Christmas 2008 newsfour

DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

NewsFour Free Community Newspaper serving Sandymount, Irishtown, Ringsend, Docklands, Ballsbridge and Donnybrook Web: www.news4.ie • E-mail: newsfourscs@eircom.net • Local Newsdesk: Phone 6673317

MR TILLY’S WINTER WONDERLAND

Buoy, oh buoy…

NATIONAL CRAFT FAIR

AT THE

Liam Tilly, above, always puts on a brilliant show at Christmas, but he has surpassed himself this year! He is pictured above with Dean Tillly, Sarah Tilly, Hannah Tilly, Fiona OʼSullivan and Hannah OʼSullivan. Every year Liam has a collection drum for the charity of his choice, so be sure to contribute and acknowledge his labour of love.

Ruairí Quinn TD is pictured at the recent opening of the Wine Boutique in Ringsend with joint owners Ciara OʼShaughnessy and Therese OʼToole.

One of the more unusual exhibitors at this yearʼs National Crafts and Design Fair is Noel Donnelly and his ʻBuoy oh Buoyʼ range of marine-themed lighting products. Noel, from Caherdaniel in South Kerry, is an electrician by trade and also a keen fisherman.

His unique idea was inspired by the beautiful waters in which he fished as a boy. He has created a range of lighting products made from deep-sea trawler buoys that have been washing up on our shores for over half a century.

The buoys are polished, drilled and a light is fitted into them. Each buoy has its own unique character, coming from different countries: France, Spain, Portugal and England mostly, although Russian and Japanese buoys have also been transformed.

Unique markings signify country of origin, but the length of time they spend in the water and the amount of bashing they receive also contribute to the character of the end product.

Popular for both indoor feature lighting and outdoor/ patio lighting, of course they are both rust and waterproof. Noelʼs unique nautical lighting can be seen at stand A32 of the National Craft and Design Fair in the RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin.

Over 500 designers, artists and craftspeople will be exhibiting in the RDS from Wednesday 3rd December to Sunday 7th December. For the first three days, opening times are 10am to 10pm, with Saturday and Sunday opening from 10am to 7pm. Admission is €10 or €7 concession. Contact Details: www.buoyohbuoy.com e-mail: buoyohbuoy@gmail.com.

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NewsFour Managing Editor Ann Ingle Advertising Manager Grainne McGuinness Office Manager Miriam Holmes Staff Louise Hanrahan Glenda Cimino Audrey Healy John Cavendish Nessa Jennings Stephanie Morris John Fitzgerald Contributors Michael Hilliard Shay Connolly James O’Doherty Grainne McGuinness George Humphries Noel Twamley Ray Ryan Jean Giff Geoffrey P B Lyons David Nolan David J B Lyon John Cheevers Eugene Carolan Web Designer Andrew Thorn Photography John Cheevers Design, Typesetting, Layout Eugene Carolan Community Services, 15 Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4.

Telephone: (01)6673317 E-mail: newsfourscs@eircom.net Affiliated to Comhairle, South-East Area Network, (SEAN) Local History Research, Community Resource Service, NewsFour Newspaper, FÁS Community Employment Programme.

Opinions expressed in News Four do not necessarily represent the views of Community Services.

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

I

The Editor’s Corner

tʼs that time of year again and let there be no panic. On pages 30 and 31 you will find lots of gift ideas from your local traders so no need for that dash into town.

Also on the front page is a reminder of the Craft Fair which takes place each year in the RDS. Another good year for ʻNewsFourʼ. I must congratulate and thank our staff for their hard work and innovation. Also where would we be without our stalwart contributors whose input is greatly appreciated? Eugene produces the paper with ease despite deadlines and John Cheevers is always there to provide the pictures to add colour to the stories.

Of course, our advertisers are the backbone of the paper because we simply wouldnʼt exist without them. Thank you all so much for your continued support. The

sponsors of Sandymount Community Services work in the background to keep things running smoothly and Caroline Kavanagh of FÁS is always there to provide help and encouragement.

Remember that we are running our great Short Story Competition again, with a prize of €150. The cold and gloom of December is an ideal spur to stay indoors and spin masterpieces of literary storytelling. Turn to page 37 for full details of this competition.

Below on this page is a story of homelessness and addiction. It serves as a reminder to us all to be grateful for what we have in our lives right now. The past is gone, the future is unknown and all we have is today. I, for one, intend to live life to the full.

Love and contentment to you all.

Ann Ingle

H OMELESSNESS AT CHRISTMAS AND BEYOND

By Louise Hanrahan

L

orna is forty years old. At first glance she looks like any other young lady with the world at her feet. She carries herself very well in the circumstances that she is faced with on a daily basis.

