The Leader 31 May 2017 by Neil Murray

Your Locally Owned Free Newspaper | 31 May 2017 | theleader.ie

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ST. COLMCILLE’S HOSTEL TO MARK 20TH ANNIVERSARY MILESTONE service is also available along with personal support and advocacy services. This week, as attention nationally continues to focus on the issue of homelessness, the manager of the St Colmcille’s Hostel, Ciaran Maguire said the problem locally was not The facility, which features ten units in all, critical. provides accommodation for families and “It’s not that we don’t have homelessness, we single adults. A twenty-four emergency do – but not in a crisis state.”

A special ecumenical service on June 8th will mark the 20th anniversary of the St Vincent de Paul run hostel located at Sallaghraine in Letterkenny.

While the Letterkenny hostel had been opened for twenty years, many people were still not aware of its existence. Ciaran is part of a husband and wife team involved in the local facility – Mary Maguire operates as an outreach worker, focusing on the reasons that lead people to become homeless. Those reasons can vary from rent arrears, alcohol difficulties, domestic violence and psychiatric problems. Mary’s role doesn’t stop even when people have moved into permanent accommodation as she maintains contact with the individuals or families involved.

Family units

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The impressively appointed hostel in Letterkenny features six family units and four single units one of which is wheelchair friendly. Funded by both the H.S.E. and Donegal County Council, the latter through the Department of the Environment, the hostel is run by an eight person voluntary committee. St. Colmcille’s Hostel involves itself in monthly meetings with other organisations and individuals who focus on the homeless including North-West Simon, S.T.E.E.R. Housing Association, Community Welfare officers, social workers, and other bodies who meet under the umbrella of the Homeless Action Team (HAT). May 10th last represented the eighth anniversary of the passing of the woman who was, says Ciaran, the “brainchild” behind the setting up of the homeless hostel in Letterkenny. “Anna Nallen did so much to get this off the ground right from the beginning.” She will be among those remembered at the ecumenical service to be held at 10.a.m. on Thursday, June 8th, at the hostel offices.

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the Leader || 31 May 2017

theLeader Your Locally Owned Monthly Free Newspaper

Inside theLeader this week... Meet A Townie

House & Home

The Sweet Life

Unsung Hero...

Meet the man who made long distance running seem easy!

House Home and Garden Feature Inside

Eleanor Mc Keever talks Summer fruit Science!

Singer, Songwriter and guitarist, Martin Orr

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Fun, funding and fevered emotions the order of relay weekend

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The messsages of HOPE and CURE at the Luminary Ceremony of Relay For Life 2017. Photo Clive Wasson

It was twenty-four hours of emotion and entertainment in tandem with a significant boost into research funding as the sixth annual Donegal Relay for Life attracted thousands of patrons to the LYIT campus in Letterkenny over the weekend. At the closing ceremony on Sunday evening, organising committee chairperson, Robert O’Connor announced that over 85,000 euro had been raised as a result of the fund-raising efforts but insisted this would rise to close to 100,000 euro when the final total was confirmed – money that will be steered into a major research project to be conducted at Letterkenny University Hospital. A hugely emotional Luminaria ceremony, led by cancer survivors and carers, on Saturday night once again proved one of the highlights – watched by a fifteen strong group of Americans Relayists who had travelled a total of 62,500 miles between them to attend the event as one of the participating teams. They were accompanied by thirty-five local teams – each of whom was represented on the never ceasing twenty-four circuit of the LYIT pitch. Fun and games were the order of the weekend at many of the participating team stands. At the Donaghey Motorhomes team H.Q., Ugne Kubilinskoite was busy transferring an assortment of potatoes from one oblong tray to another to beat the record time. The game was conceived by James Donaghey but his presence was tinged with a sense of intense

loss. Last July his wife, Kathleen, was claimed by cancer after a four and a half year battle against the disease. “She was here last year which makes it very emotional this year,” said James. At the Penney’s team gazebo, Donna Gallagher declared: “There is not a family that has not been touched by cancer. That’s why Relay for Life is so important.” Between Saturday and Sunday, some of the NorthWest’s top performers provided endless entertainment for the masses while a special message of best wishes from Relay patron, Daniel O’Donnell – unable to be present as he is currently touring in the United States - was relayed by a pre-recorded video shown on stage. Members of the American team joined the Survivors Choir on a number of occasions over the weekend – a moving rendition of ‘Every Candle Has a Name’, a song especially written for the U.S. Relay initiative, proving one of the highlights. As the Donegal event drew to a close in front of a huge attendance, chairperson O’Connor appealed for more members to join the committee to help further the objectives of the organisation. See event photos opposite...

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the Leader || 31 May 2017

Thousands attend 6th Annual Donegal Relay for Life 2017

Eammon Doherty after getting his beard shaved after over 40 years along with his grandaughter Briyanna McGee who cut her hair for Little Princess Trust pictured with one of Relay for Life organisers Robert O’Connor and Team Pennys pictured at Relay for Life. Siobhan Gillispie from Global Hero of Hope for Relay Care to Share Your Hair for a Child.

Cassey Cullen, David McCathal and Heather Hetherington pictured at Relay for Life.

Kevin Holian and Liam Devenney taking part in the LK Rotary Club 24 hour Relay spin team.

Bride Doherty taking part in the Relay For Life.

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theLeader Leader||||31 March 2017 the May 2017

Home Town Musings by Paddy Walsh

BILLY TAKES US DOWN THE LINE (WITH MISS SMYTHE ON HIS BUCKET LIST)

A few trains of thought for those of us who attended Billy Patterson’s recent talk on his family links with the railways in Donegal – all of them posing the question that is invariably asked on such occasions, namely, why did the authorities of the time decide to do away with them? Yes, we know all about the economic reasons behind it – the advent of alternative cargo transport being a prime one – but had only they left us with the tracks and station postings so somewhere, down the line, there might have been the possibility of the system coming back into operation.

Unlikely, you might argue, but, sadly, we’ll never know. Anyway, Billy’s extensive trip down the tracks – the talk featured as part of the Letterkenny Mini Heritage Weekend – prompted plenty of anecdotes and recollections including his own involvement as a young boy when his father, Matt, was the Station Master in Letterkenny and he, the younger Patterson and his siblings, had the run of the place. Among many of the tales he recalled was when he and his pal, John McGlinchey, got a summer job at the station – cleaning up though perhaps not ﬁnancially. Apparently there was this “little elderly lady” called Miss Smythe who would often be observed at the station. Dressed in a tweed two-piece

WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NAMES (And our John knows them all) Still on the Heritage Weekend, one of the highlights of the opening night, at the unveiling of a wall display, commemorating the commercial outlets along Letterkenny’s Main Street and associated streets between the ﬁfties and the seventies, was a poem written and read by John Blake and focusing in particular on the main thoroughfare back in 1952. Apart from reminding us that a two way system operated then and drivers, such as they might have been, didn’t have to pay to park, our resident poet somehow managed to squeeze in all the names and characters involved in the local business world at that particular time. A night of much recollection and for those who haven’t seen the wall display, it will go on permanent exhibition at the Courtyard Shopping Centre. I didn’t get along to the verbal re-enactment by Tomas O Brogain on the Saturday night of the Battle of Farsetmore (May 8th 1567) also staged as part of the Heritage Weekend. But then, I wasn’t at the original one either….

men’s suit complete with Robin Hood type hat, she looked, as Billy related, for all the world, like a little man. Boys being boys, there were plenty of pranks played between the friends and on one occasion after receiving a kick in the behind quarters, Billy, armed with a bucket of water, gave chase to John or as much of a chase as you can manage when you’re carrying a bucket of water. “As I passed the gents I heard scufﬂing noises coming from one of the cubicles and as the station was pretty deserted at that time, reckoned that I had found his hiding place.” And so saying, the bold Billy tipped the bucket and emptied it over the top of the cubicle from where the scufﬂing had stemmed.

KEVIN KEEPS THEM COMING One of the first pages I turn to in any newspaper – okay, not strictly true as there are the sports pages to be considered first and foremost – are those with the letters from readers. And a regular contributor in this respect is Kevin O’Sullivan from Letterkenny who puts pen to paper (or ﬁngers to

keyboard as it is these days) and writes to a number of publications and in particular ‘The Irish Times.’ A recent one of his highlighted the ‘Irishman’s Diary’ in the paper which had claimed that playwright, George Bernard Shaw was a lifelong beard wearer. Prompting the comment from Kevin: “Shaw must have been a beautiful baby!.” Also earlier this month, the avid corre-

DON’T IGNORE THE SIGNS

FLAG DAZE

Can’t remember how far back it was but herself and myself once had occasion to visit the Corncreggan Mill in Dunfanaghy where we had a chat with the proprietor, Brendan Rohan.

An interesting man who runs a fine establishment and is obviously kept very busy with guests from both home and abroad. Unless, you’ve been hiding up a flagpole, you’ll be aware that there has been a bit of a fluttering about the fact that his premises has been flying the Union Jack – the reason, as he points out, being that a big percentage of his visitors are British. It has led to a predictable outpouring of disgust and anger on social media platforms and radio debates, one woman contacting the ‘Liveline’ show on R.T.E. radio to attack the decision to fly the flag, describing it as a “symbol of tyranny” and an insult and so on. And then the voice of reason came on. A man labelling himself a

You will have, by now, guessed the rest but Billy tells it better: “There came a mildly feminine roar which I knew was not made by John and I took off and hid behind a wagon where I bumped into John who was hiding from me. Miss Smythe, it appeared, used the gents all the time. She went charging into my father’s office wringing wet and complaining.” When she had departed in her little car, John and Billy were summoned to the office of Matt the Station Master who had guessed the identity of the culprits. “Thankfully he was finding it hard to keep from smiling as we explained, and we got off with a warning!.” While Miss Smythe’s tweed suit got off with a drenching.

life-long Republican who hoped one day to see a United Ireland but had absolutely no problem with Mr. Rohan flying whatever flag he chooses. “He should be free to fly the flag,” he insisted. It was a few words into the interview when I realised that the speaker was Letterkenny solicitor, Cathal Quinn who was countering all the negative comments with, as I say, the voice of reason. Good on you, Cathal.

spondent referred to a letter from a Dr. Oisin Hannigan Watts asking that the ‘Times’ refrain from publishing quotes from T.D. Danny Healy-Rae. Wrote our Kevin: “Is Dr Hannigan Watts unaware that both Mr Healy-Rae’s late father and his brother have always managed to produce outlandish quotes, despite having a cap on them.” One of those lines you wish you’d thought of yourself.

BARRY GOES DUTCH!

It’s the night of the Europa League Final and Durkan’s bar in Ramelton is packed with Manchester United followers and one notable Ajax fan. Yes, donned in the club shirt, this supporter arrived in to lend his all-out backing to the Dutch side. Fair play to him, you’d be apt to suggest, particularly if you belong to the A.B.U. hordes out there. But the Ajax backer was, John Diver tells me, actually a Liverpool fan, Barry Carr from Fanad, who motored in to join the party! Probably just wanted to see what lifting a trophy looks like.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN?

The reason Packie Bonner had been invited on to the Ray D’Arcy show, mentioned elsewhere in the column, was to talk about his involvement in the bladder cancer awareness campaign, ‘Don’t Ignore the Red’, which is being run in conjunction with the Marie Keating Foundation. As he pointed out, Donegal is one of the four or ﬁve high risk counties in terms of the disease. “To see the high rates of bladder cancer in my own county was a big shock to me,” he admitted. Blood in the urine, he advises, should be checked out with your doctor immediately. Fitting that his advice came in the days leading up to the Donegal Relay for Life event which attracted huge crowds to the LYIT campus and has helped generate funding for cancer research and other services within the county.

A couple of years ago, I happened to be standing outside the Mount Errigal Hotel as the senior players from St. Eunan’s G.A.A. club were exiting the premises to board the bus for a key ﬁxture at MacCumhaill Park. And what struck me was the number of players who emerged with head phones and ear plugs tuned into whatever the music of choice happened to be. Something that’s a familiar sight at most stadiums these days – players arriving complete with technological aids. It’s probably one way of drumming out all distractions but , according to former Celtic and Republic goalkeeper, Packie Bonner, it results in a lack of communication among the players. I heard the Keadue man highlighting the issue on the Ray D’Arcy radio show on R.T.E. a week or so ago and I have to say, I fully agree with him. I know it probably does help calm the nerves but surely it also blocks out the banter and even some potential tactical exchanges between the players. And is there not an argument that they’re cutting off all contact with the fans who follow and support them?

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the Leader || 31 May 2017

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Page 6 the Leader || April 2017

Page 3 the Leader || 31 May 2017

- MEET A TOWNIE -

CHARLIE TAKES A RUN HOME

ondon’s calling. Or at any rate a small part of that great metropolis is calling. A part of Letterkenny that lives in Hackney and comes home every so often to visit family, friends and the town he was born in – “on Boxing Day in 1952” – and reared in. By Paddy Walsh

London’s calling and the clash of the old and the new – his birthplace and those early years and the current ultra-modern city he resides in, provides Charlie Fox with plenty of talking points and reflections on life then and now. His early schooling brought him initially to Scoil Mhuire gan Smal at Sentry Hill at the age of four - “I remember Miss Gallagher who taught there.” There followed a period at the Presentation Brothers school nearby where he recalls teachers such as Brother Mel, Brother Basil (“he was big into the hurling”), and Brother Columba. From national school, it was but a short skip and jump to St. Eunan’s College and memories surface of some of those he shared his secondary education with including Gerry McGeehan, Sean McFadden, Francis Harvey, the McArt brothers, Hughie and Pat, and the late Barry Lynch. At the top end of the classroom, the likes of Fr. Peter McMahon, College President, and Fr Dinny McGettigan, Dean at the time. His prowess as an athlete of some note was acknowledged when he captained the school’s cross-country team that claimed the county championship in 1971. Exiting through the school gates for the last time as a student didn’t bring his distance running career to an end. A few lines, penned by John B.

his livestock. “I met him in Milford and he told me: ‘I remember your grandfather coming to Letterkenny.” Bridie Breslin’s career, meanwhile, had taken her in a different direction. She qualified as a nurse and was a member of the nursing corps with the British Army, based in India for a period. “She was in a place called Savgor” – a city in the state of Madyya Pradesh – “and our house in Beechwood was called after it,” Charlie relates. It was in India that Bridie, he reveals, once shook the hand of Mahatma Gandhi, the leader for the movement of independence against British rule. Charlie’s parents met, he says, at a dance in the former Literary Institute and went on to have four offspring that also included Rosemary, Siobhan and Seamus. For Charlie, there was a time of forward and reversal – flitting between here and there (at one stage he returned to help his mother run the family business). But the brighter lights of the English capital continued to attract and it was there in and around 1990 that a friend, Joe Clarke from Letterkenny, contacted him to inform him that a position was open with the Royal Mail. After completing a six months training course, he worked in the sorting office in Whitechapel for twenty years. “I was an expert sorter.” He bought a flat in the Borough of Hackney and there he remains – Charlie Fox outside where the Fox’s family pub used to be. except on those occasions he returns to native soil. “I love it in London but had originated when Charlie’s father, working in the premises as a “bottle I also love coming home.” James (Jim) took over Peadar and pots man” – a famous portrait His latest venture back to the town McGeehin’s pub on Lower Main of the latter sketched by local artist, of his birth coincided with the Mini Street where Fox’s Bar attracted a Dolores Dunleavy, hanging in McGin- Heritage Weekend where he enjoying loyal clientele. ley’s bar for many years. not just the stories but the meeting up “We had a black and white T.V. in Eventually, the pub relocated to the with old friends and acquaintances. the corner of the small lounge and site previously occupied by McCay’s And a sizeable portion of banter and people would come in to watch on Upper Main Street. counter jibing laced with that broad the football results and the ‘Lone But death was to claim Jim Fox at beam of a smile of his. Pub Trade the comparatively young age of 59 In London, his interests vary. He The family’s connections with the Ranger.’”. Charlie recalls Billy McCollum years and Charlie’s mother, Bridie has undertaken a couple of hortipub trade in Letterkenny, meanwhile, Josephine Breslin, whose family cultural courses, is a member of the roots are traced to the vicinity of Quiz League of London (and many Ardara, took over the running of the another quiz addict outfoxed in the popular pub. process), and follows Leyton Orient Charlie’s grandfather, Johnny Denis, F.C. for his troubles - obviously many had been involved in the sheep seeing as the O’s were relegated trade. “He drove the livestock from from the Football League in the Ardara to Larne like John Wayne season just ended! with five or six other me. It was the But pretty soon, London’s calling only way to do it to get the sheep to again for this affable son of LetterManchester.” kenny and while it’s debatable – and Some fifteen years ago, Charlie met he does enjoy a good debate – that the late Raphoe born entrepreneur his beloved Orient will be back Hugh Green, a man who also knew anytime soon, he definitely will. Doherty, as part of an article in the Letterkenny Athletic Club’s 25th anniversary booklet, confirmed Charlie’s progress as a runner of distinction: “Undoubtedly, Charlie Fox raised some eyebrows with his fine 2.47 in the National Marathon but he proved it was no fluke by following with 2.51 in the Dublin City Marathon a few months later.” And not the only athletic talent in the family. “My brother, Seamus, was as good as anyone in Ulster at the time.” During his time in Dublin, Charlie ran with another Letterkenny native and athletic standard bearer, Noel McCarron as respective members of Liffey Valley A.C. And it was, perhaps, appropriate that Letterkenny Athletic Club was set up following an “exploratory meeting” in Fox’s Bar at Upper Main Street – which would, in later years, become McClafferty’s Bar. Meanwhile on the educational front, Charlie repeated his Leaving Certificate and a third level stint arrived on his portfolio when he started a law degree at U.C.D. He also undertook an apprenticeship with Manus Regan, solicitor, in his home town. He recalls attending the then Regional College in Letterkenny. “I got a job in Tom Furlong’s office as a trainee law clerk. “He also secured a position with the then partnership of O’Gorman Cunningham, solicitors. “But it was obvious I was not going to be a lawyer,” he laughs. The potential career avenue took him to Dublin where he worked with Jim and Neil McGettigan and to London where he was employed by Barclay’s Bank in the early to mid seventies. “I remember coming home for Christmas for my 21st birthday.” London was to subsequently play a more permanent role in his future directions.

Undoubtedly, Charlie Fox raised some eyebrows with his fine 2.47 in the National Marathon but he proved it was no fluke by following with 2.51 in the Dublin City Marathon a few months later Jim and Bridie Fox with their four children, from left, Siobhan, Charlie, Rosemary and Seamus.

John B. Doherty, Letterkenny Athletic Club’s 25th Anniversary Booklet

Page 4 the Leader || 31 May 2017

the Leader || 31 MayPage 20177

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We are getting behind them….. Are you? Vote Now at www.rsvpmagaTeam Leader, Elaine McKean said zine.ie/poll-best-hair-2017-voted“It would mean the world to all of readers. us to win this award for the third time. The great thing is voting has changed this year as RSVP allows For more information on Patrick you to vote once per day. Please get Gildea Hairdressing see www.patbehind our team and vote we really rickgildea.ie or www.facebook.com/ appreciate all your help. Thank you” patrickgildeahairdressing

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Page 8

the Leader || 31 May 2017

Declan Irwin from Irwin Expert Donegal Food Bank Fund Raising Dance & Auction Electrical is appointed to the Board of Directors for Expert Group Ireland Managing Director of Irwin Expert Electrical, Letterkenny & Buncrana has been appointed as a director to the board of the Expert Group in Ireland.

Declan Irwin was elected recently at the AGM in Portlaoise to the Expert Group. They have 64 Expert Electrical stores throughout Ireland making them Irelands largest electrical retailer. He is the first Donegal person to be elected to the board and is the youngest of a board of 6 directors. Declan was appointed to the Marketing Team of the Expert Group 8 years ago and will remain on that post also. Irwin Expert Electrical was set up 1973 by brothers Liam & Dessie Irwin, they moved into retail & opened their first retail store 1998 in Buncrana. They are continually expanding their product offerings in their Letterkenny & Buncrana stores. They can boast that they have the most experienced staff in the industry in County Donegal with experts in TV, Household appliances, IT, Computers, WIFI & in all departments. Declan started working in the Buncrana store

during school holidays from a young age. John Gill, manager in the Buncrana store took him under his wings & taught him everything he knows about running successful retail stores in the North West. The Global Expert Group are one of the worlds largest electrical retail alliance’s and are now operating in over 23 countries with 7,700 stores worldwide. The group will celebrate their 50th year next year & have already huge plans in place to celebrate with their customers. Irwin Expert Electrical joined this global group in 2008. The network of 66 stores nationwide are independent retailers who through the Expert group are able to combine purchases, marketing, and general market information. Their goal is to deal with market leading brands and offer their customers the best value for money available. The Irish operation can avail of the best pricing from the best brands and suppliers, which they continually pass on to their valued customers. This appointment for Declan Irwin is a huge welcome to Donegal and Irwin Expert Electrical Stores, based in Letterkenny & Buncrana.

Pictured are members of the Donegal Food Bank prior to their recent fund-raising dance and auction where the two jerseys, donated by Shane Duffy and Seamus Coleman were auctioned. The tops were modelled by brother and sister, Joshua and Sophia.

Next Edition of theLeader will be in the shops on

Wednesday 14th June Call 074 91 25760 | info@theleader.ie Declan Irwin who has been appointed as a director to the board of the Expert Group in Ireland.

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Page 4 the Leader || 31 May 2017

CHURCH LANE delighted to add the story of Winifred Crumlish (nee Graham) to the history of Church Lane.

The Little Girl on the Lane One aspect of our project is that we try and identify the people who lived on the Church Lane down through the ages. Recently, we have been busy with other developments that research has taken a back seat. But a conservation between Philip Mackey Artist and myself has uncovered a lot of new information. Phillip stated that his wife Marette Mackey (nee Crumlish) granny was the little girl in the famous photo of Church Lane from the Lawerence collection. This information allowed the secretary to ﬁnd who this little girl was. The little girl was Winifred Graham. She was born in 1893 in Letterkenny and on the 1901 census, she was boarding with the Doherty family at Cottage No. 19 Church Lane. On the census, her name is spelt Winafred and she lodged with Isabella Doherty and her sister Mary. Winifred aged 8 was a scholar and was Roman Catholic. Also in the cottage was Margaret McDaid, a nurse who was visiting on the day of the Census. John Connor, a labourer from Derry also lodged in the house. Ten years later, Winifred had moved into Derry City. She is recorded in the 1911 census and is living in House No. 1 Clooney on the Waterside of the city. She is a housemaid to the Babington family. The

The famous photo of Church Lane from the Lawerence Collection.

Rich History of Conwal Parish Church

John Nee from the Cathedral Group along with Canon Stewart Wright recently from Conwal Parish Church

head of the Babington family was Mary Elizabeth Charlotte who was born in 1858 in China. Susan Quinn from Cookstown was also a servant to the family. We also found out from Marette Mackey that her granny worked as housemaid in both Moville and Coleraine but was unaware she worked on the Clooney Road. Winifred moved back to Letterkenny Town and she married John Crumlish in June 1927. The couple had seven children with the ﬁrst of these being born was Mary J born in 1928. Next was Ellen A in 1930 better known as Nellie and is still living today. John C was born a year later followed by Winifred B in 1932. Marette’s father James C was born in 1934, he was also known as Andrew or Andy. Marette’s son is also called Andrew James, named as Marette and Phillip’s fathers. Thomas P was born in 1935 and the last child to be born was Seamus who is still alive today. I would like to thank Phillip Mackey for the information about Winifred and to Colm Murray from the The Heritage Council for help with the Lawerence collection. We purchased the image from the National Library of Ireland and received permission to use the image. It is not often that the identities of people in the famous Lawerence collection are known. We are

As many people know, the Church Lane is named so, because of the building of Conwal Parish Church located at the top right hand side. The keep of the Church was built is in 1636 and is the oldest building in Letterkenny Town. As part of our participation in the Improve Project with Donegal County Council, we are collecting peoples’ memories of the area. We decided to interview Canon Stewart Wright who recently retired from Conwal Parish Church. Canon Wright very kindly showed John Nee and myself the keep and the spire of the Church including a bell made by Ears of London in 1830. He also showed us an original map of the graveyard which shows those who are buried in the different plots. In the interview, Canon Wright recalls his own personal journey to Letterkenny and his ﬁrst week here in Letterkenny. He also remembers the many great characters who have since passed on who helped in the running of the Church. As the Church is nearly 400 hundred years old, there is so much history associated with the place. Stewart gave a very interesting account of those buried in the graveyard,

which included the landowning families of the area – the Boyds of Ballymacool, the Groves of Castlegroves and the Stewarts of Rockhill. Conwal Graveyard is also the ﬁnal resting place of Cassandra Knight, niece of the famous English novelist Jane Austen, buried alongside her husband, Lord George Hill. Within the Church, there is history at every turn and Canon Wright showed us a gold plaque of those fought in World War One. Unusual for the time, the names on the plaque are of those who survived from the horrors of the battleﬁelds and speaks a strong message of hope. Stewart is a really lovely man and Letterkenny is really much a better place for his time that we has spent with us.

