Metro Herald, January 14, 2014 by Metro Herald

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

What the tech! Amazing gadgets

Adventures of the phwoar musketeers

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Kidnapped family describe horrific robbery ordeal

Our tiger terror

A FAMILY kidnapped by armed robbers nine years ago have said the ordeal has changed their lives forever. Paul and Marie Richardson were speaking after one member of the kidnap gang was jailed for 15 years after a retrial. Speaking outside the court, Mr Richardson said the crime has left them with ‘ongoing stress and health issues’. He said: ‘It is almost nine years since the tiger kidnapping, when three men forcefully entered our home. The night changed our lives forever. There are others responsible and we look forward to them being brought to justice.’ Jason Kavanagh, 39, of Corduff Avenue, Blanchardstown, was previously jailed for the crime in 2009 but was freed in 2012 when the Court of Criminal Appeal quashed that conviction because of an unconstitutional search warrant. He was part of the gang which kidnapped the family of the Securicor worker in March 2005.

by declan brennan

The gang took Mr Richardson’s wife and their two teenage sons into the Dublin Mountains and held them at gunpoint overnight. Other gang members held Mr Richardson at the family home until the next morning when he was told to go to work and deliver company cash to a drop-off point. Kavanagh and three co-accused denied the charges of falsely imprisoning the Richardsons and robbery of €2.28million in cash from Mr Richardson and Securicor on March 14, 2005. After a 50-day trial, the jury failed to reach a verdict on charges against two men and found the third not guilty. Judge Martin Nolan said Kavanagh, who has 25 previous convictions, including assault, had played a serious role in a cold-blooded crime that involved the threat of extreme violence, and commended the ‘extreme fortitude’ shown by the Richardson family.

FUNK SOUL BROTHERS: Benedict Cumberbatch examines the lemon in his glass, left, while Michael Fassbender looks on as they boogie at the Fox after-party for the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California

‘There are others responsible’

Florida January

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METRO HERALD Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Tuesday 14/01/14 How to contact us

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€37.75m paid by David and Victoria Beckham for their new house in west London which has eight bedrooms and seven bathrooms

Ireland’s rate of newsprint recycling is now up to 79%. Keep reading, keep recycling – thank you.

Today is...

New Year’s Day... That is, if you are still using the Julian calendar instead of the Gregorian one, which you will do if you are a member of the Eastern Orthodox Church or one of the Berber people of North Africa

From the archives (2009): Woman attacked with sex toy

A MAN wearing a leather mask hit a woman on the head with a sex toy before robbing her house, an Australian court has heard. Police said Shaun Michael Burke, 38, was later found armed with a large rubber dildo wrapped in duct tape.

Today’s birthdays

Faye Dunaway, actress, 73; Carl Weathers, actor, 66; Steven Soderbergh, director, 51; Emily Watson (pictured), actress, 47; Dave Grohl, rock singer, 45.

CLOCkWORD The solutions from 1 to 12 are all six-letter words ending with the letter D in the centre. Moving clockwise from 1, the letters in the outer circle will spell out the name of a rugby coach. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Fearful Sea nymph Persistent Shouted Caused a disturbance 6. Exotic flower

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

Made beer Mean Prodded Disgusting Forwards Went on at

Yesterday’s solution: Geraint Jones

Weather Weather Today

Max: 10°c

Rain will spread to the rest of Munster and Connacht early on. Elsewhere some brighter spells will develop for a time as the frost and fog clears, with the rain arriving in the afternoon. Some heavy spells of rain are likely. Temperatures between 4°C to 10°C in blustery winds.

Derry

5�C

Donegal

8�C

4�C

Cavan

Galway

7�C

Athlone

Dublin

6�C

Tipperary

10�C

Waterford

Tralee

Cork

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Tonight

Belfast

8�C

10�C Sunrise: 8.33am Sunset: 4.35pm

Min: -2°c

Tonight will continue mild and breezy for a time with further outbreaks of rain. However, the rain, drizzle and fog will give way to scattered showers as the night goes on. Temperatures between -2°C to 2°C in westerly winds.

EUROPE today

Tomorrow Mainly dry and bright in the eastern half of the country but showers will occur in the west and also along the south coast, some heavy. Temperatures between 9°C to 10°C in fresh southerly winds.

9�C 9�C 10�C 10�C

10�C

9�C 10�C 10�C Max: 10°c

Athens

15 °c

Barcelona Berlin

14 °c 6 °c

Brussels

6 °c

London

Paris

6 °c 8 °c 10 °c 8 °c

Rome

14 °c

Geneva Madrid

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 METRO HERALD

Ultimate Spotify workout playlists

Suggestions to listen to

Track Title Roar Talk Dirty Skip To The Good Bit Get Lucky Move Need U 100% You Make Me Feel My Rhythm Timber Applause Can’t Hold Us Happy The Monster Love Me Again Get Down #thatPOWER It’s My Party Play Hard Burn Royals

Artist(s)

Style

Katy Perry Jason Derulo ft 2 Chainz Rizzle Kicks Daft Punk ft Pharrell Williams Little Mix Duke Dumont ft A*M*E Avicii Viralites Pitbull ft Ke$ha Lady Gaga Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft Ray Dalton Pharrell Williams Eminem ft Rihanna John Newman Groove Armada ft Stush and Red Rat will.i.am ft. Justin Bieber Jessie J David Guetta ft Ne-Yo & Akon Ellie Goulding Lorde

Top tracks in workout playlists – female Can’t Hold Us – feat. Ray Dalton - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Wake Me Up – Avicci We Found Love – Rihanna Don’t You Worry Child feat. John Martin – Swedish House Mafia Blurred Lines – Robin Thicke will.i.am Scream & Shout – Dirty / Main -–will.i.am Thrift Shop – feat. Wanz – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Sexy And I Know It – LMFAO Sweet Nothing – Calvin Harris Levels – Avicci

Top tracks in workout playlists – male Till I Collapse – Eminem Lose Yourself – Eminem Can’t Hold Us – feat. Ray Dalton – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Eye Of The Tiger – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Wake Me Up – Avicii Stronger –Kanye – KanyeWest West Remember The Name – Fort Minor Bangarang – feat. Sirah – Skrillex Don’t You Worry Child – feat. John Martin. Swedish House Mafia Radioactive – Imagine Dragons

DBS.IE

Type of training Pop / rock R&B Hip hop / rap Disco / funk Pop

Mental preparation Stretching Stretching Aerobic warm-up Aerobic warm-up

House House Electro dance Pop Pop

Cardio Cardio Cardio Cardio Cardio

Hip Hop / rap Pop Hip Hop / rap Pop

Cardio Cardio Strength Strength

Dance / UK garage Dance Dance / Pop

Strength Strength Strength

Electro dance Pop Pop

Strength Warm down Warm down

Source: Spotify

Fine-tune your workout Researchers formulate formulat ultima the ultimate gym playlist pl by DANIEL BINNS IF YOU are one of the thousands struggling with a new year’s resolution to visit the gym every day, maybe you should start by honing your DJ skills. Researchers claim to have discovered which tunes best help get our bodies moving while we’re pumping iron or ga gasping away on the treadmill. They analysed 6.7million workout playlists from users of online streaming music service Spotify, studying genres, lyrics and beats to draw up the ‘ultimate’ gym selection. Dr Costas Karageor Karageorghis, from Brunel University, said: ‘One of our most important findings is that a well-selected playlist can modulate how you feel, even at high exercise intensities. ‘This means that when your body is shouting ‘STOP’, ‘ST the music can beckon you on. on.’ Pop songs by Ke$ha, Lady Gaga and Avicii were named among the best at making us sweat, along with dance tunes from Duke Dumont and Viralites. The list was dominated by recent hits, with the exception ex of the gym tune that refuses to die – the Rocky theme song Eye Of The Tiger – popular with men. Dr Karageorghis, said we should choose music that creates ‘motivational’ mental images.

METRO HERALD Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Jobs boost credited to State body MORE than 18,000 new jobs were created last year by Enterprise Ireland, the State body has said. Businesses it supports had seen total net growth of 5,442 jobs in 2013 – the highest in a decade with its end of year report showing a loss of 12,591 jobs last year. Jobs Minister Richard Bruton (pictured) said the figures were great news. Enterprise Ireland said 175,750 people are employed in companies it supports – 149,718 full-time and 26,032 part-time. It highlighted some major investments, including by food group Glanbia, which will create 90 jobs in Monaghan and Dublin, and Eishtec, developed after Talk Talk closed in the south-east in 2011 with nine employees, but expects to grow to 950 staff. Elsewhere, the agency invested in 97 start-ups, aiming to take on more than 1,600 staff and generate over €300m in annual sales.

Man accessed We come in peace child porn on hostel laptop

Principal of Gaelscoil Bhun Cranncha in Donegal, Úna Ní Mhaoildeirg Uí Cheallaigh, and some of her pupils, who donned appropriate attire, teach astronaut Chris Hadfield cúpla focal as part of Tourism Ireland’s drive to showcase our country’s attractions, culture and language Picture: John Mcconnell

A MAN is to face sentencing after he admitted accessing child pornography on a laptop at the Dublin hostel where he was living. Iosif Antili, 41, with an address at St Ignatius Avenue, Dublin 7, but originally from Romania, pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing child pornography. The offence came to light after a laptop belonging to the accused went missing and he borrowed the hostel manager’s computer. Upon her return, the hostel manager saw sites containing preteen and baby porn had been accessed, and called gardaí. Gardaí then searched the accused’s house in Dublin 7 and seized another laptop containing further child porn. Judge Mary Ellen Ring remanded Antili on bail until July.

Boy’s tirade of abuse at judge who revoked bail A 15-YEAR-OLD schoolboy who went on an alleged car rampage in north Dublin in the early hours of yesterday morning screamed abuse at the judge who locked him up on remand. The Dublin Children’s Court was told the pursuit, which started at 4.30am, lasted 35 minutes and the teenager repeatedly drove against the flow of traffic and on the wrong side of roundabouts. The stolen car’s lights were not activated and it was claimed he sped off on roads at the back of Dub-

by TOM TUITE

lin Airport while being tailed by a Garda helicopter. The boy allegedly broke red lights and it was claimed he drove at a Garda car which had to take evasive action. It was also claime d the drive came to an end when the teenager had a blow-out and he was arrested in Glasnevin. In the morning’s court sitting, the

boy had been granted bail with several conditions including a ban on him having contact with another teenager suspected of being a passenger in the stolen car. However, later in the day, the boy’s bail was revoked after Judge John O’Connor heard he had defiantly spoken to his co-defendant in front of gardaí at the courthouse. The teen, who also picked up two breach of the peace charges, launched

‘I only wanted my f***ing phone back’

into a foul-mouthed attack on the judge for revoking his bail. The boy, who had cuts on his forehead and to the side of his head, shouted: ‘I was going to go home, only wanted my f***ing phone back, you goggle eyed bastard’ at the judge. He then screamed as gardaí moved in to escort him from court. The boy is charged with unlawfully using the stolen 4x4 and will face his next hearing on January 20. His mother, who was present in court, said her son required substance abuse counselling.

Boy of 3 killed in lift accident

€19m for storm clean-up Bike crash man hard up

A THREE-year-old boy died yesterday after a lift accident. Gardaí were called to the scene at the Hynes Building on St Augustine Street in Galway city at about 3pm after the child became trapped in a gap at the lift floor. Local gardaí, fire crews and ambulance and paramedic staff were called to the scene where the boy was pronounced dead. His body was removed to University Hospital Galway where a post-mortem examination was to be carried out. He had been in the building with his siblings and his mother when the accident happened.

STORM damage in Galway will cost more than €19million to repair, local authorities have estimated. Galway County Council has said it has already spent €500,000 on the clean-up, and puts the total cost at €18.3m. Some €2m of that amount has been earmarked for road repairs, with €700,000 for burial grounds which were disturbed during the three weeks of storms. The local authority believes it will cost €2.5m for repair works at beaches and tourist areas. Meanwhile, Galway City Council has issued a €750,000 estimate for clean-up in its municipal area.

A DUBLIN cyclist suffered an unwanted erection for five weeks before seeking medical attention. The 22-year-old’s woes began when he hurt himself after falling on to the crossbar of his mountain bike, leading to a continuous flow of blood to his penis, which was painless but caused a sustained erection, termed Priapism. The young man eventually sought help at Tallaght hospital, where radiography treatment proved successful. The report in the Irish Medical Journal does not say when the incident occurred, but concludes that the patient reported no recurrence of the problem.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 METRO HERALD

Picture: @Photosofdublin

Death accused told gardaí: ‘I am guilty’

Caught: Young motorist pulled over

What class of a vehicle is this, young man?

Confession: Saverio Bellante During the brief district court hearing DG Traynor said Mr Bellante, who is charged with the murder of Mr O’Gorman, was charged. Mr O’Gorman was a former journalist with The Voice Today, a Catholic newspaper. He had worked for the past seven years as a researcher with Catholic lobby group the Iona Institute. Mr Bellante told the court he would represent himself. He was remanded in custody to appear before Cloverhill District Court this Friday. Police have said some of the details of Mr O’Gorman’s death are too horrific to release.

