Metro Herald, November 20, 2013 by Metro Herald

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

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‘Justice’ for tragic sex attack woman

Pretty in a pink tulle tutu

Zoe Ashe Browne, Jane Magan and Emma Lister from Ballet Ireland warm up backstage yesterday at The Gaiety Theatre before this evening’s opening of The Nutcracker. The RTÉ Concert Orchestra provide the music for the production of the story of Clara, her Nutcracker Prince and the Sugar Plum Fairy, which runs until Saturday PICTURE: PA

THE sister of a sex assault victim by conor gallagher who took her own life said yesterday justice had been done after her Defence counsel said Thackaberry attacker was jailed for five years. has a very low IQ, worked as a staThe Central Criminal Court heard ble hand after school and was Michelle Hennessy had been bullied involved in boxing, but later began and intimidated in connection with drinking, using drugs and associatthe attack before she took her life in ing with ‘inappropriate’ people. October last year. Thackaberry was originally charged Sean Thackaberry, 20, of Mary- with rape but pleaded guilty to agville, Melita Road, Kildare Town, gravated sexual assault over the atwas walking Ms Hennessy, then 26, tack that was described as being at home after she had a night out with the ‘upper end of the scale’. friends in Kildare when he threw Justice Barry White sentenced him her over a wall and subjected her to to seven-and-a-half years in jail with an aggravated sexual assault. the final two-and-a-half suspended Passing gardaí heard her screams and registered him as a sex offender. and chased Thackaberry down. Outside court, Ms Hennessy’s The Director of Public family smiled through their Prosecutions was able to tears. prosecute Thackaberry in Her sister Sharon said: the absence of evidence ‘Today, Michelle finally from the dead woman, usgot her justice, it’s just a ing his confession, DNA shame she is not here to see evidence and medical it herself. reports of Ms Hennessy’s ‘She can now rest in injuries. peace knowing justice has A victim impact report on been done for her.’ behalf of Ms Hennessy Bullied: Michelle In the year after her sisstated she was terrified of ter’s death, Sharon decidgoing out after the attack. ed to honour her memory and help She also reported experiencing others by organising a fundraiser bullying and intimidation from peo- consisting of a 33-person parachute ple in the town in the month before jump in Kildare. she took her life in October 2012. Hundreds more attended a benefit The court heard that before the at- night in Michelle’s honour. tack on January 30, 2011, she was a In total Sharon and her family bright and bubbly woman who loved raised more than €30,000 for suicide to travel and skydive. prevention.

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METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 20, 2013

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Today is...

Universal Children’s Day ‘The well-being of our children has always been and will continue to be the most universally cherished aspiration of humankind,’ says the UN, which devotes today to protecting children’s rights

From the archives (2009): Handball Henry in war of words

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has backed calls for Ireland’s World Cup play-off against France to be replayed after the deciding goal was a handball by Thierry Henry. But his French counterpart said the government should keep its nose out of footballing matters.

Today’s birthdays

Joe Biden, US vice-president, 71; Bo Derek, actress, 57; Eoin Reddan, rugby player (right), 33; Kimberley Walsh, singer (Girls Aloud), 32; Jared Followill, musician (Kings of Leon) 27.

CLOCkwORD

The solutions from 1 to 12 are all six-letter words ending with the letter N in the centre. Moving clockwise from 1, the letters in the outer circle will spell out the name of a sports personality. 1. Jacket 2. Asian sub-continental 3. Legendary wizard 4. Up to date 5. Peasant farmer 6. Native of Bonn, say

7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Keep Urge Allot Pests Football side Unexpected

Yesterday’s solution: David Cameron

Weather Weather Today

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EUROPE today

Tomorrow A cold, windy day but most areas will be dry with sunny spells. Just a few passing showers of rain, hail or sleet are possible in parts. Temperatures between 6°C to 8°C in fresh to strong northerly winds.

Barcelona

23 °c 13 °c

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Wednesday, November 20, 2013 METRO HERALD

From skinful to Eiffel Night on the tiles turns into a Triomphe for teenager Luke

What happened? Luke looks confused as he takes a selfie in front of the Eiffel Tower, and right, being plane stupid and snapchatting his mates from Paris PICTURES: CAVENDISH

NORMALLY when you get a cab home after a night out, your priority is stumbling through the front door without waking anyone up and collapsing into bed. But after clubbing in Manchester, Luke Harding had different ideas – and decided to book a last-minute flight to Paris alone. Once he dropped off his friend, the teenager told the taxi driver to take him to the airport. As his friends were nursing hangovers at home, the 19-yearold was asleep in a toilet at Charles de Gaulle airport. When the teenager began posting pictures from the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower, he became a Twitter sensation. Mr Harding, from Oldham, said: ‘It all started off going for a pint after work with one of my mates. Then one thing led to another and we decided to go to a nightclub. ‘We started to get a bit bored and wanted to head off home. The only thing was by this time we

by TARIQ TAHIR were well and truly plastered. I found my passport which I’d been using for ID and an app on my phone was saying something about cheap flights to Paris. ‘It was a spur of the moment thing and seemed like a good idea at the time.’ The one-day excursion, which cost him €360, saw him convince the taxi driver he was a junior doctor going to a convention. He also tried to act sober during check-in by speaking as little as possible. He added: ‘When I first woke up I didn’t know where I was. Then I remembered booking the flight – and thinking “oh s***”. ‘I rang my mum and said “don’t panic but can you pick me up at Manchester airport at 8pm?” Then I told her what I had done and she went mental at me.’ ‘It was great but it was bloody freezing. I don’t regret it. It’s a funny story to tell my mates for years to come,’ he said.

Waterford is all like ‘blaa, blaa, blaa’ as roll joins upper crust THE humble Waterford blaa has risen to the ranks of Champagne after being given new legal protection against imitators. A ruling by the EU means the floury bread roll – which can be soft or crusty – can be called by its famous name only if made in the south eastern county. Other delicacies already given protected geographical status against imposters by Brussels include Parma ham, Feta cheese

and Cornish pasties. More recently, Lough Neagh eels from Northern Ireland were inducted into the exclusive club. The Waterford blaa dates back to the arrival of French Huguenots escaping religious persecution during the 1690s. The unusual name is said to have derived from the term ‘blaad’, which the Huguenot bakers used to call leftover dough. Another theory suggests it comes from

the French word ‘blanc’, meaning white. Local legend has it that up to a third of the Waterford population eat a blaa every day, but its short shelf life has been blamed for its lack of popularity outside Waterford. Brian Hickey, of Hickey’s Bakery in Waterford – one of four bakeries who fought for the protected status, said there will a huge sense of pride around the city at the European honour.

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METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Irish Rail tweet shows no truck with cause of delays

Rail cause for concern: The tweet site to carry out an inspection. Following the crash, the company used Twitter to warn the driver that it has the vehicle’s details. ‘To the trucker who hit bridge, failed to report it & left scene: we have your reg & company you drive for. Talk soon, lots to discuss,’ it posted at 8.26am yesterday, before passing the details on to the Gardaí.

woman’s leap to avoid car in high-speed Garda chase A MAN who mounted a footpath during a high-speed car chase and forced a woman to jump out of the way has been jailed for four years. John Doran, 28, drove away from gardaí through crowded city streets and housing estates for over 15 minutes. At one point a speed of 110kph was recorded as Doran drove through Rathgar village. Louise Twomey was standing on a footpath when she saw the car mounting the footpath and coming straight at her. She told gardaí she had to jump into the nearby smoking area of a pub to avoid being struck. Doran, of Sandyford Road, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to endangerment at Rathgar on November 11, 2012. A charge of dangerous driving was

by DEcLAn bREnnAn also taken into consideration. He was serving two suspended sentences imposed at Bray and Arklow District Courts at the time of this offence. These sentences have since been re-activated. Judge Martin Nolan said this sentence must run consecutively to those terms. The judge also banned him from driving for four years. Garda Tony Collins had earlier told the court that the chase began when he spotted Doran breaking a red light at a busy junction outside Dolphin’s Barn, in Dublin’s south inner city. The court had also heard that Doran, a father of four, has 71 previous convictions, including 40 road traffic offences, four burglaries and nine thefts.

She jumped into a pub’s smoking area

ONE man was arrested yesterday after gardaí chased armed robbers who held up a bank. A handgun and cash was also recovered following the raid on the Bank of Ireland branch beside the Montrose Hotel opposite UCD. Two men threatened staff at the outlet at about 11.30am yesterday before fleeing in a car. A number of customers were in the branch at the time but no one was injured. The raiders dumped the car at the Seamount apartment complex in

Man arrested after armed bank hold-up Booterstown, where it was set ablaze. They made their getaway on a motorbike followed by gardaí. One man, in his 30s, came off the bike and was caught by officers. Gardaí are looking for the second man.

1 Picture: PA

THERE was no delay from Irish Rail yesterday… in tweeting a truck driver who caused a morning gridlock when he or she failed to stop after hitting a bridge in Dublin. ‘We have your reg… Talk soon, lots to discuss,’ was the ominous message left by the company on its Twitter account following the incident that delayed morning commuters for up to half an hour. The truck, which hit a bridge in Clontarf despite its height being sign-posted, allegedly left the scene without reporting the damage caused. Irish Rail said it was only notified of the incident by a Dublin City Council worker but were quickly on

wiLD AT HEART: Protesters outside the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin, where the Good Food Ireland Conference took place yesterday. Representatives from 12 organisations launched the Boycott Farmed Salmon for Christmas campaign in opposition to plans to expand salmon farming along the Irish coast

Hospitals warned over sweeteners for senior managers A QUARTER of health agencies or hospitals have overpaid senior managers and medics, breaching public service pay agreements, figures have revealed. Department of Health files from May showed Master of the Rotunda Hospital Dr Sam Coulter Smith was on €306,000, including a HSE salary of €236,000, €49,545 on-call allowance and a €20,000 top-up from the hospital’s private funds. Private funds of €45,000 were paid to Dr Rhona Mahony, master of the National Maternity Hospital, bringing her pay up to €281,000. Taoiseach Enda Kenny has warned the health agencies that executive pay

by SARAH STACK must not breach the salary cap. Just seven out of 44 institutions have confirmed they are in compliance with pay scales for senior managers, with 13 admitting non-compliance.

