Malahide

ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES ......................8BUSINESS .....................18MOTORS ....................... 20TRAVEL ......................... 22ENTERTAINMENT ......... 24CLASSIFIEDS ............... 26

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Football: St Sylvesters reach three cup finalsPage 31

FURRY GOOD WALK: Families walk their dogs for charity See Page 2

Council forced to cut budget by 2m Household tax shortfall citedfor reduction

NATALIE BURKE

FINGAL County Council will be forced to make over 2m in cuts to local services this year, as a result of a short-fall in household charge pay-ments.

Local authority managers were notified of the decision

earlier this week, when Envi-ronment Minster Phil Hogan issued a circular on suggested cuts to all county councils.

The cuts to FCC will reduce the original allowance allo-cation of 20.4 million by 2,181,140.

While the county manager described this as extremely

bad news, local Cllr Gerry McGuire (Lab) feared the remainder of the summer budget could be hit: Were just at the close of the sum-mer period, so I imagine that the beaches could be affect-ed. Its very hard to pinpoint where the cuts will be.

Full Story on Page 3

Big day, big win:Local coupletake top prizeELAINE McNally and Paul Web-ster had every reason to celebrate recently when they discovered that they had won a 10,000 wedding prize giveaway. The lucky couple had entered the competition on Facebook and were drawn with 50 other couples who gathered at The Stillorgan Park Hotel for the big draw. When the pairs names were drawn they were over the moon and can now look forward to a great wedding. Pictured handing over the prize is Daragh ONeill, general manager of the hotel.

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Irish Olympian discusses basketball way back when

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INSIDE: Novelist has last word on The

Other Woman P8-9

2 MALAHIDE GAZETTE 26 July 2012

CHARITY Families walk their dogs for visually impaired

No need to paws for thoughtDOZENS of dog walkers turned up at Malahide Castle for a furry good walk recently when they, and their dogs, took part in the annual Family Dog Walk event.

For some, there was paws for thought when consider-ing the events purpose to act as a fundraiser for Irish

Guide Dogs for the Blind, the national charity providing services to persons who are blind and vision-impaired, and families of children with autism. It was a great way for the families to exercise their pooches without getting too dog-tired, themselves, while helping to support a vital organisation that helps so many people.

NATALIE BURKE

[email protected]

A FORMER Anglo Irish Bank executive from Malahide has been arrest-ed as part of the ongoing investigations into the alleged financial irregu-larities at Anglo Irish Bank.

Pat Whelan was one of the two former senior executives of Anglo Irish Bank who appeared in court earlier this week.

Mr Whelan was arrest-ed at his Malahide home on Monday, July 23, along with the banks former finance director, Willie McAteer, who was arrest-ed at his home in Rathgar earlier that day. The two men are the first people to be charged in the three-and-a-half year investiga-tion into the bank.

Mr Whelan is the former managing direc-tor of Anglos Irish lend-ing business and was a one-time director of the bank. Following his arrest, he was brought to the Bridewell Garda Sta-tion in Dublin City Cen-tre where it was reported that he gave no response when the charges were read to him.

He was charged with 16 counts of giving unlawful financial assistance to buy shares in 2008. He was later released on bail on a bond of 1,000 and independent surety of 10,000.

The 50-year-old senior

executive stepped down from the board a month after the bank was nation-alised in early 2009, but continued to work in his role as managing director of lending in Ireland. He then stayed with the bank for a further 10 months, before leaving to pursue other business interests.

Mr Whelan has report-edly agreed to sign on every Sunday at Malahide Garda Station and to give at least 48 hours notice if he intends to travel out-side the state, other than to the UK where he has work commitments.

Mr McAteer was also charged with the same offences before both men were released on bail.

It has been reported that the alleged unlaw-ful financial help to buy shares was given during July 2008 to the Maple Ten, a group of Irish Investors, several mem-bers of Sean Quinns fam-ily and Patricia Quinn, the wife of the now bankrupt businessman.

Both men are due to appear before the court again on October 8.

The third arrest of the investigation was made when former Anglo Irish chairman Sean Fitz-Patrick was arrested in the early hours of Tues-day, July 24 at Dublin Air-port. He has since been charged and released on bail, and is also due to appear before the court on October 8.

INQUIRY: MALAHIDE MAN FACES UNLAWFUL FINANCIAL AID CHARGES

Anglo Irish executives arrestedand charged

Stephen Kelly, Dominique Farrell and Kay Palmer with Murphy, Opel and Riley

Naomi Sweeney, Hilka Golembusch and Stephen

Groeters with their dogsLiz Corry and Anja Groeters,of Dublin North East branch, Guide Dogs Ireland

Zoe Flynn picks up a portable pet

Luke, Ann and Allan

Archer with Ash

Zenon and Damian

Debnoi with Bugle

This group of dog walkers were ready for a fun walk. Pictures: Una Williams

26 July 2012 MALAHIDE GAZETTE 3

NATALIE BURKE

FINGAL County Coun-cil will be forced to make over 2 million in cuts to local services this year, as a result of a shortfall in payments of the house-hold charge.

Local Authority Man-agers were notified of the announcement earlier this week, when Environ-ment Minister Phil Hogan issued a circular on sug-gested cuts to all county councils in respect of the Local Government Fund.

FCC will have to deal with cuts of over 10%, reducing the original allo-cation of 20.4 million by 2,181,140.

In a letter to coun-cillors last week, FCC County Manager, David OConnor, said that according to the Depart-ment of the Environ-ment, the adjustment to the allocation is based on the level of compliance achieved to date (57%), in relation to Household Charge payments.

The Quarter 3 payment of 5.1 million, which is due this month, will be reduced by 545,285, before the remainder of the proposed reduction is reviewed in time for the Quarter 4 payment later this year.

In the letter, the County Manager described the latest announcement as

extremely bad news, while local Cllr Peter Coyle (LAB), said the reduction could have serious ramifications for local services and employees of the coun-cils.

A major problem for compliant payers is that they will be asking why they should be impacted by cuts in services. As a local councillor, I am concerned about poten-tial further cuts in services in the current year.

While local councillors are still unsure how the cuts will be implement-ed, Cllr Gerry McGuire (LAB) fears that what is left of the summer budget could be hit.

It will be a huge blow, but we are awaiting the managers response to see how he intends to deal with this shortfall. Were just at the close of the summer period, so I imagine that the beaches could be affected. Its very hard to pinpoint where the cuts will be.

According to Cllr Anthony Lavin (FG), there is still an oppor-tunity for the remaining reduction to be over-turned, and is encourag-ing the local community to pay the household charge.

It hasnt been with-drawn, its been withheld.

So the other side of the coin is that there are still opportunities for people to pay, and maybe more will pay. It may not be the fairest charge in the world, but its unfortu-nately something thats going to affect all of us if its not paid to a larger extent.

COUNCIL Public encouraged to pay household charge

Over 2 million in cuts tolocal services

Cllr Peter Coyle (Lab) is concerned about serious ramifications for local

services as a result of cuts

Show whets appetiteTHE inaugural Flavours of Fingal show proved to be a huge success last week, when 20,000 visitors descended on Newbridge Demesne in Donabate.

The show was co-coor-dinated by Fingal County Council, Fingal Tourism and Fingal Farmers, and was said to be one of the best value family days out in Dublin this summer.

Flavours of Fingal gave us a wonderful opportunity to show-case Fingal as one of the foremost market gardening areas in the country and to let peo-ple see first hand what the farming community here has to offer, said PJ Howell, director of economic development with FCC.

We were truly blessed with the weather and the huge positive response and great attendance on both days far exceeded our best expectations.

FINGAL


Course to tackle big questionsSOME of lifes biggest questions will be tack-led as part of a new phi-losophy course which is due to start in Malahide Community School in September.

In the class, taught by Ross Campbell, who has a BA in philosophy, stu-dents will be introduced to the subject, what it is about and some of its famous practitioners.

It aims to present some of the central ideas in philosophy, including political and contempo-rary philosophy, as well as the philosophy of reli-gion. The introductory 10-week course will be held as part of the com-munity schools adult education programme.

To see a complete pro-gramme of adult edu-cation courses taking place in Malahide this September, and to book your place, visit www.malahidecs.ie or call 01 846 0949.

PHILOSOPHY FUNDING 20 units to be acquired or built by 2014

2.5m to be invested in social housing NATALIE BURKE

THERE was good news for Fingal this week with the announcement that over 2.5m will be invest-ed in Fingals social hous-ing scheme over the next two-and-a-half years.