Picture: ePa

by cOn DOHERTy

AN ITALIAN man charged with the murder of a man in a knife attack over a late-night chess game told detectives he was guilty. Tom O’Gorman, 39, who owned the house in which he died, was found with multiple stab injuries in the early hours of Sunday morning. Saverio Bellante, 34, originally from Palermo in Sicily but with an address at Beechpark Avenue in Castleknock, where the killing took place, appeared before Blanchardstown District Court yesterday. Detective Garda Patrick Traynor told the court that when charged and cautioned yesterday, the defendant replied: ‘I am guilty.’ It is understood he had been playing chess with Mr O’Gorman when a row broke out. The alarm was raised at about 1.50am and two uniformed officers called to the house to find Mr O’Gorman dead.

New €10 banknote unveiled

The ECB has unveiled the new €10 banknote which will enter circulation on September 23. The bill features a portrait of Europa in the hologram and the watermark and new and enhanced security features such as an emerald number, which changes colour from emerald green to deep blue when tilted, and a new protective coating

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METRO HERALD Tuesday, January 14, 2014

60 seconds CHRIS NOTH, 59, played Mr Big in Sex And The City. He now plays a disgraced politician in The Good Wife and has strong political views of his own...

Is The Good Wife’s Peter Florrick modelled on any particular real-life politicians? He’s

sort of a hybrid of many. The show began at a very opportune time in America, when so many of our politicians were getting busted for illicit affairs, including the ex-New York governor Eliot Spitzer [who was discovered to be a regular client of highclass prostitutes] and the governor of South Carolina [Mark Sanford, who disappeared for six days in Argentina with a woman he was having an affair with]. Some of the details are close to recent cases but it is not based on any specific person or case.

Do you think politicians who cheat on their wives deserve all they get? If you could separate

say things. There is mutual dislike.

The Good Wife is set in Chicago but filmed in New York – is it a relief to be able to film in your adopted home town? I find as we move on in this

You’ve been in several enormously successful TV series. What is the appeal of the medium over film or the stage? I love them all and I try to

You made some very outspoken remarks on Twitter recently about the Tea Party movement, calling it racist and advocating that members be horsewhipped. Are you ever worried about alienating fans? No. I know I alienated

the Tea Party but there is nothing I can do about it. I said it and that’s the way it goes. I said it, just like they

The Good Wife celebrated its 100th episode by helping some of the victims of Hurricane Sandy recently. What was the project you got involved with? We went out to Far

Rockaway [in Queens, New York, one of the worst-hit areas in the 2012 storms]. I’d never been there before and we helped rebuild a few houses, in tandem with the St Bernard Project, which is a group committed to the work from Hurricane Sandy that is still not finished. You wouldn’t believe how many people are still living in sleeping bags and basements and in other people’s apartments. So we spent the day trying to hurry that process along and I think there was a great measure of satisfaction for all of us to be able to help out. And then we went to an Irish bar afterwards.

Jane Mulkerrins

The Good Wife returns to More4 later this month

IM: Growing fast

by TARIq TAHIR

century that all the cities are starting to look and feel the same to an extent. When I see the new architecture, it looks like you’re taking down New York and putting up Dubai or Seattle. New York SoHo feels like London Soho. There’s this uniformity that I find a little frightening, and a loss of a sense of local flavour.

“

misconception about all my characters; they’re imperfect people and they’re conflicted and they’re complicated like everybody else. And if you really looked at the relationship between Big and Carrie, you would see that he was married before he met her, then he was with her, and he got married again after they broke up. Can you even count on your hand how many relationships Carrie had in between? Lots. OK.

INSTANT messaging services on year, text messaging will be victorious mobile phones will carry more than in revenue terms, generating €72bn in twice the number of messages sent by 2014, according to the report. text in 2014, according to global Text messaging is expected to predictions by Deloitte. continue to generate significantly As 50billion instant greater revenues until messages are set to be 2018, by which point will be dispatched, 21bn text global text message messages are expected generated by text revenues are expected to be sent – a rapid to have started falling. messaging this year growth from 2012 Deloitte expects when 11 instant instant messaging messages were sent for every ten texts. services on mobile phones to continue While instant messaging services – to supersede text messages and all such as WhatsApp and Snapchat – other forms of communication, may win the battle for volume this including email and phone calls.

€72bn

the sexual politics of a person from their politics, maybe we’d be better bounce around between all three. off, but we have to have them be We used to say that you did TV so perfect people. And I think the me- you could afford to do theatre. And dia has changed a lot. When you now you do TV so you can afford to read about the early 1960s, John F do movies. Everyone is flocking to Kennedy was an immense TV now because it’s the womaniser but they laid only place you can reoff him; it was not ally make a living as considered fair to an actor, unless go after him like My characters are you’re those ten that. Now the people in Hollymisunderstood. press and the mewood you see dodia go after anyThey are imperfect ing those 15 good thing and everyfilms or big action and conflicted thing they can for movies. Theatre is like everyone else a salacious story. a whole different thing which, for me, Sex And The City’s defines why I became Mr Big was also a bit an actor. It makes me feel of a rogue and Peter cheatthe most confident that I’m an actor. ed on his wife, Alicia, with a Even though it takes the most out of succession of prostitutes. Do you, it gives you the most back.

women ever have stern words for you in the street? There’s a

Instant messaging to surge in 2014

Jabba The Hoot: Natasha Welch and Hanu, her owl who’s a fan of Star Wars

Pet, may the force be with twit twoo...

A PET owl is driving its owner mad by ‘forcing’ her to watch films she hates – such as Star Wars. Haru, an Asian brown wood owl, has also turned into a big fan of TV programmes including Top Gear and live tennis. Natasha Welch says her seven-month-old animal is taking over her life and has developed human characteristics since she hand-reared him as a chick. ‘He loves watching TV, especially programmes I don’t like,’ said the 22-year-old. ‘So I have to sit in front of tennis, Top Gear and Star Wars with him. Over Christmas he watched Madagascar all the way through.’ But Ms Welch has found a good use for Haru – she has incorporated him in her Owl About Art project, in which children experience ‘owlthemed art with a live owl’. She said: ‘When he was a chick it was like having a baby. He would wake me up crying and call for food in the middle of the night. ‘I would hand-feed him ten chicks and a couple of mice a day, and have to be with him when he drank water, otherwise he could drown.’ Ms Welch says Haru sees her as a parent at their home in Kent, England. ‘Unlike the saying, owls aren’t actually very clever at all. He thinks I’m his mum,’ she said.

Britpop could return, Kalashnikov worry this time in a bottle over AK-47 deaths BRITPOP could be making a comeback if Blur bassist Alex James gets his way – he has applied to trademark a drink of the same name. The musician (pictured), who was famous for his boozing habits during the band’s heyday but quit to become a cheesemaker on a farm in Oxfordshire, has applied to the intellectual property office for the trademark. His application, which could still be challenged by rival entrepreneurs, is for alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. The term Britpop was coined in the early 1990s to describe the UK music scene, which was dominated by the fierce rivalry of Blur and Oasis.

MIKHAIL Kalashnikov, the designer of the AK-47 assault rifle, apparently wrote a letter before his death asking the head of the Russian Orthodox Church if he was to blame for those killed by his gun. The Russian daily Izvestia reported that Kalashnikov, who died last month at 94, wrote: ‘The pain is unbearable. I keep asking myself the same unsolvable question: If my assault rifle took people’s lives that means that I am responsible for people’s deaths.’ The letter contrasted sharply with past statements by Kalashnikov, who had repeatedly said he couldn’t be blamed for other people’s actions. The church sought to comfort him, saying: ‘If the weapon is used to defend the Motherland, the Church supports its creators and those using it.’ The AK-47 is the world’s most popular firearm, with some 100million spread around the world.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 METRO HERALD

Tributes are paid as ‘lion of Israel’ Sharon is laid to rest

by TARIQ TAHIR

TONY Blair and Joe Biden were among the mourners as israel said its last goodbye to ariel Sharon yesterday. The former UK prime minister and the US vice-president joined hundreds of people at a memorial service for the divisive leader outside the Knesset building in Jerusalem. They heard Mr Sharon described by israel’s president Shimon Peres as a ‘military legend in his own lifetime’ who later became a peacemaker. ‘He defended this land like a lion and he taught its children to swing a scythe,’ added Mr Peres. Mr Blair – in power in Britain when Mr Sharon announced his country’s historic withdrawal from the Gaza strip in 2005 – told mourners the generalturned-politician had been a realist. ‘He had the toughness of mind to despise all illusions about the threats facing israel,’ the former labour Party leader said. ‘But he had the imagination to know that genuine peace, if attainable with honour and dignity, both for arabs and israelis, is the anchor, ultimately, for israel’s security.’ The body of Mr

Goodluck to gay rights in Nigeria SAME-sex marriages and even running or going to a gay club have been outlawed in Nigeria. President Goodluck Jonathan signed into law the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition act which now also means any public show of love by people of the same sex is punishable by up to ten years in jail. It is already a crime to have homosexual sex in the West African nation.

First the freeze ... now the fog Sombre occasion: Ariel Sharon’s coffin is carried away from the Knesset, left. Tony Blair wears a skull-cap to speak, above Pictures: AP/ePA

Sharon, who was blamed by some for a massacre of hundreds of lebanese citizens in 1982, was taken on a crosscountry procession after the service in

Jerusalem. There was a brief stop at latrun nearby, where the 85-year-old had been wounded during the war of independence in 1948. Then he was

taken to his final resting place at his family home in the south. Mr Sharon, who died on Saturday, had been in a coma since suffering a stroke in 2006.

AFTER being gripped by freezing temperatures, New York city has a new foe – thick fog. The sudden rise to 7C (44F) has caused moisture in the air to condense above the water around the city’s harbours. ‘Looking out my window was like staring into a wall of cotton wool,’ said photographer Jay Fine at the weekend. ‘There’s nothing to orient you to your surroundings.’

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METRO HERALD Tuesday, January Januar 14, 2014

★

★★ ★ ★

Dressed to impr impress: Cate Blanchett, Taylor Swift, Sandra Bullock, Emma Watson, Helen Mir Mirren and Lupita Nyong’o Pictures: aP/reuters/FameFlynet/ePa

It’s hard to cap that cape ape in Globes fashion parade par They may have wished they’d opted for higher hemlines after a sewer pipe burst and flooded the red carpet. But Hollywood’s leading ladies defied the pong to show off their frocks at the Golden Globes – receiving mixed reviews as they vied to stand out. Sandra Bullock, 49, was mocked by some

observers after opting for a pink, black and blue Prabal Gurung dress. And Emma Watson, 23, also raised eyebrows by teaming a backless Christian Dior gown with a pair of cigarette trousers to protect her modesty. Helen Mirren, 68, proved you’re never too old to sparkle in a green embroidered Jenny Packham frock – while Taylor Swift, 23, also

looked stunning in a red and black Carolina Herrera dress. Amid the sea of colour, best actress Cate Blanchett, 44, went for a classic black Armani Privé gown – still grabbing attention with sheer lace detail and a cut-out back. But perhaps the biggest couture winner on the night was newcomer Lupita Nyong’o,

Just don’t Hustle me... I needed more wine J

ENNIfER LAWRENCE wished she’d had more Dutch courage before accepting her best supporting actress gong at the Golden Globes. The 23-year-old blamed her shaky acceptance speech on the fact she hadn’t had a chance to down some wine before collecting the first award of the night. ‘I need to catch up on my drinking. I think that’s why I was so manic,’ she told reporters after winning the statuette for her role in

by jEnni McknigHT

American Hustle. ‘Normally I have time to have a glass of wine… That’s not a good answer.’ The ‘terrified’ actress brought along her onagain boyfriend Nicholas Hoult, 23, confirming they were indeed back together as she planted a kiss on his lips after hearing her name being called

out as the winner. The couple split briefly at the beginning of 2103 after two years together but rekindled their romance last year while on the set of prequel sequel X-Men: Days Of future Past. On stage, JLaw had the star-studded audience laughing along with her as she quickly retracted her admission that she had actually watched all the other nominated movies this year. ‘I actually did watch all the movies, well not all of them but you know what I mean,’ she nervously

said, adding: ‘So I can say the women this year, it’s such an honour to be nominated with you.’ She then wrapped up telling the crowd, ‘I don’t know why it’s so terrifying; it’s obviously a good thing. I don’t know why I’m so scared I’m sorry,’ before joking to the American foreign Press Association, ‘Don’t ever do this again.’ Earlier on the red carpet, JLaw photobombed Taylor Swift as she was interviewed by E! host Ryan Seacrest, saying: ‘I was going to come in and push you down the stairs.’

who picked a red Ralph Lauren dress with a built-in cape. The 12 Years A Slave actress said she went with her instinct when it came to choosing her red carpet looks. ‘So far I’ve only worn things that I feel speak to me,’ the 30-year-old said. ‘This is what I wanted and it’s far more than I dreamed.’

