Metro Herald, Monday, December 15, 2014 by Metro Herald

Monday, December 15, 2014

Sinéad O’Connor and more in your To-do List pAGE 15

ben e H T S n I W R X FACTO 3

smashing pumpkins are back for more

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Ex-prEs robinson criticisEs cliMatE dEal

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cold christMas on thE cards

Jet forced to land in peppers panic

A fire alarm activated by a consignment of peppers forced the crew of a transatlantic passenger jet to declare an emergency and divert to Shannon Airport. it was the third time this year that a cargo of organic material forced flights to divert to Shannon following fire alarm activations. Yesterday, crew members on the Air france flight Af-733 declared a ‘mayday’ when they were 800km south-west of Shannon. The Boeing 747-400 was travelling from Santo Domingo in the Dominican republic to Paris with 142 passengers and 12 crew on board. The crew made contact with the irish Aviation Authority’s (iAA) North Atlantic Communications Service centre at Ballygirreen in Co Clare declaring a mayday and requesting permission to divert to the nearest suitable airport. The crew confirmed that they had received a fire alarm in the forward cargo hold and wished to land. Authorities at Shannon Airport were alerted to the emergency about an hour before the flight was expected to arrive. Local authority fire crews, the HSe’s National Ambulance Service and gardaí were also alerted. Units of the fire brigade from Shannon town along with a fleet of ambulances from ennis and Limerick raced to the airport.

by pat flynn

The irish Coast Guard and rNLi were also alerted to the emergency. The flight touched down safely at 9.55am and taxied directly to the terminal building with emergency crews in pursuit. The crew confirmed, however, that fire personnel would not be able to open the cargo hold door until all passengers had disembarked. After reaching the terminal, passengers were asked to leave the aircraft by portable stairs via a single door. No airbridge was used. Meanwhile, airport fire crews checked the jet’s fuselage for signs of scorching as other personnel used thermal imaging cameras to check for any heat spots in the cargo hold. Once all passengers had left the plane, fire officers carefully opened the cargo door with extinguishers at the ready. The plane’s own onboard extinguishers had activated and were still discharging fire suppressant when fire crews boarded. No fire was found on board and it is now believed that heat generated by a consignment of peppers activated the jet’s sensitive fire system and the automated onboard extinguishers. A replacement aircraft was flown in to take the passengers to Paris.

THE WRITING’S ON THE WALL: A child takes part in the Monster Doodle – using UV glowing markers to paint the windows at the Brown Bag workshop – at the GLOW Festival in Smithfield Square picture: clodagh kilcoyne

Keep Dublin tidy – Please recycle this Metro Herald when you are finished with it

METRO HERALD Monday, December 15, 2014

Monday 15/12/14

Best of the web… Watch: Meet the twins

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Today’s birthdays

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Don Johnson, actor, 65; Paul Kaye, actor and comedian, 50; Stuart Townsend, Dublin actor, 42; Frankie Dettori, jockey, 44; Michelle Dockery (pictured), Downton Abbey actress, 33; Brooke Fraser, singer/songwriter, 30.

Yes, we’d be crying if we had to wear that bow on our head as well, but that’s not the source of toddler Landon’s confusion. He’s just met twins for the very first time... and he’s not quite sure what to make of them. gometro.ie/watchtoddler-meetsIn the know on the go Twiddling your thumbs on the twins train? Get tapping for the latest news and travel GoMetro.ie

Weather Today

20kph

Max: 8°c

Mostly cloudy in the south with some lingering rain or drizzle. Brighter further north with sunny spells and some showers in the north-west. The afternoon will be dry in most areas with sunny spells. It will be cold with highs of 5°C to 8°C. 15kph

Derry

6˚C

5˚C

Donegal

7˚C

Belfast

Cavan

15kph 10kph

Galway

If you’re bold and bright 10kph

9˚C

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6˚C

8˚C

25kph

Tonight

7˚C

Sunrise: 8.34am Sunset: 4.06pm

Min: -2°c

Cold overnight with winds falling off slightly. A few scattered showers, but most places should be dry and fairly clear. Lowest temperatures 0 to – °C with a hard frost and some icy roads.

EUROPE today

Tomorrow The frost and ice will clear during the morning, with a few bright or sunny spells developing. Cloudy breezy weather, with outbreaks of heavy rain, 30kph will spread from the Atlantic as the day progresses. Top C temperatures 5°C to 9°C in fresh winds. 20kph

25kph

7˚C 5˚C

9˚C

11˚

20kph

10˚C

6˚C

Athens

16 °c

Barcelona Berlin

15 °c 6 °c

Brussels

5 °c

London

9 °c 10 °c 14 °c 5 °c 17 °c

Geneva

9˚C 9˚C

Madrid Paris

Max: 9°c

Rome

Monday, December 15, 2014 METRO HERALD

ps O O c s n E b n A M n A V n THE x fAcTOR cROw BEN HAENOW was crowned X Factor champion last night after wowing viewers with his version of Michael Jackson’s Man In The Mirror. The 29-year-old van driver from south London beat east London singer Fleur East – despite Simon Cowell describing her performance as the ‘greatest I have ever witnessed’ on the show. Both finalists had been mentored during the series by Cowell. But the media mogul did not have an entirely happy weekend after Saturday’s show drew The X Factor’s lowest audience figures in a decade.

Disappointed: Finalist Fleur East

Ringless Mel b fuels fears of marriage split MEL B was back on The X Factor last night after treatment for a suspected stomach ulcer – but she wasn’t wearing her wedding ring. The 39-year-old returned to the show’s judging panel for the grand finale, having missed Saturday’s show following hospital treatment. But fans were quick to notice that, while the former Spice Girl was in her customary place, her diamond sparkler wasn’t. Last month Mel boasted that her husband Stephen Belafonte buys her a new ring every three years – a promise he’d made soon after they married in 2007. The intrigue comes after Mel’s sister Danielle Brown accused Belafonte of lying over her illness, tweeting: ‘STOP @stephenthinks1 with your evil lies!! You told me and my mum yesterday she is fine and not in hospital

Final countdown: Ben on stage last night Picture: syco/thames

Ulcer scare: Mel B

Picture: Getty

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@SimonCowell just doing press! This is ridiculous and cruel!!! Evil! ‘How can NO one tell me and my family where my sister is and what is going on?’ Belafonte remained silent on Twitter last night. Mel paid tribute to the staff at the high dependency unit where she was treated. ‘I really missed being here but thanks to all the doctors and nurses that took care of me and got me here tonight,’ she told X Factor host Dermot O’Leary. Asked if she felt better, the former Spice Girl hesitated, before replying: ‘yes…ish’. The show got off to a dramatic start when sisters Blonde Electra locked lips on stage, during a group performance starring acts previously voted off.

METRO HERALD Monday, December 15, 2014

Monday, December 15, 2014 METRO HERALD

Parents place children in Increase in care rather than on streets victim calls DESPERATE parents are placing their children in care rather than have them face homelessness, it has emerged. Speaking to the Sunday Business Post, Focus Ireland’s Cork manager, Ger Spillane, said he knew of at least three families who have placed their children into care because of homelessness in the last year. Speaking to the same paper, director of Empowering People in Care (Epic) Jennifer Gargan said some of the parents in this situation are young mothers, who

At your service

Caroline Wozniacki in action against Kirsten Flipkens during their match at the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) in Dubai EPA/ALI HAIDER

26 object to Simon’s new shelter amid boozing fears THERE are no plans for a ‘wet’ hostel at a proposed homeless shelter in Dublin 2, Dublin Simon Community has said. The comment follows 26 objections to the proposed facility lodged with Dublin City Council between November 20 and December 9. If granted permission, the Simon-run facility will be located at the old Longfields Hotel on Fitzwilliam Street Lower in Georgian Dublin. It would offer ac-

‘Accommodation would be offered to 30 people’ commodation for 30 homeless people, replacing Simon’s Harcourt Street base. The Sunday Times reported yesterday that the building has been empty for more than seven years since Dublin City Council bought it for use as a ‘wet’ shelter in 2007. The bulk of the objections related to the belief that the facility would allow

by DAvID HOLLywOOD residents to consume alcohol on site, as well as providing a needle exchange and methadone service. There were also strong objections to the ‘horrific scenario’ of a having an increased concentration of homeless people in the area and that it was the ‘wrong kind of development in the wrong place’. One objector said the 200-year-old building, a protected structure, is ‘quite unsuited in its present form for this proposed use’. Speaking to Metro Herald, a spokeswoman for Dublin Simon confirmed that it ‘will not be a wet hostel’. She added that Dublin Simon Community ‘provides harm reduction services’ which include ‘support and advice to residents on needle exchange’. The Fitzwilliam Street shelter would provide a methadone referral and support only service, she said.

themselves spent time in care. She said: ‘The impact of losing their own children to care, where they themselves have been children in care is enormous. The fear is that the longer their children are left in care, the harder it will be for their mothers to take them back.’ Meanwhile, speaking to Newstalk Barnardos chief executive Fergus Finlay said he had not come across such a situation. ‘We haven’t come across families being split up yet but that wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest,’ he said.

An IrIsh counselling service for abuse victims has reported a 22 per cent increase in the number of people making contact with them. A total of 470 individuals have been supported by Connect so far this year. Over half of the callers described an experience of sexual abuse committed in 2014. An increasing number of callers also mentioned multiple experiences of abuse and neglect. Connect is available on 1800 477 477.

METRO HERALD Monday, December 15, 2014

Bank inquiry to begin on Wednesday THE Oireachtas will publicly begin its investigation into the banking collapse on Wednesday. This ‘context phase’ will see a committee interview experts in an effort to gain an in-depth understanding of the banking crisis. The Oireachtas Banking Inquiry will begin the investigation by interviewing the Finnish finance expert Peter Nyberg. Mr Nyberg is the author of a report that analysed the causes of the systemic banking crisis in Ireland. Former Canadian finance minister Rob Wright, who is the author of a report on the Department of Finance, will be interviewed the following day.

Festive revellers won’t go off rails with late service IRISH Rail will run late night Dart and Commuter services from Dublin city centre this coming weekend and on New Year’s Eve to get holiday revellers home. This coming Friday and Saturday, northbound Dart services will depart from Pearse Station at 00.30 and 01.30 and serve all stations to Howth. Southbound Darts will depart

Connolly at the same times and stop at all stations to Bray. One the same nights, northbound Commuter trains serving Tara Street, Connolly and all stations from Howth Junction to Dundalk will depart Pearse Station at 00.40 and 01.40, while Maynooth-bound trains will depart Pearse at 00.20 and 01.40. On New Year’s Eve, Wednesday

the 31st, trains have been timed to run after late concerts in the city. Howth Darts will leave Pearse at 01.30 and 02.30, while Greystones Dart will depart Connolly at the same time. Dundalk-bound trains will depart Pearse at 01.40 and 02.40 and Maynooth trains will leave Pearse at 01.20 and 02.50. An Irish Rail spokesman said fares will be charged at normal

it’s gonna to be a cold, cold Christmas this year by ALisTAiR gRAnT

USC is not going away, says Rabbitte FORMER Labour Party minister Pat Rabbitte has labelled calls by the biggest union in the country to abolish the Universal Social Charge as ‘fanciful’ as it raises €4billion a year. Mr Rabbitte was responding to comments from Siptu leader Jack O’Connor that the union’s support for Labour may be conditional on USC reform. He told RTÉ’s The Week in Politics: ‘It is a huge revenue earner, it brings in €4billion. The notion you can abolish it at a stroke is fanciful, I’m afraid.’ He said the Labour Party’s ‘continuing objectives in respect of USC is to continue to moderate it and continue to restructure and reform it’.

