-tinue working towards the objective.

“The provision of a library/digital hub in the Palmerston area is an objective of the council as outlined in the Library Development Plan 2007-2011.

“The Library Service is always open to seizing opportunities that might arise for the improvement of library infrastructure,” said the council response.

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ROUND Towers’ GAA Club is calling on the people of Clondalkin to get all their unwanted scrap metal together.

Saturday, November 19 will be Scrap Saturday – a day on which the club will be accepting, and collecting, scrap metal from 10am to 4pm.

People interested in disposing of unwanted metal goods can dispose of them at the club’s play-ing grounds at Monastery Road.

People can arrange to have large items collected by contacting any of the Scrap Saturday team.

The club can accept a large array of items for recycling, but there are exceptions.

You can contact the following for collection information: Niall Con-naughton, on 087 629 0870; Ed O’Malley, on 087 807 3391; Richie Harney, on 087 745 9373, or Rory Dunne, on 087 770 4297.

Metals for Scrap Saturday

WASTE: PUBLIC CALL

BUSINESS Minister’s encouragement for Chamber

THE annual Clondalkin Chamber of Commerce Luncheon was held last week, attracting more than 100 local business people to the Louis Fit-zgerald Hotel.

Local Fine Gael poli-tician, and Minister for Children, Frances Fit-zgerald, was on hand to thank the local business community for the role they play in the econo-my.

She went on to detail the recent successes of South Dublin County Council on the jobs and investment front, and the

measures the Govern-ment is introducing to support businesses and help get the economy back on track.

She said: “IDA Ireland and South Dublin Coun-ty Council have been suc-cessful in attracting new investment to Ireland, and here to Clondalkin.

“In recent weeks, we have had major announcements from both Pfizer and Google.

“Pfizer is to invest €145 million at its Grange Castle site in Clondalkin, with up to 400 construc-tion jobs to be created during the peak construc-tion period.

“Google will open a new data centre in Grange Castle, which

will permanently employ 30 technical staff, while the construction phase will provide around 200 jobs.

“That’s a cumulative €220 million investment for Clondalkin, creating jobs, employing many local workers, and pump-ing money in to the local economy,” said Minister

Fitzgerald during her address to the Chamber.

She went on to com-mend local councillors who, last month, voted to suspend development levies for Metro West.

“These levies repre-sented an unfair burden on many local busi-nesses, who wished to expand their operations

and premises.“The issue of levies

and rates, I know, is a contentious one. For far too long, businesses have had to carry the burden for local authority financ-ing.

“But I would hope that one result of the Government decision to introduce an annual household charge will be to allow local authorities more flexibility in budg-etary planning, and then share the load when it comes to funding local services,” said Minister Fitzgerald.

She finished by outlin-ing some of the strengths that Ireland has, saying

that the exports from areas such as Dublin Mid-West would play a huge role in the country’s recovery.

“Ireland is the world leader of pharmaceutical exports; the second-larg-est exporter of IT services in the world; the fifth-largest exporter of beef in the world, and 50% of the world’s leading financial services companies are based here – and all this is in spite of the current recession.

“We must not for-get that we are already doing so much, but we must also continue to do more,” said Minister Fit-zgerald.

Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald and Breda Delaney, Clondalkin Chamber of Commerce

‘Ireland still has so much to offer’


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It’s all about Belfast: For history buffs and all music lovers

PLANNING Delaney ‘baffled’ at approval for scheme

Fine Gael councillor Tony Delaney

FINE Gael council-lor Tony Delaney has expressed his disap-pointment at last week’s decision by South Dub-lin County Council to grant permission to the O’Byrne Partnership for the development of a five-storey primary care centre, and a privately-run nursing home, to be located at Boot Road, Clondalkin.

Cllr Delaney said that it was particularly baffling how the plan-ners could give their approval, considering there were in excess of 100 appeals from local residents’ associations, private individuals, the business community, both local TDs, and all local councillors.

T he app l i ca t ion , made to South Dublin

County Council at the end of May, seeks the “demolition of all exist-ing buildings on site, and construction of an inte-grated healthcare facil-ity, with vehicular access from Boot Road/Con-vent Road, to include a three-five-storey pri-mary care centre build-ing, with incorporated pharmacare centre, cafe, HSE administra-tion, medical treatment rooms, ancillary service areas and staff facilities; a one-three-storey nurs-ing home building, to accommodate 80 bed-rooms, ancillary amen-ity and service areas and staff facilities; surface and basement-level car parking.”

Cllr Delaney said: “This development is far too high for a residential

area, with buildings rang-ing from 10 metres to 18.2 metres at its highest point. It also encroaches considerably out onto the road at the corner of St John’s and Convent Roads, which will create a more difficult junction to exit,” he said.

“Either a primary care centre or a nursing home on the site could be accommodated, but putting both in is too dense, and will exacer-bate the parking and traffic problems already in Clondalkin village.

“It is totally out of character with the sur-rounding area, and will have a hugely negative impact on the approach to the village.

“This decision must, and will, be fought all the way,” said Cllr Delaney.

We will fight five-storey centre – Cllr


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SOUTH Dublin County Council is proposing a number of walking and cycling routes to serve local communities throughout the county.

These will create more sustainable local neigh-bourhoods, with direct pedestrian and cycle links to local destina-tions.

In many cases, the links are based on exist-ing shortcuts or foot-paths; enabling cyclists and pedestrians, includ-ing those with decreased mobility, to access safe, hard-surfaced and direct routes to the local shops, schools, community cen-tres, and on to bus, rail or Luas stops, cycle routes or to the park or play-ground.

For maps, descriptions of each project, and a feedback form on each route, the council is ask-ing people to visit www.sdcc.ie.

Number of walks planned

COUNCIL: COMMUNITY

HEALTH Nursing Home Innovation Award winner

TLC CityWest had rea-son to celebrate this week when Imelda Burke took home the Nursing Home Innovation Award at the Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) Care Awards 2011.

The winners were hon-oured at a prestigious cer-emony, attended by more than 500 people from the sector and beyond in the Citywest Hotel.

The achievements of Imelda are exceptional, given that the awards were open to those work-ing and living within the 330-plus registered nurs-ing homes across the country that are mem-bers of Nursing Homes Ireland.

In excess of 200 nomi-nations were received for the Nursing Home Ire-land Care Awards 2011, in nine award categories, with 27 finalists sent for-

ward to the final. Professor Brendan

McCormack, chair of the awards judging panel, and Tadhg Daly, NHI CEO, presented the awards, and RTE presenter Marty Whelan was MC for the event.

The Nursing Home Innovation Award, spon-sored by Horwath Bastow Charleton, was new to the awards for 2011, and was won by Imelda.

The award was estab-lished to celebrate inno-vative developments in nursing homes, and to recognise the role that nursing homes play in creating new cultures of residential care.

TLC Citywest took home the innovation award, in recognition of a dental programme it has implemented with Irish Residential Dental

Care (IRDC) for its 139 residents. Every resident is provided with a specific dental programme that meets their needs.

Speaking after the event, Imelda said: “I’m absolutely elated and delighted to have received the award for this fantas-tic initiative.

“It’s brilliant to have it recognised and the tem-

plate is there for other nursing homes to follow. It caters for the residents’ oral health, and their holistic care,” she said.

Tadhg Daly, NHI CEO, extended his congratula-tions to Imelda.

He said: “Congratula-tions to Imelda for win-ning this prestigious honour. Nursing homes around the country are leading the way in devel-oping new models of practice and eroding the typical stereotypes of nursing homes, and to win this award is a fantastic achievement for Imelda and TLC CityWest.”

The Care Awards final-ists and nominees from across the country were nominated in recognition of the outstanding contri-butions they have made towards their homes and the care of our elderly.

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‘In excess of 200 nominations were received for the Nursing Home Ireland Care Awards 2011, in nine award categories’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

CityWest nursing home takes a prestigious win

Imelda Burke, of TLC CityWest, is presented with the Nursing Home Innovation Award by Dr Sarah McKeon of the IRDC and the night’s MC, Marty Whelan


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Students get ready to show their big ideas

LAURA WEBB

[email protected]

YOUNG scientists have enter in record numbers for the 2012 BT Young Scientist and Technol-ogy Exhibition, with 1,743 ideas entered and 130 projects from Dublin schools having qualified for the RDS exhibition.

It’s the highlight of the school year for many young secondary students and this year’s entrants show that the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition hasn’t lost its spark among budding scientists.

This year 1,743 ideas were entered by 3,842 students from across the

32 counties. Of those entered, 130 projects from 55 schools in Dub-lin have qualified for this year’s exhibition in the RDS.

Exhibit

In Clondalkin, a number of different schools will exhibit their projects during the January show including Colaiste Chilliain and The King’s Hospital.

Interest in the compe-tition has increased over the years and already judges have remarked on the impressive nature of entries this year, based on preliminary reviews. Each year, more and more students are enter-

ing the competition and are battling it out for a place in the RDS exhibi-tion. To allow for more students to take part, BT has extended the space at the exhibition mak-ing 550 places available, an increase of 30 on last year, allowing up to 90 additional students take part in January.

Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn TD, said: “In its 48th year, it is great to see the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibi-tion continue to break new records for both the number of projects entered and schools competing. It is hugely uplifting to see 1,743

ideas generated in class-rooms across Ireland, thought up by curious young minds who are eager to positively impact the world around them. Research and innova-tion are critically impor-tant to our economy, and I commend everyone

involved in the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition for providing a platform to stimulate and showcase Ireland’s talent both nationally and internationally.”

The 2012 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition takes place in

the RDS, Dublin from January 11 – 14.

For more information, log onto www.btyoung-scientist.com, check out http://www.facebook.com/BTYSTE, follow on twitter at http://twitter.com/btyste or call 1800 924 362.

Several Clondalkin schools will also compete in the upcoming Young Scientist

contest

SCHOOLS Students prepare for annual RDS event

Public funds in General ElectionA PIECE on candidates’ expenditure in this year’s General Election, pub-lished in the November 10 edition, stated that some candidates received money from public funds.

This sentence should have read, “originally met from public funds”, as all candidates are required to repay this money to the exchequer.

The Standards in Pub-lic Office are satisfied that all moneys were repaid by all candidates this year.

We apologise for the confusion and are happy to clarify this.

ARTICLE: CLARIFIED

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Celebrating a milestoneC

OLLINSTOWN Park Community College held their award ceremony for adult students last week.

The college runs an extensive programme in daytime adult education, providing courses on a full-time and a part-time basis leading to certification on a number of levels.

This year over 200 students will be gaining certificates to mark their achievements over the past year.

To cater for people in the new communi-ties, they offer courses in English for Speak-ers of Other Languages (ESOL). Fifteen students have achieved a FETAC award in ESOL and also received their certificates.