...and I’ve had too much

Cate Blanchett admitted having ‘a few vodkas’ before making a reference to screen legend Judy Garland’s 1969 death in her best actress acceptance speech. ‘Thank you to my extraordinary agent for plying me with vodka in the same way Judy Garland was probably plied with barbiturates,’ said the 44-year-old who won for her role in Blue Jasmine.

GOLDEN GLOBES

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 METRO HERALD

★★★SPECIAL★★★

Bono and the boys bag gong

2 were the only Irish success at this year’s Golden Globe Awards, partnering Danger Mouse to pick up the Best Original Song gong for Ordinary Love, which features in the Nelson Mandela biopic. Bono said working on the film completed a decades-long journey with Mandela, having played an anti-apartheid concert 35 years ago. ‘He turned our life right-side up,’ he said. ‘A man who refused to hate not because he didn’t have rage or anger, but that he thought love would do a better job.’ However, there was disappointment for 12 Years A Slave’s Michael Fassbender, who lost out to Jared Leto in the Best Supporting Actor category for Dallas Buyers Club. It was also a disappointing night for 1950s Irish adoption story Philomena. Meanwhile, British director Steve McQueen was stunned into silence as 12 Years A Slave scooped the top gong at the 71st awards. The 44-year-old Londoner had to be given a thump by Fassbender as he lost the plot on stage at the Beverly Hilton in LA. ‘I’m a little bit in shock. I wasn’t expecting this. Please hit me. Hit me with something and Best song: Irish band U2 were honoured at the Globes for their song on Mandela film Ordinary Love some names,’ McQueen begged his cast as he

by jOAnnE AHERn clutched the statuette for best motion picture – drama. Thankfully, Lupita Nyong’o, Sarah Paulson and Chiwetel Ejiofor managed to feed the director his lines, with McQueen reserving special praise for one of the movie’s producers, Brad Pitt, saying: ‘Without you, this film would never have got made.’ McQueen missed out on best director to Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity, while his ensemble also left the ceremony empty handed. There were also slim pickings for McQueen’s fellow Britons as Ejiofor, Idris Elba, Christian Bale, Paul Greengrass, Steve Coogan, Sally Hawkins, Judi Dench, Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson all came up short. However, it was American Hustle that proved one of the big winners on the night, winning best motion picture – musical or comedy, while Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence bagged the best actress and best supporting actress awards in the same category. Cate Blanchett grabbed best drama actress for her role in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, Matthew McConaughey was voted best drama actor for Dallas Buyers Club. Leonardo DiCaprio was celebrating his second Globe for best actor, for The Wolf Of Wall Street.

Globes stars are Fey and Poehl-axed Tina Fey and Amy Poehler walked a fine line between funny and insulting as they took a swipe at the who’s who of Hollywood during the Golden Globes. No one in the audience was safe as the comedy duo took up hosting duties for a second year. Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney, 52, suffered the most at the hands of Fey and Poehler, who delighted in targeting their playboy reputations. Inviting out the Wolf Of Wall Street star – who has dated a stream of model beauties – Fey, 43, said to the crowd: ‘And now, like a supermodel’s vagina,

let’s all give a warm welcome to Leonardo DiCaprio.’ It was impossible for the blushing 39year-old to hide his embarrassment as he made his way to the stage, before stumbling over his words. In a jibe aimed at silver fox Clooney – who split from 34-year-old Stacy Keibler last year – Fey said: ‘Gravity is nominated for best film. ‘It’s the story of how George Clooney would rather float away into space and die than spend one more minute with a woman his own age.’ Oscar-winner Matt Damon also found

I’m just a liddle drunk! Shaken, not stirred: She had a Martini as she read the result

Emma Thompson left the audience laughing with a boozy presentation of the best screenplay award. Pretending to be drunk, the 54-year-old actress took to the stage bare-foot, carrying her Christian Louboutin heels in one hand and a Martini in the other. Moments later, she comically threw the designer shoes over her shoulder so she could be given the envelope with the winner’s name inside. Spike Jonze scooped the gong as director of the hit film Her. Thompson herself was nominated for best actress as PL Travers in Saving Mr Banks. She lost to Cate

himself under the microscope. ‘Matt, on any other night, in any other room, you would be a big deal. But tonight, and don’t take this the wrong way, you’re basically a garbage person,’ Poehler joked. But the ladies of Hollywood didn’t escape. ‘Meryl Streep so brilliant in August: Osage County, proving that there are still great parts in Hollywood for Meryl Streeps over 60,’ Fey said. ‘Matthew McConaughey did amazing work this year. For his role in Dallas Buyers Club, he lost 45 pounds. Or what actresses call being in a movie.’

Douglas: I still love Cath Michael Douglas used his acceptance speech to reaffirm his love for his wife, Catherine ZetaJones. The 69-year-old proved the couple were over their rocky patch as he collected his award for best actor in a mini-series or TV film after playing Liberace in Behind The Candelabra. ‘To Catherine, Carys, Cameron and Dylan – all my love,’ he said, also paying tribute to his children. He also thanked 43-year-old co-star Matt Damon, who was nominated for the same gong. ‘The reason you’re not up here is because I had more sequins,’ he joked. Welsh actress Zeta-Jones, 44, endured a difficult 2013 as she took time out from the limelight for treatment of her bipolar disorder.

10 METRO HERALD Tuesday, January 14, 2014

in focus D

news@metroherald.ie

Tyson and Ali ...get ready for a big hit

N the words of Rocky Balboa’s great rival and mentor, Apollo Creed: ‘Ding. Ding.’ It’s time for two of history’s most famous heavyweight champions to step into the ring and slug it out to discover who really was ‘the greatest’. But this is no ordinary boxing bout. This is Muhammad Ali vs Mike Tyson – widely considered to be the sport’s dream fight. Both were undisputed heavyweight world champions but in different eras, so never met in the ring – until now. Both fighters will be returned to their prime, in a bout that rewinds the hands of history, in New York

rounds of fighting talk…

9 I just want to be humble at all times

4 At home I am a nice guy but I don’t want the world to know

I’m the biggest fighter in the history of the sport. If you don’t believe it, check the cash register

I’ll match my wits with anyone on literature, science and the arts

3 If you even dream of beating me you’d better wake up and apologise

10 If you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything

Picture: John Hurley

out as part of the Coil Festival at the 3LD Art & Technology Center in Manhattan. The show’s makers say it will ‘realise the greatest heavyweight boxing match that never happened’ and stop pundits and fans from imagining what might have been. While the ‘People’s Champion’ Ali had long since retired from the sport by the time ‘The Baddest Man On The Planet’ Tyson took his first steps in the ring, every man to have ever entered a pub has at some point de-

hE show is directed by Reid Farrington, who said: ‘I’ve been a fan of boxing since I met Jake LaMotta [a former world middleweight champion] when I was eight. My father would bring me to fight nights in New York City when I was a kid, and I remember going to the holiday Inn in my neighbourhood in New Jersey to watch pay-per-view Tyson fights.’ his father was at Madison Square Gardens in 1971 to see the first of three fights between Ali and his great rival Joe Frazier – a match dubbed ‘The Fight of the Century’. ‘he always goes on about Ali’s shoelaces,’ said Farrington. ‘how his laces had puff ball tassels and how, during the whole fight, he watched these tassels bounce around like they had a life of their own, until Frazier

Who said it: Tyson or Ali?

I am the greatest – I said that even before I knew I was

It is one of boxing’s most enduring questions: who would have been victorious if Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson had ever faced each other in the ring? ROSS MCGUINNESS discovers a New York stage show might have the answer.

City later this month. It’s a clash of two boxing greats that won’t be played out at the famous Madison Square Garden – but in a 200-seat theatre where the sweat, combat and body blows might seem real but the fight will be pure fantasy. Iron Mike and the Louisville Lip will be played by actors in a stage show that combines boxing with dance and new media. The production, Tyson vs Ali (one wonders what Ali would think about being second on the bill), will play

knocked Ali down. Then the tassels went still. he says it was stunning to see those tassels go still.’ Tyson vs Ali begins by showing both men knocking out opponents. ‘This is where we begin our comparison of these two men’s lives: in the ring,’ said Farrington. ‘We began to think of themes to riff on. Great speeches by the fighters seemed to fit, and in some cases, made the theme.’ Both men ruled the world at the peak of their powers. Ali’s golden era stretched from 1963 – when he defeated Sonny Liston to win the heavyweight title for the first time – until the mid 1970s. But three years after quitting the ring in 1981, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Tyson became the youngest ever heavyweight world champion in 1986, at the age of 20. his fall from grace was far steeper and darker than Ali’s. Forced to retire when jailed for three years for raping 18-year-old Desiree Washington in 1992, his subsequent comeback is chiefly remembered for him biting off Evander holyfield’s ear in their 1994 world title bout. In his prime, in the late 1980s, Tyson was a more fearsome fighter, but could he have coped with the moves of the self-proclaimed greatest? In Tyson vs. Ali, the question is briefly answered – albeit ambiguously – as the pair face off in a bout based loosely on the choreography of the Rumble in the Jungle, the 1974 fight between Ali and George Foreman. If you know your boxing history, you may be able to predict the outcome.

bated which one was boxing’s ultimate fighter. So the show will make the impossible happen and broadcast footage of the champions in action on ringside TV screens, while actors play the parts of Tyson and Ali. The 60minute play is structured in threeminute rounds, like a boxing match. Each one explores a facet of the two fighters’ skills, such as ‘beauty and brutality’ and ‘the mindset’. After each round, there is an ‘interval’, in which actors voice some of the words spoken by Ali and Tyson during their careers. The actors spent two months in a boxing gym to learn how to replicate the styles of Tyson and Ali. They also had vocal coaching to imitate their mannerisms and speech patterns.

It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up

Being a champion opens lots of doors – I’d like to get a real estate licence, maybe sell insurance

Machiavelli’s the most sophisticated writer outside of Shakespeare. Way ahead of his time

A lot of people don’t like themselves and I happen to be totally in love with myself Answers: Tyson: 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11. Ali: 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, 12

12 There are more pleasant things to do than beat up people

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 METRO HERALD

Spurned first lady World clings to hope of keeping her place battle to get rid of polio ‘finally over’

by DANiEL biNNS FRANCE’S first lady Valerie Trierweiler remained in hospital last night – while critics accused her of using ‘emotional blackmail’ to hold on to her glamorous role. The 48-year-old has indicated she is prepared to forgive president François Hollande for his affair with an actress, even though she felt she had been ‘hit by a high-speed train’ when first told about it. She decided to remain under the care of Paris doctors for a fourth night even though her office has confirmed there is nothing seriously wrong with her and she is simply suffering from ‘the blues’. That prompted claims that Ms Trierweiler is trying to win public sympathy before Mr Hollande – her partner of seven years – ‘clarifies’

his relationship with her at a press conference today. A source close to her told Le Parisien newspaper: ‘She seems ready to forgive, she will not slam the door on a whim but she

wants to know quickly what François Hollande’s intentions are.’ Le Parisien broke news of Ms Trierweiler being taken to hospital on Friday and it appears she is briefing the paper in person from her hospital bed. That was the same day pictures emerged in the French Closer magazine of 59-year-old Mr Hollande leaving a secret love nest near the Élysée Palace in Paris where he regularly met Julie Gayet, 41. As official first lady of France, Ms Trierweiler has five personal staff, several homes, jets and limousines at her permanent disposal. The divorced journalist, who still writes a column for Paris Match, has been widely criticised for her high living in the past. She may be ejected from the palace depending on Mr Hollande’s statement today.

iNDiA: Polio has been eradicated after a rigorous immunisation drive by millions of doctors and volunteers. The vaccine-preventable disease has not been detected in India since 2011 and the World Health Organization looks set to declare it free of polio in March. India was once thought to be the most difficult place to eradicate polio because of its high population and poor sanitation.

digest pope to auction off his Holy Davidson

vATiCAN: The Pope is selling his signed Harley-Davidson motorbike. The 1,585cc Dyna Super Glide will be sold by the British auction house Bonhams in Paris on February 6. It was a gift from the makers and is expected to fetch at least €14,000 for charity. The tank was signed by his Holiness at a ceremony at the Vatican. ‘We are incredibly honoured to be selling this,’ said a Bonhams spokesman.

GERMANY: A pair of body-painted models merge into the wallpaper at an exhibition of international furnishings held in Cologne Picture: AP

Maddie hunt: First arrests ‘imminent’

pORTuGAL: Police are poised to make the first arrests in the Madeleine McCann review. Operation Grange detectives have written to the Portuguese authorities asking for help with the inquiry into her disappearance. They want to question three burglars in Praia da Luz at the time Maddie vanished in 2007, then aged three. Her parents, Kate and Gerry, called it a ‘significant development’.