Government Help Our group recently met with Minister Joe McHugh TD to discuss ongoing developments in the Cathedral Quarter. He promised that he would help us when and where we can. Our participation in the EU Improve project along with Donegal County Council will deﬁnitely assist us in our long term goals and open up avenues of funding. Even at this stage we need a full time administrator. If this happen, then the development of the international brand the Cathedral Quarter will become a reality a lot more quickly.

Minister Joe McHugh TD and the Cathedral Quarter committee.

For All your BBQ Needs!

Page 8 10

the the Leader Leader||||10 31 May 2017

The power of positive thinking and mindfulness

Actually, I can!

By Leslie Magee

‘’Be yourself, no one can say you are doing it wrong’’. If you would have told me two years ago that I would feel good in my own skin, not have a break down when I looked into the mirror and actually feel happy in myself I would have called you out for being a real life Pinocchio. Most importantly I now live my life on my terms, trying new things, meeting new people and greeting each day with a smile. Undoubtedly all of this happened in my life because I improved my relationship with me, myself and I. The reason I am sharing this with you is because I believe we can all develop self-confidence and live life how we want to. Do you constantly doubt your ability to succeed? Fear that you’re not enough? Or believe that you’re not worthy of happiness? We all have self-confidence buried inside us, waiting to be discovered. We all trip and fall, we’ll make blunders but we always survive (I can promise you that). Certain people think that self-esteem is linked to how popular you are, what you have achieved or having a great physical appearance. Self-esteem is actually very basic, it is accepting yourself for you - faults, flaws and failures included.

I spent years entrenched in a rut of negativity so I know what it’s like to feel that you’re just surviving instead of living. This negative mindset transformed into traumatic thoughts that I battled with everyday. All of this happened because I lacked self-acceptance. Discovering how my negative thoughts were obstructing me from living my life - I knew I had to make a change. Certainly it would have been more comfortable to repeat the same destructive thought patterns and keep insecurity as my best friend but I wanted out of this vortex of self-hatred and anxiety. How did I change? I hit rock bottom, I actually hit rock bottom so hard that I must have knocked some sense into myself! I wanted to grab the reins of life and actually feel good about myself. So I began making changes - thrilling, fearless changes. The first thing I did was leave everything behind that made me feel bad about myself. Friends, relationships, clothes, job, hobbies - EVERYTHING. The changes that occurred after I made this decision was unbelievable. Why? Because I didn’t think I had the confidence to actually grasp life. You’re probably all wondering how the hell can people change and become a completely different person? It’s not possible! But in fact it is. The only person who knows yourself better than anyone else, is YOU. It is the best relationship you will ever have and nothing is more important than how you perceive yourself. Sadly, sometimes we neglect this relationship with ourselves because we feel inadequate. Embrace your flaws because believe it or not no one is perfect (no matter how intriguing their life on Instagram appears to be). You can do anything that you set your mind to, no matter what it is.

These little habits have helped me to improve my conﬁdence. I still rely on these tips to maintain and grow my self-esteem everyday.

This is your life.

This is something you all know but probably don’t pursue : live life on your terms. Not how society thinks you should, not how your parents think you should, not how your friends think you should. So what if you’re approaching 30 and still live with a roommate? Is it anyone’s business if you want to kiss goodbye to your job and travel the world? Does it matter that you’re not living like a social butterﬂy every weekend? Don’t shadow what other people do to be happy. You are valued only as much as you value yourself. Pressure from social media, television, magazines, advertisements and even from our peers are telling us how to act, eat, live, look. Unsurprisingly we are lacking in self-conﬁdence and living in comparison. By putting pressure on ourselves, we torment ourselves into thinking that we should be doing more. If you discovered today that your life would end tomorrow, what would you do? You would gain a sense of clarity that you never had before.

Be honest with yourself. Are you living a life fulﬁlling other peoples goals and dreams or your own?

Compare you to YOU.

I made a conscious effort to stop comparing myself to those around me. I was in this rut of comparing every little aspect of my life which left me feeling insigniﬁcant. When I ﬁnally came to my senses, I started to compare myself to me! Instead of looking where other people were in their life, I looked how far I have came on my own journey. All my achievements, all my failures and all the bits in between. When you look back to the person you used to be, you realize all the progress steps you have made.

When you trip, help yourself up.

Occasionally, we all make mistakes. Beating yourself up about it will send you into a whirlwind of negativity and knock your conﬁdence. Instead, ask yourself how a loved one or a friend would treat you in this situation? This is an extremely simple change but it can have a positive

impact on how you feel about yourself.

There’s no room for Mr/Miss Perfect

One of the main reasons that I struggled with self-esteem was because I wanted everything to be perfect. I held myself against this ruthless standard in every aspect of my life. A major problem I encountered, was that I stopped doing certain things due to the fear that I wouldn’t do them perfectly. Once I realized how this mindset was holding me back and the detrimental effect it was having on my self-esteem it was easy to change. Nothing in life is perfect! Being the person I am today doesn’t mean I never get bad days , bumps in the road or times when I feel vulnerable. It’s never easy to set yourself out on a new path but building self-conﬁdence is something anyone can do. Take any failure that comes your way as an opportunity to learn. Once you develop a sense of conﬁdence, you will never look back. My mum once told me that everything I wanted in life would not be served on a silver platter, that I actually had to go out and get it for myself. As per usual, mum was always right.

These little habits have helped me to improve my conﬁdence. I still rely on these tips to maintain and grow my self-esteem everyday.

Page 8 the Leader || 31 May 2017

the Leader || March 2017 Page 11

Summertime & the Slimming is easy…

Top Tips from Motivation Weight Management to help you manage your slimming goals this summer

opefully over the next week or two we will get some of the Summer weather we are expecting.

8. Plan Ahead

No matter what the occasion or gathering, there is usually a lot of food and a lot of temptation being served up. The key to managing it is to plan ahead. Decide what you are going to do before you get there. Motivation Weight Management is best known for its outstanding success in helping thousands of Irish people to reach and maintain their ideal weight long-term. Clinical studies show that the motivation programme has an 82% success rate and the company prides itself in having over 100,000 success stories.

Whether this is wishful thinking or not, the fact remains that we turn the summer in to one long happy hour, where food and drink play host to most events and it’s easy to lose track of what we consume. Then when the temperatures along with hemlines and shirt sleeves rise, there’s no place for wobbly bits to hide. According to Motivation Weight Management a positive mental attitude and a smart approach can also play a key role when trying to lose and manage weight. Here Motivation offer some practical tips to stay on track while enjoying all the parties and gatherings any summer scorcher holds!

1. Don’t stand so close:

When you stand beside bowls of snacks and treats, you don’t feel yourself dipping in and you lose track of how much you eat. Make a conscious effort to mingle with the people furthest from the buffet table.

2. Two’s company:

Never pile your plate high with food as you are likely to eat it all whether you’re hungry or not. If you put only two items on your plate during any given trip to the table, you not only give yourself time to decide if you are still hungry but you are less likely to want to keep walking up and down to the table.

Fill up on the healthy stuff like broccoli and celery and then see if you have room for the rest.

5. Find a distraction:

When you think you’ll be distracted by an important or fun conversation, set the food down and give the conversation your full attention. Remember, the 3. Steady as you go: more you focus on people and other distractions eg. Eat slowly. Not only will this help with digestion and playing games with children or watching a sporting taste, it will also lessen the speed at which someone event on TV, the less you’ll tend to eat. will offer you more food.

6. What’s on your agenda

4. Free Fuel:

As you enter the room, tell yourself you’re there ﬁrst Use the volume approach to make yourself feel full. to either to socialise with people or conduct business

For weight loss that stays lost, you need motivation.

Programmes are specially designed for men, women and adolescents with any amount of weight to lose with private one-to-one consultations with experienced advisers and doctors. Motivation’s success is founded on the company’s unique approach to weight management, which focuses not just on what people eat, but why. This ground-breaking concept was pioneered by world-renowned French-Canadian bariatrician Dr. Maurice Larocque, who developed the revolutionary “Mental Weight” concept, to help people achieve and maintain their ideal weight by and secondly to eat. In these situations, there is identifying and tackling the root cause of their eating always too much food. We are not there to load up habits and behaviours. and over indulge. It is important to realise that the According to Motivation Weight Management, food is just there to enhance the event, which is to 70% of eating is for emotional reasons. An individsocialise. Strengthen your resolve to eat less or to eat ual person’s habits, motivation, stress symptoms, lighter food. emotions and mental self-image all make up their ‘Mental Weight’. Motivation Weight Management 7. Time it: has clinics nationwide and is an Irish company now Don’t be afraid to arrive a little late or leave a little 21 years in operation. If you would like to ﬁnd out early. If you arrive late, the really tempting food may more about our programmes in our clinics in Letterbe gone already. If you leave early, you make it easier kenny call 0749113006 or see www.motivation.ie to avoid a second helping of desert or picking at a for more information or to arrange a no obligation assessment. cheese board late into the night.

• 82% of the weight loss stays lost. • We focus on why you eat, not just what you eat. • One-to-one consultations. • Personalised healthy eating plans.

Call 074 9113006 Call 1850 30 6000 or visit motivation.ie

Suite 7, The Port Port Rd Letterkenny. Local address one,House, Town Name, County Name Local address one, Town Name, County Name

After Before

Aimee has maintained her 2 stone 8lbs weight loss for

6 years

For weight loss that stays lost

Page 12 Page 2

the Leader || 31 May 2017 the Leader || April 2017

This month’s 4 unanswered questions.

enough. I was going to go for a meal with my wife tonight but I have to drive to Dublin in the morning. So, taking TD Danny Healy Rae’s advice in hand I decided not to go for the meal because I don’t want to be unfit to drive in the morning. I got the wife a fridge for her birthday. I know that it’s not a traditional present but you should see her wee face light up every time she opens the door.

To lighten the load with a joke or two . .

Fair play to Diane Abbot MP working hard for her constituents...27 hours a day 9 days a week.

1. If an anarchist group seize power in a country do they by their own principle then have to overthrow their own administration? 2. If its zero degrees outside today and the forecast is that it will be twice as cold tomorrow what temperature will it be? 3. How fast do hotcakes sell? 4. What do people in China call their best cups and saucers?

Thoughts for the day....

Diane Abbot MP

My missus ran off with our coal man during the week. I owe him 85 euro so I’m happy

3000 people refused an offer of social housing in Ireland in the last 2 years. 615 in Dublin and 247 in Donegal. Considering the housing crisis that exists in the country is this figure excessive.? Should people even be able to choose? On a further note would it be an idea that next Winter churches of all denominations should be open at night as a place of warmth and shelter. Isn’t that what Christianity is about? So, Leo Varadkar wants to restrict the right to strike by making Labour Court recommendations binding between employers and unions. Is the right to protest by the withdrawal of labour not fundamental in any democracy? The country supplies drug addicts’ methadone free of charge. But we charge some patients for chemotherapy? Just a thought.

On your bike Leo!

Top hair stylist to provide new monthly column to the Leader!

THE FOOD HALL

First and foremost, I would like to introduce myself to the readers of this great local paper. My name is Terance Boyle and I am the owner of Atomic Hair Design at the Silver Tassie Hotel and the newly opened Atomic Hair Design at the Courtyard shopping centre in Letterkenny.

AT THE

MARKET HOUSE

NOW OPEN By Day

Healthy Salads, Daily Specials, Artisan Breads, Homemade Soups & Bakes

By Night

Terance Boyle owner of Atomic Hair Design, (right) who will be providing a new column for the Leader from next edition.

I have nearly 20 years’ experience in the hairdressing industry and I strive to provide the highest standard of hairdressing experience coupled with a convenient service to clients that have used the salon down through the years. Our salon at The Silver Tassie Hotel and Spa has been opened for the past seven years. Both salons operate on a 7 day a week opening enabling even the busiest of people the time to come and have their hair done!

Steak and Seafood Restaurant

Award Winning Stylists Abbey

Hotel

The Diamond Donegal Town

Tel: 074 97 21014 - info@abbeyhoteldonegal.com

www.abbeyhoteldonegal.com

Abbey

Hotel

The Diamond Donegal Town

The salon is comprised of award winning stylists with vast experience in all areas in the hairdressing trade. We pride ourselves on our professional,

friendly and approachable team members who make up the Atomic brand. I am delighted to bring a monthly column to the readers of The Leader newspaper! Throughout each edition we will be using this column as a direct link between our top stylists and you the reader to answer any hair questions or queries, styling tips, hair care tips and anything and everything hair related! In the next edition of The Leader we will be discussing summer hair trends for 2017 as well Bridal Hair for the year ahead. In the meantime, all other hair related questions can be sent via email to us at atomcihairdesign@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Atomic Hair Design or we can be reached on t: 0749126628 or 0749127844.

Page 4 the Leader || 31 May 2017

Page 13 the Leader || 31 May 2017

Voices of Letterkenny

Local Opinion Matters

Finally the June Bank Holiday is here! With the sunny weather and the great holiday atmosphere around Letterkenny these days our thoughts have turned to our Summer holidays! We asked the people of Letterkenny if they have any plans to go away this Summer or holiday at home? Where do they recommend for a great break away? Others said... “ I am just looking forward to putting my feet up, taking a week off work and enjoying the beautiful sights of my own county Donegal “ Diarmuid Gallagher, Convoy

“I’m heading to Spain for a week this Summer. I’m looking forward to getting some sun and a good lads holiday! “

ia Jason Flynn, Music

“I’m going to Italy for one week. I have been there before. I highly recommend everything about it! I’m going to Rome, San Giovanni and Assisi” Hilda “I’m staying in Ireland as I have recently had a baby!. I will maybe go to Sligo or Dublin. I’m doing a ‘Staycation’ this year! “Kerry

ain St. Hilda and Kerry, M

“I am going to Lanzarote. I go to the same resort every year with my family . I am going for three weeks in July. I cannot wait! “ Brigid O’Donnell

“I’m going to Iceland for four days. It is ridiculously expensive. It is my ﬁrst time and I am dying to go! I am going to see the Northern Lights and the blue lagoon. The blue lagoon is a geothermal spa, like a lava spa! It looks gorgeous. “

Odhran Tracey

“I’m going to New York for five days. It’s my first time and I definitely would recommend it, it’s New York! Everyone has to go there at least once in their life!”

ent Ben Sweeney, Stud

“I am going back to Spain, where I am from . It will be good to catch up with family and friends and see the sun again! “ Carmela Lopez, Ballybofey

14 Page 4

the May 2017 theLeader Leader|| 31 || April

The Battle Of Farsetmore - 450th Anniversary their united shouting, when rushing together, was sufﬁcient to strike with dismay and turn to ﬂight the feeble and the unwarlike. They proceeded and continued to strike, mangle, slaughter, and cut down one another for a long time, so that men were soon laid low, heroes wounded, youths slain, and robust heroes mangled in the slaughter.”

Today, people entering the town of Letterkenny from the east or south do so by crossing over the River Swilly at either the Port or Oldtown bridges.

However, these crossings only emerged in the seventeenth century with the construction of the new market town. Prior to this, the principal crossing points of the river were located at Aththairsí and Scairbh Sholais (Scarrifhollis) to the west and Fearsad Suilighe Mór (Farsetmore) to the east. These entrances into the O’Donnell territory known as Tír Luighdheach (where Letterkenny is today) required the building of fortiﬁed castles at each crossing. Calvagh O’Donnell built a small castle in the 1560s at the western crossing of Scairbh Sholais while another fort was located on a height overlooking the eastern crossing known as Ard na gCorr Fhiadh (Height on the Pointed Slope of the Deer), today anglicized as Ardingary. Remains of this fort are evident on the 1836 Ordnance Survey map, located close to the Lisnenan Heights estate in the town today and known as Castlebane (from Caisléan Bán, the White Fort). All of these crossings into Tír Luighdheach were the scenes of ferocious battles over the centuries. Godfrey O’Donnell famously met his death at the crossing of Ath-thairsí in 1258 while Scarrifhollis was the location of a decisive battle in 1650 between the Royalist army of Heber MacMahon and the Parliamentary forces of Sir Charles Coote. The crossing at Fearsad Suilighe Mór also witnessed several battles between the O’Donnell and O’Neill clans for centuries prior to its most famous battle in 1567 - in 1098 and 1392 for example. However, the most famous battle that took place here occurred 450 years ago this year,

An artist’s impression of how the Battle of Farsetmore would have raged 450 years ago. Image courtesy of John D Ruddy.

the 8th May 1567, between the forces of Hugh O’Donnell of Tír Chonaill (father of Red Hugh O’Donnell) and Shane O’Neill of Tír Eoghain. With his repeated invasions into his neighbouring territories, Shane “The Proud” O’Neill made no secret of his wish to control all of Ulster himself, and was a constant thorn to Queen Elizabeth I. This ambitious and almost Napoleonesque ﬁgure would meet his ‘Waterloo’ on the banks of the Swilly River on 8th May 1567. From the panoramic view of his fort at Ard na gCorr Fhiadh, Hugh O’Donnell observed the approach of Shane O’Neill as he made his invasion into his territory and could determine where he was going to cross. Unsure of the exact

number of his opposition, O’Donnell decided to wait for the approach of O’Neill and plan a surprise attack. Assistance arrived in the form of the McSweenys, loyal septs to the O’Donnells. Now greatly strengthened by his allies’ arrival, O’Donnell prepared to attack the camp of O’Neill, who had already crossed the river and were now located in a place called Cluain Áire (The Meadow of Safety) – not far from the location of the Rugby Club today. With this surprise attack by O’Donnell the Battle of Fearsad Mór began. The Annals of the Four Masters tells us: “Fierce and desperate were the grim and terrible looks that each cast at the other from their starlike eyes; they raised the battle cry aloud, and

The sheer force and aggression of this attack by O’Donnell, lasting approximately six hours, caused Shane’s troops to pull back and retreat over the crossing of the Swilly. However, by now, the water had risen and concealed the sand banks over which they had so easily crossed only hours previously. In the panic of the retreat, a vast number of O’Neill’s horses and men drowned in the river, with a sandbank there still holding the name Fearsad Eachmharcach or the “Horseman’s bank” in memory of this. In all, O’Neill is said to have lost approximately 1300 men while O’Donnell’s losses were said to be much fewer. Knowing of the other crossing over the river at Ath-thairsi, Shane made an ignominious escape travelling westwards along the banks, accompanied by the former allies of O’Donnell, the O’Gallaghers. From here he managed to cross the river and make his escape back to his own territory of Tír Eoghain. Bereft of troops and support, Shane approached his one-time enemies, the Antrim Scots, for assistance. The McDonnells of the Glens initially welcomed him but “after extraordi-

By Kieran Kelly Letterkenny Historical Society nary drinking, and over-liberall carouses… Shane was set upon, overmastered, and with many wounds slain” as the McDonnells decided to “mangle him nimbly, and put him unsparingly to the sword, and bereave him of life.” Thus was how one of the greatest leaders of the Tyrone dynasty of the O’Neills met his match in the guise of Hugh O’Donnell on the banks of the River Swilly. Crucially, this was to be the last major battle between the centuries old competing factions of the O’Neills and O’Donnells prior to their uniﬁcation in the Nine Years’ War (1594-1603) which would set in motion a chain of events that ultimately led to the Plantation of Ulster, and with it, the creation of the market town of Letterkenny.

Pink Garlic Indian Restaurant celebrates 1st birthday with fabulous ‘Bollywood’ dance & street food night! Local Award winning Indian Restaurant Pink Garlic recently hosted a ‘Bollywood’ night with street food and dancers in traditional Indian dress to celebrate the success and first birthday of the popular restaurant since it opened a year ago. A large crowd enjoyed the stunning food and entertainment on offer in what was a very enjoyable setting. Not only did the lucky guests enjoy the usual amazing food on offer they were also treated to ‘Bollywood’ style dancers which created a wonderful atmosphere. There are sure to be enquiries as to when the next one will take place. Proprietor and owner Obaydur Ruhel (Ray) thanked everyone who turned up, and also thanked all their customers for their continued support with a generous €1000 in tips offered on the night!.

Wednesday Offer Pink Garlic are running an amazing Wednesday Meal Offer at the moment A 4 course meal for only €14 per person from 5-11pm on Wednesday nights. Pink Garlic Contemporary Indian Restaurant, Gleneany House, Pearse Road, Letterkenny. Tel: 074 91 20909.

Photos courtesy of Logopix

Page 15

the Leader || 31 May 2017

AWARD WINNING DINERS Newtowncunningham Tel: 074 91 56110 Drumken Tel 074 91 9134803

16 Page 6

the Leader || 31 May 2017

Donegal International Rally Car Push

Local Events with

theLeader

Donaghey’s take the Cup! The first ever ’Donegal International Car Push’ took place last Thursday night from Diver’s Hyundai Garage in Letterkenny. Donaghey Van Centre finished as the champions and were presented with the trophy by Mayor James Pat McDaid. Eleven main car dealerships came together to represent the Donegal Motor Trade and all for a great cause, Relay for Life. Each team pushed a car around a gruelling 3k loop to raise funds and the weather was fantastic but the competition was fierce but great fun for all involved. Local dealerships who took part: Divers Hyundai: DMG Motors: Donaghey Fiat: Hegartys Ford: Highland Motors: Inishowen Kelly’s Toyota make their way round the 3K course for the Donegal International Car Push Motors: JJ Reids Motors: Kellys Toyota: Manor Motors: Mc Ginley Motors: S&R Motors.

Spectators cheering on the teams at the 3K car push

Checking the times for the Donegal International 3K Car Push

Manor Motors set of at the start of the Donegal International 3k Car Push

McGinley motors crossing the finish line in the Donegal International 3K car push. INSET - Team Divers Hyundi set of in the Donegal International 3K Car Push

Mayor James Pat McDaid presents the Donegal International Car Push cup to the winning team Donaghey Motorhome and Van Centre

Inishowen Motors making their way to the finish line of the Donegal International Car Push

Page 17

the Leader || 31 May 2017

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the Leader || 31 MayPage 20173

Sham!'

'News

the Leader || 31st May 2017 Page 18

by Francy Flanigan

Irish Freak Weather Episode Expected The Letterkenny Leader is pleased to report that a strange annual meteorological phenomenon is set to occur again in the coming days.

We are advising that all coming weather forecasts can be roundly dismissed in light of the strange occurrence that is being more commonly referred to as ‘Leaving Cert Weather’. We spoke to a number of scientists working to understand the mystery but none so far have had a reliable explanation. The only common consensus is that there is a direct correlation between the secured boxes of examination papers leaving the ofﬁces of the State Examination Commission in Dublin and all aspects of Irish weather. Last year the process was keenly observed and it was noted that as the papers left the ofﬁces in various vans, the rain stopped almost instantly. Over the following hours the clouds seemed to clear in an outwardly dissipating pattern originating

in Dublin and spreading out towards the coastline. The pattern of cloud dispersion is said to reflect exactly the estimate route times of the delivery of the papers to their destination schools across the country. In the final stages of the ‘freak’ weather event, a state of clear skies lasts for approximately 36 hours until the morning of English Paper One, when nationwide temperatures will dramatically rise. Once these three states of change have occurred the weather should hold its sunny pleasant state until the morning of the final exam when a second unexplained phenomenon occurs. Extremely unusual cloud formations appear over Letterkenny. The Stratus clouds have been observed forming unusual patterns that have also baffled the meteorologists studying them. The patterns pictured here, hold for a short while until making way for several months of rain, wind and fog, or as it’s also commonly known, ‘Irish Summer’.

Letterkenny Town Temporary Name Change

Letterkenny Council Announces Major new New Bike Lane Scheme Atlantic Way’ but on a smaller scale, when I realised that we already have all the routes we need and they’re ready to go... The Sewers! Miles and miles of great biking lanes just not being used.,So it is with a huge sense of pride I’m here to announce the opening of the ‘Wile Septic Way’... I fully expect that cycle tourism in Letterkenny is about to kick up a right stink hahaha! Now obviously no plan is com“I’ve been trying to come up pletely perfect, there’s a few with something similar to the things that users of my genius thinking behind the ‘Wild new system will have to take

Councillor Dermot Mulhern has proudly revealed a new initiative to the Leader which will open up approximately 220km of traffic free cycling routes for bikers in Letterkenny and the surrounding areas.

Termporary name change on the way!

Letterkenny town is to be renamed ‘LetterPenny’ for the coming weeks. The decision was made upon hearing the announcement that Taoiseach Enda Kenny is stepping down from his role as head of Irish government. In a statement to the Leader, Councillor Donal Mulhern explained that we just want to distance ourselves from the association with the name. The temporary replacement ‘Penny’ has been chosen as it is thought to accurately depict the average household’s monthly income since the current Taoiseach took ofﬁce, whilst still keeping the name sounding familiar to residents. Mulhern was adamant that it’s only a preventative measure for a short time. The whole Enda Kenny name...That’s a brush we

don’t want to get tarred with, and there’s rumours that he’s going to be seeking shelter in places he won’t be spotted, so we’re on the lookout for him...We’ll just give it a few weeks and once the whole thing’s blown over, and he’s 100% gone, we’ll get back to business as usual... The replacement is being announced on June 2nd, so say a fortnight after it’ll be grand.’ The temporary change is expected to have little impact on the day to day business within the town but locals are advised that if they see the former Taoiseach loitering about looking for support to adopt the same tactics advised for a wild bear encounter; ﬁrst and foremost stand your ground make yourself appear as large as possible by holding your arms high, shouting and banging pots and pans together. This should scare him off back to Castlebar.