Caroline and Jack Sheridan with Nicola Flanagan. Pictures: Paddy Barrett

Adeaye Samson Tinuby, Oluranti Idist Tinuby, Salvino Tablante and Christy Anonuevo

Amanda Loftus and Linda Kelly ( Hair and Beauty teacher )

Eileen Brown Phoenix and Marian Byrne Robyn Connolly and Linda Kelly

EVENT Collinstown Park Community College holds their

Noleen Dunne with Enda Kenny

Therese Friston with Enda Kenny ( Co-

Ordinator)

Robert Doherty, Irene Fahy, Eithne Hogan ( tutor ), Paul Delaney and Emma Donoghue


award ceremony for adult students to mark achievements

Lesley Ann Dowling, Kandy Harmon, Sharon Handlan and Marian Dowling Mayla Mohammed and Enda Kenny

Lauren Breen and Linda Kelly

Lisa Mackey and Linda Kelly


Youth is sentenced for blaze

COURTS: ‘INEXPLICABLE MADNESS’ BLAMED FOR SETTING FIRE TO HOUSE

A DRUNKEN youth, who set fire to a house in a moment of “inexpli-cable madness”, causing €200,000 worth of dam-age, has been given a suspended sentence and community service.

Augustine Raftery (22), of Wheatfield Grove, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to arson at the same address in the early hours of October 12, 2008.

He could offer no rea-son as to why he started the fire. The court had previously heard the blaze spread to the neighbour-ing house, where a couple and their five-year-old child were sleeping.

Garda Colin Sullivan told prosecuting counsel, Ms Fiona Murphy BL, that a fire had been start-ed the day before, causing some damage. Nobody has been charged with setting the first fire. The house had been unoc-cupied for several weeks at the time, and was not insured.

At around 5.30am, Raf-tery broke the kitchen window of the house and went into the living room, where he used a lighter to set the curtains ablaze. The fire spread to the room and the bedroom above it, causing the floor to collapse.

The next door neigh-bour was awoken and became worried the fire would spread to his house. He tried to douse the flames with a garden hose.

Raftery was spotted by

gardai walking quickly away from the house. Gardai caught him after a chase and he was arrest-ed. He was very drunk, and gardai allowed him to sober up before interview-ing him.

He told gardai he didn’t know why he set the fire and that he had no reason to burn the house down. He admitted he knew there had been a fire there the previous day.

The owner estimated the damage would cost €200,000 to repair. The neighbouring house suf-fered €20,000 damage.

Gda Sullivan said Raf-tery was a “decent young man” who felt guilty and stupid when he sobered up. He added he had never been in trouble with gardai before.

Out of characterDefence counsel, Mr

Philipp Rahn BL, said the incident was out of char-acter and a moment of “inexplicable madness”.

He handed in a char-acter reference from one of Raftery’s former teach-ers, who called him quiet, well-behaved and respon-sible.

Judge Desmond Hogan, said he would take into account Raftery’s young age, and the fact he was deemed at low risk of reof-fending by the Probation Service.

He sentenced Raftery to three years, suspended in full for three years, and ordered him to carry out 240 hours community service.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court

‘We need a new recipe for healthy lifestyles’

DEREK KEATING

Local Fine Gael Deputy

AS A former fitness instructor, with a spe-cialised qualification in fitness instruction for children and teenagers, as well as being a keen sportsman, I know only too well the difficulties of trying to control body mass and body weight.

Obesity is the medical term used to describe the state of being over-weight to the point where it is harmful to your health.

It may be hard to believe, but many Irish are so overweight they cannot be admitted to a hospital bed as it will not sustain their weight.

If this sounds extreme, just observe all around you the next time you’re in a public place.

I have struggled myself with the “out of routine eating”, because of life-style bad management.

It is shocking to real-ise that an obese adult is three times more likely to develop diabetes, compared to a person who remains within a healthy weight range. The news is even worse for children and adoles-cents.

The calorie intake of Irish people today is broadly the same as 20 years ago, but activity levels have dropped off. I raised this in Dail Eir-eann recently with the Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly.

Because of technol-ogy, society has changed and this means that eve-rything is now done for us.

We don’t even have to roll down our car windows any more – we simply press a button. When we enter a build-

ing, we rarely have to use stairs, because of lifts. These very small changes in activity have led to this.

The wide and con-stant availability of foods, many of which are high in salt sugar and fat, is also a major contributor.

Even more shocking is the fact that, between 1990 and 2000, the number of obese people aged 16 to 24 has more than tripled, rising from 3% to 10%, the experts tell us.

Accord ing to Dr O’Shea, a consultant endocrinologist at St Columcille’s Hospital in Loughlinstown in South Dublin, and St Vincent’s University Hospital, there is much concern over the number of over-weight and obese young patients attending not only diabetes clinics, but general medical clinics too.

Obesity studyA recent study in Brit-

ain found that children as young as three were presenting with obesity. The strain that this puts on the pancreas... it sim-ply would not be able to cope. This is a complete-ly new phenomenon, which has only been seen in the last 10 to 15 years.

In dealing with this issue, balance is the key. We need a balanced diet, but the messages we receive about food also need to be balanced.

This is why we sup-port a ban on celebrities endorsing foods.

I would like to see them endorsing healthi-er foods, to make health-ier foods attractive to young people.

When it comes to the

OPINION Deputy Derek Keating on tackling obesity levels

issue of obesity and chil-dren, ultimately, respon-sibility lies at home. As I know, many teachers, schools and so on are making the effort [to eat healthily and exer-cise more]. However, the message needs to be delivered at home.

So, this is why [there must be] a national campaign to ensure more parents are aware of the consequences of obesity. Research shows

that obese children are more likely to become obese adults.

The message needs to come through school, but it must be delivered at home. There needs to be a campaign for parents to make them aware of this issue.

The Minis ter for Health has indicated that a priority should be given to calories being posted on menus, nutri-tional labelling, and a

tax on sugar-sweetened drinks.

Keating’s answer? “It’s all about attitude”, and we, as parents, com-munity leaders, teachers and concerned citizens, need to reverse the onset of obesity in how we lead our lives.

My recipe is: “More physical activities, less snacks, more nourish-ing wholesome food and less convenience foods (take aways)”.

Deputy Derek Keating

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AWARDS Accepting their Oscar Wilde Gold Medals

Dublin students Roslyn Steer, Katie Hill, Laura Sinnott, Deasun O’Riain and Joan Redmond display their Oscar Wilde Gold Medals

Five Dubliners top the class

STAFF REPORTER

FIVE Dublin students have each been named among the 23 winners of the Undergraduate Awards, an awards pro-gramme open to under-graduate students on the island of Ireland and, recently, the USA.

They were each award-ed the Oscar Wilde Gold Medal for academic excel-lence by the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, at the Undergraduate Awards Ceremony held at Dublin Castle on Fri-day, October 28.

Trinity College Dublin graduate, Joan Redmond of Castleknock, Co Dub-lin, won the Historical Studies category for her essay, Religious Violence and the 1641 Rebellion:

Divided Communities in Seventeenth-Century Cavan.

Originally from Kil-liney Co. Dublin, Univer-sity College Cork gradu-ate, Roslyn Steer, won the Modern Cultural Studies category for her essay, The Influence of Music on Modernist Literature.

University College Dublin graduate, Deasun O Riain, was the winner of the Celtic Studies &

Irish category for his essay, “An Dirbheathais-neis sa Ghaeilge: Mo Bhealach Fein.

Laura Sinnott, from Swords, Co Dublin, also a Trinity College Dublin graduate, won the Lan-guages & Linguistics category for her essay, The audio-visual juxta-position of Günter Grass’ Die Blechtrommel.

Katie Hill, from Monk-stown, Dublin, won the Nursing & Midwifery category for her essay, Paediatric Palliative Care in Ireland. Katie is currently in her final year at Trinity College Dublin.

There were 2,381 sub-missions to the 2011 Undergraduate Awards programme of which 23 winners were selected.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They were each awarded the Oscar Wilde Gold Medal for Academic Excellence- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

17 November 2011 GAZETTE 11

SEE TRAVELPAGES 22-23

It’s all about Belfast: For history buffs and all music lovers

12 GAZETTE 17 November 2011

Take care of your mindFORMER Dublin captain Paul Griffin will be at the Hilton Dub-lin Airport, Northern Cross, on November 22 and the Radisson Blue St Helen’s in Stillorgan on Wednesday, November 23, to promote positive mental health.

He will be discussing the role that mind management can have in enhancing performance and overcoming adversity. Paul will speak about the important role positive thinking played as he suffered setbacks in his playing career with serious injuries over the past two seasons.

With an estimated 400,000 people in Ireland experiencing depression at any one time, the Lean on Me campaign, sup-ported by Lundbeck Ireland and Aware, was developed to encourage better understand-ing of the condition, encourage friends and family to provide support to those affected, and encourage them to seek treat-ment if necessary.

Paul will be joined by Caroline Currid, a performance coach and sports psychologist. She

will discuss some practical tools and techniques for managing a healthy mind, many of which are regularly used by profes-sional sports people on and off the pitch.

“There are simple techniques that sports stars use which can be adopted by men and women of all ages to help them man-age their thoughts and main-tain a healthy, positive mind. Alan Quinlan might look big and tough, but he has to work just as hard as everyone else to maintain a positive outlook,” she

said.The events are free of charge

but pre-registration is required. Log on to www.leanonme.net for more information.

Beer matching at Siam ThaiSIAM Thai, in Dundrum Town Centre, was the setting for an exciting evening of food, laugh-ter and beers.

Heineken Ireland is bringing beer and food together in some

top restaurants in Dublin this November in an effort to show people the wonderful marriage that these two make.

With the global trend of beer and food matching arriving in restaurants across Ireland, beer is fast becoming a drink of choice when it comes to eating out.

Beer, with its natural ingredi-ents of hops, barley and water is the perfect accompaniment to food, both savoury and sweet. From banoffee pie with Paulan-er to Thai Pork Curry with Birra Moretti and Affligem with crème brulee, beer and food really com-plement each other.

We sampled massaman curry with Sol and Sweet and Sour chicken with Zywiec. The event was hosted by a lovely lady who knew lots in the way of beer and food matching and taught all guests how to sample beer, much in the same way as wine.

Log on to thisisbeer.ie for beer and food matching opportuni-ties at home and for details of the next beer and food matching event.

DIARY Stories from around the capitalGazette ContactsBlock 3A, Mill Bank Business Park, Lucan

Tel: 01 6010240 Fax: 01 6010251

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Advertising Production: Anita Wardemail: [email protected]

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inaccuracy in the printing of any advertisement. If your advertisement

appears incorrectly, contact the Advertising Department immediately,

as responsibility cannot be accepted for more than one week’s incorrect

insertion. Responsibility cannot be accepted if the complaint is made more

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will be given for weeks cancelled. The advertiser undertakes to indemnify

the Proprietors against any liability for any civil action arising out of the

publication of the advertisement or any other matter printed or published

in the Blanchardstown Gazette, Castleknock Gazette, Clondalkin Gazette,

Dundrum Gazette, Dun Laoghaire Gazette, Lucan Gazette, Malahide Gazette

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Rugby star Alan Quinlan and sports psychologist Caroline Currid

launch the Lean on Me campaign


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GazetteBEAUTYBEAUTYTaking good care of your

Ziaja’s natural olive formulations soften and hydrate dehydrated skin

IT’S pretty much incon-ceivable to cook without olive oil in today’s world and, for thousands of years, olives have been used in skin care because of their incredible abil-ity to increase moisture levels and improve skin elasticity.