13 institutions confirmed

they are not in compliance with senior pay scales ‘We can’t have a situation where those on higher levels are in receipt of allowances outside the agreed public pay service scale,’ the Taoiseach said.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013 METRO HERALD

Ten years for stab attack in burglary

He said public pay service agreements cannot be breached by unapproved non-exchequer payments. ‘We cannot have a situation where some people appear to have received non exchequer top-up payments which, in some cases, amount to more than the basic salaries of those further down,’ said Mr Kenny. Health minister Dr James Reilly warned that action will be taken against health agencies that are not compliant with the public service pay policy. ‘If people aren’t compliant further action will have to be taken,’ he said.

cabiNeT move forWarD WiTh WorlD cup biD – p21

Top-up: Dr Rhona Mahony earned an extra €45,000

A KILDARE man who carried out a violent burglary which left a man blind in one eye has received a ten-year sentence. Mark Farrelly, 19, of Ballymany Mews, Newbridge, was one of two men who broke into a family home demanding money. A resident suffered a punctured lung and lost the sight in his left eye after being stabbed eight times during the burglary. Farrelly pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary at Rathmintin Crescent, Tallaght, on December 8, 2012. Farrelly, who has eight previous convictions, was on bail for another burglary committed on March 20, 2012, when arrested for the December 2012 incident.

70 horses impounded in Cork UP to 70 horses have been impounded following a crackdown on animal welfare in Cork city. Officials from the Department of Agriculture, gardaí and council chiefs seized the animals during an operation in an area known as Holly Hill. The horses will not be released unless

the owner can provide proof they have a passport, have paid the appropriate fees and have access to lands registered under equine regulations. More than 3,000 horses have been seized throughout the country so far this year, with almost 250 of them in the Cork area.

Picture: Jason clarke

Whizz kid

#loveclerys

Elle O’Neill, ten, and pupils from Saint Brigid’s Primary School, Haddington Road, joined quiz master RTÉ’s Marty Whelan to launch the annual credit union All Ireland Schools Quiz. See www. creditunion.ie

n Kieran Murphy has been confirmed as the third speaker at tonight’s Seven Deadly Skills talk on ‘greed’, organised by National College of Ireland in association with Metro Herald and Jacob’s Creek. The Murphy’s Ice Cream supremo is joined by Senator Mary Ann O’Brien of Lily O’Brien’s chocolates and cognitive behavioural therapy expert Veronica Walsh at 6pm this evening. A limited number of free places for the latest in this hugely popular series of talks aimed at students and professionals is still available but booking is essential on ncirl.ie.

METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 20, 2013

60 seconds Recently tipped to win an Oscar for 12 Years A Slave, MicHAEL FAssbEnDER, 36, now stars in Ridley Scott’s The Counsellor. He once wanted to be in a heavy metal band

Your character in The Counsellor is tempted by greed to act against his better judgment. How much does the theme resonate? In West-

headphones [laughs]. No, they’re both professionals at the top of their game and they’re really great people. Javier did joke around when we were doing rehearsals. He came back into the room and was like: ‘I forgot something.’ But those scenes are always awkward unless you’re both really into each other. The thing is to always make sure your partner in the scene is comfortable and doesn’t feel like you’re taking advantage of the space and the situation.

ern capitalism we have been sold the idea that happiness and success go hand in hand, so the objects you attain define you. If I have nice things, I’m going to be happier and people will respect me more and I will be more attractive. My character, The Counsellor, makes good money but is surrounded by people with Cormac McCarthy, the novvast amounts of money, so he elist, wrote the screenplay starts to be seduced by that. He for The Counsellor. Are you buys a ring for his fiancée [Pené- a fan? I was aware of his books lope Cruz] which he can’t but I’d never read any. I afford. He’s living outstarted The Road and side his means and I got halfway that leads him into through. Unless I I just love Ridley an area where he get through a has to comprobook in a couple to bits. He’s got a mise himself. of sittings, I am great way with not very successRidley Scott ful in finishing it, actors. He is fun directed you which is kind of and inspiring on Prometheus. embarrassing. And What was it I’m a slow reader on like working together top of that. But when I read again? It was great seeing lots of the script for The Counsellor, I familiar faces. Ridley works with was intrigued immediately. I an excellent crew, and I just love thought it was an original piece. him to bits. He’s got a great way with actors. He is fun and inspir- What was it like working ing. It’s something about that gen- on Steve McQueen’s 12 eration, Terrence Malick is the Years A Slave, which is same. They have great energy lev- bound to be up for Oscars, els and an industrious nature. I’m yourself included? The film always trying to keep up. is beautiful and it’s a really It must have been interest- important piece. I think Steve has made a masterwork and I’m ing doing the sex scene proud and very privileged to be a with Penélope Cruz, whose part of it. Whatever else happens husband Javier Bardem after that is a bonus. I try not to was also in the film… Javier think about awards. My work is was in the next room with the done. Everything else is gravy.

“

“AS IF MY PHONE CAN TELL WHEN THE NEXT BUS IS DUE.”

What does Ireland mean to you these days? Home, fam-

ily… although I’ve been in London for 17 years now. I left Ireland when I was 19. They’re kind of balancing each other out in terms of the amount of time I’ve spent in both places. But it’s always great to get back to see friends. I grew up in the countryside, I long for some countryside when I’m in a city for too long.

Was acting a dream as a child? No, I had no idea what I

wanted to do. I went through the gauntlet of the usual things, pilot, stuntman – a private investigator was a big one for a while.

Why did you start acting?

The dream was to be a musician in my teens, so I went at that quite hard. I wanted to play lead guitar in a heavy metal band and practised for two hours a day. Then my friend came round with his guitar and just blew me out of the room. I was like: ‘OK, well, he’s got what it takes. I don’t.’ Around that same time I did a couple of acting classes and liked it.

You work so much. Does your personal life take a back seat? It does. I took a year

off after Prometheus and before 12 Years A Slave, and now I’m on a run again. I’ll work until next October, then I’ll take another break. I’m trying to be as industrious as possible now while I’m getting the opportunities to work.

Elaine Lipworth The Counsellor is out now.

Rampage: Scandal-plagued Toronto mayor Rob Ford barges into Pam McConnell, a councillor in her 60s, as he runs toward hecklers in city hall PiCTuRe: AP

Drugs mayor goes berserk as city strips him of power SCANDAL-HIT mayor Rob Ford yesterday confessed he was receiving ‘professional help’ as he was stripped of his authority amid scenes of chaos. The 44-year-old was left with little more than his title after Toronto councillors voted overwhelmingly to slash his budget and relieve him of his staff. During a riotous meeting, Mr Ford, who has admitted to smoking crack cocaine, charged at hecklers, shouted at members of the public and knocked down a female councillor. He said the collision was accidental. Afterwards, Mr Ford suggested many councillors were guilty of the same behaviour that has led to his political downfall. Appearing on ABC’s Good Morning America yesterday, he said: ‘All they did was stab me in the back over issues, the same issues that I’ve admitted to that they do.’ Mr Ford said he was getting help from

by HAyDEn sMiTH ‘health care professionals’ and promised the public would see a difference in him in five months. ‘Do I excessively drink once in a while, or it’s called binge drinking, whatever term you want to use? Yes I have. I absolutely have,’ he said. Mr Ford has refused to resign since news reports emerged of him being caught on video smoking crack. The meeting to decide his fate descended into farce when Mr Ford clattered into councillor Pam McConnell, who is in her 60s. Visibly shaken, she said: ‘This is the seat of democracy. It is not a football field. Fortunately, the mayor’s staff stopped me from hitting my head against the wall.’ Mr Ford called the council’s move against him a ‘coup d’état’ and vowed ‘outright war’ against his critics in next year’s election.

Download the free Dublin Bus App today. Use live info to time your journeys perfectly.

Dozens trapped after shopping mall collapse AT LEAST one person was killed and dozens feared trapped under rubble after a soccer-pitch-sized section of a shopping mall under construction collapsed near the South African city of Durban yesterday. Witness Fiona Mooneal, who lives across a railway line from the site, was standing in her kitchen when the three-storey building collapsed as though it had been dynamited.

by zANDI SHAbALALA ‘It was just after 4.30. Suddenly about 200 metres of concrete slab just collapsed all at the same time. The screams of the guys, above all of that mad noise, you could still hear them,’ she told reporters. ‘It was like when you blow up a building, a bomb. That sound – it was terrible.’

World

It was not yet clear what caused the building in the town of Tongaat, 30km north of Durban, to collapse although Deputy Mayor Nomvuzo Shabalala said local authorities had attempted to halt construction on the site a month ago. Besides one confirmed death, 29 people, two of them in a critical condition, were rushed to nearby hospitals after the accident.

digest

Rainstorm leaves at least 17 people dead

ITALY: A freak torrential rainstorm has killed at least 17 people in Sardinia, wrecking bridges and sweeping away cars. Italian premier Enrico Letta declared a state of emergency and set aside €20m for emergency relief. The island received more than 17 inches of rain in 24 hours on Monday – half its usual annual rainfall. Olbia mayor Gianni Giovannelli said the city had been destroyed by the ‘apocalyptic’ storm.

Lights go out on Spider-Man AMERICA: The most expensive show in theatre history is closing after an ill-fated three years. SpiderMan: Turn Off The Dark, which cost €55million, will be performed for the final time on Broadway in January before a new version goes to Las Vegas. The musical by U2’s Bono and The Edge failed to recoup its costs, with bad reviews and injuries to several cast members.

Girl, 8, divorces husband of 14

INDIA: Children applaud a 250kg lavatory-shaped cake in New Delhi to mark World Toilet Day yesterday Picture: ePA/Str

and finally... CHINA: A woman tied 100 pairs of shoes to her bossy boyfriend’s car – because he told her to stop shopping. Lina Sun, from Wuchang, said Wan Li had no right to give her orders. ‘I’ll wear them all at some point,’ she said.

INDIA: A girl of eight has become one of the youngest ever divorcees after her marriage to a 14year-old boy was annulled. Fatima Mangre was married off by her father Anil at age four but when her husband’s family came for her last week, Mr Mangre realised ‘marrying off daughters so young was wrong’. Authorities are investigating the matter.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013 METRO HERALD

Shot boy’s body seen on Google Maps AN image of a murdered 14-year-old boy on Google Maps will be removed – but it could take eight days. The firm said it would make an ‘exception’ and update the satellite image, which shows the body of Kevin Barrera – who was

shot in 2009 – in North Richmond, California. His father Jose said: ‘When I see this image, that’s still like that happened yesterday.’ Google Maps vice president Brian McClendon said it was ‘working hard’ to remove the image.