The Wile Septic Way.

into account; tetanus shots, respirator masks, eye protection, carefully cover any open cuts, carry a few raw steaks in case you are getting chased by the cannibal mole-people, you know… nothing that a bit of common sense wouldn’t tell you. The ‘Wile Septic Way’ will be open for use in the coming weeks though having consulted several health and safety professionals, we at the Leader cannot endorse its usage at this time.

the Leader || 31 May 2017

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the Leader || 31 May 2017 search

THE VOICE OF BUSINESS IN DONEGAL

‘letterkennychamber’

Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce, what can it do for you? Since the beginning of the year Letterkenny Chamber has been welcoming new members from a wide range of businesses. A strong membership is the life blood of the Chamber and helps Letterkenny Chamber operate effectively. Letterkenny Chamber works to improve the business environment. It is the only full time Chamber in Donegal and afﬁliated to Chambers Ireland the national business organisation. Why Join: Chamber Membership is open to any business

operating in Donegal or from any geographical area seeking to develop their North West presence. All sectors and sizes of businesses are represented and the Membership also includes indigenous and multinational businesses. The success of members’ businesses and the success of Letterkenny are intertwined and as such Letterkenny Chamber is committed to helping member companies succeed. Being a Chamber member ensures that each individual becomes part of the strong collective voice that represents the Letterkenny and Donegal business community. Beneﬁts of Membership

Reveal the Teen Everyone knows that teenagers like to shop and this year we received a great report that helped us learn more about the shopping habits of Donegal teenagers. Under the guidance of Evelyn McGlynn of EvelynMcMarketing.com two Loreto Convent Transition Year students Joanna McMonagle and Claire McGettigan Shannon Thackrah, a third year Digital Marketing student at IT Sligo carried out research among teens in Donegal looking at teenagers and money, teenagers and social media and teenagers and their recreational time. The results proved inter-

esting to everyone in business and served to help understand the teenage market better. Here’s a snapshot of the results: H 89% of teens save H Teens spend €20 - €40 on beauty products H Teens visit shops more regularly that give student discounts H Teens spend on average €70 -€80 on a pair of shoes H They do buy online but only 36% return items The main lesson in this report for retailers was the need to educate and encourage teens to shop local with student discounts for second level, not just third, and to promote easy returns policies. It was revealed

that only 36% of teenagers return clothes that don’t suit and online returns are seen to be a ‘hassle’. In store teen promotions, blogger events, snap chat interaction all suggestions from the teen voice of Donegal as the way to encourage the teen shopper to stay loyal to the local retail community. Having recognised the value of the teenage market, ShopLK is encouraging all the local retailers to get involved in the ﬁrst ever teen shopping event taking place from 21st to 24th June. Where we hope to attract many more teens to shop in the town centre.

Lobbying and representation at local and national level - ensure that your individual voice is part of the strong collective voice that represents you. Networking opportunities to develop new relationships and make new business contacts. Promoting Your Business to fellow members and the wider community. Knowledge & Signposting - the Chamber has an open door policy to all members. if we don’t know the answer to your business query we’ll try our best to signpost you. Contributing to your community - Play your part in the development of Letterkenny and the North West by supporting the work of the Chamber and

its partners for improvements in infrastructure and increased investment. New Members in 2017 We were delighted to welcome the following business over the last six months: Glenard Plant; AL Architects; Moonshine; Caldwell & Robinson Solicitors; Pearse Road Tyres; Future IT; Greengolf Travel; Tailored Facility Solutions; Sage Restaurant; Errigal Coaching; Franklins; Letterkenny Post; Gibson & Co; Trax Café/ McGettigan’s Bakery; Yes Chef; Harte Insurance; Honeypot Coffee House; LJM Planning and The Leader. If you are in business and want to get involved give Letterkenny Chamber a call.

Letterkenny Busking Competition - calling all musicians On 15th July, Letterkenny Main Street will once again resound with music at every corner with the return on the Letterkenny Busking Festival. For the third year over 25 entertainers will compete for €1000 worth of prize money. If you are in a band, love singing or playing an instrument then Letterkenny is the place to be on 15th July. All are welcome from tin whistle players, to opera singers and everything inbetween. It’s free to enter. To register go to Letterkenny Busking Festival Facebook page.

Like the ShopLK Facebook page for more detailswww. facebook.com/shoplk

Networking Donegal The return of the successful Networking Donegal series takes placed with our next event on 27th June in the Radisson Blu Hotel.

This event brings together people from all the different networks to engage in an efﬁcient, busy and fun networking event. In just 90 minutes each participant gets to pitch their business to another

30 business people. It is a great opportunity to get your brand across to others. Peter Breen from Letterkenny in full voice. Our capacity is 60 people and we are always on the lookout for more people to attend. If you think it would help you get your message across get in touch with us on 074 9124866 or email networkingdonegal@gmail.com For more details go to Networking Donegal on Facebook.

Networking is one of the most successful ways of gaining new business.

Conor McCarthy from Carrigart taking part in the Letterkenny Chamber Shop LK busking Competition in Letterkenny last year.

Anthony Cauldwell, Finn Blache, Ineke Abbas, Donal Kavanagh, Kieran Devlin and Conor Sweeney taking part in the Letterkenny Chamber Shop LK busking Competition in Letterkenny last year.

the Leader || 31 May 2017

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the Leader || April 2017 Page 22

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- Not just a honky Tonk Hero -

Unsung Hero… Martin Orr They say if you want something done, ask a busy man. The leader was lucky to catch up with singer, songwriter, and guitarist Martin Orr after another hectic weekend for the well known Ramelton native.

From soccer presentations, first holy communions to his usual gigs, just a normal schedule for the talented entertainer. Every week he brings his unique style of story telling and natural musical flair to his loyal following, but its for his endless charity work over many years that Martin is The Leaders unsung hero of the month for May. Renowned for his sense of humour, daily jokes appear on his facebook page to his followers delight!!! The irony of a musician and singer being classed as an unsung hero will not be lost on him. Martins love of music goes back to his national school days at Killycreel outside of Ramelton, the local schools would come together to put on shows and the young Orr was always to the fore showcasing his many talents. When Martin was 12 years old his family made the short move to Letterkenny were he continued his education at the local vocational school. He was the eldest of a family of 11 children, unfortunately Martin has lost 3 brothers to tragic circumstances and illness, and last year his beloved mother Phyllis passed away. One of Martins biggest fans is his father John, described by Martin as “a teenage 83 year old”. As a child of the punk rock era, his early musical influences would include household names, such as “The sexpistols”, “Sham 69”, and the legendary “Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy”. Growing up Martin developed a strong interest in learning languages, his first love being Irish as his teachers in

Killycreel would converse daily in our native tongue. This proved useful in later life as his Partner Teresa is a native of Kilcar and their 2 children, Seannagh (21), and Aishling (18), are past and present pupils of Colaiste Ailaigh in Letterkenny. Seannagh is currently studying to become a teacher in Maynooth, while Aisling is preparing for her leaving cert next month. Martin formed his own band called “San Quentin”, as well as writing his own music, he would also do covers of his favourite rock and punk groups. The name he explains was chosen out of irony as he had no love for or interest in country music. I’m sure his legions of fans today will ﬁnd the previous comment very ironic indeed! A fan of DCR, the local radio station of the day, Martin “accidently” heard American country music and found himself to be intrigued. He didn’t have to take the Damascus route to conversion, the much shorter trip to Gary Harvey’s music centre at the square took care of this. Gary armed him with all available copies of American country and the rest as they say is history. Won over by legends such as George Jones, Willie Nelson, and the great Merle Haggard, San Quentin evolved into the still thriving “Honky Tonk Hero’s”. Not a fan of the “manufactured Irish country music scene”, Martin lists Roly Daniels and Ray Lynam as the only names he would actually listen to. Away from music he developed his language skills at LYIT and can now converse freely as Gaelige, in English, French and Spanish. Martin also has a strong sporting interest, with soccer being his favourite. Chelsea, Glasgow Celtic and Finn Harps are his teams, with The Harps getting his ﬁrst preference vote. Martin is currently passing his talents on to a new generation, giving private guitar lessons and also visits schools near and far to introduce the students

to music and song. “I enjoy the interaction and banter with the young people” explains the musician. When time permits Martin can often be found leading the sing songs in the local nursing homes. Along with Tony Cullen and his many other musical friends, Martin has often used his popularity and proﬁle to help raise awareness and more importantly badly needed funds to aid local charities. The Hero’s weekly 6-8pm slot in Voodoo entertainment venue every Sunday has been running now for an impressive 6 years. Rather than getting played out, this session continues to grow, a testament to the wide appeal of good country music, but more so a tribute to a hard working band with amazing special guest appearances, show after show. Martin has to date released 2 singles for charity, one of his old San Quentin tracks “losing all of my passion” and more recently himself and good friend Hugo McLaughlin covered the classic “all gone to pot”. The latter raised well over €10,000 for Pieta House, one of the many charities the musician supports on a regular basis. As mentioned earlier, the Orr family have suffered considerable grief and tragedy and sadly Martin recently lost a good friend to suicide.

Seamy Peoples was a lad known well to both Martin and this writer. He was a very popular young man from a loving family and was also a guitar student of Martins. Through the generosity of many good people, Pieta House has recently opened a branch in Letterkenny. Even in their deepest grief, the family of Seamy and his work colleagues at Penny’s, have done unbelievable work in raising much needed funds for this much needed support service. Seamy’s Mum, Roisin, contacted Martin recently to ask if he could help organise a concert in her sons memory, for July 2nd 2017. The honky Tonk Hero’s are more than happy to help and now what was to be a normal Sunday gig for the band, has now snowballed to the point where a second venue in Voodoo is now required. The generosity of the local community has not gone unnoticed and is very much appreciated by Seamy’s family and friends. To date Martin has received almost €800 in cash donations, and has been overwhelmed by the generosity of local businesses’ with donations of prizes for a rafﬂe during the event. His musician pal’s have been queing up to perform on the night. The 2nd of July is the chosen date, as Seamy would have turned 31 on the 1st. Martin and the Hero’s had played last year at Seamy’s 30th birthday party in the Glencar inn. Martin and the other volunteers we have featured to date in The Leader do not work for personal gain or recognition. However we think it only right to highlight their generosity and strong commitment to the local community. Martin Orr is a man deﬁnitely worth following, be it at a gig for a great nights music and craic, on facebook for the charity updates or the latest football gossip (unbiased of course), or as one man recently said “I’m gonna follow that boy around the town, coz everyone is handing him money”!! As Martin often quips “More Later”….

J E W E L L E R S 20 Main Street, Letterkenny & Letterkenny Shopping Centre,

Tel: 074 91 22120

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the Leader || 31 May 2017

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Page 224 Page 1984 1969 1997 1977 1975 1912 1998 1984 1961 1991 944

31 May 2017 2017 the Leader || March

69 1948 19 2006 1974 1949 42 1982 19 1987 1971 1971 94 1965 19 1969 2000 1998

THE YEAR WAS

...

1989 In The News For 28 miles and 28 years, the Berlin Wall divided East and West. On 10 November 1989, the Wall came down. Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the Internet! Hillsborough Stadium, April 1989; an FA Cup semi-final turns into disaster. The final death toll is 96. After 14 years in prison, the Guildford Four are freed.

1989 the Guilford Four where realised from prision after serving 14 years. Derry City won the League of Ireland and the Gunners came out on top in England with Rangers lifting the Scottish league. Christmas Number 1 Band Aid Do They Know It’s Christmas? Biggest selling song of year Black Box Ride On Time Biggest movie of the year Batman Wimbeldon Men’s Singles Stefan Edberg Wimbeldon Women’s Single Steffi Graf English Premier League Winners Arsenal UEFA Cup Winners Napoli League of Ireland Winners Derry City FAI Cup Winners Liverpool Scottish League Winners Rangers Scottish Cup Winners Celtic Six Nations Winners France Grand National Winner Little Polvier All Ireland Winner Football Cork

Deaths Samuel Beckett Poet Lucille Ball Actress Laurence Olivier Actor

1969 1969 1983 19 62 1967 1956 1949 20 03 1988 19 1987 78 20 1995 07 1967 1999 1916 1971 2002 2005 19 94

Chinese Year of the Snake President of Ireland Patrick Hillery President of USA George H. W. Bush Prime Minister of UK Margaret Thatcher Entertainment News The Nintendo Game Boy made its debut. Madonna had us finding religion with her Like A Prayer album. “The Simpsons” debuted in 1989 when the episode entitled “Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire” hit the air on December 17. IBM releases the original 5150 IBM PC

Steffi Graf.

All Ireland Winner Hurling Tipperary Donegal County Winner Chill Chartha World Series Champions (USA) Oakland Athletics Super Bowl Champions (USA) Cincinnati Bengals Eurovision Irish Entry Kiev Connolly The Real Me Eurovision Winner Anna Oxa & Fausto Leali Avrei Voluto The Guilford Four are released.

Going for Breakfast this Weekend? Why not go for a “Quiet Moment” Try one of our Delicious Coffees, Enjoy a QM Breakfast or Relax with the Papers... Upper Main Street, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal Tel: 074 91 28382 | www.quietmoment.ie Saturday 8.00am - 6.00pm | Sunday 10.00am - 4.00pm

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the Leader || 31 May 2017

L E T T E R K E N N Y 7 Main Street, Letterkenny, Donegal T: 074 91 11100 | www.watsonmenswear.com

facebook.com/WatsonMenswear Opening Hours: Mon-Wed 9am-6pm Thurs-Fri 9am-8pm Saturday 9am-6pm Sunday 1pm-6pm

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Page 26

the Leader || 31 May 2017

NEW SHOWROOM, NEW WORKSHOP, NEW BRAND, EVEN BETTER SERVICE

CLASSIC BLINDS & INTERIORS, BIGGER & BETTER THAN EVER! After more than 20 years manufacturing and supplying quality blinds to the North West and beyond, Classic Blinds have expanded into interior furnishings. The move sees Classic Blinds relocating to a larger ‘state of the art’ premises and showroom. The modern showroom/workshop is in Letterkenny Retail Park beside Homebase, Costa Coffee and Dunnes Stores. Free Parking and easy access for over 200 cars making shopping and parking more convenient for all our customers.

On-site production Our blinds and shutters are now made on-site in our newly fitted out workshop upstairs along with the mattress and bedding selection. Our first-class service continues with FREE measuring and fitting of all our quality blinds complimented now with made to measure fabric sofas, full bedroom sets, occasional pieces, Irish made specialised mattresses and much much more. We cater for residential, corporate and commercial customers. Some recently completed projects include Highland Hotel, Glenties, Finner Camp, Bundoran, Randox, Dungloe, VHI Call Centre, Bunbeg, Primerica Call Centre, Letterkenny, Stationhouse House Hotel, Letterkenny & numerous H.S.E. buildings along with schools and clinics covering the whole of the North West.

20% Off, June 2017 To celebrate our new products and rebrand we are giving away a full 20% off all our furnishings, mattresses, beds, tables, chairs etc. from now until the end of June 2017. So why not call into our fantastic new showroom ‘Classic Blinds & Interiors’ at Forte Retail Park, Letterkenny. Open Monday to Saturday 9-6pm. Tel: 074 91 29150. E: info@classicblinds.ie.

the Leader || 31 May 2017

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the Leader || 31 May 2017

PROFESSIONAL PAINTING SERVICES & OUTDOOR MAINTENANCE

John Geraghty, for all your Painting, Decorating & Maintenance needs John Geraghty is a fully registered painter and decorator and he is celebrating two years in business this week. Although only two years out on his own John has many yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience having learnt his trade initially in America before coming home to start a family. He has branched out recently to include power washing and John is now available to give your home a complete makeover both interior and exterior. From cleaning your driveway to wallpapering John offers a wide range of services and takes immense pride in his work. He is extremely proud of the fact that a lot of his business is repeat customers and by offering the personal touch he can give them sound advice on giving their home a facelift. In recent times, John has discovered a lot of clients are painting stairs, kitchen units and furniture instead of replacing them and if you go on to his Facebook page John Geraghty Painting and Decorating you will see notable examples of before and after work John has carried out. John takes on all challenges from smoke damage to water damage and he is also available to do insurance work. Call John today for a free estimate on 0868721600

EXTERIOR PAINTING & MAINTENANCE

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Page 29

the Leader || 31 May 2017

HAND PAINTED KITCHEN UNITS

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theLeader Neil, Paddy & Ann Marie would like to wish John every success for the future. 73 Lower Main St. Letterkenny

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Page 30 || 31st May 2017 the Leader

the Leader || 31 May 2017 Page 3

Donegal Women In Business

Local Events with

theLeader

Donegal Women in Business Network well on their way The Donegal women in Business Network, is well into the business year and having set our target for 100 new members for 2016 we are delighted to announce that we have achieved targets set and hoping to double that by December of this year.

We have had a number of excellent member led events where the members offer knowledge and advice in their given field to their peers . This not only broadens their marketing opportunity for growth in their business but allows members see firsthand the challenges that have been faced and how they were overcome. A recent talk given in Castlegrove House Hotel by Dr. Julie Szabo from North West Chiropractic had us all sit a little straighter in our chairs when she spoke about the effect of posture and technology on our brains and the risk of digital dementia in the future. Great learning and awareness for many of the office bound operators! You can learn more about Digital Dementia by checking out North West Chiropractic on their facebook page. The Donegal Women in Business Network offers opportunities, links members together and encourages growth through peer support. Please don’t feel it is not for you, it really is. We want any women with an interest in business to join us at any of our events and sign up for membership. The

cost is only €40 for the year. Our next event is a coffee networking event in Kees Hotel Stranorlar where marketing consultant Evelyn Mc Glynn from evelynmcmarketing. com talks all things marketing and how to put a marketing plan together if you have little or no budget. You can check out all our news and updates for the year ahead on the Donegal Women in Business Network Facebook page or visit our website http://donegalwomeninbusiness.com/ In conjunction with our sponsors Donegal Local Enterprise Ofﬁce, The Donegal women in Business Network are hosting a Women in Business conference in Harvey’s Point Hotel on September 13th this year. This is most deﬁnitely a date for your diary, full details in our next update. Contact us for a chat on what we do and how we do it. We all have a passion and interest in business and we want you to come and join us. Check out our website www.donegalwomeninbusiness.com for more information and sign up for your membership online today. You can contact Evelyn the PRO of the Network on 087 2246989 if you have any further queries. Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ DWIBNetwork/ and let us know what areas you would like us to cover. YOU CAN DO THIS! GO FOR IT...!!

A section of the large group at Castlegrove House.

Donegal women in Business Networking event Castlegrove House.

Dr Julie North West Chiropractic.

Frances from Mourne Antiques and Clare from Clare Clothing at recent DWIBN networking event.

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the Leader || 31 May 2017

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Page Page 232

the Leader || March 31 May 2017 2017

What Year? Can anyone name these footballers and what year?

Main Street Letterkenny in the old days.

Downtown guys!

Pictures from the past...

Downtown United football team from the late nineties Sign of changing time...

and the not too distant past...

The eighties girls...can you name them? St Eunans under 14 County Champions in mid 80s. Captain Cliffy Kelly receiving trophy.

Page 6 the Leader || 31 May 2017

the Leader || 31 May 2017 Page 33

Mulroy Woods, Great Place to Stay and Eat Another incredible accolade has been awarded to Mulroy Woods Hotel Milford, the Hotel is now listed in “Lucinda O’Sullivan’s Little Black Book of Great Places to Stay and Eat in Ireland”.

Lucinda O’Sullivan is Ireland’s most widely read food and hospitality critic and through her little Black Book she shares her unprecedented knowledge of the Irish Tourism and Food Industry. Lucinda is totally unsponsored by any organisation or body, she is free to include whom she feels she can personally recommend. Owners Marty & Patricia Kelly are absolutely delighted, “We are totally over whelmed to be in receipt of the Lucinda O’Sullivan recommendation. It’s more of an honour as the Hotel is only two years in business, we are a highly committed and invested team and are proud to say that we are going from strength to strength. This is a very prestigious Little Black Book to be part of and it is testimony to the continued efforts of our hard working team. Inspectors came to the Hotel, they stayed, ate and drank and we were completely unaware of their presence. We had no idea until we were contacted by Lucinda O’Sullivan to advise us that we were recommended as one of only 4 Hotels in Donegal that is great “to stay and eat”. Lucinda O’Sullivan has appeared on RTE’s The Restaurant as Guest Critic and is a frequent contributor on RTE’s most popular radio show Today with Pat Kenny. Her Little Black Book of Great Places to Stay & Eat is the hottest guide to Irish accommodation encompassing and unravelling the real Ireland of today which is funky, quirky, fun and gloriously romantic on the Wild Atlantic Way! She has an unerring feel for sourcing the little place that might be just that little bit different.

Mulroy Woods Hotel,

Management Team Group Pic L-R ; Shaun Boyle, Darren Mc Cann, Kasia Mastyna, Patricia Kelly (Owner), Donagh Mc Closkey, Siobhán Barrett-Doherty, Lee Vambeck

Mulroy Woods is passionate about ensuring a warm and inviting memorable experience for all our guests and our renovation and refurbishment projects throughout the last 2 years are testament to our continued efforts. Enhancements include the addition of 12 superior guest bedrooms, refurbishment of main Reception area, The Lounge, Harper’s Restaurant, The Mulroy Ban-

queting Suite and the Honeymoon Suite. There are also plans in the pipeline in the near future which will further enhance our product offerings. The Little Black Book is known as a godsend for travellers, they know and trust Lucinda and have followed in her footsteps for years. This will be a massive boost for business with very exciting times ahead for the Hotel.

Tel: 074 9153313

Email: info@mulroywoodshotel.com

www.mulroywoodshotel.com Email: info@mulroywoodshotel.com

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BUSINESS INITIATIVE TO PAINT THE TOWN BEAUTIFUL IN 2017

Letterkenny Tidy Towns Paint the Town Initiative 2017 ‘Paint the Town’ is an initiative of Letterkenny Tidy Towns . It aims to colour the town beautiful and has proved hugely successful since it was first launched in 2014 . Cllr James Pat Mc Daid , Mayor of Letterkenny Municipal District was on hand to mark the start of ‘Paint the Town 2017’. Letterkenny Tidy Towns presents this initiative in association with La Maison, Canal Rd. Letterkenny and hopes it will help businesses add new colour to their shops and business premises. Anne Blake, Interior Designer La Maison, is delighted to be part of this exciting project. “Colour inﬂuences our decisions and we are more likely to notice and admire a nicely coloured painted building. The exterior of a building creates the all important ﬁrst impression for customers. Local businesses have welcomed and valued our colour advice.”

Three Colour Options

Anne Mc Gowan, Chairperson of Letterkenny Tidy Towns said that the initiative offers professional advice and the assistance of an interior designer. It offers three colour options, discounts will be available from participating paint suppliers in the town and those who do repaint will be contributing to an improved attractive and colourful streetscape . The Tidy Towns committee will appoint a designer from LaMaison to meet with anyone interested in becoming involved in the initiative. The designer will select three possible colour schemes from which to choose. Having chosen all that remains is to purchase the paint and book the painter! Interested businesses should send their business name and address and contact details to, The Secretary , Letterkenny Tidy Towns , c/o Magees Chemist , 27, Upper Main St,Letterkenny. Telephone 0749121409

Letterkenny Tidy Towns Paint the Town 2017

Committee

Letterkenny Municipal Area Mayor, Cllr James Pat Mc Daid with Brendan Mc Glynn from the Quiet Moment, and members of the Letterkenny Tidy Towns including Denis Doyle, Neily McDaid, Anne Mc Gowan (Chairperson) and Neil Blockley and from Letterkenny Tidy Towns pictured at this years launch of Paint your Town Beautiful in association with Anne Blake and Clare McDonough from La Maison Interior Design. Photo Brian McDaid

in association with

Letterkenny Municipal Area Mayor Cllr James Pat Mc Daid and Neil Blockley from Letterkenny Tidy Towns pictured at this years launch of Paint your Town Beautiful in association with Anne Blake and Clare McDonough from La Maison Interior Design. Photo Brian McDaid

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the Leader || 31 May 2017

Bringing sunshine into our homes As summer has arrived, La Maison Interior Design Specialists want to inspire you with simple ideas of bringing the outdoors inside! Elements such as the sky, water, plants and landscapes make us feel refreshed, content and at one with the earth.

How do we get these elements from outdoors to inside our homes?