The news was con-firmed earlier this week by the Minister for Hous-ing and Planning, Jan O Sullivan, who said the funding of 2,534,302 will provide new social housing units, as well as providing homes for peo-ple with special housing needs, such as the elder-ly, the homeless and the disabled.

The funding was wel-comed by local TD for

Dublin North, Brendan Ryan (Lab), who said the funding will offer a sense of security and certainty for a number of local families.

Labour has pledged to protect the most vulnera-ble in our community and this funding announce-ment is testament to our commitment to achieve that goal in the hous-ing area. The substantial funds involved will pro-vide long-term, stable homes for elderly, home-less and people with spe-cial needs, he said.

The provision of units for people with a special housing need is an issue I have worked hard on and have raised with Min-

ister OSullivan during recent months. Todays funding announcement will provide local fami-lies and individuals with certainty and security into the future. There is still much work to be done to ensure that these units come online, but I know there is a real will to get cracking on these projects now.

A total of 20 units will be acquired or construct-ed in Fingal between now and 2014, with both vol-untary groups and the local authority involved in supplying the units. The initiative will likely see an investment in con-struction which will also provide a much-needed

TD for Dublin North, Brendan Ryan (Lab) welcomed the funding

boost to the local econ-omy.

The Fingal funding is part of a larger invest-ment which gives the green light for the total provision of over 800 new social and volun-tary housing units across the country, at a cost of approximately 100m.

According to the

announcement made by Minister OSullivan, some 35m of the total allocation has been earmarked for the vol-untary housing sector, with plans to potential-ly provide 377 housing units under the Capital Assistance Scheme. In addition, a further 65m for the purchase of an

estimated 246 houses and construction of 185 houses was allocated under local authority social housing.

Against the backdrop of a very challenging fis-cal climate, I am particu-larly pleased to be able to provide 100 million in capital funding at this time, she said.

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The festival that has it all

COMMUNITY: STILL GOING STRONG THREE YEARS ON

Now in its third year since its rebirth in 2010, the popular Malahide Has It festival is set for a fun-packed weekend full of celebrations.

The special programme of events will kick off with the Great Malahide Quiz at the Grand Hotel on Thursday, July 26, while Friday will see the official launch of the festivities when classical musician Vladimir will perform in concert at the Grand Hotel.

A fun fair will be held on Malahide Beach throughout the weekend, while Saturday, July 28, will see the first full-day schedule.

A junior Olympics will be taking place on the Village Green from 10am, while childrens arts and crafts will be held in the library from 11.30am. New Street will play host to a Sumo Wrestling Chal-

lenge and giant games of Jenga between 12pm and 4pm, while a Street Poet Challenge will be taking place alongside a meet-and-greet with Kinsealy Pet Stores adorable ani-mal friends.

Sunday will see a fan-cy-dress competition and parade at New Street Mall, Indian head massages at Malahide Massage Tree of Life, a childrens treasure hunt on the Village Green at 2.45pm and the annual highlight, the Tug OWar, at 3pm.

Live music events will be held each night of the festival at Malahides popular bars and pubs, while Gibneys pub will be hosting an all-day bar-becue on both days.

For the full schedule and more information on events taking place throughout the weekend, visit www.malahidehasit.com.

All smiles: Emmas making the most of new life in VancouverMALAHIDE-BORN Emma Dagg was honoured recently by the city of Vancouver when she was presented with the prestigious City Of Vancouver Tourism Award for April 2012 at an awards ceremony in Vancouver. Emma emigrated from Malahide to British Colum-bia nine years ago aged 13 with her family. She will now continue her studies in Vancouver Community College with the ambition of qualifying with a Bachelor of Hospitality Management Degree while continuing to work in the Fairmont Waterfall Hotel. Emma is pictured at her recent VCC Graduation.

Pyrite report outlines solution

MINISTER: HOGAN PLANS TO ACT SWIFTLY TO HELP HOMEOWNERS

NATALIE BURKE

[email protected]

A PYRITE report pub-lished by the Govern-ment last week has provided a roadmap to resolution for distraught homeowners across the country.

The Pyri te Panel Report contains 24 rec-ommendations providing the Environment Minis-ter, Phil Hogan, with a distinct outline of how a solution to the issue might progress.

Local TD and Health Minister James Reilly welcomed the report, say-ing the issue has caused distress to many fami-lies across Lusk, Rush, Balbriggan, Swords and Malahide, whose homes have been affected by the structurally damag-ing mineral used in their foundations.

Many of my constitu-ents in Dublin North have been affected by the horrific complications caused by pyrite in their homes. The problem was caused through no error on their part and I greatly appreciate Minister Hog-ans determination to deal with the problem.

The report states that homeowners are in no way culpable for the pyrite issue, and has listed builders / subcontractors, vendors, material suppli-ers and insurers amongst those responsible.

M i n i s t e r H o g a n intends to move quickly on the report and has already begun a series of meetings with key stake-holders. In the event that a solution is not forth-coming, he has suggested that a levy be applied to

the relevant industry sec-tors to cover the costs of rectifying affected homes. The report also outlines measures to be taken to prevent similar issues occurring in the future.

Fine Gael TD Alan Farrell also welcomed the report, saying it is a positive step forward.

My home tested posi-tive for pyrite seven years ago, along with hundreds of others in north County Dublin and thousands of others across the coun-try, he said.

This is a positive step forward, one that will get the ball rolling for a lot of homeowners who have been shunned by developers or insurance companies. These organ-isations will now be com-pelled by the Govern-ment to play their part in the testing and rebuilding of homes.

The report identified 74 estates nationwide, including 12,250 dwell-ings, as possibly being affected by pyrite, with the only recognised method of solving each issue cost-ing an estimated 45,000. The report has recom-mended that all relevant stakeholders across the industry, including the construction industry, banking sector, insurance industry and quarries, be compelled to bear the cost of repairing pyrite-affect-ed homes. It also recom-mends the establishment of a standardised testing regime.

Further information is available by calling the newly-established helpline on 1890 800 800, or by emailing py r i te informat [email protected].


GIRL GUIDES World Vision picks Howth unit for task

Brownies make birthday cards for aid charity NATALIE BURKE

A NUMBER of local Girl Guides have helped design birthday cards for World Vision Ireland, which will be sent out to sponsored children across South Africa throughout the next year.

The Howth Brownies, one of the four Irish Girl Guide (IGG) group were chosen by the develop-ment aid charity to help design the special cards, as part of an annual initi-ative run by World Vision Ireland. Each year, the charity sends birthday cards to their Irish sup-porters to complete for their sponsored child in

South Africa. The cards are sent at various inter-vals throughout the year to ensure the sponsors receive the card as close as possible to the date of the sponsored childs birthday.

This year, the Howth Brownies were specially chosen to help with the initiative, a move that delighted the IGG, according to their leader, Lua Clarke.

We were delighted when asked to do it as we sponsor Mizzi, a lit-tle girl who lives in Tan-zania. The Brownies pay each week to support her family and community through World Vision, and we send her presents

of clothes, markers, books, toys, jewellery and stickers every couple of months, she said.

The cards designed by the Brownies were well received by the char-ity, according to Evelyn Wolfe, a digital market-ing specialist working for World Vision Ireland.

We just love the cards that the Howth Brownies have designed for us this year. And, of course, the children in Africa who will be receiving them for their birthdays will love them, too. The Howth Brownies are such advo-cates for World Vision, and they do so much through their sponsor-ships.

Howth Brownies showing off their well-received birthday cards

The Brownies and the other IGG groups (Lady-birds, Guides and Sen-iors) are currently work-ing on a Global Action Theme Pack, developed in partnership with Plan Ireland which is entitled, Together we can change the world.

The pack aims at informing the members

of IGG about the chal-lenges facing girls living in poverty at home and around the world. The resource will help the IGG leaders educate girls in what they can do to help in their own communities and to improve conditions for girls around the world using activities, games

and other fun tasks.World Vision Ireland is

one of the leading devel-opment and humanitar-ian relief organisations, dedicated to addressing the causes of global pov-erty, and is part of the worldwide World Vision International. To see how you can get involved, visit www.worldvision.ie.

Enjoy aday onthe waterMALAHIDE Yach t Club is hosting an on-the-water experience this weekend, when they offer a days sail-ing on Sunday, July 29, to Howth, around Irelands Eye and back to Malahide, on board boats with experienced skippers and crews.

The days sailing is for over-18s and will include a pre-sail safety session, the use of lifejackets/buoyancy aids, and will conclude with a barbecue in the MYC clubhouse on St Jamess Terrace.

Participation costs 50 per person, and friends of participants who dont wish to sail can join them for the barbecue for 15.