EU funding could boost transport DUBLIN MEP Brian Hayes is targeting three major projects for the capital for funding from a new €315billion EU stimulus fund. The former junior finance minister believes a massive expansion of Dublin Port, a new rail link for north Dublin and social housing schemes can secure funding from the socalled ‘Juncker Fund’ launched last month. The schemes are among 70 projects, with a total capital cost of nearly €23 billion, submitted by the Government to the European Commission. Other Dublin transport projects include a €3 billion Dart Underground scheme to upgrade the city’s train system.

Dart and Commuter rates and customers can use Leap cards. Meanwhile, late night Luas services will operate this year only on the Green Line from St Stephen’s Green to Bride’s Glen. Late night trams will operate on Friday, Saturday and New Year’s Eve and depart from St Stephen’s Green every 30 minutes from 01.00 to 03.00.

Kimyata A pinata depicting Kim Kardashian hangs outside the workshop of Mexican artist Dalton Ramirez in Reynosa, Mexico. Ramirez is famous for creating pinatas which depict local politicians and celebrities Picture: reuters

IRELAND faces Christmas and New Year travel woes as the polar vortex delivers biting Siberian shivers – with festive snow, ice, storms and -10C lows threatening the thwart holiday travellers this year. Met Éireann only forecasts one week in advance, so festival predictions from them will only be available within the coming week. However, the UK’s Met Office, which makes forecasts 30 days in advance, said the polar vortex – the North Pole’s dominant low pressure – was set to weaken. This would mean that high pressure could block mild westerly winds from reaching Ireland. It would also allow bitter cold temperatures to arrive from the east while the Siberian winds – blamed for the Christmas 2010 big freeze – could bring temperatures of –10C or colder when they reach our shores. The UK Met Office outlook, regarded as the most accurate mid-range guide to Ireland’s weather, forecast sub-zero nights during the Christmas week as colder, drier periods – typical of easterly winds – are mixed with stormy, milder spells. ‘Temperatures should remain a little below normal with overnight frost,’ said the Met Office. ‘Drier weather should develop over the south. ‘Cloudy periods with spells of rain in the north will probably be interspersed with colder conditions with showers, which could turn wintry, mainly in the north. ‘There is a possibility conditions may become rather colder into New Year,’ the office added. All this could cause chaos for those travelling by road to visit families. Airports also run the risks of closers.

Mortuary staff in chilling road safety message

Warning: Be safe this season

A MORTUARY technician and a pathologist have taken the unusual step of filming a road safety video – alongside the table where dead bodies are laid out. Consultant pathologist Dr Fadel Bennani and senior mortuary technician Seán Derrig are both shown gowned up as they usually are when receiving the remains of road accident victims. They recorded the chilling

Christmas season road safety message at the mortuary in Castlebar. Said Dr Bennani: ‘Here at the mortuary we receive tragic cases, but the most tragic are those from road traffic accidents. The reason is the injuries are usually horrific.’ The pair have put their weight behind Mayo County Council’s road safety campaign to prevent the loss of lives on the roads over the festive period. The 30-second video is being

circulated via Facebook and Twitter.’ Meanwhile, gardaí in Crumlin are appealing for witnesses to a fatal road traffic collision in Walkinstown yesterday afternoon. A 44-year-old motorcyclist was killed when his bike collided with a car on Ballymount Road Lower at about 2.35pm. The car was being driven by a 60year-old woman, who sustained minor injuries.

Monday, December 15, 2014 METRO HERALD

Did the earth move for you as well, love?

And still she said yes: A crane hired by a man to propose to his girlfriend is stuck in the roof of a house Pictures: AP/ePA

IT was meant to be a proposal so audacious that she couldn’t say ‘no’. Instead of going on bended knee to his beloved, a would-be Romeo decided to hire a crane. But all thoughts of romance came crashing down around his ears – when the crane toppled over, leaving a huge hole in the roof next door. The unnamed Dutch suitor rented the industrial equipment with the idea of descending in front of his sweetheart’s bedroom window early on saturday morning. His plan was to play her a song and then pop the question from the crane bucket. Instead, the unsecured crane

Dornan makes ‘Celebs to Watch’ list NORTHERN Ireland’s Jamie Dornan has been selected as one of Forbes magazine’s Celebrities to Watch in 2015. The Fall star has been listed at No 7, with the magazine saying ‘even though he won’t be going full frontal, all eyes will be on Jamie Dornan when the film version of Fifty Shades Of Grey hits theatres’.

He’s the only Irish star to feature in the list of 10, which is topped by new Star Wars star John Boyega. Terminator: Genisys co-stars Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) and Australian Jai Courtney both make the list, as does Downton Abbey’s Lilly James. Tom Hardy is also tipped for great things for 2015, along with Chris Hemsworth and Blake Lively.

Bond: Daniel Craig

movie have also been stolen. A statement on the official 007 website said: ‘Eon Productions, the producers of the James Bond films, learned this morning that an early version of the screenplay for the new Bond film Spectre is amongst the material stolen and illegally made public by hackers who infiltrated the Sony Pictures computer system.’ The statement said the firm is concerned that ‘third parties’ who receive the stolen screenplay ‘may seek to publish it or its contents’. Earlier this month director Sam Mendes said Bond fans can expect ‘a little more mischief’ in 007’s next adventure as he unveiled a cast including Christoph Waltz and Sherlock star Andrew Scott for the forthcoming film, which will be called Spectre. French actress Lea Seydoux and Italian star Monica Bellucci will become Bond girls for the latest outing of the British agent, which will see Daniel Craig reprise his role as 007 for a fourth time.

listed to the side and smashed on to the roof next door in the central town of Ijsselstein, near Utrecht. Luckily, the man was able to leap to safety and no one was injured. after the initial impact more damage was caused when the crane fell again during attempts to right it. six apartments had to be evacuated after it wrecked the rest of the roof and made the building unsafe. Meanwhile, the boyfriend got the response he wanted – she said ‘yes’ anyway and the pair travelled to Paris to celebrate.

Free wi-fi beats room with a view for tourists

Dornan: Fifty Shades of Grey role

Bond movie script is leaked in Sony hack A DRAFT script for the new James Bond film has been stolen and leaked by hackers, producers have confirmed. An ‘early version’ of the screenplay for Spectre was among material taken in a cyber attack on the computers of Sony Pictures Entertainment. A group calling themselves the Guardians of Peace, or GOP, targeted the film studio last month. Suggestions followed that the attack was launched in retaliation to the new James Franco and Seth Rogen movie where the two play journalists tasked with assassinating North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, although the country denied being responsible. The leak saw the social security numbers of 47,000 employees including Hollywood stars posted online. Now it has emerged that details of the latest Bond

by AiDAn RADnEDgE

A room with free wi-fi is as preferable as a room with a view for hotel guests these days. A free room upgrade on arrival is the thing that guests put at the top of their hotel wish-list, a survey by online travel company ebookers found. But in joint second place in the list of items that would make a hotel stay more rewarding were beautiful views and free wi-fi. Good connections also beat other treats such as robes and slippers in the room, airport limo services and complimentary cocktails on arrival.

Depardieu ‘shot and ate two lions’

Irish Water springs a leak – at its HQ THE irony meter went up to ‘very ironic’ yesterday as thousands of litres of water were seen gushing down the street right outside Irish Water’s city centre headquarters. A leak from a pipe under the footpath on James Joyce Street sent the precious resource cascading down the street towards the corner of Talbot Street, on which the new utility charged with preventing just such wastage is situated. It is not known whether the leak had been spewing the costly water

all weekend, end, but it was still gushing last st night. A spok spokesman told metro Herald it was a minor leak that would be fixed in the morning. But one shocked passerby pointed out the irony of the situation. ‘It’s a bit rich for the Government and Irish Water to be lecturing the public on the importance of conserving ng w water and stopping opping leaks, when there are leaks on its own doorstep,’ ep,’ the passerby said. metro Herald’s offices are opposite Irish Water’s.

GerarD DeparDieu has claimed he ate two lions after shooting them dead in self-defence in africa. The French actor said the incident took place when the car he was travelling in broke down in Burkina Faso. asked if he ate the creatures after they were killed, he said ‘Yes’, according to the independent Magazine. The 65-year-old said: ‘The two lions waited in front of us and wouldn’t move. Hours passed, we couldn’t get out of the car, the african driver was very afraid. ‘We had no choice, we had to shoot them.’

METRO HERALD Monday, December 15, 2014

★

★★ ★ ★

I’m too slow with my proposal say Nicole’s family...

Hamilton urged to put wedding plans on fast track

E’S told her he is too busy to tie the knot, but Lewis Hamilton reveals Nicole Scherzinger’s family have started piling on the pressure for him to marry her soon. ‘I’m certainly feeling pressure, heat from family members,’ he said, pointing out that it’s his girlfriend’s family badgering him and not the former Pussycat Doll herself. But he promises he will whip out a ring at some stage. ‘Nicole’s massively focused on her work, the same as I am,’ Hamilton added. ‘We’re happy just the

way we are. [Marriage at] one point… will be for us.’ The 29year-old F1 champion also told E! News that he and Scherzinger, 37, would like children. ‘There are so many things we want to do, but the great thing is that we support each other,’ he said of babies. ‘All in good time. She’s still massively young and I’m still a young man!’ Meanwhile, the millionaire couple will be limiting spending on Christmas presents for each other to €10 each. ‘It’s not like we’ve not got everything we ever wanted,’ he said, adding that they’ll buy ‘cool things, fun things, silly stuff’.

★

HAYDEN PANETTIERE and her fiancé Wladimir Klitschko have become proud parents to a baby girl. The Nashville star, 25, and the heavyweight boxing champion, 38, welcomed Kaya Evdokia Klitschko last Tuesday, with the tot weighing a healthy 7lb 14oz. ‘We are over the moon and madly in love,’ the new parents told People magazine. The couple announced their engagement in October.