Letterkenny Tidy Towns Committee Paint the Town 2017

in association with

Do you have a business in Letterkenny? Do you plan to redecorate your shop front or premises this year, but don't know where to start?

Letterkenny Tidy Towns & La Maison are here to help! Why Apply? 1. Professional advice & assistance from a professional Interior Designer will be offered 2. You can choose up to 3 colour options 3. Discounts will be offered from participating Paint Suppliers in Letterkenny 4. You will be contributing to an improved , attractive & colourful streetscape

How will it work? 1. Letterkenny Tidy Towns will appoint La Maison to meet with you 2. The designer will return to you with up to 3 possible colour themes 3. You can then purchase your paint 4. Book your painter for a fresh look

If you are interested please fill in your details below and retun to Eileen Sweeney, Magee's Chemist 27 Upper Main Street, Letterkenny, Tel. 074 9121409

Business Name: _____________________ Contact Person: _____________________

Business Address: _____________________ __________________________________

Firstly introduce items made from natural ﬁbres such as wicker baskets & lampshades, rattan furniture, jute rugs and hemp fabrics. All these are inspired by nature and provide an oasis to relax in. The outdoors has a natural appeal to us all. The sky, earth, water, and other outdoor elements make us feel refreshed, calm, and one with the earth. How do we get these elements from the outdoors, inside of our home? The obvious way is by bringing plants into our living space. Although, a wonderful idea, here’s 10 other simple ways to bring the outdoors in. Outdoor inspired colours include Green, reminds us of the earth, grass and plants. Blues are refreshing like water and the sky. Yellow is a sunny colour and we all the sun! Neutral tones such as whites, tans and beige’s make your interiors feel natural, and clean. Use elements found in nature in your decor: Rocks, sea shells, jars of beach sand, wood, and straw are just a few elements which you can incorporate into your everyday living, to bring the outdoors in.

Let in natural light: Natural light is absolutely free and it makes humans feel wonderful! Replace heavy drapery with lighter fabrics and/ or voiles. Let natural light into your home daily, and see how the outdoors pours into your space. Open your windows and breathe in fresh air: As humans, we require fresh air to feel alive and at peace. If your window is looking out onto overgrown bushes or a messy garden blocking the view clear it up! Decorate with fruits and animals! Just like fashion, prints with animals or fruits are on trend this season. These can be used in cushions, throws and accessories. Use displays of lemons, limes, and mint for a visual and aromatic outdoor inspiration!

Choose eco-friendly materials for your home Bedding, towels, cleaning products, and even paint, all come in ecofriendly varieties. Try using earth friendly products on a daily basis; you’ll feel closer to nature, and the earth will thank you. And ﬁnally.... don’t forget to add plants and fresh ﬂowers creates a lovely, calm earthy environment in any living space. If you would like get inspirational ideas please call into La Maison, Canal Road, Letterkenny (074 9161694) or follow us on www. facebook.com/lamaisonletterkenny. Hope to see you soon, Anne

Page 6 36 Page

the Leader Leader ||||31 31 May May 2017 2017 the

Trash N Fashion Event

Local Events with

theLeader

Trash N Fashion Event Enabling World Class Designers of The Future Forget the fashion runways in London Paris or Milan Trash N Fashion 2017 had it all in their recent Grand Finale event held in Mount Errigal Hotel.

Front stage, the followers and fashionistas gathered to support the creative designers while backstage the designers and models mingled with anticipation and excitement at the outcome of the night while adding last minute sparkle to their creations. Who knew that recycled rubbish, up cycled everyday items and products that normally make the landﬁll could look so glamourous, setting trends for the local fashion world. This year the audience were treated to a creative fashion design bonus when LYIT BA Fashion with Promotion degree students and their lecturer Sharon showcased a capsule collection of their high fashion college work creations, from pattern to runway. This was an exciting night for them also and Sharon told us “We are delighted at the opportunity to collaborate with Trash N Fashion. giving our LYIT BA Fashion with Promotion degree students the chance to experience the thrill of having people appreciate and applaud their creations. Trash N Fashion is a unique event, a not for proﬁt event and yet an amazing professional and high end production”

With limited budget and a voluntary not for proﬁt production Karen Murphy and Evelyn Mc Glynn local business women created a platform for youth of the county to create, display and present their wearable art on the night. All proceeds this year went to Donegal Youth Services. It wasn’t just the fashion world that was on display but a full programme of entertainment and dance added to this outstanding event, showcasing a full range of talents and creativity from Triumph Performing Arts, Pinehill Dance Studio and Atlantica DJ . While Paul Logue (Mc Elhinneys Stores) and Maria Rushe (Blogger and local teacher) wowed the audience with their compeering skills. Well done to the entire backroom team,. volunteers, sponsors and anyone who supported the event . This show surely needs to feature more on our fashion and creative calendar for 2018.

However a note of caution, Karen and Evelyn while thanking everyone did say that the show may not go ahead next year due to lack of funding for the event. It is amazing to think this show comes about in a part time capacity with a limited number of people with zero funding. A few people, trying to raise funds to actually hold it in the ﬁrst place while then trying to raise funds for the chosen charity of the year. The organisers wish to say a huge thank you to all the students, teachers, parents, sponsors , volunteers, photographers and committed friends

and family who made the event such a success. Donegal Youth Services plan to let you all know very soon what they will be spending their Trash N Fashion donation on.

Winners of Trash N Fashion 2017 were Overall winner - Pause and Rewind Carndonagh Community School. Design Runner Up – Folded Fashion, Loreto Secondary School Letterkenny. Accessory winner - Blooming Bottles by Errigal College Accessory Runner-up – Queen of Flowers, Accessory Runner-up – Queen of Flowers, Carndonagh Community School Carndonagh. Community School Wild Atlantic Way Winner – Scenic Fashionista – Deele College Up Cycle Winner – Frida, Carndonagh Community School Best Hair – Classic Curves, Carndonagh Community School Best Make-up – Off the Walls, Royal and Prior

For lots more photos and information check out Trash N Fashion facebook page . Let’s hope a funding resolution is found and that the designers of tomorrow continue to get the opportunity to create and showcase their work while learning valuable skills including the art of giving and sup- Wild Atlantic Way Winner – Scenic Fashionista porting worthy causes in the community. Deele Collegew

Best Hair – Classic Curves, Carndonagh Community School

Best Make-up – Off the Walls, Royal and Prior

Accessory winner - Blooming Bottles by Errigal College

Up Cycle Winner – Frida, Carndonagh Community School

Overall winner - Pause and Rewind Carndonagh Community School.

trash N Fashion Runner up Loreto college Letterkenny Evelyn Mc Glynn Karen Murphy

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the Leader || 31 May 2017

EARLY BIRD CLEANING SERVICES, THE NEWEST PROPERTY MAINTENANCE & CLEANING SERVICE IN DONEGAL Early Bird Cleaning Services, launched by young Letterkenny man Rhys Wilkie, specialises in window cleaning, power washing and general property maintenance.

Only launched in recent weeks, the business has already built up a growing customer base, from Letterkenny to Buncrana and Rhys has plans to grow the business even further. “I never wanted to go along with the tradional route, ﬁnish school, go to college and all that comes with it. I wanted to get started straight way and in a few years, be in a position to create jobs locally. My plan is to expand the business to cover the entire county, and become one of the top names in Donegal for cleaning property maintenance.”

Business man Although only 18 years of age, Rhys has years of experience in the trade. At a very young age, Rhys started working with his father John on what was already an established business. Such was his dedication to the

Proprietor of Early Bird Cleaning Services, Rhys Wilkie

job and commitment to quality that several of the customers from all those years ago have continued to be customers.

customers are left satisﬁed. No job is too big or too small, from domestic window cleaning to the larger commercial units, every customer is Rhys and his team go out of their way guaranteed the same high level of to ensure that all jobs are completed standards. to the highest of standards and Early Bird Cleaning is also a main

agent for Alklear Pest Control, which offers a professional pest control service to both commercial and domestic customers across Donegal. Early Bird can offer fast and effective solutions to remove pests from your home or business, for good.

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the Leader || 31 May 2017

d l r o W l a c i p o r T s ’ n Alcor e g e l l o C l a g i r r E s t e e m

a ecently spent r n li h g u a L c nM student, Jaso e kept a diary of his day in r a e y d ir h t ’s .H Errigal College Tropical World use & not-so-mini zoo. ’s n r o lc A in y vocational da azing tropical butterfly ho ela soon a while but Le ined to me m r a fo s e l’ a m g e ed n ct distra the Do e expla

. Sh orking again flies to visit their 9.00pm. w t e a m g d in a n h or m t n get butter y “I arrived tha e owner was waiting for how people ca ting flowers, particularl th , I n t or a lc n th a tpl u ow b y n Clive A b e k h s e T garden blossoms. smile let m e k and yellow nectar and they me and his big ve a good day. He took m in p e, pl ur p ha e in search of was going to arden Shop and into the e they are mor terflies come us a G ec r b s ei er th h ow fl throug prefer single clusters of flowers. ld. an th e Tropical Wor ld bl ou si acces hich w w e er th in warm e when It was really y if I wasn’t working! Cliv . the day was of ts a h d el lig v re h lo B ig , n eh per , Mrs have bee e bird zoo-kee some of One of th teachers Mrs McDonald th to e m ed e out to introduc feeding r English e ou hern and Mr McHale cam nt and the middle of a Breda was in ello to me and then told m ul ur h e M lcorn’s Thyme Out resta ought the A the birds, said e went in to make up mor th e th W utiful lunch. I d ght me a bea gry when I was feeding to follow her. ds. It was mostly fruit an ou b ir e hun g food for the b when we cut it into little meerkats wer ing for the morning feedin us k eo or rg w looked go them, but hungrier. uit salad. made me even ls a im n a cubes, like a fr e d d I soon ha th g the birds an ucan. in ed fe another day ed rt a We st lled back for ie the To h ca rc e b A , to er g om in st orld. I’d love I’m hop a satisfied cu r Dorrian called Archie a ’s Tropical W d Garden n or lc A in g M workin Flower an My teacher, because of the bird in the ay in Alcorn’s telling all my d a ’ d t ir ge b s to es n ‘Guin l fruit! l. I’ve been at efers tropica Centre as wel iends at school about wh ads, but he pr fr d g n a in s z a teacher . It’s an am eeper. rful place it is bad place to work in animal zoo-k to the de e on th , w a a el Le It’s not a I then met t back in and place to visit. erybody should go there e met, we wen e animals. w s a on so s ev A r th either. I think summer. I couldn’t do the epare food fo is kitchen to pr lemurs, the raccoons and th t ou it t it! check d lling you abou te y The ring-taile d marmoset monkeys all b e ic st ju place an the tamarin e the birds. They like to e lik w st eat fruit, ju when they are eating so hold their food t it into small cubes this cu didn’t have to time. gs are and prairie do ungry ts a rk ee m y b The ba ey are h imals. But th really cute an t me busy for a while! kep erfly too and they scinating butt orfa e th in e m I spent ti al rain-f a mini tropic house which is and smells of the flowers s est. The colour

Me with Ricky the raccoon.

Feeding time!

By Jason McLaughlin

er) cob (Zoo Keep Ja a y n Ta h it Me w

the Leader || 31 May 2017

So much to see and experience at...

Donegalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Amazing Tropical Butterfly House & Mini Zoo

Page 39

Page 640

the Leader || 31 May 2017

Local couple tie the knot in stunning Antiguan Paradise

Wedding in Paradise for local couple

fter getting engaged in May of 2016 Cat Greene from Milford and Cameron Smyth from Derry decided that they wanted to do something a bit different for their big day.

Cat explains, they didn’t want to be saving for years in order to pay for one day, nor did they want to wait so long to get married, so they decided to go abroad and get married in Antigua. In February of this year they did just that. “It was so personal and romantic being just the two of us” said the stunning bride. “For us, a wedding was never about a big party, we just wanted something that was personal to us” Tropical Sky travel agency, based in Dublin, took care of everything for us from start to finish. This took all the stress out of it for us. Cat ordered her beautiful dress online but had it tailor made to fit, while Cameron bought his suit from The Black tie showroom in Derry. The wedding package included a 2 week all inclusive stay in Antigua, and all flights, accommodation, the wedding itself- complete with wedding planner, and all necessary paperwork were included in the price of €5100. On arrival in Antigua $400 was payable in legal fees, and this fee also ensured the wedding’s legality here in Ireland. On the day of the wedding, there was a slight sea breeze, making the 30 degrees heat bearable. After a champagne breakfast, the laid back bride was picked up from her hotel room by the wedding planner, who took her to the private beach to marry the man of her dreams. Both Cameron and Cat wrote their own vows. The ceremony was short, lasting about 10 minutes and the hotel staff brought them champagne and cake straight after. They hired a photographer to capture the memories they will treasure forever. This cost $500 and included in this price was both an album and a disc. There was no delay in getting the pictures, and they had all the photos to take home long before their holiday was over. After the photos were taken the loved up couple were treated to a romantic candlelit champagne dinner on the private beach, under a fairy lit gazebo.

Newlyweds Cat & Cameron Smyth just after they got married in Antigua

Barefoot on a stunning beach for the newly weds to enjoy

After all this there was still a week left in sunny Antigua to enjoy an amazing honeymoon. “If you want a stress free wedding, that is private and personal, I would highly recommend doing this” said Cat. We think the pictures speak for themselves! Absolutely stunning. The team at The Leader wish Cat and Cameron many years of health and happiness.

If you want a stress free wedding, that is private and personal, I would highly recommend doing this Bride, Cat Smyth Signing the nuptials.

Cat & Cameron enjoy a cool glass of champagne.

the Leader || 31 May 2017

Page 41

HOUSE&HOME

theLeader

MAY 2015 EDITION

HOUSE&HOME 10 PAGE HOUSE, HOME & GARDEN FEATURE

Add a touch of luxury to your home on a budget

Having a high-end looking home can be difficult, especially if you have a tight decorating budget. Fortunately, there are ways, even on a budget, that you can get the luxurious look you dream of.

Interior designers have shared a few secrets over the years that have given homeowners some insight on how they can make their home look elegant without breaking the bank. From adding pillows

and a fresh coat of paint to window treatments and hardwood floors, these are simple solutions you need to know about. The Leader have picked our favourites for you

walls together, giving them an elegant appearance. Without this finishing touch, rooms tend to look cheap or unfinished. Fortunately, crown moulding is relatively inexpensive (especially the plastic, paintable versions), Moulding making it affordable on almost any budget. There It’s all in the details. When it comes to decoratare many widths to choose from, but if you want ing your home to look high-end and custom-made, a greater impact, chose the widest trim that your details are key. In this instance, the detail is crown budget will allow. moulding. Paint Crown moulding has a way of making a room look complete or finished. It brings the ceiling and the Paint colour is probably one of the most difficult

Mountain Top Letterkenny

• Roller Blinds • Vertical Blinds • Wood Venetian

decisions to make when decorating a room, especially when the remaining décor will be based off the colour palette. However, if elegance is what you are after, there are certain colours that add instant glamour to your home. Choose one of these two colour options, “bold and dramatic” OR “soft, understated hues”. These hues allow you to add instant elegance to your home. It simply depends on your colour personality in terms of which option you choose.

Continued on page 43

Be modern with BM Blinds • Roman Blinds • Shaped Blinds • Skylights • Plantation Shutters • Perfect Fit • Curtain Poles

Specialising is shaped windows, blinds & plantation shutters

Visit our EXCLUSIVE SHOWROOM

at 38 Pinehill Industrial Estate, Mountain Top, Letterkenny

Call us today on

074 91 68055

INVITATION: Friday 9th of June 3.30 - 5.30pm - LEE GOOCH will be broadcasting ‘LIVE’ lots of Freebies!

Page 42

the Leader || 31 May 2017

HOUSE&HOME

THE EXPERTS AT DOLMEN STONE TELL US HOW TO MAINTAIN ALL TYPES OF CONCRETE & PAVING A paver patio looks beautiful when it’s new. After a few seasons of harsh weather and backyard parties, paversstart to show the strain. From removing stains and repairingcracks, now is the time to get your paver patio back into shape. Regular cleaning, weeding and replacement of broken pavers will keep your patio looking as good as new. Things You Will Need • Extra Pavers • Household Cleaner • Stiff Bristled Brush • Sand • Paving Sealer Instructions 1. Check for any cracked or chipped pavers. Hopefully, when you installed your pavers you bought extras just in case. Replace the damaged pavers. If your pavers are set with an adhesive or Polymeric sand, removal will be more difﬁcult, but not impossible. Carefully, using a hammer and chisel, break out and remove the old paver and replace with a new one. 2. Pull any weeds and grass that may be growing between the pavers. Thoroughly sweep your patio, removing all dust, leaves and other debris. 3. Use household detergent and water with a stiff-bristled brush to scrub away stains and give the pavers a good wash. (Please ask one of our staff on the detergent to use) 4. If you have an oil based stain, soak

up as much of the stain as possible with sand. Leave the kitty litter on overnightand sweep up. You can also use a safe degreasing product. If the stain is deep, it may be easier to just replace the paver. 5. If you have rust stains on your pavers, use care in choosing a product or remedy. Many of these home used cleaners can actually damage your pavers dependingon the paver material. If the household detergent, hot water and a stiff brush don’t remove the stain, your best bet is to go to a home improvement store and buy a product speciﬁcally made for your type of pavers. To avoid rust stains, make sure your metal patio furniture or grill feet are sealed with a rust inhibiting product. 6. Paint stains can be removed with a paint thinner. Apply paint thinner to the stain with a rag and carefully scrape the paint stain away. Make sure you wash

cleaning will keep your pavers lookinggood. Paver surfaces may start showing strain after a few years as a result of harsh weather conditions and wear. A little elbow grease is all it takes to get your pavers back into shape. • Regularly maintain your paver surface by sweeping to remove leaves, dirt and other debris. Pull out any grass and weeds that may be growing between pavers. Paver Inspection • Check for chips, crack or breaks and replace any damaged pavers. If the pavers were set with adhesive, you may need to use a hammer and chisel to remove the damaged paver. Oil-based Stains • Soak up oil-based stains on a paver driveway by covering it with kitty litter. You can substitute sawdust if you don’t have kitty litter. Allow the kitty litter to sit on the stain for at least 6 hours and then sweep it up. Scrub stain with a brush and a degreasing product. You may have to replace the paver if the stainis too deep.

the area well after you clean the stain. 7. Allow your pavers to completely dry. Apply a sealer speciﬁcally made for your type of pavers. Do not allow anyone to use the patio until the area is completely dry. Tips & Warnings • If you have limestone pavers never use any acid based cleaning product because it will ruin yourpavers. • Pressure washing is not recommended Paint Stains for pavers. The force of the water is • Paint thinner may be effective in damaging. removing paint stains from your pavers. Brick Paving Care and Maintenance Blot the stain with a rag dipped in the Pavers are bricks commonly used thinner. Scrape the paint away and wash outdoors for walkways, patios, driveways well with soap and water after the stain and pool decks. These concrete or brick has been completely removed. Rust blocks are extremely durable and come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours. • Grills and metal patio furniture When properly installed, pavers last can leave rust stains on pavers. Try for many years. Regular weeding and scrubbing with a brush, hot water and

dish washing detergent. If this does not work, you may need to purchase a cleaning product made specifically for removing rust stains on pavers. To prevent this fromhappening in the future, seal any metal furniture and the feet of your grill with a rustinhibiting product. Other Stains • Dish washing detergent, a dash of salt and hot water removes most other stains.Scrub with a stiff brush to give pavers a good wash and then rinse thoroughly. Sealant • Once a year, or at least once every two years, apply a sealer made specifically for your type of pavers. First, sweep and clean your pavers with soap and water. Allow to dry completely before applying sealant. Do not allow anyone to use the paver surface until the sealant is completely dry. Autumn Cleaning • Clean your pavers every fall to remove fallen leaves that could stain them. Scrub away any mould, mildew, sapfrom trees or any other stains you may find. Winter Care • Do not use de-icing salt on paver surfaces as they cause cracking and stain pavers. Use a rubber-bottomed plough and plastic shovel to remove snow from paver surfaces to preventscratching and damage. For lots of tips, free adviceand fantastic products callwith Dolmenstone etc

Canal Road Retail Park, (Behind TK Maxx) Letterkenny, Co Donegal

Tel: 074 91 68820 / 087 7759565

• Brick Paving • Atcheson & Glover • Barley Stone Paving • Natural Stone Paving

Building Stone

• Brown & Grey Quartz • Sandstone • Limestone

Prices Start from €15.00 m2

Now StockiNg

Full Range of Cleaners & Sealers for Natural Stone, Concrete Paving & Brick

www.dolmenstone.com

the Leader || 31 May 2017

HOUSE&HOME

k style ltd Tiles & Interiors

Drumlonagher, Donegal Town, Co.Donegal (Situated where old changing rooms were)

Tel: 074 97 40026 Email: kstyledonegal@mail.com

Page 43

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the Leader || 31 May 2017

HOUSE&HOME

Add a touch of luxury to your home on a budget cheap). If draperies are not for you, then try woven bamboo shades or Curtains wood blinds. Just be sure to dress your It’s simple—a home without window windows—they ensure your home dressings will look unfinished. Fortu- looks elegant and well-designed. nately, curtains and blinds are one of the most budget-friendly ways to add Accessories some elegance to your home, as well as Most average homes lack the much-needed privacy When it comes to window dressing necessary accessories to really bring stick with elegant materials such as that elegant over-extend their budget, natural silk, linen and cotton (polyester the exact opposite is true. or man-made fabrics usually look There are many affordable ways to Continued from front

Painted with ‘Soft Hues

accessorize your home while staying within your budget, especially if you think gold. Gold is associated with wealth and riches, and can instantly create an elegant feeling, as long as there is not too much gold in one space. Accessorize with gold picture frames or gold mirrors.

on the pillow inserts, downfilled is the only way to go.

Good Housekeeping habits

Surprisingly, one of the most affordable ways to make your home look elegant on a budget is actually free. All you need to do is clean and declutter. Cushions Weekly dusting and vacuuming can actually make your home cushions throughout your home feel high-end. serve two purposes. One, if they are chosen correctly, they can Secondly, cleaning allows you really punch-up the elegance to take care of stains and spots factor. Two, they provide your on area rugs quickly, keeping guests with a little extra comfort them from being damaged and on the couch, and offer a cosy, shabby-looking. layered feeling to your rooms. The comfort aspect speaks for The same is true for your itself, that is, if you choose furniture. Clean your windows, pillows that are large enough too—it allows natural light to to rest on, and soft. Speaking readily fill the room, making it of size, you want to avoid the appear bright and welcoming. standard 12 to 18 inches for a Lastly, regular cleaning allows throw pillow. Instead, choose you to avoid clutter in your something larger, such as a home. Not only do you feel 22-inch pillow cover stuffed better about your home, but with 24-inch inserts. it allows the other elements Large, overstuffed pillows – pillows, accessories, paint, create a very plush, elegant lighting, and flooring – to really appearance—and don’t skimp stand out.

Spruce up your garden on a budget with The Leader We all love the idea of having a beautiful garden to sit in when the weather permits, however if yours has been a bit neglected, the thought of making a start on improvements can be off putting, usually due to cost. It doesn’t have to cost a small fortune though, we have some ideas to improve your extended living space that won’t break the bank. Cut the grass, but be sure to strim around trees, hedges or fences as this will give a much neater finish. If you don’t have a lawn mower or strimmer there are places they can be hired from for very reasonable rates. Placing small flowering shrubs or other decorative plants on either side of the pathway leading to the main entrance will really brighten up the garden. Your local Raised flowerbed look great and are not too expensive. garden centre staff will be able to advise what stain will give a lovely fresh appearance, while plants are most suitable for the time of year. Most of adding years to its lifespan. these outdoor shrubs require minimal maintenance. Evergreen shrubs create an appealing landscape that Local hardware shops are filled with beautiful does not require heavy maintenance. These can also garden ornaments and flower pots, these can be act as a barrier between neighbouring gardens. placed anywhere in the garden to add a splash of Garden furniture can help to bring the indoors colour. outdoors. Even if you don’t have a BBQ, you can Create a raised flowerbed. Bags of soil are readily still eat outside on sunny days. available and competitively priced. Add in some A birdfeeder will attract the most beautiful birds to colourful rocks, some flowering plants and garden your garden. ornaments, you can be as creative as you want here. An unusual way to landscape a backyard is to create Solar lights are very reasonably priced and can a small wildlife habitat filled with raised flower make a huge difference to a garden. Place along a beds, potted ornamental grasses and bark-strewn pathway, into standalone flower pots or in among walkways. The best plants for a backyard wildlife the plants in flower beds. sanctuary consist of local species, as these naturally If you have a fence, a touch of fresh paint or wood attract native birds and butterflies.

Crown Mouldings

Cushions

Next Edition of...

theLeader Wednesday June 14th 2017 LARGE CIRCULATION...

