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Welcome
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Shona Nollaig Dhuit Hi everyone, you are very welcome to this edition of InTallaght Magazine. It’s our Christmas edition and our last of 2013. It’s been an eventful year for us all here at InTallaght Magazine and we are delighted that we were nominated for a number of awards in the last two weeks. We were humbled to be Nominated for the Tallaght Person of the Year Business Award and two awards at the Irish Magazine Awards ceremony. Unfortunately we did not win any awards but it will spur us on in 2014 to do even better! It’s been a great year for our magazine. We have had big names like Saoirse Ronan, Zachary Quinto and Eamon Dunphy on the cover and have continued to support young and up and coming talent from the local area. In this edition we have an entertaining interview with Tom O’Mahony, one of the stars of Damo and Ivor and a fascinating chat with the Square’s Director of Retail, Jack Martin. We also catch up with Trevor Croly about his thoughts on the past year and his hopes for next year! We would like to thank all of our contributors, advertisers and you, the readers, for your support in 2013 and we look forward to your custom, support and feedback in 2014. Finally we would like to wish you all and your families a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
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admin@intallaght.ie
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editor@intallaght.ie
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ISSN
2009-4574
_____________________________
DIRECTORS
Edward Lam edward@intallaght.ie Riyadh Abdelkader riyadh@intallaght.ie
DESIGN
Edward Lam edward@intallaght.ie Riyadh Abdelkader riyadh@intallaght.ie Gwen Taylour gwen@intallaght.ie
PHOTOGRAPHY
Fergus McNally fergus@intallaght.ie George Kelly Emer Cleary (Emu Ink)
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FEATURE WRITER
Padraig Conlon padraig@intallaght.ie
ASSISTANT WRITERS
CHECK US OUT ON
Rachel Lynch rachel@intallaght.ie Linn Heldal linn@intallaght.ie
THIS MAGAZINE IS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR FREE On The App Store On iPad, iPod & iPhone
ADDRESS
Level 3, The Square, Tallaght, Dublin 24, Ireland
Online Through & On Our Website At
www.intallaght.ie
CONTRIBUTORS Gwen Taylour Olivia Ormonde Colm O'Muiri
GAMEWEEK 15 TOP 20 STANDINGS # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
TEAM
MANAGER
To Defend & Rule! Anthony Davis TELFY'S TROOPS joseph telford Özilona keith o toole Anfield F.C Stephen Dillon The Xanthos Stephen McGovern Cipolla F.C. Burak Kaptan TaSS eoin farrell The Baby Jesus's F.C Thomas Murphy Murray's Mints Ste Murray Norfolk-In-Chance Paul Mcnamara Losers again doug barnes Shake and Bake Mark kelly Revenge Fran Finlan The Number 19 Bus Wayne Ashbrook It's Just a Plant FC stewart duncan INVICTUS 49 rob walker garsgreats garsgreats Ball Bashers Micheal murphy Multiple Scorgasms philip mahony Smallville Crowes Neil Farragher
105 106
have not a kalou Newton Heath
alan Barry Owen Connolly
PTS 988 985 985 952 946 942 925 917 910 908 905 904 903 902 899 893 891 891 886 879 508 476
League Code: 856866-204390
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Contents
8
18
Trevor Croly
Tom O’Mahony
40 26
10
Sq. Magazine
Cinema
News
50 44
48
Game
24
Motors
42 Entertainment Business
46
Music
Tech
54
55
Writers’ Corner
Book
56
52 Sports
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Inked for Autism On December 1 over 100 people got “Inked for Autism” at Tallaght Ink on the Belgard Road. Tallaght Ink offered 6 designs featuring the Jigsaw piece which is synonymous with autism at an amazing price of €35 with all the proceeds going to the Tallaght Parents Autism Support Group. Vinny McEvoy of Tallaght Ink explained that when the idea of doing a charity event was first mooted he was adamant that the recipients be a local charity to repay the loyalty that Tallaght Ink has received from the local community.
Anne Hanks from Carlow who is a grandmother to two boys and was getting her first tattoo. Tara Hamilton of TPASG would like to thank all at Tallaght Ink for their hard work, and to all those who got inked on the day to help out the charity. “The TPASG were overwhelmed by all the support and would like to thank everybody involved, it was a great and novel event and we hope to repeat it! See www.tpasg.com for more info on the group.
People came from far and wide with some people queuing for up to 8 hours to get their tattoo done, one of the oldest was
ITT Sleep Out On December 4 a number of ITT students undertook an epic 20 hour sleepout to raise awareness and vital funds to help the homeless. The proceeds were split between the St Vincent De Paul and The Peter McVerry trust. The event was part of the 2013 Social Justice week held in the college. Final tallies are still being made but the group hopes to have raised well over €1000 for the charities!
Glenn O’Brien SU chairman said it was a rough night and would like to say thank you to everyone who stopped by and gave them tea and soup, it was all very much appreciated and they thank everybody for their generosity.
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News
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Walk off the turkey... with a charity walk for Teen-Line in the Dublin Mountains! Join a host of celebs like Ryan O’Shaughnessy (guitar in hand), Shane McFaul, Jenny Kavanagh along with other Fair City actors, family members and some surprise guests to walk off the turkey! On St. Stephen’s Day at 2pm there will be a walk through Massey Estate in aid of TeenLine Ireland. Teen-Line Ireland provides a free-phone confidential listening support service for young people aged between 13 and 19 years who may be feeling alone, worried, distressed or suicidal. The walk is being organised by Aengus Burke, a TeenLine volunteer. “Given the current stress and challenges like cyber bullying, suicide, depression that teenagers face these days services like Teen-Line are vital.” “In the last 12 months we have seen an increase of over 60% in the number of calls to the helpline,” said Maureen Bolger, Founder of Teen-Line Ireland. People are being asked to donate €5.00 per person or €10.00 per family. If people wish there are sponsorship cards available from TeenLine Ireland. For more info check out
www.mycharity.ie/event /aengus_burkes_event/
Civic Theatre to Benefit from Google Mentoring This year’s recipients of the 2013 Arts Audiences’ Google Mentoring Scheme include The Civic Theatre. Minister Deenihan said: “This project is a shining example of the best kind of practical collaboration between business and the arts and I am delighted to acknowledge the real contribution which Google makes to the arts through its involvement in this scheme”.
Wonderful collection of short stories launched in Tallaght library Published by Emu Ink, The Long & The Short of it, written by local writer Annmarie Miles, was officially launched by author and broadcaster Catherine Brophy, who had high praise for the book – a debut collection of work. Catherine said: “Annmarie's stories tell of people we all recognise, of people who, normally, are unsung and forgotten, of the mothers and fathers, the brothers and sisters, the neighbours and friends who live all around us – of people like us. She charts the trials and pains, the longings, the hopes, the disappointments, the tragedies and the everyday
The scheme, which has been running since 2009, partners an expert from Google with each organisation to assist in developing their digital marketing. Over a four month period, the mentors, who are specialists within the Google team based in Dublin, work with the organisations. Fionnuala Meehan, Director of Sales at Google said: “Each mentor is an expert in their professional area and passionate about the Arts and Arts promotion. They bring their skills and knowledge to the organisations involved and help them make the most of the resources available to develop their online presence.”
epiphanies of ordinary lives. I can't wait to see where she goes from here." Publisher Emer Cleary, founder of Emu Ink said: "The Long & The Short of it is a wonderful read, by a talented local author, and we are delighted to get it out there and make it available worldwide."Annmarie added: “It’s fantastic to be home in Tallaght to launch and I am very grateful for the support.” The Long & The Short of it is available in ebook, paperback and to rent digitally, on any internet-enabled device, from the Fiction section of
www.emuink.ie
Christmas @ RUA RED This Christmas, pop over to RUA RED South Dublin Arts Centre to check out a whole host of events that will fill you with Christmas cheer! Their variety night is taking place at 7pm on Wednesday December 18 in aid of Men Against Cancer with singers, dancers and more showcasing their talents on the evening! The RUA RED Pop Up Shop in association with Designist is stocked with quirky irish gifts for all the family and is open till Christmas eve so make sure to check it out. For our over 55’s group, they’re screening the Humphrey Bogart classic We’re No Angels on Wednesday December 18 at 11.00am, and there’s a photo walk at 12 noon on Friday December 20. For families, they’re holding a special Christmas screening of Arthur Christmas on Saturday December 21 at 12 noon. Finally, pop along to their current exhibitions which are free of charge to the public. In Gallery 1 they have their winter open exhibition featuring over 30 Irish artists, and in Gallery 2 they have a fascinating exhibition of solo work from Garrett Power. For more information visit www.ruared.com or call them on 01 451 5860.
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News
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St Vincent de Paul says it can’t do it alone Calls for assistance to the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) has more than doubled since 2009 and continues to increase year on year. And the profile of those seeking assistance is radically changing. Figures revealed at the launch of the SVP Annual Appeal show that the cost of providing direct assistance has also escalated, from €24m in 2007 to over €40m now. Helping families with their energy costs has tripled in the same period. This year’s SVP Annual Appeal campaign is called “We can’t do it alone.” Speaking at the launch SVP Vice-President Tom MacSweeney said that the theme has been chosen because of the struggle that the Society has in matching calls for assistance with the resources available to it. “The bulk of this assistance goes to helping families with food, energy and education costs. We depend entirely on donations from the public and corporate donors for this work. The generousity of the Irish people to SVP over the years has been outstanding. “Despite their own difficulties there are many individuals and organisations that somehow find something to give to SVP and this generousity is absolutely welcomed and essential for the SVP to support those in great need.” he said Mr. MacSweeney also said that that the profile of those seeking SVP assistance is radically
Ryan Tubridy With St Margaret's National School Choir
changing and the needs are varied and often complex. “The families we visit are not just those on social welfare, they include people in low-paid employment, the self-employed and people in good employment with debts that they cannot handle.”
the Palaterina Boys Choir and the Carlow Choir and orchestral music by the Filmharmoic Orchestra Prague. The CD is on sale for €5 in 38 Vincent Shops in Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare and can also be downloaded from iTunes.
Glen Hansard and Mark Geary He said that SVP members see at have collaborated on Mark’s song Christmas Biscuits, which can be first hand the impact that the downloaded from iTunes. All of economic crisis has had on struggling households, both those the performers on both recordings gave their services free experiencing long-term disadvantage and those experiencing so that all of the revenue from sales of the recording will go to need for the first time. the work of the SVP. “The cumulative impact of In addition to providing direct austerity measures to date on assistance for families the SVP individuals, families and also provides many essential communities has been services. It manages 970 social devastating and CSO statistics show that overall there are 734,120 housing units, has 344 emergency beds per night available for the people (16% of population) in homeless, operates 15 day care Ireland living in poverty.” centres, 150 shops and many How to support the SVP breakfast, homework and revision clubs. Annual Appeal In addition to making donations “Our work is dedicated to helping directly there are an array of the weakest and most vulnerable options to support the SVP at in our Society. This means not www.svp.ie/appeal. only providing practical support but encouraging self-sufficiency Classical-crossover trio, Affiniti and campaigning for social who performed at the launch, have recorded Oh Holy Night with justice.” said Mr. MacSweeney.