So proud: Hayden Picture: Getty

KERR: I’M HAPPY IN NO-MAN LAND MIRANDA KERR is se mingle after recalli xy, single and free to ng Orlando Bloom w how her divorce from as a rough ride. ‘It is tough. It’s no t of that and I neve easy going through all r thought I would ,’ said the 31-year-old mod Bloom ended last el, whose marriage to ‘But we work our year. on pretty much ev way through it. We agree er Flynn,’ said Kerr af ything when it comes to te week that the exes r Bloom, 37, revealed last will spend Christm and their son Flynn, three, as Despite links to To together. billionaire James m Cruise, Justin Bieber and Pa free. ‘Single. Very cker, she insists she is mansin single,’ she told Au gle. And really happy to be stralia’s InStyle mag azine. Blooming: Orland o’s ex-wife Mirand a Picture: reX

ACTING IS A THERAPY NAOMI YS SA E, M R FO D EN N A T U P ‘NAKED GUN’ Speed it up: Lewis and Nicole

Picture: Getty

TO ROSE’S SEXY SHtheO2007TSmagazine, ROSE McGOWAN says posing semi-nude for the cover of Rolling Stone marked the moment she tired of being a sex symbol. The former Charmed actress, who modelled alongside Rosario Trigger-unhappy: Rose Picture: reX

Dawson for said: ‘I was on the cover of Rolling Stone with fake tan and a gun belt around me and (my) breasts. I was just like, “I’ve had it. I’m sick of being sexualised”,’ Rose, 41, told art publication Flatt.

of NAOMI CAMPBELL says her new acting gig is like a form pain. inner her e releas to her g helpin py, thera a The supermodel, who landed a role in hip-hop dram to have You c. peuti thera so been ‘It’s Empire, admitted: dig down deep and use your own pain and your life, Six. everything that you’ve been through,’ she told Page ar-old 44-ye the Fox, on n show be In the series, to plays a cougar, Camilla, in a steamy affair with the young son of a family who run a hip-hop record label. On the prowl: Naomi plays a cougar Picture: Fred duval

Monday, December 15, 2014 METRO HERALD

★

HE MADE waves and sparked giggles with his no-nonsense, straight-from-the-hip advice and now, by popular demand, our star agony uncle James Blunt will be back for a Christmas special. Whether it’s a lack of success under the mistletoe, an office crush that not even mulled wine can win over or a thrashed credit card with no funds for pressies – there is no problem too big or too small for James to crack. Email ToBeBlunt@metro.co.uk

I GO APE WHEN MY FANS WANT SELFIES

H is telling fans not to BENEDICT CUMBERBATC fie – because he is not sel bother asking him for a a ‘performing monkey’. 38, said: ‘The amount , The Sherlock heartthrob migod, can you “O , me ing ask t ge I le op of pe t a performing no I’m . No photobomb me?” lly banal and reductive, monkey. When it gets rea I’m like, let’s move on.’ nkful to have He told Variety he is tha rity cauldron Camera-shy: eb been plunged into the cel th regret at Cumberbatch wi rn bu n’t do ‘I . life in Picture: wireimage later ymity,’ he added. losing parts of my anon

IGGY GETS RUDE AFTER BOOS

Fancy that! Iggy at ball Picture: reX

IGGY AZALEA gave her fans the middle finger after she was booed at the Jingle Ball in New York on Friday. The 24-year-old Fancy hitmaker angered the crowd after she ignored fans who had been waiting for hours in the cold outside Madison Square Garden hoping to meet their idol. After a quick wave, the Aussie rapper bolted straight into the venue, triggering a chorus of boos. But instead of simply ignoring their cries, Azalea appears to stick up her finger at them in a video obtained by TMZ.

STIPE’S R.I.P. FOR R.E.M... R.E.M. won’t be jumping on the reunion bandwagon, says frontman Michael Stipe. Ruling out a comeback for the indie rock veterans, the 54-year-old told US radio listeners: ‘That will never happen… there’s no point.’ He said of the rest of the band: ‘I love those guys very much and I respect them hugely as musicians and as songwriters and everything, but I just don’t want to do that thing that people do... I despise nostalgia. I’m not good at looking back.’

Annie gets her fun: Mila, Ashton and Rihanna in the spoof trailer PictureS: Sony

That’s all RiRi frightening...

ASHTON KUTCHER and Mila Kunis have unveiled a tongue-in-cheek trailer for their fake movie MoonQuake Lake. The engaged new parents play lovers in the film – which appears in the remake of Annie, out this month. The trailer, released on Saturday, shows Kutcher and Kunis on a romantic stroll. But as they sit cuddling on a dock, a mysterious creature, played by Rihanna, appears from the misty lake, suddenly transforming into a monster with a blue tongue. The 37-second clip ends with Kutcher, 36, running off, a limp Kunis, 31, over his shoulders. Director Phil Lord tweeted: ‘Catch a sneak peek when you see #AnnieMovie.’

Rebecca’s ordeal on Liverpool night out

★ No reunion: Michael Stipe Picture: reX

A LIVERPOOL night out left Rebecca Ferguson, 28, in tears. She tweeted that the ‘lowdown’ women of her home city called her racist names and threw drinks over her.

Ex wants Caroline to keep dancing

★

STRICTLY star Caroline Flack’s ex-boyfriend Jack Street, 26, tweeted his support for his former flame on Saturday. ‘Vote for @carolineflack. You’d be silly not to,’ he said.

Clean-cut image is swearing thin for Jen

★

JENNIFER ANISTON is shrugging off her good-girl image. ‘I tell a dirty joke now and then,’ said the 45-year-old. ‘I’m not squeaky clean... “f***” is my favourite curse word.’

10 meTro herald Monday, December 15, 2014

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nelsan ellis, 36, is best known as flamboyant cook Lafayette Reynolds in vampire series True Blood. He’s also in James Brown biopic Get On Up

Quick pic

How much did you know about James Brown and your character Bobby Byrd before you started this project? i

didn’t know anything about Bobby Byrd – i thought he was a fictitious character, actually. And the only things i knew were the bad things about James Brown – and the music, of course. But when i researched Bobby Byrd, i realised he was a marvellous individual, a really good man. he was the man behind the man and was devoted to James Brown. he was his best friend and he co-wrote the songs. i laboured over playing him because i wanted his family to like and respect what i did in his portrayal.

Do you feel more pressure when playing a ‘real’ person?

Mick Jagger is a producer on the film – what was it like working with him? he was on

set a lot and i was surprised by that – because he’s Mick Jagger. i didn’t know he was going to be there as much as he was. he was in producer mode. he is very smart, though, and he was a super producer – i’m in love with him; he’s a great boss.

was great fun. All the band members are real musicians and Chad [Chadwick Boseman, who plays James Brown] can really sing, so we were literally singing every time we took a break. When we were rehearsing, it would go over time because we wanted to keep singing and dancing.

“

director] and told him i wasn’t sure which character i liked more, Bobby or James. But in my heart i knew i liked Bobby – for some reason i had a connection to him. So, i auditioned for James Brown and they came back to me and said: ‘you’re not right for James Brown but you look like Bobby Byrd.’ So it was meant to be.

How confident were you in your singing and dancing abilities before you took on this role? My singing is terrible –

i really don’t know why i got picked for the role at all. i went to Juilliard [the prestigious New york drama and music school] and i can hold a note but i’m definitely not a singer. i can certainly throw some shapes in a club but this dancing was different. it took me a long time to pick up the choreography – especially with James Brown’s music, which is off-rhythm.

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

Was there a huge energy on set, performing all those James Brown classics? yes, it

Always. When you’re playing a real person who has lived in the world, there is so much pressure. you have their family who look at you and The costumes in the film say: ‘Will you honour my are extremely snazzy father, my uncle, my and you have had cousin?’ if you do it badly, you can’t a lot of I auditioned for erase it, and his incredible the James Brown role. grandchild, his They said: ‘You’re not right outfits daughter, his on True Blood son, can look at for James Brown, but you too. Do you you and go: look like Bobby Byrd.’ enjoy dressing ‘you f***ed up.’ So it was meant up? Off set i don’t to be dress up at all. i’m a You initially jeans, t-shirt and boots auditioned for the type of dude.

lead role of James Brown – what drew you to Bobby instead? i called tate [taylor, the

SWANNING AROUND: Gary Greene captured this image of a mute swan cleaning up on St Stephen’s Green over the weekend – good to see the Christmas preparations are going well

We’ve just seen the final series of True Blood after seven years. Was it difficult to say goodbye after all that time? i would say i was ready to

leave it behind, but my bosses wouldn’t be happy if they heard me say that. it was time to go, but it was bittersweet.

What will you miss about playing Lafayette? i’m going to

miss every part of it, and everyone. i’m going to miss Alan Ball, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer. We’ve all had children and dogs during the show. We’ve seen babies being born. Stephen’s kids were so young when we started and they’re teenagers now. So i’m sad because i feel like i’m losing a family.

What are your plans now?

i’d really like to do more Lafayette with hBO. i want to put Lafayette away with this particular show, but i would like to play him again in another context. Jane mulkerrins

Get On Up is in cinemas now.

annoying smoke alarm a lifesaver

hirty seconds! thirty precious seconds. that’s all the time i had last Christmas morning between hearing my smoke alarm and having to get out before my house went up in flames. i was in the shower. it was 11.20am i was alone. Everyone was gone to mass. i timed it later – thirty seconds. But for the smoke alarm, i’d have been trapped in the bathroom. Others, the same day, in ireland and Scotland, were not so fortunate: they died in their house fires. Smoke alarms can be annoying; for example going off during a fryup when the door from the kitchen to the hall is left open: ‘Switch off that smoke alarm, for God’s sake’; ‘take out the battery and leave it out’, and so on.

two weeks before my narrow escape from death, my grandson, Adam, had remarked: ‘Granda, your smoke alarm is beeping; you need to put in a new battery.’ i said i’d see to it. But i didn’t. Adam himself got the new battery after a few days, and put it in. So i wish everyone a happy Christmas, and maybe getting a smoke alarm, or checking the one you have, may ensure that it really is happy! Joe Conroy, Naas ■ Mssrs Equality and Brains, a donor organ is incapable of independent existence outside a human body. A baby in the womb is an innocent human being, eventually capable of independent existence. Equality starts with protection and respect for all life – an inno-

good on ya

cent baby in the womb is deserving of equality. Abortion is not a ‘fix’ even for rape. Check out Women hurt by Abortion for the reality of this ‘procedure’ and its after-effects. Liam, Co Louth ■ the latest ‘prediction’ is that unemployment will fall by 10 per cent over the next year. i would love to know what proportion of this 10 per cent is made up of JobBridge and other such schemes and plain old emigration. the one thing this Fine Gael-led Government has been successful at – aside from levying taxes – is massaging the unemployment figures. i, for one, am not buying it. Tomás, Swords

yeh big ride

● Thanks to the lads who helped me push the old banger along Parnell Street after I broke down on Saturday – much appreciated! Davy H

● To the guy buried in his book in Costa Coffee on Talbot Street on Friday afternoon, how would you like a real-life adventure? Latte Lady

● Yesterday at Tara Street Dart station I witnessed an elderly man fall onto the tracks. A lovely gentleman dropped his belongings and jumped down without any hesitation to help him up. I didn’t get his name but I think he deserves a mention as it was pretty heroic. Fortunately the elderly man was okay. Claire

● Mary, I may have lost your number but I’ll never forget that night in Kehoe’s. Please call. B

random acTs of kindness

your rush-hour crush

in the know, on the go

Ex-president World hits out at climate deal

Monday, December 15, 2014 METRO HERALD

digest

32 dead and scores missing in landslip

About 190 nations agreed yesterday the building blocks of a new-style global deal due in 2015 to combat climate change amid warnings that far tougher action will be needed to limit increases in global temperatures. under the deal reached in Lima, governments will submit national plans for reining in greenhouse gas emissions by an informal deadline of March 31, 2015, to form the basis of a global agreement due at a summit in Paris in a year’s time. Most of the tough decisions about how to slow climate change were postponed until then. the texts, agreed two days into overtime after two weeks of talks came close to collapsing, appeased

Warning: Robinson and Peru’s Manuel Pulgar-Vidal

by DANiEL BiNNS

emerging economies led by China and India, concerned that previous drafts imposed too heavy a burden on them. Environment Minister Alan Kelly said the Lima agreement ‘sends a signal to all that parties are serious about delivering in Paris in December 2015. Next year will require further efforts by all parties to reach agreement’. Former president Mary Robinson, who is the uN special envoy on climate change, said: ‘Not enough was done by countries who can afford to wait. the leaders of countries whose people are suffering now are negotiating for their lives on this issue.’

iNDONESiA: At least 32 villagers have been killed and 76 are missing following a series of landslides in Java. Rescuers were yesterday continuing to look for survivors after 100 homes were engulfed in mud. Residents of Jemblung reported hearing a ‘terrible roar’ before a hill collapsed on Friday. President Joko Widodo pledged to relocate the homeless and provide aid for those who were injured when he visited the stricken central area of Banjarnegara yesterday.

jailbird kills guest at his release party RUSSiA: An ex-convict may be heading straight back to jail after allegedly killing a guest at a party to celebrate his release. Alex Repin beat 74-year-old Iskander Ibrahimov to death with a walking stick after downing a bottle of vodka, according to police in the north-eastern village of Ilyuhovka. The 37-year-old, who was arrested at the party at his parents’ house, had just served three years in jail for assault. He now faces a tenyear jail term if convicted.