12,000 COPIES PER EDITION FOLLOW THE LEADER FOR ADVERTISING YOUR BUSINESS

OUT EVERY FORTNIGHT! TO BOOK ADVERTISING CALL US:

Tel: 074 91 25760 or 086 049 4820 or email us: sales@theleader.ie

the Leader || 31 May 2017

HOUSE&HOME

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HOUSE&HOME

the Leader || 31 May 2017

Cooney’s Home & Garden...

A one stop destination for all your shopping needs

t. 074 9 176555

ooneys Home and Garden has come a long way from it’s humble beginnings as an independent pet store. Today it is an acre of shopping heaven offering it’s customers a one stop destination for all their shopping needs.

For those who don’t already know Cooney’s offer a huge range of items within it’s many departments to cater for all budgets and tastes. With regular weekly offers you will be hard pressed to find a better shopping destination. Choose from homeware, hardware, party, giftware, furniture, pet and for the season coming... an extensive garden centre! Summer is on it’s way and Cooney’s will be sure to cater for all your outdoor needs, with items available including a range of barbecues, huge selection of garden furniture, patio heaters or paddling pools for the kids to name a few. Let them give you expert advice on the best plants or trees to make your garden stand out or choose from their range of colurful hanging baskets or filled pots. Not forgetting great deals on compost and a huge range of pots you will be spoilt for choice. And in case you didn’t know they have lawnmowers to suit every budget so there’s no reason your garden won’t be in the best shape it’s ever been. So sit back and let Cooney’s take care of all your Home and Garden needs, after all it’s in the name!

Huge range of Yankee Candles now available in store.

the Leader || 31 May 2017

Page 47

HOUSE&HOME

COONEYS

Letterkenny Retail Park TEL: 074 91 76555

HOME AND GARDEN

Shop Online:

www.cooneyshomeandgarden.com

€199 €19.99

€99

FOLDING PLASTIC CHAIR IN A RANGE OF COLOURS

RATTAN EFFECT TABLE & 6 LOW BACK CHAIRS (HIGH BACK EXTRA)

RATTAN EFFECT TABLE AND 4 CHAIRS

FROM

€14.99

FROM

€199 LAWNMOWERS

HANGING BASKETS

€9.99

€59.99

SWEEDISH FIRE LOG

€19.99

€39 FOLDABLE BAR TABLE

TWO SEATER GARDEN BENCH

BEACH TENT

FOR A QUICK AND EASY ATMOSPHERIC FIRE IDEAL FOR CAMPING

PERFECT FOR KEEPING YOUR KIDS COVERED IN THE BACK GARDEN OR BEACH

€199

NOW

€29.99 FROM

€6.99 HUGE SELECTION OF GARDEN POTS KETTLE BBQ WAS €49.99 NOW €29.99

SOLAR POWERED FOUNTAIN RANGE OF STYLES AVAILABLE

Page 48

HOUSE&HOME

the Leader || 31 May 2017

now decorate open in Letterkenny

‘now decorate’ has recently opened in the Mountain Top area of Letterkenny with a wide range of top quality products including over 200 patterns of wallpaper. The store is owned by Gary Martin and managed by Louise Gordon, and between them they have over 30 years experience in the local market. They are more than happy to give advice on interior or exterior work and are also available to call to your home by appointment to discuss colour schemes.

Customer Service Gary has emphasised the importance of customer satisfaction in a competitive market and both himself and Louise offer great customer service to ensure you choose the right product suited to your home. Another bonus is they offer free delivery so you don’t even have to worry about squeezing everything into the family car! No home is too big or too small and they also offer competitive packages for commercial work and to local painters and decorators. With a state of the art automatic paint mixing machine offering endless possibilities ‘now decorate’ is sure to bring a bit of colour to the Donegal market. To celebrate their opening they have great offers for the June Bank Holiday weekend including 20% of all wallpaper.

Store owner Gary Martin with manager, Louise Gordon.

the Leader || 31 May 2017

HOUSE&HOME

Page 49

4 Page 50

the Leader || 31 May 2017

HOUSE&HOME

Designer Bathroom, start to finish in just 5 Days at CRAWFORD TILES Have you always wanted to update your bathroom, but just can’t stand the thought of the weeks of inconvenience? Waiting for the plumber, waiting for the tiler, waiting for the electrician! Crawford Tiles Castlefin have the answer. Introducing our 5 Day Bathroom Refit. We start the job on a Monday and you have a beautiful, stylish new bathroom ﬁnished by Friday evening. Tiles, Plumbing, Electrics, we do the lot

and we will even dispose of your old bathroom suite for you, saving you the hassle. Crawford’s Tiles works hand in hand with professional Tilers, Electricians and Plumbers, to ensure that your job is left completely ﬁnished to the highest of standards. So why put it off any more? Call into Crawfords Tiles today and your hardest decision will be choosing between our elegant bathroom suites and our collection of quality tiles. We will arrange everything else. Talk to an expert today, call 074 9143942 or check out our website www.crawfordtiles.com

Choosing the right lighting for your home If you’ve moved into a new home or are planning a home renovation, choosing the right lighting is important. The lighting in your home has an impact on how it both functions and feels. The right lighting can set the mood, enhance the atmosphere of your space and provide the necessary light to perform speciﬁc tasks. The wrong lighting can deteriorate that welcoming atmosphere, create a dull or uncomfortable setting and even cause health issues like headaches and impaired vision.

experts on hand to give advice in many of the lighting stores. Putting style and speciﬁc ﬁxtures aside, lighting can be put into three general categories.

Ambient lighting This type of light illuminates the room completely. It is the centerpiece of illuminating a room, and generally consists of recessed, wall and ceiling lights.

Task lighting

As name suggests, this type of lighting is used for particular jobs like doing homework, applying So, how do you decide the right lighting for your makeup, reading or cooking. This kind of lighting home? luckily there plenty to choose from and would be a lamp or desk light.

Accent lighting

Use table lamps if you have the space available This type of lighting is perfect for creating depth and wall ﬁxtures if you don’t. Central lighting and drama to a room by illuminating important could be a ﬁxture in the ceiling while decorative features like architectural features, books or lighting like lamps in the corners could create a softer atmosphere when it’s time to relax. artwork.

Remember that each room will have different Kitchen lighting needs. The kitchen can be a busy place and you’re going to need some good lighting! Make sure Bathroom You’ll need task lighting for doing things like your work spaces have good task lighting so putting on make up or shaving, but should also you can see what you’re doing when you’re work well with indirect accent lighting to soften preparing meals. Under cabinet lighting will the bathroom’s ambiance. Decorative and create a lovely warming affect, remove shadows ornate light ﬁxtures and lamps provide elegance over your counters and will help you save energy over having the big ceiling lights on. and sophistication.

Living Room

Bedrooms

Your living room should feel comfortable. Choose lighting that allows you to do things like reading and watching TV. Recessed lighting can help illuminate the general area and these ﬁxtures can be both decorative and functional.

Bedrooms usually have a ceiling ﬁxture to completely illuminate the room as well as smaller lamps near the bed or lighting above the bed that creates a soft and low light for relaxing or reading in bed.

Page 51 the Leader || April 2017

the Leader || 31 May 2017 Page 2

Model and former Miss Universe Donegal Charlotte Murphy gives her advice on beauty, fashion and lifestyle.

Highlighting Highlighting is an amazing way to show off your best features.

Highlight Like a Pro

No Make-up Look

It has been out for years and is still one of the best products out there on the market for creating the perfect glow. Benefit’s High Beam has a lovely pale glow which helps to create a subtle flawless finish. Benefit says it is ‘Supermodel in a bottle!”. It has a soft satiny effect and can be worn under or over your make-up depending on how brave you are! It cost’s around €25 but it does last a long time!

In response to the extreme heavy make-up all over Instagram at the minute, many of the top make-up artists are promoting this simpler more natural look. Gone are the heavy brows, multicoloured shadow eyes covered in glitter, in are neutrals and soft finishes and natural brows. This look can take a bit of practice but often less is more!

Body Shimmer

See the next edition of the Letterkenny Leader for more amazing tips from former Miss Universe Donegal, Charlotte Murphy.

Beauty by

Charlotte Murphy

Yay or Nay Though make-up artists have been using this technique for years, highlighting has only become popular with girls and women at home in the last couple of years. There are many terms associated with highlighting, strobing, illuminators etc. But highlighting essentially means adding light to the areas that you want to accentuate, therefore your best features! Highlighting is important because it adds a dewy glow, looking more youthful. Heavily powdered matte faces are out. Highlighting makes your makeup look fresh and light and modern. Be careful not to go overboard though, it is easy to go from beautifully glowing to looking like you have been working out on the treadmill for half an hour! There are three types of highlighter to use on your skin, the first is light-reflective, which is shimmery and a little goes a long way! The second is a humectant which adds a glow with a dewy moisture effect or thirdly you can buy products that are a mixture of both. Highlighting can be a good alternative to contouring. They are usually done together but contouring can intimidate some women, no one wants to end up with stripes on their faces. Highlighting is quick, very natural looking and perfect when you are on the go.

How to Highlight With the index finger, tap cream or liquid highlighter along the bridge of the nose, on top of cheekbones, in the middle of the eyelid, at the inner corners of the eye and the cupid’s bow. Buff the highlighter with a small fluffy brush.

The Thigh’s The Limit! Trend : Thigh Slit The thigh high slit is the go to red carpet look for A-listers these days, with it being a major trend at Cannes last week. What do the girls and women of Donegal think of this look? “I think it looks good, it is revealing without giving too much away. It looks like Hollywood glamour. Whether I would wear it in Letterkenny is another story!” Maria, 19

Perfect for holidays or a night out, body shimmer really adds a glamourous finish to your look and lengthens your limbs. It brings out a tan and will finish off any look especially in summer. It adds an instant sexy glow! Apply some to your collarbone, shoulders and legs. Or just use a shimmery body lotion which will hydrate your skin making it super soft and look good too! It is a great option if you know there will be pictures at an event or for Instagram etc.

Trend of The Month

“I think it can look nice but some of the slits are way too high, they can look a bit trashy sometimes.” Lauren, 35 “I don’t know, I don’t think I like it. It’s not something I would wear. “ Ann, 49 “I love it, I would wear it!” Tanya, 28

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Page 52

the Leader || 31 May 2017

Like a Boss

Perfect for work, nights out, special occasions, the list is endless! Suits are a wardchoose from suits are certainly not boring anymore! Every woman should own a suit, they command respect, show the boys who’s boss!

Pick! This suit picks up on all the key trends. The Cropped trousers are perfect for Summer.

The blazer has a fabulous ﬂared Spanish style sleeve. Navy keeps this suit super wearable while the colour is

ZaraTuxedo Style Blazer €59.95

It really is a steal! Missguided Crepe Curved Lapel Blazer €19.58 €33.75

Topshop Blazer €98.00

Keep Her Country! Gingham Love it or hate ‘Gingham’ was all over the catwalks for Spring Summer ’17! Here are some tops picks for a sprinkling of gingham in your summer wardrobe. It is great for casual days for a super on trend look!

Zara Flared Suit Trousers €49.95

Page 6

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pharmacy Product of the Month

Declare Anti Irritation Serum A lightweight serum with a unique combination of unique ingredients that make the serum gently but effectively!

Zara Gingham Check Dress €39.95

Missguided Flare Sleeve Crop Top €24.30

Topshop Shorts €44.00

This serum helps reduce the signs of fatigue, stress and redness to give a softer, more relaxed look and feel to your skin. Declare Anti-Irritation Serum helps to give a more youthful look to your complexion by reducing the visibility of wrinkles while helping to strengthen the skin’s own protective to help the skin to handle daily stressors. For a fresh, more youthful look and a more comfortable feeling! Free gift with every purchase of Declare products at McFadden’s Pharmacy Letterkenny Shopping Centre while stocks last.

Topshop Mini skirt €44.00

Page53 3 Page

the Leader || March 31 May 2017

Summer, a blessing or a curse?

Hyperpigmentation is a common condition in which darkening of the skin occurs due to an increase in melanin production. This darkening occurs when melanocytes (pigment-producing cells) over-produce melanin, forming concentrated deposits of brown pigment in the skin.

Treatment Intervals 3-6 treatments, 2-4 weeks apart Treatment time 60 min depending on the treatment area. Recovery time Minimal downtime, slight redness for 1-2 days, 48 hours of sun avoidance.

Hyperpigmentation may be caused by sun exposure, speciﬁcally exposure to the UVA rays, inﬂammation, hormonal changes, or skin injuries. Hyper pigmentation can occur anywhere on the body and affect all races.

The best treatment for your pigmentation will depend very much on your age, life style and the nature and extent of your pigmen-

Fabulous as a stand-alone home treatment or in conjunction with your in-clinic treatments.

Hyperpigmentation fallS into 1 of 3 categories • Actinic lentigines, also known as sun spots, age spots etc. • Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation -a result of inflammation in the skin caused by acne, burn, rash or traumatic injury. • Melasma - caused by hormonal changes and can be the most difficult to treat. There are a range of celebrity cosmeceuticals and hyperpigmentation treatment options available at Elite aesthetic clinic to combat any of the above pigmentation issues. The following is a basic road map for effectively treating hyperpigmentation:

How to Treat Hyperpigmentation?

Step 1 Sun Protection The ﬁrst course of action for any form of hyperpigmentation is to use sun protection to prevent it worsening. UV rays, from sunlight, are the primary cause of hyperpigmentation.

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Step 4 IPL IPL Skin Pigmentation treatments work by transmitting heat to the pigmented skin areas. The IPL technology is attracted to dark pigmentation, effectively drawing the discolouration to the surface of the skin, allowing the dermis to begin the healing process of correcting the blemishes over time.

tation. Expert assessment, diagnosis sun and use maintenance products to and advice are vital if the treatment is keep further pigmentation at bay. going to be successful for you. If Nothing makes you feel better than For most, whilst treatments can seeing your freckles, sun spots, skin deliver good results, they do not discolouration and age spots disappear provide a cure for the underlying leaving a fresher and younger looking cause and all will require you to you then book a consultation with the continue to protect your skin from the team at elite today!

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In the clinic, we stock a variety of excellent broad spectrum sunscreens my personal favourite is iS Clinical ECLIPSE SPF 50+, high in Vitamin E, an ultra-sheer formula that absorbs quickly for a non-greasy matte ﬁnish perfect primer for my make-up.

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THE POWER OF ACCESSORIES How many of us underestimate what a hat or statement pair of earrings can do to your outfit? A dress that can seem shapeless will be brought to life with a belt, a plain shirt can be jazzed up with a detachable collar and a fedora hat can make you go from fashion intern to creative director.

NECKLACES

The secret to adding a bit of glam to a basic top or dress is with a statement necklace. Something so ordinary can be made so funky and it is great to experiment with a little colour - the bolder the better!

FEDORA HATS

Not for the faint hearted, it can take a few trial runs before you feel completely comfortable wearing fedora hats in public but all it takes is one try and you won’t look back. Not only are they uber stylish but they have saved me from a multitude of bad hair days! They add an instant element of individuality and turn a somewhat normal outfit into something extraordinary.

EMBELLISHED COLLARS

Embellished collars are an underrated accessory. They instantly dress up a plain denim or white shirt and also create a more funky look. Some shirts you can purchase ready made with the embellishment on them, some collars are sold separately but above all else why not DIY and create a customised shirt you know no one will have?

the Leader || 10 31 May 2017

THE FASHION CHAIR www.thefashionchair.blogspot.ie

By Emma Murray

WAIST BELTS

Waist belts are one of the best accessories and not because they uplift a monotonous, shapeless dress but they also accentuate your figure to maximum effect - especially hourglass and pear shapes. The right type of belt can even create the allusion of a waist if you don’t have one and with a wide variety to choose from (skinny to wide) you will find one to suit your needs. I like to use them as an excuse to release my inner Beyonce!

SUNGLASSES

Not just for when the sun appears, sunglasses have now become a stylish accessory and huge trend all year round. I like to use them for my blog style diaries to add something extra to my outfit. There are so many shapes, colours and styles to choose from so always make sure to invest in a pair that is suitable for your face shape. Quay Australia are a fantastic brand and as always, Penney’s have some great options.

NECKLAC

Stay stylish, Emma x

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Page Page55 5

the the Leader Leader ||||31 31 May May 2017 2017

Bridal Trends for summer 2017 O

ur new ‘bridal beauty’ columnist, Brenda Doherty shares her expertise on the new trends for the Summer bride for 2017.

By Brenda Doherty

Hair

This year for brides we are seeing a lot of texture in the hair. From loose textured curls to upstyles. The upstyles for summer are going to be soft, loose and ultra flattering. We are a lot of loosely twisted upstyles and braids are going to be huge this year. But whether you opt for a polished finish or a boho style, hair accessories are a must. From jewel or pearl embellished combs or hair chains to flowers in the hair, the right accessories will complete the look. Fresh flowers and floral garlands in the hair are also a big trend this year .

Makeup

Regardless of trends, I think bridal makeup should be radiant, fresh and ﬂattering on the bride. It should enhance your best features. There are many bridal looks to choose from, some brides love a vintage look with a red lip and winged liner, some love a full on smokey eye and contour; however this year we are seeing the return of a more natural look. The smokey eye still features but with softer tones that should enhance and frame eyes. We are also seeing soft pink eye shadow being used for a more romantic look.

Brows, Less Defined & Softer this year.

Although some brides just love the full on lashes season its looking like brides will opt for a more natural lash. The LVL treatment has become quite a popular way for brides to enhance their own lashes or a good option is to have the individual lashes applied on the morning to enhance your look

Lips

For lips we are seeing a trend for blush and berry tones and less of the nude tones. Skin this summer is set to be fresh, glowing and dewy. Less of the heavy contouring of past years. It’s all about looking fresh an of course a pop of blusher to ﬁnish the look.

Dresses

Romantic ﬂoral detail and embellishments are going to huge this summer. Detailed or ﬂoral underskirts are also making an appearance. We are seeing this done with beautiful pops of colour for the bride that doesn’t want the traditional white gown. Blush tones or rose coloured gowns are also a great option for non traditional brides.

There are a lot of sexier looks for this summer’s bride. From elegantly plunging necklines as well as plunging back detail, to cut out panels, designers are counting on 2017 brides to opt for skin baring gowns. The 1970’s will also be revived this year for the bride that wants to rock that Boho vibe. Details such as rufﬂes, fringing, and bell sleeves will be seen. Til’ the next time,

Brenda Doherty

Hair & Makeup by Brenda Doherty Photography by Miss Mels Photography, Dress by McElhinneys Bridal Rooms Flowers by Kate’s Flowers Model Simona Jaruseviciute

Page 256

thethe Leader || 31 Leader || May 2017

In the Garden by Sacha 44,000 BEAUTIFUL PLANTS COMING TO A TOWN NEAR YOU This week I had the pleasure of meeting our town gardener David Donnelly. David and his team are behind our wonderful parks and what are surely the best roundabouts anywhere in Ireland. I recall seeing a U.K. Calendar in which every month featured a roundabout. It was a humorous offering as they all looked so awful which is not the case for any roundabout in Letterkenny. The one situated outside Marks and Spencer’s is particularly beautiful. It’s a roundabout for heaven’s sake! But that doesn’t stop David and the team from really using plants to create some great mini oases throughout the town. I noticed that in the last week or so Spring bedding has disappeared and the soil has been prepared for the summer scheme . I love the surprise when I’m driving through the town and suddenly there are the big bold Summer bedding displays, hanging baskets all along Main Street and pops of colour all over town. During Winter like many of us who love plants, David is busy reading plant and seed catalogs and planning for the Summer season. Then come then end of February 44,000 little plug plants are delivered to a glasshouse hidden away in the heart of Letterkenny.

The lads then get to work potting up these babies, they are then grown on until they are hulking teenagers waiting to be let loose in the planting schemes around town. I went to have a look how things were progressing. Well readers, it looked like a mighty ﬁne sweet shop to me. Letterkenny will be looking gold medal glorious. So I know you shall all be inspired to get your boxes and baskets out and get planting. So here are a few things to bear in mind ... David likes to use hot, bright colours in baskets and containers as this really stands out In the middle should be something tall, like a dahlia, then a circle around this of plants such as fuchsia, Petunias, Begonias. Lastly on the edge the light airy ﬂowers such as Lobila or Bacopa. In regard to watering, after planting they are given a good watering, then feel the soil before you water, the soil needs to be damp but not over wet. David uses a liquid feed mixed in at every watering. Always empty the containers of all last year’s soil and plant with fresh soil . Through the summer dead head once a week Be bold. A basket or container can be a crazy riot of colour. It can lift your spirits when the weather is being less than summery. I can’t wait to see your efforts all over town.

Celtic supporters in the Wolfetone Bar celebrate winning the Scottish Cup and a historic unbeaten treble.

Brian and Michelle Kelly enjoying the celebrations at The Wolftone Bar.

Celtic fans Rosie and Sean enjoying the celebrations at the Wolftone Bar.

Around Towntown theLeader about

Wolfetone Bar

Out and about at The Wolftone Bar celebrating Celtic winning the Scottish Cup and the treble.

The Lobila is very popular with our town gardener.

Jamie Lynagh, Shaun McGrath and Marty McFadden celebrate Celtic’s late winner against Aberdeen.

Moira Bundschu, Sandra Cassidy and Eddie Cassidy enjoying Celtic’s win at The Wolftone Bar.

Page 57

the Leader || 31 May 2017

KIDZ CORNER Jokes and Puzzle Corner

Q. Why did the superhero flush the toilet? A. Because it was his doody. Q. How do you get a tissue to dance? A. You put a little boogie into it. Q. What did the zero say to the eight? A. Nice belt! Q. If you’re American in the living room, what are you in the bathroom? A. Euro-peein’. Q. What do you call cheese that’s not yours? A. Nach-o cheese. Q. What did the hat say to the scarf? A.You hang around, and I’ll go ahead. Q. What time should you go to the dentist? A.Tooth hurty. Q. What did one firefly say to the other? A. You glow girl! Q. What did one ocean say to the other? A. Nothing. It just waved. Q. Why did the tomato blush? A. Because he saw the salad dressing.

WIN A FAMILY CINEMA PASS! All you have to do is colour in the bunny picture below, cut out, and send to the Leader, 73 Lower Main Street, Letterkenny. (Upstairs @ Donnolly & Foley Accountants) Winner will be Announced in the 14th June 2017 Edition of the Leader.

Last months winner Ciaran Coyle aged 11 from Fair Green Hill, Letterkenny. Well done Ciaran!

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6 Page 58

the Leader || 10 31 May 2017

Donegal Youth Services

Working with the Youth in Ireland

DYS weekly group programme for young people now available

Donegal Youth Service are putting together a weekly group for young people aged 18-25 to hang out and work together on feeling better and managing problems. There are still a few places available, so get in touch today!

“The group is not what you’d think – it’s not a bunch of young people sitting around feeling sad and awkward, it’s actually really chilled out, fun, uplifting and interesting. I would recommend checking it out, you’ve a lot to gain and nothing to lose” shared Louise Lynch, Teen Talk and group coordinator. She added “There’s no commitment, if it is not for you, then there’s no pressure to come back but there is a fantastic opportunity to make friends, learn better-coping skills and feel better”. Not sure what to expect? Here’s what some of last year’s participants said: “It was so chilled that I could doodle or draw while the group was on, the informality was perfect, even the way we sat in a loose circle, it allowed us to relax and bond. It allowed you to engage in a way that suits you” (Female, 23 years) “I really enjoyed I, it was really comfortable, people were open and there was no awkwardness. I would recommend it; I learned a good bit from it. I changed some habits and perspectives on things for the more positive and now I manage myself much better. There is generally an all-round improvement in my life” (Male, 19 years) “I loved the discussions, it wasn’t always personal problems – everybody debated ideas, explored and analysed concepts and ideas in mental health, I

It was so chilled that I could doodle or draw while the group was on, the informality was perfect, even the way we sat in a loose circle, it allowed us to relax and bond. It allowed you to engage in a way that suits you. Female 23 years

don’t have the opportunity to talk about these things anywhere else.” (Female, 21 years) “My worries became smaller when I started letting people know how I was feeling, I realised from the group that sharing your problems works and I got tips on how to deal with stuff when I needed it which I then used. I have skills now” (Male, 25 years) “I came to the group because I felt so low, like I was stuck in a hole, stuck in self-pity, it really shakes you out of that through hearing other people’s stories and the little things, it all helps you realise you’re not going to get any better doing the same thing that doesn’t work and you become aware that you need to learn new ways of coping.” (Female, 22 years) “I found it really helpful for dealing with problems because after a few weeks we became friends and it was a such a good support knowing someone was there for you” (Male, 20 years) “The environment was laid back and chilled, you’d never feel judged, it is a safe space to talk, I feel more conﬁdent now to speak about mental health and being here did that”” (Female, 25years) “When you are young, you don’t have a lot of control – parents, school, routine, doctors, structures, systems – this place is like a space to be who you are, you’re not restricted. The social aspect is brilliant, you meet people and actually get out of the house, this was the one day a week I’d actually socialise and I need it because I can get isolated.” (Female 23 years)

How did it start?