Lorna left school after finishing her Leaving Cert which she passed with honours. She then went on to complete a course run by the CDVEC in the Ballsbridge College of Business Studies.

In 1989 her mother got an application for a job in a bank, which she gave to her. Lorna thought to herself that she would not be good enough to apply but Lornaʼs application was successful and towards the end of 1989, she started working for the bank.

She was 20 years of age at that time and very happy in her work.

Lorna made friends very quickly and became a bit of a party animal.

She recalls Friday nights when after work they would head down to the local bar after a hard working week.

Of course. Monday mornings were a dread as staff in the bank would recite in graphic detail her antics after getting completely out of it on a cocktail of beer, wine and song. Lorna began to realise that this behaviour was way out of control and knew it would lead her down a slippery slope of no return if not addressed quickly.

After many years of unsuccessful attempts to put her life back on track, which included residen-

tial stays in the Rutland and St Patrickʼs, time was not waiting and life was passing by. After many a near miss whilst drink-driving and numerous times waking up in the casualty department, Lorna received a barring order to stay away from the home that she shared with her frail mother.

Lornaʼs mum was very ill and had only recently undergone major heart surgery and could not take any more. Throughout all this time her employer had been very supportive towards her. They even gave Lorna time off to take a vacation to Australia to try and help.

Sadly, nothing seemed to work.

After 14 years service she was given a €10,000 pay off by the bank.

Lorna took the money without thinking and it went very fast.

Lorna tried again to get sober and was lucky enough to get into a three-month Residential Rehabilitation programme, run by the Dublin Simon Community. At the end of this programme Lorna was giv-

en accommodation by Simon in their womenʼs Dry House.

She maintained sobriety for a while but in the end the drink won her over and she was asked to leave.

Lorna is now a resident in a womenʼs emergency hostel, which is run by a religious order. This accommodation caters for chronic alcoholics, drug addicts, battered wives and their children, lone parents and every socially-excluded woman, whatever their issue may be.

As with any hostel, there are rules. The premises open at 7pm and residents must vacate at 12mid-day the following day.

The only exception allowed is for the elderly and parents with their young children.

Lorna only uses this hostel in the evening as a place to have a shower and sleep. Itʼs not the kind of place that in all the years that she spent socialising with her bank chums on Friday nights she ever dreamed she might end up in. Sometimes reality hurts. What will Christmas will be like for Lorna and how will 2009 work out?

“I hope it goes as quickly as possible to be honest, the whole lot, New Year also. Thereʼs only so much that I can take. Itʼs a sad time for me and of course I am not alone in feeling this way. There are a lot of people out there suffering in situations much worse than I am faced with. Can you imagine spending Christmas Day up a back street lane with nowhere to go? At least I will have a roof over my

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Ask for Mary or Billy. head, please God.” Lorna is optimistic and tells me that she is going to give this New Year her best shot. “I must be a lot harder on myself next year. This behaviour has to stop. I have compiled a plan with the help of a very good friend I met whilst on the Simon Rehab Programme.

This person is a walking advertisement of inspiration to me and others as he is now entering his fifth year of sobriety. He tells me that after a long time battling this demon, which is a killer, he now lives the life of his wildest dreams.

With his and othersʼ help and support I hope to succeed.”

Being homeless on the streets is not easy. It can happen to anyone, regardless of oneʼs social background, and can be a very traumatic experience, as in Lornaʼs case.

The winter ahead is very stressful.

To be on the streets is soul-destroying and can make people turn to crime and begging, and self esteem is non-existent.

It can even make these poor, lost people that had a decent start in life turn to total depression and sometimes worse.

The Dublin Simon Community can be contacted at www.dubsimon.ie or telephone 10 671 5551 to make a donation.

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

P OST ,

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PAST AND PRESENT

By John Cheevers

T

he postal service as we know it to-day started way back in the 16th Century when Queen Elizabeth I decided to organise a regular service to control and supervise her armies in Ireland.

Some time after that, Nicholas Fitzsymon, alderman and member of an influential Dublin family, was chosen as the first official postmaster of Dublin City.

Originally, letters were both collected and delivered by post boys. Then came the horsedrawn mail coach service and with the advent of the railway and the mail train a more efficient service came about.

The letter office where one could post or receive letters was originally situated in Castle Street, Dublin. From there it moved to High Street, then on to Fishamble Street and then to various locations around the city before finally settling in OʼConnell Street, then known as Sackville Street. It opened for business on 6th January 1818, by which time it was known as the General Post Office.

The building was designed by the eminent architect Francis Johnston. The three statues in pride of place on top of the façade are by the sculptor Edward Smyth.