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Bård from doing a Miley R

ing-dinging Ylvis crooner Vegard Ylvisåke reckons he’d have gone off the rails like Miley Cyrus if it wasn’t for his fellow foxy dressing brother Bård. The norwegian comedians shot to fame this summer with their ridiculous dance track The Fox after clocking up 230million views on YouTube and they have now become a hit with the biggest babes in pop. ‘i would have been Miley Cyrus if it wasn’t for him,’ Vegard, 34, told guilty Pleasures, saying his little

by SEAMUS DUFF brother keeps him grounded. ‘i would be Male-y Cyrus.’ Although they are managing to keep clear heads while their bonkers music takes the world by storm, the boys agree they feel a certain pressure to be sexy – like Cyrus – following their step into the limelight. ‘We wouldn’t have done the fox costumes if we weren’t really under the pressure to be sexy,’ Bård, 31, joked. ‘We are walking around in the world

now feeling objectified,’ Vegard concurred, adding: ‘We were at the [MTV] EMAs walking around with a small entourage. ‘Even the people expecting us were saying “We’ve heard Ylvis are coming, the fox guys. We’re excited!” ‘We were practically invisible but when we put on the fox costumes right before the gig everyone realised who the lame guys laying around on the couch were. Katy Perry passed us and said “Ring-a-ding-a-ding” and Miley Cyrus came running at us, hugging us.

it’s really absurd,’ Bård added. With other novelty acts – such as Psy, The Cheeky girls, Lou Bega – disappearing as quickly as they appear, Ylvis are not worried about their own bubble bursting. ‘We will just keep on doing what we have been doing. Of course the surroundings have changed a great deal, but for us nothing has changed that much,’ Bård said. ‘We are just going to retire to norway and start hunting,’ Vegard Fox track: Ylvis laughed.

is love in the air for jungle Joey? IT’S only been a couple of days but could things be about to turn steamier in the jungle? I’m A Celebrity... hosts Ant & Dec reckon they have detected serious ‘sexual tension’ between Joey Essex and Amy Willerton. Towie star Essex, 23, was seen to close his eyes in undisguised pleasure as he received a shoulder and neck massage from the former Miss Universe Great Britain. With a big smile on his face, he told the 23-year-old, ‘you’re quite good at this,’ before confessing in the Bush Telegraph, ‘it’s nice, really nice, getting a massage off a beauty queen’. Ant & Dec are confident the duo’s flirtation is blossoming into something special. ‘I definitely think that something could happen between Amy and Joey,’ Ant said. ‘We wouldn’t normally say this but we

haven’t had a jungle romance for quite a few years. We would all love a jungle romance to happen – and this year is the only time in the last few series that it’s a possibility.’ His partner in crime Dec added: ‘They are subconsciously attracted to each other.’ Unable to resist a tongue-in-cheek remark, he added: ‘They are the same age, they have the same colour teeth, they have the same colour tan and they have the same wavy hair.’ Not everyone is impressed. Olympic double gold medallist Rebecca Adlington, 24, said it was like ‘watching porn with my parents’. Meanwhile, it was a rematch between Essex and Channel 5 host Mark Wright (inset) in the second bushtucker trial. They were buried up to their necks by mealworms, crickets, millipedes, soldier crabs and cockroaches in giant hour-glasses. The winner will be revealed on tonight’s episode, on 3e at 9pm.

ON THE RUN: UK boy band The Wanted were in HMV at Dundrum Town Centre yesterday for a meet and greet with fans and to sign copies of their new album Word Of Mouth. They were later seen leaving the Westbury Hotel where they were mobbed by teenage girls Picture: SaSko Lazarov

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James Arthur may have left Twitter in disgrace but he still has plenty of fans left after going down a storm in Poland. The 25-year-old singer was mobbed when far more fans than expected turned up to a signing

Wednesday, November 20, 2013 METRO HERALD

session. ‘Mayhem ensued’, according to a witness, who said ambulances had to be called after fans fainted. It will be a welcome boost to Arthur, who quit Twitter after a homophobic slur to rap rival Micky Worthless.

Gary: I’m in awe of Elton G

Dream team: Elton and Gary

ARy BARloW says recording a duet with Elton John is as quick as making a microwave meal. The X Factor judge was left gobsmacked when the Rocket Man agreed to team up with him to record Face To Face on his new solo album, Since I Saw you last. ‘I called him and said I am going to

by ANDREI HARMSWORTH email you this song. literally, within an hour he was back saying let’s book a studio, let’s get in there and do it,’ Barlow told me. ‘What was great with him was that I got three hours, which in a diary as busy as Elton’s is a lifetime! ‘He did the vocals in about ten min-

utes. I’m in awe of him, a true legend.’ And he says the multi-tasking 66-yearold knows how to kill two birds with one stone after they recorded the video at the same time. ‘Some people do those fake recording studio videos but this really was the real thing,’ said Barlow. The 42-year-old Take That front man says the powerhouse track will give him

Bieber’s stripper ipper soirée with a €2m secret et sign He apparently asked guests to sign a €2.2million confidentiality agreement – and now details of Justin Bieber’s party have emerged, we can see why. Strippers, naked beer pong and police complaints were all part of the 19-year-old’s Great Gatsbythemed party in Brazil last Friday. One girl claimed to have scrambled together €950 from the floor after

the perfect ammunition to take down his old bandmate Robbie Williams when his album is released on Monday. ‘Well, we have got a funny situation this year because my album is released a week after his,’ said Barlow. ‘I’ve written a song on his record and he’s written on my record and so it’s professional rivalry really and it doesn’t go any further than that.’

Ora back Or tr on track after her collapse

the singer rained 10,000 one-dollar bills overr his audience in a particularly crass example of his wealth. Police weree called three times, according to TMZ, while guests such I. and Chris Brown as Snoop Lion, T.I. ee open bars. But were treated to three Latin Americans can breathe a sigh elief today as Biebs heads off for of relief orld tour. the Pacific leg of his world

★

Elizabeth Banks wants to see a musical version ersion of The Hunger Games. ersion of the The 39-year-old is convinced an all-singing, all-dancing version omewhere. But film would be a hit. ‘I’m sure someone is thinking about it somewhere. sure! Anything can work,’ said Banks, who also starred in and produced musical comedy Pitch Perfect.

Rita Ora has been gi given the all-clear by doctors after she collapsed on the set of a photo shoot and tak to hospital. The Radioactive singer was was taken pr preparing to strik strike some poses during an ad for Madonna’ Material Girl clothing line when she fell Madonna’s ill in Miami Beach, Florida. She was carried on a str fr stretcher from her trailer to an ambulance but later made a full rrecovery. ‘Rita Ora was treated for heat exhaustion and deh dehydration. She was discharged fine, said a spokesman for Mount Sinai and is fine,’ Medical Center Center. Ora – who wished her brother a happy birthday on Twitter hours before her ordeal no been admitted to hospital on Monday – has now y twice this year. Illness has also interrupted Ora’s se schedule several times. In August, the 22-year-old Londoner was fforced to cancel concerts during f a throat and lung infection. treatment for

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Old friends: Surviving Pythons at a 40th birthday bash for the group in New York in 2009 Picture: aP by TARiq TAHiR NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition – and few would have predicted the return of Monty Python. But the legendary comedy group have sprung a surprise by revealing they will reform for a stage show. They are to announce details of the production tomorrow, following months of secret talks. But the news leaked out early after Eric Idle tweeted: ‘Make sure Python fans are alerted to the big forthcoming news event.’ It prompted Terry Jones to confirm the reunion, saying: ‘We’re getting together and putting on a show – it’s real. I’m quite excited about it. I hope it makes us a lot of money. I hope to be able to pay off my mortgage!’ The return of the group will delight devotees of their TV show Monty Python’s Flying Circus, which first ran from 1969 to 1974. Their blend of silliness and historical parody – including the take on Spain’s Roman Catholic enforcers – made them a cult favourite with generations of younger fans. The Dead Parrot sketch, containing the immortal line ‘it’s not dead, it’s resting’, was so widely known

And now for something else for reunited Pythons Heyday: From back... Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, John Cleese and Michael Palin in 1969, the year the show first aired Picture: allstar collection/BBc

that it was adapted it for one of Margaret Thatcher’s speeches. The comeback looks certain to be a money-spinner for Idle, 70, Jones, 71, John Cleese, 74, Terry Gilliam, 72, and Michael Palin, 70. It comes after they were ordered to pay £200,000 (€240,000) to the producer of their 1975 film Monty Python And The Holy Grail – the

inspiration for the hit stage show Spamalot. It also emerged this year that Cleese is selling artworks to help fund his €14million divorce payout to Alyce Eichelberger. The five Pythons last performed together in 1998, at the Aspen Comedy Festival in Colorado, US. Sixth member Graham Chapman died in 1989.

Fancy bagging yourself some slick and stylish clobber from PENNEYS just in time for Kitschmas? Whether you’re planning the cheesiest of Christmases this year or one that is super slick and stylish, Penneys has something to suit all tastes and eccentricities. With a host of Christmas jumpers for mums, dads, kids and even cats and dogs, they'll ensure you have a very merry 'kitschmas' indeed. And with everything from dresses to jumpsuits, heels to hair accessories, the fashion offering for both men and women will see you through the 12 days of Christmas with style!

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Zoo lion kills lioness Rosy cheeks a red as families look on flag for drinkers ZOO chiefs in Texas say they are at a loss to explain why a lioness was killed by a lion in front of horrified families. Five-year-old Johari was bitten on the neck after being approached by two lions at Dallas Zoo on Sunday afternoon. ‘The male lion that started it just had his mouth over her throat, and everyone thought they were playing at first,’ Michael Henshaw said. ‘But then they could see she was struggling.’ Zoo staff were seen throwing meat at the lions to try to distract them, and eventually security moved people away and closed off a restaurant with windows overlooking the lions exhibit. The zoo says the aggressive lions have not been put down.

TURNING rosy-faced after a glass or two of alcohol is a sign of hypertension and high blood pressure, new research has found. And five drinks a week is enough to do the damage which is caused by an inability to break down the acetaldehyde contained in alcohol. People who don’t turn red after indulging can have eight drinks a week without greatly increasing their risk of hypertension, claim the researchers. ‘Hypertension associated with drinking has a lower threshold value and higher risk in flushers than in non-flushers,’ said Dr Jong Sung Kim from Chungnam National University in South Korea. The study made adjustments to take into account people’s ages, how often they exercised and whether they smoked or were overweight.

Terms and Conditions: The competition closes at Midnight Friday 22nd November 2013. The winner will be chosen from the entries received and notiﬁed by telephone or email. Entrants must be over 18 years old. Usual Metro Herald rules apply. The Editor's decision is ﬁnal.

12 METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 20, 2013

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mail@metroherald.ie Text: @metrohnews and Facebook: #metromailbox

‘Mail’ to 53131* Facebook.com/ metroherald

Oh what fun it is to ride the musical southbound trains...

had immense fun playing Musical Southbound trains at Connolly yesterday morning. This was due to a ‘bridgehit’ at Clontarf Road. It was so much fun seeing who would get there first; the eager worker, the student, the older man or the pregnant woman. And then the look on their faces when their first train departed, before the one that they had raced to. Priceless. Hint: Announcing the next train in a southbound direction, or clearly reassuring people that their train will depart next, might help. As opposed to needlessly sending a crowd hurtling though the underpass and along the platforms. PS: Never bet on a student. Bob Annaliffia (Find out what happened on Page 4) ■ I know this has been a frequent topic of debate for quite some time, but my frustration with Irish Rail reached boiling point this morning.