Interested partici-pants can download an application form from the clubs website at www.myc.ie or can sign up at the clubs festival display on Saturday, July 28.

SAILING


Fans get hands on The Other WomanFANS of novelist Siobhan McKenna were in for a treat recently when she launched her second novel, The Other Woman, at Dubray Books.

Columnist and journalist Amanda Brunker had the task of launching the book to the delight of fans who were eagerly waiting to get their hands on a copy as well as having a chat with the author herself and getting it signed.

Following the success of Siobhans debut novel The Lingerie Designer, which was nominated for an IBA award, her new book has all the novel ingredi-ents it takes for sweet success.

The Other Woman features a heady mix of choco-late and wine, largely set in the vineyards of Italy and the captivating landscape of Kenya.

The main characters, soon find it is impossible to awaken one set of senses without arousing the oth-ers. Paula Moriarty, Martina Mahady and Amanda Brunker. Pictures: Una Williams

Karen McKay and Sarah Harper Dermot Whelan and Siobhan McKenna

Schuyler Shannon, Emer Dillon and Martina Ryan

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New pizzas launch a tasty treat for allBUCKS Townhouse was a suit-ably hot venue for the launch of Dominos Mexicano range of pizzas, with a sizzling fiesta party creating a deliciously tasty start for the new line.

Fashionistas and foodies rubbed shoulders at the party, keen to sample

the Mexicano fare, with the venue transformed into a Mexican-themed hacienda, complete with pinata, som-breros and a Mariachi Azteca band.

Margaritas and beers completed the mood, while the guests tucked into the tasty samples. The chicken and beef Mexicano options are com-

bined with chorizo, red and green chillis, tomatoes, onions, 100% moz-zarella and a sour cream drizzle on Dominos classic crust, while the veg-gie includes a sweetcorn and spinach variation, along with the delicious toppings all combining to create a real Mexican treat.

Ally Garvey

Manners Oshafi and Emma Waldron

Cathy OConnor and Corina Gaffey

Sean Montague and Brendan Scully

Conor Pope and Sonia HarrisKady OConnell Ella Goodwin

FOOD Delicious new Dominos Mexicano range is launched

26 July 2012 GAZETTE 11

THEATRE Hard work and

Well, the PAUL HOSFORD

[email protected]

REJECTION is a part of life most people try their best to avoid. Defence mechanisms and ration-alisations for avoiding situations in which it may arise are carefully constructed.

But, for a brave few, rejection becomes a way of life. For actors and actresses, there is a repetitive cycle of rejec-tion from auditions, call backs and reviews.

Rather than be a hos-tage to this cycle, Mala-hide-born actress Suzan-na Geraghty wrote a one-woman play based on her experiences on the New York audition circuit.

The result is Audi-tions, Zoes Auditions, an hilarious look at the des-peration and delusion of Zoe, an aspiring actress who dreams of landing an acting job.

Zoe, who is overly enthusiastic and eager to please, is prone to a series of mishaps and misad-ventures that lead cast-ing directors to shout, Next!

Her over -the-h i l l agent sends her on an assortment of auditions ranging from Hamlet to Riverdance, to being shot out of a cannon for

a touring circus. Just as she is ready to

give up, she falls asleep at her job working back-stage on a production of A Christmas Carol and is visited by three auda-cious ghosts of her past, present and future who have startling wisdom to pass on to her.

The play comes to the Mill Theatre this week, starting on Thursday, July 26, and runs until Saturday, July 28.

The play has already proven to be a huge hit in New York, where it won the audience award at the United Solo Theatre Fes-tival, which celebrates one-person shows from all over the world.

Suzanna is excited to get to perform the piece on home soil, and says that the plays success comes purely from hav-ing a likeable character.

Audiences seem to like Zoe and take to her very easily.

They love her resil-ience. Its not that shes willing to put herself up for things time and again, its that she gets knocked down time and time again and manages to get back up every single time.

Shes so full of hope and she genuinely cant see why people who

have so much, so much that she would love to have, dont appreciate it more.

Having spent a number of years on the New York theatre circuit herself, Suzanna says that the character is not fully autobiographical, but that it came from a natu-ral place.

The character reso-nates with me. I spent 16 years as an impoverished actress in New York.

The actors union, Actors Equity, have ensured that shows must audition actors for shows, regardless of whether or not the roles are filled.

So, you get to the 46th Street office at 5.30am and line up in queue that goes around the block to be among the 230 people who get two minutes audition time.

It was there that the character of Zoe came about. I would do audi-tions of scenes from Zoe and make up a writer of the play.

My friends loved the character and urged me to write a play for her, but I always felt that was something I couldnt do.

Suzannas hesitance to write the play came not from a fear of failure or rejection, but from

12 GAZETTE 26 July 2012

Suzanna Geraghty

EVERYONE needs advice during their pregnancy, and nobody is more qualified to offer guidance than your Consultant, who will be with you from your first scan to the eventual birth of your son or daughter.

Your pregnancy might be perfectly routine, or it may be incident-filled, but whatever course it takes, Consultants at Rotunda Private Clinics will be there to make the path as smooth as possible for you and your baby.

Dr Ronan Gleeson, Consultant The modern, comfortable scan room used by Consultants

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Zombies wanted for a walk LAURA WEBB

[email protected]

BEWARE zombies are set to take over the streets of Dublin at this years Zombie Walk, which takes place on Saturday, August 4, at St Stephens Greens Leeson Street entrance.

Gathering times will be announced closer to the date, and zombies of all ages are allowed to take part. All zombies or people are asked to do is have fun and dress up while walking, shuffling and moaning through the streets while raising money for charities.

Last years Zombie Walk attracted hundreds of wannabe undead, with some people simply paint-ing their faces white, while many others used pros-thetics to create a frightful and very realistic look.

For further information, see www.dublinzombie-walk.com.

CHARITY perseverance pay off for this actress turned writer

show must go on...Suzannas own struggles with dyslexia, a condi-tion she was diagnosed with one year before sit-ting her Leaving Cert.

I always thought that I just wasnt that bright, but that Id work harder than everyone to get by.

Then, when I was diagnosed, it was like some teachers had just given up on me. I was told not to apply for col-lege, as I wouldnt be accepted.

Undeterred, Suzanna applied and was accepted to Bard College in New York. There, she received Deans List honours, never telling anyone of her learning difficulties and using her acting and sporting talents to over-come her dyslexia.

Being an actress helped. The words I used were muscular and char-acters say and do things. That stops words being

just characters on a page. It took the scariness away from it all.

For now, Suzanna is based in New York, where she will return to be part of the encore showings of the play at the United Solo Thea-tre Festival, a section reserved for the biggest hits of the festival, but she does say she would like to come home.

Im trying to base myself here, but nobody knows who I am!

Im very entrepre-neurial and want to do my own work.

I never expected any of this, but Zoe is getting a great reaction.

I have a fantastic team that I have worked with who are unbelievably brilliant. Im extremely grateful to have gotten this far.

I just couldve done without the poverty!


Geraghty performing as Zoe whom she came up with while working as an actress in New York

Aine Lawlor, RTE Morning Ireland presenter and breast cancer survivor meets two young Florence Nightingales aka four-year-olds Annika

Morris and Lucy ONeill at the launch of Boots partnership with the Irish Cancer Society as the companys chosen Charity of the Year

Dublins Boots steps up to support cancerRTE Morning Ireland presenter, and breast cancer survivor, Aine Lawlor, was on hand to support the launch of Boots partner-ship with the Irish Cancer Society as the companys chosen Charity of the Year for 2012/13.

The partnership will support people liv-ing with cancer in Ireland, and aims to help increase awareness, promote prevention, and raise vital funds to support the Irish Cancer Societys nursing services.

To mark the launch of the partnership, Boots employees and customers from their 24 Dublin stores are participating in a series of Boots Night Walks for Night Nurses, which are taking place across the country on Wednesday, August 29.

All money raised will be invested in the Night Nurse service that is provided free of charge by the Irish Cancer Society to patients in their home.

For further information about the Irish Cancer Society, Boots Irelands Charity of the Year partnership, and the upcoming Boots Night Walks for Night Nurses event, visit your local Boots store or see www.irishcancer.ie.

Your chance to see Jimi Hendrix shotsWILD things should be flocking in a purple haze to the Ebow Gallery on Castle Street, Christchurch in the coming weeks, after it secured an exclusive exhibition of Jimi Hen-drix photographs by legendary snapper, Gered Mankowitz.

In the exhibition, which is entitled Experi-ence Hendrix, Mankowitz captures the pow-erful image of the legendary 60s guitarist in many different but always striking ways.