At one side there is Mercury, the messenger of the gods, on

Chiropractor Dr Gemma Bailey (DC BSc (Hons) Chiro) Dr Danny Scahill (DC BSc (Hons) Chiro)

the other side Fidelity, who holds a key, and in the centre is Hibernia holding a spear and harp. The GPO was the first in Ireland designed specifically as a post office.

Due to an enormous increase in mail, there was an unwelcome suggestion that in order to speed things up people should cut a slit in their fine hall doors to receive their post. However, they soon became accustomed to the idea and the ʻslitʼ evolved into the familiar letter box as we know it to-day.

The first postage stamp was an historic innovation when it was introduced. This stamp was the famous ʻPenny Blackʼ and bore the profile of the young 18 year old Queen Victoria.

At that time, stamps were printed in sheets and had to be cut with scissors. A Dublin man, Henry Archer, invented a machine for perforating the paper.

The system used for the collection of letters greatly improved with the installation of the pillar box. These boxes were already in use in France, Germany and Belgium, but it was Anthony Trollope, the novelist and sometime postal advisor,

who introduced them into the UK and Ireland.

The early Irish post boxes were of individual design but were eventually standardised.

Both the pillar and wall mounted ones bore the royal insignia of their era: Queen Victoria 18741901 (one of which can be found opposite St Patrickʼs church in Ringsend), Edward VII 19011910 (located on Sandymount Road) and George V 1910-1922 (on Westmoreland Street).

The boxes were originally painted royal red and with Irish independence in 1922 the colour was changed to emerald green.

Post-independence boxes displayed the P&T (Posts and Telegraphs) symbol until the formation of the semi-state body ʻAn Postʼ in 1984.

From top, clockwise: Two antique wall post boxes still in use locally. The plain Victorian contrasts with the slightly flashy Edward the Seventh. Standalone classic post box on Sandymount Avenue of a type made between 1922 and 1984.

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PAGE 4

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

Bookworm Reviewed by Audrey Healy

ʻBEFORE I FORGETʼ by Melissa Hill I have always enjoyed Melissa Hillʼs books and I looked forward to reading this book with anticipation and enthusiasm. However, I believe ʻBefore I Forgetʼ was cast into my hands for a reason.

Abby is a thirty-something woman who has the world at her feet. Sheʼs feeling a little shakenup after breaking up with her partner of five years Kieran and has lost a little of her self-confidence.

Sheʼs finding it a bit hard to get back on her feet but has the full support of her best friend Erin and her sisters Caroline and Claire and her widowed mother Teresa.

But Abbyʼs life changes forever the day she rushes to work and has a terrible accident. She collides with a falling slate and is rushed to hospital, where she suffers a serious head injury.

When she eventually comes to some time later, she is concussed and suffers confusion and head-

aches and is told that she has suffered some damage to her brain.

She has some testing times ahead, particularly with regard to her memory.

Her brain, her neurologist tells her, may not be able to retain images and events as they happen.

She may lose them just as soon as they occur. Abby is devastated.

How can she live like this?

A trip to New York to see her newly-born niece and a suggestion by her brother-in-law Zach offers some hope when he suggests keeping a memory chest for the baby and Abby decides to do just that, record everything as it happens, take a photograph every day, videotape everything, secure every moment in case itʼs lost forever– “before I forget.”

Feeling the need to record all lifeʼs little treasures, Abby makes a list of all the things she wants to do before her brain gives up on her, ʻVisit the South Pole… Kiss a Stranger… Christmas in New

The Oarsman Bar Ringsend Bridge Street Phone : 6688990

Traditional Music Every Monday night Lunch served from 12.30 to 3.00 Monday to Friday

Yorkʼ.

Abby, just like in a movie, bumps in to an Irishman, of all people! Finn is just passing through and they get talking and she takes a chance, Finn is warm and friendly and offers to show her round New York and taking the bull by the horns she does just that.

She has the time of her life, eating chestnuts in the cold, sharing life stories with mugs of hot chocolate. On the face of it, it sounds so romantic but when fate brings them together back on Irish soil in the New Year to her Finn is but a stranger and Abby realises the extent of this cruel illness.

As time goes by Abby faces some challenging times. Will her psychologist Hannah be able to help her allay her fears? Will she and Finn be able to build a lasting relationship?

Is it fair to ask him to take her on if she is having memory problems when she could forget today before they even begin tomorrow? Can she ever lay the ghost of ex-boyfriend Kieran to rest?

And what big secret are her family hiding?

The reason I found this book so emotional to read is because Abby is diagnosed with epilepsy which I

ʻHEADSʼ by Gerry Anderson One thing I know about my friend well-known BBC Broadcaster and Author Gerry Anderson is that heʼs always funny, always entertaining and always unpredictable– and only he could push the boundaries and write the book that no one else dared to write– the truth about life in the showbands.