Just as our Mediter-ranean counterparts have used olives in their cooking for cen-turies, so too have they in their skincare, using this luscious oi l to form the basis of many of their hair and skin-care beauty rituals.

Ziaja’s natural olive formulations are a gen-tle and effective way to soften and hydrate dehydrated skin, even in the delicate eye and lip areas. This natural-based face and body range is suitable for all skin types,

and won’t harm or dam-age even the most irrita-ble skin.

Olive oil is rich in vita-min E, which nourishes and softens the skin and stimulates skin microcir-culation.

Olive oil also pro-motes the elimination of toxins and protects the skin against free radicals. Ziaja’s natural formulas have been designed to be slowly absorbed into the skin, offering long-lasting moisturising action, and can be used by the whole family and by infants from the first month onwards.

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Edited by Dawn Love

COWSHED’S Udderly Gorgeous Maternity range

and Baby Cow Organics range are now avail-

able on the Irish market. Since its launch in 1998,

Cowshed’s philosophy has been to create a

complete range of honest, natural and thera-

peutic products, using the best organic and wild

crafted plants.

The Udderly Gorgeous range is 100% natural

and made from wild-crafted Sea Buckthorn Oil

and rich in vitamins, carotenes, minerals and

fatty acids, to provide your skin with all the

nourishment it needs.

The Baby Cow Organics range is made from

Meadowfoam Oil and is specially formulated to

pamper, protect and soothe baby’s delicate skin.

The Udderly Gorgeous Maternity Range

includes products such as Udderly Gorgeous

Stretch-mark Oil €19.95 (a must for any mum-

to-be), Udderly Gorgeous Bath and Shower Gel

€15.95, Udderly Gorgeous Stretch-mark Balm

€23.95 and Udderly

Gorgeous Cooling

Leg and Foot Treat-

ment €17.95 (this is

simply great for any

fluid retention you

might develop during

pregnancy).

Cowshed’s new ranges for mother and baby skin … even when shaving

due to its high vitamin E content and antioxidant action. Use on the whole body, including elbows, knees and other areas that require intensive regeneration.

The total shave

Everyone loves stock-ing fillers, particularly thoughtful, useful pres-sies.

So, if you are on the look-out for something different to finish off dad’s, or your other half’s stocking, then check out Total Shaving Solution. This cult shaving oil is Irish and 100% natu-ral, and will radically enhance his daily shav-ing experience.

With Total Shaving Solution, he can say goodbye to painful nicks, cuts, razor rash and even in-grown hairs. This one-

step shaving oil preps skin before shaving and also provides a highly protective and lubricat-ing barrier during shav-ing, enabling the closest shave possible without cutting the skin, leaving skin supple, moisturised and soothed.

Total Shaving Solu-tion combines a careful blend of natural essen-tial oils chosen for their therapeutic and anti-inflammatory properties, including sesame seed, soya bean, grape seed, clove bud, lavender and menthol.

Founded by Tom Mur-phy in 1994 after he was made redundant, the County Mayo native, who enjoyed a success-ful 20-year career in the pharmaceutical indus-try, decided to take the plunge and set up a new

business.Like millions of men,

Tom loathed shaving and the inevitable daily nicks, cuts and razor rashes.

He wanted to create a breakthrough shaving solution that put an end to the chores and sores of having to shave each day.

The result was Total Shaving Solution – a 100% natural and break-through shaving oil, which dramatically pre-vents dry skin, rashes, nicks, cuts and ingrown hairs.

Total Shaving Solution is priced €5.39 for 10ml and 10.99 for €25 ml and is available from phar-macies and groceries nationwide and is also available to purchase online too. Visit www.totalshave.com

Total Shaving Solution shaving oil is 100% natural and

preps skin before shaving

ROB HEIGH

THERE comes a moment in every band’s career when it is right to let go of the reins and call time on what has been a good run.

REM announced last month that the time has come to close the book on what has been an epic, three-decade career.

Having been there for a good part of that journey, listening to the full-stop that is Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage, a 40-track compilation of the band’s greatest hits from their 15 studio albums, is a roll-ercoaster ride of memo-ries of the good times, and the less-good times, spent with a band who redefined American indie

music, inspired a whole generation, and deserved-ly sold millions of records around the world.

The two-disc set is a fascinating ride down memory lane, as well as an insight into REM’s progression as a band. From the Byrds-ian, Glen Campbell-esque open-ing run of Gardening At Night to Life And How To Live It, to the point where they hit their stride in the feedback-driven intro to Begin The Begin, through the bubblegum pop of Shiny Happy People and Man On The Moon, the record chimes and chimes again what a great band REM were in their prime.

Aguably, they were never the same after the departure of founder member, Bill Berry, in

1997, but among what were sometimes patchy, sometimes inspired, albums that came after their best, New Adven-tures In Hi-Fi, are some pretty incredible songs.

Their decision to quit is undeniably sad, but this collection shows their ability to turn their hands to a variety of styles, and one of the joys is reading the liner notes, as each band member recalls the times, circumstances and inspirations that led to such an impressive oevre.

Their ability to merge the influences of their Southern youth with the inflections of the great guitar bands of the late Sixties and early Seven-ties, and their understand-ing of what makes a time-less pop song will be their

legacy, something other acts should aspire to.

A 40-track run through of 15 albums will inevita-bly miss some of their fin-est moments, so I heartily recommend catching up with the extended edi-

tions of the IRS releases, Out Of Time, the afore-mentioned Adventures, and their swansong, Col-lapse Into Now, which meant that REM will exit the stage on a deserved high.

GazetteMUSICMUSIC16 GAZETTE 17 November 2011

REM call time on 31 years with compilation album

ANOTHER 20-year anniversary comes this month with the celebration of U2’s reinvention and opening of the second age of their career with the release in 1991 of Achtung Baby, and we have five copies to give away.

Simply answer the following question: What was the name of the studio in Berlin where the album was recorded?

Send your answer to [email protected], with the subject line “Achtung”, before Friday, November 25, or log on to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/gazettenews, and like and share the U2 post on your wall.

Competition: U2 can win Achtung Baby special edition End of the world arrives

REVIEW: FIRST WHOLE-CAREER COMPILATION FOR REM

GazettePETSPETSBrought to you by Miriam Kerins of

the DSPCA

THE FACTS: IT’S IMPORTANT TO KEEP OUR FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS PROTECTED

Keeping pets safe during extreme coldIT’S winter time folks, oh yes, the frigid air is barrel-ing towards us and we’re busily raiding the garden sheds for shovels and salt in preparation for winter; so, in the spirit of Jack Frost, let me ask you a few questions.

Do you don your win-ter woollies, break out the old Ugg boots and add a trendy scarf to your daily wardrobe? Yes!

Ooh, then you’re prob-ably like me and love the unique seasonal quality that comes with the fact you can layer up and no longer feel the need to wax your legs. Bliss.

However, let’s hope you also paws, (sorry) to take precautions when it comes to your pet’s seasonal requirements because it’s important

to keep our four-legged friends warm and protect-ed during the cold snap.

Below are some of my top tips. Read them, you never know, they may come in handy.

Dog and cats• Make sure your pet

has access to fresh drink-ing water and food.

• If walking your dog, wear warm, reflective clothing and get Fido a reflective collar and lead also.

• Watch for dogs’ and cats’ paws becoming impacted with snow – this can cause discomfort.

• Make sure your cat wears a reflective, safety collar.

• Make sure your pet sleeps indoors, especially during extreme tempera-

Make sure your dogs paws don’t become impacted

with snow

tures and raise their bed-ding off the ground so they don’t catch a chill from the cold, damp floor.

• Cats prefer to be snug-gled up indoors and a comfortable chair or bas-ket can make the perfect bed for your feline friend.

• Watch out for hypo-thermia or a body temper-ature that falls below nor-

mal for your pet. Cats in particular are at risk here, especially if they already suffer with poor circula-tion or are exposed to cold conditions. If Kitty shows signs of depression, weak-ness, lethargy, begins to shiver and stops respond-ing to you, wrap her up, keep her warm and ring your vet immediately.

• Keep a close eye on pets sleeping by the fire; they could burn if they get too close.

Pet birds• Birds should be placed

in a draught-free spot and well away from a heater.

• Make sure your bird has access to fresh drink-ing water.

Outdoor pets If you have a rabbit or

guinea pig it’s important you move the hutch to a sheltered area like a shed or garage. Better still, move to a downstairs loo or cloak room.

• Make sure they have plenty of warm, fresh bedding to snuggle down in and change it regu-larly. Do not, under any circumstances, use cut

grass as a form of bed-ding as moulds and fungi can build up and create a toxic atmosphere that can prove fatal for your pet.

• Rabbits and guinea pigs will naturally eat more in the winter so they have extra fat to help them stay warm; make sure you give them plenty of food, fresh vegetables and fresh water. Make sure the water doesn’t freeze in the water bottle.

Feeding birdsIn sub-zero tempera-

tures, wild birds have dif-ficulty finding food. An extra bit of care from you will see them through the winter. Wild bird seed, peanuts and suet slabs are widely available in shops and garden centres.

Frozen Ponds If you have a pond in

your garden, check it each day for ice. Toxic gases can build up in the water when it’s fro-zen. This may kill fish or frogs hibernating at the bottom of it.

• Dog owners must keep pets well away from ponds and lakes that have frozen over. Thin ice may break under your dog’s weight. If you must allow your dog near open water, then stay with him at all times.

For more information, check out www.dspca.ie or email me at [email protected]

For more information, log onto www.dspca.ie or email [email protected]



RoadRoadSignsSignsINTEREST-FREE OPTION ON OPEL PASSENGER CARS OPEL Ireland has announced a very attractive finance offer for all new Opel pas-senger cars.

Financed through Credit Opel and underwritten by per-manent tsb Finance Ltd., Opel’s 0% Flex-ible Finance offer gives customers the chance to buy a car without paying one cent of interest.

Customers choose the Opel car they want, and then select their deposit range from between 30 – 50%, with the term ranging from 12–48 months.

New Opel custom-ers will also reap the benefits of Opel’s new four-year/100,000km Full Warranty plan.

Customers can choose their new Opel Astra, Corsa, Insignia or Meriva in tax band A (in diesel and/or petrol models); with annual road tax of just €104.

The practical, yet charming, Skoda Yeti brought out the inner boy racer in CORMAC CURTIS, who got more drive than he was expecting

GazetteMOTORSMOTORS

WHEN it comes to cars that are designed to carry a combination of people, luggage,

cargo and/or recreational equipment – it rarely transpires that the result is something that is a heap of fun to drive and has a boot-load of character in the looks department!