TREnDIng

*Please include a name and location. Texts cost €0.30 per message + standard network charges. SP. Oxygen8 Communications, 4th Floor, Malt House North, Grand Canal Quay, D2. Customer service number 0818286606

Quick pic SPIKY SIGHTING: No, it’s not a back garden visitor looking for some warm milk before he hibernates for the winter. This is Ozu, an African pygmy hedgehog, who arrived in Ireland with his owner José Rodriguez earlier this year. Send your photos to pictures@ metroherald.ie with ‘Quick pic’ as the subject and we will print the best each day in the paper

After arriving at Connolly Station ten minutes early for my train I proceeded to have to wait 35 minutes before it arrived... at the wrong platform. Not only did the muffled announcement give all us eejits thinking we’d be on time for work about two minutes to get over to the other platform, but when we arrived, it was a short train with very few carriages meaning that, of the few who made it to the platform, about a quarter managed to squeeze themselves in, while the rest of us waited there in awe for the next delayed train. The situation with Irish Rail has become worse and worse over the last couple of months and I have to beg the question, what are they going to do about it because, from what I’ve gathered calling them to enquire, they seem to take no responsibility? Fed up at Connolly ■ I don’t know if ye have a lost and found section (not anymore, total nightmare – Ed.), but a slightly tipsy busker left his guitar in

Clearys Pharmacy on Talbot Streeton on Sunday November 10, and we think he may have forgotten where he left it. Can you please put some sort of announcement in your paper to tell him we’re keeping it safe? Clearys staff

gOOD On yA

■ Now they are going to demolish the ghost estates and the ghosts will be homeless. There is a housing shortage, so why demolish these estates? It’s wanton vandalism – you don’t wreck assets. Grizzly, D15 ■ I got a text on my phone the other day to say I was ready to receive a tax refund payment from www.itcexpress.net and I was given a specially assigned validation code to be eligible. I went onto the website and it looked identical to the Revenue website, but before I did anything else, I rang the Revenue and was told that the website was fraudulent and not to go any further. I just wanted to warn anyone else who receives these texts to delete them. Tarah P Bissette

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Wednesday, November 20, 2013 METRO HERALD

Blue belle It was one of the most controversial winners of the Palme d’Or and now the sexually graphic Blue Is The Warmest Colour opens in Ireland. Actress Léa Seydoux tells Stephen Applebaum how she coped while filming

he first time I met Lea Seydoux, at 2012’s London Film Festival, the busy French star was nervously ‘looking forward’ to watching Blue Is The Warmest Colour. Making the loose adaptation of Julie Maroh’s graphic novel about a high schooler’s (Adele exarchopolous) lesbian love affair with an older, bluehaired art student (Seydoux), had been ‘extremely difficult’, she said, describing the three-hour, intimately photographed drama’s explicit – and by now notorious – sapphic sex scenes as ‘humiliating’ and ‘gross’ to shoot. ‘You have to be out of your body. It’s too difficult,’ she sighed. Almost a year to the day on, we’re talking on the phone as Seydoux is tiedup filming a biopic of Yves Saint Laurent in Paris. It is fair to say that a lot has happened in the 12 months since we spoke. Blue premiered to (almost) universal acclaim at Cannes, where it made festival history when a jury led by Steven Spielberg awarded the Palme

d’Or jointly to the actresses and the film’s Tunisian-French director, Abdellatif Kechiche. Publicly, there were smiles and tears of joy. But, as my interview last year revealed, they weren’t the whole story. So it wasn’t long before comments made by Seydoux and exarchopolous to journalists about Kechiche’s gruelling working methods ignited an ugly spat with the film-maker. Seydoux complained that she was made to feel like a ‘prostitute’. Kechiche, meanwhile, told France’s Telerama magazine that the film shouldn’t be released because it had been ‘sullied’ by the controversy, and more recently appeared to threaten legal action against the actress. In truth, Seydoux knew Blue would be hard. When she met Kechiche to discuss the project, he asked her to read the graphic novel first. ‘he wanted to see if I was okay with all the scenes,’ she says, ‘and I was.’ Seydoux felt scared, but this was normal. Despite being handpicked by Woody Allen for

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14 METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 20, 2013

cover story

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Midnight In Paris, and by Tom Cruise for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, ‘I’m never sure of myself,’ the 28-year-old confesses. ‘I always feel like I’m starting from zero. And sometimes, I’m like, “No, Lea. Don’t forget that you’ve worked with Woody

features@metroherald.ie to advertise, call 01 7055010

Allen, de-dah, de-dah, de-dah.” But I’m just always so scared, and I have to hope I will be able to do it.’ Even so, she likes the idea of taking risks. When Blue came along, ‘I wanted to go far in a character’, she says. ‘I wanted to, like, explore and expose myself... And even the sex scenes, I wanted to experience how it would be to shoot things like that.’

EyDoux had limits, though. She told Kechiche that she wouldn’t smoke real cigarettes, because she had recently quit, and wouldn’t wear her own clothes or allow him to change her character’s name to Lea. (‘It’s not possible. I need to have a distance.’) Thereafter, his word was absolute. ‘you have to give everything. And if you don’t give everything, you’re fired.’ She was expecting to be challenged, but ‘I didn’t know that he was totally, totally obsessed by the film’, Seydoux says. ‘He could do scenes 200 times, and I didn’t know that.’ An extended sex scene between the actresses reportedly took ten days to shoot. They weren’t completely naked, though, despite appearances. ‘We had pretend p*****s,’ she says, giggling. ‘So it was easier because it was like protection between us, and made the scenes more comfortable.’ All the while, Kechiche was trying to make the actors lose

ABOUT TOwn TALK Tenement Life In Dublin Historian and Darkest Dublin author Chris Corlett delivers a lecture on the relaities of tenement life in Dublin, with particular emphasis on the 1913 Church Street disaster which left seven dead and hundreds more homeless Tonight, Little Museum, 15 St Stephen’s Green D2, 7pm, €9. Tel: (01) 661 1000. www.littlemuseum.ie

CONCERT The Lumineers This Denver group – who sound uncannily like Mumford & Sons – bring their insistent rustic rock to the O2 tomorrow. Expect hand-clapping and foot-stomping aplenty when they play their mega-hit Ho Hey, alongside other folkpop singalongs Tomorrow, The O2, East Link Bridge, North Wall Quay D1, 6.30pm, €34.50. Tel: 0818 719 300. www.thelumineers.com

Working closely: Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos at Cannes to promote Blue Is The Warmest Colour (left), and as the two female leads in the film (above) themselves, to create the feeling that everything in the film is happening in the moment. ‘That’s what I love about his cinema,’ Seydoux admits. ‘It’s not a fabrication; it’s just like how it is.’ However, it put her in conflict with herself. ‘I had to be the character and give everything, and at the same time I had to protect myself. It was a contradiction. It was like an existentialist experience.’ The actresses became increasingly exhausted by the constant repetitions and Kechiche’s demands for realism. The toughest part, says Seydoux, was never knowing how long filming was going to last. ‘Kechiche has tons of ideas, so he was like, “Now we will try to shoot this and that.” He even wanted to go to New york, I remember, and do some scenes,’ she reveals, laughing. ‘We couldn’t see the end. It was always “ok, we’re going to push the shooting. It’s going to be one month more.” And then it was two. Then three. We didn’t know.’

HOT TIckETS Re-energised Brit altrockers Editors shed both their former lead guitarist, Chris Urbanowicz, and their synth-heavy sound on this year’s The Weight Of Your Love LP. The results see the Brummie outfit very much back on form Tonight, Olympia Theatre, 72 Dame Street D2, 7.30pm, €33. Tel: 0818 719 300. www.mcd.ie

✹

We have TWO pairs of tickets to see Editors tonight, The Olympia, 7.30pm For your chance to win, just answer the question below and text LIFE followed by your full answer, e-mail address and name to 53133 (texts cost €0.60 + standard network charge). Q Complete the title of the Editors single, Smokers Outside The... A Hospital Doors B Nicotine Factory

win

Terms & Conditions: The competition closes at noon today. The winner(s) will be chosen at random from the entries received and notified by e-mail. Entrants must be over 18 years of age. Usual Metro Herald rules apply. The editor’s decision is final. By entering this competition you agree to sign up to the Metro Herald promotions list – to opt out text NOMETRO to 51155. SP. Oxygen8, 4th Floor, Malt House North, Grand Canal Quay D2. Customer service number: 0818 286 606.

Filming eventually lasted five-and-a-half months, during which time they had to put their outside lives and friendships on hold. Did Seydoux ever feel like quitting? ‘Sometimes, yes. But I spent one year with the director, I cut my hair, I dyed my hair, and I gave my time and my heart. So once you have given your heart and you’re totally involved, it’s difficult to leave a project.’ ultimately, the piece of art is what matters. And while Seydoux has reservations about the way Blue Is The Warmest Colour was made, she is justifiably pleased with the outcome. ‘I’m happy that the film exists, and I’m happy that the film had the success [in Cannes]. I’m happy about the work Abdell and I did. That’s what I’m happy for now. We worked for that. We worked hard for the film.’ Blue Is The Warmest Colour opens on Friday as part of the Carte Noire IFI French Film Festival on Friday. www.ifi.ie

OUT OF THE BLUE What’s all the fuss about? Critics adored this three-hour exploration of teenage sexuality at Cannes – Steven Spielberg’s jury awarded it the Palme d’Or. But the graphic, full-frontal lesbian sex scenes – one of which goes on for nearly eight minutes – raised eyebrows. The New York Times criticised the way director Abdellatif Kechiche ogled his nubile stars with his hand-held camera, saying: ‘The camera and its misuses… could fill pages.’ Julie Maroh, French author of the original graphic novel, blogged that its adaptation was ‘a brutal and surgical display of socalled lesbian sex, which turned into porn’. The crew who worked on the film alleged Kechiche violated

union codes with ‘workdays of 16 hours reported as eight’ and a ‘bullying’ atmosphere on set. About three months after smiling on the red carpet at Cannes, the film’s young female stars Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux (pictured left with Kechiche) spoke out about the ‘horrible’ conditions of their gruelling shoot in an interview with the Daily Beast, in particular the sex scenes where, they revealed, fake genitals where used. ‘Most people wouldn’t even dare to ask the things that he [Kechiche] did,’ said Exarchopoulos. The film is rated 18 here and in the USA – it’s a 12 in France. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

home cinema eddie izzaRd: foRce majeuRe (15A)