Affinity Performed At The Launch
Colm Hayes At The Launch
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Tallaght Person Awards
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Pictured Left To Right:
Tara de Buitlear, chairman Tallaght Community Council, Brendan Courtney, Nuala Courtney, Donie Anderson, Geneive Hayes, Minister Brian Hayes
The 30th Tallaght Person of the Year is crowned
Another notable winner was Melissa Luttrell from Jobstown for her work in organising an anti bullying concert in Jobstown last summer and On an emotional night in the raising awareness about this Maldron Hotel The 30th Tallaght After the meal came the Person of the Year awards were announcement of the winners in nationwide problem by talking about her own experience of the seven different categories presented at a wonderful being bullied. ceremony recognising some of plus the overall award for Tallaght Person of The Year. the outstanding people in our The winner of the Tallaght The judges noted that the community and their amazing Person of The Year was Donie standard this year was achievements. particularly high and so decided Anderson from Bohernabreena, a sheep farmer who has External laser lights adorned the to also present three special dedicated so much of his life to merit awards to people who front of the hotel to protecting the beautiful have made an exceptional acknowledge the milestone landscape of his local area and event and guests were treated to contribution to improving the educating the community on lives of others. an excellent meal prior to the farming life through running announcement of the winners. events on his farm from Tractor Among the 74 winners on the RTE star and Kingswood native night was little TJ Cunningham runs to sheep trials. from Ellensborough who Brendan Courtney played a Congratulations to both the brought the whole community blinder as guest speaker and winners and nominees in this together to raise the money had the crowd in stitches with years awards, each and every his stories about growing up in needed for his vital operation one of you should be proud of in the USA. Tallaght. the contribution you make to TJ's parents Leah and Tony the Tallaght Community. Since the creation of the awards Cunningham collected his by Charles and Mary Morton in award on his behalf. 1984 the night has turned into one of the biggest and most important in the Tallaght community.
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TALLAGHT PERSON 2013 Donie Anderson
HEART OF GOLD Melissa Luttrell
Recognising his deep passion for farming traditions and the rural amenities in Tallaght and his continued efforts to keep them alive. Donie brought farming to life on both days of Tallafest 2013. He is a powerhouse and is diligently working away to ensure everyone knows that we still have farms in Tallaght and should value this as part of the fabric of Tallaght, past, present and future.
For overcoming her own experiences of bullying to reach out and help others in her school who were being bullied. She organised a concert in Jobstown community centre to raise awareness of the problem and raise funds for Teenline. Since then, she has continued to think of others and raise funds for Our Ladys hospital and Make a Wish Foundation.
Bohernabreena
__________________________________
ARTS & CULTURE TomĂĄs Maher Killinarden
For years of passionate interest and promotion of the local history of Tallaght, helping to bring it to life to all ages through guided historical walks and cycles all around the Tallaght area.
__________________________________
BUSINESS The Blazin Grill Belgard Square
In recognition of this Killinarden brothers partnership, who trained in ITT. They gained quality experience in various restaurants before coming home and setting up a quality steakhouse retaurant, with high standards of food, service and experience, providing local employment.
__________________________________
COMMUNITY Noeleen Fulham Old Bawn
For her years of caring within her own family, and harnessing her artistic talents to raise funds for charities and decorate hospitals and homeless shelters. In September, Noeleen organised an outdoor candlit vigil to remember all who had been impacted by suicide in Tallaght.
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ENVIRONMENT Ann O'Connor & St Martins Halloween Committee Aylesbury
For their voluntary work for almost a decade in preparing and running the hugely successful halloweeen festival in Aylesbury which enables families to enjoy the long tradition of "Oiche Samhain" beside a safe, supervised family bon fire, with an ever popular fancy dress party.
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SPECIAL NEEDS & CARERS Tara Hamilton Killinarden
Recognising this young Tallaght lady who when faced with the diagnosis of her daughter with autism, discovered the serious lack of supports for families facing this challenge - so she went to work and set up the Tallaght Parents Autism Support Group (TPASG) which now provides a community support network with organised events and support for impacted parents.
Kiltalawn
TJ Cunningham Ellensborough
For stealing the hearts of Tallaght and those futher a field when he was struck down by a rare form of epilepsy and galvinised the community to raise a large sum to secure his treatment in the US. A true inspiration of a family and community pulling together to make a real difference.
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SPORTS Patrick Hyland Glenshane
Recognising his tireless work for the Golden Cobra Boxing club, alongside the needs of his own family - going the extra mile for the boxing club members and making a real difference in the lives of hundreds of members who have passed through the club.
__________________________________
YOUTH Maureen Bolger St Dominics
In recognition of how this lady turned a personal experience of suicide in her family into the inspiration to set up a helpline to help others who are struggling and need someone to talk to‌Teenline was born, much to the benefit of hundreds of young people who have benefited from this free service.
__________________________________
SPECIAL MERIT Noelle Fitzsimons Killinarden
For many years of dedicated, compassionate voluntary work, supporting victims of all types of crime at their lowest and most vulnerable, with deep sensitivity, kindness and deep understanding. For being a shoulder to cry on and lean on for victims of crime as they try to journey out of their difficult experiences.
Gar Tyrell Old Bawn
Recognising this "adrenaline junkie" who is constantly raising funds for charities close to his heart, including the Cancer Society, Laura Lynn, Foroige and many others. An inspiration to others of how you can make a personal difference and have fun!
Adam & Ruairi Smyth Springfield
In recognition for the love and care these boys aged 14 and 16 showed their mother Debbie who passed away from long-term illnesses earlier this year.
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Tom O’Mahony
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INTERVIEW
I got tricked into comedy one night, about four years ago, after visiting a comedy club on a work night out, I'd never been in one before. I was doing a job I hated as a loss adjuster and I was telling a colleague a story and she laughed so much she burst a blood vessel in her nose! She said you should tell that on stage and I thought “Yeah right.”
By Padraig Conlon
Tom O’Mahony gained nationwide fame this year playing snobby Southsider Tarquin in hit RTE comedy Damo and Ivor. The Tipperary man is also one of Ireland’s best up and coming stand up comedians. Ahead of his January show in The Civic, he droppped into the InTallaght office for a very entertaining chat about his insane life as a cage fighter, Ferrari test driver and comedian.
Tell us about your show You've led an interesting Bring On The Apocalypse, life so far as a cage what can people expect? fighter, Ferrari test driver Essentially it's going to be my and rugby player? view on how the world is going soft and how I'm losing my mind on a daily basis with all the crying youngsters are doing nowadays on television. All I know is if I was 12 and crying on television on something like X Factor I needn't go home, my bags would be f*ckin' packed and at the door! I'm also an idiot too though, and probably not to be trusted! The premise of the show is that most people will probably go away thinking “Yeah, I kinda agree with him – even though he is an eejit!” I did a version of the show during the Ten Days Of Comedy Festival during the summer, it went really well and sold out which was cool.
Yes that's right, I've a background in martial arts. When other kids were getting sent away to Irish Dancing and sh*t, at about age 4, I was sent to do martial arts, probably because my family knew I was nuts! They just knew it would keep me quiet, I was a headbanger of a youngster. It was before MMA became popular over here, I had about 14 fights and won them all, this was about seven years ago. Some of the fights were in cages, it wasn't as organised as it is now and some of the time I'd be fighting lads four stone heavier or lighter than me! My biggest problem was my thumbs, I could take a punch but my thumbs kept
dislocating, so as soon as you try to grapple somebody your thumb pops out and you have no grip, like a cat! My thumbs finished my fighting and rugby career! I played rugby for about 14 years, I was a centre for Shannon and Cork Con. I don't know how the driving gig came about. My girlfriend’s brother raced cars and also used to take people out for spins in race cars. Well he damaged his back and couldn't do it so he gave them my name and I just went out in this car one day and done well so now they ring me up every few weeks to go over and test drive new cars. It's pretty f*cking cool!
How did you end up in comedy?
So we were in this comedy club in Cork and they convinced me to sign up to do a gig the following week! I didn't realise this until the next day when one of the guys from the club, an American guy, rang me up and asked me how to spell O’Mahony because they were doing up the poster for my gig the following week!
How did the first gig go? Yeah, it went really good, I just took it very very seriously, it was either nut up or shut up. I'd watched enough stand up comedy to know the sharp guys keep it really tight. 2 short stories and 2 minute jokes. I had to lie down after it! I'd done fighting, sports, what have you, but I had never experienced anything like the terror. That day if I could've gotten out of it I'd have taken a bullet! The nerves disappeared about a minute into it, once the laughing started. A lot of my friends had come and they were very nervous for me. Walking off was incredible, it didn't hit me until two or three hours later and I was just on cloud nine. To have that level of pressure put on yourself, it was tough but I was hooked straight away and couldn't wait to do it again. I did my next gig a fortnight later. The lads running
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I GOT TRICKED INTO COMEDY ONE NIGHT, ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO
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Zachary Main 3 Quinto
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I'M NEVER GOING TO GIVE UP STANDUP BECAUSE THAT IS THE PUREST ORIGINAL FORM OF [COMEDY]
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Tom O’Mahony
21 the club were just really sound lovely guys, they let me try out new stuff plus a hell of a lot of my friends used to come to my gigs so I was putting an extra 20 on the door. It was just a small club in Cork but to this day I am so grateful to the guys running it, Ben Buckley and Billy Anderson, for giving me a chance. Billy is a comedy guru who now lives in Dublin, I'm still in touch with both of them.
Who is your own favourite comedian? An American guy called Bill Burr who got comedian of the year last year. He's coming to Dublin soon and I can't wait to see him, he is amazing. What he does, it's just so simple, it's so tight, he looks like he's riffing but he's totally in control, he's a real comedian’s comedian. I look at people like him for inspiration, that's the level I need to be at and I need to work so hard to get to that level, you need to be that hard on yourself. So many of the established comedians have sold out. Michael McIntyre was good, now he's turned into a cocks*cker, pandering and playing it safe, afraid to offend anybody. I just think “Shut the f*ck up!” Peter Kay is another one. I hate that kind of sucky comedy, not that I'm a mad fan of that cruel comedy either.
If you could work with anybody who would it be?
Probably Bill Burr or Louis CK two amazing lads. I do really like American comedians because they tend not to take a backward step, they're not going “Oh please love me!” Whereas some English comedians that are popular nowadays are self deprecating, androgynous looking middle of the road f*ckers who hate their father! F*ck off, my aul fella is sound! They're good at what they do but that wouldn't be my scene at all.