Not only enthusiasts can go along and wit-ness the genius of Mankowitzs art, but they can also buy a number of limited edition piec-es which are available for collectors to snap up. Experience Hendrix opened last week and continues until Sunday, August 12.

The Ebow Gallery is open from 12pm to 5pm, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Satur-day, and from 12pm until 8pm on Thursday.

It is closed on Mondays.For further information, call 01 478 9090.

Motor on over to a taxis booking app DUBLIN taxi company Global Taxis have launched the first and only taxi booking app for smartphones.

The free Click A Taxi app uses your GPS location and a user-friendly interface to enable people in Dublin to book a taxi on the go.

Working through partnerships with local taxi providers, the app is a way for local peo-ple to book a taxi, as well as providing holi-daymakers and business people an easy way to arrange their travel around Dublin.

Once the Click A Taxi app is download-ed, users can book a taxi in any area of the country, throughout Britain and, by the end of the year, in most of Western Europe and the United States.

The app is available to download via www.clickataxi.com, and at the Android and iPhone app stores.

DIARY

SNAPSHOT The local stories of the day

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Calling all gospel choirsORGANISERS are call-ing on Dublin gospel choirs to get involved in the first-ever Kilkenny International Gospel Choir Festival, which will take place from August 30 to September 2.

Festival founder and Kilkenny Gospel Choir director Fr Willie Purcell, wants gospel choirs to sign up and sing with hun-dreds of others during the weekend of music.

The choirs will par-take in three days of musical activities, with concerts and perform-ances planned for vari-ous venues. The festivals grand finale at Kilkenny Castle is set to see more than 1,000 voices come together.

For further information, see www.kilkennygospel-choirfestival.com.

MUSICOLYMPICS An interesting talk on days gone by

Fingal Mayor Cian OCallaghan (Lab), 1948 Olympian Harry Boland, and archivist

Colm McQuinn

Irish Olympian discusses basketball way back when STEPHEN FINDLATER

[email protected]

RECALLING the leg-endary feats of some of his peers, former Irish Olympian Harry Boland gave a fasci-nating insight into the way athletes prepared for the Games in days gone by when he spoke at the official launch of the Irish Competitors at the Stockholm Olym-pics 1912 exhibition in Swords last week.

A century ago, with Ireland not yet an inde-pendent state, it could not send its own Olym-pic team, but this did not prevent a number of Irish-born athletes com-peting.

The exhibition, curat-ed by Colm McQuinn, details how nine indi-vidual sportsmen and one cycling team found a way to take part, rep-resenting the US, Great Britain and South Afri-ca, and going on to win three gold and one silver medal.

1912 was the first time the Games took place in London, before it returned to the English capital in 1948.

A basketball interna-tional, Boland is among 11 surviving members of the Irish contingent from those later Lon-don Games, and his talk gave a fascinating snap-shot into how the Games have changed.

Recalling the story of Pat OCallaghan, a two-time hammer gold med-allist, he said:He used to do his days work, cycle to a meet; throw the hammer, win [the event], of course, dance all night and then cycle home the next morn-ing.

That was his training for the Olympics. When you consider the way training is done nowa-days, its a totally differ-ent story.

For Boland, he mod-estly suggests he and the Irish basketball team he represented went to the games more by accident

than design. An impressive hurler,

winning a Dublin senior club championship with UCD, he was coaxed to play basketball by Father Horan at Belfield and duly got noticed enough

to answer a call to take part in the Games.

Beset by the after-math of World War II, London was not the glamorous proposition that greets the athletes this week.

I became one of the only civilians on the Irish team which went straight to the 1948 Olympics in London.

If there had been any qualifying competition before you entered like


there is now, I dont think wed have got there.

We were selected at the last moment. When I consider all the prepa-rations now and all the competition that goes into selecting a team, ours was an extraordi-nary situation.

Boland ended up being one of just two non-mili-tary men to be selected, a connection that ensured that Ireland managed to get a full set of equip-ment for the trip.

That was the kind of scene that prevailed. We had no outfits so the army loaned us shorts which we had to give back again.

He freely admits his

side were completely outclassed but is quick to add we had a great time of it; saw a lot of the other events.

It was a wonderful time. I cant consider myself an Olympic hero but the fact remains, I was there!

The Irish Competitors at the Stockholm Olym-pics 1912 exhibition is available to view in the Fingal Local Studies and Archive in Clon-mel House, Forster Way, Swords over the next few weeks.

It is also on display in the County Council of fices on the Grove Road in Coolmine and in Swords.

GazetteMUSICMUSICKeeping the Gaslight shining strong and true

The Gaslight Anthem, with guitarist Alex Rosamilia pictured far right

PAUL HOSFORD

YOU KNOW its funny, I actually dont own a single record by any one of those bands.

Bruce Springsteen, The Replacements , Tom Petty Alex Rosa-milia, the guitarist from The Gaslight Anthem, has heard the compari-sons innumerable times before, but they are hard to avoid.

The New Brunswick, New Jersey band have just released their fourth album, Handwritten, and the comparisons with another New Jersey rock hero has become an all too familiar fallback for the music media.

But, Rosamilia is a neophyte when it comes to The Boss, and doesnt even own a Replace-ments CD, preferring stargaze-y Britpop in the vein of The Cure and The Smiths. The much-vaunted Jersey sound, Rosamilia says, is a media creation.

There is no Jersey rock sound. Thats not a thing that we set out to achieve, and its some-thing that the media has come up with, I think.

We dont try too hard to sound like any one thing. We play and what comes out is what we sound like.

The album, a follow up to 2010s American Slang, sees the band return to the more raw feel of their 2008 break-through, The 59 Sound, and Alex says that get-ting the album out feels good.

Its great to get it out, but the fact that people listen to our band is a huge perk.

When we started, we were playing to three people and, last night, we played to around 5,000. That in itself is huge for us.

The genesis of the album saw the band head

EXCLUSIVE: SAVIOURS OF ROCK N ROLL, GASLIGHT ANTHEM

to Nashville and work at the legendary Blackbird studios, with even more legendary producer, Brendan OBrien. Off the road for more than half a year, Alex says he didnt miss playing live any more than he would

the studio, but that being on the road for so long does take its toll.

I like them both, Im a straight down the mid-dle man. Its like which do you prefer, apples or oranges? Theyre both awesome for completely different reasons.

Im getting older, so things are starting to hurt a little bit more! But were not real par-tiers and I think thats where a lot of the pain comes from; not treating your body right during the day.

We go through way more water and seltzer than beer.

The early standout

from Handwritten is the closer, National Anthem. A personal, raw show-stopper.

Brian wrote National Anthem in Nashville, in the house we were stay-ing in, and came down-stairs, we were all in the

living room area. He played it for us and asked did we want to work on it and we were like no, that song is done.

He thought that we would work on it, but it was done the way it was.

Bringing OBrien on board was an easy deci-sion for the band, with the legendary producer having worked with such stars as Bruce Spring-steen, Bob Dylan and Pearl Jam.

He has been sub-consciously producing us for 20 years. He has worked with so many of the bands and records that we grew up with.

If you look at a band like Mastodon, who I love, they had the same producer until they got on a major label. And when they did, they went for Brendan.

If its cool for Masto-don, its cool for us!

As for personal adora-tion, its not something the modest guitarist actively courts.

Its weird. I dont understand why peo-ple like me that much. I dont like me that much!

I dont understand the idol worship of musi-cians. I do understand the respect as musicians, but I dont see why you should become a demi-god. Its a mental state that Ive never been a part of. Im flattered by it, but Ive never been part of that mindset.

As for how the band are doing in terms of the bands stated goal of reclaiming rock and roll, Rosamilia is content.

Im sitting on a bus in America, talking to you in Ireland about my band. I think were doing pretty well.


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There is no Jersey Rock sound. We dont try too hard to sound like any one thing. We play what we sound like- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Deep Purples Jon Lord, who passed away last week

THE 2012 Olympic Games kick off in Lon-don this Friday (July 27) and all the competi-tiveness in the air is making me think about the rockers who run rings around manufac-tured artists and reality TV bands.

In fact, if rock had an Olympic Games, there are many deserving candidates: just dont test for any illegal substances! The Roll-ing Stones should be given gold for going the distance, and overcoming a few hurdles along the way, as they celebrate an historic 50 years in music this month.

Another medal needs to go to musical heavyweight Bruce Springsteen who shook the capital last week with two nights of tire-less rocking out at the RDS. The Boss didnt disappoint with both sets at well over three hours and, unlike his London gig the previ-ous weekend, no one pulled the plug.