In January 2016 Donegal Youth Service set up a Young Adult Support Group in response to a request from young people and staff for a specifically tailored programme for young adults aged 18-25. The programme was designed in line with the latest research and in a way that respects young people developmentally, while catering to a young adult’s unique life-stage issues, their individual and group identity. We are setting up a new support group after the fantastic success we had with last year’s group and are putting a call out to anyone who feels that they or someone they know may benefit from this group. This group is starting soon in DYS at 16-18 Port Road, Letterkenny. Please contact Louise for more information about this group. Call or text/ Whatsapp 085 255 3816 or call the DYS office on 074 91 29630.

ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT

June is going to be busy! While we Irish cannot predict the start of the summer by the weather, you can usually tell it’s arrived when the festivals are rolling in. By that assumption, June is most certainly evidence that the summer is here. Here are some excellent events to keep you entertained for the next few weeks. June 2nd - 5th:

Seafood and Music Festival, Séan Óg’s Gaoth Dabhair Just to make sure the nobody along the west coast of Donegal is left out on the June bank holiday, the good folks at Séan Óg’s bar in Gaoth Dabhair are putting on their annual celebration of local music and seafood. With a host of amazing local music providing the backdrop to a fantastic weekend for all the family. With events like a seafood BBQ, cooking demo’s and an oyster shucking competition, you’ll not go hungry. Things kick off on Friday at 6pm with the festival opening and a live cooking demo by chef Paul Doherty. Saturday will host amongst other things, a car boot sale, farmers market, an Irish dancing display and a 5K (walk or run). Sunday is a family fun day so for the kids there’s bouncy castles, a vortex tunnel, facepainting and disney characters, There will also be a trad session and live bands as well as a BBQ and ‘Gaoth Dabhair’s Got Talent’ in the evening in aid of Pieta House. For those with a few miles left in the tank on Monday, Séan Óg’s will be happy to set you up with their all day breakfast before a trad session. It’s going to be a great weekend so do yourself a favour and check it out. More info at https://www. facebook.com/seanogs.

(Though there will still be plenty of trad through the weekend), The festival is aimed towards the celebration of ethnic cultures from around the world. Music, song, dance, food, crafts and literature from across the globe will be exchanged and exhibited. The festival offers a great opportunity for national and non-national people to further integrate,break down barriers and learn about each other in a fun and beautiful setting. There will be various concerts and workshops as well as ﬁlm screenings and readings. This is a fantastic weekend so why not pop down and experience it for yourself.. With nearly all events free of charge there’s few excuses to not give it a go. More information, including a program of events can be found at www.facebook.com/ardarameltingpot.

Ardara Whilst Ardara is known as a hotspot of traditional Irish music with it’s famous ‘Cup of Tae Festival’, this June bank holiday weekend they’ll be putting down the ﬁddles for to make way for a wide selection of music from all over the world

theLeader

WHAT’S DONEGAL & THE NORTHWEST June 2nd - 4th:

Rathmullan Live in the Village

June 10th:

The Mack Daddy/Mixtape, Work in Progress, Voodoo Vintage,

June 2nd - 5th:

The Ardara Melting Pot Festival

variety of places. Why not get to know the people in your local community a little better by sitting down and sharing some great food together. The setting can be anywhere a host is able, some will occur in gardens or parks or a spare bit of ground that you can set up. The event is non-proﬁt that can show how positive an experience it can be when individuals and small groups come together and become communities. If you are interested in either attending or hosting a feast, please register and ‘Create’ or ‘Attend’ a feast at www.streetfeast.ie.

the Leader || April 2017 Page 59

GUIDE

Page 62 the Leader || 31 May 2017

June 11th:

Street Feast: Letterkenny Sunday June 11th is the nationwide ‘Street Feast’. It is a day designed to celebrate community where people can either host or attend a lunch in a wide

Letterkenny 6pm Described by the Galway Independent as ‘One of Irelands best joke writers’ and’Cracked’ by Hotpress magazine, Barry Mack is bringing his comedy show to voodoo Vintage where he will talk about amongst other things venture into fatherhood. This one is guaranteed to pack a few laughs in the lovely surroundings of Voodoo Vintage. Not to be missed.

The Beautiful seaside village of Rathmullan are putting on a weekend of family fun and music for the bank holiday. With a dinghy regatta, historic Rathmullan walk, country market, putting competition and facepainting against the backdrop of the beautiful Rathmullan beach, there’s something for everyone. With all this going on, the local pubs will be providing entertainment with a full lineup of music to keep the spirits high. More information can be found at www.facebook.com/rathmullanlife.

The Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival June 1st - 5th: June kicks things off with a bang as incredible blues and rock musicians from all over the world descend upon Ballyshannon to pay homage to the Donegal born blues legend, Rory Gallagher. This year the incredible lineup includes Eric Bell, formerly of Thin Lizzy, Bernie Marsden, formerly of Whitesnake, Johnny Gallagher and the Boxtie Band, Seamie O’Dowd and many many more. There’s a host of local talent playing too including Oddsocks, Mark Black & Declan McClafferty, Blackbird and Crow.

The list of amazing acts goes on and on. Anybody who’s been to the festival knows what to expect, but for the beneﬁt of those who may be unfamiliar, Ballyshannon will be taken over for the weekend, with stages and musicians playing in the pubs, clubs and in the main gig venue, along with pop-up gigs outside on the streets. There will also be a wide selection of street-food vendors in town and for those of a mind for craft beers, the famous Dicey Reillys is sure to satisfy. Tickets are not needed for the pubs and street gigs but for the big-top gig venue and campsites, as well as the full festival program, visit www. rorygallagherfestival.com

Page 60

Around theLeader about townTown

Bride to Be Eimer Donnelly enjoying a girls night out with her hens at Sister Sara’s

Angela, Siobhan, Tasha and Padraig.

ENTERTAINMENT

the Leader || 31 May 2017

Sister Saras

Josephine O’Neil, Vicki Stewart and Aoife Wheatley.

Justin Harkin, Bernie Kelly and Clayton Harkin.

Ross McLaughlin, Philip Tumblety and Ryan Fitzpatrick on a lads night out at Sister Sara’s.

Pictured out and about enjoying a girls night out at Sister Sara’s.

Page 4 ENTERTAINMENT

the Leader || 31 May 2017

Fantastic Summer Gigs ’ er’ n i p e e k in the next y r t n u o c few weeks! by

Welcome once again to my Country Column. Summer is here and there’s plenty of days and nights craic ahead for all you country lovers.

ann biddie

yee haw!

Cocktail of the Month By Stephen McLaughlin

Gun Powder Rosie

With gin been so popular and the summer almost upon us, here is a real treat for your taste buds.

I created this little gem exclusively for Drumshambo Gunpowder Gin this is an amazing Irish gin from Co Leitrim which was launched in 2016. With this I have added a fresh sprig of rosemary, a few dashes of rhubarb bitters,

This Saturday, June 3rd, there’s a wonderful Gareth McKnight memorial concert taking place in the Mount Errigal Hotel Letterkenny. Starting at 7:30pm sharp, you’ll be in good hands for the evening with Kenny Archer, Melissa Hamilton, Cowboy Larry, Billy McFarland, Eugene O’Dornan, Amy Roberts, Rev David McBeth, Gordon Quinn, Olive and Eric Borland all performing. €10 for such a great night is incredible and even better, all proceeds are going to Pieta House Northwest. For tickets contact Robert on 0864011351 or Iris on 0861928868.

Jimmy Buckley

Our good friends at the Allingham Arms Hotel in Bundoran are really going all out this summer. The music and the craic is non-stop and this weekend is no exception. Jimmy Buckley will be there keeping the feet tappin on Friday June 2nd. Saturday June 3rd the honours go to the fantastic Patrick Feeney and closing out the weekend is the wonderful Gerry Guthrie on Sunday June 4th. You can take the week to rest the dancing feet because they’ll be in action again the next weekend for the Allinghams June Country Music Festival. Friday June 9th kicks off with Dermot McConnell and his band followed by the Gentle Giant, Mick Flavin. Saturday 10th has Paul McCahill in the afternoon, and the evening’s entertainment will be over to Sean Brennan and Mike Denver who

Declan Nerney at the Abbey Hotel, June 9th.

Stephen pictured with another of his creations.

Letterkenny on Sunday July 2nd. Martin Orr and the Honky Tonk Heroes will be appearing in Voodoo, Letterkenny with a few special guest singers on what will be a very special evening for a very worthy cause. I’ll be singing in the Station House Hotel, Letterkenny, on Friday June 9th, then the Carrigart Hotel on Saturday the 10th and McGinley’s Bar in Kerrykeel on Sunday the 11th, so if you’re in the area call in for a song, a dance and a bit of craic.

Mike Denver, Saturday 10th June,

are sure to put on a cracking night. On Sunday Allingham Arms Hotel Bundoran. afternoon, we’ll get going with Brendan McGee and Eugene Cunningham, whilst the weekend Never fear if you’re not able to make these closes out with the brilliant Louisiana man fantastic live events because there’s always great country music from near and far on Sky Robert Mizzell. The Abbey Hotel in Donegal Town are hosting Channels 238 and 389. a wonderful weekend of country music on the Anyone wanting to get the word out about up and weekend that falls on Friday June 9th. Jim coming events, nights or album launches be sure Devine, Michael English, John McNicholl, to email me at annemcconigley@hotmail.com or Declan Nerney and Lisa McHugh all arriving message me on the Anne Biddie Facebook page. into town to guarantee a great weekend for all In the meantime folks, remember to Keep’er Country! who head over for a dance. Another wee reminder about the fundraiser in memory of Seamy Peoples for Pieta House in Regards, Anne Biddie.

Page 61

some elderflower liquor, freshly squeezed lemon juice with some simple syrup then topped with fever-tree tonic. This is one of the most popular cocktails on the menu been served in both the cocktail bar in the lounge and also in house it is an extremely refreshing beverage perfect for those long hot summer days (the few that we get) or to sitting round a cosy fire catching up with friends.

Page Page 462

ENTERTAINMENT

RECIPE: Joe’s Chili-Glazed Pork Ribs

t’s well and truly BBQ season in Donegal! Joe’s is your one stop shop for all your BBQ needs. Here is a tasty Chili-Glazed Pork Ribs. Easy to make and Fantastic ﬂavour. Fun for the whole Family .

Directions Make shallow cuts between the ribs on the bone

side with a sharp knife, piercing just the membrane. Mix 1 tablespoon salt, the brown sugar, garlic, thyme, chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and the cayenne in a bowl. Rub the spice mixture evenly over the ribs. Place the ribs on a rack in a roasting pan, loosely cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Meanwhile, combine the cider, ketchup, mustard and Worcestershire sauce in a saucepan over medium heat and simmer until reduced to about 2

the theLeader Leader||||10 31 May May 2017 2017

cups, about 30 minutes. Cover and set aside.

Preheat a grill to low heat on one side. Cook the ribs bone-side down on the cooler side of the grill, covered, until tender, about 2 hours 30 minutes. (If using a charcoal grill, add more charcoal as needed to maintain the temperature.) Continue to cook, uncovering every 10 minutes to baste with the sauce, until the ribs are glazed, about 40 more minutes. Remove from the grill and cut into pieces.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS eribs H 2 racks pork spar ) ds (about 6 poun H Kosher salt cked light H 3 tablespoons pa brown sugar inced H 2 cloves garlic, m h thyme H 2 teaspoons fres cho chili powder H 3 tablespoons an ck pepper H Freshly ground bla nne pepper H 1/4 teaspoon caye H 3 cups apple cider tchup H 3 tablespoons ke on mustard H 2 tablespoons dij cestershire sauce H 2 teaspoons Wor oesbutchers

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Page 4 Lower Main Street, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal

Telephone +353 (0) 74 91 23100 www.stationhouseletterkenny.com info@stationhouse letterkenny.com

Joe’s Butchers Letterkenny Shopping Centre Glencar Shopping Centre Joe’s Foods Forte Retail Park

Dillon’s Mixologist represents Donegal at ALL Ireland Finals!

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RAID THE TRAIN JACK

JUNE

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EVERY WEEK!

FRIDAY 2ND EAMON CALLAGHAN SAT 3RD NEIL MCLAUGHLIN SUN 4TH TELSTAR FRI 9TH ANNE BIDDIE SAT 10TH TIR CONNAILL COUNTRY SUN 11TH LIAM MCLAUGHLIN Letterkenny Rovers Bingo Every Thursday @ 8.30pm

TRADITIONAL NIGHTS - EVERY WEDNESDAY

Sean Ronaghan, mixologist at Dillons Hotel in Letterkenny made it through as a Finalist of the All Ireland Best Cocktail Experience at the Irish Restaurant Awards, held in Burlington Hotel, Dublin. Today cocktails are more than just a drink with increasing popularity for innovation and creativity making it a highly competitive artform, with mixologists training for years in a bid to become the best. Facing tough competition at the initial competition sponsored by Ketel One Vodka, Sean attended the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, where the theme was sustainability. All Seans ingredients were either home made or natural, some even from his own garden, bringing the ﬂavours of Donegal to Dublin and presenting the judges with his entry “Jammie Dodger” Sean says, “We were keen to showcase the natural beauty of Donegal ingredients. The creativity process was a team effort where everyone at Dillons Hotel got behind the entry to help create and make elements of the ﬁnal mix.”

Up against some of the best in Dublin including the Westbury Hotel and Clontariff Castle, Sean made it through to the Finals representing Dillons Hotel and his beloved Donegal. Speaking at the awards, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland Adrian Cummins commented, “This is the ninth and most successful year of the Irish Restaurant Awards to date. From over 70,000 online nominations cast earlier this year to 2,500 guests attending our regional events, it is clear that the stature, calibre and reputation of the awards is expanding at a considerable rate and it is all in aid of recognising the talent within our sector. Although the award went to the deserving Candlelight Bar at Siam Thai, Dublin, Sean did Donegal and Dillons Hotel proud and you can pop in this weekend and sample the Sean’s bespoke cocktail that brought him and Donegal to the ﬁnals.

the Leader || 31 May 2017 Page 2

ENTERTAINMENT

Page 63 the Leader || 10 May 2017

The Sweet Life ......... By Eleanor McKeever

The taste of summer “How do you like your eggs in the morning? I like mine with a kiss”, so the old song goes. But nowadays it seems, eggs for breakfast are a little bit passé, so you might want to up the ante and offer your new love an avocado instead … on toast! And better yet, make that rye or sourdough if you really want to impress. But, be very careful, you don’t want

I’m just a fool for you….rhubarb

Had a hard day at the office? Boss breathing down your neck? Been stuck at the station roundabout for twenty minutes? It’s time to reach for the rhubarb! To me rhubarb is, and will always be, my number one stress-buster food, and the great thing is, it’s in season so it’s delicious, plentiful and cheap too. With its healthy stash of vitamins C and K, calcium and fibre, it can only help boost the immune system and calm the nerves, packing a punch in goodness and flavour too. No wonder it was prized in ancient China for its medicinal value. Somehow just standing over a pot of simmering rhubarb and inhaling its delicious aromas can help ease away life’s little trials and tribulations. Simply stewed and served with custard, rhubarb is wonderful, but it’s also great in pies, crumbles, tarts, chutneys, pickles, jams, jellies, wine, and of course, the entirely delicious rhubarb fool, swirled in cream…yum.

What’s for Dessert? Strawberry Shortcake

An American all-time favourite dessert which celebrates the arrival of summer, Strawberry Shortcake even has its own National Strawberry Shortcake Day in the U.S., which is celebrated on 14 June, but there’s no need to wait until then to make it. It’s so simple and quick to make. Scones (called biscuits in the U.S.), strawberries and Chantilly cream combine to make this a perfect summer treat. Strawberry Shortcake Serves 4 Strawberries 500g strawberries, 2 tblsp. caster sugar. Mash strawberries in a bowl with sugar, reserving a few strawberries to slice for decoration, and set aside. Chantilly Cream 300 ml double cream, 2 tblsp. caster or icing sugar, 1/2 teasp. vanilla extract. Whip cream together with sugar and vanilla extract until light and ﬂuffy. Refrigerate until needed.

to end up with the dreaded “Avocado Hand”. Hands up if you know how to cut an Avocado!

Eminent plastic surgeon Simon Eccles is so concerned about the increasing number of patients showing up in UK hospital emergency rooms with “Avocado Hand” (deep cuts and gashes to the hand caused by knives slipping when cutting up avocados) that he wants the fruit to carry a warning label. Cutting up this super fruit with the large pit is a big problem for trendy foodies. One slip of the knife and breakfast, or should I say, brunch, becomes a blood bath… not pleasant. I think I’ll stick to eggs, or even safer, marmalade.

Love at first Bite

Love at ﬁrst bite, and we’re hooked …. For strawberry lovers the season has begun, the love affair is in full swing, and nothing cries summer like the taste of an Irish strawberry. As a nation, we are in love with this delicious berry. Homegrown and ripened by the sun, just the sight or scent of one can conjure up happy summer days. With latest consumer reports showing a year-on-year growth in sales of Irish strawberries, it seems we can’t get enough of them. National Strawberry Week, a celebration of the strawberry, organised by the Irish Soft Fruit Growers Association in conjunction with Agri Aware and Bord Bia, will take place 5-12 June and aims to encourage us to enjoy even more of this fabulous fruit at its peak. Do I need any encouragement to eat a strawberry? No. It’s a guilt-free pleasure, sweet and juicy, packed with vitamin C, low in calories, and it goes perfect with a glass of champagne.

Shortcake 250g self raising flour, 1 teasp. baking powder, Pinch of salt, 60g cold butter (diced), 25g caster sugar 100 – 125ml milk. Sieve flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl. Add sugar. Rub butter into the mix with fingertips to look like fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre, and add enough milk to mix to a soft dough. There should be enough milk left over for the glaze. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly to 3/4” thickness. Cut into 4 medium rounds using a pastry cutter. Glaze with a little milk, and place scones on a greased and floured baking tray. Bake in a hot oven (400˚F, 200˚ C, or Gas Mark 6) for 15-20 minutes until well risen and golden in colour. Allow to cool slightly. To assemble the Strawberry Shortcake, cut scones in two. Fill with prepared strawberries and Chantilly cream. Top shortcake with more cream and decorate with sliced strawberries. Extra indulgence: Butter shortcake before filling!

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ENTERTAINMENT

Around theLeader about townTown

the Leader || March 2017 the Leader Leader || || 31 31 May May 2017 2017 the

The Pulse Niteclub

Movie Review: Alien Covenant (Now Showing)

Letterkenny 074 912 1976 OUT NOW

COMING SOON1

9 JUNE

22 JUNE

This is the 6th film in the Alien franchise or the second in Ridley Scottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prometheus/Alien franchise. The film is set 10 years after the events of Prometheus. We are introduced to the crew of a the colony ship Covenant, which, after receiving a distress call from an uncharted planet decide to investigate. This is the deep space equivalent of checking out the

basement in a horror film, only back things are going to happen. I have to admit I may have been one a very small group who liked Prometheus. Although it was not a great film, it had some serious flaws. I probably liked the idea of what Ridley Scott was attempting to do in that film more than the film itself. He seemed to want to take the franchise in a different direction building a new universe in which he was asking bigger questions about creation and our place the universe. He introduced us to the engineers and although Prometheus did revert to the standard Alien type at the end it was promising to set up an interesting trilogy which explored the questions Prometheus raised. Instead Alien Covenant doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even pretend to try something different. We get an Alien film which could sit easily beside the earlier films in the franchise rather than its direct predecessor. When he does try and introduce these themes the script is so heavy handed it really renders the developments of these ideas meaning-

less. However, it is a decent Alien film certainly better that Alien 3 or Alien resurrection but not a match for the first two Alien films. It is disappointing as the director had promised something different with this new trilogy of films. Ridley Scott always creates stunning imagery which is present and correct in this film but I would like to have seen him try and develop the ideas he started in Prometheus rather that give us a very straight forward Alien movie.

Sit in MOVIE REVIEWS by the Leader Movie Buff

@ Century Cinema Letterkenny

ENTERTAINMENT

Page 4 the Leader || 31 May 2017

Page 65 the Leader || 31 May 2017

Harvey’s Point Hotel launch the Summer Cabaret Season at Magee of Donegal a multitude of Tourists. This part of The Wild Atlantic Way has hosted an eclectic mix of Nationalities with a generous sprinkling of Hollywood Stars and well-known faces from the World of Business, Political and Social walks of Life. Noel Cunningham, well known to Irish TV 3 Audiences and RTE Radio hosts the amazing Cabaret and rest assured he is never the only well-known face at Harvey’s Point Summer Cabaret! The stars of the cabaret joined Noel and Team on Wednesday 17th of May from 11 am to 1.30pm in Magee of Donegal to ofﬁcial launch the Cabaret Season, with Special Guests Cliona Hagan, Barry Kirwan, Gary Gamble, David James, Mary B & Jody Gallagher. Ocean FM broadcasted live from the store, guests were treated to fabulous Magee goodie bags. The Cabaret takes place every Wednesday from 28th of June until October 25th! To make a reservation call +353 749722208. Dinner & Show only €59pp with special accommodation packages available online harveyspoint.com.

The Stars were out in force at Magee of Donegal to Launch the Summer Cabaret Season.

Ireland’s No 1 Hotel and Georgina Campbell’s best Hotel in Ireland joined forces with the iconic Magee of Donegal for this very special Launch. A delightful Dinner and Cabaret show with an amazing Line-Up of Stars, Year after Year the Cabaret enjoys a huge level of repeat business with Guests returning year after year. If we asked these returning Guests why I know they would reply that the Show is always fresh, the variety is second to none, the food is simply delicious and above all the quality of the Artistes coupled with the warmest of welcomes and attention from the Harvey’s Point team make it that extra bit special.

Stable of Stars!

And what a stable of Stars. Cliona Hagan, the new singing sensation, Barry Kirwan and the ever present charisma and voice of one of Ireland’s

Noel Cunningham of Harveys Point along with some of this years Cabaret acts, Cliona Hagan, Gary Gamble, Barry Kirwan, David James, Jody Gallagher and Mary B.

great Stars, Red Hurley set the tone for the Season. They are joined by our resident entertainers. The great Gary Gamble, Fiddler Adam, Irish Dance Champions Gerard and Aine Byrne, Jody Gallagher and The Bluestack Ensemble, and of course The queen of the Show herself. Mary B! Add to this the introduction of David James, a sensational ﬁnd, the Stephen Harran, Magee of Donegal manager, along comedy of Conal Gallen and during dinner listen with Noel Cunningham and Sheila Russell of Harveys to the dulcet tones of the RatPack as interpreted by

Point 6 Page

Velvet Night at Voodoo

the great Adrian Cullen. All in all, it truly is Song Music and great Craic! There is no show like the Harvey’s Point Cabaret in Ireland and the night is perfect for any celebration, or just a romantic night out! This longest running Cabaret Show in Ireland is still, without a doubt, the best! Donegal, ofﬁcially the coolest place on the Planet Deirdre McGlone of Harveys Point, along according to National Geographic, now attracts with Cliona Hagan and Mary B.

the Leader || 10 May 2017

Second Friday of Every Month at Voodoo Vintage. Donegal's LGBT / Straight Friendly Night.

This month's Velvet:

66 Page 12

31 May 2017 the Leader || March

trades & services Want to advertise in our Trades & Services section?

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Have you tried

086 142 6822

The Elms Glencar, Letterkenny Call 086 872 1600

Acupuncture? Acupuncture effectively treats: PLUS ✓ Stress/Anxiety ✓ Headache MANY ✓ Menstrual Problems ✓ Infertility MORE ✓ Sports Injuries ✓ Sciatica/Back

Painting & Decorating

Elaine McMenamin Lic. Ac Dip. Ac. C. Ac. (Nanjing)

Tel: 085 734 9390

Chinese Medical Practice, 5 Academy Court, www.harmonydonegal.com St. Oliver Plunkett Road, info@harmonydonegal.com

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/HarmonyDonegal Letterkenny, Donegal Contact Joe on 074 91 29100 087 22 51 996

CALL FOR A FREE QUOTATION TODAY

WRIGHTS

Next Leader out 14 June

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Late or early appointments by request. Mon - Wed 10-7pm Thurs & Fri 9-8pm Sat 8.30 - 6pm & Sun 10-6pm

• ROOFING - TILING & SLATING • ROOF REFURBISHMENTS • ATTIC CONVERSION • 1ST & 2ND FIXING • DOORS & FLOORS • RENOVATIONS • EXTENSIONS

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Bonner Plant Hire

Railway Court, Pearse Road, Letterkenny Tel: (074) 912 9150 or 087 6305438 E: info@classicblinds.ie W: www.classicblinds.ie

Glenswilly, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal bonnerplanthire@gmail.com Mobile: 086 2366127 Office: 074 91 37960 www.bonnerplanthire.com

Page 4

Page 12 the Leader || 31 May 2017

trades & services Why not try a

Unit 3c, Riverside Retail Park.

Call Mark on Mobile:

087 6861783 NEED A MATTRESS?

Trades & Services Advert for your business?

or Ring 0876861783

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the Leader || March 2017 Page 67

Gift or Cross to Bear...