Have you knocked the civil engineering on the head now and gone full time with the comedy? Yeah I have, in the last year I've completely devoted myself to the comedy. I did the Edinburgh festival last year and it went well, I managed to sell out every night. It's all about location in Edinburgh cause the place is like something out of Harry Potter with roads on top of roads and if you are in a shit location and people can't see the door of the venue they don't want to know. I was over there for the whole month and it really is insane, you have to look after yourself and go easy on the drink. After you've done Edinburgh you come back bullet proof, it's a good baptism of fire because you've got every nationality on the planet there, you'll jump forward a year in progression after a month there. You have to be sharp. If people have paid money to come in they're owed something, they didn't come in to see some guy die on his boll*x or get all introverted, you have a duty to them. I just thought “F*ck all a ye, I'm doing this sh*t!”
How do you deal with hecklers? I don't really get 'em probably because my material is quite intimidating and pretty much lays out that there's no point in trying to heckle me because I'm a b*stard! I had a blind guy the other week in the Ha'Penny Inn and he was after giving sh*t to the MC and the two comedians who had been on before me. I mean loads of sh*t, I don't know whether he was on coke or what. So I was thinking before going on “Is he gonna do that sh*t on me? Well f*ck him and his blindness if he starts I'm gonna tear him a new one!” To be fair I was trying out new material that night so there really wasn't any gap where he could jump in. But I did have myself prepped to attack a blind guy! Equal rights and everything, I'll go down and punch the f*cker if he tries to ruin my set, I don't care!
How did the part of Tarquin come about in Damo And Ivor? I was signed up to one of those Movie Extras companies and I thought it was through that I was being approached but it turned out the lads had seen my show and I got a call from RTÉ to originally do the sketch with Andy (Quirke creator of Damo and Ivor) on Republic Of Telly. Tarquin was always a character but Andy was saying they could never get anyone to do the face, or the accent, so that's where I came in. Because I'd played a lot of rugby I’d noticed that “Hi who r u?”
accent is everywhere, not just in Dublin. You go to Crosshaven in Cork and you'll hear people with a tiny hint of the Cork accent going “Oh my actual God!” in a mid Atlantic drawl as they call it. Almost everyone on the show is from where they are supposed to be from, apart from me. Spuddy is from Ballymun and he'd have the craic with that. Andy grew up in Bray but now lives in Foxrock so he has the two sides of the coin, he's worked in the casino business with his dad so he's seen rough b*stards too.
You enjoyed working on the show I take it? Absolutely, we had a great time and hopefully we get a second series. The ratings were through the roof, the lads have very loyal fans, they've a huge fanbase but it's not happened by accident, they've worked really hard and Andy has put himself about, he really puts in the graft. He does a tour where he goes to nightclubs and does meet and greets and stuff. Andy's a gentleman, you'll not meet a nicer guy. In fairness everyone on that cast was ridiculously nice, including Rick Mayall, who is the coolest guy in the world.
Finally Tom, what are your plans for the future, would you rather do sit coms or stand up going forward? I'm never going to give up standup because that is the purest original form of it, you're seeing it immediately, the very second it comes out of your
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22 f*cking mouth you know whether it's working or not. I think it's the fear involved in stand up too which makes it totally addictive. When I think back to when I started I didn't know sh*t. My stuff was alright, but I hadn't a f*ckin' clue. There's been progression every year, if there isn't then forget about it. You can see it, even in the massive comedians, Tommy Tiernan is in his 40s and he's still getting better, he's at it 20 years and he's still improving. People think stand up is easy, that you just grab a microphone and start talking but it's not like that at all, it's a real craft and you have to work at it. As well as the comedy I also do a bit of ad work doing voice overs for ads and this morning I had an audition for my hands! I swear to god. Not for anything sordid now! It was the weirdest sh*t ever, it was for AIB, they were actually really interested in my hands. They had the cameras pointing down at them, but my hands are all covered in scars, they're not exactly beautiful, they're rotten looking yokes! So they had me in there, with my hands lit up like a Christmas tree. Anyway when I was leaving there were all these D4 girls waiting to go in, and you can't tell what nationality they are because they're wearing that much make up, they could be from Africa.
Tom’s stand up show Bring On The Apocalypse comes to Civic Theatre Tallaght on Saturday January 11 @ 8.15pm See www.civictheatre.ie for more details.
STAND UP IS A REAL CRAFT AND YOU HAVE TO WORK AT IT
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Trevor Croly
24
INTERVIEW
It’s not confirmed yet as talks are ongoing and we mightn’t have a decision on that for another few weeks yet, we were hoping it would be done this week.
By Padraig Conlon
The club had approached the FAI about this a few years ago and now that the division has been reduced to seven teams the club was asked would they still be interested.
Shamrock Rovers might be not playing at the moment but boss Trevor Croly is busy getting everything in place for next season. We checked in with The Hoops manager to find out how things are going behind the scenes ahead of the players return for pre season training next month. Well Trevor are you enjoying the break? Yes and no, it’s not really a break I suppose because I’m busy working on getting players in and getting structures in place for next season. It’s a tricky time of the year, in a way it’s harder than when the season is running because you have to deal with things like letting players go, which isn’t nice, especially before Christmas, it wouldn’t be a part of the job I like at all. Then there’s trying to get your players in and doing business but it has to be done, you have to get your tool box ready so to speak. I’m looking forward to getting back to training, that’s the fun part of the job. The Setanta Cup starts on February 24 so we’ll be back for pre season around the middle of January.
A lot of the players have programmes to work on during this period so they can come back in the best possible shape.
Are you happy with the business you’ve done so far? Yes I am, we’ve signed a lot of good driven players who are very hungry and may wish to use Rovers as a possibility of playing at a higher level at the next stage of their career.
You’ve signed a lot of defenders, do you think the defence let you down last season and maybe stopped Rovers from achieving more? No I don’t. We have signed a lot of defenders, yeah that’s true but only because we’ve let a lot go and obviously need to replace them. I’m delighted with all the
I think it’s a great project and I hope it happens because it’ll help us give our younger players a chance to play regular competitive first team football. A lot of the time you may have a very good under 19 player who might not be just ready to play in the first team but this will help us get them ready to make the step up, it’ll be ideal for them.
lads we’ve signed so far. Simon Madden is back at the club and he’s a great player who brings loads of energy to a team, Luke Byrne likewise.
We’ve looked at a few other things as well because we want to build and have strong teams coming through at all levels with players that have been educated Rob Cornwall can play anywhere and love the club. There is so at the back, full back or centre half much work being done at he’s brilliant in either position and underage level to build a strong Conor Kenna was the captain of link right through the club but we the league champions, a have got to get the first team wonderful leader and exactly the correct. Ultimately what we are type of individual you need to trying to do is make a club. lead a team. We’d have a certain value when we look to sign a player, they have to want to come and play for the club. We have a couple more players lined up and hopefully we can get all the sorted as soon as possible.
What is happening with regards to Rovers entering a B team in the First Division?
What would you say to fans who think that the style last year maybe wasn’t direct enough to be successful in the League of Ireland and at times the team played too much football? I don’t agree with that at all, I don’t think we were ever accused of that. How can it be a bad thing to want to pass the ball around and keep possession?
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Trevor Croly
25 But everyone is entitled to their opinion, that’s what makes football so interesting isn’t it? We all think we can could do better than a manager; there are people who think they could do better than some of the managers in the English Premier League!
What do you think was the team’s biggest problem last season? I think our big problem last year was quite simply we didn’t win enough. At times we played too much in the wrong area and didn’t break teams down and score enough goals. We hit levels at times but we weren’t consistent enough. The lowest point last season was against Sligo in the cup semi final. Going into that game we were in good form and had played well in our previous two games but that day we were poor and that defeat knocked the stuffing out of us, we never got going.
Are you enjoying the job? Yes of course I am, it’s a fantastic job, how could you not enjoy managing Shamrock Rovers? It’s an amazing club with fantastic fans and players. It’s a challenging job but I am really enjoying it. I learned a lot from last season.
What are your thoughts on the news that Linfield and Cliftonville have decided to not take part in next season’s Setanta Cup? It’s very disappointing as they’re two of the biggest teams on the island. I suppose they have their reasons but it’s strange. I think it’s
a great competition as it’s stimulating for both players and staff alike, a bit like competing in Europe. I would have thought the timing of the competition suited the northern teams more because they are reaching their peak in a season whereas we are only in pre season. I hope this doesn’t mean the end of the Setanta Cup, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Finally Trevor do you think the appointments of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane will be good for the League of Ireland? Well I think they’ll definitely take more interest in it than the previous manager who said we didn’t have a league! I don’t know, maybe he was misinterpreted when he said that. Roy Keane has always had a big interest in the league and as far as I know he watches Cork regularly and did sign players from here when he was managing at both Sunderland and Ipswich. Potentially their appointments could be a good thing, when you look at the amount of players now in the national team that have come from this league why wouldn’t they take an interest in it? It’s not really for me to pass judgement on them when you see what both of them have achieved in the game.
[ROVERS] IS AN AMAZING CLUB WITH FANTASTIC FANS AND PLAYERS. IT’S A CHALLENGING JOB BUT I AM REALLY ENJOYING IT. I LEARNED A LOT FROM LAST SEASON.
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26 To all of our valued customers As Christmas approaches and we all get into the festive spirit, I thought I would take a little time out to reflect on what a year for the Centre it has been. Over the past 12 months, the Centre has been through a lot of change. The strapline we have adopted is “the change will bring you back!”, to acknowledge the fact that many of our target customers have been to the Square in previous years and we are so sure of the improvements we have made, that we want to bring as many back as possible. This year was about focusing on making us the true “Towncentre” of Tallaght and cementing our place at the heart of the Community. A lot has been done to enhance the public areas. Each level has a colour and this is reflected from the parking ticket to the toilet facilities. The “Cheeky Monkey” play area has been a huge success and very popular with our families. It’s great to see the little kids laughing and playing whilst Mam or Dad has a rest. Another fantastic addition was the installation of our Aquarium on level 2. There has been a real buzz since the tank was installed and it’s amazing to see the positive reaction to the many different varities of fish. A big thanks to Kealan and Seahorse Aquariums for supporting us with this.
Smartspot, Play, Hairspray and Pulse. We have also had some fantastic refurbishments by Peter Marks, Tesco, Dealz and Boots. We challenged ourselves this year to have a “bigger and better” Christmas experience than last year and I think we managed it. Santa's arrival on 21st November was attended by over 10,000 customers many of who complemented us on the event. “Santa’s Magical Castle” is proving to be a huge hit! All of this has been made possible because of the support that we get from the people of Tallaght and I would like to personally thank all of you for your continued support. I would also like to take this opportunity on behalf of the Square, to wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Christmas. We all have the same wish, that this coming year will be better than the one before and bring us more happiness. My hope is that we can continue to be your first choice shopping destination in 2014. Have a fantastic Christmas!