Abe heads for election victory jApAN: Prime minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling party looked set for an overwhelming victory in lower house elections yesterday. His Liberal Democratic Party was in line to comfortably retain its majority in the house of representatives, exit polls showed. Mr Abe (pictured) called the snap election, saying he wanted a fresh mandate for his economic revitalisation.

and finally... LEBANON: A Syrian from war-ravaged Aleppo won the annual Arab Idol singing contest on Saturday – and then asked God to ‘end calamities’ in his country. Hazim Sharif, 21, beat Palestinian and Saudi rivals in the final in Beirut, which was broadcast to millions of viewers across the Middle East.

Trendy prince George is the centre of attenshun!

1c Amazon glitch puts businesses in danger A COMPUTER glitch saw items worth hundreds of euro being sold for just €0.1c on Amazon. Furious independent sellers say they face bankruptcy after suffering losses of up to €125,000 – on what was expected to be their busiest trading day of the year. Companies using the Amazon Marketplace to sell products were hit by the error on Friday. Judith Blackford, whose company Kiddymania sells toys and designer dolls, faces a €26,000 loss. ‘It looks like I’m going to be wiped out,’ she said. The problem was caused by third-party pricing software provider RepricerExpress. Single mum Ms Blackford, 47, said businesses were liable for glitches under RepricerExpress terms and conditions. A spokesman for Amazon said it ‘responded quickly’ and was able to cancel most orders. He added: ‘We will reach out to any affected sellers directly.’

HAiTi: A woman douses a girl’s face with water after tear gas was fired by police during violent protests in Port-au-Prince. The unrest forced prime minister Laurent Lamothe to resign yesterday Picture: AP

CIA chief defends agency

CIA director John Brennan has defended his agency from accusations in a US Senate report that it used inhumane interrogation techniques against terrorist suspects with no security benefits to the US. Mr Brennan opened a rare news conference by recounting the horrors of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, s, his agency agency’s determination to prevent another such assault and the fact that CIA officers were the first to fight and early to die in the Afghanistan war. He conceded unauthorised and in some cases abhorrent methods were used against captives. But he asserted the CIA ‘did a lot of things right’ at a time when there were ‘no easy answers’. The Senate torture report asserted that none of the CIA’s techniques used against captives provided critical, life-saving intelligence.

HE’S daddy’s little soldier – but, just like mum, anything he wears sells out. Britain’s Prince George, son of Kate and William, once again sparked a frenzy of interest after he wore a tank top decorated with soldiers in his Christmas photos. The €40 top by Cath Kidston sold out three weeks ago – but may be brought back due to demand caused by the charming prince. The designer has been inundated with requests for the festive top, which features troops in bearskins and red tunics, after it was modelled by the young George. A spokesman for the brand, whose Irish flagship store is located on Dublin’s Grafton Street, said: ‘It’s

something we can look into. We didn’t know the tank top had made the cut until we saw it in the official pictures.’ This wasn’t the first time the 16-month-old has sparked a clamour for his fashion. When the third in line to the British throne left hospital in July 2013, wrapped in an aden+anais swaddling blanket, the chain’s sales rose 600 per cent in a week. Later, the dungarees with a sail boat design that he wore on his first official engagement to New Zealand proved just as popluar. Designer Rachel Riley saw sales of the €95 outfit skyrocket and said that the royal endorsement was like ‘hitting the jackpot’.

S ’ T H G I TON 12 METRO HERALD Monday, December 15, 2014

V T

0 1 P O T

The saucy American funnywoman wows audiences with her music in Bette Midler: One Night Only

2 The agitprop comedian rages at Britain’s narcotics law in Russell Brand: End The Drugs War

1. Modern Family

Sky 1, 8pm The ex-Ugly Betty alumni are creeping out of the woodwork of late – first Rebecca Romijn in The Librarians and now here’s Michael Urie, who played Betty’s super-camp magazine rival, Marc St James. Here he’s playing an fashion stylist – not much of a stretch – who has the pleasure of Haley, ditziest of the Dunphys, turning up for a job interview.

1 Michael Urie interviews airhead Haley in Modern Family

2. Russell Brand: End The Drugs War

BBC3, 9pm Russell Brand’s transition from gobby surreal comedian to social evangelist continues with this documentary which finds him attacking Britain’s drug laws and proposing a more forward-thinking take on banned substances. Nick Clegg is among those treated to the Brand brand of campaigning.

5 4

Amanda Seyfried falls for soldier Channing Tatum in Dear John

3. Bette Midler: One Night Only

Sofa booze-up gets political when Steph And Dom Meet Nigel Farage

UTV, 9pm The Divine Miss M has toned down her customary earthy edge for this overdue TV special, but this is still a raunchy cut above your typical star vehicle. The veteran chanteuse, who graduated from New York bath houses to Hollywood stardom, packs a career’s worth of torch songs into a scanty hour, with Joanna Lumley her starstruck MC.

4. Steph And Dom Meet Nigel Farage

C4, 10pm Yes, that’s Steph and Dom as in the permanently semi-p***ed posh pair from Gogglebox, who have the fortune/misfortune of having one Nigel Farage standing as Ukip candidate in their well-heeled neck of the woods. So what we have here is a booze-fuelled spin on Question Time – and one which won’t do Mr Farage’s electoral prospects any harm.

5. Today’s Film: Dear John

Film4, 6.50pm Be still those beating hearts, Channing Tatum fans, for this endearing 2010 rom-com casts him as a soldier who charms the heart of stunning student Amanda Seyfried

YOUR GUIDE TO THIS EVENING’S ESSENTIAL VIEWING while home on leave but risks breaking it by insisting on returning to active duty.

6. Panorama: The Innocent Serial Killer?

BBC1, 8.30pm

Does nurse Colin Norris deserve to be serving a life sentence for the murder of four elderly patients or is there enough doubt about his conviction for the case to be reopened? This report scrutinises the case surrounding him and ponders whether the alleged murder victims actually died from natural causes.

7. Olive Kitteridge

Sky Atlantic, 9pm The challenging but ultimately uplifting tale of the sociallychallenged Olive concludes, with Frances McDormand achingly digging beneath the skin of a woman who’s a tough act to love – but one you come to admire for insisting on living life on her own terms.

8. The Office Xmas Party

ITV2, 9pm The annual office party is a danger zone for the unwary employee. Get

smashed out of your head and tell your boss what you really think of him/her and – oops – it’s the dole queue from January. So let’s hope the workers at a sex toy factory (yes, really) bear that in mind as they convene for their knees up. Novelty dildo, anyone?

9. What In The World? South Sudan

RTÉ1, 11.20pm This third part of a four-part documentary series takes a look at life in the new country of South Sudan, which was created in 2011

after years of oppression. Since then, however, corruption and violence have haunted this fledgling country. Tonight’s episode will examine how and why South Sudan descended so quickly into chaos and asks whether there is hope for those living there.

10. Ireland’s Black Widows TV3, 10pm

While most murders are committed by men, this documentary takes a look at Ireland’s most notorious female killers. Tonight, the crimes of Sarah Jane Delaney, Catherine Nevin, Susan Christie and featured.

Monday, December 15, 2014 METRO HERALD

Gray

scale

Looking back on the life and works of renowned Irish artist Eileen Gray, Page 17

PLUS

Music

Smashing Pumpkins return, P14

Your To-do List Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hot in the city, P15

Careers

Get the salary you deserve, P18

14 METRO HERALD Monday, December 15, 2014

music review

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Corgan’s still pumpkin iron sMAsHiNG PUMPKiNs

BAsTiLLE

VS (OThEr PEOPLE’S hEArTAChE, PT iii) (VirGiN) ★★★✩✩

MONUMENTS TO AN ELEGY (MArThA’S MUSiC) ★★★✩✩

GAMECHANGERS PixiEs Although this Boston-based band sold only modest numbers of records during their late 1980s and early 1990s heyday (in America at least) they nevertheless came to be hailed as the most important band to influence the seminal 1990s altrock and grunge booms. With Black

While their 2013 debut album Bad Blood showcased some fairly stadium-friendly indie pop, this UK four-piece have used mixtapes to experiment with covers, collaborations and genre mash-ups. This third mixtape features a groove-licked guitar clash with Haim (Bite Down), quasi-distorted electronica crooning with rising star MNEK (Bad News) and floor-trembling bass and Angel Haze’s sharp bars on Weapon. Frontman Dan Smith has suggested the second album next year could be a ragbag of styles – maybe this is an indicator of what’s to come? Amy Dawson

GHOsTFACE KiLLAH

36 SEASONS (SALVATiON) ★★★★✩ This is the latest solo outing from the core Wu-Tang Clan member. Styled as an episodic narrative, it tells what happens to GK’s character when he returns to his old neighbourhood after nine years. Guests including Kool G Rap and Pharoahe Monch step up on tracks that mix sociopolitical comment with personal observations in strong flows cut with retro soul and cinematic instrumental passages. Overall, the LP suggests Curtis Mayfield scoring The Wire. Compelling. sO’C

ALsOOUt...