Pacific Rim (12A)

DVD, Blu-ray, DVD, VoD

HHH✩✩

Pitting giant robots against massive monsters, Pacific Rim is Guillermo del Toro’s love letter to Japanese disaster flicks. It’s set in the near future and sees Earth under attack from gigantic alien creatures – prompting mankind to fight back with a series of equally gigantic machines that are controlled by two mentally-connected human pilots. Playing out like Godzilla meets Transformers, the result is huge in scale and often spectacular. Boasting impressive effects work, the heavy-metal dust-ups are a visual treat and creatively designed, easily surpassing anything in Michael Bay’s lumbering robot trilogy. Yes, the skyscraper-sized scraps begin to feel repetitive towards the end, but they also carry a genuine sense of weight and heft. It’s a shame, then, that the same can’t be said about the B-movie story or characters. Siobhán Murphy

easy money (15A)

DVD, Blu-ray, VoD

HHHH✩

Swedish hit film Easy Money has already spawned two sequels in its home country – and a Hollywood remake with Zac Efron is on the way. You can see the appeal: this hightension, Stockholmunderworld thriller – sleeker than the best-selling novel it’s adapted from – follows one man’s increasingly desperate high-wire act as he tries to get his hands on the prize of the film’s title. JW (charismatically played by Joel Kinnaman) is an impoverished MBA student who scrapes funds together by driving cabs in order to pass himself off as part of Stockholm’s rich-set. But his hunger for more money sets him on a fateful collision course with two other characters – an escaped Chilean convict with big-time drug connections and family concerns, and a ruthless Serbian gangster with childcare issues – and caught in an amoral scramble where putting your trust in anyone is always misguided and loved ones are a liability. SM

DVD, Blu-ray

HHHH✩

Even at 51, Eddie Izzard isn’t short of grand ambitions. The title of this show means ‘acts of god’, the global tour it was part of was billed as the most extensive ever. Its themes cover deities, mythologies, ancient civilisations and centuries of history. Izzard even wants to run for London mayor in 2020, which would be bad news for selfish comedy fans (only six more years worth of silly), but exciting news generally. So here it is, suited up like Steed from Avengers (but in Cuban heels), and displaying charisma enough to captivate the aircraft hanger that is London’s 02 arena. As usual the committed Europhile provides some political bite to the fun. The fizzing intelligence that underpins it all, and the bumbling but fast-paced rhythm, render it as exhilarating as ever –- as Christmas pressies with smarts go, this one’s a force to be reckoned with. SM

Five films to see at the cinema

1 2

Don Jon Joseph Gordon-Levitt (pictured right with Scarlett Johansson) proves he can do more than just act by writing and directing this smart, funny romcom about how internet porn is messing with our love lives.

Gravity Ever dreamed of space travel? This is the closest you’ll get. Bob along with George Clooney and Sandra Bullock in zero gravity in this must-see 3D hit.

Philomena Judi Dench forms the perfect, if unlikely, double act with Alan Partridge’s alter ego Steve Coogan in this true laughs’n’tears story about the quest to find a long-lost child.

Captain Phillips Tom Hanks is an Oscar nomination cert in this pulsepounding Somali pirate thriller directed by Paul Greengrass. ass.

Looking ahead SAvinG Mr BAnkS Emma Thompson is the no-nonsense real-life author of Mary Poppins and Tom Hanks is Walt Disney, trying to smarm the rights out of her, in this hilarious-looking heart-warmer. Out nov 29.

The Counsellor ellor Pretentious tious twaddle or misunderstood masterpiece? Brad Pitt (pictured above), Michael Fassbender and Cameron Diaz lead an A-list ensemble in ridley Scott’s critic-dividing drug thriller penned by Cormac McCarthy.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013 METRO HERALD

gig TELEviSiOn Their influence on the post-punk landscape is undeniable, but New York’s legendary rockers are still more discussed than widely heard. Originally, Television’s key players, Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, formed the band in 1973 but after two albums, the fluid and angular classic Marquee Moon and 1978’s lusher but still marvellous Adventure, it was all over. It wasn’t until 1992 that Verlaine reconvened Television with a patchy, but presentable, eponymous album. As such, the opportunity to clean up during the guitar-friendly grunge years was wasted. It was all short-lived – the following year Television were no more. By the new millennium, though, the musical climate would prove more fruitful for Verlaine’s seminal outfit. The reissue market has boomed for thirtysomethings with disposable incomes: ‘classic’ bands from the 1970s occupy the type of respectable middlebrow ground once populated by jazz greats. This is a great opportunity to hear Television’s glacial guitarscapes in action. Verlaine and Lloyd’s interaction is a thing of taut splendour. At best, Television blur the lines between angular rationality and mystical wonderment, uptight new wave and free-flowing improv. No one sounded like them in 1977 and no one sounds quite like them today. Tomorrow, Vicar Street, 58-59 Thomas Street D8, 8pm, €32. Tel: 0818 719 300. www.vicarstreet.ie

Siobhán Murphy

16 METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 20, 2013

television my top five films

Downton Abbey star Laura Carmichael ANNie HAll

This is one of my alltime favourites. I think Woody Allen (left) is a genius and particularly in this film: it’s stylish, funny and heart-warming. Just the perfect movie, really.

BAcKcHAt WitH JAcK WHiteHAll AND His DAD BBC3, 10pm Matt Lucas has had his mum on his show, so comedians bringing a parent on board to share the presenting load is not entirely unprecedented. And the son-and-father team of Jack and Michael Whitehall has already been successfully road-tested on Million Pound Drop and live comedy shows. But a chat show is a tough act to pull off, so it will be interesting to see if the pair’s fractious but affectionate relationship works its magic and gets their guests to open up. First to submit to a Whitehall grilling are Jeremy Paxman – on the receiving end for once – and new EastEnder Danny Dyer.

film of tHe DAy the iRon lady, film4, 9pm Meryl Streep (right) rightly won every award going for her turn as Margaret Thatcher. And if the film itself is less of a storming triumph, there’s a lot of fun to be had spotting the likes of Richard E Grant popping up as Michael Heseltine or Olivia Colman as Carol Thatcher. This starts with Maggie in her final years, doddering and bewildered in her Belgravia flat with a poignancy that could almost make an ex-miner feel a bit sorry for her. The story then flashes back to her early years as a young MP-in-waiting – often the only female in a world of men – whose dedication to serving her country meant her family often came second. Jim Broadbent as Denis is the total joy you’d expect.

tHe lioN KiNG

I am obsessed with this. Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary Crawley) has never seen it and I’m like: ‘That’s probably one of the best films of all time!’ I remember going to see it at the cinema – I’m a big Disney fan.

All ABoUt my motHeR

I am a big fan of Pedro Almodóvar, too: in this film he manages to be both funny and moving, and he works with these amazing women. I met him recently and I nearly cried.

BReNDAN GRAce: tHe iNteRvieW tv3, 9pm

KRAmeR vs KRAmeR

I love the performances from Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep. But, then, I could watch anything with Meryl Streep in; she is a bit of a hero of mine.

Veteran comedian Brendan Grace chats to Nora Owen in this special which takes in his 40-plus years in the entertainment business, from his days in Ireland’s showbands to his sell-out shows across the world. Brendan and his wife Eileen talk about their family life in Florida and his on-going battle with diabetes. With his character Bottler returning as a cartoon (TV3, 9pm Friday) reveals how a chance encounter with the then Minister for Finance Charlie Haughey led to a court case and ultimately a friendship. He reminisces about entertaining and getting a standing ovation from iconic stars like Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Liza Minnelli.

tRUly mADly Deeply

tHe UNDeRDoGs RtÉ2, 9.55pm

DoctoRs oN cAll RtÉ1, 8.30pm

In a world dogged by corruption and drug scandals, RTÉ 2FM’s Paddy McKenna takes a look at the unsung heroes of sports, the underdogs who triumph against the odds to overcome disability and challenge prejudice. Among those profiled are Ciara Staunton from the Irish Wheelchair Rugby team, Ronan Herlihy from gay football team the Dublin Devils and Karl O’Sullivan from the Irish Homeless team.

On tonight’s show, GP Ciara Kelly talks to author Yvonne Joye about her treatment for cancer and Dr Terry tackles the second of his Big 6: COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which affects almost 400,000 people in Ireland. Dr Johnny checks out the hospitals of the future and a vital stats ID bracelet, while Paul heads to the Moynalty drama group with the Happy Pear twins to see if a vegan diet can reduce cholesterol.

Fashion icons unveil new box collection for sky To bring a bit of magic this Christmas, Sky has launched a range of limited edition Sky+HD 2TB boxes with built-in Wi-Fi, for easier access to TV Box sets of the latest and greatest shows via On Demand, designed by fashion icons Roland Mouret, Giles Deacon, Sophie Dahl and Kit Neale. The exclusive range brings to life our love of TV, with each box inspired by the designer’s favourite genre of programme.

Sky has partnered with the Metro Herald to offer readers the chance to win one of three exclusive designer boxes. To enter, just email the answer to the question, along with your name, address and telephone number to comps@metroherald.ie

Terms and Conditions: The competition closes at Midnight Wednesday 20th November 2013. Sky subscription required to utilise box. The winner will be chosen from the entries received and notified by telephone or email. Entrants must be over 18 years old. Usual Metro Herald rules apply. The Editor's decision is final.

A really beautiful British film with, again, stunning performances from Alan Rickman and Juliet Stevenson (right). I saw it many years ago,, then a ears couple of years ched ago I watched it again with my sisters and my mum. It was one of those comedy moments wheree the film ends and we ng for were still crying a good 20 minutes. Downton Abbey series four is out now on DVD and Blu-ray.

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Wednesday, November 20, 2013 METRO HERALD

Liana Miuccio

Religion’s fear factor Belief is a feeling as much as anything. The details don’t matter as much as one thinks. I never use the word faith – I just happen not to believe in any of it.

English Passengers author Matthew Kneale, 52, bares his soul to explain why an atheist novelist would write a non-fiction history of religion. By Ben Felsenburg

My father’s mother would go to church but I think she just liked the singing. My father [Nigel Kneale, who wrote Quatermass] was never a believer. I was brought up an atheist. My mother [children’s author, Judith Kerr, 90] was German-Jewish but my father, who was from the Isle of Man, knew more about Judaism than she did.

language is extraordinary and the bizarre images have haunted people for 2,000 years.