This is the title of the recently published book by Derry man, Charlie Gillen. The man from Creggan, took inspiration from his own personal experiences throughout his life to pen a novel which he hopes readers will identify with.

Foreword- “What you are about to read is not meant to scare or frighten you, that would make what I have written quite pointless. I am relating to you experiences which have happened throughout my life from childhood to my adult life, which take place in a lot of people’s everyday lives,

maybe more extreme in my own personal life. I hope by reading this book that you can get some answers to questions that you were always afraid to ask. I would like to think that it would ask you to question yourself not as a person, but a human being, with all that being a human being is, with all our insecurities, doubts and, frailties and except them but more so to accept your mortal soul which is eternal, strong and never dies which is the most precious Gift from God that we should cherish” Gift or Cross to Bear is available to purchase from the following outlets - Universal Books, Letterkenny, Easons, Letterkenny, Easons, Derry, Little Acorns, Derry, Foyle Books, Derry

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Author Charlie Gillen pictured with his new book.

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McGettigan Travel LOCAL COACH & MINI BUS COMPANY

COMMUNITY NOTES

Creeslough Community Text Alert

A new text alert scheme is up and running in the area. This is a great way for An Garda Siochana to communicate directly with the local people. The text alert is offered as a free service and to be included contact Patrick on 086 1083488

Blessing of the Boats The Rathmullan Sailing and Watersports Club will host the blessing of the boats at Rathmullan pier on Friday 2nd June at 8pm. There will be music by the Glencolm singers and refreshments will be served. All welcome.

 HENS & STAGS  PRIVATE PARTIES  AIRPORT RUNS

adult and €3 per child. Gates open at 6pm with the music starting at 7pm.

Rathmullan Beach Wheelchair The beach wheelchair is available is free and available for anyone wishing to use it. For more details call 086 8123019

Coole Cranford Couumnity Centre Fundraiser

A fundraising Tractor run will take place on Sunday 4th June, leaving the community centre at 12noon. The community centre are undertaking and energy efficient upgrade of the centre this year. The committee have been granted funding for part of the costs but there is a significant shortfall that needs to Evening of Country Music Drumann national school will host a very special open be filled. This is the first fundraiser and support for air country music in the school grounds on Monday this and other upcoming events would be greatly 5th June. Music by Paul and Jason McCahill, with a appreciated. Refreshments will be served at the centre BBQ and lots of childrens activities. Entry is €10 per afterwards.

COVERING LOCAL SCHOOL RUNS Contact: Cathal on 086-2310225 Email: Cathalmcgettigan1@Hotmail.com or Find us on Facebook @McGettiganTravel

Page 14 68

the Leader || March 31 May 2017

theLeader

Why does my dog not come back when it’s called?

DOG GUIDE Your Expert Guide to Dog Breeds

This week we take a look at the King Charles Spaniel

Pretty little spaniel loves cuddles

ften called a “sporting toy breed” because of his combination of spaniel and toy traits, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is sweet-tempered, playful, and gentle. This comfort-loving breed adores cuddling in laps and snuggling on soft pillows, but he also has more athletic instincts than you might think. Indeed, he can be a runner and chaser.

Little Hunter

lonely will whine or bark or chew destructively. Most King Charles’ are polite with everyone and peaceful with other dogs and cats.

Timid

A fenced yard or a leash are musts at all times, because many Cavaliers will pursue squirrels, chipmunks, low-flying birds, even butterflies, right into the street. Cavaliers do need a decent amount of exercise - a couple of long daily walks and a fenced yard in which to run. And they’re very people-oriented - they become stressed when left alone too long, so should have companionship (either human or other pets) most of the day. A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who is

• Is small, soft, and attractive, with large expressive eyes and a lovely feathered coat in a variety of striking colors • Adores comfort, cuddling in laps, and snuggling on soft pillows, yet has more athletic and outdoorsy instincts than you might think • Is peaceful and polite with everyone

As with all sweet-tempered dogs, there is potential for timidity, so Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies need plenty of early socialization to build a confident, outgoing temperament. Though they do have a mild independent streak, Cavaliers are willing to please and respond well to praise and encouragement . . . and treats!

• Is willing to please and responds well to praise -- and treats! A King Charles Spaniel may be right for you.

If you don’t want to deal with... • “Separation anxiety” (destructiveness and barking) when left alone too much • Timidity and shyness in some lines, or when not socialized enough • Chasing instincts -- needs a fenced yard or leashRegular brushing and combing • Lots of shedding • Serious health problems and a potentially short lifespan

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

A King Charles Spaniel may not be right for you.

Clumber Spaniel

American Water Spaniel

Puppy

If you want a dog who...

Adult

Puppy

A Sensitive Hunting Dog

A Laid-Back Companion

American Water Spaniels are even-tempered, highly intelligent, and energetic, medium-sized dogs. This rare breed is a great family dog because of their loving nature, willingness to please, and watchfulness. They make great companions for hunters, active individuals, families, and those who enjoy the outdoors. They tend to bark, drool, and whine, but their even temperament makes them great pets to live in small homes. They are very active and love a swim.

Clumber Spaniels are eager to please, lively, and responsive large dogs. These devoted dogs are typically suspicious of strangers, but won’t make great protectors. Clumbers make great companions for families, active singles, city dwellers, and those who love the outdoors. They are hunters at heart and enjoy running outside. These dogs need daily exercise, especially if they’re living in the city.

Positive Traits:

• Affectionate, easygoing, and lovable • Lively, with a friendly personality • Good with children and other pets • Loves to play games, especially fetch • Eager to please and responsive to training • Well suited as a companion, family dog, or working dog

• Highly intelligent, playful, and energetic • Excellent family dog, watchdog, and hunting dog • Highly trainable and eager to please • Vigilant watchdog with a ready bark • Loves to play games, especially fetch

Positive Traits:

Negative Traits:

• Sensitive by nature, a bit slow to mature • Needs to be exercised and groomed regularly • Can be possessive of toys and food, dominant • Prone to boredom and separation anxiety when left alone

• Can become overweight easily if not exercised • Passes a lot of gas, sheds, and drools • Prone to boredom and separation anxiety when left alone • Needs frequent attention from her family

oes your dog just not listen to you? Does he just not come back when he is called?

Firstly as always you will have to teach your dog to come back when it’s called as he just more than likely has found something more interesting than trying to ﬁgure out why you are calling him, its best to consult a professional for this as it is a step by dog to come back. Motivating step process. Here are a few tips of what to your dog will make life easier for both of you. do and what not to do.

What to do?

Always reward your dog for coming back even if it’s taken longer than expected. You want your dog thinking coming back to you is way better than snifﬁng the ground up ahead. When your dog does come back you can play a game put the lead on your dog then let it straight back off the lead again. This will ensure your dog doesn’t predict home time. If you are really struggling to get your dog back and haven’t taught a recall. I would suggest make some loud noises and run in the opposite direction. When your dog gets closer to you run away from your dog creating the game of chase only he is trying to catch you this will really help with getting your dog to want to come back to you. Always have a long lead on your dog when teaching recalls that way if he doesn’t come back you can always grab the long lead and start again. Ask yourself what motivates my dog and use that to get your

What not to do? Firstly do not run after your dog. This will either frighten your dog or he will think it’s a big game of chase. Roaring at your dog isn’t going to help much either your dog more than likely will look at you and decide its better off going nowhere near that angry looking person shouting at it. If you for some reason your dog has ran away and you ﬁnally catch it do not be angry as your dog will try harder next time not to get caught. When teaching your dog to come back its best to avoid only using recalls to put the lead on your dog as many dogs will know the fun is over if they go back to you as they associate the lead with going home. So alternate the times your dog comes back that you actually use the lead and never let your dog associate coming back with going home. If you are still really struggling then seek help from a certiﬁed professional.

Dog of the month Harper is a Staffordshire Bullterrier a breed that gets a lot of bad press. Usually made out to be dog aggressive. Harper is a true model for the breed. She is brilliant with all dogs a very gentle player and has zero dog issues with big or small dogs. Harper is a great student in day care she never barks also listens when I call her and never gets in trouble. Harper has been with me since I have opened and hopefully for many more years to come.

Harper, Staffordshire Bullterrier.

MOTORING MOTORING

Page 78 the Leader || 31 May 2017

Page 69 the Leader || 10 May 2017

‘’172 DL 4 You’’ A few weeks ago Terence Diver and the staff at Divers Hyundai , Canal Road, Letterkenny celebrated their 20th. Anniversary with the Hyundai brand. From small beginnings Divers association with Hyundai has been a real success story. Commanding only a very small percentage of the market share when they took on the Hyundai brand in 1997 what has transpired since then has just been phenomenal. Today Hyundai are at the top of the pyramid having firmly established themselves as one of the leading dealerships in the North-West and the good news is that the Hyundai Tucson continues to be the biggest selling car in Ireland.

‘’172 DL 4 U’’ The 20th. Anniversary celebrations at Divers coincided with the launch of the 172 new registrations. The introduction of the second registration plate in the calendar year has been welcomed by so many customers. Traditionally January was the time of year to register your new car but for many people who have purchased in June/July in the past few years this second chance has been most welcome. Many people have said that they

Page 4

would have had reservations about purchasing a new vehicle and taking it out on the road during the winter months. However a new July vehicle means that they have time to get used to it before the season changes and that makes summer buying so much better for them.

172 Trade & Upgrade If you are thinking about purchasing a new car we invite you to come along to our premises and view the full Hyundai range. Our range includes i10: i20: ix 20 i30: i40: IONIQ Hybrid and Full Electric, The Santa Fe and of course the car that has outsold all other vehicles since its introduction less than two years ago the Hyundai Tucson. Call in and talk to our sales executives who will answer any questions you may have and take a test drive. Hyundai’s 172 Trade & Upgrade offer when purchasing your new car invites you to choose from the following options, 5 years Free Servicing or Scrappage up to €4,000 or their FREE Insurance Offer. (T&C apply)

Finance When you talk to any of our Sales Executives about finance you can rest assured that everything discussed is done so that the confidentiality of your financial situation is paramount. Talk to them and they will provide a package to suit your own individual requirements. At Divers our motto is very simple :’’We’re different because you are’’, and for that reason we will do our utmost to provide you with a finance package that is just right for you. There are various packages available including the ever popular PCP ( personal contract plan). Celebrating 20 Years with Hyundai we’ve come a long way from 1997 and the first step that will start our journey into the next twenty years here at Canal Road begins with you.

5 Years Free Servicing or up to €4,000 Scrappage or Free Insurance Offer Daniel O’Donnell who was the special guest at Divers 20th Anniversary celebrations pictured with Terence Diver, proprietor of Divers Hyundai.the Leader || 10 May 2017

Hyundai

New for 172 e! Trade, Upgrade & Sav

Seeing is believing. If you’re thinking ‘New for 172’ it’s time to Trade, Upgrade and Save! Choose from one of our unique offers, 5 Years Free Servicing, Scrappage of up to €4,000 or our Free Insurance offer. Drop in today and that could be you, in a new 172.

Teague Diver & Sons Ltd

Canal Rd, Letterkenny. Tel: 074 9122600

Terms & conditions apply. Fuel consumption 4.7L/100km. Co2 emissions 108g/km.

Find us on Facebook - Divers Hyundai

MOTORING

Page 10 70

the Leader || March 31 May 2017

(PDR) Paint & Dent Repair Technology at CM Dent & Valeting Centre

CM offers Dent Repair Technology

Krzysztof Malec hard at work doing some ‘Paintless Dent’ work.

ave you you heard about the Paint & Dent Repair (PDR) technology now available at CM Dent & Valeting Centre on Canal Road, Letterkenny? This technology is fantastic for the removal of dents and paint marks from your car and CM Dent and Valeting Centre are experts at using it. Your car will be back in tip top shape, keeping it’s value and look. The PDR Service uses the latest technology to remove dents and marks on body work and has been very successful since trained staff started using the new PDR Service this year. The new technology uses special rods and body picks to massage the dent out of the body from the underside of the vehicle. The most common practical use for PDR Service is the repair of hail damage, door dings, minor creases, large dents and body lines damage.

bodywork including scratch repair and valeting. The new Paint Dent Repair (PDR) Service has been hugely successful since it was launched in January. Avail of the CM Valeting service too and drive away in a brand new- looking motor.

Metal Rods

Krzysztof Malec, owner of CM Dent and Valeting Centre, explains: “Our paintless dent repair specialist uses metal rods and body picks to push out or So, if you’ve got a dent, scratch, or any other massage the dents from the underside of the body bodywork damage then make CM Dent and Valeting panel. Centre first call for paintless dent removal, and other “When the damage is so great that body filler is

necessary, our paintless dent repair (PDR) technician can “push to paint”, resolving most of the damage before minor filling, sanding, and painting, thereby saving time and cost. Fluorescent lighting, or in some cases a reflection board, is used to see the shadows created by the deformation of the dent. This is an important aspect of the repair process. “Without a Paintless Dent Repair board or reflector board, the fine detail of the process is unseen, and technicians cannot locate their tools specifically and cannot remove the damage accurately. . Vehicle dent repair is what we do and this is how we do it.” Call us today on 0863000348 (Valeting) 0874515444 (Dents) or email us on chris. carvaleting@yahoo.com.

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the Leader || 31 May 2017

MOTORING

IT’S BACK WITH A NEW FRONT. The new look OCTAVIA from €189 per month with 0% finance.

The ŠKODA OCTAVIA, Ireland’s best selling car in its class, has been redesigned with style, comfort and connection in mind. Whether it’s the 1.0 TSI 115bhp petrol or the powerful 1.6 TDI 115bhp diesel you’ll experience driving precision. Plus clever on-board technology enables seamless connectivity between you and the car.

Test drive the new look ŠKODA OCTAVIA today. DMG Motors, Clar Road, Donegal, Co. Donegal Tel.: 074 9721396, www.dmgmotors.ie Typical Example: Octavia 1.2 TSI 86bhp OTRP €20,350. Deposit €6,149.64. 36 Monthly payments of €189 including fixed price service plan of €13.99 per month. Optional final payment €7,900. Total Hire Purchase Price €20,350. Total cost of credit €0. Minimum deposit 10%. This offer is made under a hire purchase agreement. ŠKODA Finance is a trading style of Volkswagen Bank GmbH Branch Ireland, authorised by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority in Germany and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland for conduct of business rules. Available on cars ordered before 10th June 2017 & registered before 31st July 2017. Picture for illustrative purposes only. CO2 from 102-153G/KM. Combined fuel consumption from 3.9-6.6/100km. Data based on 2016 figures.

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MOTORING

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31 May 2017 the Leader || 10

theLeader

new car reviews

Cool new super mini from Citroen of the controls are managed from a touchscreen in the centre of the dash. The ventilation controls and air con are controlled from here too, which is a little ﬁddly. Tapping on a screen is never quite as practical as turning a dial. In terms of interior space, driver and passenger The quirky Citroen C4 Cactus of 2014 was an are well-accommodated for, while rear seating aquired taste with ‘evil eye’ headlamps, and space is also competitive for this segment. The innovative plastic Airbumps stuck to the side, boot is a good 300 litres. but it’s this sort of bold design that Citroen Trim Levels believe will help their products stand out in the There are three trim levels for new Citroen C3 market. in Ireland: Touch (from €15,490), Feel (from

Citroen is a brand in transition with a renewed verve on producing vehicles that are cutting edge modern looking and filled with technology.

Styling

€16,990) and Flair (from €18,990). Standard equipment includes cruise control, USB socket for media streaming and Bluetooth handsfree, and safety features like lane departure warning and a coffee break alert. Feel is the sweet spot of the range adding 16-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, the 7-inch touchscreen with Mirror Screen and Apple Car Play, and automatic air conditioning. Top spec Flair models add 17-inch alloy wheels, black Airbumps, automatic lights and windscreen wipers, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera. There’s also a ConnectedCAM posiIn the Cabin tioned below the rear view mirror. It can take Inside the C3 has all the ingredients to become photos and videos that can then be shared on a little of a style icon. The attention to detail in social media using an app or saved as evidence the design is marvellous and it’s a very pleasant in the event of an accident. environment with beautifully soft seats and neat On the road design details like the oblong shaped air vents. In terms of engines, the new C3 is offered with In the spirit of keeping things uncluttered, most The new Citroen C3 is far more palatable, taking many of the same crossover-style design cues from the C4 Cactus – raised ride height, lashings of plastic cladding and of course the Airbumps – but wrapped up as a cuter and more compact B segment supermini.But on looks alone the new Citroen C3 won’t be easily forgotten. Personalisation and the desire to exert some creativity on a car is also a key element of Citroen C3 ownership, and there are a number of cool bi-colour combinations to choose from.

68hp, 82hp or 110hp 1.2-litre petrol engines or BlueHDi diesel engines with 75hp or 100hp. We tested a car with a 1.2-litre 110bhp turbo petrol engine. It’s priced from €20,890 and carries a premium over the lower powered naturally aspirated petrol engines but it is a great choice if you value performance matched with low running costs. It’s really nippy at low speeds around town but robust enough to be perfect out of town too. Comfort has been a key quality for Citroen in the development of the new C3 and it really shows: it’s so stable and composed, and deals with the roughest of Irish roads exceptionally well for a small car. The negative side of this is that the Citroen C3 is not the sportiest drive among its competitors, but Citroen has not set out to be this. There is body roll in the corners if you push it, and while the steering is light and makes the car easy to manouvre at low speeds, there is not much in the way of feedback. Yet there is still charm to this small car that helps forgive a lot of these ails. There is a revolution going on at Citroen and the brand evidently has a clear vision of the type of cars they want to produce. The C3 is a wonderful execution of this plan and manages to be distinctly different in a segment crowded with competitors. The 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine is deﬁnitely a bonus here and makes the C3 good fun to drive even if the steering and handling is weak compared to the best in the

Model: Citroen C3 1.2 Puretech 110bhp Flair Price: €20,990 (Range starts at €15,490) Power: 110bhp 0-100km/h: 9.3 seconds Fuel Consumption:: 61.4mpg Motor Tax: €190 per year supermini segment. But this is a resolutely comfortable small car that’s easy to drive with a distinct personality and a stylish minimialist cabin. It won’t be for everyone but if you are looking for a small car there is now a very good reason to visit your Citroen dealer.

MOUNTAIN TOP, LETTERKENNY, CO. DONEGAL

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SPORTS

Page 2 the Leader || 31 May 2017

Page 73 the Leader || March 2017

In Profile : Tommy McCafferty I

f you were to lay down all of Tommy McCafferty’s combat sports accolades from end to end, I’m relatively confident they would bridge the distance between his own club here in Letterkenny and ‘Team Torres’ where he teaches in Derry. The collection which includes numerous world titles in professional MMA and kickboxing also includes high level black belts in various martial arts. By Emmet Toner

Knowing this could make you a little apprehensive about meeting him. I was relieved however to learn that as long as we weren’t in the ring or the cage, there’s no reason to be afraid of ‘The Ghost’. Born and raised in Letterkenny, Tommy went to school at Scoil Colmcille and St Eunan’s college before studying architecture at the University of Ulster. It was during the earliest stages of his education that his path in life was influenced most dramatically. At age six, he was being bullied at school. Seeking to help improve situation, Tommy’s parents sent him to learn karate from local instructor Paul McCrossan. Tommy showed an early aptitude for karate and it wasn’t long until he picked up his first award with a win at the Northwest Regional Championships. Perhaps more impressive is that Tommy was competing in the under tens category at an age when being a year or two younger than your competition almost guarantees a size disadvantage. As the higher levels of his training progressed, Tommy continued to develop and improve his abilities within the field. Earning himself a second degree black belt, he started fighting as an Irish representative on a world stage collecting medals and prizes as he went. Seeking to expand his skillset, he began training in boxing and grappling before eventually finding himself fighting mixed martial arts and kickboxing, where his passion remains today. He recalls his first kickboxing European title fight in Liverpool. “It was probably a fight I should never have been in, but they were looking for someone to step in on late notice and a scout or somebody saw me stopping a fighter quick and I was the right weight. I think I was just supposed to be a token Paddy to go over to England to fill a spot and give the home crowd someone to cheer against, but I won by knockout.” Continuing his professional fighting career with numerous ‘highlight reel’ finishes earning knockout and submission victories in several major mixed martial arts organisations, Tommy has become known as ‘The Ghost’. I expected to hear some horror story explanation, or maybe that it was chosen to strike fear in opponents but we had a good laugh when he told me that the nickname is actually a reference to his pale complexion. Tommy’s exciting fighting style has made him popular with fans on the Irish circuit leading

him to get called upon as a sparring partner for numerous camps with former UFC fighter and current Bellator MMA headliner Paul Daley. Tommy’s career as a fighter is highly impressive, but he is equally proud of the work he does as a teacher and a coach. We spoke at length about the impact that martial arts training has on the development of a person both young and old. Aside from the benefits of the physical aspect of training, Tommy is keen to impress upon people the mental benefits to be taken from training martial arts. Talking about his own experience as a former victim of bullying, he recalls lacking self-confidence and seeing this as a major reason he was picked on. “You’d never see the best footballers in the school getting bullied because they carry themselves with a confidence...they have something they accomplish and it makes them feel good and that transfers over into normal life. They stand that wee bit taller and meet your eye… it tends to be the shy timid students who are targeted because they lack confidence, and martial arts...any martial art will give kids confidence.” Tommy described how the changes that occur in people when they become involved in his club are a constant source of pride, happiness and affirmation in what he is doing. This is particularly important to him when it comes to the children that he trains. Some of the children that he coaches and mentors have come through similar situations and helping them through this is very important to him. The gym provides a safe environment where their mental state can improve dramatically. Training in groups together they socialise and end up making friends. He says he can look and see their entire sense of self-worth improves within a couple of months of starting to attend class. He frequently gets texts and calls from

Tommy McCafferty.

parents looking for phone numbers to invite kids from classes to birthday parties. The adults he trains experience huge benefits too. People gain a sense confidence in themselves, they lose weight, become fitter and make friends. There’s a sense of support and camaraderie that starts in the gym and tends to continue outside of it. “I’m always happy seeing people who met in the club training together being tagged in pictures out for a pint.” To this day, Paul McCrossan, Tommy’s first martial arts instructor still trains with him regularly. Tommy considers Paul amongst his closest friends and a huge source of inspiration in his life, reflecting upon how Paul helped him as a young child which he hopes to pass on to his students today.

People gain a sense of confidence in themselves, they lose weight, become fitter and make friends. There’s a sense of support and camaraderie that starts in the gym and tends to continue outside of it. Tommy McCafferty

Tommy McCafferty (centre) pitcured with his coaching team China Coyle (left) and Martin McLaughlin (right).

The recent growth in mixed martial arts around the world and mainstream media exposure has been helpful in dismissing the misunderstandings some people may have about it. Tommy was keen to impress upon people that the physicality of the classes is entirely dependent upon the individual. Beginners can go at their own pace and people who are a bit fitter can be pushed as hard as they want to be pushed, so there’s a manageable challenge for everyone and all are welcome at the club. The practice of sparring is in no way compulsory and many members attend purely for the fun and fitness element of training. Classes in Letterkenny are run in the Aura Leisure Centre and more information can be found at www. tommymccafferty.com, www.facebook.com/

SPORTS

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INDOOR ROWING

the Leader Leader ||||10 31 May 2017 the

Leader Sport

RYAN’S MAKING WAVES AT INDOOR ROWING

Father and son Danny and Keane Ryan burst onto our tv screens in dramatic fashion last year on popular RTE show ‘Ireland’s Fittest Family’. Joined by brother and sister Jordan (17) and Alanna (16) the Ryan family went all the way to the grand final. By Brian Mc Monagle

They finished 3rd overall, only a fraction of a second stopped them getting a place in the final 2 team eliminator to decide the series winner. In this gruelling event the Ryan’s had proved unbeatable to date in the competition. Not a family to standstill Danny and Keane turned their attention to another challenge, that of indoor rowing. This is a fast-growing sport which demands a very high level of fitness and overall body strength to compete at any level of competition. This county has history with indoor rowing.. Olympic rowing finalist Sinead Jennings started her career training on the stationary machine at the old high road leisure centre. Letterkenny man Sean Reilly, a highly talented runner, took up rowing after his track career and went on to win an Irish senior title at heavyweight. Indoor rowing has only 2 categories, anything under 75KG’s is considered lightweight and over 75kg’s is heavyweight. Danny was an all Ireland amateur boxing champion and also a champion in a short professional career that ended due to injury. He boxed at middleweight which was under 75kg’s so he was no stranger to making weight to compete in competition. Danny and Keane have their own gym at the highland bakery complex just outside of Letterkenny, this is where they did the bulk of their training and they also used the facilities of the Aura leisure centre. They trained intensively along with their

good friend Bernard Doohan, combining long rows at a steady pace along with short, explosive interval training. Indoor rowing is also a very technical sport and a lot of time was spent on perfecting technique to maximise distance covered, while minimising the physical impact each pull places on the body.