But, I must admit, the latest 4x4 incarnation of the Skoda Yeti comes dangerously close to achieving both.

I recently had a long week-end to put the Yeti 4x4 Ambi-tion through its paces in the not-too-extreme environment of Dublin City. But, let’s face it, most people who buy any kind of SUV will only need to test its off-road mettle when they get dangerously lost at the Plough-ing Championships, or spend too long at the beach to find the tide getting perilously close

where they parked.Anyway, let’s talk first

impressions.The Yeti is a really attractive,

but not a stunning-looking car. In the same way the Suzuki Swift stole envious glances from MINI owners when it first hit the streets, the Yeti has its own charm. So much so, in fact, that my six-year old asked me: “Is he a happy car? ‘Cos I think he’s smiling!”

You can’t really argue with that kind of affection, can you?

The model I tested was the 2.0TDI 170bhp six-speed man-ual version – I can’t tell you if the car was happy or not, but I certainly was.

This car has a throaty exhaust note that just begs your inner boy racer to come out for a joyride.

Some clever guy in some secret research laboratory somewhere in car-making land has clearly figured out a way to make modern diesel engines sound like a cross between a Porsche and a Harley-Dav-idson. That, coupled with the fact that the engine produces 170bhp, means you get a level of fun behind the wheel that you just don’t expect from an SUV such as this.

Moving on to more practical

matters – after all, this car has an awful lot to offer in practi-cal terms – the cabin is a very comfortable affair indeed.

The front passengers enjoy plenty of room, with seats that are incredibly supportive, with-out being completely rigid.

There was enough space in the back for my two kids in their child seats, but I wouldn’t be too keen on a long journey back there myself.

Having said that, the three rear seats, using Skoda’s VARI-OFlex Seating Solution, can be rearranged in an almost end-less set of configurations to allow for any combination of passengers and luggage – they can even be removed com-pletely.

Returning to the front, some might consider the dashboard in the Yeti bland, but I found it simple, uncluttered and I liked

the matt finish and brushed aluminium-style accents.

The console boasts an impres-sive touch-screen interface that controls everything from the Bluetooth connectivity of your mobile phone, to the impressive Columbus satellite navigation that is fitted as standard on all Yeti 4x4 vehicles from 2012.

There are some little let-downs in the Yeti. Anyone shorter than about 5’ 10” will find the visors completely use-less when the sun is low in the sky - as my wife was at pains to point out.

And, if I was to really start splitting hairs, I would ask why the ‘ticking’ sound of the indica-tor is so quiet!

In short, this is a great car from a company that is mak-ing huge strides in build-quality, design and value. The model I drove costs €29,545.

SUZUKI Ireland has announced the appointment of Paschal Kennedy Motors Ltd in Dun Laoghaire as a new Suzuki dealership.

The appointment increases the number of Suzuki dealerships in Ireland to 19.

Commenting on the appoint-ment, Wayne Doolan, general man-ager of Suzuki Ireland said: “We are very happy to be associated with Paschal Kennedy Motors. They have been successfully serving cus-tomers in the Dun Laoghaire area

since 1969 and have gone from strength to strength.”

Dealer Principal, David Kennedy, is pleased about this latest develop-ment within his business. “This third-generation family business was originally established in the 1920s by my grandfather. Due to fuel shortages, the business was sold during WWII, and was bought back again in 1969. At that time, we concentrated on service and repairs before moving into the sales area,” he said.

“Business grew beyond our expectations, leading to expansion in 1995 in both our site size along with our sales and after-sales facil-ity.”

Paschal will be stocking the complete range of Suzuki vehicles, which includes the Alto, the Splash, the Swift, the SX4 Crossover Range and the Grand Vitara.

Paschal Kennedy Motors is situated on Library Road in Dun Laoghaire – see www.kennedymo-tors.ie for more details.

New dealer in Dublin for Suzuki

Top speed: 201km/hr

0 – 100km/hr: 8.4 secs

Economy: 5.9l/100km

CO2 emissions: 155g/km

Annual Road Tax: €302

Price: €29,545

SPECS: SKODA YETI 4X4

AMBITION, 2.0 TDI

David Kennedy and Paschal Kennedy, of Paschal

Kennedy Motors, with Michael McBarron (standing)

and Wayne Doolan of Suzuki Ireland

The best Skoda Yeti?

Four-bedroom peace in the Glade

Number 14, Castleknock Glade, is on the market for €290,000

SHERRY Fitzgerald, Castleknock, are bring-ing No. 14, Castleknock Glade , a four-bed semi-detached home that benefits from an upgraded kitchen, bath-room and double glazed windows, to the market for the asking price of €290,000.

The property also features a 88ft-long rear garden that offers wonderful potential to extend.

The accommodation comprises entrance hall with glazed ceramic floor tiles, a guest WC comprising WHB and WC with a ceramic, tiled floor.

The living room ben-efits from excellent pro-portions and a tiled fire-place with a back boiler, and it leads into the dining room, an open plan space with the liv-ing room, with access to

the kitchen, with views from a picture window overlooking the long rear garden.

The kitchen features an upgraded so l id wood-fitted Shaker-style kitchen, which is plumbed for a washing machine. The ceramic floor tiling has a feature centre piece, and there is a door to the rear gar-den.

The master bedroom is a double room to the front of the house and has built-in wardrobes and dressing table, which, along with the other three bedrooms, is well-sized and features built-in wardrobes.

The main bathroom was recently reappoint-ed to comprise a wc, a bath with a shower screen and an electric shower. A wash-hand basin sits above a con-temporary style storage

DUBLIN 15: RECENTLY UPGRADED PROPERTY FOR €290,000

SHERRY FitzGerald, Castleknock, are also bringing No. 23, Bromp-ton Lawn, Castleknock, Dublin 15, a four-bed-room semi detatched property, to the market, with an asking price of €375,000.

This family home in exceptional condition, having clearly been well maintained by its owners. Situated at the end of a cul-de-sac, this immacu-lately presented home benefits from a large back garden and ample off-street parking to the front.

The property benefits from well-proportioned accommodation which is designed with com-fortable living in mind.

Secluded living at Brompton Lawn CASTLEKNOCK: FOUR-BEDROOM SEMI-DETACHED FOR €375,000

It comprises a large wel-coming entrance hall-way, an open-plan liv-ing/dining room, study, a bright modern open plan kitchen/breakfast room, which features Ital-ian black granite floor tiles. The kitchen is fitted

with an excellent range of white high-gloss units, integrated oven, hob, hob, dishwasher and washing machine. Double doors from the breakfast area lead to the garden and a guest WC.

Upstairs, there are four

Number 23, Brompton Lawn, Castleknock, is on the market for €375,000

GazettePROPERTYPROPERTY

bedrooms and a family bathroom.

The back garden meas-ures 65ft (approx), it offers a high degree of privacy and is filled with an array of trees, bushes and flow-ers. There is also a large brick shed. The front

driveway provides excel-lent off-street parking.

Local facilities are in abundance and include a variety of shops, res-taurants, pubs, schools and leisure amenities. It is ideally located within minute’s walk of Rosel-awn Shopping Centre, Coolmine Train Station and numerous bus routes. Castleknock, Blanchard-stown Village and Town Centre, the Phoenix Park, various golf courses and, most importantly, the M3 and M50 are all in close proximity. There is also an good choice of national and secondary schools locally.

For information, con-tact Carol Anne Galvin on 01 8201800.

unit. To the front , the

driveway is bordered to one side by a neat lawn and it is fully walled. Side access leads to the phenomenal 88-ft long rear garden laid in lawn. This garden affords obvious poten-tial to extend subject to

planning permission.The property is locat-

ed within a five-minute walk of Castleknock Train Station. Castle-knock Glade is just a short stroll from Scoil Thomas Primary School and a good selection of local shops.

Castleknock Com-

munity College, Mount Sackville girls’ school and Castleknock Col-lege boys’ school are all within close proximity of the property.

To arrange a viewing, contact Michelle Curra-na at Sherry FitzGerald, Ashleigh Retail Centre on 01 820 1800.

Delectable decorationsBELLEEK Living have designed an exclusive Christmas Collection, full of unique gift ideas. Whether it is surprising that special someone or adding a contemporary touch to your home, the Christmas Collection holds the perfect solution.

Among their special range of decorations, they have a variety of styles, both contempo-rary and classic, including a Contemporary Nativity Set for €45, a Classic Three Kings Set for €45, and a selection of snowman and snow-flake ornaments.

For more information, see www.belleek.ie

INTERIORS: CHRISTMAS TIME IS A-COMING

A mix of classic and contemporary decorations


SUSAN joined Make-A-Wish in October 2006 as development and fundraising manager, and was appointed chief executive in 2009. Since then, she has worked tirelessly with the Foundation in Ireland, helping grant wishes to children across the country.

Make-A-Wish Ireland grants wishes to children between the ages of three and 18 years living with life-threatening medical conditions. Make-A-Wish receives no Government funding, so totally relies on the generosity of the general public, cor-porates, groups and associations.

Every wish granted is unique and extremely special to the family involved, allowing them to forget hospitals, treatments, injections and even the illness itself, ensuring that the family creates fantastic memories that will last a lifetime.

Wishes fall into four categories: I wish to have, I wish to go, I wish to meet and I wish to be, with wishes only being limited by the child’s imagina-tion. A wish brings a smile to a child’s face and gives them something to look forward to.

Look out for all of their great Christmas gift ideas this year, which will all be helping to raise money for Make-A-Wish Ireland, from limited edition scarves at Pamela Scott and Candles from the Disney store to music downloads from some of our Celebrity Ambassadors and great Make-A-Wish Merchandise... there is something for everyone.

Interview: Susan O’Dwyer – Chief executive, Make-A-Wish Ireland

Q&A

Making a differenceis dream job for Susan

Susan O’Dwyer

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be?A: Believe it or not, I wanted

to be a Montessori teacher,

and now I am the chief execu-

tive of a children’s charity

Q: What was your first job?A: My very first job was a hol-

iday job working behind the

counter in the local delicates-

sen. My first full-time job was

working as a secretary for a

small firm of accountants

Q: And your first pay cheque?A: Too long ago to remember

Q: When did you start your present job?A: I have been working with

Make-A-Wish Ireland since

2006 where I started as fund-

raising manager and in 2009 I

was appointed chief executive

Q: What is the best thing about your job?A: Knowing that we are mak-

ing a difference to very spe-

cial sick children nationwide

is what keeps us motivated.