______________________ Jack Martin The Square Town Centre, Director of Retail
We have done a lot of work in the local community this year and our “Community Champion” and “Little Starz” awards have recognised many worthwhile and dedicated individuals and groups from the local area. We have done a lot of work with the National Children’s Hospital and supported many local charities, giving them a platform and a voice. Many new stores opened this year; Starbucks, CEX,
SQ. MAGAZINE
EDITION 28
DECEMBER 2013
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Sq. Magazine Main Sq Story
27
Hi Kids
Our Last Community Champion Of TheYear This month’s Community Champion award goes to Tara Hamilton who is a founder member of the Tallaght Parents Autism Support Group. When Tara’s daughter Kelly was diagnosed in 2010 Tara was
shocked by how many people were dealing with the same issues she was but felt isolated. Although Aspire and Autism Ireland do a lot of good work nationally ,Tara felt there was a need for a local group to help organise monthly meetings, trips to adventure centres, and swimming lessons amongst other activities. If you want more details about the work of the TPASG you can log on to their website at www.tpasg.ie.
Cathryn and all the lovely Staff here at the Square have asked me to write this letter to the Children of Tallaght and the surrounding area to thank them for all the lovely letters they have sent. I checked with the elves the other day and almost every one of you is on the nice list but it is not too late to transfer across so be good and you will be rewarded. If you have not got your letter in there is a mail box outside my grotto here in the Square so get writing as I love reading all the letters. I will be arriving in Tallaght even earlier this year so I hope you will all be tucked up in bed nice and snug by the time I arrive. The reindeers and myself love visiting you all and we really like the nice treats you leave out for us.
Our New Fishy Friends Our Aquarium on Level 2 is finished and now fully stocked with lots of species of exotic fish. The process was a long one from planning to the final tank you see today. As ever animal welfare was of the paramount importance to us and our partners on this project Seahorse Aquariums.
The interest that the Aquarium has attracted has been amazing and we are planning lots of events in the New Year that will both inform and entertain. We have already heard of people planning to “Meet at the Tank” and it is fast becoming the focal point of the Square! Keep an eye on our Facebook for news of our events!
Have a lovely Christmas and a very Happy 2014 Ho Ho Ho,
Santa
We are very proud to be the sponsors of th e new IT TSU hoodies. The se are availa ble to purchase fro m the stude nt union and will be w orn by all Student Unio n Reps!
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Sq News 1
28
Don’tForgetToVisit SantaAtHisMagicCastle
enjoyable. There is a specially erected post box that has magical qualities, when you post your letter to Santa it gets transported directly to the North Pole so it is not too late to send your letter before your visit!
Our wonderful grotto on Level 3 is open every day until Christmas Eve and the elves are waiting to show you around the magical kingdom we have built especially to make your visit to Santa all the more
The visit costs only €10 and for that you get a gift a souvenir picture and a few minutes with the man of the moment Santa!
A Prize A Day ‘Til Xmas Every day until Christmas Eve we will be giving away one fabulous prize! To enter the BIG Square Christmas Giveaway
simply answer the question on our Facebook page. Remember there will be a new question each day to answer so keep entering for your chance to win! Our prizes could be anything from 2x One Direction Tickets, a free valet for your car or even a €100 Gift voucher!
New Store Jean Depot has moved to a bigger and brighter store on Level 2. They have extended their range of clothing to include brands like Crosshatch, Vans & Henleys in-store. Check out the new store and freshen up your look for the New Year.
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Sq News 2
29 We Welcome Pulse Accessories To The Centre
Santa’s Arrival Video Is Now Online On Our Facebook Page
We are delighted to welcome Pulse Accessories to Level 3 beside Starbucks. Through their extensive costume jewellery, hair accessories, bags, belts and body jewellery ranges they offer their customers a wide choice of the latest seasonal fashion styles and all year basics. All of their accessories are sourced globally by a dedicated design team taking inspiration from the catwalk and latest seasonal trends. Their team of buyers ensure that their customers have the choice of the most up-todate jewellery and accessories in all the latest seasonal colours. Check them out today!
The video of our wonderful Santa Arrival is now available for you to view online so that you can relive the excitement of a great night. It’s available on our Facebook page so like and share with all your friends!
3 Hours Free Parking Competition Winners Congratulations to Lucy Cox who won our Cheeky’s Follow the Line competition and to Fiona Geoghan who was the winner of our Cheeky’s Watercolour. Both Girls win a €50 Square Gift Card which we are sure will come in handy for buying those last minute Christmas Gifts. We are
Did you know that as an early Christmas present to our customers you can now park for free in our car parks for up to three hours, giving you an extra hour to do your Christmas shopping. Don’t forget to listen out for our radio ads on the Square and national radio stations!
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30 12 Days of Christmas Visit our Elves Workshop on Level 3 from 2pm to 5pm for 12 days of festive fun. We have lots going on, kicking off on the 13th with an advent calendar workshop; on Saturday 14th we have a selection of festive bugs for you to see and learn about. Sunday the 15th sees an Xbox Bowling Challenge, which is one of Santa’s favourite games; we will be creating a giant mural on the 16th, come and be a part of it.
The Kids can make their own log centre piece for their table on the 17th and on the 18th they can decorate cookies with Mrs Claus. Continuing the food theme on the 19th we will be decorating chocolate and on the 20th one of last year’s most popular events, the giant Snow Globe makes a welcome return! Mrs Claus will be reading Christmas stories on the 21st and on the 22nd the kids can take on the Elves on a Wii Ski challenge but be warned they are very good. Our penultimate event will see us making
We were delighted to be able to host four events last week as part of the National Accessibility Week here in The Square. On Wednesday 4th the Accessible Community Transport Southside group and the Lucan Disability Action Group were on Level 1 providing information on their accessible dial-a-ride transport service. While on level 2 the National Adult Literacy Association providing general information about their literacy services.
Christmas decorations with the kids and we will be wrapping it all up with a Dance off with DJ Elf on Christmas Eve. As you can see we have something for everybody so come on over and have some festive fun! For more information on all our upcoming Christmas Events please checkout our website www.thesquare.ie.
On Thursday 5th December Dublin Bus personnel were here on Level 3 providing information and assistance to potential passengers with disabilities. On Friday 6th December there was a magnificent performance by the South Dublin Deaf Choir who treated us to some seasonal songs. For more information about accessibility here at The Square check out our website www.thesquare.ie/your-visit.
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31 New Fleet of Strollers The Square have just taken delivery of a 12 strong fleet of new strollers from Strollex who have been making state of the art children’s push carts for shopping centres around Britain and Ireland for many years. The brightly coloured cars are sure to be very popular and come in many colours, there is even a Garda push cart which is sure to be in demand. The cars which have specially designed wheels so they can travel safely on our Travelators are currently being road tested and will be available at the Cheeky Monkey area very soon, keep an eye on our Facebook page and website for the launch announcement.
Toy Collection ForTNCH We're delighted to announce that The National Children’s Hospital Toy Appeal was a great success this year and all here at The Square would like to say a massive thank you to all the tenants who kindly donated toys. These toys will now be donated on your behalf to the National Children's Hospital and will be much appreciated by the little children unfortunate to be in hospital this Christmas. A very special thanks to Andy Chase for the extra effort this year for the Toy Appeal.
!! YOU K N o THA one Wh
or very ys F To E d To e se t u a Ca Don eat r G This
HickeysWin Best Christmas Display All Signs Lead To Us!! The Square has long been the focal point of Tallaght and for years has been used as a reference point for those giving direction and now we are delighted to announce that the Square has been recognised as a tourist destination! A number of brown tourism signs will be erected in the coming weeks showing the way to the Square, South Dublin’s Number 1 shopping destination!
Congratulations to the staff at Home Focus at Hickeys on Level 2 who were the winners of The Best Dressed Window for their Christmas display. They put in a massive effort and so many customers noticed their wonderful display, which greatly added to the seasonal atmosphere around the centre. We would like to thank everyone involved for getting into the Christmas spirit and we look forward to rewarding you for your dedication and pride in your premises.
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Sq Fashion Sq. Fashion
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32 32
Debenham. €s129
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Isadora Makeup bdyby Erika Modelle hristmas Eve C il t n U p U Way ffers All The O l ia c e p S Have Debenhams
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Sq Fashion
33 33
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y lled by Stace e d o M d r y Wa Styled by Am ber 22nd Decem n o s t r a t s Sale
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A closer look at...
34
DEBENHAMS
FIND THE PERFECT GIFT FOR CHRISTMAS AT DEBENHAMS Debenhams on Level One of The Square is your one stop shop for all your gifts this Christmas.
Their fragrances range is unrivalled and includes brands from Victor & Ralph, Jimmy Choo, Armani, DKNY, D&G and many more in store.
Debenhams has all the brands you know and love for friends and family this Christmas, fashion made fabulous in Men's, Women's, Lingerie, Kids, Cosmetics and Home products throughout the store. They have a delicious range of branded gift food: Cadburys, Ferrero, Kinder, novelty tinned biscuits, retro sweet shop and many more are available in store.
In the cosmetic section you'll find Esteu Lauder, Lancome, Benefit, Clinique, Clarins, Artdeco and Isodora. Why not visit one of their counters for a mini makeover this Christmas?
They have extended their Toy department with ELC for the little ones and all the family, Lego and V-Tech for the toddlers and have a staggering 3,500 toys available to order online from Debenhams.ie, which should help you find them the perfect gift! Check out their range of toys which have up to 50% off until Christmas.
Some of the new launches in store this year are BMB Mens suits with suits from as little as €125.00, Craghoppers for Men, Lipsy for the party season and Helen E Cosmetics. Did you know you can order your designer furniture online and have it delivered to your home for free? Check out their catalogue for further details. Do you have your Debenhams loyalty card? If not come to the store and they'll register for you there and then, for every €1 you spend in
store you will receive 3 points on your Debenhams card. Card holders also get special previews to Debenhams promotional events so get yourself signed up today! Your Debenhams store in The Square will launch their sale on St Stephens Day from 9am - 7pm. Anne Marie Portakal is the Store Manager in The Square branch and she is looking forward to welcoming customers over the busy festive season. “I am really enjoying my time in the Store. I am seconded to Store Manager in Debenhams for the last 6 months. I have found everyone in the store and also The Square very welcoming and a pleasure to work with. We at Debenhams would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.”
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Jack Martin INTERVIEW By Padraig Conlon
Jack Martin will celebrate two years as Retail Director of The Square next March. Since his appointment footfall is up and retailers are coming back to do business once again. We sat down with him to find out how he is turning around the fortunes of the Centre, what lies ahead and the plans for the future development of The Square.
36 Could you tell our readers a bit about your career prior to your appointment in The Square? I’ve worked in the retail and leisure Industry for over 30 years. I have had a number of varied roles in this time starting as a part time checkout operator and trolley collector when I was 16 moving into store management and then to head office roles with some fantastic companies and my career has taken me all over the world. In the 90’s, I worked for Bass Brewers in the UK, opening up a chain of Irish pubs. This led to a similar role in the USA, working with Guinness. In 1999, I moved back to Ireland and took up a national role with Lidl rolling out the first chain of Lidl stores throughout Ireland. In 2001, I joined B&Q and moved quickly from operations to their head office in Hampshire, heading up their merchandising teams responsible for over 300 stores. This then lead to an opportunity to help manage the entry into the Asian market and I moved to Hong Kong in 2004 and spent 2 years opening stores in China, Korea, Taiwan and Turkey.