Tigers at risk from killer canine virus

iNDiA: Emergency measures are being taken to protect wild tigers from a virus common in dogs. Every tiger carcass is to be tested for canine distemper, which has killed four of the big cats. Dogs could be vaccinated against the virus, said Rajesh Gopal, of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. The country’s wild tigers are already under threat from poaching and a shrinking habitat.

and finally... CzECH REpubLiC: A thief is up before the beak after he was caught by a parrot mimicking a police siren. Jakub Tomasek, 43, heard the parrot say: ‘This is the police,’ and fled a home in Most. He was arrested hours later.

When all was rosy: Mr Hollande and Ms Trierweiler campaigning in 2012 Picture: AP

Nine get womb Sperm swap felon outed by DNA test transplants NINE women hope to become pregnant after receiving womb transplants in pioneering surgery. The women, mostly in their 30s, were either born without a uterus or had it removed because of cervical cancer. They were given transplanted wombs from living relatives, including one from a mother to her daughter, by doctors in Sweden. Dr Mats Brannstrom said many already had their periods six weeks after the transplants – an early sign the wombs are healthy. ‘This is a new kind of surgery,’ said Dr Brannstrom.

THE University of Utah is investigating a complaint that a convicted felon working at a fertility clinic replaced a customer’s sperm with his own, fathering a girl 21 years ago. The mother of the girl, Pamela Branum, told news outlets that they discovered a genetic mismatch in their daughter, and were able to trace her lineage to the now-dead fertility clinic worker with help from the convict’s relatives. Branum told CBS affiliate KUTV in Salt Lake City that she came forward because she believes Thomas Ray Lippert made victims of other couples who went to the clinic, which was operated by faculty members. The University says there is ‘credible’ evidence of semen tampering or mislabelling. Last Friday, it announced it was opening a hotline and offering paternity testing to anyone who used the clinic between 1988 and 1993.

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12 METRO HERALD Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Mailbox

Email: Twitter:

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

‘Mail’ to 53131* Facebook.com/ metroherald

*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

Notify the relevant officials about swan slaughter

he letter [yesterday’s Mailbox] about the disappearing swans and duck from local parks made for some disturbing reading. It may also be surprising to your readers, just how few people know who to inform if wildlife and trees, etc, are being removed or destroyed. It is essential that if you notice either incident you notify the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Government agency responsible – Google them and you will find a local or central contact address. The guards should always be notified, as should your local political representative. That way someone is bound to investigate. A follow-up check and call ensures that this will happen. John Farrelly ■ I read that hMV is closing its giant flagship Oxford Street store in London, with a smaller one taking its place down the road, I’m sad-

dened to read another report detailing the loss of the business, along with its history and employee base. But the company did charge too much for what it was selling and failed to evolve with the technological changes in the industry. Stuart ■ If hMV had charged reasonable rates when CDs and DVDs were introduced via mass production in the 1980s and 1990s, there would be no need for the iTunes store while Napster and other file-sharing sites wouldn’t exist. hMV was charging up to €25 for a new CD while the cost of production is virtually nothing. Mike ■ It is a sad day but, unfortunately it’s the way things are going. Physical CDs are just not what people want. The fact is, you can log on to a music site and download the track that you’re looking for in seconds. Brian

Quick pic

■ There used to be a thrill in browsing and looking out for that elusive album (for me it was Blondie’s Plastic Letters). I went into a record shop every weekend to see if it was there and, after a year, I found it. Being able to download anything you want has killed it. I hardly buy music and just listen to the radio (or Spotify). For me, much of the pleasure of finding, discovering, acquiring, collecting and sharing music has gone forever. The death of music shops is the final nail in the coffin. Regrettable but inevitable. Donna ■ It’s the nature of the times, with physical media being phased

Pants! I missed No Pants Day

■ Why did you not tell me Sunday was No Pants On Public Transport Day? I was totally overdressed. Next year… *shakes fist, adjusts sitting position* Mr Cranky, Dublin 7 ■ I’m fed up with cyclists thinking they rule the roads and don’t have to stop at pedestrian lights. I just witnessed a cyclist nearly hitting a woman when she had a green man, and he was angry! I too have been screamed at by cyclists when I had a green man. Red lights mean stop. Fedup

Here’s spitting at you, kid: The Tired Man sent in this snap he took of a llama he befriended while on his recent travels in a very hot place

NO RAIN IN SPAIN: Michael Doherty sent in this panoramic photograph he took with his iPhone as he flew into Barcelona for Christmas

■ Watched some of the Late Late on Friday, only RTÉ could have a worldfamous Canadian astronaut as a guest, and in a competition entry on the same programme refer to him as ‘a former US Space Commander’. Frankie

out in favour of downloads. I hope bookstores don’t go the same way. Sami ■ Don’t the moronic correspondents know that a whale is a marine mammal, and not a fish? To the question, it is unfortunate, but true, than unless a monetary value is placed on wildlife, the majority of people feel it is worthless. Dave P ■ To the sozzled homebrewers and beer-experts who wrote in support of this ridiculous and unnecessary ingredient, can I just say, you may know your beer but you seem to have forgotten that a whale is a mammal and not a fish! J

Send your photos to pictures@ metroherald.ie with ‘Quick pic’ as the subject and we will print the best each day in the paper

TRENDiNg #GoldenGlobes ● ‘I need to catch up on my drinking.’ – Jennifer Lawrence on what she’s doing tonight.

@HuffPostCeleb

● Emma Thompson throwing her heels out while sipping her martini was just about the best thing.

@iamsuperclaire

yEH big RiDE

● Silver Fox. We met on the Maynooth train on Friday December 27. We sat opposite each other and couldn’t stop looking at each other. Please get in touch. Blue Eyes Joan ● To the gorgeous brunette who gets on at Kilbarrack station with the green jeans, purple blouse, and burgundy scarf. You work in Brown Thomas and basically you’re a fox. Call me. Jeremiah

yOuR RusH-HOuR cRusH

gOOD ON yA

● Well doesn’t Mr Steve Coogan scrub up well, after seeing his picture in your Life Television section I will be looking at him in a different light. Thanks for that little treat this morning Metro Herald.

A new Steve Coogan fan

RANDOM AcTs Of kiNDNEss

You were wrong, son: Matthew McConaughey won best actor for Dallas Buyers Club ● ‘I really hope you win tonight papa, but I think you’re gonna lose.’ – What Matthew @McConaughey’s son told him before the #GoldenGlobes.

@AmyKinLA

● Without scripts famous people are really just befuddled messes. THANKS GOLDEN GLOBES. @ChrisFranjola ● Johnny Depp looks like the guy in the Kebab shop who just got off the night bus coming from an arts club rave.

@TheMadamEditor

@metrohnews #metromailbox

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 METRO HERALD

RoboThespian that gesticulates and delivers speeches. See TECH & GAMING

p17

Musket man

Meet SANTIAGO CABRERA, the Chilean whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s set to spice up Sunday night TV

â&#x17E;&#x201D;

Each month you will be able to vote for who you think is our best merchandiser. Send us your nominations with why you think they should win and the location they work at to

or post them on

or you can tweet your nomination to @MetroHNews or @MetroHMarketing #mercofthemonth At the end of the month the winner will receive... A monthly cash prize, their photo in Metro Herald & the prestige that comes with the title.

14 METRO HERALD Tuesday, January 14, 2014

film

HeRe are no airs and graces with santiago Cabrera. the actor who starred in Merlin, Heroes and Dexter, and is about to dazzle us with his swordplay in the Musketeers, wanders into the London coffee shop where we meet without a PR in sight. He’s even carrying his own clobber for the photo shoot that’s his next appointment. But then going it alone is Cabrera’s speciality. He puts it down to his globe-trotting background – as the venezuelan-born son of a Chilean diplomat father, he’s never been in one place long enough to call anywhere home. ‘I’ve never been in any country for more than four years and I’m learning different languages all the time,’ he says. ‘It gives you a different attitude. It could either f*** you up because you don’t know where you belong or it can take you a different way and it can enrich you. I feel very lucky because, although I feel like an outsider, it makes you an excellent observer – and that’s what you need as an actor.’ His latest escapade is the Musketeers, a fresh and refreshingly adult take on the Alexandre Dumas clas-

sic that’s set to liven up BBC1 sunday nights. the first we see of Cabrera’s character Aramis, he’s sprawled half-naked on a sumptuous bed, having the scars on his torso lovingly caressed by a sexy siren. Does he find it a bind being cast as the smouldering lover and getting his kit off? ‘How you look is part of what acting is,’ he says, ‘but the way I look at it, every actor is a character actor. someone once told me at a casting “you’re a character actor in a leading man’s body” and I can live with that,’ he laughs, sending himself up. the introduction to Aramis is, says Cabrera, a touch misleading. ‘He’s not the player you think at first, he’s looking for real love. What I found

very appealing about him is that he’s a bit of a loner, he’s sacrificed a comfortable life for a cause. this is a show that’s very much about four equal leads. We’re making a backstory about each of the characters, there’s room for that when you make a series. But it has a real pace to it.’ the ‘all for one, one for all’ Dumas tale has been much dramatised but Cabrera thinks this version, which co-stars ex-skins favourite Luke Pasqualino as D’Artagnan, tom Burke as Athos and Howard Charles as Porthos – with Peter Capaldi adding a touch of evil as the scheming Cardinal Richelieu – has modern appeal. ‘the four are all quite lost in their own way but they care for each other, they care for their brotherhood,’ he says. ‘I think that’s a theme that speaks of today, when it’s easy to feel alienated. It gives the show a darkness too, though it’s likeable at the same time. At heart, it’s an adventure fantasy but with real characters.’ the Musketeers was filmed in Prague, handy for Cabrera, who now lives with his wife, a theatre director, in Berlin. the setting was a perfect antidote to a spell in LA during which he’d been pursuing his career

Books

Parliamentarian who changed the nation Historian Dermot Meleady on the second volume of his new biography of neglected revolutionary John Redmond

vents being commemorated this year mark the crowning achievement of John Redmond and his party and, simultaneously, the unfolding of a tragedy that would destroy both within four years. the party was the Irish Parliamentary Party, elected by the majority of Irish nationalists to lobby and fight in the British parliament for Irish Home Rule. Redmond was its leader from 1900 until just before his death in 1918. Home Rule had been the nationalist political goal for 40 years. It wasn’t full independence, but power for an elected Irish parliament and an accountable executive to govern all internal Irish matters, with foreign affairs left to the Westminster parliament under the Crown: in

short, autonomy within the British empire. In 1890, the party split over the divorce case scandal that ended the career of its then leader, Charles stewart Parnell. Redmond was the most prominent of the MPs who stood by Parnell. A bitter verbal civil war raged among nationalists, with Redmond leading the small Parnellite faction against the anti-Parnellite majority. In 1900, reconciliation came. the reunited party elected Redmond its leader. this book takes up the story from that point. Within a few years, Redmond’s conciliatory skills had healed the wounds of the split – though fresh quarrels would arise – while his rigorous work ethic and fine parliamentary skills made the party once more a well-honed instrument for pursuing Irish interests at Westminster. the party was able to secure reforms from British governments that changed the face of Ireland. Land ownership was transferred from landlords to most tenant farmers,

BBC/LaRRy HoRRiCks

A leading man with character

with some success – though he felt pigeonholed. ‘In America, I am brown, I’m “of colour”, so I would be offered Latin roles and I’ve fought against that,’ he says. ‘I don’t want to be put in a category. For me, it’s all about different roles, telling the stories of the great writers.’ It could have all worked out very differently. He didn’t start drama school in London until he was 21 because up until then his big love was football. He was playing for top-level non-league side Hampton & Richmond, with dreams of a pro career until injuries knocked him back. Given the choice now, would it be football or acting? ‘Oh, football definitely!’ he says without missing a beat. ‘Just think if that was your job – you’d never have

thousands of cottages were built for farm labourers and the national University was set up. Redmond spoke on platforms all over Great Britain to sway public opinion in favour of the case for Irish self-government. In 1910, the long-awaited breakthrough came when the Liberal Party was returned to power with Home Rule high on its agenda. Between 1912 and 1914, Redmond and the Liberals successfully got the Home Rule Bill passed into law – the victory that had eluded O’Connell and Parnell. Redmond was Ireland’s prime-minister-in-waiting. But, as this biography documents, success came with a fatal flaw. Redmond, like nationalists in general, knew little about Ulster and had underestimated the determination of its one-million-strong unionist community to retain its citizenship of the UK and resist Catholic nationalist rule. Facing the threat of civil war, he reluctantly agreed to a limited opt-out from Home Rule for majorityunionist Ulster counties. the Great War froze that threat, but the issue had not been settled when Home Rule became law in september 1914. Believing that Ireland owed a debt of honour to Britain for enacting Home Rule, and hoping that the fight against a common enemy would forge a new unity between unionists and nationalists, he encouraged nationalist enlistment in the British army. However, spurred by the wave of Anglophobic emotion after the execu-

any difficulty getting up in the morning. But then I think, if I was a footballer, my career would be pretty well over now I’m 35. With acting, you can have your whole life.’ He’s thought about combining his twin passions. On the pitch Cabrera switched between midfield and attack – perfectly suited to playing the part of Argentine football icon Diego Maradona. ‘I’d love to play him,’ he enthuses. ‘I was interested in getting the rights to his book, to turn it into a film.’ And no doubt the dumpy Diego would love to be played by the charismatic Cabrera. ‘Just give me the money and I’d do it like a shot,’ he declares.