When you receive a letter

from a wish parent expressing

their thanks, you cannot help

but be passionate for what we

do and want to do more

Q: What part of your working day do you ‘delegate’?A: I am lucky to work with a

great team at Make-A-Wish

and we all work together very

closely on a day-to-day basis

to ensure we grant as many

wishes as possible

Q: What sport can you play?A: I love playing tennis, for

me it’s a complete switch-off

and a fabulous way to reduce

stress. Pilates is my new focus

and I try not to miss a class, I

also enjoy walking with fam-

ily, friends and my dogs

Q: What is your guilty music/TV or movie pleasure?A: I have a few guilty pleas-

ures: (1) curling up on the

couch with a mug of tea, bar

of chocolate and an old-

fashioned movie such as an

Audrey Hepburn film and

(2) at Christmas time sitting

down for hours at a time do-

ing a Wasjig jigsaw

Q: Who do you follow on Twit-ter/Facebook?A: I am an avid follower of @

MakeAWish_ie and Make A

Wish Ireland on facebook; I

also follow numerous other

Irish charities and all of our

Make-A-Wish Ambassadors

to follow what they are up to

Q: Where do you enjoy spend-ing money frivolously?A: I am a cautious spender,

but when I shop some of my

favourite haunts are Ashanti

Gold in Greystones, Peter

O’Brien’s collections in

Arnotts, Carl Scarpa, Cinders

and Dundrum Shopping

Centre

Q: Describe your dream holiday?A: As long as there is sun-

shine and I am relaxing with

my family and friends, any-

where would be good

Q: What would be your dream job?A: I am lucky to be working

in my dream job. Making a

difference in the lives of sick

children and their families

makes my work so reward-

ing and is a huge motivator,

especially as I am a mother

myself.

If I had to choose something

else as a dream job, maybe to

own my own greeting card

shop or run my own Montes-

sori School

Q: Any advice for budding business women out there?A: Ensure that you have a

balanced lifestyle, a good

support system and, where

possible, someone that you

can trust as a mentor.

Staying close to family and

friends is imperative as you

need time out to keep your

focus. Keep positive, and

learn to juggle.

GazetteBUSINESSBUSINESS Supported by AIB

THE BEST BANK TO HAVE ACURRENT ACCOUNT Q – I have just opened a Bank of Ireland current

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and charges. You would nearly need a degree in

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tions plus, of course, time.

Where is the best bank to have a current

account and how do you minimise the exorbi-

tant costs ? Alan - Milltown

A - Welcome to the real world!

Current accounts are really loss leaders to the

banks that operate them but it is a way of reeling

you in so that other more profitable products and

services can be offered to you.

Even though it is a loss leader, the charges can

still be costly – 28c for every transaction or € 11.40

per quarter up to 90 transactions thereafter 28c

per transaction.

These costs are outside other charges once

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(€4.44 per day) or unpaids (€ 12.70 for each item sent

back) come into the reckoning.

Avoid overdrafts at all costs – they are just not

worth it. As regards free banking though, Bank of

Ireland DOES offer free banking if

- You lodge over € 3,000 per quarter over that

three-month period

- You MUST make 9 debit payments from the

account using Banking 365 and/or go online

OR

- Maintain € 3,000 in the current account at all times

during the quarter

AIB Bank at €4.50 per quarter, plus 20c for most

other transactions bar cheque and branch trans-

actions (which cost 30c each – they would prefer

you using their online facilities) while Permanent

TSB require lodgements of € 3,000 plus 18 card

purchases and 1 online transaction to qualify for

the free banking.

Ulster Bank probably have the best deal cur-

rently and you can check for comparisons through

the Financial Regulator’s web site - http://www.

itsyourmoney.ie/costcomparisons/cs_tab_per-

sonal_current_account.htm

Don’t forget if you have an aversion to current

accounts, you can always pay your bills for free

through An Post’s BillPay service – 120 different bills

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Belfast bliss for history buffs and all music lovers

MICHAEL HANNAN

AS A regular visitor to Bel-fast, I thought I had seen much of what the city had to offer, but a stay there during its Music Week, with the MTV Awards in town, gave me a com-pletely new perspective.

After checking in at the luxurious Europa Hotel, and lunch at the nearby Made in Belfast restau-rant, our group gathered at the famous Ulster Hall in Bedford Street to begin the Oh Yeah music tour.

The tour is run by the Oh Yeah Music Centre, which was set up in 2005 to help promote talented musicians and rock bands from Northern Ireland. The Ulster Hall is where, in 1971, Led Zeppelin gave Stairway to Heaven its world premiere.

Our tour took us past the street where Ruby Murray lived. While most people, sadly, only think of her name as the cockney rhyming slang for curry, the 1950s’ singer was the only entertainer to have five singles in British Top-20 charts simultaneously.

We went past the Mari-time Hotel where, in 1964, a 19-year-old Van Morri-son and his band, Them, brought the house down with their classic, Gloria.

We saw his humble ori-gins as we drove past 125 Hynford Street, where he grew up.

A trip past the famous Limel ight Bar was next, where, in 1994, Oasis played a gig and, when told their Defi-nitely Maybe album had reached No 1, famously threw off their guitars and, in the guide’s words, “got a wee bit drunk”.

After a visit to the Oh Yeah Music Centre itself, we quenched our thirst at the elegant Duke of York pub, where Gerry Adams previously worked as a

barman, and stopped to admire the mural in an alleyway across the road depicting many famous Northern Irish personali-ties.

The mural was a cross-community effort, between Danny Devenny, an ex- member of the IRA and Maze prisoner, and Mark Ervine, son of the late Progressive Union-ist Party leader, David Ervine.

Dinner at The Bar and Grill at James Street South proved to be a great choice, with both the sea-food and steaks ordered by our group cooked to

perfection.Back at the Ulster Hall

later that evening for the Benefit Gig for the Alzhe-imer’s Society, we were treated to more than three hours of timeless punk and rock classics by Divine Comedy, Ash and The Undertones.

Two highlights were the double rendition of The Undertones’ classic, Teen-age Kicks, which the late DJ, John Peel, famously played twice in succes-

sion on BBC Radio 1. As if to mirror this, at

the end of the concert, all three bands came onstage again to perform the song together. The sight of men in their 50s pogoing wildly to this punk anthem was as memorable as it was humorous.

No trip to Belfast can be complete without tak-ing part in the Titanic Walking Tour.

This takes in the famous Thompson dry-dock and pump house, as well as the berth where the ship had its final fit-out before being launched.

The tour guide was witty,

engaging and full of “use-less” information that a history anorak like myself thrives on. For example, the docking berth where the ship would be brought in for repairs would have contained 21 million gal-lons of water (85 million litres).

This took about 100 minutes to pump out, or the equivalent of two Olympic-sized swimming pools every 60 seconds. Not bad, for 1912!

After a browse around the St George’s Markets, lunch in the Galley at Belfast Barge was excel-lent, with my companions’ risotto earning particular plaudits.

A hugely entertaining alternative walking tour of the city, by Terri Hooley, the godfather of the Bel-fast punk scene, rounded off my trip.

Hooley is a peace cam-paigner, band promoter and opened the Good Vibrations record shop in 1978, launching such bands as The Undertones, Rudi, and The Outcasts.

He recounted the famous story of when The Clash came to Belfast to perform a gig at the Ulster Hall, only to be told at the last hour that it couldn’t go ahead due to concerns over the insurance costs.

The cancel la t ion sparked a riot by punks of mixed religion waiting outside, who, disgruntled

at the eleventh-hour can-cellation, attempted to rip off the doors to get inside.

As Hooley puts it: “It didn’t matter if you were Protestant or Catholic, as long as you were a punk. It was a strangely unifying experience.”

Speaking of experi-ences, there are plenty of great ones to be had in the Northern capital, ranging from culinary, musical, cultural and historical, and if it all seems like too much effort, there are no shortage of cosy pubs to rest awhile.

To find out more infor-mation on Northern Ire-land’s tours and events, or for further information on places to stay, and things to see and do in Northern Ireland, callsave 1850 230 230; visit the Northern Ireland Tourist Board’s tourist information centre in Suffolk Street, Dublin 2, or see www.discover-northernireland.com.

With so much to enjoy on

in Belfast recently, where

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The Titanic Walking Tour guide was witty, engaging and full of ‘useless’ information [about the ship and its building] that a history anorak like myself thrives on- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Leave the winter woes at home with a great Algarve holiday, with a range of options to choose fromA FAVOURITE spot for Irish people, the Algarve is the ideal year-round sun destination.

Concorde Travel feature packages to the idyl-lic resorts of Albufeira, Alvor, Carvoeiro, Lagos, Portimao/Praia da Rocha, Vale do Lobo/Quinta do Lago and Vilamoura.

Whatever your budget, Concorde Travel has a range of two-star to five-star hotel and apart-ment options to suit you. With flexible departure dates and holiday durations, as well as departures from Dublin, Cork and Knock to Faro, Concorde Travel now make it even easier to travel to this beautiful holiday hotspot.

The three-star Hotel Praia Sol (Vilamoura), on a bed and breakfast basis, costs from €299, whilst the four-star Vila Gale Ampalius (Vilamoura) costs from €419.

The five-star Hilton Vilamoura, As Cascatas Golf Resort and Spa (Vilamoura) on a bed and breakfast basis, costs from €519.

Prices are per person, based on two sharing, and include flights from Dublin, transfers, seven-night’s accommodation, airport tax and baggage.

Visit www.concordetravel.ie, or telephone 01 775 9300 to find out more.

Norway’s the way to go and see what’s described as the greatest Northern Lights show in 50 yearsPREPARE for the most spectacular show on earth this winter with a trip to Norway to see the North-ern Lights.

With NASA predicting the brightest and most active Northern Lights display for 50 years, now is the time to book this once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Four nights in a three-star hotel costs €689, or €759 for four-star accommodation.

The package includes return flights from Dub-lin to Tromso via Oslo, four nights’ accommoda-tion in a three- or four-star hotel on a bed and breakfast basis, and airline taxes.

Travel between Thursday, December 1 and Thursday, February 28, using the reference: H014-3396.

For further information, or to book this trip, see www.gohop.ie/3396/Cheap-Holidays/Norway-Northern-Lights-/holiday.html.

FastTravel

GazetteTTRAVELRAVEL22 GAZETTE 17 November 2011

any trip to Belfast, hundreds of media staff from all around the world were delighted to attend a day of music- and culture-driven events

the fine setting of the Titanic Drawing Offices helped to engage the Belfast guests with local craic agus ceol

Enjoy shopping and pampering in Carlow at a comfortable priceCARLOW has never been more affordable for a pre-Christmas shopping break and, with the four-star Talbot Hotel located just a short stroll from all the attractive shopping areas, it is convenient, too.

The Talbot Value Shopping Package includes attractive discounts for the best boutiques in Car-low, which includes an exclusive guide to the best shops in Carlow town.

After the day’s shopping, attentive staff will bring your shopping bags to your room, while you relax and enjoy a sumptuous meal in the cosy fourth-floor Liberty Tree restaurant. Pampering is also important, and the hotel is offering 50% off a facial or massage in its Pure Beauty spa.