“” THE
CHANGE WILL BRING YOU BACK
In 2006, I returned to the UK to work for Somerfield, a large grocery chain as Regional Director. Another opportunity came to me to live and work in New Zealand for the country’s largest retail company as National Merchandising Manager and I spent an amazing four and a half years there before returning home in 2011.
What was it about The Square that appealed to you? I had a number of roles to consider but it was The Square that was the one that inspired me the most. The amount of work and amount of challenge connected with this place excited me. When I worked for Lidl, I had an office on the Belgard Road and I used to regularly nip in to The Square. I hadn't been back to The Square since 2001 and I had also missed the whole “Celtic Tiger” fiasco. So I was shocked to see how far it had declined. It was as if the whole energy had been sapped from the Centre. There were a lot of people walking around but not a lot of shopping bags. The economy had obviously taken its toll, however this was not the only reason. Why were people not spending and was the Centre doing enough to encourage them to? The Centre had almost became a victim and allowed other Centres to take the business away. Tallaght was still a great place and could be great again and I saw this as a huge challenge but also a fantastic opportunity. The one thing that struck me more than anything was that the people were still very warm and welcoming and I suppose they deserved better. Everywhere I looked, there was opportunity to improve and I could see massive potential, if I could turn it around. That was the appeal, to really make a difference and build something that we could all be proud off.
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37 So you genuinely believed you could turn things around in the centre? If I hadn't believed I would never have taken the job. This wasn't something I looked at and thought I could turn this around in a year, this is at least a five year journey. There's been some good work done over the last two years to get us established but I would say we are at ground zero, we're at base camp, we're at the stage where we've got everything ready to make the climb but we haven't started climbing yet. The first year was about clearing poor working practices and establishing a better way because customers are creatures of habit so you have to do something really exceptional or really terrible to break that habit. What customers see with their eyes, they answer with their feet so they had to see the changes quickly. To change people's habits around, give them the confidence to spend and then spread the word around after they've come in, that the place is changing for the better. My goal is to run a busy and thriving shopping centre, everything is focused and stems from that. Retail is all about customer interaction and doing something that generates a sale or has a positive impact. This is more than just shopping, this is a lifestyle choice, so we have to get it right. The green shoots are starting to show and we are getting great feedback but this is still much more to do, I am confident however that we are moving in the right direction.
How did you go about solving the problems you encountered in The Square?
I'm a great believer in finding the root cause of a problem. I spent the first ten years of my career running around headless at the top end of the problem, at the coal face, and realising that when you fix that problem, a week later the problem comes back. The learning curve for me was to actually find out what was causing that problem in the first place, it could be one simple little thing or one miscommunication. For example with security we operate a zero tolerance policy, which hadn't been clearly laid out before, so everyone now knows where they stand, then taking the time to walk the floors every day, two, three, four times a day, talking to the security team and making them feel valued and letting them know how important they are because at the end of the day if we let the wrong elements inside the door, it's incredibly difficult to deal with them so therefore the person on the door is key to the security of every customer here. Everyone who works in here feels a sense of ownership, a sense of pride. You've got to put your own house in order, this is root cause. If I am not motivating my team and giving clear direction, how can I expect the traders in here to trust me or the customers to feel safe and secure? Now we are very clear on what our focus is, which is always the customer, therefore it's about giving our customers a positive experience so that they tell others, and in so doing bring new customers to us.
Since you took over I believe footfall is up, is that true? Yes footfall was up 5% last year and 3% this year so that's 8% growth in the last two years. I am conscious
Jack Presenting Ciara O'Grady From The National Children’s Hospital With A Cheque After His Marathon Run
Jack Pictured After His Marathon Run In Aid Of The National Children’s Hospital
Jack Pictured With Operations Manager Pat Edgeworth Presenting An Award To Andrew Watson From G4S In Recognition For His Hard Work & Service To The Centre
however that there is a difference between customers coming to the Centre and customers spending. However I see my role as giving the traders the footfall and the traders role to turn that into sales. Our average weekly customer count is 170,000 and this was historically measured by laser break counters. We have just updated our counting systems to overhead infrared and this is showing an increase of 15% on previous counts which sound small but equates to over 25,000 customers per week. At the moment we're getting some great anecdotal
information from the traders of double digit growth on last year, even some of the bigger retailers are quoting figures like 20% up.
Is it fair to say that The Square is more than a shopping centre to the Tallaght area? Yes I'm very conscious of the part The Square plays in the local community. If there was no Square here there'd be no Tallaght! That puts a huge onus on us to be
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Jack Martin responsible and encourage people to come into the place and take pride in it and spend money in it. It's Tallaghts town centre and is in close proximity to the library, theatre, council offices etc. When I came in there was no real plan for interacting with the community, no sponsorships were happening, there was no real linkage and I just couldn't understand that because we're such a pivotal part of the area. Right beside us we have the National Children's Hospital, Shamrock Rovers, one of the most iconic football teams in the country and the ITT. We have built great relationships and sponsorships with all of these now. The Centre is only going to go from strength to strength. We want every customer coming in here to feel warm, welcome and safe.
Could you tell our readers about the plans for the redevelopment of the Centre? There are two phases planned, the first is to take the south roof car park
Jack Pictured With Cathryn, Commercial Manager & The Square Management Team
and use that space for leisure and retail. What I'd like to happen in that space is a food court because one of the problems the centre has is it doesn't have communal seating for food. The second part is out in the north car park beside the Luas, it'll be a double sided four story building that will encompass a multi story car park and a huge department store, which will be huge for Tallaght. Planning has been presented on this and we are awaiting the outcome, there is a process that needs to be followed before approval. We would like to get moving and start building next year however this will depend on the planning outcome.
Will new toilet facilities be part of the redevelopment next year? We had a refurbishment here five years ago and one of the challenges for us is the toilet blocks weren't included in that refurbishment. So therefore the current toilet blocks haven't been invested in for 10/15
38
“ IT'LL BE A
DOUBLE SIDED FOUR STORY BUILDING THAT WILL ENCOMPASS A MULTI STORY CAR PARK AND A HUGE DEPARTMENT STORE
enhance and improve our current facilities. What we're hoping to have is a state of the art disabled facility, extend our mother and baby facilities as well, we've got great feedback on the work we've done so far. We've been very much working within the confines of what we have and trying to improve those. So in the next year or two we'll just sweep through and upgrade the facilities.
Finally Jack the future of The Square is looking bright?
Yes it is, we're in a great position to encourage new brands to come to us and are seeing a lot of our current tenants investing in refurbishment. It's a completely years. For us to be a progressive and different situation to where we were inviting Centre that people see a two years ago when we were benefit in the future with, you have struggling to get retailers to come to really have your facilities to an here or invest. extent where you cater for customers’ expectations and needs. Demand is larger than the space we have available. If we get the go The toilet facilities currently are ahead for the new development, functional, and that's all, so there's with the department store and the going to be a lot of work we're eight new units that could bring going to be doing next year upwards of 500/600 new jobs to the irrespective of the development, to centre, and they will all come from the local area. That's why we've got a great ground swell and the council is behind it. It's about giving the people of Tallaght something to be proud of, to link into the community we take our responsibility seriously and we want people to enjoy the place but also respect it. There's quite a lot of people who are now travelling to us from outside the Tallaght area because our slogan “The Change Will Bring You Back” is definitely working. We're getting huge feedback from those people who say they hadn't been back in years and the place looks fantastic.
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Cinema
40 ANCHORMAN 2 By Rachel Lynch
THE HOBBIT By Rachel Lynch
The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug is the second instalment in Peter Jackson’s second Tolkien trilogy.
The Desolation of Smaug refers to the unpopulated lands around Erebor, also known as the Lonely Mountain and the city of Dale, which were left scorched and utterly devoid of life after the dragon Smaug attacked and claimed Erebor as his own, including massive piles of treasure amassed there by the Dwarves. The hobbit Bilbo Baggins, along with the wizard Gandalf
and the dwarf Thorin Oakenshield and his twelve companions, leave the Carrock after the events of the previous film. Gandalf departs shortly after but en route the others are attacked by giant spiders and are all captured by Woodelves before they can continue on their epic quest to reclaim the lost dwarf kingdom of Erebor from Smaug, the wicked dragon. The further the friends travel the more they realise that all is not as it seems. There are many intense action scenes to look forward to if the trailer is anything to go by, but overall it looks milder than the violence of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Many people criticised Peter Jackson’s An Unexpected Journey saying it didn’t reach the standard many fans had anticipated, but judging by what’s on offer second time around, it looks like one not to miss. RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 16 BOOK NOW AT: www.imccinema.ie
The long awaited sequel to the original 2004 comedy will hit our screens this month and it sees all the regular cast returning. After the 1970s brought prosperity to the Channel 4 news team, the group disbands and hits rock bottom until a 24hour news channel GNN Global News Network is put together and the group is recruited to join the channel, and reclaim their former glory. Almost immediately we are introduced to the obstacles facing the team. The “new age” presenters are nothing like they have seen before and it is somewhat of a culture shock for the crew. There are a number of scenes related to this element of the movie that will have you falling out of your seat laughing.
The lads also have some severe difficulty with the technological advances in the newsroom.The trailer shows the team’s initial surprise at the modern day set up of a 24 hour newsroom. Brick Tamland played by the hilarious Steve Carell finds it the toughest. The new digital way of presenting the weather is almost impossible for him to understand, which leads to a number of panic attacks. Fans certainly won’t feel let down by this sequel. It’s very hard to make a second movie when the first one was so amazingly brilliant but director Adam McKay has managed to do just that. RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 20 BOOK NOW AT: www.imccinema.ie
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41 FROZEN By Rachel Lynch
It’s been some time since we have had a Disney animated musical. Frozen is an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen. Elsa, voiced by Idina Menzel and Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell are sisters but they are also princesses with the ability to turn anything into ice. Elsa is soon to become Queen, but as the movie progresses we begin to learn why she has not used her magical powers since her early childhood.
But just as she is to finally be crowned Queen she allows her powers get out of hand and goes into hiding. While hidden away from the world her emotions trigger a magical winter that freezes the entire kingdom. Her sister Anna who has become quite distant over the years takes off on an extreme journey to find Elsa. Alongside her is mountain man Kristoff played by Jonathan Groff and reindeer sidekick Sven. This movie takes the typical Disney princess storyline but adds many new elements. Instead of a princess who needs to be saved by a prince we see a different type of love which is the power of a sisterly bond. It is now up to Anna to help her sister save their kingdom from eternal winter, and make things right before it's too late.
RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 6 BOOK NOW AT: www.imccinema.ie
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Entertainment Game of Thrones actor we love to hate says he'll quit acting once show is over
Game of Thrones is the kind of show that could launch a career, but for one actor, it's the end of the road. Here's why. At 21, Jack Gleeson has a few roles under his belt, but nothing as huge as Joffrey Baratheon. Considering the popularity of Game of Thrones (and the fact that Gleeson plays the current ruler of the Seven Kingdoms), you'd probably assume that Gleeson is at the start of a long acting career. But that's not the plan. According to Gleeson, once Game of Thrones ends (or Joffrey bites the big one, whichever comes first)
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he will bow out of acting entirely. Why? According to Gleeson, acting was his end game. “[Acting] was always a recreation beforehand, but when I started doing Game of Thrones perhaps the reality was made too real for me… The lifestyle that comes with being an actor in a successful TV show isn’t something I gravitate towards.” Gleeson went with relief agency, Goal, to Haiti recently. You might recall that Haiti suffered untold destruction as the result of an intense earthquake in 2010. And while the rest of the world may have moved on, Haiti is still in need. That's where Gleeson is hoping to come in. "I’d been looking to use the celebrity I’ve got from the show to bring awareness for causes Goal supports." While we certainly think Gleeson has breathed incredible life into the oft-villainous Joffrey, it's hard to argue with such a humitarian intention. Besides, if Game of Thrones is the end of his acting career, we'd say Gleeson is going out on a high.
Abrams explains why it's 'huge' that Star Wars 7's release date moved Die-hard Star Wars fans might not be happy about the franchise's first-ever December release date, but J.J. Abrams definitely is.
"I will say that it is an infinitely better situation now than when they were saying they wanted it in the summer," Abrams told MTV. "Before I even came onto the project, before I was brought Star Wars Episode VII's 2015 release year was announced well on, they were talking about 2015 before Abrams came on board as and they made this director, and even before the film announcement very early on. Which I understand, and I had picked up a writer (and, understand why they'd want that, presumably, a script). It wasn't but it didn't necessarily have long before the production started to look like a rush job, and anything to do with the reality of where anyone was creatively. So I reports surfaced that the film think that it's a hugely important would be moving from the traditional May Star Wars release thing that comes first, and that a release date is great, but you to December. The news that writer Michael Arndt had left the have to release something great. So to me, the new release date is project and Abrams and Empire a huge improvement." Strikes Back scribe Lawrence Kasdan were taking over scripting British Fashion Awards 2013 when she broke the news. Her website confirmed the announcement. The 23-year-old will play Mia, the adopted younger sister of Christian Grey, the billionaire who embarks upon a passionate affair with student Anastasia Steele.
Rita Ora will play Mia, Christian Grey's sister, in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey
duties only added fuel to that fire. Disney recently confirmed that report, and Abrams seems to be breathing a somewhat public sigh of relief.
Ora will join Dakota Johnson, who Pop star Rita Ora has annnounced plays Steele, and Irish actor Jamie that she will join the Fifty Shades of Dornan, cast as Grey, in the film. Grey cast in her first major film role. Victor Rasuk will play Jose Rodriguez, Steele's friend and Ora was at attendance at the
Grey's love rival in the film, which will be directed by British filmmaker Sam Taylor-Johnson. In November, Fifty Shades of Grey's studio, Universal Pictures, announced that the film would be released on Valentine's Day 2015, rather than the original date of August 1 2014. The delay is partly due to original Christian Grey actor Charlie Hunnam abandoning the project, but producers also hope that the film will be better received by couples than women alone.
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43 Lacey Turner is to return to 'EastEnders'
Everyone’s favourite Anchormen attend European Premiere in Dublin O’Connell St resembled Hollywood Boulevard on the evening on the December 9 when the main cast of Anchorman 2 arrived at the Savoy Cinema for the European Premiere of the much awaited sequel!
The 25-year-old actress will reprise her role of murderer Stacey Branning, who famously left Albert Square in 2010 after being exposed as the killer of Archie Moon (Larry Lamb).
Thousands of fans waited for hours on a freezing O'Connell Street for a chance to see the Hollywood stars who jetted in specially for the event.
Lacey said: "I may have left EastEnders over three years ago but the show has always been in my heart, as has Stacey, and she has never really left my side. "I am so excited about returning and seeing what the future holds for her. "It's been a while since I set foot in Albert Square and I am looking forward to coming home." Stacey first graced Walford in November 2004, and over the years she's taken centre stage in some of the most gripping storylines, including having an affair with father-in-law Max Branning (Jake Wood) and battling bipolar disorder. EastEnders' Executive Producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins said: "Stacey is one of EastEnders' best-loved characters, played by one of television's finest actors, and I am tremendously excited that Lacey has decided to return home to Walford. "Stacey's last time on the Square was iconic. But that was just the first act. There is so much more to come for Stacey, and her return will send ripples of drama through the Square." Lacey will begin shooting her scenes in January.
Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Steve Carell and director Adam McKay were all in attendance and greeted the throngs of journalists and fans many of whom were proudly sporting Ron Burgundy moustaches! The cast had earlier joined in with a group of 12 pub revelers in Toners of Baggot St, and stayed for a few pints of Guinness. They were later joined by some of Ireland's top celebs at the invite-only screening including real-life RTE anchorman Aengus Mac Grainna!
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Music
44 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN High Hopes By Padraig Conlon
ONE DIRECTION Midnight Memories By Linn Heldal
Moving in the Right Direction After listening to Midnight Memories I’m starting to think that it’s about time we take the boy out of the boyband and start calling One Direction what they actually are; a brilliant popband. The album’s formula is the same as previous hits Up All Night and Take Me Home and the songs are heavily influenced by the boys’ musical idols. It has the same energy and charm as Up All Night, but at the same time it has a different, way more rocky and mature feel to it. It kicks off with the modestly titled Best Song Ever, a track dominated by catchy guitar riffs and a massive sound-it nearly jumps out of the speakers. The boys are growing up, which shows in their music and especially in their lyrics. It’s also noticeable that they are taking a bigger interest in song writing. This album contains more of their own songs than ever before, my favourite being the acoustic Story of My Life. Like the title promises, it’s an autobiographical track, with a clear Kings of Leon vibe to it. The lyrics in the title track sounds like a 1D band anthem. It’s
also heavily influenced by Def Leppard’s massive hit song Pour Some Sugar on Me. Little Black Dress also rings a bell and it’s by far my favourite track on the album. It’s a well constructed, back to basics stadium rock song and it’s bound to be a massive hit. The album’s sound is an eclectic mix between acoustic, electro and rock and of course just the right amount of traditional 1D pop, which can be heard in the upbeat tracks Diana and Does He Know. The acoustic Half A Heart is a striking love song with beautiful harmonies where the boys showcase their vocal abilities. Maybe their musical influences are shining through a little too brightly on this album, but overall it shows that the boys are definitely going in the right direction. There are going to be millions of excited girls who will find Midnight Memories under their Christmas trees this year, and I recommend that the rest of the household give it a chance too. I think our very own Mullingar lad Niall Horan and Co. might make people of all ages ‘dance all night to The Best Song Ever!’
Bruce Springsteen's latest release High Hopes is the first single from the album of the same name, due out on January 14 next year, and all in all is a rather underwhelming effort from “The Boss.” It was first recorded by the E Street Band in 1995 for their Greatest Hits album, having been released five years before that on the debut album from LA band The Havalinas making it both a cover and a previously recorded number. Even though it was written over twenty years ago, lyrically High Hopes is still relevant to what is happening in today's world and continues themes Springsteen explored on his 2012 album Wrecking Ball, namely the struggle to find hope in a culture dominated by greed and selfishness. Recorded during the band’s Australian tour earlier this year, High Hopes is as live and incendiary as it gets. The E Street Horns and backing singers from the Wrecking Ball tour add much to the track. Alongside them is Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who has been a guest player with Springsteen for a while, and appeared on Wrecking Ball. His guitar compliments the E Street sound to create one of the most fiery Springsteen tracks of recent times but personally speaking I still think the song is lacking something.
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Tech
XBOX ONE VS PS4 By Colm O’Muirí
Next generation consoles Xbox One and PS4 go head to head to see which one comes out on top and which one is worth parting with your hard earned cash. On November 22nd the first of the next generation consoles was released in Ireland with Microsoft giving its Xbox One a one week advantage over its rival, the Playstation 4. The Sony games console was available in Ireland on the 29th. Microsoft will be hoping that the Xbox One can continue on the success of its predecessor the Xbox 360, while Sony will be hoping that the PS4 will launch them back into the forefront of the games war. The Price The first thing we all look at is the initial price of the console, quickly followed by the price of the games and accessories. The Xbox One will cost you €500 however
this also includes the Kinect 2.0 in all packages, whereas the PS4 costs €400 but this does not include the PS4 Eye. However the add-on PS4 eye will cost €60, making the bundle €40 cheaper than the Xbox. This round goes to Sony and the PS4. Titles The games are what make a console and both the Xbox and Playstation have some great ones. Obviously there are the games which are available on both consoles, FIFA, NBA and Madden etc but what about the exclusives? Ryse Son of Rome and Killzone Shadow Fall were the two main exclusives available on launch day and I reviewed them in the game section of this magazine. Having looked at the full list of titles, both consoles have some great games coming out for them in the coming months and this round has got to be a draw. Infamous Second Son would be the standout for the PS4 with
Quantum Break being the standout for the Xbox. Game Prices Both the Xbox One and PS4 games prices are generally the same and to buy a game for either console you are looking at €64.99, although there are some which come in a few euro cheaper. However it is worth noting that it appears at this stage that the PS4 exclusive titles are more expensive than the Xbox exclusives. Killzone Shadow Fall will cost €69.99 whereas Ryse Son of Rome will be €59.99. For now the Xbox wins this round but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on in the future. Although on the scorecards it is a draw my personal preference is the PS4 having owned Playstation one, two and three consoles. That being said both consoles look amazing and whichever one you decide on is definitely going to impress the gamer.
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Game
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RYSE SON OF ROME By Colm O'Muirí
Ryse Son of Rome is the main release for Microsoft Xbox One. It is therefore the game given the task to compete against the PS4 in the opening weeks of the next gen battles. Ryse plunges you into the chaos and brutality of the Roman Empire with the stories main character a young Roman soldier by the name of Marius Titus. Marius witnesses the brutal and savage murder of his family at the hands of barbarian bandits and vows to seek revenge. He travels with the Roman army to Britannia and he quickly rises through the ranks proving as he goes along that he is a soldier with great skill. The campaign in Ryse begins with Marius fighting against a Barbarian invasion of Rome in which he rescues the emperor Nero. Ryse is a game filled with gore which should please many of
today’s gamers but is not a hack and slash button basher which will become repetitive and boring as you progress through the 6-7 hours of the games campaign. The game is visually striking and it is with the help of the great graphics of the Xbox One that the more visually gory bits really come to light. This is probably seen best when the games execution system comes alive and gameplay is slowed down so that players don’t miss a drop of the blood which is about to be spilled. One of the other main features of the game is the brutally intense combat system which lets you take control of your sword and shield. The scale of the warfare in the game is something to be marvelled at with massive battlefields which can feature more than 100 characters being
on your screen at a time and with each character having their own individually controlled AI. The multiplayer in this game sees you and your friends take to the coliseum to fight side by side to take on ever changing enemies. This is an aspect of the game which really impressed me and with plenty of gameplay videos available online you can watch before purchasing the game. Overall Ryse is an impressive game, it not only has amazing graphics but it is a great storyline line. Although it is not going to be to everyone’s liking with the gore which is on show throughout, (what else do you expect from a game which makes use of swords?), but that is the aspect which will keep you entertained as you wait on the 2nd wave of next gen games.