SCARlEt pAGE

n many ways, the Smashing Pumpkins were the antinirvana – a band whose debut album was released just a few months before the epochal nevermind but who were very different. Singer-songwriter and guitarist Billy Corgan (right) – not one to shy away from proclaiming his unique brilliance – sees his vision as being responsible for marking the Pumpkins out from their grunge peers. Fair enough – if nirvana’s sound was that of a band who loved The Beatles and Black Sabbath trying to copy the Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, then The Smashing Pumpkins looked more to Metallica, My Bloody Valentine and Blue Öyster Cult. Still, Corgan’s recent solo outing must have made even committed fans panic about the new (eighth) Pumpkins studio album. In February, he played an eighthour, ambient electronics jam inspired by Hermann Hesse’s novel of self-discovery, Siddhartha, which was streamed live online for stoic listeners. But – baffling, Muse-like title aside – Monuments To gan illy Cor An Elegy is a inger B vision as S much more sees his sponsible e welcome and being r rking the accessible for ma ins out outing. The Pumpk their Pumpkins’ from eers p signature sound grunge – a mix of dense, thrillingly overdriven guitar and glazed, psychedelic pop – is still instantly recognisable, as is Corgan’s rather tight, whiney voice. When the songs hit their mark, they hit them hard – particularly in the case of surging standout One And All, the synth-driven Anaise! and opening track Tiberius, which has a hook big enough to land

a whale. Less convincing is Coldplay-like piano-pop number Being Beige (if that title is ironic, it was a bad choice), the 1980s goth-rock of Dorian and the grisly Run2me,

featuring guest drummer Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe. It sounds as if Corgan couldn’t quite decide whether to channel Erasure, The Who or The Alarm – so went for all three. This isn’t a patch on classic Pumpkins records. However, more than 20 years on, their presence is still comforting.

sharon O’Connell

THE KNiFE SHAKEN-UP VERSIONS ★★★✩✩ Swedish electronic siblings duo The Knife have reworked eight tracks from their 2013 album Shaking The Habitual specially for their North American shows in April. Stripped back and hypnotically rhythmic is the MO here – it feels like the only way to go, really, given their usual bonkers maximalism. sO’C TELEMACHUs IN MOROCCO ★★★✩✩ This London-based hip hop producer, also known as Chemo, relocated to the Moroccan surfing village of Mirleft to make his latest LP. It’s a set of laid-back beatscapes veined with indigenous music and spiked with samples from a vintage travelogue recording, but is more moodily personal than crassly ‘exotic’. sO’C TETEMA GEOCIDAL ★★★★✩ The debut from Mike Patton (Faith No More’s frontman) and Australian composer/pianist Anthony Pateras rewards close attention in spades, and if its blend of drone-metal, jazz, power electronics and avant-garde minimalism is sometimes terrifying, it’s also utterly thrilling. Patton’s voice is, again, a revelation. sO’C

spotlight on seminal artists or songs that have influenced music and defined genres

Francis’ yelping delivery and jarring, offbeat lyrics layered with Kim Deal’s breathy harmonies and ginormous basslines, it was the extreme dynamics and the stopstart rhythms in the Pixie’s punk/ rock sound that had the biggest impact on acts such as Nirvana. Kurt Cobain actively said of that band’s most famous hit, 1991’s Smells Like

Teen Spirit: ‘I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies.’ And you can hear the Pixies-esque contrast between dreamier, more restrained verse and explosive, snarling chorus in that track for yourself. The Pixies broke up in 1993 but reunited in 2004 – although Deal departed again in 2013. Last year the band

produced their first album in 23 years, (the fairly poorly received) Indie Cindy – but also played triumphant headline sets at festivals including Glastonbury. Promising new stuff for 2015, the Pixies are clearly determined to survive and thrive. AD Pixies: Doolittle 25 is out now

going out

Monday, December ember 15, 2014 METRO OH HERALD

SEE

ROyAL BALLET: ALiCE’S ADvEnTuRES in wOnDERLAnD: LivE

BOOK TAyLOR SwifT

SEE DAviD O’DOHERTy

‘Prepare to have your world rocked in quitee a gentle way,’ David O’Doherty has been known to say by way of introduction to his convivial stand-up shows. It’s as good a description as any of the approach taken by the affable Dubliner whose lo-fi, cosy and o offbeat humour is delivered with recourse to apman, on which he bashes his 32-key Casio Rapman, out some entertainingly bonkers ditties. Until Thu, Whelan’s, 25 Wexford Street, D2, 8pm, €16.50. Tel: 1890 200 078. www.whelanslive.com

Tumble down the rabbit hole as the UK’s Royal Opera revives Christopher Wheeldon’s much-admired 2011 ballet, based on the immortal stories of Lewis Carroll. Tomorrow’s screening at the Light House Cinema will

be beamed live from Saddler’s Well in London. Expect a riot for the imagination, the stage stalked by a massive, haunting Cheshire Cat, a sinuous Caterpillar and ingenious perspective shifts that capture the spirit of Carroll’s mind-

bending original. Bob Crowley’s designs are dazzling to boot. Tomorrow, Light House Cinema, Smithfield Square D7, 7.15pm, €9. Tel: (01) 872 8006. www.lighthousecinema.ie.

Having taken her rightful spot on the pop princess throne following the release of her rather splendid 1989 album, the whipsmart Nashville cookie brings her immersive confessional pop to the 3Arena next year as part of a global tour. ‘I’m so excited, I can’t wait!’ she said. ‘Get ready for one crazy party!’ Indeed. Tickets on sale today. June 29, 2015, 3Arena, East Link Bridge, North Wall Quay, D1. Tel: 0818 719 300. www. taylorswift.com.

YOUR DUBLIN

T S i L O D TO HEAR gRuff RHyS

The erstwhile Super Furry Animals frontman returns to Dublin this week with tunes from his beguilingly odd American Interior project, a quartet of works encompassing an LP, film, app and ‘psychedelic historical travelogue’ celebrating the life and times of 18th-century Welsh explorer John Evans. Don’t worry – the songs are catchier and more accessible than this particular synopsis suggests. Tomorrow & Wed, The Pepper Canister Church, 2 Mount St Crescent, D2, 8pm, €23. Tel: 1890 200 078.

HEAR SinÉAD O’COnnOR

TRY

iguDESMAn & JOO

The musical lunacy of a Russian violinist and a Korean pianist became a viral sensation when their stage show clocked up more than 30million YouTube views. Featuring a vacuum cleaner, boxer shorts, a coffee cream frother and Mozart with ‘a little

nightmare music’, Aleksey Igudesman and Hyung-ki Joo filled stadiums with a comedy-cum-music routine that riffs on both classical and pop culture. They make their Irish debut tonight with a suitably batty, yuletide concert, A Little Silent Night Music Tonight, National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, D2, 8pm, €20 to €30. Tel: (01) 417 0000. www.nch.ie.

What a year it’s been for the trailblazing rock legend who recently reaffirmed her place in the pop firmament with the excellent I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss LP. Expect choice cuts from that record, including Take Me To Church, one of the year’s most engaging earworms. Tomorrow, Vicar Street, 58-59 Thomas Street, D8, 8pm, €39 (sold out). Tel: 0818 719 300. www.vicarstreet.ie.

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puzzles

METROSCOPE by Patrick Arundell

NEMI by Lise

Aries Mar 21 – Apr 20

The end of this week is strongly influenced by Venus as it moves alongside the potent energies of Pluto. It’s going to be important to understand the politics behind this, because someone may try to coerce you in some way.

confidently. This can be particularly so around arranging any kind of social gathering or event. Don’t be surprised at all if you find yourself at the centre of such activities.

Taurus Apr 21 – May 21

scorpio Oct 24 – Nov 22

For your forecast, call 15609 114 71

For your forecast, call 15609 114 77

Gemini May 22 – Jun 21

sagittarius Nov 23 – Dec 21

For your forecast, call 15609 114 72

For your forecast, call 15609 114 78

cancer Jun 22 – Jul 23

capricorn Dec 22 – Jan 20

For your forecast, call 15609 114 70

The Sun and Mercury in Sagittarius forge a fantastic link to the abundance of Jupiter. This can manifest itself in a number of ways. However, if you’re looking to add to your family or start a business, this could prove fortunate.

METROKU Easy, Moderate and Challenging

Today, there’s the potential to set up some kind of special interaction with someone you encounter. Mercury is at the heart of this, but the sparkling energies of Jupiter suggests that your personality can have a truly spellbinding effect.

Whether you’re looking for a new job or not, obviously this is a very late part of the year to be active in this regard, but something around the more practical side of your situation could fall into place. For your forecast, call 15609 114 73

Leo Jul 24 – Aug 23

You can power into this week and dazzle all in your path. Of course this can be the time of the year when the seasonal celebrations really start to ramp up. And these influences could see you at the heart of everything which unfolds. Go strut your stuff.

PEARLs BEFORE swINE

For your forecast, call 15609 114 74

Virgo Aug 24 – Sep 23

Today, someone’s generosity can really make your heart glow. Of course this can be a two-way street, so it could be you that goes out of your way to help someone who is less fortunate. If so, good for you. For your forecast, call 15609 114 75

Libra Sep 24 – Oct 23

Sometimes you’re happiest doing things behind the scenes, yet recognition can come your way now. If you’re lucky enough to snaffle yourself a pay rise or a Christmas bonus, better still. Your ruler Jupiter creates a stunning influence on both the Sun and Mercury which are combining in your sign. This is going to supercharge your self-confidence and give you the sense that absolutely nothing is beyond you, and it’s true it might not be. If you’re finding yourself in a situation where it seems you are less empowered, appreciated or respected than you’d like, do keep the faith. As soon as Thursday, your situation is set to change radically. Then your ability to leverage your needs is going to skyrocket. For your forecast, call 15609 114 79

Aquarius Jan 21 – Feb 19

This is one of those rare times, when the resonance of your personality, ideas, and beliefs just seem to find kindred spirits at every turn. This is not to say you’ve never experienced this, but the frequency that you connect with others positively, could be quite incredible. For your forecast, call 15609 114 80

Pisces Feb 20 – Mar 20

While many of us will be increasingly turning our thoughts to the good times ahead, this week still offers you a significant window of opportunity to push forwards with the things that are important to you in terms of key goals and ambitions. For your forecast, call 15609 114 81

For a live one-to-one consultation with one of my gifted psychics, call 15809 113 68 or 1800 719 688 to book using credit card 1 4 8 9 10 11 13 14 16 17 20 21 22 23

Emulate (5) Amuses (7) Idiotic (7) Shelf (5) Inactive (4) Deep (8) A volcano (4) Warmth (4) Records (8) Separate (4) Angry (5) Raise (7) Inherent (7) Clothe (5)

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 12 13 15 18 19

Freezing (13) Essential (5) Booty (4) Abandon (6) Traduced (8) Fortification (7) Resolution (13) Contrive (8) Charm (7) Disclose (6) Lessen (5) Despatch (4)

Solutions to previous puzzle: Across: 3 Promenade; 8 Etch; 9 Attribute; 10 Elapse; 11 Dealt; 14 Those; 15 Each; 16 Realm; 18 Roam; 20 Enter; 21 Loyal; 24 Beacon; 25 Palatable; 26 Bass; 27 Personnel. Down: 1 Sedentary; 2 Octagonal; 4 Rite; 5 Merge; 6 Nubile; 7 Duty; 9 Aster; 11 Drawl; 12 Tactician; 13 Sharpness; 17 Melee; 19 Morass; 22 Again; 23 Vase; 24 Blue.

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

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ENIGMA Folk-rock group that you may see In a research laborat’ry. They’re used to check cars’ crumple zones So real folk don’t get broken bones. WHO AM I? A writer, I was born in Torquay in 1890. I wrote more than 80 detective novels and disappeared for ten days in 1926, setting off speculation that I had been murdered or died by suicide.

My best-loved characters include Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple. WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN? WHO... wrote The Turn Of The Screw and Roderick Hudson? WHAT... sort of creature is a muntjac? WHERE... was the country with which Britain engaged in a Cod War in 1958? WHEN... was the Battle of Friedland?

QUIZ ANSWERS: ENIGMA: Crash Test Dummies. WHO AM I? Agatha Christie. WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN? Henry James; A deer; Iceland; 1807.

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16 METRO HERALD Monday, December 15, 2014

open book

Monday, December 15, 2014 METRO HERALD

features@metroherald.ie to advertise, call 01 7055010

Unique: orla brady as eileen Gray photographed by Julian Lennon. inset left, the Côte d’Azur house she designed, e1027

of designing and building a villa on the Côte d’azur. Her determination fulfilled her wishes and she found the perfect site on which to build e1027, one of the most iconic houses of the 20th Century. She had two great love affairs – one with Marisa Damia, a French nightclub singer who owned a pet panther and went on to become a movie star; and the other with Jean Badovici, a romanian architect, ten years her junior. With her ‘cut-glass voice’ and her anglo-irish hauteur, she was a woman with presence. She died in her Paris apartment, still designing, just two years short of her 100th birthday but not before she’d destroyed her personal papers and photographs, although she left a detailed record of her hundreds of projects.