In fact, Springsteen had his own power switch on stage to make sure that didnt happen, not to mention the British bobby who mockingly tried to shut the gig down. Actually, give Bruce bonus points for having the craic.

Also at these fantasy games, a posthu-mous medal must be awarded to Jon Lord for his contribution to music. The keyboard-ist passed away after a long battle with pan-creatic cancer last week at the age of 71. He was a founding member of Deep Purple and co-wrote many of their songs. He also played with Whitesnake as well as cropping up to play with other well-known bands such as The Kinks on their massive hit, You Really Got Me.

And if the sporting aspect of the Olym-pic Games doesnt float your boat, the good organisers of the games are putting on star-studded concerts as part of the opening and closing ceremonies, with another medal-wor-thy candidate: Paul McCartney last on stage at this weeks opener.

Now as we know in all Olympic Games there are winners...and there are losers. The Spice Girls are set to reunite for a perform-ance at the Games closing ceremony. Anyone who sits through that deserves a medal.

FastTunes with Radio Novas Dee Woods


GazetteBEAUTYBEAUTY Edited by Laura WebbWant to look like Dita Von Teese?

Victoria spices up autumn with her latest collection

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SHE first appeared in the public eye as one-fifth of a girl band who would go on to break chart records, but now Victoria Beck-ham is showing her own girl power in the fashion world as she launches her seventh season at Brown Thomas.

Her 12-month-old daughter, Harper, may have stolen the spotlight around the world, when she was pictured making her first steps in public at the BT event, but the designer mum certainly held her own looking chic and relaxed in black with a tousled upstyle.

Last week was the first time the style icon visited Brown Thomas in Grafton Street to promote her two womenswear collections

Victoria Beckham and Victoria, Victoria Beck-ham.

Arriving at her show-room at the flagship store, Victoria was met by a

crowd of fans who she was happy to chat and pose with. Being a mother of four, it wasnt surprising to see her going down to a childs level, kneeling to chat to one of her little fashionista fans.

Brown Thomas was one of the first stores to stock her collection and sales

of her clothing line have continued to impress the designer.

Its doing really well. Brown Thomas has been one of my retail partners

right since the beginning, so to be here and support them, and just meet people Im quite overwhelmed. The turn-out is absolute-ly incredible, she told reporters at the event.

The designer said she feels blessed with her life, having a great family while also being able to work at

something she loves fashion design.

The fashionista went on to praise Irish women for their sense of style saying women here really do understand fashion and are fashion forward.

Commenting on her stunning collection, Vic-toria told reporters that she moved away from the strong military influ-ence her collection had last year but continues to remain respectful to her image and brand by giv-ing a very strong fashion message each season.

Her new line is just as svelte and chic as the designer herself and has some amazing figure hug-ging dresses. See the col-lection at Brown Thomas now.

Victoria Beckham launches her seventh season at

Brown Thomas

EVER wanted to mir-ror Dita Von Teeses signature look? Then head down to Deben-hams in Blanchards-town on Friday, July 27 where celebrity make-up artist, Derrick Car-berry, will be recreating that classic look. Dita Von Teese has joined forces with make-up brand ARTDECO for her new collection Art Couture Dita Von Teese Classics. Having a big influence on the collection, the prod-ucts include her signa-ture red lipstick, black gel liner and fluttering lashes. Derrick Carber-ry will in Debenhams Blanchardstown on Friday 27 from 3pm until 5pm.

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Being a mother of four, it wasnt surprising to see her going down to a childs level, kneeling to chat to one of her little fashionista fans- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

R1

GazetteBUSINESSBUSINESS

IT ALWAYS seems that space is at a premium in every home, no matter how much or how little of a hoarder you might be.

Prompted by the growing shoe crisis in their own home, the idea of creating a storage solution that banished bursting drawers and crammed cup-boards was developed by husband and wife team, Paul and Clodagh Jacob.

The couple, who are both engineers, initially developed an understairs storage unit when their two young daughters began to follow in their moth-ers footsteps and develop an interest in footwear.

Paul needed to devise an easy way to store the growing shoe mountain.

Smartstorage.ies units provide storage for shoes, school bags, ironing boards and other household appliances.

Smart Storage units can be installed in just a cou-ple of hours so minimum fuss for a busy family.

Paul recently appeared on RTE Dragons Den and had the dragons fighting to invest in Smart Storage, and eventually accepted publisher Norah Caseys offer to invest in the business.

For more information on how Smart Storage might help with your own press-ing problems, log onto their website, www.smartstorage.ie.

Interview: Paul Jacob, Smart Storage on making space out of nothing at all

Q&A

Solving press-ing problems at home

Paul Jacob, Smart Storage, shows off an example of his products

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be?A: Archaeologist

Q: What was your first job?A: Packing potatoes into bags in the back of my aunts shop

in Waterford

Q: And your first pay cheque?A: 5 for a weeks work of packing potatoes!

Q: Have you ever done a job you loathed?A: Never

Q: When did you start your present job?A: I started Smart Storage in 2010

Q: What is the best thing about your job?A: That we are bringing a solu-tion to a problem everyone

has lack of storage space

Q: What part of your working day do you delegate?A: I delegate the stocktaking to my wife, Clodagh

Q: Have you achieved anything

that you once thought you could not pull off?A: Turning Smart Storage into a vibrant, standalone business

Q: Whats currently on your desk that shouldnt be?A: This questionnaire

Q: Is there anything about yourself that you would like to set the record straight on?A: Im taller than I appear on TV and my teeth are all my

own

Q: What habits would you like to lose?A: I sometimes have a short fuse

Q: What sport do you follow?A: Im a big Munster Rugby fan

Q: What sport can you play?A: Unfortunately, I am too old to play contact rugby, but I

love playing tag rugby in Grey-

stones Rugby Club

Q: What is your guilty music/TV or movie pleasure?A: My guilty pleasure is playing

the electric guitar due to

respect for my neighbours, I

play with headphones on

Q: Who best represents mod-ern Ireland David Norris or Jedward?A: Got to be Jedward

Q: What music/pictures/movies do you have on your iPod/iPad?A: Bruce Springsteen, all the way

Q: Who do you follow on Twit-ter/Facebook?A: TheJournal.ie, and other business sites

Q: At the moment, what are you looking forward to?A: My holiday with my family its been a really busy year

Q: Describe your dream meal?A: BBQ with family and friends

Q: Who would you rather have dinner with Enda Kenny or Dame Edna?A: Enda Kenny

Q: Where do you enjoy spend-ing money frivolously?A: Back to that electric guitar

Q: How many pairs of shoes do you own?A: Four pairs one black, one brown, a pair of flip flops and

a pair of runners; my wife and

daughters have enough to fill

two Smart Storage units

Q: What was your worst holi-day experience?A: A week in Menorca with two sick children in 2004

Q: Describe your dream holiday?A: The Whitsunday Islands off the coast the Australia

Q: What would be your dream job?A: Skipper on a boat off the Whitsunday Islands

Q: What do you plan to do when you retire?A: Like my dad, I dont think I will ever fully retire, as Im

always on the go

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS A D V E R T I S E W I T H T H E G A Z E T T E C A L L 6 0 1 0 24 0

LOCALMATTERS

Supported by AIB

LENDERS BECOME REALISTS

Q I HAVE a tracker mortgage but cannot pay the capital element. The likelihood is that I will not be able to ever pay this capital back. Is my lender going to allow me pay an interest-only amount indefinitely, or am I just kicking the can down the road? Michael Mount Merrion

A - LENDERS are slowly becoming realists. You cant get blood from a stone, and it is more debt reality than debt forgiveness.

With the launch last month of the Personal Insol-vency Bill, together with the already implemented Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process with all lend-ers, mechanisms are now in place to give closure to those who, as you state, may never be able to pay the amount they borrowed.

Time is the key. You have a tracker and, with the ECB rate at an historical low of 0.75%, your monthly interest payments are probably affordable. Your partner may have lost their job, you may have lost your job, or your business may have collapsed.

The lender has to give you time (and dignity) to see whether your income can turn around, or eventually you stop kicking that can whatever that takes.

Either way, you will be required to complete a Standard Financial Statement, a 12-page form outlining your financial circumstances and expec-tations.

If you need help with the evaluation process, completing this form or even require representa-tion to your lender or the courts, call 01 278 5555, or email [email protected] for details of our advisory services.

ARE SAVINGS BONDS SAFE?