Stay at the hotel mid-week for €149 for two nights’ bed and full Irish breakfast, and a four-course meal each evening. Winter weekend pack-ages are available from €99 PPS.

For further information, see www.talbotcarlow.ie, or telephone 059 915 3000.

TravelBriefs

Edited by Mimi Murray


The iconic Titanic Signature Building’s exterior is another sign of the modern face of Belfast’s contemporary cityscape


The Mess-keteersYou can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it think that Cinema really needs this version of the timeless, and seemingly endlessly-

reheated and reserved, tale, with this latest reimagining being a little too bodacious rather than gracious with the source material...

GoingOUT

GazetteENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENT

It’s one for all, and all for one – edging towards the exit, that is, with an uninspired rehash of a timeless tale ...

KATE CROWLEY

EVEN unf lappable, battle-hardened cinema reviewers could be for-given for shrieking and eeking when faced with the sight of not one, not three, but two Nicolas Cage films opening at the same time. Two!

Why, the very thought of cuddling up with Nic for his latest offerings, Trespass, and Justice, is almost – almost – enough to send yours truly barrel-ling through the doors to see the latest Twilight film (as Twilight The Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 opens this week).

I say “almost”, as even my darling, Emo-friendly daughter, Crowleyetta, knows that there’s only one way I’ll go to see, and review, another Twilight film – at gunpoint.

And so, shrieking and eeking away from angst-driven vampires (oooh, the angst, the angst!), and eeking equally loudly

away from Mr Cage, my dainty feet take me (and thee) directly to ...

Actually, I’m just pop-ping on my time travel beret, and stepping back in time to the period com-monly known as Approxi-mately Three Weeks Ago, and the release of a film which I didn’t review at the time, but will do just fine, today.

After all, I can’t stand angst-driven vampires and werewolves, but I don’t mind a shaggy tale of musketeers, and one of cinema’s most revisited inspirations has been, errr, revisited, in this lat-

est version of Dumas’ The Three Musketeers.

Actually, there’s not much more that I need to say to explain the film, folks, as I doubt very much that very many of you aren’t fully aware of the timeless tale of derring-do and French heroics, with this version pretty much following the standard template, on which, more anon.

For now, it’s a “Non!” to following Dumas’ tale too closely from the very start, as director, Anderson, introduces the musket-eers undergoing a heist, of sorts, before the ever-

treacherous Milady de Winter (Jovovich) does a runner with the goods.

Okay... so, they’re the three musketeers of the title – so, where’s the fourth guy, who everyone expects? Enter surfer-dude-esque D’Artagnan (Lerman), who soon annoys, impresses and joins the Three (Mac-fayden, Stevenson and Evans), just in time to be caught up in a plot by Car-dinal Richelieu (Waltz).

The holy man has a wholly cunning plan to control Le King (Fox), with a nice little war with England being his grand plot, just grand, merci.

With Richelieu and Winter playing an icily cold game of politics, and wishing to rule the regal roost behind the scenes, The Thre- sorry, Fou- sorry, The Guys must thwart their cunning plans, and prevent war with England.

For zee King! For zee honour of France! For zee

probable sequel!However, mein Gott!

The Three Musketeers veers wildly into French farce throughout, but never in the best way.

The characters are too ... modern; a tricky thing to pull off, and, frankly, Anderson fails.

I can’t quite knock the director with that too-easy gibe of his being “best known as a video-game film maker”, as not every film made about a computer game is always awful. (I quite enjoyed the somewhat incoher-ent Silent Hill film-of-the-same-game, for example.)

Still, Anderson, prob-ably best-known for his interminably awful Resident Evil films (also starring his wife, Jovov-ich, in equally intermi-nably awful roles), has done it again – using his reverse Midas touch (the Sadim?), he’s turned lit-erary gold into cinematic straw. More musketeers? Zut alors, non!

FILM OF THE WEEK:The Three Musketeers (12A) 110 mins

OUR VERDICT:MANY cinemagoers will have had more Three Musketeer films that they’ve had hot dinners, with it being a timeless – but, perhaps, a little over-familiar – tale that needs something special, or different, to really stand out. Although the director, and cast, gamely have a go at modernising some aspects of Dumas’ tale, their efforts simply sit uncomfortably with the source material ...

Director: Paul S AndersonStarring: Logan Lerman, Matthew MacFayden, Ray Stevenson, Orlando Bloom, Milla Jovovich, unlikely shenanigans

PAVILION 01 231 2929Same Old Moon

DALKEY-based St Patrick’s Dramatic Society are staging their latest memorable production, following the fortunes and family life of Brenda Barnes. Brenda’s life is anything but straightforward, as we see on her funny and sometimes dramatic journey from childhood to her 40s, thanks to her eccentric and sometimes fiery family. See the society’s production nightly at 8pm until Saturday, November 19, with admission costing €18/€15.

MILL THEATRE 01 296 9340 A Skull in Connemara

THE Mill presents the second play in the Leenane trilogy, by playwright Martin McDonagh. In a rural Connemara town, a gravedigger prepares for his annual autumnal task of disinterring old, forgotten bones in the graveyard to make room for new arrivals. However, with his late wife’s remains due to be moved, rumours about her sudden death begin to surface ... This play runs nightly at 8pm until Saturday, November 19, with admission costing €10.

DRAIOCHT 01 885 2622Sweet Charity

READY for another hit show from Coolmine Musical Society? Then come along to Draiocht, where the highly-skilled players are marking their 30th year in show-stopping style, thanks to their production of Sweet Charity. New York in the 1960s will blaze into life on stage, with such memorable songs as Hey Big Spender, If My Friends Could See Me Now, and Rhythm of Life to enjoy, all in the name of following the ups and downs of lovelorn dancehall hostess, Charity Hope Valentine. Coolmine MS’s production runs nightly at 8pm until Saturday, November 19, with admission costing €20/€17.


SHANE DILLON

THESE are dark days for Nintendo. Once an unas-sailable giant in gaming, the company recently posted its first publicly-reported loss in decades.

Actually, although it reported a huge loss – almost mirroring the healthy profit it posted in the previous year – some industry analysts were expecting an even larger loss, with wild talk of 100-billion yen on the cards, for a while.

What on earth has taken Nintendo to this sorry state of affairs?

Well, the reasons have been many, and complex, all combining to hack away at the company’s economic fortunes.

For starters, an obvious problem has been its 3DS console, which has bled away profits on hardware and software losses.

Despite being a tech-nological marvel – with nothing comparable to it on the market, or on the way – and despite impressing most, but not all, of those who’ve used it, sales have been much slower than expected.

This doesn’t come as a total surprise – Hol-lywood has noticed that 3D films at cinemas have significantly plateaued, while 3D-enabled televi-sions are virtually glued to the shelves, stubbornly

refusing to sell.The “obvious next step

forward in visual enter-tainment” seems to have been embraced instead as “an interesting, but pass-ing fad” by consumers, as well as gamers.

In the face of it, despite the impressive hardware, but battling consumer interest, perhaps that’s why the 3DS hasn’t caught on, impacting on Nintendo’s fortunes with the losses that it incurs on hardware sales.

Despite being able to magic up such innovative tech and hardware, Nin-tendo’s also facing a per-ception that its hardware platforms are approach-ing the end of their life cycle, with the end of the Wii in sight, while its suc-cessor is in development.

This further weakens titles available for it, cre-ating a dragging anchor effect on companies will-ing to develop for it.

This isn’t an entirely fair summary, as there’s still plenty of life in the “aging” console, but, with much of the world’s media focused on the cool new kid in class – Apple’s various IOS-driven gadg-ets – while the other gam-ing heavyweights – Sony and Microsoft – are much more publicly slugging it out between them on the main street, Nintendo’s been left to sink into the background.

GazetteGAMINGGAMING

As if these weren’t dif-ficult enough problems, currency issues have also proven to be major thorns in the company’s side, with the dollar-to-yen rates across the past year, having a particularly painful effect on Ninten-do’s finances.

With such negative external factors for any company to deal with, it’s no wonder that the Kyo-to-based company has revealed just how much its sales, and profits, have plunged.

It’s quite a turnaround from the previous fiscal year for Nintendo, when it posted its usual healthy profits, despite the chal-lenges facing gaming’s

drift at physical makets at present. After all, for every Gears of War 3 (XBox 360), Uncharted 3 (PlayStation 3) or, even, Angry Birds (iPhone) success story, a hundred other titles on all plat-forms sink without trace.

That’s the bad news. But, of course, Nintendo’s far from finished, just yet.

True, the 3DS has not taken off as expected, but the regular DS handheld is still doing okay, and, if sales of the Wii have also significiantly slowed down – with the nega-tive impact of not hav-ing the same software range and products as its rivals – Nintendo still has key gaming aces up

its sleeve.One of these is the

forthcoming next install-ment in the long-running Zelda series, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword; a title that’s a cornerstone product for Nintendo to remind rivals, and gamers, that it still has some outstand-ing cards in its hand.

Now 25-years-old, the Zelda series has a longev-ity, and pedigree, that few games can lay claim to, with the Wii Motion Plus proving an entirely natu-ral fit for the protaganist, Link, and his adventures.

With this forthcoming title (and the help of a certain super plumber’s new release), Nintendo can remind gamers, and the wider industry, that it can deliver the goods when it needs to.

And Nintendo needs to. Now, more than ever, the gaming giant needs to start landing some well-aimed blows on its rivals, before it goes down for the count ...

The forthcoming Nintendo Wii title, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, can be expected

to generate healthy revenues for the company, as the games company faces into an

unwelcome battle to reverse the shift in its fortunes

Have a yen for original gameplay?JAPANESE developer, Kairosoft, have enjoyed enormous success with their resolutely old-school, pixel-led titles, with each of their “sim-ple” games consuming days of gamers’ lives.

That sounds extreme, but, after all, behind the cutesy graphics in their games (whether running your own high school or managing a Formula One team) lies very compulsive gameplay, as the intricacies of managing financial systems, organis-ing and planning layouts and so on make the time fly by – as I’ve found, by missing bus stops while engrossed in perfecting my shopping centre’s layout. Oops.

As such, for something a little different, why not consider Oh! Edo Towns for your IOS-driven gadget? Available for €2.99 on iTunes, this is the chance to design and maximise your very own Feudal Japan town. That probably sounds about as enticing as an omnibus edition of Eastenders on TV, but this very Eastern title, complete with addictive, good-humoured pick-up-and-play fun, is another absolute gem from Kairosoft.

Bytesandpieces

d i

Games giant has to fight its corner

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‘Currency issues have also proven to be major thorns in the company’s side, with the dollar-to-yen rates across the past year having a particularly painful effect on Nintendo’s finances’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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FOR the first time, one of the leading F1 teams in the world will take to the streets of Dublin next year when Jensen Button will bring his Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes F1 car to the Bavaria City Racing Dublin event on June 3, 2012.