The Interview, by Patricia O’Reilly (New Island Books), is the story of Eileen Gray’s meeting with the rising star of Fleet Street, Bruce Chatwin, in 1972 after her Destiny Screen sold at auction for the then highest price ever paid for a ‘modern’ antique.

ileen Gray, designer, architect, painter and photographer, was born in Brownswood, enniscorthy, Co Wexford, on august 9, 1878, the youngest of five children. Her mother eveleen Pounden was an anglo-irish aristocrat and her father, James Maclaren Smith, a painter of Scottish landscapes. Following in her father’s artistic footsteps, eileen enrolled in london’s Slade School of Fine art. But it was with her discovery of lacquer works at the newly opened Victoria & albert Museum in Kensington that she found her creative calling. in 1900 her visit to the exposition Universelle in Paris had a profound effect on her. There she saw the power of innovation – 7,000 light bulbs all lighting at the same time. a model of a flying machine – which had her determined to fly – and a Chenard Walker car, for which she placed an order on the spot. a few years later, she made Paris her home, bought a four-room apartment in rue Bonaparte in SaintGermain-des-Prés and hired Heloise

DESIGn With a biopic on Irish designer Eileen Gray on its way, author Patricia O’Reilly looks at her life

Dany, the maid who remained with her for more than six decades. Once settled, she shingled her hair, did away with her edwardian clothes and was dressed by top couturiers. Her nails were manicured and she wore hand-made silk underwear. as enthusiastic as ever about lacquer, she hired Seizo Sugawara, a Japanese expert, to take her on as a student. in 1913 she finished The Destiny Screen, a four-panel lacquer screen with an allegorical theme which she reluctantly sold to Jacques Doucet, a

GRAY DATES FOR YOUR DIARY GRAY MATTERS

EilEEn Gray: HEr Work and HEr World by Jennifer Goff

Marco orsini’s much-anticipated documentary Gray Matters, which airs on rTÉ1 tomorrow night, places eileen Gray front and centre of the modernist movement as an architect and designer of unparalleled vision. orsini and his crew trace Gray’s travels from rural ireland to London, Paris and the riviera, spotlighting the design of key projects, including her masterpiece, the Villa e1027, in the Côte d’Azur.

THE PRIcE OF DESIRE

(Irish Academic Press)

for life

couturier who dressed royalty and a fine arts collector. The ensuing publicity gained her international recognition and a life-long dislike of reporters and photographers. She was one of the first women to get a driving licence in Paris and drove an ambulance during World War i. She had her ‘baptême de l’air’, as she called it, when she went ballooning with Charles rolls (of rolls-royce fame) and later fulfilled her wish of flying. Her refurbishment of the rue de lota apartment in the early 1920s

biopic: orla brady and Vincent Perez

Villa e1027 was designed by Gray as a retreat for herself and then lover Jean badovici and is often cited as her greatest achievement. The Price of Desire, a biopic from irish director Mary McGuckian, hones in on a fraught episode in the architect’s life when Le Corbusier (played by Vincent Perez)

with the innovative use of block screens, brought her further international fame, as did Galerie Jean Désért which she opened in 1926 to showcase the best of her work which included rugs and lacquer furniture. By then she’d become interested in architecture and dreamed

painted a series of erotic murals on the building without wi permission, per much tto Gray’s Gr chagrin. orla chagr brady plays br Gray with support from Alanis Morissette. The film will premiere as part of the Jameson Dublin international film festival next March.

E1027

This Christmas, treat eat the design lover in your life to this handsome new biography of the architect by Jennifer Goff, curator of the eileen Gray collection at the national Museum of ireland. The first comprehensive biography of the irish visionary, this fascinating, fully-illustrated compendium places Gray in the pantheon of design greats, placing equal weight on all facets of her work, with accompanying imagery highlighting benchmark works in furniture, architecture, interiors and art. The book is available in paperback (€35.95) and as a limited edition signed hardback in slipcase (€140) from www.iap.ie

Since 1998, ‘friends of e1027’ has been devoted to the restoration and preservation of Gray’s villa near the town of roquebrune; following extensive refurbishment and considerable to-ing and fro-ing, the building will finally re-open to the public next summer. if you’d like to lend support, and have a few grand to spare, pick up a limited edition print by Julian Lennon, featuring stills from The Price of Desire, proceeds of which will go towards reconstructing eileen Gray’s solarium at e1027. See www.stoneyroadpress.com for details. Daragh Reddin

18 METRO HERALD Monday, December 15, 2014

Party People

Out and about in Dublin

Jobs&Courses Jobs

Stylish: Maredil Corbett and MaryAnne Calimag at the Hermitage Medical Clinic Charity Ball in aid of the Irish Heart Foundation & Heart Children Ireland at the K Club

Living it up: Ali White and Suzannah De Wrixon (left) at the opening of Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops To Conquer at the Abbey. Aoife SpillaneHinks (below) at the opening of The Mother f**ker With The Hat at The New Theatre Temple Bar

Getty

All’s miles: Driver Josh Moffett and Catherine McCarron at the Dunlop Champions of Irish Motorsport Awards in the Burlington Hotel

ment’s 2015 annual salary survey has anger your employer, the ‘who do recently shown that the average wage they think they are’ reaction. This is something that can be avoidis up between two and five per cent on ed in most instances by doing some the last year. More people are working and those research into industry salaries. Benchmarking is a key stratagem working are earning more money, but here. Head of marketing for are you earning what you Brightwater Recruitment, should, considering all this Eileen Moloney said: ‘It is warm and fuzzy fiscal forimportant that employtitude? Present ee’s benchmark their While wages are going up, they’re coming yourself in the skills, you have to compare like with like.’ from four years of decontext of In other words, if you cline. work for a small online The question, then, is, quality start-up as a legal consulthow do you secure fair pay ant, for instance, don’t benchfor quality output? mark Google’s legal consultant for ‘It’s all about your approach’, according to the Metro Herald Career your salary. It’s important not to limit your conDoctor Jane Downes. ‘The best way to go about it is to cerns to salary either. Brightwater’s recent survey shows request a meeting, as this will grab company and performance relative your boss’s attention.’ she said. She continues: ‘In this situation, bonuses of up to 20 per cent are on you do need to be your own boss. Put offer, while other benefits such as healthcare, pensions, company cars a value on yourself.’ There’s always the fear that you will and laptops are also on the rise. Ms Moloney believes that the benefit increases are a ‘key indicator’ of better times ahead. She said: ‘These are particularly relevant to certain specific sectors, parn salaries are up 10 per cent in it compared with 2 to 5 per cent in all ticularly IT, actuarial, finance and acother sectors. countancy.’ n Multi-national companies are offering comprehensive pension and Employers are finding certain skill health insurance-based benefit packages. sets harder and harder to secure, IT n smaller companies can offer creative benefit packages including being a prime expample. flexi-time and shares in the company. According to Brightwater CEO n Facebook and Apple controversially offer to pay to freeze the eggs David Bloch: ‘Those standing out of career-focused women. from the decisive thought leadership, innovation and implementation of IT n the professional job sector – commerce, insurance, legal, banking, strategies that have aided efficiencies, customer service – has grown by 24 per cent in six months. cost and time savings coupled with n Companies are willing to go ‘beyond the budget’ to secure people strong performance records are those with specific skill sets for niche roles. that often have more than one offer to

RE you being rewarded for your work? Average salaries are finally on the up but many people find negotiating fair pay with their bosses unseemly and awkward. There’s nothing wrong with putting a value on the work you do and, in fact, there’s probably never been a better time to do so. Ireland’s economy looks to be back on track. The sagacious David McWilliams modestly declared ‘The place looks set to take off’, while only last month The Economist forecast Ireland to be one of only two eurozone countries set to experience strong economic growth in 2015, the other being eurozone-newcomers Lithuania. Hyperbole aside, the statistics are encouraging. According to an employment outlook survey conducted by Manpower Recruitment, employment in Ireland is anticipated to grow by 10 per cent across the board in the new year. Meanwhile, Brightwater Recruit-

In A nuTsHELL

King and I: Sophie (9) and Elana Lou Mc ghlin at the launch of All Hail King Julien

Pictures: Peter HouliHan; Patrick o’leary; Brian Mcevoy; andres Poveda

“

Monday, December 15, 2014 METRO HERALD

news@metroherald.ie to advertise, call 01 7055010

Get the salary that you deserve With economic growth on the rise David Hollywood asks if you are being paid enough consider and see salary increments with their next career move.’ So what about the next career move? If you do have a ‘skill set’ you may find yourself in the enviable position of receiving a tempting offer despite being happy where you are. There’s merit to thinking that this would be the perfect time to call for this mooted meeting with your boss. However, Ms Downes warned:

‘You’re playing a slightly dangerous game. Bosses hate it.’ Once again, approach is essential if you want to stay. It’s a matter of trust in this instance. Ultimately, employers are paying for quality and opportunities are out there, if you can present yourself in a context of quality and value for money then you’re more than entitled to sit down and have a conversation.

From the safety of a desk job to the fufilment of reflexology When Susan Gannon was offered redundancy from her job in the bank, she took the opportunity to change her career completely. Like a lot of 18 year olds, when I was doing my Leaving Cert in 1997 I had no idea what I wanted to be. I went through the usual CAO process and ended up doing a Degree in Business Studies (Entrepreneurship) in IADT Dún Laoghaire. After graduating, I was still flummoxed as to what I was going to do with my life. So I did what a lot of Irish people do, and fell into a job in a well-known Irish bank, hoping the spark would ignite and I would be inspired. After my father passed away at the age of 59, I went through an emotional rollercoaster that would challenge how I saw myself and my future. While still working, I decided to complete a Diploma in Massage and then a Diploma in Reflexology. I finally found something that gave me a buzz. As good as I was at typing and taking calls, there was just something about being able to help a person on a holistic level that I really enjoyed. Finally, at the age of 34, an opportunity presented itself to me that didn’t make me think twice. It was to stay in my relatively secure job on a good salary or take my passion for holistic therapies and make it my career. So it was time to sign the redundancy form, do more training, get myself out there as self-employed and help others. In July 2013, I took my final walk out of the sprawling abyss of desks and computers and made my way into the unknown. It’s has been an intentionally slow path. Leaving the security of a desk job and a regular salary is a big step. I had to figure out the intricacies of social welfare, a maze that is still unfolding and hopefully will become clearer in time. I was pointed in the direction of the Southside Partnership, who are helping me on my way to becoming a successful business owner. A course came up in using reflexology for people