The Musketeers starts on BBC1 on Sunday at 9pm.

tions of the 1916 Rebellion leaders, nationalists rejected Redmond when they realised that a Home Rule Ireland would be partitioned. Others were waiting to try violent methods, and though they finally won more independence than Home Rule provided for, they could not avert partition. Redmond’s personal tragedy is summed up in his family’s decision not to hold his funeral procession through Dublin, fearing disorder on streets that had earlier hailed him as a hero. Instead, the remains of Ireland’s lost leader were buried privately in his family plot in Wexford. John Redmond: The National Leader (Merrion) is out now.

Devour these super snacks

AubERginE-wRAppED cHickEn

to read. She wears her knowlaving defined veggiedge lightly but chucks in a mini-essay on the trading of estan (a Midsesame seeds in old Mesopodle Eastern tamia, details about the speland of vegetacific characteristics of arabibles) in her an pomegranate molasses second cookbook, Sally (less dark, gloopy and sour Butcher’s third book is dedithan other versions) and cated to the snacks, comfort SnackiStan food and meze of a similar by Sally Butcher notes on the debate over the unofficial region. it takes in halal status of prawns. Pavilion The friend on whom i testSomalian sesame snaps and ed the Turkish aubergineMoroccan raw turnip salad as HHHII well as the classics that come to mind wrapped chicken dish was keener on when you think of informal eating in the look of the book than its title. the region: chapters include nuts and Still, we agreed lunch was good; the nibbles, fishy things, meat on sticks thinly sliced chicken is marinated in spiced yoghurt and wrapped in auberand hot veggie dishes. Snackistan is beautifully and elabo- gine slices that turn silky in the oven. rately designed, with a striking cover. You could get away without the But, in keeping with Butcher’s style cheese but not – as with so many and subject, it’s accessible and easy dishes in Snackistan – without bread.

ingREDiEnTs Makes around 40 squares, or enough for a week’s snacking 250g whole sesame seeds ♦ 200g white sugar ♦ 100g honey ♦ 100g smooth peanut butter 100ml date syrup– if you can’t find it, just use extra honey ♦ 100g desiccated coconut METHOD step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C. Spread the sesame seeds out on a fairly large baking tray and pop them into the oven for around 10 minutes, or until they assume a pleasant golden hue. Remove and set aside. step 2: Tip, scrape and dollop the sugar, honey, peanut butter and date syrup into a saucepan and heat it through gently until the sugar has melted and everything has amalgamated. Pour the toasted sesame seeds into the pan along with the coconut and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Spread some oiled greaseproof paper over the baking tray, then spread the sesame gloop out over it, levelling it off with the wooden spoon. step 2: Place another sheet of greaseproof paper over the top: this will enable you to roll the gloop to a thickness of no more than about 2–3mm – if necessary, use 2 trays. Now score through the sesame carefully, portioning it out into snack-sized squares. Leave to cool before breaking off the squares. Store in an airtight plastic container and dish out as rewards for very good behaviour.

ingREDiEnTs makes 12

to assemble: 2 large aubergines ♦ Salt ♦ Oil ♦ 125g grated kashkaval cheese (or Cheddar) ♦ Handful of fresh mint, shredded ♦ Cocktail sticks ♦ 400ml tomato passata

METHOD step 1: Lay each

chicken breast flat, slice through them horizontally so you get 4 very thin slices from each one. Beat the yoghurt with the other marinade ingredients, then immerse the chicken in the mixture. Chill for at least 2hr. step 2: Slice the aubergines thinly lengthways: you need 12 slices. Rub each slice with salt and leave pressed between some kitchen paper for 20min. Next, dry the aubergines then

fry in hot oil until they are just floppy. Drain on kitchen paper and cool a little. Preheat the oven to 200C. step 3: Place a slice of aubergine in front of you and sprinkle over grated cheese and mint. Remove a chicken slice from the marinade and layer on top of the aubergine, then roll it all into a sausage.

Secure the bundle with a cocktail stick and repeat. Place the aubergine rolls in an ovenproof dish and pour the passata around them. Bake uncovered for 15min then cover with foil and cook for a further 15min. Serve with a diced tomato, onion and cucumber salad, yoghurt and hot pitta bread.

AbOuT TOwn

FOOD NEWS inTERnATiOnAL cRAFT bREws FAiR if you’re being abstemious in January chances are by mid-February your thirst levels could be dangerously high. there’s good news in the form of alltech’s international craft Brews Fair which will play host to more than 50 breweries from across the globe. Visitors can sample exotic craft brews, nibble on gourmet food from local producers and take in a beer grand slam and music from Paddy casey Feb 7 & 8, Dublin Convention Centre, Docklands D2, €15. See www.alltechbrewsandfood.com for tickets bALLYMALOE LiTFEsT OF FOOD & winE 2014 a particular highlight of the Ballymaloe foodie extravaganza, taking place for its second year in the Myrtle allen homestead, will be a talk from noma’s René Redzepi (pictured) on the work ethic that has made his three-Michelin starred copenhagen restaurant such an international hit. Other luminaries include israeli-born chef Yotam Ottolenghi, aussie Maggie Beer and Simon Hopkinson May 16 to May 18, 2014. Tel: (021) 464 5777 or visit www.litfest.ie.

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For the marinade: 3 chicken breasts, skinned and off the bone ♦ 3tbsp plain yoghurt ♦ 4 garlic cloves, minced ♦ Juice and zest of 1 lemon ♦ 1-2tbsp olive oil ♦ 1 level tsp ground turmeric ♦ 2tsp Aleppo pepper ♦ ½tsp salt

Tel: 01 830 9677

BOOK NOW Joan baez Rock icon Joan Baez marched on Washington with Martin Luther king and, with her then beau Bob Dylan, spearheaded the US folk revival of the 1960s. the pure, rich voice is deeper than it was, and her most recent album, Day after tomorrow, updated the classic Baez style to incorporate songs by Steve Earle, tom Waits and Elvis costello. Live, however, she’s more than content to revisit a sublime back catalogue that includes a clutch of stellar Dylan covers. that her last Vicar Street date several years ago sold out in seconds suggests her threenight stint this September is great news indeed Sep 24, 25 & 27, Vicar Street, 58-59 Thomas Street D8, 8pm, €49.65. Tel: 0818 719 300. www.vicarstreet.ie union J the X Factor also-rans, still soaring on the success of their debut single carry You and self-titled album, bring their cookie-cutter boyband schtick to Dublin tonight as part of their Magazines and tV Screens tour Tonight, The 02, East Link Bridge, North Wall Quay D1, 6.30pm, €36.50. Tel: 0818 719 300. www.theo2.ie

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Tuesday, January 14, 2014 METRO HERALD

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16 METRO HERALD Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Life television fiorscéal tg4, 10.25pm Five residents of the community of San Patrignano, the world’s largest drug rehabilitation and detox centre, located near Bologna in Italy, are followed in this documentary entitled Vivo: The Best Drug Is Life. The centre, which has capacity for 2,000 people, has been offering its four-year therapeutic programme free of charge since 1978. It credits its extraordinary success rate with its unwillingness to consider addiction an illness, and its non-classical approach that aims to eliminate dependence without substitution.

What i’m WatChing heather peace the Killing

The Danish version, of course, starring Sofie Gråbøl as Det Sarah Lund (below). I came to this really late and was immediately hooked. It’s so dark and

understated. I love that it’s a thriller without any of the unnecessary unrealistic action. It’s just about relationships and the psychology of what happens to everyone affected by a murder. And yes, I do like the jumpers.

BreaKing Bad

I think this is some of the most perfect TV I’ve ever seen. I watched it on Netflix at the end of last year and it was a completely mental roller-coaster. The characters are incredible and complex, and I felt as though they had infiltrated my life to the point I was almost glad when it was over – and then I immediately missed them. I loved that they had scenes lasting almost 20 minutes and the beautiful way everything was shot – it felt like watching theatre sometimes.

last tango in halifax

film of the day king of The Travellers, tV3, 9pm

Set in the Irish Travelling community, this film by writer and director Mark O’Connor follows John Paul Moorehouse (John Connors) on his quest to uncover the truth about his father’s killer. In the process he re-ignites an old family feud and his desire for revenge is swayed as he falls for Winnie Power, the daughter of the man he suspects killed his father. To bring authenticity to the film, described as a ‘Gaelic Godfather’, O’Connor had real-life Travellers, many first-time actors, play some of the roles. The cast also includes Love/Hate’s Peter Coonan (pictured above in string vest) as Mickey ‘Bags’ Moorehouse. Receiving its premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh, the film features music from Damien Dempsey.

After the tension and the darkness of Breaking Bad and The Killing, this is the perfect light, funny, gorgeous antidote. This is a lovely story that hasn’t been told before and it has one of the best casts I’ve ever seen on TV – they all work so beautifully together. It’s set where my parents live, so it also feels very familiar.

Wild Brazil BBC2, 9pm Could the coati (pictured right) be the new meerkat in the Tv cute-factor stakes? The south american cousin to the raccoon, with its fluffy stripy tail held aloft, steals the show tonight from the tufted capuchin and giant otter, the opening trio featured in this three-part swoop through the seasons in the wilds of Brazil. When the giant otters spot a jaguar, they turn into a screeching flotilla of mini loch ness monsters – it’s true what they say about strength in numbers.

operation transformation rtE1, 8.30pm Kathryn Thomas catches up with the six leaders on their first week to find out if the lifestyle changes which they have implemented, including a daily food plan and an exercise regime, are taking effect. All will be revealed during the weigh-in later on. Tune in tomorrow night for more updates on the leaders’ progress.

my favourite tv character

the taste ChannEl 4, 9pm Prawn cocktail or ‘shrimp’ for starters? nigella lawson is having none of that american nonsense from chefs anthony Bourdain and Us-based ludo lefebvre as we hit the first elimination round of this cookery contest. The perfect prawn cocktail is the challenge set by guest chef, irishman richard Corrigan, as the 12 contenders face being the first evicted.

Without doubt, Jane Tennison from Prime Suspect. Most actresses would probably tell you this uld be their would ole. ultimate role. She was one of the first really great examples of a strong, intelligent female characterr on V and Helen British TV Mirren portrayed her just perfectly. Sharon Lougher Heather Peace plays Nikki Boston in Waterloo Road, which continues on BBC1 on Wednesdays at 8.30pm.

tech&gaming

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 METRO HERALD

editorial@metroherald.ie to advertise, call 01 7055010

The A-Z from gadget heaven AP

James Day reports from the world’s biggest tech expo, CES at Las Vegas. The future starts here…

is for audio Or high-resolution audio, to be precise. Think MP3s but better. If manufacturers’ file formats become universally accepted, they will sell lots of new hardware, labels will reissue back catalogues and we’ll get greater-sounding music.

is for Bay Transformers director Michael Bay stormed off stage at Samsung’s press conference after a cringeworthy Autocue failure.