With a serious amount of hard training done over the Christmas period, the 3 lads decided to enter the all Ireland indoor championships. The event was held at the state of the art university of Limerick sporting campus on 21st January 2017. Being complete novices, and competing against vastly experienced competitors, all 3 men had superb debuts. The race distance was 2000m and was divided into weight and age categories. Danny pulled superbly to take 2nd place in the 40-49 age category, this was a PB and he was only pipped to the gold be less than half a second!! Keane was in the open male section at lightweight, this section seen the most competitors. Keane smashed his PB for the 2000m distance, on his way to a top 20 placing.

husband and son do so well in limerick the proud mum got to thinking again.

The world indoor rowing championships were to be held in a few weeks in Boston and as an early birthday present to Danny, Maria booked ﬂights for the two lads travel over. Before the shock had time to sink in Danny and Keane set themselves on an intensive training programme in order to do themselves justice at such a prestigious event. Due to the adverse weather in Boston at the time of travelling, the lads only arrived two days before the event instead of the planned four days. With only one day to recover from the journey the preparation was not ideal for the biggest test in their short indoor rowing careers to date. However as usual with the Ryans, the bigger the challenge, the bigger the performance. Danny performed heroics to take the bronze medal in the masters category. Not one to be outdone, Keane rowed his way to yet another PB to complete a day of massive achievement for the father and son duo. Both men were rowing against former and potential Olympians from all corners of the globe, Keane & Danny Ryan which puts into context the level of performance both men produced on the biggest of stages.

Bernard Doohan was entered in the 30-39 age category at heavyweight, his natural strength and tremendous stroke rate saw him blitz the opposition to win Between their achievements on “Irelands the Irish title. Not content to finish there the lads then fittest family” and their rowing exploits teamed up with Paul McGonagle from at home and abroad, team Ryan have Kincasslagh rowing club to win the been superb sporting ambassadors for Donegal. Helping them along their 2000m team relay! journey has been a few loyal supporters They say behind every good man there is and sponsors, Terence Diver of Divers a better woman, and this is certainly true Hyundai, Letterkenny, Tommy and of wife and mum Maria. For the Ryan Donna Gallagher physio and massage, family to be so competitive and success- Leonard Watson of Watson Menswear, ful, a lot of organisation and planning is Main street Letterkenny, and Brian necessary, and this is where Maria comes McCormick sports and leisure also in the into her own. A keen sportswoman town. herself, Maria enjoys outdoor pursuits such as horse riding and snorkelling The Leader wishes the Ryan family all around the Donegal coast when he busy the best in their future endeavours, and schedule permits. It was Maria who had we have no doubt there are many more the idea to enter the family into “Irelands medals and titles to come from our very Danny Ryan, Paul McGonagle, Keane Ryan & Bernard Doohan. fittest family”, and after seeing her own fittest family.

Cockhill’s Jimmy Bradley is Watson Menswear Player of The Month Jimmy Bradley says ‘experience’ guided Cockhill Celtic to another Ulster Senior League and League Cup double this season.

Cockhill became the first side to win the 4 Lanterns Ulster Senior League and the Donegal News Ulster Senior League Cup in five successive seasons. Bradley – who has been confirmed this evening as the latest Watson Menswear Player of the Month – netted vital goals as Cockhill retained their crowns, scoring the winner in a 1-0 win at Bonagee in the League and it was he who bagged the only goal of the game in the League Cup final win over Derry City Reserves. “It came good for me at the end of the year. I had a slow enough start to the season, but I’ve been playing a lot better in the last couple of months. I got a couple of big goals. They were easy taps-in, but I suppose you still have to be there! “The win in Bonagee kind of turned the momentum of the season a wee bit. We weren’t scoring goals, but we were missing key players. That win at Bonagee gave us a big lift” Cockhill were threatening to runaway with the USL race at the Christmas break, but ended up staving off Letterkenny Rovers by just three points. “It was a tough year,” Bradley – who ended the season as his team’s top scorer - said.

“We ended up with a very small squad because of injuries. We were down to the bare bones, but we dug in and got the job done. “The injuries added up and took a big toll on us. “Experience got through more so than in any other year. Men dug in and some played maybe when they shouldn’t have, but we just had to do.” Cockhill are in a real golden age and their record of ﬁve doubles in a row has never been achieved before. However, Bradley believes it will only be in the future that their achievements will really be appreciated . . He said: “We might be taken for granted a wee bit because we’ve been winning so much in these Cups and Leagues. It’s only now maybe when you look back at that great Fanad team that you start to realise how good they were.“ The Watson Menswear Player of the Month is presented in conjunction with Watson Menswear, Main Street, Letterkenny. September: Cathal Farren (Derry City Reserves) October: Peter Doherty (Cockhill Celtic) November: Shaun McElwaine (Fanad United) January: Tony McNamee (Swilly Rovers) February: Oisin McColgan (Cockhill Celtic) March: Paul Boyle (Letterkenny Rovers) April/May: Jimmy Bradley (Cockhill Celtic) Jimmy Bradley receives his award from Chris McNulty.

the Leader || 31 May 2017

DEAL SPORTS

Page 75

BRENDAN DEVENNEY

GIVES IT TO YOU STRAIGHT! REAL “Tears in Derry, and 3 tiers in Ulster” THE INSIDE VIEW OF DONEGAL GAA

After watching Tyrone dismantle a clueless and inept Derry, is the Ulster championship in danger of joining other provincial competitions in becoming predictable and boring? This was the question I was asking myself as I left Celtic Park on Sunday after covering the game for BBC radio. Two weekends into the race for Sam and Ulster has now produced 3 games with winning margins of nine, sixteen and eleven points respectively. It looks to me that Ulster now have 3 tiers of teams. Group one contains the only teams capable of lifting the Anglo Celt cup, Donegal, Monaghan and Tyrone. Group two comprises of Cavan, Down and Armagh, the three teams yet to enter the fray, while

namely Fermanagh, Antrim and Derry. For the first time I can remember in my lifetime, Derry are now in the bottom 3 in Ulster and by next year’s senior championship it will be 20 years since they last tasted provincial success. Damien Barton doesn’t appear to have the personality or skills to unite the oakleaf tribes, and the strength of club football comes at the detriment of the county team. Tyrone never had to get out of their comfort zone to win, and Derry only raised a gallop for a brief period after half time. Looking back to the Donegal game, it really did follow a predictable script, just like the Monaghan and Fermanagh tussle the night before. It took Donegal much of the first half to shake off the cobwebs. Antrim, with a raft of fresh faces, battled well and created two clear goal scoring opportunities. Neither were taken and Jamie Brennan made them pay a heavy price with a super goal on his championship debut. Rory and his management team will just be glad to have got the campaign up and running, and Antrim were ideal opposition to pitch the new lads against for Damien Barton, Derry Manager their first taste of Ulster senior group three is made up of the championship action. 3-19 was a three teams knocked out already, great score to put up, and even

Neil Forrester (Derry) and Ronan McNamee (Tyrone) holding the Anglo Celt Cup at the Peace Bridge in Derry.

Paddy McGrath managed to hit the net, a real Carlsberg moment! The team selection was interesting from the point of view that both Paddy McBrearty and Eoin McHugh were both held in reserve. Paddy’s injury from the Roscommon league game took longer to heal than expected but he looked hungry and sharp when introduced. Eoin injected pace and directness, and Rory probably sees his role as an impact sub who

can play a big offensive part in the last 20-25 mins. I would be shocked if McBrearty doesn’t start against Tyrone, however it gives Micky Harte something to think about. Interestingly in all three games to date, the subs benches for the winners have all made telling scoring contributions. Maybe now, managers are finishing the games with their best scoring options on the pitch. The concession of the late goal and

the two other goal chances, could be a blessing in disguise as I’m sure Rory will be ironing out all those problems in the coming weeks. We were warned, and a proud Donegal defence will want to put things right or Tyrone will make hay! Thankfully the injuries to Michael and big Neil are not serious because they are our two main leaders. Ulster football needs a big game and June 18th is when the real Ulster championship begins.

The Michael Murphy Sports & Leisure Team at MacCumhaill Park

The Michael Murphy Sports and Leisure team was in MacCumhaill Park last weekend ahead of Donegal’s victory over Antrim. Pictured on their way to the game is Armagh legend Oisín McConville along with Neil Gallagher and a selection of Donegal fans.

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the May 2017 2017 the Leader Leader ||||10 31 May

SPORTS

Trigger Points Trigger points are present in all patients with chronic musculosketal pain. Travell and Simon have deﬁned a trigger point as a “Discrete, focal, hyperirritable spot in a taut band of By Natasha Kelly muscle”. These areas are tender and painful on compression and in omst cases produce referred pain and tenderness.

To book an appointment, call or text Natasha on 0862596532 or ﬁnd me on facebook: NK Therapies & Fitness. Elimination of these Trigger points is a very important component in the management of chronic musckuloskeletal pain. Effected methods of management: 1)Cold and stretch technique 2)Soft tissue techniques i.e myofascial release ischemic pressure 3)corticosteriod injections

palpation with a reffered pain pattern, which is similar to the initial complaint. When stimulated the active trigger point sets off a “local twitch response” in the affected muscle. A “local twitch response” is a a palpable contraction or dimpling of the muscle and skin.

It has been found that Ischemic Pressure and Dry Needling are the most effective and both offered at NK Therapies & Fitness.

Latent Trigger Points K.A a tender point, is locally tender, it does not refer pain and does not elicit a twitch response. Tender points may be associated with muscles tightness or weakness. There are several proposed causes to the development of these trigger points. Both acute trauma and repetitive micro trauma may contribute to there development. Poor posture, sleep disturbances and anxiety may all predispose to their development.. Patients with active trigger points present with persistent regional pain. It is usually related to activity although it can be constant. This can worsen at night and can interfere with sleep.

Trigger points are classiﬁed as Active or Latent

P, Brukner and K Khan; (2007) Clinical Sports Medicine: Revised third edition: Pages 28-29 J.M. McPartland, DO, MSTravell Trigger Points- “Molecular and Osteopathic Perspectives” The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, June 2005, Vol 104, 244-249

Discrete, focal, hyperirritable spot in a taut band of muscle. These areas are tender and painful on compression and in

It can be associated with shortening of muscles ﬁbres and decreasing range of motion. The most common areas affected areas are affected:

Active Trigger Points

These cause pain at rest. They are tender on

omst cases produce referred pain and tenderness.

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the Leader || 31 May 2017

Warm welcome for RAS return From back page A seriously fatigued Sean McFadden was still in a lot of pain from his skirmishes with the Donegal tar, but with skerries and the Ras finish only 130KM away, the Letterkenny man was determined to secure his Ras medal.

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God may have rested on the seventh day but the Iron men of the 2017 Ras had to wait a day longer.

Late Danny Murray

Sean dedicated his Ras medal to the family of the late Danny Murray, Letterkenny. Danny This he achieved in style as he and team was a good support to Sean in his early Voodoo performance finished the eight day cycling days and was no stranger to cycling of Ireland’s premier cycling race in the Co. himself. Danny was laid to rest in conwall graveyard, as the race ended on Sunday last. Dublin seaside town.

Above & Right: Sean McFadden holds up the County flag and right is Voodoo Team Performance. Left: The Ras passes through Letterkenny in the energy sapping warm conditions.

New sponsorship for St. Eunan’s GAA Hurling St Eunan’s GAA Club’s Senior Hurling team are delighted to announce a new sponsorship partnership with MintBet bookmakers (formerly Mc Bride’s Bookmakers). Senior hurling spokesperson, Paddy Flood, welcomed Mintbet’s sponsorship – ‘St. Eunan’s hurling continues to go from strength to strength and, having reached last years county semi-final, we hope to push on further in 2017 with a young team of local hurlers.

see companies from the area supporting local teams and giving support to a growing sport like hurling’. Thomas McBride – Mintbet Supporting CEO – welcomed the deal Local Teams ‘Mintbet are proud to support It will make a big difference to St. Eunan’s hurlers. We have our plans this year. It is great to had a presence in LetterWe are delighted to have Mintbet onboard as sponsors and are very thankful for their support.

Pictured at the official launch at O’Donnell Park are the St Eunan’s Senior Hurling squad with Mintbet CEO – Thomas Mc Bride and St Eunan’s Club Chairman Cathal Greene

kenny for a number of years and with the recent rebranding and expansion of our business and online offering at www.mintbet.com we felt the time was right to strengthen our ties with the local community. We would like to wish the hurlers the best of luck for the year ahead

and hope that they can bring home the silverware this year. Pictured at the official launch at O’Donnell Park are the St Eunan’s Senior Hurling squad with Mintbet CEO – Thomas Mc Bride and St Eunan’s Club Chairman Cathal Greene

SPORTS

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the Leader || 31 May 2017 the Leader || April 2017

Fitness Health & Nutrition BY NEIL BARRET

Fit Hub Letterkenny Unit 4 & 5, Pinehill Business Park, Mountain Top, Letterkenny, Phone: +353 85 875 3926

Training For Fat Loss – A Simple Breakdown of the Best Methods “I need to shed a few pounds for summer…….must start running!” We have all uttered these words to ourselves at one stage or another, and while I am not saying that running is an ineffective method of fat loss training, there are more efficient ways of doing it. Firstly, running is a skill, you must learn proper running mechanics if you want to stay niggle free or injury free. Running is simple, cost effective and requires very little preparation, stick on the trainers and plug in your headphones and you are good to go. However, take an average male for example who runs 3 days per week for approximately 30min., he could be burning up to 800 calories per session (depending on the intensity of the run). Now take the same male and put him through 30min of short duration interval training in a class environment that uses resistance training (bodyweight, barbell’s, dumbell’s and kettlebells for example) he will burn a similar volume of calories in that same time. The bonus here is, because the intensity was higher, and because he used resistance training, he will continue to burn calories at a very high rate well into the next day. So male (A) burns 800 calories 3 days per week, that equated to around 2400 additional calories per week giving him a fat loss of around 0.75-1lb per week. Now let’s look at male the Leader || May 2017 (B), he does the same

amount of training (3 x 30min sessions per week), but utilises a different form of training, at a higher intensity using resistance training. He will also burn 800 calories per session and an additional 600-1000 calories post exercise as his body works hard to recover from the training. This equates to around 2400 from training alone and an additional 1800-3000 calories of additional

energy through recovery processes, which, could potentially yield a whopping 5400 calories burned per week. This would lead to approximately 1.2-1.5lbs of fat loss per week. The same amount of time training, but nearly double the fat loss, bang for your buck in my opinion. Furthermore, male (B) is slowly building some lean tissue (muscle mass) which is a very

efficient fat burner in itself. The more muscle tissue your body has, the more calories you burn doing absolutely nothing. You may not get any fitter by utilising weight lifting, but if aesthetics (looking leaner) is your goal then it really doesn’t matter. If you kept your calorie intake the same, lifted weights 3 days per week, enough to help you put on 2lbs of lean tissue per month, then in 6 months your body would be burning an additional 600 calories per day, by doing absolutely nothing. Couple this with a slight reduction in calories consumed through eating (around 400 per day) you could burn up an extra 6000 per week, over 6 months that would total a fat loss of around 40lb or 20kg or 3 stone (should you have that much excess weight in the first place). Now, those of you reading this may be thinking “yeah well of course you would say that, you own a gym that does mainly weightlifting” to which I would reply, “yes I do”. I am not trying the hard sell here and saying join Fit-Hub, I am simply saying find something you enjoy, that doesn’t feel like a chore or punishment, that has some form of resistance training, do it consistently for up to 6 months and see the difference for yourself. It does NOT have to be Fit-Hub, it can be anywhere (but why choose somewhere else when you have the best weightlifting coaches in the country on your doorstep). Page 3

Opinion in the dressing room!

Next up in ‘Me & My Team Mates’ is Cloughaneely Half Back, Declan Mc Garvey. Declan is a big Arsenal fan. The best player he has come up against was Michael Murphy and blanket defences really annoy him! NAME: Declan Mc Garvey CLUB: Cloughaneely GAA Club POSITION: Half Back

ALL ABOUT YOU...

Cauley during a top of the table relegation play off, he thought the ref didn’t see him as he tried to hide among the supporters. He was spotted – he reckons by his big calves, but the ref argued it was his big mouth that gave him away!

What team do you support? Arsenal

Favourite player of all time and why? Thierry Henry…class act Favourite Food? Steak Favourite Movie? Any Bond movie

Best Player you ever played against? Michael Murphy

Favourite Band? U2

Best Player you ever played with? Michael Murphy

What annoys you on the pitch? Blanket Defences

Choose 2 famous people to be stuck on a desserted island with? Joe Brolly & Eamon Dunphy

If you could change one rule in the game what would it be? 13 a side teams Funniest incident you can remember on the pitch? The one-man pitch invasion by Terry Mc

ALL ABOUT YOUR TEAM MATES...

When it comes to a night out with the lads who would never buy a round?

Ciaran Mc Geady If the team was on a plane and the pilot took ill, who would you trust to land the plane? Paddy Joe Doohan Worst haircut a team mate ever landed into training with? Fuzzy (Donal Curran) landed down this week clean shaved Who would make the best future manager? Wildman (John Mc Fadden) If the keeper got injured name the best and worst outfield player to go in goal? Best: Jason Mc Gee Worst: Me Your best mate at the club? We are a close bunch If a fight broke out who in the team would you want by your side? Kevin Mulhern Best singer/entertainer in the team? Ciaran Collins Who is the longest in the shower? Defo John Mc Garvey worse than a woman.

Cloughaneely’s Declan Mc Garvey Would you like someone in your sports team to take part in ‘ Me & My Team Mates’? If so, call 074 91 25760 or email us: info@theleader.ie

SPORTS SPORTS

the Leader || 10 May 2017 the Leader || 31 May 2017

Page 87 Page 79

Champions League & Derby Weekend! Sports fans and punters alike are in for a treat this Saturday with the Champions League and the Derby coming our way. We’ll start by looking at the showpiece race from Epsom due off at 4.30pm. Sean Graham will refund losing single stakes as a free bet on the Derby if your selection finishes second by a neck or less, so take advantage of that fantastic concession on Derby day. All the big trial events for the contest have taken place but still we are no nearer to finding a definitive favourite. As ever the best place to start is by taking a look at the battalion of Aidan O’Brien trained runners. The master of Ballydoyle has kicked off the season in imperious form, scooping the first two classics of the season, with Churchill and Winter both claiming the Guineas at Newmarket. He also saddles Oaks favourite RHODODENREN (6/4 Guide Price) on Friday, who was an unfortunate runner up on the Rowley Mile. If she does claim Oaks glory on Friday afternoon, it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if O’Brien was to go on and land the Derby. His leading player should be CLIFFS OF MOHER (4/1 Guide Price). Still very lightly raced, the son of Galileo will be making just his fourth start when he lines up at Epsom. A workmanlike winner of the Dee Stakes at Chester last time out, he was under pressure from over three furlongs, but showed a game attitude to stay on strongly under Ryan Moore and scored by a length and a half from a decent yardstick in Bay Of Poets. He is the shortest price of the Ballydoyle runners and is clearly the main hope. The three horses that ran in the Derrinstown trial at Leopardstown should also feature –

DOUGLAS MACARTHUR (20/1 Guide price), YUCATAN (14/1 Guide Price) and CAPRI (20/1 Guide Price) finished in that order back on May 7. Less than a length separated them at the finish that day which would suggest that none of the trio have the ability to go on and win the big race on the Downs. O’Brien fired another three bullets at the Chester Vase with VENICE BEACH (16/1 Guide Price) scoring under Moore with WINGS OF EAGLES (25/1 Guide Price) and THE ANVIL (40/1 Guide Price) in behind. Again that form doesn’t amount to much, but Venice Beach is regally bred being a halfbrother to the Arc and King George winner Danedream. Of the Coolmore second-string he’d be the one of most interest. Outside of the O’Brien army and John Gosden could be the man to put a spanner in the works, he saddles leading fancy CRACKSMAN (4/1 Guide Price). It remains to be seen if the son of the mighty Frankel will be streetwise enough to win the Derby on just his third start. He was due to take in the Dante Stakes at York for which he was favourite, but soft conditions scuppered that plan, forcing Gosden to withdraw the horse and send him for a gallop round Epsom instead. However that may well have been a blessing in disguise. He won the Derby trial at Epsom back in April and another spin round the unique track can’t have hurt. Gosden stressed that there was a short turnaround between the Dante and Derby (16 days), so while other horses have had to rest and then build up again, Cracksman is fresh and ready to rumble around a course that can catch many horses out. Another note on Cracksman, the horse he beat in the Derby Trial – PERMIAN (12/1 Guide Price) has went on to win a listed contest at Newmarket and then won the Dante

REAL MADRID itself so how’s that for form being franked. Almost a forgotten horse of the race could be EMINENT (10/1 guide price). While all the trial races were taking place, trainer Martyn Meade has been preparing this son of Frankel for his Derby bid. Well fancied for the Guineas after a taking win in the Craven, he could only manage sixth in a race that was not run to suit. Meade has always stressed that a step up in trip would suit the horse and there hasn’t been many better Derby trials in recent years than the 2000 Guineas. Australia, Camelot, Sea The Stars and New Approach in recent years all ran at Newmarket, either winning or running a nice race, before going on to score at Epsom.

Champions League final in Cardiff

CLIFFS OF MOHER

4/1

Moving on to the big game on Saturday night then as the irresistible force of Real Madrid take on the immovable object of Juventus in the Champions League final in Cardiff. There will be all manner of star players on show with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain strutting their stuff. At Sean Graham if your first goalscorer bet does open the scoring, and then goes on to score another; you’ll receive double the odds on your bet. On paper it looks such a tight contest. Free-scoring Real Madrid scored a goal in every single game this season and clinched the La Liga title on the final weekend with a 2-0 win at Malaga. However Juventus have been miserly at the back, particularly in the Champions League where The Old Lady only conceded three goals in 12 matches. It’s clearly strength v strength as the attacking talents of Ronaldo and co square off against a

5/6 rock solid Juventus defence marshalled by Gigi Buffon. It would take a brave man to think that Real Madrid can be shut out for the first time all season, but if any team can keep a clean sheet it’s this Juventus outfit. They are not too shabby themselves in attack with the Argentinian Dybala a classy player not too dissimilar to his international teammate, a certain Lionel Messi. The betting suggests Madrid (5/6 Guide Price) are slightly favoured to retain their Champions League crown, but Serie A champions Juventus (Evs Guide Price) are more than capable of coming out on top. If the Italians can grab the first goal of the game that would give them a fantastic opportunity to play to their strengths and defend like their lives depended on it for the remainder of the 90 minutes.

Sean Graham Bookmakers Tips DERBY: Eminent CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Juventus to Lift Trophy. Dybala First Goalscorer

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the Leader || 31 May 2017

theLeader

SPORT

An Post Ras

Warm welcome for RAS return The 2017 An Post Ras rolled into Bundoran on Tuesday afternoon, 23rd May, to a warm welcome in every sense, the hardy cyclists having already completed two days of racing that began at Dublin Castle on Sunday. By Brian Mc Monagle Making a return to Donegal after an absence of 5 years, the Ras was greeted by a large number of spectators throughout the county and also by record temperatures for the month of May. The Ras is an annual, eight day stage race around Ireland and covers a total of 1200 KM. This years event had added appeal as 3 of the gruelling days were based in Donegal and we also had a local team mixing it with the cycling big boys. Team Voodoo performance was the brain child of Letterkenny’s endurance specialist, Sean McFadden. Thanks to the help and support of men like Jason Black and

Jason McHugh, the idea became a reality just in time to compete. McFadden, a veteran of two previous Ras races, teamed up with four other riders from Dublin, Cork and Tipperary to form the voodoo performance outfit.

Donegal Leg On Wednesday for the Donegal leg, the Ras left Bundoran for Buncrana, a 152KM cycle that included the notorious climb of Mamore gap. A brutal 1KM ascent that would test the best of cyclists, followed by a descent where speeds can reach over 80KM’s per hour. Stage 5 left Buncrana early on Thursday morning for the longest part of the race covering 181KM. The

Irene McFadden’s 4th class pupils from Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál cheering on her husband Sean McFadden in the RAS as it passes through Letterkenny.

Hard working cyclists making their way through Letterkenny last week.

scorching sunshine stayed with the competitors all the way to the finish on Dungloe main street. During this stage, Sean McFadden had two bad falls, the first outside Rathmullan involving a car, and the 2nd heading through Gweedore when contact with a cat’s eye nearly ended his Ras. Fighting through the pain barrier the ultra-tough council employee battled on to Dungloe and got patched up by the local chemist and a few close friends. Friday saw the riders do battle with Glengesh pass as they left Dungloe on a 132KM journey to the podium in the diamond,

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Donegal Town. Again, the heat was intense as the weary cyclists battled the winding route from Ardara into Killybegs as stage 6 drew to a close. The following day (Saturday), saw this year’s event exit Donegal Town and the county, as the remaining riders made the trip southwards to Ardee in Co. Louth. The penultimate day‘s racing was met by torrential down pours and saw average speeds drop significantly as safety first was the order of the day.

Continued on page 77

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