A scientific approach often leads people to dismiss religion as an irrelevance whereas I think it’s fascinating and dangerous to ignore. It’s deeply embedded in our understanding of the world. I think of religion as humankind’s greatest imaginative project. The Book of Daniel is like something out of a modern special effects film. The

Living in Rome helped. I started reading about the city’s history and that took me on to early Christianity. When we moved to Rome we thought it would be fun to stay for about a year – that was about ten years ago. In a way, the book is one writer’s response to other writers. All the fiction writing the world has ever seen is rather a poor effort compared with the religious works of the past few thousand years. My profession very much started out of religion – the stories that were told but also in the writing.

It’s incredible how much the peoples of the Americas came up with the same ideas as those in Africa and Eurasia. If you fear that your crops will fail, you’ll come up with roughly the same kinds of approaches, the same kinds of gods, the same kinds of people trying to please the gods. Before the invention of paradise, there was a miserable underworld but that was all. There was far less interest in the after-life. Life was so alarming and precarious that people wanted only to focus on getting through the next few weeks. With the invention of heaven, there was greater optimism in the air. People’s lives were getting a bit better, so they could worry about death. They had a bit more time and a bit less fear and could actually look beyond their lives.

Fascinating subject: Matthew Kneale says it is dangerous to ignore religion Unless disaster strikes, secularism will continue to be on the rise around the world. People’s views are becoming more complex and that will continue to grow as they are educated and have greater confidence in their lives. Religion tends to do better in times of great uncertainty and fear. New religions will still emerge.

The need will always be there for as long as I can imagine. They may be smaller but they’ll continue to reflect people’s fears and preoccupations in the same way they always have.

An Atheist’s History Of Belief: Understanding Our Most Extraordinary Invention by Matthew Kneale (Bodley Head) is out now

ROSS MCDONAGH finds the memorial service of late Simpsons voice-over artist Marcia Wallace is a real casket of laughs…

cast and crew from their Treehouse Of ’M standing right beside Matt Groening at Mulholland Tennis Club horror pseudonyms) to take the mic. It is a curious thing to watch someone so during what can only be described as quiet and deadpan discuss how much the funniest funeral I have ever been affection and respect they have for to. And with the motto of someone so apparently frenetic and hyper Springfield’s funeral home The Lucky – think Jack Dee describing Jedward – but Stiff being ‘We put the fun in funeral’, replacing the cynicism with love. his they might have put this together. It’s monotone, almost dreary, but doubtlessly actually a memorial service for the late, sincere description of how unnerved great Marcia Wallace – known to generations as edna Krabappel he was facing the ballistics of Marcia’s animated greetings – who sadly passed away last had the room in tears: ‘To month. me, it meant I was under People aren’t politely Her philosophy internal pressure to stifling embarrassed about laughing was great react some laughter either – they that no situation way… Decent are throwing their heads manners back and guffawing. It was so serious that prescribed that seems not even death it couldn’t be I could not get can stop this woman away with being from being hilarious. laughed at as socially Tales as touching as they maladroit as my are hysterical have already nature dictated. come from her surviving sister and brother as well as Bob Newhart, ‘I would spend a minute before whose eponymous show she starred in for opening the stage door to take a six years. Then it’s the turn of Simpsons breath and get my head up, and producer James L Brooks, or ‘hell my big move was to beat her to Brooks’ (I always remembered Simpsons the greeting. So I would say:

“

“hey Marcia, good to see you”.’ Brooks recalls the greeting with all the surface emotion he is probably capable of mustering, which is a half notch up from sleepy. ‘And, of course, it always was truly good to see her – but once I said it with some voice behind it, she immediately and instinctively retaliated, with thermonuclear warmth. ‘She laughed at this – I guess because of me coming out of my shell. And that made me laugh. So we stood there laughing, feeling pretty good, sharing a joke neither of us could quite explain.’ Brooks then goes on to tell how Marcia once described her chronic vertigo, which at first she thought was just another of her menopausal dwarves: ‘“You know, Dizzy, to go along with Crabby, Sweaty, Sickly and Perverse. But I woke up on June 20th and it was gone… I was, however, 20lbs heavier from all those times I fell off my treadmill and into the refrigerator.” ‘“So what happened next? People Magazine called to ask me to be on their cover along with several beautiful, talented and inspirational breast cancer survivors. I made several phone-calls to see if I could lose 40lbs in a weekend… turns out even in hollywood that is not possible. So come the cover shoot, there I am looking very wellgroomed, quaffed, well made-up, and only slightly smaller than the state of Wisconsin”.’

he tears didn’t stop there – there were plenty saved for when Marcia’s only son Mikey stood to say his final goodbye. ‘Any laugh that could be gotten from anything, she got it,’ he summarised. ‘her approach, her philosophy about laughing was that no situation was so serious that it couldn’t be laughed at. The way she saw it, if you couldn’t laugh then there was something wrong.’ Signing the guest book afterwards, all I could think of to say to my friend was: ‘Mikey – I didn’t know your mom, but those speeches made me want to.’ RIP Macabre Marcia Wallace.

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18 METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 20, 2013

body matters

ou might have heard of Black Friday – the term the emergency services apply to the last Friday before Christmas, when pre-Yuletide revelling, and therefore drunken disasters, are at their peak. What you may not know is how easy it is to fall foul of the recommended guidelines on booze. The Irish government advises that men should not drink more than 17 units of alcohol a week – down from a previous recommendation of 21 units – with at least two ‘dry’ days in any given week. For women, it’s now no more than 11. A large glass of wine is around 3.4 units, so just two with dinner takes women into binge territory – defined as eight or more

alamy

Why we should all call time on binge drinking Christmas party time may be more damaging to your health than you think, writes Vicki-Marie Cossar units in a single session for men and six or more for women. So, are these guidelines realistic, or is our drinking really out of hand? ‘The recommended units are low for a reason,’ says Emily Robinson, director of campaigns at the uK charity Alcohol Concern. ‘In fact, there is a review under way as to whether the current guidelines are too generous,’ she says, suggesting

Time to celebrate? The number of hospital admissions for alcoholrelated liver disease in the underthirties has risen considerably that the uK may well follow Ireland’s lead and rethink those recommendations; at present it Medics say men advises no more than four should not exceed four units of alcohol a day for men units of alcohol a day; and three for women. three for women. Are A review of research you drinking too much? discovered that having just Alcopops: 1.5 units one or two standard alcoholic Standard glass of champagne: 1.8 units drinks a day increases your Pint of cider: 2.6 units risk of several cancers. ‘There 250ml glass of wine: 3 units is also a significant link 25ml spirit: 1 unit between light drinking and Lager: 2.5 units breast cancer. A review discov*Figures approx from ered that just one drink a day DrinkAware.ie (12.5g of alcohol, or about 1.5 units) increases the risk of breast cancer by five per cent in women.’ According to Alcohol Ireland, alcohol-related treatments cost Ireland an estimated €4billion a year, while an estimated €1.2billion of taxpayers’ money is spent on dealing with alcohol-related crime, including violence and vandalism. Every night, 2,000 hospital beds are occupied for alcohol-related reasons. The number of hospital admissions for alcohol-related liver disease in the under-thirties has also risen considerably. Statistics also show that professional women are drinking twice as much as women in manual jobs and spirit consumption among girls

has doubled since 1990. With Christmas looming, Drink Aware is encouraging people to talk about drinking and the health risks and social problems associated with over-drinking. ‘It’s easy for people to think it’s normal to drink every day or that drinking half a bottle of wine isn’t very much,’ says Robinson. ‘But when you start talking about it with others, you realise half a bottle is too much, particularly for women.’ Sarah Todd, 36, had a high-flying sales career. She was in her early thirties when she began to develop problems with alcohol. ‘I never used to drink alcohol,’ she says. ‘Not even on social occasions. But I had two young children and a wedding to plan. I drank some mulled wine around Christmas time and my boyfriend said how relaxed I seemed for the first time in ages. It felt nice to be carefree.’ Todd soon started having wine with dinner. ‘I needed it to cope with the wedding stress,’ she says. ‘Then I gave up work to look after the children and I wasn’t used to having time on my hands, so I started drinking during the day.’ In 2011, Todd lost her mother to cancer and used alcohol to cope. ‘I’d tell myself: “Everyone does

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HOw cAn HypnOTHERApy HELp? Binge drinking isn’t complicated, it’s just a habit and habits can often be changed for good.’ Georgia Foster (pictured below) is the hypnotherapist who helped Sarah Todd. odd. Her online programme Drink Less Mind (www. howtodrinkless.com) is a 21-day self-hypnosis course. ‘Hypnosis is a natural state we all enter many times a day: you cannot go to sleep without this process,’ she says. ‘As we fall asleep our breathing starts to slow, w, our heart rate drops, our circulation ion and metabolic rate also slow down. wn. This process can take five to 20 minutes.

t) is Steve Tromans (pictured right) a hypnotherapist and neurolinguistic programming practitioner (www.justbewell. com who has been treating binge drinkers for 18 years. ‘Binge drinking doesn’t just affect teenagers,’ he says. ‘I see people ranging from 18 to 70. Ten years ago, it was mainlyy men, now it’s about half and half. ‘I aim, as quickly as possible, to retrain the person’s thinking so they automatically generate the kinds of thoughts that lead to moderate drinking. ‘Using a combination of NLP and hypnosis, together with humour and compassion, I find very often these thoughts or behavioural patterns – such as binge drinking – can be changed rapidly.

During this time, we are highly receptive to suggestion and therefore it is in this state of mind that you are best to stop yourself drinking so much.’ Her programme calls for you to establish your ‘drink personality’. ‘There are four main character traits,’ she says. ‘The pleaser, the perfectionist, the inner critic and the inner child.’ She establishes which ones people are via a survey, which helps decide the best course of action. Suggestions include advice that we would all do well to bear in mind: alternating your alcoholic alterna drinks with a substitute and having alcohol-free days to help recover.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013 METRO HERALD

wHAT wE LEARnED THis wEEk

sci fi sysTEM HELps sTROkE vicTiMs GIVING paralysed stroke patients a set of thought-controlled virtual reality hands could help them regain movement of their limbs. Six patients at the University of Minnesota watched a 3D video of arms and hands, creating the illusion that they were their own. Signals sent to a computer via electrodes attached to the head allowed the patients to move the limbs simply by using their imagination. In as little as three two-hour sessions, the patients learned how to reach out to a glass of water with 81 per cent accuracy. The system is designed to help patients rehabilitate themselves, rather than relying on a therapist physically manipulating their limbs.