THE AcciDEnTAL EnTREpREnEuR Gerry Murphy w business ThinkinG of starting a new in 2015? Corkman Gerry Murphy (pictured) did just that when he left a secure job in the bank to set up Great Gas petroleum, a business that went on to turn over €100m within three years. in his new book, The Accidental entrepreneur, he deals with a wide range of vital issues for entrepreneurs. here are his top ten tips. 1. Work ‘on’ your business everyy day Try to work ‘on’ your business as well as ‘in’ it. in other words, you need to make sure you do not get completely bogged down in day-to-day activity and take time to look at the bigger picture. Strategise, for instance, on where you want your business to be in years to come. 2. Don’t be a busy fool entrepreneurs want to please everybody. This is impossible and so you need to determine where your profit is really coming from and concentrate on that part of your business. 3. Sack tricky customers Let’s face it: in any business, there are

always some customers from hell. They can’t be pleased. recommend them to your competitors and get rid of them as soon as possible. 4. Don’t be a prima donna everyone knows you are the ev best person pers for the job and no one can do it like you. That’s why you’re the boss. But if you want to grow your business you will need to bring others on board and give them their own responsibilites. Otherwise your business will always be a one person show and have no capital value. 5. Be testy it is always a good idea to test your new business concept before going for the Full Monty launch. Test the concept on your friends or do a small mail-shot. if you think about it you will find lots of low-cost ways to test your concept. 6. Steal good ideas Look out for good ideas and make them your own. ryanair didn’t come up with the idea of launching an airline; they just

figured out a profitable way to use someone else’s idea. you can do the same. 7. Questions it is crucial to ask lots of questions. Don’t worry about looking stupid. it is far sillier not to ask the hard questions. engage your ears first and then your mouth. 8. More than a once-off Create a business that is built on repeat business rather than once-off events. Businesses with repeating income are far more valuable. 9. Keep the books Make sure you don’t ignore the book keeping and compliance as this will inevitably come back to bite you. Most entrepreneurs hate this kind of work and so if you can’t or won’t do it yourself you need to hire someone to do it for you. 10. Be positive have some fun. John B keane said, if you find a lost shirt button you should throw a party. i agree. Likewise in your business, find something to celebrate every day. The Accidental Entrepreneur is available in all good bookshops and from www. orpenpress.com.

living with cancer. In all my previous training I had been taught cancer was a complete contra-indication, meaning I was unable to treat people living with cancer. But this course was a wonderfully eye-opening experience. Having had family members go through fertility problems, I also Susan: Helping looked into training and found a wonderful course in fertility reflexology. This was very educational not only as a woman but also for what couples have to go through to conceive. This training naturally led me on to maternity reflexology training. This again was a very positive experience. It helped me acknowledge that women in today’s society need to take back the control of their pregnancies and what process they want to go through when giving birth. It also gave me the confidence to work with pregnant women who want help relaxing and making their pregnancy as comfortable and fulfilling as possible. My latest training has been in Massage for People Living with Cancer. This, I can honestly say, was the most thought provoking and emotional training I have done so far. It’s been nearly two years since I left the safety of the desk job. Do I regret my decision? So far I can say definitely not.

Susan is based in the Trinity College Sports Centre and also provides treatments at home. For more information or to book a treatment, visit www.susangannon.ie

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20 METRO HERALD Monday, December 15, 2014

Win’s a win for Matt

Leinster head coach Matt O’Connor was happy to see his side come through a real ‘arm wrestle’ with Harlequins as they edged out the Londoners 14-13 in saturday’s european Champions Cup Pool 2 match at the Aviva stadium. the Blues had appeared on course for a more comfortable victory when leading 11-0 at the break, as man-of-the-match ian Madigan landed two penalties and isaac Boss picked off an opportunist try in the right corner. Harlequins used their superior scrum to force the issue in the

by DAnny HOgAn

second period as full-back Mike Brown crossed for a try approaching the hour mark and tim swiel, who deputised at fly-half for the injured nick evans, added eight points with the boot. But Leinster had the final say thanks to a decisive 71st minute penalty from Madigan. ‘i wouldn’t say (we) escaped (with the result), no,’ said O’Connor. ‘it was tight, it was an arm wrestle. it was very, very intense, a high quality game between two very

rugby leinster

committed sides. escaped is a very strong word.’ the win leaves Leinster level with Harlequins on 13 points, with Conor O’shea’s side just ahead on scoring difference. Harlequins director of rugby O’shea was left frustrated after his charges only collected a losing bonus point from their trip to Dublin. As a collective, Quins performed to a higher level than Leinster but failed to clinch a precious away win that would have put them in clear control of the pool. they also ended the game down to 14 players following a late yellow card.

Pool games: Matt O’Connor’s team must thwart Wasps

picture: inpho

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IT’S out of Leinster’s hands now and that’s a thought as sobering as the style of rugby that has left them floundering. It’s up to Harlequins to get two bonus-point wins and to top the group. Even if Leinster match them for points Quins will have the tiebreakers because in the head-to-head match-ups they scored more tries and more points. Leinster now need to ensure they thwart Wasps’ renewed surge – they’re just a point behind both the province and Quins – while upping their tryscoring because in the battle for the three best runner-up spots that will prove crucial. Right now Leinster have 13 points and in normal circumstances you could argue that another 10 could be acquired and a total of 23 would be more than enough to finish top or as a best runner-up. However, these are not normal circumstances. In Europe Leinster have looked anaemic when it comes to attack and even Isaac Boss’s try against Quins on Saturday was not designed on any whiteboard in the Leinster HQ. They continue to share the ignominy of being the tournament’s lowest try scorers alongside Treviso which means their points difference – the first criteria to separate the best runners-up before tries are accounted for – is also very low.

5 Leinster’s lowest tries scored total in the European Cup is five which came in a three-game campaign in 1995. The saving grace for Leinster is that Castres roll up next to the RDS in Dublin and they are out of contention after Wasps throttled them 44-17 yesterday. In the Joe Schmidt era it would have been an open invitation to open both barrels and blow the doors off by scoring a bucketload of tries – no such guarantee on Matt O’Connor’s watch. Still, it’s not beyond them and if Quins take care of Wasps that same weekend it will take some of the sting out of Leinster’s final pool game away to the two-time European champions. You also have to take heart from the fact that Sean O’Brien and Cian Healy are due to return next month and that would make a colossal difference to Leinster’s attacking game. The big trip wire is that they are one of four teams on 13 points and it looks like points differential and tries scored are going to be a considerable factor when the pool stages are finished. Right now you would put money on both Quins and Leinster collecting nine match-day points from the remaining 10 available, which means Leinster will find themselves on shaky ground when it comes to the lottery for the three runner-up spots.

football

Monday, December 15, 2014 METRO HERALD

PREMiER LEAGuE

SWanSEa ............. 1 tottEnham ........2 by John Payne CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN delivered another late winner to give Tottenham a smash-and-grab victory at the Liberty Stadium. Just three weeks after earning Spurs the points at Hull, the Danish playmaker repeated the feat with a sweet 89th-minute strike low inside Gerhard Tremmel’s near post. Eriksen’s seventh goal of the season lifts Spurs up to seventh but was tough on a Swansea side who dominated for long periods. The visitors got off to a flying start

20 Premier League goals in 2014 for Swansea striker Wilfried Bony, the top scorer during this calendar year when Harry Kane powered home a header from Eriksen’s corner but they soon came under great pressure. On another day Wilfried Bony might have had a first-half hat-trick, forcing a decent save out of Hugo Lloris, being denied by a magnificent tackle from ex-Jacks defender Ben Davies and seeing a shot deflected wide by Federico Fazio. Bony’s luck changed after the break when Wayne Routledge latched on to Angel Rangel’s pass and crossed into

Spurs steal the show thanks to their late Dane the middle. Fazio made an initial block but the ball fell kindly for Bony to bag his eighth goal of the season. Moments later a header from the Ivorian was saved by Lloris. For a while Spurs struggled to get out of their own half but a rare attack saw Ryan Mason’s deflected shot drift wide, with Tremmel stranded. Bony, former Spurs Gylfi Sigurdsson and substitute Jonjo Shelvey all went close to netting a winner. However, Swansea failed to heed the warning when another Kane header flashed wide and they were sunk by Eriksen at the death.

(7.45pm unless stated)

today

Barclays Premier League Everton v QPR ............................ (8pm) TV Sky Sports 1

tUESday

The FA Cup second round replays Chester FC v Barnsley ............................... Luton v Bury .............................................. Mansfield v Cambridge Utd ..................... Rochdale v Aldershot................................ Tranmere v Oxford Utd ............................. Yeovil v Accrington Stanley ...................... Capital one Cup quarter-finals Derby v Chelsea ........................................ Sheff Utd v Southampton ......................... Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Northern Section semi-final Notts County v Preston .............................

WEdnESday

The FA Cup second round replay Worcester v Scunthorpe ........................... Capital one Cup quarter-finals Bournemouth v Liverpool ........................ Tottenham v Newcastle ............................

Friday

The Sky Bet Championship Millwall v Bolton ....................................... Sky Bet League 2 Southend v Burton Albion ........................ Tranmere v Cambridge Utd ...................... Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League Cefn Druids v Newtown............................ SatUrday (3pm unless stated) Barclays Premier League Aston Villa v Man Utd............................... Hull v Swansea .......................................... Man City v Crystal Palace.......... (12.45pm) QPR v West Brom...................................... Southampton v Everton............................ Tottenham v Burnley ................................ West Ham v Leicester ............................... The Sky Bet Championship Blackburn v Charlton ................................ Blackpool v Bournemouth........................ Cardiff v Brentford .................................... Derby v Norwich ........................ (12.15pm) Fulham v Sheff Wed.................................. Huddersfield v Birmingham ..................... Ipswich v Middlesbrough ......................... Nottm Forest v Leeds .................. (5.15pm) Reading v Watford .................................... Wigan v Rotherham .................................

Wolves v Brighton .................................... Sky Bet League one Barnsley v Leyton Orient .......................... Bradford v Scunthorpe.............................. Coventry v Fleetwood Town ..................... Crawley Town v Port Vale ......................... Crewe v Bristol City................................... Gillingham v Chesterfield ......................... MK Dons v Oldham................................... Peterborough v Preston ........................... Rochdale v Notts County .......................... Sheff Utd v Walsall ................................... Swindon v Doncaster ................................ Yeovil v Colchester .................................... Sky Bet League Two AFC Wimbledon v Mansfield .................... Accrington Stanley v Wycombe ............... Bury v York ................................................ Carlisle v Northampton ............................ Cheltenham v Portsmouth ....................... Hartlepool v Oxford Utd ........................... Luton v Newport County .......................... Plymouth v Dag & Red.............................. Shrewsbury v Morecambe ........................ Stevenage v Exeter ................................... Scottish Premiership Aberdeen v Kilmarnock ............................ Partick v Dundee....................................... Ross County v Hamilton............................ St Johnstone v Inverness CT ..................... St Mirren v Motherwell ............................ Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League Aberystwyth v Port Talbot ......... (2.30pm) Carmarthen v Airbus UK ............ (2.30pm) Rhyl v Gap Connah’s Quay ......... (2.30pm) The New Saints FC v Bala Town ...... (5pm)

I can’t believe we lost that game, says Monk Eriksen’s 89th-minute winner for the visitors. ‘We were on the front foot the whole of the second half and it’s mesmerising at times how we didn’t win that game,’ said Monk. ‘It’s a classic suckerpunch really and we didn’t deserve that.’

SUnday

Barclays Premier League Liverpool v Arsenal ......................... (4pm) Newcastle v Sunderland .............(1.30pm) Scottish Premiership Dundee Utd v Celtic ................... (12.15pm) Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League Prestatyn Town v Bangor City ......... (1pm)

TRANSFER TALk Hammers ‘want Glen’ WEST Ham are reported to be lining up a move to take England international Glen Johnson back to the East End from Liverpool. The 30-year-old right-back, who began his career at the Boleyn Ground, is out of contract in the summer and is not expected to stay at Anfield.