Q WILL my three-year An Post savings bond be safe if the euro fails and we go back to the punt? Will I get my money back? Sorcha Tem-pleogue

A - An Posts Saving Bond is part of the State Sav-ings managed by the National Treasury Manage-ment Agency they also manage the National Pension Reserve, NAMA and are a Government-appointed body), and are a direct, unconditional obligation of the Government and are considered sovereign debt, and are ranked equally with all other sovereign debt. There is no expiry to this protection, and the only limitations are the ones imposed by the investment [worth]:

- Savings bonds and savings certificates 120,000 per person;

- National solidarity bonds (four-year and 10- year) 250,000 per person;

- Prize bonds no limits.Remember also that you may withdraw on all

investments (bar prize bonds a little longer) with only seven days notice without penalty.

You will, however, miss on the interest that you would have earned.

The punt was exchanged at a rate of 0.787564 to the euro back in 2001. Personally, I do not think the euro will fail but, if by a long stretch of the imagination it did, you can be sure of an equitable exchange rate being employed. As Bobby McFerrin once sang: Dont worry, be happy!

Contact John with your money questions at [email protected] or visit his website at www.moneydoctor.ie. John Lowe, Fellow of the Institute of Bankers, is founder and managing director of Money Doctor


GazettePROPERTYPROPERTY26 July 2012 GAZETTE 19

COMING SOON IN YOUR GAZETTE...

FOCUSING ON SPECIAL NEEDS & DISABILITIES...

DONT MISS OUT ON TAKING PART IN THIS INFORMATIVE SUPPLEMENT......FOR ADVERTISING CALL US NOW ON 01 60 10 240

I NS IDE YO UR F REE LO CA L G A Z E T T E T H U R S DAY 2 N D AU G U STUGU ST

Four-bedroom finesse at Glenlyon ParkPROPERTY Partners OBrien Swaine are bringing to the market 9 Glenlyon Park, Knock-lyon, a large style four-bedroom, three bath-room detached fam-ily home which comes to the market in fine condition throughout, for the asking price of 389,000.

This attractive home has undergone exten-sive refurbishment in recent years and boasts marble flooring, a large integrated kitchen, two reception rooms, a util-ity room, four bedrooms, the master of which is en

suite, and a family bath-room. There is also a guest WC, and a private landscaped rear garden.

The accommodation comprises an entrance hallway with laminate wooden flooring, a TV room, a living room with laminate wooden floor-ing, marble feature fire-place with a timber sur-round, bay window, TV point, and double doors leading to the kitchen and dining room.

The space contains a modern fully-fitted kitchen with a good range of wall and floor units and marble floor-

ing, as well as an inte-grated fridge freezer, dishwasher, stainless steel oven, hob and microwave. The room also contains sliding doors to the rear of the property.

The utility room also features marble floor-ing, and has a worktop, storage presses, and is plumbed for a washing machine and tumble dryer.

The main bedroom features built-in ward-robes, and has an en suite which contains a WC with wash-hand basin and a step-in

9 Glenlyon Park in Knocklyon is brought to the market for 389,000

shower.The other bedrooms

also feature built-in wardrobes.

The main bathroom features a bath with a Mira shower, partly-tiled walls and floor, a wash-hand basin and WC.

To the front of the

property is off-street parking for two cars, a lawn, and side entrances to the rear of the house, which features a private landscaped rear garden which is not overlooked, a large patio area, raised flower beds and a Barna shed.

Ideally located just a

stones throw away from a host of local amenities such as shops, schools and public transport. Also just a short trip away are SuperQuinn Knocklyon, Rathfarn-ham, Templeogue and Dundrum. There are also transport links such as the 15, 49 and

75 bus routes and easy access to the M50 road network.

Viewing of 9 Glen-lyon Park is highly rec-ommended and can be arranged by contact-ing Nichola O Connor at Property Partners OBrien Swaine on 01 457 8909.


Zafira Tourer offers some serious space and comfort CORMAC CURTIS

IF I had any strength left I would fight the urge to write about the weather, but I just dont have that strength.

It has finally got the better of me, and I am admitting defeat in the face of a wet and dull foe, the likes of which, with luck, we will never have to face again.

This rain is just relent-less.

Earlier in the year, as the cold snap eased and the gas bills began to drop a little, I had visions of sitting in the garden with my laptop, typing away under a parasol as the kids mucked about in the sun.

But no, our summer has forsaken us, the only hope of blue skies and sandy beaches lie across

the channel on mainland Europe.

There is good news for those fortunate enough to get there, as Opels new Zafira Tourer offers some serious comfort for cruising down to San Tropez or Nice with a pack of kids and a load of luggage.

I have sung Opels praises on a number of occasions this year, as they have made some very sound decisions in their fleet development and pricing.

What Opel are prov-ing with the Zafira Tour-er is that they are care-fully gearing their model range to very specific segments.

The pricing of the Zafira Tourer alone (starting at 28,495) is an indication that it is not intended as a family

van all-rounder. This car packs a lot

more punch than that and besides, as I said a few weeks back, the new Meriva already offers everything a family could want, so why cover old ground.

No, the Zafira Tourer, as its name suggests, has farther horizons in mind for its driver and passen-gers.

Lets start with space.In terms of pure vol-

ume there is a total of

1,860 litres of storage space available with the rear seats collapsed, this is 40 litres more than the previous model.

This car really starts to shine when you examine the thought and engi-neering that has gone in to how all this space is used.

With the Zaf i ra , Opel were determined to achieve maximum flexibility without seat removal, they claim it is the cars underlying principle and its easy to believe them.

They have extensively re-designed their Flex7 seating system, giving second-row passengers the chance to enjoy first-class feeling

While the third row seats can still be folded down f lush with the floor of the luggage com-partment, the second row has been completely re-designed.

There are now three individual seats that can be folded flat creating an even load floor.

More importantly, the passengers in the sec-ond row can enjoy the optional lounge seating system.

This is a simple and smart move by Opel that provides generous seat-ing space and comfort like in an upper-class saloon.

Using a clever folding mechanism, the back of

the middle seat in the sec-ond row folds down and rotates to offer comfort-able armrests for the pas-sengers in the outer seats.

The outer seats also slide 50mm towards the centre of the cabin and thus create more shoul-der room, Im not aware of any other car in this segment offering such flexibility.

What all this trans-lates into is a vehicle that offers not just room, but very generous comfort levels for people who expect better-than-usual levels of luxury for long and short journeys.

This car will take adults and kids on a long-distance journey across Europe, but, it will also operate just as easily as a corporate limousine-style transport.

Ive mentioned it in previous articles, but I must talk about Opels nifty FlexRail.

Opels new Zafira Tourer

Opels FlexRail offers storage spaces exactly where needed

RoadRoadSignsSignsC-MAX to get EcoBoost engine FORD are set to offer its C-MAX and Grand C-MAX with the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine starting in October this year.

The combination of the award-winning engine and the popular multi-activity vehicle is expected to deliver best-in-class fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions.

Ford customers will have the option of purchasing a C-MAX and Grand C-MAX with either the 100 PS or the 125 PS versions of the 1.0-litre EcoBoost, which was recently named the 2012 International Engine of the Year.

The Ford C-MAX 1.0-litre EcoBoost is expected to deliver 5.1 l/100 km (55.4 mpg) and 117 g/km CO2 across both power outputs, while the Grand C-MAX should achieve 5.2 l/100 km (54.3 mpg) and 119 g/km CO2.

Ford has sold more than 200,000 C-MAX and Grand C-MAX cars in Europe since the latest versions were introduced in 2010; with the two models this year claiming Fords largest share of the compact multi-activity vehicle segment since the original C-MAX went on sale in 2003.

The three-cylinder 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine uses turbocharging, direct fuel injection and variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust to deliver the power of a larger engine with the fuel efficiency of a smaller unit. It is built in Fords engine plants in Cologne, Germany, and Craiova, Romania.

More than 4,700 customers across Europe have ordered a Focus 1.0-litre EcoBoost in its first full month on sale, accounting for about one quarter of the models sales in Fords 19 traditional European markets.

Ford predicts that by 2015 more than half of vehicles it produces in Europe for the continent will be powered by EcoBoost engines also available in 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre displacement.

Updated C-MAX and Grand C-MAX will offer in-car connectivity system SYNC with emergency assistance; and advanced driver assistance technologies active city stop, lane keeping aid, lane departure warning, auto high beam, driver alert and traffic sign recognition.

Customers will also be able to specify Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) and Power Tailgate options and the stylish new Burnished Glow colour.

Fords popular C-MAX

GazetteMOTORSMOTORS

Top speed: 193km/hour CO2 emissions: 119 g/km Road Tax Band: A Road Tax 160 Entry Price: 30,495excl options

SPECS: ZAFIRA TOURER


Front seat passengers enjoy a storage system that provides highly versatile, modular multi-level storage occupying the deep space between the two front seats.