HigHer vitamin b12 link to cancer

HIGHER than normal vitamin B12 in the blood may indicate an increased risk of cancer. A study of the records of more than 300,000 patients found that chances of having cancer rose with higher blood levels of vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin (Cbl). Johan Arendt, from Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, wrote in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute: ‘High plasma cobalamin levels increased the risk of subsequently diagnosed cancer, mostly within the first year of follow-up.’ But the study said consumption of foods and supplements containing vitamin B12 does not increase levels of cobalamin substantially. Vitamin B12 is essential for normal nerve functioning and the creation of red blood cells.

it”,’ she says. ‘I was sure everyone was drinking to excess behind closed doors.’

he problem came to a head when she began sneaking vodka into her wine to make it stronger. ‘I was drinking at least one and a half bottles of wine a night, occasionally with vodka,’ she says. She approached her GP and was told her heavy drinking had started to damage her liver. ‘he said the twinges I felt in my stomach were a warning sign my liver was struggling under the

booze,’ she says. ‘Then I worried I would get liver disease or breast cancer.’ Despite drinking at least 14 units a night (which is more than four times the recommended amount), Todd turned to the internet for help. ‘I came across a hypnotherapy programme and subscribed,’ she says. ‘It helped me deal with the reasons why I drank and, while I still have the odd drink, it mentally helped me revert to my pre-heavy drinking days. I’m just hoping I haven’t done any long-term damage to my health.’

The online Drinks Diary and Calculator on the drinkaware.ie website is a useful tool for anyone looking to reassess their drinking habits. The Diary allows registered users to track how many standard drinks they’re consuming, as well as calculate the cost and calories of drinks. The diary also provides feedback and recommendations based on the number of drinks inputted. www.drinkaware.ie

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NEMI by Lise

by Patrick Arundell Aries Mar 21 – Apr 20

Mars continues a ten-day close alliance with Jupiter. How they are collaborating is not necessarily going to lead to luck in loot or love but could still be very effective. Think of the solutions you can bring to more practical areas of life, then go and apply them. For your forecast, call 15609 114 70

Taurus Apr 21 – May 21

METROKU Easy, Moderate and Challenging. For solutions, visit Metro.co.uk/metroku

The Moon asks you to become more conscious of the way you say things, the things you say and connecting these to your real, authentic self. It will be important not to get so caught up in the bubbles that the realism suffers Taurus. For your forecast, call 15609 114 71

Gemini May 22 – Jun 21

You might find yourself more wilful around financial issues or your possessions. But this can be a time when a healthy self-regard for what’s yours could be good for you. This may also be a time when possessions that have served their purpose could be sold on at a profit.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 72

Cancer Jun 22 – Jul 23

Your desire to have your voice heard can ramp up. This may not be in an obviously forceful way but it can be a good thing if you use it right. With enthusiasm still flowing, this is a time when raising your profile is within your grasp. For your forecast, call 15609 114 73

Leo Jul 24 – Aug 23

PEARLs BEFORE swINE

You might be a bit over-sensitive today. Perhaps people are full of vim and vigour for their own plans, and therefore preoccupied. Be assured, in a couple of days, your star will start to shine, Leo, so keep the faith.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 74

Virgo Aug 24 – Sep 23

The line between enthusiasm and evangelicalism can be very thin today. It may be sensible to stay abreast of this. With you feeling mightily upbeat about a future possibility, you might feel unstoppable. But try not to browbeat others. For your forecast, call 15609 114 75

ACROSS 7 Regional (5) 8 Junior (7) 9 Wealthy (7) 10 Entrances (5) 12 Gambler (10) 15 Inverted (6-4) 18 Attire (5) 19 Portion (7) 21 Secret (7) 22 Angry (5)

DOWN 1 Tracking dog (10) 2 Happen (5) 3 Otherwise (4) 4 Occult (6) 5 One-storey house (8) 6 Stir (7) 11 Make firmer (10) 13 Statue base (8) 14 Austere (7) 16 Disperse (6) 17 Lawful (5) 20 Stern (4)

Yesterday’s Solutions Across: 1 Unscathed; 8 Eye; 9 Encouraging; 11 Collect; 12 Drain; 13 Equity; 15 Regale; 17 Grasp; 18 Egotist; 20 Inconstancy; 22 Ado; 23 Lingering. Down: 2 Nun; 3 Acute; 4 Hearty; 5 Dwindle; 6 Degradation; 7 Dependent; 10 Calculation; 11 Clergyman; 14 Typical; 16 Pennon; 19 Outre; 21 Can.

scorpio Oct 24 – Nov 22

You can be cautious at times but that doesn’t mean you won’t be bold when the moment feels right. And the moment continues to be incredibly right for you. This can see you decide to branch out in a new direction. For your forecast, call 15609 114 77

sagittarius Nov 23 – Dec 21

You can make some fantastic progress but it may mean listening to your heart more than logic. In some ways, this can go against the grain, but there is a fantastic opportunity to link life wisdom with confidence. For your forecast, call 15609 114 78

Capricorn Dec 22 – Jan 20

You might find the emotional temperature ramps up today, which could make you more mindful of how you feel about something or someone. This continues to be a time when you feel more confident in competitive situations. For your forecast, call 15609 114 79

Aquarius Jan 21 – Feb 19

Think back over the past month. There have probably been opportunities to make your mark, though you may have needed to take on more responsibilities. Your gift is working well with others. Celebrate this! For your forecast, call 15609 114 80

Pisces Feb 20 – Mar 20

Most people crave some spark in their love life, but the people who blend in with us best are steady and reliable, and are often the relationships that endure. You might find yourself appreciating one such tie more today. For your forecast, call 15609 114 81

For a live one-to-one consultation with one of my gifted psychics, call 15809 113 68 or 1800 719 688 to book using credit card Astrology calls cost 1.27 euros per min from a BT landline. Live Services cost 2.40 euros per minute. Calls from mobiles/other networks may cost more. Callers must be 18 or over to use this service and have the bill payers permission. For entertainment purposes only. All calls are recorded. PhonePayPlus regulated(ComReg in ROI) UK SP: StreamLive Ltd, NR7 0HR, 08700 234 567. ROI SP:Moveda, 1 Courtyard Business Park, Orchard Lane, Blackrock, Co Dublin, 0818 241 398

QuIz

Crossword No. 862 See next edition for solutions

For your forecast, call 15609 114 76

ENIGMA Ask a miner, he will say That this is what he seeks all day. The major part of any seam Which, once found, can make good your dream. WHO AM I? A musician, I was born in Surrey in 1985. I once belonged to a Greenday cover band. My breakthrough single is entitled Dream Catch Me and my current album is called Studio Zoo.

WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN? WHO… starred in The 39 Steps and Jesus Of Nazareth? WHAT... element has the symbol Na? WHERE... are the dangerous rocks called The Longships to be found? WHEN... was South African PM Hendrik Verwoerd assassinated?

QUIZ ANSWERS: ENIGMA: Mother lode. WHO AM I? Newton Faulkner. WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN? Robert Powell; Sodium; Off Land’s End; 1966.

QUICK CROsswORd

Libra Sep 24 – Oct 23

What you hold dear in terms of your home and private life, and the way you exist in the wider world, could come sharply into focus today. You might feel protective about someone or you might feel that another is deserving of some straight talking.

SCRIBBLE BOX

20 METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 20, 2013

rugby autumn internationals

Wednesday, November 20, 2013 METRO HERALD

Fergus McFadden

Limping ireland On THE spOT hope to end All Black whitewash Ireland still hold out hope Jonathan Sexton can beat his hamstring injury in time to face new Zealand on Sunday. racing Metro fly-half Sexton limped out of Ireland’s lacklustre 32-15 australia defeat at half-time on Saturday. Head coach Joe Schmidt has already given 28-year-old Sexton a target of training twice this week to prove his fitness for Ireland’s final Guinness Series international. and Ireland team manager Michael Kearney confirmed yesterday that scans have shown the injury to be ‘less worrying than initially feared’. leinster wing Fergus McFadden will be injured for a “‘number of weeks’ though, after fracturing a bone in his hand against australia. Meanwhile, Centre Brian O’driscoll will equal ronan O’Gara’s 128-cap Ireland appearance record if he takes the field. Ireland have never beaten new Zealand and this will be O’driscoll’s final chance, given his impending retirement at the end of the season. The 34-year-old said Ireland are furious with their lack of intensity in the four-try australia defeat – and pledged they will channel that anger into facing the all Blacks.

by DAnny HOgAn

O’driscoll said: ‘The anger part is in ourselves, knowing we’ve performed well below par. ‘That’s an annoyance or an anger and different people will use that as motivation to get it right. ‘That intensity was lacking, but when it’s been put to you by your coaches or peers I think there will be no shortage of it again this weekend. ‘For me it’s definitely a motivating factor, I like to think I have standards of a certain level and if you dip below them, the next time you pull a jer-

piCture: inpho

Waiting game: Jonathan sexton will be assessed later this week

sey on you have to put that right – that’s this weekend.’ Full-back rob Kearney is still expected to recover from the rib injury suffered in the closing stages against australia. But Felix Jones has been called into training as cover, while darren Cave has been added to the squad as a precaution for O’driscoll. O’driscoll said he felt ‘tightness’ in the calf that has sidelined him for allbut three games already this season – but expects to be fit. ‘I could feel (the calf) at the weekend a bit but I managed to see out the game,’ O’driscoll said. ‘But there are lots of times I haven’t played at 100 per cent and if I handle the week well I shouldn’t be far off. ‘It’s not an excuse for not playing brilliantly. In plenty of other games I’ve managed injuries.’ despite the injury list, Ireland’s mediocre performances against the Wallabies and Samoa this month, and the winless record against new Zealand, O’driscoll believed they can ruin the visitors’ undefeated year. ‘If you catch them on an off day and things go right, it can happen for us,’ he said. ‘We’ll put ourselves in the same position, treating this game like one we can win. ‘I’m an eternal optimist. no one will give us a chance, but that’s OK with us.’ Meanwhile, new Zealand will be without centurions dan Carter and Tony Woodcock, whose injuries in the 30-22 win over england will keep them out of the last match on tour.

World Cup bid is gaining momentum IrIsh rugby boss Philip browne can find ‘no reason on Earth’ why Ireland could not host the 2023 rugby World Cup. Chief executive browne is confident the Irish rugby Football union (IrFu) can follow New Zealand’s lead, after the successful 2011 tournament staged there. The IrFu has been working on a 2023 World Cup bid since 2011, and are now waiting on parliamentary backing. Minister for Transport, Tourism and sport Leo Varadkar is a strong supporter of the cause. The World Cup bid was put before government yesterday, with the Cabinet signing off on plans to approach the Northern Ireland Executive.

Philip Browne: encouraged by support for the bid both north and south of the border IrFu boss browne said behindthe-scenes talks with both regimes have yielded progress. browne said: ‘This sort of bid couldn’t happen without support from the governments both north and south. We’ve had discussions with Leo Varadkar and we’ve had discussions with Arlene Foster in

the Northern Ireland government and I think they’re supportive. ‘It’s a big bid and it’s a big undertaking. but if it can be done in a country like New Zealand which is a similar size in terms of population, there’s no reason on Earth why it can’t be done here.’ The 2023 rugby World Cup bidding process will commence with the International rugby board in 2016, with a decision made in 2017. Ireland are expected to face competition from France, south Africa and Italy, who have expressed interest in biddingt. England will host the 2015 tournament, before Japan entertain the rugby world four years later.