Former World Cham-pion Button will treat race spectators to a Formula 1 masterclass on a specially designed track that starts

at the Convention Centre, continues along Custom House Quay before cross-ing Butt Bridge, chicanes at D’Olier Street, zips past College Green and the Central Bank on Dame Street before reaching the chequered flag on O’Connell Bridge.

Bavaria City Racing’s Dublin ambassador, Eddie Jordan, said: “I’m hugely excited about Bavaria City Racing Dublin; this is something spectacular, something

you’ve never witnessed before and I, for one, can’t wait.”

The City Racing extrav-aganza is a free public event, and over 150,000 people are expected to line the streets of the cap-ital to enjoy the best the world of motor sport has to offer.

Gavin Collins, of Bavaria City Racing, said: “We are delighted that the Vodafone-McLaren F1 team is coming to Dub-lin. They are a premier F1

MOTOR RACING: FORMER WORLD CHAMPION TO RACE ON SPECIALLY-CREATED TRACK

Keith O’Haire, from Gleeson, and Robert Hyland, of Vodafone Ireland, at the launch of this unique F1 event

Button presses Dublin into F1 action in summer

team and Jenson is one of the leading drivers in world motorsport.”

Robert Hyland, Spon-sorship Manager at Voda-fone Ireland, said: “We are truly excited at the prospect of bringing the

Formula 1 experience to Dublin. Jenson is one of the sport’s great ambassa-dors, and we are delighted to be able to help show-case what he and the cars can do.

“It will be a massive

event for the city that will be remembered for years to come.”

For those who want to get closer to the action, there are three ticketed premium performance zones on the track at

Customs House Quay, O’Connell Bridge and at the Main F1 Paddock on North Wall Quay.

Tickets for these areas are priced from €75.90 and are available from Ticketmaster.

GazetteSPORT17 November 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 27

NO BOUNDARIES: NO BOUNDARIES: Claire Shillington on Claire Shillington on her Ireland cricket her Ireland cricket journey so far journey so far Page 29Page 29

GazetteSportSport


Sam on tour ’11

Towers welcome Mr MaguireT

HE Sam Maguire trophy and Dublin All-Ireland winner, Barry Cahill, were the guests of honour in Round Towers GAA

Club last Saturday. Barry took time out of his hectic schedule preparing for a Leinster championship match with St Brigid’s to bring Sam along for a day aimed at the Round Towers’ juvenile section. While the rest of Barry’s All-Ireland win-ning teammates were visiting GAA clubs in New York and Boston last week, Barry stayed behind to visit Towers and prepare for the game against Summerhill. Hundreds of children and their parents queued up to have their photo taken along with Barry and Sam Maguire and Barry kindly signed photos, jerseys, balls and more. Round Towers would like to thank Barry Cahill for obliging them with the visit and also to the volunteers in Round Towers who assist-ed on the day, especially Noel Kelly, Cath-erine Moran, Betty Ward, Jessica O’Malley, Sally Gilligan and Niall Connaughton.

The Lyons family with Barry and Sam. PIctures: Fergus McNally

Club PRO Niall Connaughton and Dublin’s Barry Cahill

Margaret and Suzanne Murray, Amanda Cassidy, Baby Ronan and

Derek Murray

Senan, Micheal, Michelle, Roisin and Baby Tadhg Walsh

Another excited fan is first to the cup...

All part of the Round Towers and Sam family

in association with


THE influx of youth is such that Clare Shil-lington made her inter-national cricket debut the same year one of her team-mates was born.

Far from veteran status, it is more a statement on the prodigious talent that Ireland has to pick from, as the country’s women aim to make similar waves to those stirred up by the Irish men in the past four years.

They are bidding to qualify for the World Cup this week in Bangladesh, needing to upset the world rankings and win against Pakistan or West Indies – as well as the hosts and Japan – in the

initial group phase to take a direct route to the finals in India. Finish lower than the top two, and they go into the murky waters of a repechage round.

Taking on the chal-

lenge, Irish cricket sought a special dispensation to allow two of their number to make the trip, 15-year-old Kim Garth and, most notably, Elena Tice, who

turns 14 during the tour-nament.

Tice became the sec-ond youngest women’s international earlier this year and has since taken eight wickets in just four

international games, cata-pulting her into the team.

She was born in 1997, the year Malahide cricket club member Shillington made her Irish debut. She was a precocious teenage batting talent at the time but told the Gazette just prior to flying out to the competition that selec-tion runs along Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenet that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.

Asked how she feels about possibly having made her debut before Tice was born, Shilling-ton laughs.

“We haven’t talked about it but that is an interesting one! That makes me feel very old. Just hearing their date of births... It’s fantastic that Elena is able to do it phys-ically at that age; her and Kim Garth.

“As a dynamic in the team, it’s incredible. I’m a good bit older but we do come together and age doesn’t really mat-

ter when you’re playing cricket.

“Everyone does look out for each other but I hope I can pass on some of the experience that I have built up over 14 years as a cricketer and the standards you should have. I’m highly competi-tive so I do my best to pass that on to anyone coming onto the squad.”

From a preparation per-spective, the side has trav-elled in confident mood, with both Shillington and captain Isobel Joyce – sis-ter of Irish men’s star Ed – labelling the group the best prepared side ever put together.

The squad signed up to a mantra of “unpaid pro-fessionalism”, replicating full-time training around their working or student lives with regular 6.30am fitness calls, similar to those employed by Dub-lin’s senior footballers last January prior to their All-Ireland victory.

It is a necessary effort to be competitive against countries that have gone the full-time route in recent years. Shillington played against a touring Pakistan side in the early part of this decade, a side that were comfortably beaten by Ireland in what was their first season of the professional era.

Since then, they have risen to a place above Ire-land in the rankings and won a Champion’s Chal-lenge tie last summer in South Africa with plenty

No boundaries for ShillingtonMalahide’s Clare Shillington has travelled to Bangladesh to try to help Ireland’s women cricketers to a World Cup in India next year

Clare Shillington in Ireland action

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‘It is a huge commitment, but I wouldn’t still be playing if I didn’t love it and think we have a realistic chance of qualifying for the World Cup’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

FastSport

Ireland trio make the team of World Cup ’11LEINSTER ‘S Brian O’Driscoll, Ronan O’Gara and Paul O’Connell were the Ireland players who made the official Rugby World Cup dream team, voted for by international fans of the New Zealand celebration of the sport’s Facebook page.

Ireland captain O’Driscoll took nearly 50% of the votes to make the Dream Team. A

consistent performer for Ireland, O’Driscoll added to his impressive tally of international tries with a well-taken try in the pool match against Italy.

Based on suggestions from the online community, a shortlist of names per position was created each day and put to the vote, with over 160,000 votes being cast along the way.

The other players in the XV were made up of players from the semi-finalists, Wales, New Zealand and France.

THE national governing body for Gymnastics in Ireland re-launched their brand last week with the help of Olympic and World medallist gym-nast, Louis Smith, last week.

Gymnastics Ireland’s brand transformation includes the launch of a new website (www.gymnasticsireland.com), Facebook Page (Gym-nastics Ireland) and Twitter account (@Gymnas-ticsire).

Smith was joined by leading female gymnast, Emma Lunn and Irish Rhythmic athlete, Aisling McGovern, both from Maynooth. The 2008 Bei-jing Olympic Bronze medallist also coached a group of young Irish 2016 Olympic hopefuls on the morning of the launch.

Ciaran Gallagher, Gymnastics Ireland chief executive officer, said: “We are delighted that Louis could be here to help us launch the new Gymnastics Ireland brand. He is not only one of the best gymnasts in the world, but he is also a great personality and really conveys what Gym-nastics Ireland is now all about.”

World and Olympic champ helps Gymnastics launchto spare.

Speaking about play-ing full-time athletes, Shillington takes a prag-matic approach: “It’s a killer, but you have to play with what you’ve got. We all understand that money makes the world go round; cricket in Pakistan is part of their culture and everyday life, while it’s down the peck-ing order in Ireland.

“If we were profession-als and it was our job, I’ve no doubt we’d pass the likes of Pakistan, the West Indies and higher because there is the tal-ent there.

“Sometimes it is soul-destroying to see how quickly a team like that can jump up, but we deal with what we can and made a commitment to be unpaid professionals.

“It is a huge commit-ment but I wouldn’t still be doing it if I didn’t love it and think we have a real-istic chance of winning. At this stage, I definitely think we can qualify. I started my international career in India and would like to finish it there in a World Cup.

“It’s been quite a long preparation. I’ve been involved in quite a lot of these trips and it’s defi-nitely the most prepared we’ve been from the amount of work, time and effort we have put in. I’m glad to be getting out of an indoor training hall and getting on a cricket pitch.”

GazetteSportSport


FastSport

PEAMOUNT United stole a massive march on their rivals ahead of last weekend’s Bus Eireann Women’s National League kick-off by signing Ireland international, Dora Gor-man.

The Barna native, who famously cap-tained Ireland’s Under-17 girls to a European Championship final and World Cup quarter-final in 2010 is one of the most promising young players in the country.

Coming through the ranks with Salthill Devon, Gorman is now a senior interna-tional following her debut in last month’s win over Israel and the fact that her local side are not taking part in the new national league is Peamount’s gain.

Manager Eileen Gleeson acted quickest to recruit the midfielder, who studies medi-cine in UCD, ahead of this Sunday’s opening game at the Cork Women’s Football League.

Peamount begin their campaign com-ing off their recent historic UEFA Women’s Champions League double header with Paris Saint-Germain.

Gorman joins up with an incredible six senior international colleagues at Peamount and admits the prospect of success at the highest level attracted her to Greenougue.

“Obviously you want to play at the high-est level you can and I wanted to play in the new National League so Peamount were the team I wanted to play with,” said Gorman.

“I play with a lot of the girls at interna-tional level, so I know about the quality in the squad and I am really looking forward to starting the league season now.

“I have had a couple of training sessions with the girls already, and everybody at the club has been great.

“The club are coming into the league after the Champions League games, so they are ambitious and want to do well in this new league and that is what I want too.”

Peamount sign Gorman for league campaign

[email protected]

OLYMPIC hero Ken-neth Egan released his revealing autobiog-raphy, My Story, last Monday, in which he documents the lows and highs of his career inside and outside of the ring.

The Neilstown man was responsible for one of the most incred-ible runs of national amateur titles in the last decade and more, taking ten successive national golds before his unbeaten record came to an end in February at the hands of develop-ing young prospect, Joe

Ward.But it was for his

Olympic exploits that Egan rose to the public consciousness, when he reached the final of the light-heavyweight divi-sion in Beijing at the 2009 Olympic Games, only denied gold by hometown favourite Xiaoping Zhang, in a controversial decision.

Thrust into the pub-lic arena after years of grinding away on the world and European cir-cuit, but out of the lime-light, Egan’s autobiogra-phy details his struggles with his increased level of fame outside the box-ing world.

Indeed, talking about the book this week, he said that the partying and drinking, which came with living the high life, almost brought him to his knees.