Seeing is believing: Delegates try out a Sony prototype at the Las Vegas CES, where the world’s leading gadget makers show off their latest products

is for curves Curved TVs are everywhere, with LG and Samsung (above) both revealing 105in, 4K bendy behemoths reshaped by remote. Fancy.

is for drones The Parrot MiniDrone is a remote-control quadcopter powered by iPhone that fits in the palm of your hand. Expected to cost around €250, it could be a Christmas best-seller.

is for headphones The most represented gadget at the show. Monster alone boasts tie-ins with the likes of adidas, Diesel and Lamborghini.

is for the Internet of Things (IoT) The buzz phrase of CES 2014, IoT refers to anything that’s internetconnected. It can apply to a TV, toaster or anything you stick a sensor to and monitor from a smartphone or tablet – such as your pet dog, for example.

is for ears Heart Rate Earphones from LG track your vital signs by measuring the blood flow in your ear. Alternatively, you could just use them to listen to music.

is for June The Netatmo June (below left) is a bracelet whose function is to protect you from overexposure to the sun.

is for fitness We like Sony’s tennis racket sensor for improving your swing and the Reebok Checklight (above, right), a head-mounted impact indicator that lights up depending on the severity of the injury.

is 4K (geddit?) TVs offering four times the resolution of HD are coming down in price (Polaroid will sell you one Stateside for under $1,000). The content is coming too – Netflix promises the likes of Breaking Bad will go 4K soon and this year’s World Cup final will be filmed in the format.

is for gaming Valve announced 12 of the companies that will create its Steam Machines gaming PCs. They include Alienware and iBuyPower.

is for lasers Remember that episode of The Simpsons when Homer finally gets hair thanks to a ‘miracle breakthrough’? The iGrow hair growth helmet uses laser therapy to re-energise follicle cells and fight receding hairlines.

is for Mother Described as a home and family monitoring system, Mother (right) from Sen.se connects to sensors you can attach to pretty much anything to detect location, movement and temperature – again, like the dog.

is for Naim The British audio brand showed off a super amplifier, described by CEO Paul Stephenson as a ‘motherf***er for the serious music lover, or just seriously loaded’. Named Statement, it costs an eyewatering €150,000 – and no, that doesn’t include the speakers.

is for open sesame An August Smart Lock unlocks your front door by recognising your smartphone as you approach. You can even send a virtual key to friends and family.

is for PlayStation The big news from Sony was the launch of PlayStation Now, which means PS3 games can be streamed to your PS4 and Vita.

is for Qualcomm Qualcomm processors power pretty much every mobile device going. If the Internet of Things (see ‘I’) is going to work, their chips will be in big demand.

is for ultra high definition (UHD) I’ll be castrated by some techies for saying this but, generally speaking, UHD TVs are the same as 4K TVs.

is for virtual reality The vomit-inducing VR experience from the Oculus Rift headset is worth a go, despite the side effects. The new prototype adds positional tracking and erases motion blur. It should go on sale this year.

is for robots Robots to clean your windows, teach children or simply provide companionship were all on show. But check out the ‘humanoid’ RoboThespian that gesticulates and delivers speeches in a classic British manner for use at museums and exhibits.

is for smart home Samsung wants to make smart appliances less confusing so it’s released one app to control them all. Simply sending a text can operate LG’s Home Chat appliances. With it, you can even ask the fridge: ‘What shopping do I need?’

Man vs machine: Michael Bay, who fluffed his lines, and the RoboThespian that, presumably, never will

is for toothbrushes Last year, we had the HAPIfork, which told you when you were eating too fast. This year the Kolibree connected toothbrush detects tartar levels and where you’ve missed while scrubbing.

is for wearable tech Will this finally be the year for wearable tech, such as the Pebble Steel smartwatch (above)?

is for Xperia Sony’s Xperia smartphone now boasts the gorgeous Z1 Compact. It has all the features of the Z1 but is iPhone-sized – and available in pink.

is for Yahoo! Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer is one of the most powerful women in tech. She told a 1,700-strong crowd the money is now in mobile.

is for Zzzzzz The Sleep Number superbed is said to even help stop snoring – that’s if the €5,500 price tag doesn’t give you restless nights.

18 METRO HERALD Tuesday, January 14, 2014

travel

features@metroherald.ie to advertise, call 01 7055010

Beauty that will take your breath away iceland: Snorkelling in the Silfra Fissure is a truly unique experience By Yvonne Gordon

‘E

arthquakes are constant and there is at least one quake happening in Iceland at any given moment…’ reads the guidebook in the hotel reception, ‘…the earthquake zone is limited to the main fault line of the Mid-atlantic ridge…’ I stop reading. at the moment an earthquake is my worst fear. We are about to go snorkelling in the silfra Fissure – a gap between the North american and the eurasian tectonic plates, on the Mid-atlantic ridge in Iceland. the fissure is in Þingvellir National Park, surrounded by volcanic lava fields, and people snorkel and dive here for the range of underwater visibility – up to 100m in places. My joke before the trip had been: ‘I hope there isn’t an earthquake when we are snorkelling!’ I hadn’t realised that it was so likely… however, I forget any worries as soon as I look out the hotel window at the expanse of snow-sprinkled lava fields, surrounded by low hills. In the distance, a cloud of steam quietly rises from the geothermal power station on the lake. the Ion hotel is beside the national park and, far away from any towns or cities, it’s a great place to see the aurora Borealis. the night porter promises to wake us up if the lights appear, and sure enough, at about 11.30pm we get a call to say there is aurora activity and we rush out to watch the mesmerising swirls of white and faint green light overhead. Next morning, we head to the silfra Fissure to meet Montira and snorri, our snorkelling guides. Montira shows us a scale model of the tectonic plates, and explains how the constant tension between the two plates has formed ‘scars’ on the landscape – fissures – filled with glacier water that has taken 50 to 100 years to travel through the volcanic lava fields.

Next we get kitted out. the air temperature is 6 °C and the water is 2°C, so the first layer is a ‘teddy suit’ – like a giant insulated babygro. Next we put on drysuits – rubber suits sealed at the neck and wrists, followed by a hood, gloves, flippers, snorkel and mask. We walk over to the fissure, and I go down the steps slowly. surprisingly, the water doesn’t feel cold. Where we are looks like a narrow river with rocks on each side – the North american plate on the right and the eurasian on the left. But when I put my head into the water and look down, I see a whole new blue world set between two vast cliffs of white rocky architecture and stretching right down into the deep. the water is totally clear and visibility seems to go down to infinity. It is totally still. there is no sign of life, of fish or other aquatic creatures. the plates have formed layers of white lava rock under the water, with steep sides; the blue in places is a shade I’ve never seen before. I drift along, paddling my flippers gently, sometimes being brought along by the current. I see a giant boulder wedged between the two plates. I wonder when it fell in – it could have been last week or 1,000 years ago, and another earthquake could send it down into the depths forever. I lose myself in the subaquatic vistas as I glide along, breathing through the snorkel, and when I lift my head again a good while later, I am surprised how normal everything looks up above – the rocks have given way to grassy, muddy banks formed on the volcanic lava fields to either side. We snorkel through an area known as the ‘cathedral’, the deepest area of the fissure, where we see the most vibrant blue. It’s a big and vast watery place of worship that we can only peer down into in awe. Montira says during summer shafts of light shine down into it. some areas are shallower and I touch the bottom, immediately stirring up a cloud of white dust into the water. apparently the dust is a sign of lots of tension between the plates. there are algae floating here too. the water is filtered glacial water so it is no problem to

Going under: Yvonne and the snorkellers prepare to venture into the deep of the Silfra Fissure in Þingvellir National Park, after tentatively descending the stairs into the water (left) drink. the only place I feel the cold is in my hands, but it’s worth it for the experience. after viewing a sea cave that goes right out into the main Lake Þingvellir, we get out of the water. Montira warns us not to hold the handrail in case our hands stick to it, and as soon as I get out, icicles freeze on my drysuit. It is only then that I realise my suit had leaked – one wrist was not sealed. I was so absorbed in the experience, I never noticed the cold water getting in. Luckily there was no dramatic tectonic plate movement when we were in the water – but Montira tells us there were about 20 earthquakes during the time we were snorkelling. this is normal, because of the amount of geological activity in the area.

he next day we go on a Golden Circle tour by jeep. We walk a canyon between the tectonic plates, peer down the Gullfoss Waterfall, see the Geysir at haukadalur and visit the Langjökull Glacier, where it is snowing heavily. all the way, our guide Jacob explains how the landscape of lava fields was formed, and the status of any recent – or expected – volcanic eruptions. he also takes us on some off-road driving through snow and across rivers. that night, we go on a Northern Lights hunt, and Jacob uses a

range of techniques to find the best spot in the mountains to see the lights, which we do. It feels chilly but I am wrapped up well. I find out afterwards that the temperature we were outside in for two hours was -12°C. that’s one thing about Iceland in winter – you get so absorbed in the experiences, you don’t really notice the temperature.

BARE ESSENTIALS Snorkelling in the Silfra Fissure with Arctic Adventures costs from 13.990 ISK (approx €86) per person, see www.adventures.is. Superjeep’s Golden Circle tour is 34.900 ISK (€220) per person and the Northern Lights hunt is 19.500 ISK (€123), see www.superjeep.is

GETTING THERE WOW Air flies from London Gatwick to Reykjavik, Iceland from Stg£74 (€89) one way, including taxes and hand luggage allowance. To book, see www.wowair.co.uk or call 0044 118321 8384. Rooms at Ion Hotel start from €175 per night, see www.ioniceland.is. For more about Iceland, see visiticeland.com.

From myth to mischief

For a truly weird and wonderful time, head to north Iceland, says Caroline Eden

eep in the Arctic-hugging region of north Iceland, the jagged volcanic rocks at Dimmuborgir are in fact, according to Norse mythology, trolls. Jon Thor, my guide and self-certified ‘trollologist’, points to a large, craggy chunk of lava. ‘This one,’ he says, almost dewy-eyed, ‘walked home after a party, got lost and saw the sunrise. As everyone knows, light turns trolls to stone, so here he is.’ Batting my eyelashes in the frostbite-inducing snow, I stare the best I can and – a bit like when you gaze at cumulus clouds – eventually see facial features in the rock. In Nordic Christian lore, Dimmuborgir is said to be where Satan created the catacombs of hell. As a blizzard whips us and the temperature drops to -21C, the irony of blazing furnaces is not lost on me. Bulbous in winter clothes, we rush back to our warm super-jeep and notice it has been covered with snowballs. ‘Yule Lads,’ says Thor confidently. ‘This is their territory.’ On December 12, the 13 ‘Yule Lads’ leave their mountain dwellings and head into town to play pranks. Children in Iceland believe the Yule Lads live year-round in the mountains, only coming out at Christmas time. Rather than a stocking, each night they put a shoe in their bedroom window in the hope one of the Yule Lads will leave a gift, or a rotten potato, depending on how well they’ve behaved. Actors bring the characters to life. Among the different characters there is Gluggagægir, or Window peeper – ‘not a pervert’ Jon Thor assures me – who steals toys on December 21 and Hurðaskellir, or Door Slammer, who wakes everyone up on December 18. Just as I’m digesting this, a man with a huge white beard appears from behind the jeep. Thor introduces him. ‘This is Þvörusleikir, otherwise known as Spoon Licker. He is collecting firewood for the Yule Lads’ bum fire.’ ‘Bum fire?’ I ask warily. ‘Yes, we keep warm by wiggling our bums over the bonfire,’ Spoon Licker says with a jiggle. ‘Can I take your photo?’ I ask. ‘You can’t as another visitor got here before you and he took all the photos,’ Spoon Licker says. I take my eyes off him for a second and, when I look back, spot him sprinting into the lava fields. In the jeep, we start to defrost. Thor describes Gryla the troll, the Yule Lads’ mother, who emerges from her cave at Christmas in search of naughty children to stuff into her sack. So fierce is Gryla that some blame her for

the eruption of eyjafjallajökull, the volcano that shut down airports and caused travel chaos across europe in 2010. Such eruptions haven’t halted the flow of tourists to magical Iceland. In fact, tourism is on the rise. According to promote Iceland, tourist numbers are up 40 per cent.

fTeR an hour in the jeep we reach Christmas House, where it is Christmas 365 days of the year. Inside, there are ornamental Yule Lads for sale and a grotto with a difference. Rather than Santa, there is a life-sized model of Gryla, cast in wart-ridden papier mâché. I buy some traditional flaky laufabrauð (thin latticed bread) and ask the shop assistant about other seasonal culinary treats in Iceland. On St Thorlakur’s Day on December 23, there’s a stench of rotten fish on the streets. The smell is putrid ‘skata’ (skate fish), eaten to symbolise the end of the Christmas fast. Jokingly, she adds that ‘Icelanders don’t want their own houses to smell, so they go to restaurants and eat it alongside foreigners’. I learn that brave gastronomes can also get involved with Thorrablot, a midwinter pagan festival held on the first friday after January 19, where culinary delicacies appear on restaurant menus. This includes rotten shark meat, boiled sheep’s head and ram’s testicles, all washed down with some Brennivin (Black Death), a caraway-flavoured type of schnapps. ‘It’s true Icelanders go in for Christmas and winter festivities in a big way,’ Jon Thor says, ‘but the Yule Lads and our traditions help us get through the long, dark days. It’s a very tough time of year.’