Leinster and Ireland rugby star Fergus McFadden is the ambassador for FitFuel Protein Ice Cream. He spoke to Metro Herald ahead of the game against the All Blacks this weekend piCture: inpho

■ Ireland have the chance to make history this week, is there confidence in camp that you can pull off a first win over new Zealand? It’s a really big opportunity for Ireland and despite our record, we have them in our back garden and we have a chance to dictate the game. We need to be very clinical in our approach and play to our strengths, working hard to neutralise their potential and if we can do that and keep the score board ticking over, then we are in with a chance . ■ last summer’s tour ended terribly. How tough was it to put that 60-0 defeat behind you, and equally to keep those memories out of your head this week? It was not the best day for us obviously, but that’s all in

need to do the fundamentals better, and increase our intensity. ■ Is there more tension in camp? Tension is the wrong word. I would have said there is a good edge in and around training with the new set-up and coaching team. ■ WHat goes through head when facing the haka? Just looking to get on with it and get into the game. ■ You had a lot on your plate with australia’s back three but it doesn’t get any easier this week, does it? No, well all the top Southern Hemisphere sides have quality across the park. The all blacks have quality back-three players, people like Ben Smith and Julian Savea

‘We need to be very clinical in our approachand play to our strengths’ the past now. We need to look forward and work as a team to put ourselves in the best possible space to create opportunities this time. ■ Good to have Joe in charge? Great to have Joe involved. We at Leinster are obviously more used to him, but overall there is a great energy within the squad. ■ Has he changed at all? No, he is the same person in and around training. ■ WHat changes, if any, would you make for this week? If I could make those decisions, I’d be the coach. Obviously we

are playing great rugby so hopefully we can limit their opportunities. ■ are you fit to play? Unfortunately I’ll be out for a few weeks through injury. I have a broken bone in my hand and will be having a procedural operation. ■ WHat would it mean to you to miss the opportunity to play against the all Blacks? It is never nice to miss games. You work very hard to get into a team and it’s gutting when you¹re ruled out and you cannot control the circumstances.

FitFuel Protein Ice Cream has been launched by Ireland rugby player Fergus McFadden. The protein-enriched ice cream has been developed for fitness enthusiasts to give the protein needed to support muscle recovery, repair and regeneration post-workout. inTERviEw: LiAM cOsTELLO

22 METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 20, 2013

football ireland v poland

Clean sheet: Sean Mcdermott put in a fine display to keep the scores at 0-0

stubborn irish battle to a draw in Montenegro by jOsEpH byRnE Goalkeeper Sean McDermott was the republic of Ireland’s hero as he turned in a stubborn display to help secure a hard-fought draw in Montenegro. The 20-year-old made a string of second-half saves to deny the Montenegrins victory in podgorica and keep alive Ireland’s hopes of making it out of Group 6 in their bid to reach the finals of the european Under-21s Championship. Noel king’s men capped an encouraging five days after beating the Faroe Islands in Sligo on Tuesday with a 0-0 draw, and remain level on points with Montenegro behind group leaders Germany, although having played a game more. Ireland made a bright start to the game and within 16 minutes, home keeper Danijel petkovic had been forced to makes saves from Sean Murray twice and anthony Forde. However, as the half wore on, Montenegro started to work their way into the game, although McDermott was largely untroubled

unDER 21’s moNTENEgro................0 rEp oF irElaND.............0 and the first half ended goalless. The hosts returned in determined fashion and went close four minutes after the restart when Stefan Mugosa had a shot blocked, although petkovic was called upon once again two minutes later as aiden o’Brien took aim at the other end. McDermott had to deny Mugosa in a lively start to the second half, and he found himself the busier of the two keepers as he repelled another effort from Vladimir Jovovic with time running down. luka Djordjevic might have won it for the Montenegrins 13 minutes from time but for another save by McDermott, who then kept out attempts by Jovovic and Djordjevic with the home side throwing everything they had at the Irish. o’Brien had a chance to snatch three points deep into injurytime, but petkovic ensured his side emerged with at least some reward for their efforts.

Poles apart: Ireland’s captain Jonathan Walters skips over Poland’s Adam Marciniak

picture: inpho

spORT DigEsT

Eriksen boost 10 Days Jones for Tottenham Phil will be out FOOTbALL Tottenham have received a boost with the news Christian Eriksen’s ankle injury is not as severe as first feared. The Spurs midfielder hobbled off after just 40 minutes of Denmark’s international victory over Norway on Friday, with initial reports suggesting the 21-year-old could be out of action for months. But following further scans Tottenham have confirmed Eriksen has not suffered any serious damage.

of action for after scans confirmed the Manchester United man suffered an abductor injury in England’s loss to Chile.

D’or! Silva makes Messi of vote by forgetting Neymar

Jenson convinced McLaren will end with podium spot

FOOTbALL BraZil captain Thiago Silva appears to have made a bit of a howler when choosing his picks for this year’s Ballon d’or. The defender has revealed he opted for argentina superstar lionel messi in first place, pSg team-mate Zlatan ibrahimovic in second and Cristiano ronaldo in third – but

FORMuLA1 JENSoN

only because he was under the impression he couldn’t vote for fellow Brazilian Neymar. ‘it was a pity that i could not vote for Brazilians,’ Silva said. ‘Neymar would be first and i would have put myself second. instead, i voted for messi as first, second ibra, and Cristiano ronaldo in third. They are all great players.’ No choice: Neymar

BUTToN is determined mclaren will finish their worst season for 33 years on a high in the final race of the year in Brazil this weekend. The 2009 world champion is all too aware mclaren have not gone through a whole season without a podium finish since 1980, something that will be repeated unless he or

Aim: Button wants a podium finish Sergio perez finish in the top three on Sunday. a defiant Button insisted: ‘if everything goes to plan we can get a very good result, and we should still hope for a podium.’

Wednesday, November 20, 2013 METRO HERALD 23

world cup play-offs MAgIcAL RON HAS FINAL SAy picture: reuters

Stalemate as Ireland hold Poles

CRISTIANO RONALDO fired a glorious hat-trick in Stockholm last night as Portugal beat Sweden 3-2, for a 4-2 aggregate win. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored both Sweden’s goals. Croatia and Greece also booked their place in Brazil as they saw off Iceland and Romania.

INTERNATIONAL

iRELAND .............................0 PoLAND..............................0 by ANTHONy wALSH MArTIn O’nEILL’S opening foray into international management ended in satisfactory fashion as the republic of Ireland claimed a friendly draw in Poland. A much-changed Ireland side gave as good as it got at the InEA Stadium in a hard-fought game which ended 0-0 despite the best efforts of both teams. Defender Stephen Kelly went closest to winning it for the visitors with a first-half header, while Poland substitute Lukasz Teodorczyk blasted just over from distance in a rousing second half. Where Ireland played with a freedom and genuine purpose against the Latvians last Friday, they had to be a little more circumspect against stronger opponents. However, winger Aiden McGeady, who starred in the Aviva, proved similarly influential during his 62 minutes on the pitch, running at the Polish defence in the early stages to pin the home side back. The Spartak Moscow winger forced Piotr Celeban into an eighth-minute block which left the defender winded, and as front two Shane Long and Stokes made their presence felt, Ireland had marginally the better of the early stages. Walters, wearing the captain’s arm-

Bright spartak: Aiden McGeady proved a thorn in Polish sides during his 62 minutes on the pitch band in the absence of the rested robbie Keane, flicked on McGeady’s corner and found Kelly unmarked in front of goal. However, the full-back was unable to react quickly enough and although he managed to head the ball down, it reared up off the turf and looped over keeper Wojciech Szczesny’s crossbar. Poland stepped up a gear as the half progressed with star men Lewandowski and Jakub Blaszczykowski starting to make an impact. However, Ireland largely managed to contain the tricky Lewandowski, although substitute John O’Shea, who had replaced the injured Sean St Ledger after just 31 minutes, was booked for deliberate handball after

being caught out by the striker. Blaszczykowski very nearly got the second half off to the perfect start for the Poles when he carved his way between Kelly and midfielder James McCarthy and into the penalty area, and he might have gone all the way had O’Shea not intervened. Szczesny had to make a smart save on the hour to keep out Stokes’ wellstruck effort after he had been picked out by McGeady, who departed soon afterwards along with McCarthy as defender Alex Pearce and James McClean joined the fray. Poland piled on the pressure as time ran down, but Forde had few saves of note to make with the men in front of him battling admirably to secure a shut-out.

French joy

Mamadou sakho celebrates the first of his two goals as France beat Ukraine 3-0 to claim a 3-2 aggregate win.

TRANSFER TALK

Giaccherini: I’m Onazi fancies Liverpool switch LAZIO midfielder Ogenyi Onazi (picnot off any-Wear tured) has confirmed his interest in

EMANUELE GiACCHERiNi has distanced himself from a Sunderland exit this January as he looks to nail down a World Cup spot for italy. The 28-year-old midfielder arrived on Wearside this summer from Juventus, and said: ‘i came here with a lot of enthusiasm and hope to keep doing well.’ Monthly Certified Distribution Sep 30 - Oct 27, 2013: 59,764

joining Liverpool in January. The Italians are said to be willing to let him go for around £6million and the 20-year-old says he would be delighted with a move to Merseyside. ‘I would jump at the chance to play in the Premier League,’ said Onazi. ‘Liverpool? They are a huge team and are attractive to any footballer. I could see myself playing for them.’

u QPR say goalkeeper Julio Cesar can leave – which will have Arsenal on alert for the Brazilian. u CheLseA and Liverpool’s hopes of signing Real Madrid’s Xabi Alonso have taken a blow, with the spanish giants ready to meet their playmaker’s contract demands.

Published by Fortunegreen Ltd, 1st Floor, Independent House, 27-32 Talbot Street, Dublin 1 Printed by The Irish Times at Citywest in Dublin Editorial: (01) 705 5088 Advertising: (01) 705 5077 Distribution: (01) 705 5007

Blues eye Rodriguez CHELSEA want Wolfsburg left-back Ricardo Rodriguez (pictured) to fill Ashley Cole’s boots. The 32-year-old’s Stamford Bridge contract runs out in the summer.

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Wednesday, November 20, 2013

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Ten ye ar ol d and her gr Yeshi an Mamite Ab dmother ebe,

Photo by Kim Ethiopia 20 Haughton 13

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