In plain English there is a clever set of storage drawers that can each be easily moved forwards and backwards on a clever rail system

depending on what kind of storage you require.

The SE model that I tested featured attrac-tive polished aluminium rails, reaching from the front centre console back to the rear footwell, plus a practical sliding tray/cup holder.

As you would expect from a premium model, the car comes with plen-

ty of features as stand-ard, including, CD/MP3 player with stereo radio featuring an Aux-in sock-et and very easy-to-use USB connectivity. The steering wheel features audio controls.

Cruise control fea-tures, as does very useful front and rear parking distance sensors.

The model I drove also

featured a mobile phone system with Bluetooth, which is a 357 option.

The engine range on offer for the Zafira Tourer consists of efficient diesel and petrol engines with output from 81 kW/110 hp to 121 kW/165 hp. An especial ly low-consumption ecoFLEX model with a 2.0 CDTI common-rail turbo die-

sel and standard Start/Stop technology is also on offer.

The Zafira Tourer 2.0 CDTI ecoFLEX, boasts one of the values in the compact monocab class with just 119 g/km CO2. And this comes with spirited performance of 96 kW/130 hp and maximum torque of 300 Newton metres.

offers 1,860 litres of storage space

Edited by Cormac Curtis

RoadRoadSignsSigns

Mazda MX-5 goes on sale in autumn APART from a glorious week back in March when I reviewed the wonderful VW Golf Cabriolet, we havent exactly been blessed with open-top driving weather.

So, it makes sense to start planning for next year, and fans of the legendary Mazda MX-5 will be buzzing with the news that there is an all-new model on the way for 2013.

The newly-upgraded version of the worlds most popular open-top sports car is now rolling off the assembly line in Hiroshima and will go on sale in Europe this autumn.

It has enhanced safety and driving attributes, along with exterior and interior upgrades to make its two models the retractable hardtop coupe and the classic soft-top even more attractive.

The upgraded MX-5 has a new front bumper design that makes the roadster more aggressive looking and contributes to optimal aerodynamic performance. Irish drivers will also have a beautiful new grey exterior colour available, as the former Metropolitan Grey is replaced with Dolphin Grey. And on the inside, panel decor and matching steering wheel spokes have been upgraded for a touch of refinement.

The MX-5 has always provided one of the worlds most intimate and enjoyable drives, and the upgraded version is now even more responsive to driver input. Throttle movement, and the degree to which the gas pedal is pushed, are now controlled separately. This increases the feeling of linear acceleration, and gives the driver even more control when accelerating from a reduced speed, which is key for driving on windy Irish country roads.

This is combined with revised vacuum brake-booster characteristics that optimise brake return control, which is especially beneficial when the driver brakes upon entering a curve.

New acceleration control then kicks in when the driver lets off the brake and steps on the gas pedal again.

Taken together, these two new upgrades make braking more controllable, acceleration after braking smoother and makes it easier for the driver to reach the desired vehicle speed after braking.

The upgraded Mazda MX-5 will go on sale across Europe in autumn 2012.

The upgraded Mazda MX-5

Northern Ireland a golfers paradise STEPHEN FINDLATER

THE story goes that Strandhill in Sligo was once pencilled in to host the world surfing cham-pionships.

It seems the turna-round came with the realisation that exposure to the wider world, and the deluge of visitors that would ensue, would leave the village creak-ing under the increased strain with scant waves to go around.

For Northern Ireland and the Causeway Coast in particular the inverse expectations had long been lying latent; a breathtaking golfing region all dressed up but waiting for a party to attend.

Revealing itself to the world, the Euro-pean Tours arrival to Royal Portrushs Dun-luce course proved their moment as the Irish Open came to town with much fanfare.

Fans arrived in their droves, the highest aggre-gate attendance for the tour flanking the fairways, braving the North Seas most rogue and change-able elements.

Indeed, the appetite was such that over 15,000 took in the Pro-Am, a previously unheard of

number, while sold out signs appeared at the gates for the first time in tour history.

But with the tented village now dismantled and the chain of flags lining each street from Bushmills to the course ravelled up, the North-ern Irish Tourist Board (NITB) are hoping that the memorable week will create a lasting legacy for visitors.

With good reason: a chip and a putt from the Giants Causeway, the oldest Irish distillery and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, the top of Antrim offers an idyllic base for an extended golfing trip.

Indeed, the rooms on the sea side of the Cause-way Hotel perched atop one of the cliffs overlook the stones themselves and the walkway which leads to the UNESCO world heritage site.

A new 18.5m visi-tor centre at the venue opened this month and is expected to accommo-date over 600,000 visitors a year.

What that volume creates is a high quality of hotel and restaurant. Most to avail of those traditionally seem to be day-trippers.

But there is majesty to entertain those with a

longer term view, travers-ing the route between Cushendall and Castle-rock golf clubs.

Those two way-points provide hidden gems. The former, nestled at the foot of Glenballyeamon, offers a perfect easing into a four-day stint as the Red Bay waves lead into the River Dall, which meanders its way through the course.

Under 5,000 yards, the attraction lies in the trick-ery held within, especial-ly on the closing pair of holes, both with the Mull of Kintyre lurking in the eyeline.

Breathtaking

Rolling around the cor-ner of the A2, Ballycastle, with Rathlin Island the feature vista, could pro-vide the next stop but a further 20-minute spin along the breathtak-ing coast road opens up more bounty.

A chain of four courses dotted around the ruin of Dunluce Castle conclude this ride.

Portstewarts strand course provides the championship standard challenge, while the old and riverside provide more leisurely fare. All are set in classic links country, the contrast of pinky yellow dunes pro-

viding towering banks to counteract the deep brown brush.

Castlerock is but a few minutes down the Derry road and has a fifth hole described by David Jones as the most scenic in Irish golf.

The jewel in the regions crown, though, is undoubtedly Royal Portrush. The course, redesigned in 1951, has the elevation to provide clear views of Scotland and, to the west, the Don-egal mountains with cliff, sea and island relaxing the eye.

The dunes once again play their part, lending themselves to some of the most devastating bunkers. Green-side, they fall like crevasses while Keegan Bradley the 2011 PGA rookies of the year described the fair-way-side sand-trap on 17 as being bigger than the house he grew up in.

Since he grew up in leafy, well-to-do Vermont, it is an up close perspec-tive that needs to be seen to be truly appreciated.

Calamity corner the circuit around holes 13, 14 and 15 sits on the precipice between cliff and sea. The 14th is a true test of nerve with any drift to the right liable to leave you 50 feet below in

a deep ravine.The New York Times

writer Charles McGrath described it as the hard-est par three Ive ever seen before the closing holes eased him back to reality, away from a chas-tening sea breeze.

That combination of difficulty and scenic delight has seen Portrush regularly named among the top 20 golf courses in the world by numerous magazines.

And now, introduced to the wider world by last months Irish Open, it is very much at large in any self-respecting itinerary of Northern Ireland.

Green fees for Royal Portrush are 125-140 in summer and 60 in win-ter.

For more information on the Causeway Hotel, go to http://www.giants-causeway-hotel.com/.

The beautiful Giants

Thomas Cook is offering exclusive match breaks to Barclays Premier Leagues biggest gamesWITH football season approaching and fixtures for the Barclays Premier League now announced, Thomas Cook Sport is offering some exclusive match breaks to the biggest games of the 2012-13 campaign, as the only official ticket supplier in Ireland for the biggest teams across the water.

Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Everton and Liverpool FC filled the top eight places in last years league, and Thomas Cook Sport is providing packages to see all these teams, as well as being Official Travel Partner to Celtic in Scotland.

Manchester City start their campaign to retain the title on August 18, playing host to newly promoted Southampton. A one-night package, including guaranteed match ticket, is from just 126 per person (flight extra).

Manchester United kick off at Old Trafford against Fulham on August 25, and the Thomas Cook package for 228 includes match ticket, four-star city centre accommodation, match programme, stadium tour, and discount vouch-ers for both the hotels bar and lounge and the United Megastore. The key fixture against Spurs on September 29, also at Old Trafford, is available for 240.

Euro 2012 will have whetted fans appetite for what should be a very competitive Barclays League campaign starting next month, says John Grehan of Thomas Cook Sport Ireland. Our packages ensure Irish fans will have the very best opportunity to follow their favourites across the water.

With over 150 Premier League match breaks on offer, Thomas Cook Sport Ireland enjoys greater access to tickets than other operators in Ireland. Many of its Premier League breaks include free stadium tours, club museum tours, match programmes and discount vouchers for club stores.