Caroline flew to Iceland with WOW Air (www.wowair. co.uk). She stayed at Saeluhus apartments in Akureyri, doubles from €112, www. saeluhus.is. The Travelling Viking offers a ten-hour Northern Wonders tour, which starts in Akureyri and takes in all the key sights in North Iceland, from €175 per person, www.ttv.is. www. VisitIceland.com www.icelandairwaves.is

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 MetRO HeRALD

Best seasonal events Spring: Beer was banned in Iceland for 75 years until 1989. To celebrate the end of the prohibition, Iceland’s pubs go beercrazy on March 1. To join in, go on a ‘rúntur’ (bar crawl). Summer: Held on June 1 and 2, Sailor’s Day is an annual celebration of Icelandic sailors. Join in with the nautical larks at Reykjavík’s West Harbour, Grandagarður. www.hatidhafsins.is Autumn: One of the best film festivals in Europe, with an emphasis on independent cinema, Reykjavik International Film Festival (RIFF) is a great time for film buffs to be in the capital. September 25 to October 5, 2014. www.riff.is Winter: Since its launch in 1999, Reykjavik’s super-cool five-day Airwaves festival has seen acts such as The Shins and TV On The Radio perform. From November 5 to 9, 2014, Reykjavik will once again turn into a hotbed of musical talent. www.icelandairwaves.is

Acting up: Two Yule Lads, who play tricks and dispense gifts during the festive season (main picture above left); the rocks, or ‘trolls’, of Dimmuborgir (above)

tRAveL DeALs Of tHe week n Destination: Mexico & Las Vegas Price: From €1,339 per person Details: Seven nights all-inclusive at the four-star Occidental Grand Xcaret and four nights room only at the four-star Luxur Resort. Travel between May 1 and June 30. Book by January 28. Based on two sharing. Includes flights and taxes. Contact: Classic Resorts, tel: (01) 874 5000. www.classicresorts.ie n Destination: Thailand Price: From €795 per person Details: Seven nights at the four-star Amari Ochid in Pattaya. Travel between May 1 and June 30. Book by February 6. Contact: Classic Resorts, tel: (01) 874 5000. www.classicresorts.ie

n Destination: Orlando Price: From €505 per person Details: Seven nights at the three-star Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando. Based on two adults and two children sharing, including flights and taxes. Contact: Sunway, tel: (01) 231 1800. www.sunway.ie n Destination: Vietnam & Cambodia Price: From €2,169 per person Details: 17 day trip. Sail in Halong Bay, visit Ho Chi Minh City, float through the Mekong Delta, enjoy Angkor Wat. Price based on two sharing. Includes flights, accommodation, sightseeing. Contact: Sunway, tel: (01) 231 1800. www.sunway.ie

20 METRO HERALD Tuesday, January 14, 2014

puzzles

METROSCOPE

NEMI by Lise

by Patrick Arundell Aries Mar 21 – Apr 20

Try not to take umbrage if someone has advice for you, as they might genuinely want to help. The perspective of a friend or loved one might be offered as a gesture of goodwill. Plus, those close to you often know you better than we know ourselves. For your forecast, call 15609 114 70

Taurus Apr 21 – May 21

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

A tense Lunar link might leave you wondering what you’ve let yourself in for, especially if a meeting doesn’t go as planned. If your placid overtures meet with resistance, your nostrils may begin to flare. An ultra-cool approach might work best. For your forecast, call 15609 114 71

Gemini May 22 – Jun 21

The Moon’s link with Uranus and Pluto could catch you off-guard where a financial matter is concerned, leaving you with an unexpected expense. You might find that a bit of lateral thinking helps. For your forecast, call 15609 114 72

Cancer Jun 22 – Jul 23

Someone you know may not be in the best of moods. If a mini tantrum seems possible, you may need to apply home-spun psychology to cool things down. However, the Moon’s link with Neptune, could give you extra leverage in this situation. For your forecast, call 15609 114 73

Leo Jul 24 – Aug 23

A Jupiter Pluto connection suggests you may have a big dream but might swing between the positive and negative when it comes to committing. Yet Mars in Libra might offer the chance of a more balanced approach, if you’re willing to do research.

PEARLs BEFORE swINE

For your forecast, call 15609 114 74

Virgo Aug 24 – Sep 23

Perhaps it’s time to express your creativity with confidence, particularly if you can turn your current artistic, craft or DIY skills into cash. With a careful approach, you may do really well. Romance is also spotlighted. For your forecast, call 15609 114 75

Libra Sep 24 – Oct 23

Though you may try to maintain a detached view of a certain situation, you could find it hard if it involves your job or family life. If a problem has been getting to you, it may be difficult to hide your feelings, especially if you’re under pressure. For your forecast, call 15609 114 76

scorpio Oct 24 – Nov 22

The current line-up hints that one or two options may be open to you but trying to decide which is best may not be easy. If you need to take action urgently, consider balancing your insights with some ice cool logic. For your forecast, call 15609 114 77

sagittarius Nov 23 – Dec 21

Although you may be putting on a jolly face, it’s not always easy to navigate through life with a smile. Perhaps it isn’t wise to conceal a matter which may be bothering you, whereas sharing it could leave you feeling better. For your forecast, call 15609 114 78

Capricorn Dec 22 – Jan 20

Though it could be tempting to encourage someone to follow your lead, you may create a better rapport by letting them decide for themselves. Too much coercion might mean you lose the goodwill of a supportive pal. For your forecast, call 15609 114 79

Aquarius Jan 21 – Feb 19

Should you step up to the plate, or not? The Grand Cross might be pushing you to do just that, while Mercury may coincide with a rush of thoughts about your current plan or project. If you feel prepared, go for it. If not, do some research first. For your forecast, call 15609 114 80

Pisces Feb 20 – Mar 20

The Moon’s link with Neptune suggests you may consider other people’s feelings above your own. If they have a problem, you might sacrifice some of your time to help them. But don’t forget about yourself.

DOWN 2 Compatible (10) 3 Blemish (4) 4 Obvious (6) 5 Allow (6) 6 Respected (8) 7 Twirl (4) 11 Voters (10) 13 Coming from the east (8) 16 Lower (6) 17 Severe trial (6) 18 Break suddenly (4) 20 Begin (4)

Yesterday’s Solutions Across: 7 Moody; 8 Arbours; 9 Opulent; 10 Tempt; 12 Stentorian; 15 Incendiary; 18 Naive; 19 Undergo; 21 Revolve; 22 Brief. Down: 1 Imposition; 2 Bogus; 3 Type; 4 Hasten; 5 Abattoir; 6 Turmoil; 11 Tonic sol-fa; 13 Tenderly; 14 Achieve; 16 Inured; 17 Train; 20 Debt.

ENIGMA A noun and verb: the former means, For instance, shirts or shoes or jeans. Its verbal form means strike or smack, Or fetch someone a hefty whack.

WHO AM I? A TV executive, I was born into a showbiz family in 1943. As head of Channel 4 I was dubbed Britain’s ‘Pornographer in Chief’. I have also been Chairman of the

BBC and Chief Executive of ITV. WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN? WHO… in sport would perform a snatch or a clean and jerk? WHAT... type of animal is a burbot? WHERE... was dancer Dame Ninette de Valois born? WHEN... did British retail chain Debenhams take over nine of Roches Stores outlets, including its landmark Henry Street store?

SCRIBBLE BOX

ACROSS 1 Blackleg (4) 8 Power of command (10) 9 Contour line of equal temperature (8) 10 Uniform (4) 12 Climb (6) 14 To moderate (6) 15 Let (6) 17 Strangeness (6) 18 Sore on the eyelid (4) 19 Middling (8) 21 Merge (10) 22 Require (4)

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. 892 See next edition for solutions

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

QUIZ ANSWERS: ENIGMA: Clobber. WHO AM I? Michael Grade. WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN? A weightlifter; Fish; Ireland; 2006.

QUICK CROsswORd

For your forecast, call 15609 114 81

gaa

gAA cOLLEgE fEsTivAL fiRsT

Queen’s University GAA players Chris McGuiness, Martin Mcelhinney, Mairéad Cooper and ruby Marie rice got hands on as the festival approaches

Queen’s University Belfast is getting set to host the first ever GAA College Festival in Ireland. Welcoming more than 2,250 sports men and women from Gaelic football, hurling, camogie and ladies football teams, the festival will throw in on February 13, hosting matches in the newly-developed Upper Malone facilities over four consecutive weekends. In addition, there will be a packed programme of events off the pitch, creating a festival feel with events including music and comedy nights and talks with well-known sports personalities.

Williams back in form as she defeats barty

by jAMEs bOyLAn

Serena WilliamS dispatched teenager ashleigh Barty, but Venus Williams and Petra Kvitova were both sent packing on the opening day at the australian Open. Facing the world number one was daunting for 17-year-old australian wild card Barty and she offered little resistance as Williams eased to a 6-2, 6-1 victory inside an hour. Williams is looking for her first melbourne title in four years after ankle problems contributed to shock defeats in 2012 and 2013. She said of Barty: ‘it was a little tricky out there. She could be potentially a dangerous opponent.’ Barty, who won the Wimbledon junior title in 2011, said: ‘it was a fantastic experience for me. i think Serena really showed why she’s one of the greatest champions of all time.’ it looked like Venus would be the first Williams sister through to the second round when she led 3-0 against ekaterina makaraova, but the russian fought back to win 2-6 6-4 6-4. Venus will play women’s doubles with Serena and once again insisted

she has no plans to hang up her racquet. ‘The last 12 months i have had issues, but this year i definitely am looking forward to having a good run and feeling well,’ she said. The shock of the day was undoubtedly former Wimbledon champion Kvitova’s 6-2 1-6 6-4 defeat by littleknown Thai 20-year-old luksika Kumkhum who is ranked 88. There was no happy return to grand slam tennis for two-time finalist Vera Zvonareva, who was beaten 6-2 6-2 by australian wild card Casey Dellacqua. meanwhile defending champion Victoria azarenka and third seed maria Sharapova begin their campaigns today along with agnieszka radwanska and Dane Caroline Wozniacki, who is engaged to golfer rory mcilroy.

Legends help Fed, Djokovic

tennis australian open

victory in an hour: Serena Williams looking for her first Melbourne title in four years

Novak Djokovic secured his first win under new head coach Boris Becker. The defending champion made it 25 wins in a row since the US open final with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 victory over Slovakian Lukas Lacko. Becker’s great 1980s rival

heineken cup French side firmly in control of Pool Three. ‘Your set-piece has to be good to gain momentum, and although our scrum was good our lineout didn’t function,’ Saracens rugby director Mark McCall said after the loss. ‘But it has happened and we have six days to turn things around for Connacht, which is a huge game. ‘If we can win that game we get the chance to go somewhere else in the quarter-finals and prove we are better than we were.

spORT DigEsT

Popular: john Button was much loved in F1 circles

F1 shocked as Button mourns death of father

fORMuLA OnE Jenson Button’s father has died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 70. John Button, who was a popular figure on the F1 circuit, was found dead in his French Riviera home by a friend on Sunday. A statement released by the McLaren driver’s agent read: ‘It is with great sadness and regret that I can confirm John Button passed away at his home in the south of France.’ Kevin Magnussen, Button’s new McLaren team-mate, tweeted his sympathy, saying John ‘will be missed by all in F1’.

Ireland loses to Spain in 2nd test HOckEy Ireland played Spain, ranked

Stefan Edberg, meanwhile, took part in his first training session with Roger Federer. The Swede said: ‘i really think i can make a little difference. if i can make a little difference, maybe that will take him back to where he was.’

Connacht defeat will get Saracens to quarter-finals SArACenS will qualify for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals if they beat Connacht next Saturday – but a prized home tie looks to have eluded them. The Aviva Premiership leaders must keep their side of the bargain, then hope Italian minnows Zebre pull off a monumental shock by defeating four-time european champions Toulouse. Saracens do look set to fill one of the two best runners-up spots, though, and it is possible they could face a return trip to Toulouse in the last eight. A 21-11 defeat against Toulouse at Stade ernest Wallon put the

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 METRO HERALD

northampton’s hopes of increasing the english quarterfinal contingent – Leicester are already through – appear remote despite their 2917 Liberty Stadium victory over Pool One hosts the Ospreys. The Saints need a bonus point win against Franklin’s Gardens visitors Castres next Friday, and have to hope that group leaders Leinster collect nothing from a Dublin

appointment with the Ospreys. northampton could still progress as one of two best runners-up if they topple Castres, but that is an improbable scenario, given the remaining fixtures in other groups. ‘We’ve got one game left and we are going to go flat out and try to get five points,’ said Saints’ Wales wing George north. ‘It has been a tough group for us to get back into after a couple of early losses, and it is now win or nothing for us.’

eighth in the world, in their second test as part of the warm weather training they are currently undertaking in Terrassa, Spain. Ireland went 1-0 down in the 11th minute before the hosts doubled their lead thanks to Santi Freixa in a half that the Spanish mostly dominated, despite two scoring chances in the first half from Ireland. Spain widened the gap in the second half making it 3-0, when Roger Padros converted the penalty corner set-piece before Ireland got their consolation goal after a great counter attack and good work from Michael Robson and Nick Burns setting up marksman Shane O’Donoghue to convert to close the game out 1-3. Ireland will play Spain again tomorrow at 2.30pm.

Aiken in league of his own in Belfast cycLO-cROss

Roger Aiken of Banbridge CC was in a league of his own yesterday, winning the Irish National Cyclo-Cross Championship in Belfast, writes David Thomas. The course was very fast and technical with a lot of off-camber sections which made it hard to give it full gas for the majority of the participants. Not so for Aiken. He went into a lead from the gun and was never headed throughout the entire race. Second home was the defending champion Robin Seymour of Team Worc who prior to yesterday had 18 titles to his credit. ‘I just opened the throttle from the start. Once the gap was opened. I settled into a rhythm which kept me ahead of the opposition,’ said Roger.