FixTuRES

u MoNACo and Porto are the clubs Arsenal and Manchester City will be hoping for in today’s Champions League draw. As runners-up in their groups, the English pair will face a group winner in the last 16.

Deja vu: Eriksen, main picture, celebrates another late winner as his goal, top, and Kane’s header, centre, give Spurs victory either side of Bony’s strike, bottom

GARRY MONK could not understand how his Swansea side failed to end their Tottenham hoodoo yesterday. The Swans have failed to beat Spurs in seven league games since their promotion three years ago but dominated long spells before Christian

MaIn pIcture: getty

Return? Johnson

u TOTTENHAM are primed to make a move for Espanyol centre-back Hector Moreno, according to sources in Spain. u NEWCASTLE will hold a summit meeting to discuss transfer targets but the pressure to buy a striker has been eased by the form of Ayoze Perez. The Magpies are set to seek a

Leicester’s lolly centre-half to shore up their defence. u EVERTON have been linked with a loan deal for Barcelona’s 23-year-old right-back Martin Montoya, who has fallen out of favour under Luis Enrique. u BURNLEY striker Danny Ings, who is out of contract in the summer, is attracting interest from Ajax.

NIgEL PEARSoN has been told he will have money to strengthen his Leicester squad next month. ‘I know funds will be made available but it is not an easy window,’ the Foxes boss said. A centre-half and a striker top Pearson’s wish-list.

22 METRO HERALD Monday, December 15, 2014

Main picture: Man utd via Getty

Rodgers’ men are

Three cheers for United but Liverpool ale over the place LiverpooL lived up to their pub-team billing as they handed Manchester United an easy premier League victory thanks to some shoddy defending at old Trafford. pre-match, former United defender Gary Neville had predicted the game would resemble the ‘Dog & Duck versus the red Lion’, but only one side defended like a Sunday league team. Liverpool’s marking and composure in defence was all over the place and United took full advantage of their woeful display. Despite the scoreline, Liverpool had more chances than the hosts but were thwarted every time by United goalkeeper David De Gea, who was man of the match. Wayne rooney swept home an Antonio valencia cross after the ecuadorian had

pREMiER LEAguE manchester utd ....3 liverpool..................0 by Jon Harvey waltzed past Joe Allen to put the hosts ahead after 12 minutes. Juan Mata then nodded in to double the lead five minutes before half-time, although replays showed he was offside when robin van persie’s flick found him. United’s third came when Dejan Lovren fluffed his clearance and van persie was given ample time to beat goalkeeper Brad

Jones with 19 minutes to play. reds boss Brendan rodgers had dropped goalkeeper Simon Mignolet for Jones and started raheem Sterling as a lone striker, but the gamble failed to pay off. Sterling was denied three times by De Gea and substitute Mario Balotelli twice also found the Spaniard in unbeatable form. United’s sixth consecutive win moves them within eight points of premier League leaders Chelsea. The repercussions for Liverpool are more serious. rodgers insisted he was the right man to revive the reds before the match but more performances like this and fans – and the club’s owners – may start to disagree with him.

Red rout: Mata nods in United’s second, left, while the three scorers, Rooney, Van Persie and Mata celebrate the Dutchman hitting the net

Brendan offers Mignolet little hope of a recall BreNDAN roDGerS has dropped Simon Mignolet from the Liverpool team ‘for an indefinite period’. Mignolet’s poor form saw him left out of the defeat at United and Brad Jones, who started his first league game since March 2013, will stay in goal until the Belgian convinces rodgers he is worth recalling. Asked whether 32-year-old Jones was now his first-choice, rodgers said: ‘Yes. i said to Simon it was for an indefinite period. i felt it was something we needed to do.’ in contrast, United goalkeeper David De Gea picked up another man-of-the-match award but boss Louis van Gaal would not reveal how negotiations were progressing on extending the Spaniard’s contract, which expires in 18 months. ‘That is between the club and the player and it is not open for discussion for the media,’ van Gaal said.

premier league table P Chelsea 16 Man City 16 Man Utd 16 West Ham 16 Southampton 16 Arsenal 16 Tottenham 16 Newcastle 16 Swansea 16 Liverpool 16 Stoke 16 Aston Villa 16 Everton 15 West Brom 16 Sunderland 16 C Palace 16 Burnley 16 QPR 15 Hull 16 Leicester 16

W 12 11 9 8 8 7 7 6 6 6 5 5 4 4 2 3 3 4 2 2

D L 3 1 3 2 4 3 4 4 2 6 5 4 3 6 5 5 4 6 3 7 4 7 4 7 6 5 5 7 10 4 6 7 6 7 2 9 7 7 4 10

F 36 33 29 27 25 28 20 18 21 19 18 10 24 15 14 19 11 16 15 15

A 13 14 17 19 13 19 22 22 19 22 21 20 23 20 24 24 24 27 23 27

Pts 39 36 31 28 26 26 24 23 22 21 19 19 18 17 16 15 15 14 13 10

results Man Utd ............. 3 Swansea ..............1 Arsenal ...............4 Burnley ................1 Chelsea ............... 2 Crystal Palace......1 Leicester .............0 Sunderland .........1 West Brom ..........1

Liverpool.......... 0 Tottenham ........2 Newcastle ......... 1 Southampton .. 0 Hull ................... 0 Stoke ................. 1 Man City ........... 1 West Ham......... 1 Aston Villa ....... 0

daniel sturridge louis van gaal’s geography lesson on twitter ‘I don’t want to say anything about individual players, we did it with the whole team. Of course Michael Carrick did very well. We did it with a British defence – I said an English defence but I was corrected by Jonny Evans, he’s an Irish boy.’

‘Absolutely gutted for everyone. I’m optimistic, though, and hope everyone else feels the same. Just know I’m working hard to ensure I’m back healthy. I miss everything about the game. I can’t wait to help us be successful.’

football

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Monday, December 15, 2014 METRO HERALD 23

fOOTbALL DigEsT

Praise: Martinez

Martinez: Harry’s found good range ROBERTO MARTInEz thinks timing is not in Everton’s favour ahead of tonight’s Premier League clash with QPR. Rangers have won two of their last three games, beating fellow strugglers Leicester and Burnley, and Martinez has been impressed by what he has seen. ‘QPR had a little bit of a difficult start because obviously when you get new players you’re trying to find the right combinations,’ he said. ‘Harry Redknapp now has found the right formula and they are in the best moment of their season. They’ve been unfortunate in a couple of games. They should have had more points than what they’ve got. I think this group are in a good moment and we respect them hugely.’

Oct 5 Last time Rio Ferdinand featured for QPR. The defender, who served a threematch ban in that time, admits: ‘I would be lying if I said I’m perfectly okay about being left out of the QPR team recently.’ Eagles will start to fire soon, says Neil

David to Goliath: From top, man-of-thematch De Gea pushes a shot from Balotelli onto the crossbar, denies Sterling with his legs and savours victory over United’s arch-rivals

nine months earlier... Wind HOW football can change. s thi 16 rch Ma to ck ba the clock putting year and it was Liverpool Old at ord sw United to the Trafford. The hosts, then were , managed by David Moyes an nd Bre ile wh , truly dreadful y 3-0 eas – rs de ysi rse Me ’ Rodgers s ltie na pe o tw winners thanks to ) red ctu (pi rd rra Ge from Steven z– and a third from Luis Suare The nt. hu e were right in the titl rarely phrase ‘role reversal’ has t. ap re felt mo

nEIL WARnOCk remains convinced Crystal Palace will not be dragged into a relegation dogfight, despite a run of one win in ten games. Palace’s only victory since September was a 3-1 triumph over Liverpool and a 1-1 draw with Stoke on Saturday sees the Eagles sit just one point off the Premier League drop-zone. However, Warnock (pictured) is unfazed by his side’s recent run. ‘I still think we’ve got enough to be okay,’ the Palace boss said. ‘That’s five games where we could and should have won really. We’ve just got to convert more of our opportunities.’

39th game is axed RICHARD SCUDAMORE has admitted Premier League matches will not be played abroad in the foreseeable future. The top flight’s chief executive, who was behind plans for English clubs to play a 39th fixture overseas, said: ‘The idea of an extra game is gone.’ However, Premier League matches will be screened live on Friday nights from the 2016-17 season.

sPOrt

24 METRO HERALD Monday, December 15, 2014

O’Connor’s Blues need to find scoring touch

«see page 20

swiM sTAR nEAMT sETs nEw iRisH REcORD tALLAGHt swimmer Antoinette neamt deservedly won the swimmer of the Meet Award when she smashed the Irish senior 1500m Freestyle record on the final day of competition at the Irish short Course Championships in Lisburn yesterday. the real rising star of Irish swimming knocked almost eight seconds off her own record to set a new record of 16:32.73 making her the swimmer closest to a world record throughout the championships. the 13-year-old, who trains at the nAC, finished the meet with an Irish senior and two Irish junior records and three national titles.

season’s bleatings picture: reuterS

rodgers’ despair as clinical united destroy Liverpool

poch’s delight at Spurs battle

by gAvin bROwn BRENDAN RODGERS watched Liverpool crumble at fierce rivals Manchester United yesterday, then said the ‘undeserved’ 3-0 scoreline summed up his side’s increasingly lost season. Liverpool, who won 3-0 at Old Trafford in March on their way to a second-place finish, are now tenth, 18 points off the top and ten points behind United in third. Rodgers’ men created more chances but, with Raheem Sterling profligate as a makeshift striker, the result was a familiar story. ‘It epitomised what our season has been,’ the under-pressure Liverpool manager (pictured) said. ‘They [United] were much more clinical when they needed to be. ‘We have nowhere near enough goals in the team and that has put pressure on [us]. I didn’t think we deserved to be on the end of the scoreline.’ For United it was a sixth win in a row but boss Louis van Gaal was only partially pleased with his team. ‘That [run] is fantastic but we have to improve our playing style,’ he said.

tOttenHAM were hailed for their fighting spirit after withstanding an onslaught from swansea to win 2-1 in Wales. Harry Kane and Christian eriksen scored either side of Wilfried Bony’s strike and boss Mauricio Pochettino paid tribute to the way his team performed. ‘the character is very important, to show and fight in every action,’ said the Argentine. ‘I am happy with the players, we are showing the character we want and got the reaction we want.’

Roo-d health: Rooney enjoys scoring the first goal yesterday

Man uniteD 3-0 liverpool

swansea 1-2 tottenhaM

reports – pages 20-21

Munster will keep battling despite loss: O’Mahony

Munster skipper Peter O’Mahony accepts their european Champions Cup quarter-final qualification hopes rest in the hands of others – but he is adamant his side will not give up until the final whistle.

A last-gasp penalty goal from Ian Keatley earned Munster a losing bonus point in their 26-19 defeat at stade Marcel-Michein as French giants Clermont Auvergne did the double over the Irish province.

Despite that bonus point though, the two-time former european champions face a fight to progress from competitive Pool 1, as they now trail leaders Clermont by four points and second-placed saracens by three

ahead of contests against sarries and sale sharks next month. O’Mahony is determined to be positive, however, saying: ‘We dug in and got a point and you cannot yet tell what is going to happen in terms of qualification.’

Optimistic: Peter O’Mahony says bonus point could poin be crucial picture: inphO