All packages include match ticket and accom-modation based on two people sharing. Flights are not included. For more information, contact Thomas Cook Sport Ireland on 01 514 0405.

FastTravel

GazetteTTRAVELRAVEL22 GAZETTE 26 July 2012

Thomas Cook Sport is offering deals on match

breaks to top cities like Manchester

Causeway is a great reason to extend your stay when in Northen Ireland for a golfing trip

The annual Grand Prix of India is a highlight in the Formula 1 calendar this OctoberTHE annual Grand Prix of India ranks as one of the highlights in the annual Formula 1 calendar, providing a race-going experi-ence like no other. The 2012 F1 Airtel Indian Grand Prix takes place from October 26 28 at the Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida, and Gohop.ie has an exclusive offer for racing fans this season.

Racing packages from Gohop.ie start from 749 per person, with views of turns 14 and 15 at the Classic Stand West Zone, 819 per person with views from the Star Stand East Zone (the critical point sharp turn) or 949 per person for views of the largest circular bend of the circuit.

Travelling on October 26, packages include three nights in the five-star Metropolitan Hotel, Delhi on a B&B basis, a Grand Prix Season pass for all three race days, includ-ing practice and qualifying sessions as well as transfers from and to Delhi Airport and transfers to the Buddh circuit.

Popular

Racing packages also offer you the chance to take in a Golden Triangle Escorted Tour from only 470 per person, taking in a three- night excursion to some of Indias most popular destinations. Witness a guided tour to see the surreal views of the magnificent Taj Mahal sparkling in the rays of the Indian sun in Agra, visit the pink capital city of Rajasthan and the beautiful blend of Hindu and Muslim architecture of Fatehpur Sikri. Explore the many facets of Jaipur and its crafts before visiting City Palace, the archi-tectural masterpiece and must-see destina-tion in Jaipur.

The price of the Golden Triangle Tour includes a chauffeur-driven air-conditioned vehicle for the journey, a local English speak-ing guide for the sightseeing tour in Agra, Fatehpur Sikri and Jaipur, as well as an Ele-phant ride at Amber Fort in Jaipur.

For more information or to book, visit www.gohop.ie.

TravelBriefs

Edited by Natalie Burke


The Royal Portrush Golf Club which hosted last months Irish Open. Picture: Mark

Alexander

Royal Portrush Golf Club. Picture: Mark Alexander

The Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge near Ballintoy.

Picture: Stephen Findlater


A dark moon risesNeither man was happy with the outcome of this round of spin the bottle

GoingOUT

GazetteENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENT

As massive in scale as the seemingly insurmountable hype that was built up for it in the lead up to its release

NIALL BERMINGHAM

MAGIC Mike is a film about male strippers. As the characters strip away their clothes, the director (Steven Soderbergh) does his best to strip away our prejudices and replace them with empathy for these men.

Channing Tatum does his best to portray this so-called Magic Mike Im sorry. I just cant go on with this. This is a film about men taking their clothes off; Im going to go see Batman instead. At least Batman always leaves his clothes on.

So this is it, the big one: The Dark Knight Rises. Seven years after Nolans first foray into Gotham City here we are at the end point. The third film in Christopher Nolans tril-ogy and it has been quite the adventure.

Starting with Bat-man Begins in 2005, the success of which was a tremendous shock to

the system of many film goers, The Dark Knight followed after in 2008, a film many remember for the astounding perform-ance of Heath Ledger as the Joker, we now find ourselves at the conclu-sion with Rises.

The hype and expecta-tions leading up to this film were on par with any other film in recent his-tory and, while it is a sub-ject for debate, in my mind Rises was well worth the wait.

Set eight years after the end of The Dark Knight we find Gotham a city changed. Gone are the criminal underworld and

the corrupt politicians and all down to the Dent Act.

Harvey Dent aka Two Face has been written as the hero after his death and Batman, the villain. Because of this Batman (Christian Bale) has retired and Bruce Wayne has gone into hiding, never leaving his estate.

The opening half an hour or so is spent intro-ducing all the old and new characters and setting up all the twists and turns.

We meet Bane (Tom Hardy) in a magnificent opening scene and Anne Hathaway as Catwoman/ Selina Kyle steals her

opening scene while also stealing some pearls from a very frail Bruce Wayne. John Blake, an idealis-tic young member of the GPD, is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt with Mar-ion Cotillard playing a Wayne Enterprises board member.

All the old faces (Caine, Oldman and Freeman) show up here as well and give spectacular perform-ances.

Then of course theres Bale as Batman/ Bruce Wayne. Its been said that Batman is the least inter-esting character of the series and is supported by all the others. Im not so sure thats the case this time around.

In Batman Begins we saw a person trying to get a grip on his new role as city protector and in The Dark Knight someone who had found his place and was trying his best to survive the anarchy his city was plunging into. However he was a charac-

ter who was always sure of himself and knew where he was headed.

This time around we get a character out of place. His city doesnt need or want him anymore. Por-trayed as the murderer of the citys real hero Bat-man has, as I said earlier, retired and Wayne locks himself away not daring to face the world.

This take on Batman is nothing new, the comics have been doing it for dec-ades, but its certainly not the Batman you would expect in a film. Bale is brilliant as this wounded (both emotionally and physically) version of the beloved character.

The soundtrack is brought to you by Hans Zimmer and is superb. It never lets up and takes your emotions on an unforgettable journey.

All in all this is a fantas-tic film despite some very minor plot holes. Unfor-tunately it is, for now, the last one in the series.

FILM OF THE WEEK: The Dark Knight Rises (12A) 165 mins

OUR VERDICT:A suitable end to perhaps the best super hero series ever. Excellent performances from all involved and a brilliant job by Christopher Nolan as both director and writer. This is a film for fans of the series but also for the newcomers out there who never saw the first two. I assure you, they do exist.

Director: Christopher NolanStarring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard

THE PAVILION THEATRE 01 231 2929Pavilion Theatre Music Weekender FOR one weekend, the Pavilion Theatre will play host to three of the hottest acts on the Irish music scene. On Thursday, Sam Amidon will bring his electrifying live show to theatre; on Friday, David Kitt will be performing his debut album Small Moments in its entirety and, on Saturday, following the successful release of their third album Little Sparks, Delorentos are set to perform a seldom seen intimate acoustic set Taking place over the weekend of July 26-28 at 8pm, tickets are priced at 17/16.

MILL THEATRE 01 296 9340 Auditions, Zoes AuditionsAN HILARIOUSLY touching tale of lovable Zoe, an aspiring actress who dreams of landing an acting job. Her over-the-hill agent sends her on an assortment of auditions ranging from Hamlet to being shot out of a cannon for a touring circus. Wildly enthusiastic and eager to please, Zoe is prone to a series of mishaps and misadventures that lead casting directors to shout NEXT!! Just as she is ready to give up, Zoe falls asleep at her job working backstage on a production of A Christmas Carol. She is visited by three audacious ghosts with startling wisdom for her. July 26-28 at 8pm. Admission: 18/15.

CIVIC THEATRE 01 462 7477Much Ado About NothingAFTER the success of last years production of Shakespeares The Merry Wives of Windsor, AC Productions return with another one of Shakespeares classic comedies, transposed to 1960s Italy where wit is as sharp as the fashion. Cupid has his work cut out for him as reluctant lovers, Beatrice and Benedict, exchange words. In the Bards tale of barbed words and sparkling wit, the path of true love certainly doesnt run smoothly. The show runs for two nights, on August 10 and 11 at 8.15pm. Admission 10.

DRAIOCHT 01 885 2622The Connect Club 2012THIS July, Draocht is delighted to be back working with the Daughters of Charitys Summer Camp, the Connect Club in Laurel Lodge. The summer camp is filled with social and recreational activities catering for young people with varying degrees of intellectual disability, with the aim of providing an outlet that is fun and focused on the individuals likes and interests. For more, see www.draiocht.ie

his best to strip aprejudices and them with empthese men.

Channing Tatuhis best to portso-called MagicIm sorry. I just on with this. Thisabout men takil th ff I

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TAP. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Sound like fun yet? Well, imagine repeating that for about, ooh, another 59,999,993 times.

After all, it will only take 60 million taps until the mystery of Curios-ity is revealed the forthcoming (August) app from the inimitable Peter Molyneaux, devel-oper of lots of very crea-tive games, and serial

promiser of incredible gaming experiences that, err, never quite match his spiel, when delivered.

However, Curiosity is making many people, well, curious, as details become clearer ahead of its forthcoming launch.

Curiosity features a giant black cube floating in a clinically clean, sim-ple space, with the cube composed of 60,00

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