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49 KILLZONE SHADOW FALL By Colm O'MuirĂ
Killzone Shadow Fall is the fourth game in the series and takes place thirty years after the events of Killzone 3. The Helghans and the Vektans now live on the same planet, Vekta. Each side now colonize half of the planet with The Wall keeping both sides apart from each other while both try to end the war they believe the other started. The game’s main protagonist is Lucas Kellan who during the relocation over the wall witnesses the death of his father Michael. Kellan is then adopted by Sinclair, a Shadow Marshall, who enlists Lucas into the Shadow Marshall Academy. Killzone Shadow Fall looks amazing, some would say it boasts the most impressive graphics from the first games available on the next gen consoles. The environment is spectacular and showcases what these next gen consoles can do with fantastic looking futuristic cities and amazing facial animation.
Where it looks visually great, the story of the campaign mode is not as good and has been a massive let down for gamers, and has been heavily criticised for being boring and frustrating. To add to the disappointment as well to gamers is the fact it is probably their first game on the next gen consoles and this could be leading to an over exaggeration of its flaws, although it does have some. As a first person shooter Killzone is a good game and will keep you entertained, although the game really comes alive in multiplayer mode which is the saving grace of this game.
Killzone Shadow Fall is available exclusively on PS4.
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Motors
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TOYOTA COROLLA By Rachel Lynch
This week I headed down to Tadg Riordan Motor to test drive the new Toyota Corolla. The 11th generation Toyota Corolla was introduced onto the Irish market in July of this year. The all new Corolla inherits 47 years of Corolla DNA, building on the model’s legendary quality, durability and reliability while offering a significant change in its design, best in class fuel economy, enhanced driving dynamics and upgraded safety features.
The name Corolla sells itself really, it is available in 154 countries, built in 16 - it's the best selling car nameplate not only here but on the planet. Due to their high placing on the market Toyota have never got it wrong, and are used to keeping their customers happy.
The Corolla's exterior design embodies the evolution of Toyota’s new design language with a more sophisticated and contemporary look. The grille is as always a feature piece, with the now iconic Toyota badge placed in the centre and of course the LED headlamps. The chrome finishes The Corolla has been redesigned, throughout are in my opinion and yes, it does look like a new car what Toyota do best. but yet still it is instantly recognisable as a Corolla which is The interior really is something exactly what Toyota want. There special. The space inside, as are many new fresh features to Tomás explained, has been the model and plenty of exciting seriously upgraded with more technical innovations. room for your passengers, again another excellent one to Sales Executive Tomás Keogh note for people with large explained the changes families and car seats. a buyer of the new Corolla can expect: The dash looks much more “The big change they premium and modern than the have made with this previous generation Corolla. It car is the size. features the Toyota touch system Without stretching it with 6.1" full colour touch out too big, it’s still in screen multimedia. the same category. The back legroom is The Corolla is available in the massive, there are larger Terra, Aura and the Luna. The 1.4rear doors for getting in litre diesel engine in the Terra and generous luggage model emits only 99g/km for capacity”. annual road tax of just €180. All versions of the petrol car are in
Band B1 for tax (€270 per year) with emissions of 129g/km. I had no complaints whatsoever regarding the drive of this car. Toyota has focused on comfort and refinement, which combined with the huge space inside, makes the Corolla feel like a genuine competitor for the class above. The Toyota Corolla starts at an impressive €20,995. Another option on offer with Toyota are their finance packages, which start at just €225 per month for the Corolla.
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Business
52 Tallaght teen is Euro Entrepreneur of 2013
Ireland named best country in the world for business by Forbes Magazine Ireland has been named the best country in the world for business by influential US business magazine Forbes. It is the first time Ireland has topped the list since it began in 2006.
Amy Keatinge from Tallaght travelled to Belgium to represent Ireland in the prestigious European Youth Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 at a ceremony in Brussels, which saw young
entrepreneurs from across Europe outline their business plans to a panel of judges from some of the country's leading companies. She was announced as a Gold First winner in the competition. Sixteen business plans were shortlisted from seven countries including Ireland, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Austria and Belgium and Bulgaria. Amy won the Gold First award for her business 'CoZey SoundZ' which
Ireland moved up from number six out of 145 countries analysed last year due to improved scores on monetary freedom and the high return from the Irish Stock Exchange Overall Index. The rest of the top five, in order, includes New Zealand, Hong Kong, Denmark and Sweden. IDA Ireland Chief Executive Barry O’Leary said: "This Forbes ranking will reach senior business people across the world, making them aware of all the advantages available to those that locate businesses here." Each category is equally weighted and the data comes from published reports from the following organisations: Freedom House, Heritage Foundation, Property Rights Alliance, Transparency International, World Bank and World Economic Forum. In an article announcing the results of the rankings, Forbes describe Ireland as having been “devastated” by the recession and in receipt of an €85 billion bailout to prop up the banking system. “Despite these economic troubles, Ireland still maintains an extremely pro-business environment that has attracted investments by some of the world’s biggest companies over the past decade,” says the magazine.
manufactures and sells customised ear muffs and cushions with inbuilt ear phones. Reacting to her award, 18-year-old Amy said: "It's absolutely amazing - all my hard work has paid off! Since last April when I won the Irish Youth Entrepreneur of the Year award, my business has gone from strength to strength. Due to increased demand, I now deliver my products nationally and I'm now looking into expanding Europe-wide.”
Tallaght man behind a company leading the fight against the scourge of bullying among children. The InTallaght team with Niall Halligan of WG Baird
InTallaght finalists at the 2013 Irish Magazine Awards Over 200 people gathered for the Irish Magazine Awards at the Marker Hotel in the trendy Docklands area of Dublin on Thursday December 5.
Food & Wine took home the top gong in the Consumer category on the night while Hotpress won the Digital Award. “Just to be shortlisted alongside some of Ireland’s best magazines was an honour for us” said Ed Lam, Managing Director of InTallaght.
The event was hosted by Today FM presenter Mairead Farrell to celebrate Irish Magazine publishers all that is great in the Irish contribute between €250m to €300m to the economy magazine industry. every year, directly employ InTallaght was a finalist in 1,250 people and indirectly support a further both the Consumer Magazine of the Year and 4,500 people according Digital Product of the Year to industry body Magazines Ireland. categories.
Noel Dunne is the CEO of CHASE (Children's Health And Safety Educator) an online course designed for children which provides relevant information, practical tips and the skills necessary to deal with bullying. The company also provide courses dealing with issues like Internet safety, healthy eating and fire safety. To join the CHASE antibullying campaign and stamp out bullying, see www.e-chase.ie for more information or call 01 4605525. (Between 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday)
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Business
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Havok Managing Director, David Coghlan
The Emmy award winning Irish games and entertainment technology company powering next-gen Ubisoft titles including Assassins Creed. Havok was founded at Trinity College Dublin in 1998 and its physics technology appears in hundreds top-selling game titles, as well as a variety of Hollywood movies.
Havok's technology is also being used in a variety of future Ubisoft games, including action titles such as Watch Dogs and Tom Clancy's The Division, both of which will be release on next-gen hardware platforms. Ubisoft is leveraging Havok technology across platforms to ensure a consistent experience on PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and on Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, as well as across PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Wii U system from Nintendo and Windows PC.
The original founding team behind Havok – Hugh Reynolds and Steve Collins – recently started a new company called Swrve, which is creating 100 new jobs after raising US$6.25m in a funding round led by Atlantic Bridge Partners and Intel Capital.
A plug-in electric model will be added in spring 2014. Potential buyers who want a test drive will have to travel to Trollhatten in western Sweden, but NEVS (Saabs new parent company) says it has pre-orders for 200 of the plug-in electric 9-3s in China, the Wall Street Journal said. In November 2013, of the 1,307 new private cars licensed here in Ireland, 352 (26.9%) were petrol and 941 (72.0%) were diesel.
Saab gets back in the game, but no plans to return to Ireland yet. Swedish automaker Saab, which filed for bankruptcy in 2011, restarted production of its 9-3 Aero compact for the Swedish and Chinese markets as a traditional petrol-powered model. Initially the car equipped with a 220-horsepower turbocharged 2-liter four-cylinder petrol engine is being sold only on the Internet because Saab's dealer network was shuttered. Just 10 cars are being assembled a week.
The highest number of new private cars licensed in November 2013, classified by make, was Ford (815) followed by Volkswagen (722), Audi (501) and Toyota (466). 10% of cars on Irish roads are expected to fully electric by 2020 with work well underway to power these models via public charge points. The Square here in Tallaght just unveiled electric charge points in the South Level 2 car park making them one of the first major shopping centres in Ireland to do so.
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Writers’ Corner CHRISTMAS WISHES & WHITE LIES By Breda Brennan Casey
THESE FOOLISH THINGS By Charlie Branagan
It was Christmas Eve before Santa finished sorting all his letters and emails. It was already late and Santa was preparing to leave when another email appeared in his inbox.
To: evan15@snailmail.com From: santa@northpole.com Subject: Re: Christmas wish Hello Evan
Santa sighed wearily, wondering who had left it this late to send him their Christmas list. He clicked on the email and started reading.
To: santa@northpole.com From: evan15@snailmail.com Subject: Christmas wish Dear Santa It’s Evan again. I live in Cherryfield Road. Remember I asked you for a football and a jersey. Well I have another Christmas wish, a really, really important one. Is North Pole near Heaven? You see my Gran died last week and Daddy says she is in Heaven. I’m so sad cos I didn’t get to say goodbye to her. Could you tell her for me?? Please please!!!! She would love that. She was going to get me a train set for Christmas. I really miss her.
Santa here. Got your email. It arrived just in time as I was just on my way out the door to say “Merry Christmas” to all the good folks over in Heaven. I sent your love to your Gran. She certainly has settled in very well. She was so thrilled to hear from you and misses you lots. She wanted to say goodbye to you too but she had to leave rather suddenly. She also wishes you and your Mum and Dad a Merry Christmas. Now off you go to sleep young man and no peeping when I come down the chimney!! Love, Santa. Santa clicked the send button, picked up his sack and walked out to the waiting sleigh. Two thousand miles away on Cherryfield Road, Evan read his most recent email and went to bed a very happy boy. His Gran smiled at him from the picture frame on his locker. Christmas had worked her magic.
Love, Evan Santa was very surprised and really wanted to help Evan but wasn’t sure how. He didn’t know where Heaven was or how to get there. Breda lives in Rathfarnham and says He leaned back into his comfy chair and started thinking. For a while he forgot about the journey ahead of him. He soon realised what he should do. Mrs Claus had a saying “If in doubt, be kind” so he decided to take her advice. He picked up a Toy Story train and put it into his spare sack which he kept for emergencies. (Another of Mrs Claus’s good ideas.) Then he started emailing.
she’s a fairly regular visitor to Tallaght. She’s married with five children so has plenty of experience inventing bedtime stories. She has just started creative writing and would love to someday write for a living.