22 METRO HERALD Tuesday, January 14, 2014

ODDbALLs It’s Abbot time Fergie had a break SIR ALEX FERGUSON has escaped Manchester United’s problems by jetting off for a break in Barbados. The Scot has been a frustrated spectator in the stands as his former team struggle for form under his Old Trafford successor, David Moyes. Among those joining Fergie at a restaurant in St James Parish on Sunday were former United players Norman Whiteside and Bryan Robson plus 80s comedian Russ Abbot, famous for his party hit ‘Atmosphere’. The foursome enjoyed a glass of vino or two as they relaxed in the sun on the beautiful Caribbean island.

Gunners wobble City star Nasri out for two months

Pards ticked-off for Manuel rant NEWCASTLE boss Alan Pardew has escaped disciplinary action from the Football Association but has been ‘reminded of his responsibilities’ for a tirade at Manchester City counterpart Manuel Pellegrini. Pardew apologised after the match for his four-letter outburst.

Toronto-bound Defoe’s World Cup concerns Jermain Defoe admits he has concerns a move to major League Soccer side Toronto fC could damage his hopes of earning a spot in england’s World Cup squad. The 31-year-old had been the subject of interest from the Canadian club for some time and Tottenham confirmed on friday the forward was leaving. The deal comes into effect from february 28 and Defoe, who scored on Saturday as Spurs beat Crystal Palace 2-0 was unveiled in Toronto yesterday. He said: ‘i’d like to think the england manager and everyone in england knows what i can do, can bring for the country, and if selected, i will be ready.’

Crocked: Nasri lies in agony after being tackled by Yanga-Mbiwa Cup hopes but nasri tweeted: ‘Thank you everyone for your kind words and overwhelming support, i suppose its kind of good news that i will be out around 8 weeks.’ nasri was hurt in a 75th-minute challenge by compatriot mapou Yangambiwa, which earned the newcastle man a yellow card. However, Pellegrini later claimed Yanga-mbiwa said: ‘it was a very unfair kick and the player of newcastle, it [should have been] a red card.’

manCHeSTer City midfielder Samir nasri is facing around eight weeks on the sidelines with the knee injury he sustained at newcastle on Sunday. The france international was carried from the field at St James’ Park on a stretcher with his left leg in a brace during the 2-0 Premier League victory over the magpies, with manager manuel Pellegrini later revealing he had damaged his medial ligament. There had been fears the injury could wreck his World

Off and running: Wilshere sets Arsenal on their way

TRANsFER TALK

sparky goes back to City for a Guid deal MARk HUGHES has confirmed Stoke are closing on a loan deal for Man City striker John Guidetti. The 21year-old has failed to break into City’s first-team squad but is viewed by Hughes, whose Etihad Stadium predecessor Sven-Goran Eriksson signed the Swede, as a valuable addition to his strikeforce. Potters boss Hughes said: ‘There are certain parts of our game where we need a different option, to go in behind and

we lack a bit of pace so we’d like to address that – but we’ve been looking since the summer. ‘He [Guidetti] was there [City] as a young player and worked with our Under-21 coach Glyn Hodges when he was also there, so we know him. If we can get him in he’s a player that can add to what we have and we want different options to our attack. He’s a natural goalscorer and if we can get him into the right areas he will take chances.’ stoke-bound: Guidetti

u ARSENAL are weighing up a bid for highly-rated Nottingham Forest defender Jamaal Lascelles. u BAYERN Munich-linked Juan Mata still has a big role to play in Chelsea’s season, insists Blues manager Jose Mourinho. u FULHAM are trying to hijack Nani’s loan move to Sporting Lisbon as Bryan Ruiz prepares to sign for PSV Eindhoven. u ChElsEA are on the verge of re-signing Nemanja Matic from Benfica for £21million.

Vidic rumours just a load of Istan-bull, says agent NEMANJA VIDIC’S agent has denied claims the Manchester United skipper is on his way to Galatasaray next season. With the 32-year-old out of contract at the end of the current campaign, reports have suggested the Serbian has struck a deal to join Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder in Istanbul. However, Vidic’s agent Silvano Martina says he ‘knows nothing’ about speculation Vidic has speculation: Vidic agreed to leave on a free transfer.

30 Age of Newcastle midfielder Jonas Gutierrez, who has joined Norwich on loan until the end of the season. The Argentina international previously worked under Canaries boss Chris hughton at st James’ Park.

football premier league

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 METRO HERALD 23

on return to top pREMiER LEAguE ASTON ViLLA ........ 1 ArSENAL................2 by MATTHEW NAsH ARSENAL returned to the top of the Premier League after overcoming Aston Villa, despite a late scare. Two goals in a minute during the first half put paid to any hopes Villa had of a first win over the Gunners at Villa Park in 16 years. Jack Wilshere netted with a cool finish before Olivier Giroud fired in a second to leave the home side reeling. Christian Benteke ended his goal drought to head in a consolation but Arsenal were in control. Giroud returned after illness

AVB: I have to be appreciated in my next job Andre VillasBoas says he will only consider a return to football with a club that ‘value the coach’. Tottenham sacked VillasBoas (pictured) following the 5-0 home mauling by Liverpool in december. It was the second time VillasBoas has been sacked by a Premier League club having also been shown the door by Chelsea. And the 36-year-old insists he has no intention of rushing back into management. ‘I have decided to take a break. I want to learn a bit and refresh my batteries but I can’t imagine a life without football,’ he said. ‘I have learnt that it [his next job] has to fit 100 per cent and the club has to value the coach.’

5 Months since

substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain last played for Arsenal as one of five changes by Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, whose men were looking to avenge the 3-1 opening-day defeat inflicted by Villa at the Emirates Stadium in August. And right from kick-off they looked in complete control against a home side who had won just twice at Villa Park in the Premier League. Wenger’s men dominated possession and Villa were not helped when defender Nathan Baker was taken off with concussion after 20 minutes. Arsenal cut Villa open at will and opened the scoring when Mesut Ozil’s pass freed Nacho Monreal, who set up

premier league

table

Arsenal Man City Chelsea Liverpool Everton Tottenham Man Utd Newcastle South’ton Hull Aston Villa Stoke Swansea West Brom Norwich Fulham West Ham Cardiff Sunderland Crystal Pal

P 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21

W 15 15 14 13 11 12 11 10 8 6 6 5 5 4 5 6 4 4 4 5

D 3 2 4 3 8 4 4 3 6 5 5 7 6 9 5 1 6 6 5 2

L 3 4 3 5 2 5 6 8 7 10 10 9 10 8 11 14 11 11 12 14

F 41 59 40 51 34 26 35 29 27 22 20 22 26 23 17 22 21 15 19 13

A Pts 19 48 23 47 19 46 26 42 19 41 25 40 24 37 27 33 23 30 27 23 27 23 35 22 30 21 28 21 35 20 46 19 30 18 34 18 34 17 31 17

Back with a bang: Giroud celebrates his scoring return

Home boy: Mourinho

Pain game: Villa’s Nathan Baker suffered concussion Wilshere for a fine finish. Before Villa could collect their thoughts, the lead had been doubled as Wilshere’s ball found Giroud and he took a touch before firing under Guzan. Villa came out with

far more purpose after the break and saw much more of the ball. Benteke dived in to head his first goal since September with 15 minutes remaining but the Gunners held on.

fOOTbALL DigEsT rene: Clint can save Cottagers man held in betting probe

rENE MEULENSTEEN is pinning his hopes on the returning Clint Dempsey rediscovering his form and saving Fulham from relegation. USA forward Dempsey rejoined the Cottagers last week but struggled to make an impact during his first game back in Saturday’s 4-1 home defeat by Sunderland. The 30-year-old (pictured) is expected to play against Norwich tonight in an FA Cup third-round replay at Craven Cottage and Fulham boss Meulensteen said: ‘Clint’s a fit boy and that comes pretty quickly. The more minutes and games he gets under his belt the take long for him to be right quicker that will all come. it won’t back up there.’

A CHiNESE man was detained at Sunday’s League One draw between Coventry and Crawley by investigators probing an alleged overseas betting syndicate fraud. Sussex Police said the man – who is not connected to any club – was not arrested but was spoken to by the FA Fraud unit. The match at the Sixfields Stadium ended 2-2.

Seedorf in frame for milan FOrMEr AC Milan star Clarence Seedorf has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Massimiliano Allegri as the coach of the rossoneri. The italian giants dismissed Allegri yesterday with the club 30 points adrift of leaders Juventus in Serie A.

Jose planning to remain at the bridge forever JOSE MOURINHO has announced he wants to stay at Chelsea until he retires from football. The Portuguese manager is enjoying his second stint in charge at Stamford Bridge and does not envisage leaving to take control of another club. Mourinho is dedicated to winning trophies for the Blues and is happy to live in London as it suits his family. ‘I’m not here thinking about my next move because I don’t want to have a next move,’ said the former Porto, Inter Milan and Real Madrid coach. ‘I will have a next move if and when Chelsea decides it’s time for that. ‘I’m not chasing new experiences, trying to find where I like it more, where I can make new things for my career – no. It’s a completely different perspective. ‘I’m here to stay. I belong to Chelsea, Chelsea belong to me. I gave a lot to Chelsea in the past but they also gave a lot to me.’ After dismissing rumours Chelsea would seek forward additions in the transfer window, Mourinho is set to bring Nemanja Matic back to the club. The Serbia midfielder left the Blues in 2011 as a makeweight in the deal that brought Brazil defender David Luiz to Stamford Bridge.

24 METRO HERALD Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Serena cruises to win Down Under but Venus crashes out

«see page 21

Tearful Ronaldo wins top Fifa prize at last by AnTHOny wALsH

CRISTIANO Ronaldo was last night awarded the 2013 Fifa Ballon d’Or at a ceremony in Zurich. The Real Madrid star secured 1,365 points in the voting, with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi having to settle for second place with 1,205 and France international Franck Ribery third with 1,127. Ronaldo did not win any silverware with Madrid last year but he was in phenomenal goalscoring form, netting 69 times for club and country, including all four goals in Portugal’s 4-2 aggregate victory over Sweden in the World Cup qualifying play-offs. In accepting the award, a teary and humble Ronaldo was quick to highlight the support of his team-mates. He said: ‘I have no words to describe this moment. Thanks to all of my team-mates, at Real Madrid and the national team. ‘Without all of their efforts this would not have been possible. I am very happy, it is very difficult to win this award. ‘Everybody involved with me on a personal level, I have to thank. My partner, my friends, my son. It is a tremendously emotional moment. All I can say is thank you to everybody.’

Afterwards, the Portugal captain was quoted as saying: ‘I don’t know if it’s fair or not. Ribery could have won it as much as me. ‘I’ve had a very good season at an individual level. I want to be here again next year and win it again. ‘My mum (who was in attendance) cries very easily and when I saw her crying it made me cry as well. I’m an emotional person.’ On his rivalry with Messi, the 28year-old added: ‘I have a very professional relationship with Messi, he’s a player I admire. I’m happy to compete with the best. I’m going to try win things with Madrid and the national team, and I hope to be here (again next year) and win.’ Messi had held exclusive rights to the award in recent seasons as he became the first player to win the Ballon d’Or four consecutive times. He too had another memorable year in 2013, but it was not quite enough to see him claim a fifth successive gong and he hailed Ronaldo as a just winner. ‘I want to congratulate Cristiano because he was the winner and deservedly so. I think it was a good year for the three of us and that’s why we were there. I have nothing to complain about,’ the 26-year-old said.

Runner-up: Messi with partner Antonella Roccuzzo

Honour: Ronaldo holds the trophy that has eluded him for so long picture: epA

«arsenal v asTon villa maTch reporT – pages 22-23

Alleged biting incident to be discussed by Leinster council officials Disciplinary officials will meet tomorrow night to discuss the latest biting controversy involving all-ireland football champions Dublin, writes Paul Keane. referee David Gough is believed to have noted an alleged incident in his official report following sunday’s O’Byrne cup loss to DcU. The report was presented to the leinster council yesterday after which a meeting of their disciplinary arm was brought forward from next week to tomorrow evening.

provincial officials refused to comment when contacted and both the Dublin and DcU management teams are not commenting on the development. The incident in question is understood to involve one player from either team. DcU won a stormy Group D tie by a single point after coming from six down at parnell park on sunday, and securing their semifinal place. Dublin suffered an implosion late on as they received a straight red

card for paul Flynn and a black card for rory O’carroll in separate incidents. a Dublin player had a proposed three-match ban for biting during last year’s allianz league tie against Donegal wiped out on appeal. it remains to be seen if the leinster council will follow up the latest flash point with any proposed punishment. a source revealed that Dublin’s county board have been ‘notified’ of tomorrow evening’s meeting.

Handbags: A scuffle breaks out during the O’Byrne Cup Round 3 match in Parnell Park picture: inpho