Life-changingHe has become teeto-

tal since August, 2010, following a sobering day with his mother, Maura, who brought him to the graves of his two brothers who both passed away during their childhood.

“My mother told me that if I kept drinking the way I was drinking, I was going to end up in the ground with them.

She begged me to stop. I did, and I became a different person,” he said.

“I gave my mother the book to read for the first time last week, and though she was shocked by some of it, she was happy with it. She said: ‘That was your life, but now that life is over and out of the way’.”

He is now focused on getting back to the Olympic stage with the national senior champi-onships on the horizon early in 2012 as the next step on the road.

The 29-year-old had stepped up to heavy-weight in recent times

but will be looking to annex an 11th national title at light-heavy for the championships.

Egan moved up to heavyweight this year after he was beaten by Ward, his first defeat at that level for a decade. His travails at the high-er weight, though, saw him make the decision to battle for a place in the division in which he has made his name.

Kenny Egan’s autobi-ography, Kenny Egan – My Story, will be avail-able from bookshops na t ionwide p r i ced €12.99 and online from www.paperweightpub-lications.ie.

Gloves off in Egan bio

BOXING: NEILSTOWN MAN’S LIFE STORY IN PRINT AT LAST

Kenneth Egan launched his autobiography last week that details his Olympic success, the fame and the pitfalls that he has negotiated

Clon caught: Rugby team let lead slip at close of matchCLONDALKIN RFC’s first team were denied victory in the cruellest man-ner when they lost by a last-minute drop goal against Wicklow last week, with a final score of 23-21.

Clondalkin will be disaapointed as they were 10 points clear with ten minutes left, but allowed their opponents back into the match in the closing moments. Pictured is Brian Doyle.

Picture: Sharon Flanagan

in association with


CLUB NOTICEBOARD

THE AGM of Round Towers’ GAA Club

will take place in the clubrooms on

the evening of Wednesday, Novem-

ber 30 at 8pm. Only paid-up mem-

bers are entitled to attend this

meeting and only A members are

eligible to vote. Any membership

status-related queries should be

directed to the secretary at the

earliest opportunity. Nominations

for executive positions, or motions

for discussion on the evening,

should be with the Secretary, Niall

Connaughton, seven days before

the meeting. They can also be left at

the box provided at the club bar.

There will be a scrap metal collec-

tion on Monastery Road on Satur-

day next, November 19, from 10am

to 4pm, please check the website

for more details or contact Niall

Connaughton on 087 629 0870 or Ed

O’Malley on 087 807 3391.

Huge thanks to Barry Cahill who

brought Sam Maguire to the club

on Saturday for the Juvenile sec-

tion day. Thanks also to Noel Kelly,

Catherine Moran, Betty Ward, Jes-

sica O’Malley and Sally Gilligan, and

all who assisted on the day.

The album of photos taken on the

day are on the club website. The

photographer will be in the club on

Thursday night at 9pm should any-

one wish to purchase any of the pic-

tures.

Christmas Party Night at Round

Towers’ GAA Club on Saturday,

December 10. Limited to 120 tickets,

four-course sit-down meal, €20pp.

Also, The Trilogy Band play New

Year’s Eve, tickets €10. Recession-

buster offer - buy tickets for both

nights for only €25 per person.

Lotto: Numbers drawn were 6, 16,

23 and 28; Bonus Ball 15. There was

no winner of this week’s jackpot of

€4,800. Congratulations to Danny

Gallagher, Kevin Roche and PJ Tyn-

dall, the three €100 winners.

ROUND TOWERS

ST PAT’S, PALMERSTOWN

LUCAN SARSFIELDSWELL done to the U-13 and U-14 cam-

ogie teams, who wrapped up league

titles at weekend. Congratulations

also to boys’ football U-14s who also

won league and are now promoted

to Division 1.

Tickets have now been issued to

mentors for the Lucan Sarsfields

“Sports’ Persons Dream” Draw,

which is an alternative to the tra-

ditional Christmas Draw. All mem-

bers are asked to support this

important fundraiser.

This year’s AGM is on Thursday,

November 17.

Entertainment in 12th Lock on

November 19 is Comhaltas monthly

session.

The Lucan Sarsfields’ GAA Club 25

Card Drive is every Friday in the

clubhouse bar at 9pm.

Set dancing from 8.30 to 10pm

every Wednesday night.

Thanks to Esther Keenan, who has

loaded the photos from the suc-

cessful Gala Ball last weekend to

the gallery on the website, under

Events.

Lotto: Numbers drawn were 1, 2, 3

and 19. There was no winner.

Next week’s jackpot will be €6,500.

Gerry McAndrew’s team will be in

charge next weekend.

Thanks to John Ryan, Accountant,

who is this week’s sponsor.

Do not forget you can always

enter our Lotto online by clicking

on www.lucansarsfields.ie.

COMMISERATIONS to our Under-16

footballers following their league

final defeat to Kilmacud Crokes on

Saturday last.

Good luck to two of our talented

senior hurlers Shane Stapleton and

Aidan Glennon who were nominated

for a place on the Blue Stars team.

Juvenile Scór Na nÓg takes place

this Tuesday 15th at 7.30pm in Lucan

Sarsfield G.A.A. club house. If avail-

able come along and support our

talented boys and girls.

There are only a few tickets avail-

able for our jubilee gala ball this

Saturday and you can book same

by calling or texting 086 7255 586.

You can also avail of a free bus

trip to the Red Cow Morans Hotel.

Bus leaves Supervalu car park

Palmerstown at 6.45pm and will

return there after the ball is over.

To secure a seat please book same

with the person you purchased

your ticket.

To view our website simply logon

to www.stpatricksgaa.ie

Lotto: NUmbers drawn were 5, 7,

22 and 24. There was no winner of

the €5,600 jackpot. Match any three

number winners were Niall McDon-

agh and Simon Faughnan, and each

receive €100. Next week’s jackpot is

€5,800.

Draw held each Sunday night at

10pm in the Palmerstown House.

MINOR A HURLING S/FBallyboden St Enda’s 2-12

Lucan Sarsfields 1-11

STEPHEN FINDLATER

[email protected]

GOALS at key times saw Ballyboden St Enda’s make it into a third final at minor championship level as the hurlers fol-lowed their boys and girls’ footballers into a decider.

They held their nerve to take this tie from a cracker at O’Toole Park on Sunday morn-ing when James Roche la tched onto Alan Flood’s high ball, gam-bling behind the last man, to finish with admirable calmness and securing the result with the last puck of the game.

Lucan, propelled for-ward by Chris Crummy, threatened a late come-back, but Roche’s last-ditch goal put paid to such dreams and saw Boden home.

Conditions were mild,

though a strong cross wind and the seasonal heavy sod underfoot did not militate against fast and furious hurling.

Tit-for-tat in the early phases, the sides shared four points in the open-ing quar ter be fore Lucan nudged a couple in front.

But, just as they were looking like pulling clear, Boden produced an important spell to wrest back the initia-tive, Paul Doherty fin-ishing off a good run with a slick clearance.

Gavin Corrigan then got the only goal of the first half with a slick piece of ball juggling, taking in a super long pass with the hurley to beat the last man and net.

With Ben McEntee clearing the bar from long range and two more points from Corri-gan – Crummy respond-ing with a trio of points – it left Boden 1-6 to 0-6 up at half-time, a

significant edge given the tight nature of the midfield battle.

T he second ha l f ebbed and f lowed as Crummy began the half with yet another pair of scores to reduce the gap to the minimum before Jamie Desmond and Conor Robinson shut down the scoring path.

Tireless work by Eoin O’Neill and the intro-duction of substitutions ensured Boden kept their noses in front, re-establishing their three-point lead.

But Lucan were not done yet and, while they might have turned

to the goal option too early, spurning some chances to point with five minutes still left on the clock, they got their reward when a close-range free was saved into the path of Crum-my, who booted home the rebound first time.

That made it 1-12 to 1-11 in Boden’s favour with a couple of min-utes of injury time still to play, and Lucan were in the ascendancy.

But a long clearance made it all the way over the short-numbered defence and Roche cracked home the killer blow.

HURLING: ST ENDA’S NOW SET TO MEET CROKES

Lucan Sarsfields’ minor hurlers came close to victory against a strong Ballyboden St Enda’s at O’Toole Park

Lucan lose out in their chase for final

ALL OF YOUR CASTLEKNOCK SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 27-31 MAY 26, 2011

NEW GANG IN ’TOWN: Westmanstown host Leinster schools’ rugby blitz P28

SUPER STARS: May award nominees revealed inside P29

ALL OF YOUR CLONDALKIN SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 27-31 NOVEMBER 17, 2011

GLOVES OFF: Neilstown’s hero Kenneth Egan launches his autobiography P30 GazetteSPORTGazetteSPORT

[email protected]

IT WAS fitting that Glenn Whelan ended the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2012 qualifying campaign as the only player to appear in every match after he lined out last Tuesday night at the coronation in the Aviva Stadium.

A symbol of Giovanni Trappatoni’s pragmatism, the Clondalkin man made his 12th appearance of the campaign in which he has adapted himself to play a holding midfield role the manager so craves.

Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Estonia was played out in front of a jubilant and good-humoured crowd of over 51,000, all there to salute the heroes of the previous Friday night’s victory that made Tuesday’s encounter something of a sideshow.

That feeling was magnified when Stephen Ward netted in the first half and, while the former Soviet republic did bounce back to grab a draw, few will give too much mind to the way Ireland became somewhat way-laid.

It was an understandable situation

given the circumstances, with the team just playing out the time in a respectful manner before the celebrations began in earnest.

The fans enjoyed the moment and the achievement – a first qualification for the Euro finals since 1988 and only the second in history. They paid their respects in typically musical fashion and any disappointment they might have felt that Ireland had failed to record a win was swept away on a tide of celebration.

For Whelan, it could prove the start of a memorable time in his life as his performances for the country have no doubt helped the 27-year-old in his contract negotiations with Stoke as he looks set to put pen to paper on a new four-year deal with the Potters.

Indeed, club manager Tony Pulis sang his praises earlier this week when talk-ing about the possibility: “We always look after the players who have done well for us and we want to keep Glenn here for a long time.

“Glenn has been very successful over the last 18 months and never gives any-

thing less than 100pc.”Barring injury, he looks set to be one

of the first names on Trappatoni’s squad list for next summer’s jaunt to Ukraine and Poland, while former Bluebell man Keith Fahey will hope to join him hav-ing made eight appearances in the cam-paign – seven from the bench – with the

all-important winning goal in Armenia proving vital to the campaign.

Meanwhile, former St Francis man, Ian McLoughlin, kept a clean sheet on Monday night for the Republic of Ire-land U-21s as he lined out in goal in the 2-0 victory over Liechtenstein, a second successive win in the campaign.

Glenn Whelan celebrates at the end of Ireland’s Euro campaign. Picture: Fergus McNally

Whelan constant in Ireland win

NO BOUNDARIESShillington on World Cup strike P29

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