Christmas; the only time we dined together, normally we lined up at the scullery. Drop leaf table fully extended seating arrangements well rehearsed. I remember that mouth watering smell wafting from the kitchen as I arrived home from mass; licking my lips as the turkey sizzled and spat in the oven. Butter melting on floury potatoes like snow capped peaks, marrowfat peas soaked overnight cabbage simmered for ages. In my mind’s eye I can still see my mother mashing it in a colander. Succulent ham, lashings of gravy, freshly made stuffing, what more could you want! Not a word spoken save “pass me the salt”or “are you not eating that”. The scraping of knives and forks was the sound of approval, the pattern on the plates just about survived. No luck I’m afraid for the dog under the table. Baked rice topped with a crisp buttery skin; with a dollop of raspberry jam was the piece de resistance. A lovely surprise, such a gorgeous sight. Simple, wholesome, home cooked, brings me right back, another time another place.
Charlie lives in Skerries and has been writing poetry for a number of years. This is his third piece published in InTallaght magazine.
ARE YOU AN ASPIRING AUTHOR OR POET? If you’re interested in seeing your work published in InTallaght, simply submit your poem or short story (no longer than 400 words please!) to editor@intallaght.ie and you could see your creative writing in print in one of our future editions!
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Bookworm
55 THE HUNDRED YEAR OLD MAN By Jonas Jonasson
an old people’s home, he is waiting for the party he-never-wanted-anyway to begin. The Mayor is going to be there. The press is going to be there. But, as it turns out, Allan is not… Slowly but surely Allan climbs out of his bedroom window, into the flowerbed (in his slippers) and makes his getaway. And so begins his picaresque and unlikely journey involving criminals, several murders, a suitcase full of cash, and incompetent police. As his escapades unfold, we learn something of Allan’s earlier life in which – remarkably – he helped to make the atom bomb, became friends with American presidents, Russian tyrants, and Chinese leaders, and was a participant behind the scenes in many key events of the twentieth century. Quiet and unassuming Allan is a very likeable protagonist and has certainly packed a lot into his century of life. I’m sometimes a bit put off when fiction incorporates real historical plot points but in this case I really enjoyed how Jonasson weaves the many dispirate threads of historical events and world leavers into the fantastical joy ride that was Allan’s former life.
You’re never too old to start a new adventure. My mother’s book club had read several very serious heavy-going books in a row and they picked this title as a bit of light relief. She really enjoyed it and made sure to pass the book on to me when I was last home. It all starts on the one-hundredth birthday of Allan Karlsson. Sitting quietly in his room in
In an interview with The Telegraph, Jonasson said:“The research wasn’t difficult. I have always loved reading modern history. I have included many of the 20th-century monsters but not Hitler. Although I believe you can joke about everything and Stalin was at least as bad, I couldn’t satirise the Holocaust. I feel I have produced a hopeful satire on the shortcomings of mankind. It’s an immersive tale that always keeps you guessing all the way through and I’d recommend it as a fun and feel-good book for all ages.
About The Author After a long career as a journalist, media consultant and television producer, Jonas Jonasson decided to start a new life. He wrote a manuscript, he sold all his possessions in Sweden and moved to a small town by Lake Lugano in Switzerland, only a few meters from the Italian border. The manuscript became a novel. The novel became a phenomenon in Sweden and by July 2012 had sold three million copies world wide. While rights have now been sold for the book's translation into over 30 languages, the film rights for The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared have been acquired by the Swedish production companies Nice Entertainment and FLX 2.0 for a movie to be directed by Felix Herngren and starring the Swedish comedian Robert Gustafsson His second novel, Analfabeten som kunde räkna (approx. The Analphabet Who Knew How to Count), is, in his own words, "about a South African woman who lives in Soweto and turns the world upside down. It’s very funny." It was published in 2013.
GWEN TAYLOUR
Graphic Designer/Bookworm Gwen lives in Terenure and works for InTallaght. She has been an avid reader since childhood and always has at least one book on the go. Email her at gwen@intallaght.ie
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Fitness
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FINAL WEEK By Rachel Lynch
Well as I come to my final session I am beginning to see a difference. Not just regarding weight but in terms of fitness. I have certainly toned up and most importantly for me I have seen a huge difference in size and shape of my legs/thighs. What’s great about the sessions I have been having with Nikki in the Green Isle is that all my exercises have been noted, and on average I would say 80% of these can be worked on from at home.
Each session was devised in a certain way as to focus on a certain area each time, whether it is the legs, arms, stomach and even my posture. It’s even tougher working at these from home as we all seem to give up as soon as it becomes in any way tiring. That’s not the case with a trainer they are trained to make sure you are not only pushing yourself but that you are doing the exercises correctly.
I think the most important thing I have learned over the past few weeks has been how to use the equipment in the gym, even the weights and dumbbells. It’s worrying to know that if these instruments are not used in the correct manner they can cause serious damage and from just observing people myself, there are plenty who are not doing it right. My final few sessions have consisted of yet again strengthening my core. As I have said, my main focus was on my legs so I had a number of session devoted to work on that.
I was amazed at the variety of exercises that can be done with an exercise ball. It’s cheap to buy for your own training at home. The ball was placed up against the wall and then I would begin to squat as low down as possible. You will instantly feel the pain circulating around your legs, if you don’t well then you are not doing it properly. I initially found this extremely easy until Nikki fixed the positioning of my legs and within seconds I could feel the burning pain. As I explained in the last edition food is still pretty much the same, although I haven’t had a take away in a few weeks. Other than that I wouldn’t consider myself to be “on a diet”, just more conscious of the foods that are good for me.
Overall I have really enjoyed this whole process and have already booked myself in for another 12 sessions with Nikki at the Green Isle Hotel. If you want to shift a bit of weight or tone up then I can’t suggest a better way to do it. Even just to learn about how to use all the equipment available to you when you go to the gym. It’s very tough to motivate yourself but when you have a time and date set for your training you have no option but to get up and go. After the hour is up you feel fantastic and I can guarantee you will see a change in only a matter of weeks, I did.
INSPIRATION LEISURE CLUB The newly refurbished Inspiration Leisure Club at the Green Isle Hotel offers an exceptional facility to work-out or simply relax.
All dressed up for The Irish Magazine Awards
Their professional team are on-hand to ensure their members get the most of the leisure club by providing individual consultations and advising of the best possible programme for your development and overall goals.
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Sport
58 Blue Stars 2013 Jim Gavin and Anthony Daly’s Dublin teams will break with tradition this year when their annual Blue Stars games will take place on New Year’s Eve rather than the traditional New Year’s Day fixture.
Mayor turns the sod on new sports pavilion in Tymon Park Mayor Dermot Looney turned the sod on the Tymon Athletic Sports Clubs (TASC) pavilion in Tymon Park on Friday November 15. The pavilion will provide changing facilities, storage and meeting rooms for a number of sports clubs using Tymon Park. The clubs include Rounder’s Club, Tallaght City FC, Kilnamanagh AFC, Limekiln FC, Oddsox Softball Club, Dodder Dynamos’ Softball Club, Earl Celtic FC, FC Centurions, AFC Justice, Terenure College Rugby Club and the Walking Trials Club of Ireland. This project is funded through the Sports capital grant and will be ready for use early in 2014. Mayor Looney said “I am delighted to turn the sod on this TASC project. As a daily user of Tymon Park, I know this facility will improve the experience of the many clubs already using the park by giving them proper changing rooms, storage facilities and better amenities all round. I want in particular to pay tribute to Limekiln Rounder’s Club who have worked since 1997 for the delivery of a project like this in the park”. He also said “South Dublin County Council is committed to improving facilities within the County and encouraging young and old to use the parks for both passive and active recreation. The development of the TASC pavilion illustrates this”
This is to allow the players who already sacrificed so much to be able to spend New Year’s Eve with their friends and family without worrying about the early start the next day. The games will be hosted by Jim Gavin’s club, Round Tower, Clondalkin. The throw in times have not yet been confirmed but you can keep an eye on www.hill16.ie for further details.
Local YouTube Star Meets All Black George Morgan who plays rugby for Terenure College met All Black Dan Carter on his recent trip to Ireland in November. George had previously received praise from Carter when he saw a YouTube video of the 12 year old kicking the ball around his estate with deadly accuracy. George also received a pair of boots from the All Black legend at their meeting.
World Amateur Kickboxing Organisation Senior World Championships in Turkey Tallaght Martial Arts had four members on the Irish national kickboxing team, who were competing in the WAKO Senior World Championships, held recently in Antalya.There were 62 participating countries from 5 continents and with over a thousand athletes competing in the weeklong event. Dean Barry was first up in the -79kg points fighting section where he won a silver medal at last year’s European Championship. Barry’s opponent in the final was the very versatile and experienced Marco Nordio from Italy. against whom Barry scored some marvellous scores with both kicks and punches to finish off with a well deserved victory of 11 points to 5 to win the WAKO World championship. Shauna Bannon, current Sport Accord combat games World Champion and the WAKO European Champion, and her father Martin were both beaten in their finals by 2 points by Italian opponents. Overall Ireland was ninth in the medal table out of sixty two countries which is an astounding achievement for such a small country, when you consider none of the fighters received funding and had to pay for their trip out of their own pockets. Ireland got three Gold medals, nine silver medals and seven bronze medals in Points fighting, Light contact and full contact.
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Local Events NOVEMBER
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DECEMBER
DECEMBER
DECEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
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RUA RED
Spectrum by Garrett Power Saturday November 23 - Sunday November 24 Garrett Power’s first Solo Exhibition, is comprised of a large scale sculpture installation accompanied by some recent paintings . Visit www.ruared.ie for more details
RUA RED Variety Night
Wednesday December 18 @ 7.00pm In aid of MAC (Men Against Cancer), the first charity variety evening! Drop in and welcome to all ages. To book contact RUA RED on 01 451 5860, or email boxoffice@ruared.ie
County Library
Film Club: It's a Wonderful Life Thursday December 19 @ 7.00pm A perennial Christmas favourite starring James Stewart as George Bailey. All welcome.
RUA RED
Family Film - Arthur Christmas Saturday December 21 @ 12 noon Admission: €3.50 per child. Adults go free with child! To book contact the RUA RED Box Office on 01 451 5860 or email boxoffice@ruared.ie
Civic Theatre Red Riding Hood
Showing between Monday December 23 - Sunday January 5. Admission: all tickets €10 Visit www.civictheatre.ie for more exact dates and times
Civic Theatre
Bring On The Apocalypse Saturday January 11 @ 8;.15pm Stand up by Tom O’Mahony ("Tarquin" from RTE’s Damo & Ivor) Admission: €15 & €12 concession Visit www.civictheatre.ie for more details
Get Your Event Some FREE Publicity Are You A Non-Profit Organisation That Has An Upcoming Event? If So, Email events@intallaght.ie With All The Relevant Information. *Terms & Conditions Apply
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Classifieds
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Classifieds
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