Not for him the rose-tinted spectacled memories, not for him the limos, the fancy hotels and the big pay cheques and the groupies– rather the nameless, faceless women, (the ʻwoodtopsʼ) the broken-down clattered vans, the gigs in tents with holes in them where no one turned up, the embarrassing shiny suits, the pathetic tomato sandwiches, the rows, the cat and mouse drama of ʻthe slow danceʼ in damp rural dance halls, the hilarious and desperate attempts to score with women of all ages, backgrounds and marital status.

have had for the past twenty three years. Generally, it has been quite controlled with medication but not in the past two years. Since then it has been out of control and in my opinion it is not an illness that is talked about as openly as

diabetes or asthma.

Melissa Hill tackles a brave and sensitive subject in this, her latest book and I, for one, found myself devouring it. ʻBefore I Forgetʼ is published

by Hodder.

I promise you youʼll laugh out loud at Andersonʼs account of his years in ʻBrown and OʼBrienʼ back in the early seventies. (Long before I was born Gerry… just thought Iʼd sneak that in– I know youʼll be reading this!)

Gerry dares to tell it like it really was in the showband era in his newly-published memoirs ʻHeadsʼ, released recently by Gill

and Macmillan. The words sex, drugs and rock ʻnʼ roll spring to mind in this humorous and nostalgic look back at life on the road in a haze of women, dance halls, late nights and incoherent days.

From his early days in a bed-sit in Dublin, he says it didnʼt occur to him that he ought to eat, having been fed and pampered by his loving mother prior to discovering his independence. Two collapses followed and an unfriendly encounter with Gaybo.

In 1972, Gerry was the bass guitarist with a band called ʻBrown and OʼBrienʼ, a fairly dispirited bunch of musicians making a half-hearted stab at recapturing the glory and popularity previously enjoyed by showband singers Billy Brown and Mike OʼBrien.

In a period when the decadelong wave of inexplicably popular showbands was receding rapidly, the group trudged their way to a gig in Donegal, pausing only for spinal column crushing concoc-

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

PAGE 5 tions of Benzedrine and whiskey, and recollections of dingy Dublin bed-sits and Clockwork Orangeinduced hotel room break-ins…

Says Gerry, “People look back on the showband business as you know, ʻwhat a wonderful time it was, a unique time and everybody was happy,ʼ but thatʼs not true at all and thatʼs the reason why I decided to write this book.

“I called the book ʻHeadsʼ because ever since I was about ten years old our house was full of musicians because my brother was a trombone player and the first thing I noticed was that that they called each other heads– ʻHow are ya head!ʼ A head was someone who was particularly good musically. I decided to write it because I thought nobody else would– Iʼm not saying that this book is the quintessential book

H IGH

HOPES

FOR U2 T OWER

OVER THE past year, the Dublin Docklands Development Authority and Geranger Ltd have been in ongoing discussions regarding the advancement of the U2 Tower as a major project for Dublin Docklands and significant progress has been made.

However, the Docklands Authority have now decided to suspend negotiations regarding the development for up to twelve months to allow for an improvement in the current uncertainty surrounding the property and financial markets.

Geranger was selected as the provisional preferred bidder to design, construct and finance the U2 Tower and Britain Quay Building late last year. However, intervening market events have made progress difficult.

The Docklands Authority continues to have full confidence in this landmark project for an inspirational U2 Tower building, which is an important element in the Master Plan for the area.

The Authority is confident that these economic uncertainties are short to medium term and that the Docklands will continue to be a vibrant and positive regeneration project for the city of Dublin.

on showbands because itʼs not but itʼs the kind of book Iʼd have liked to read.”

Gerry reflects on his past life and the current downward trajectory of his career. He recalls incidents of which he is not proud, and offers solutions to important issues that need not have concerned him.

This is no ordinary good-time showband memoir filled with warm stories and wholesome craic. This is the way it was, with harsh behaviour, singing dwarves, whip-wielding landladies, psychotic saxophonists and chemically-enhanced drummers.

Gerry started off as an apprentice toolmaker and was sacked immediately because of bad attitude.

Retiring in a huff to his bedroom carrying a guitar, he emerged three years later as a rock and roll

guitar player. He played in bands and lived in England, Dublin, Canada and America until he got too old to stay up three days in a row, dropped out of rock and roll and went to university to study Sociology, Social Anthropology and Continuing Education.

He joined the BBC in 1985 on Radio Ulsterʼs breakfast show, which he presented until 1994.

During this period he also presented programmes on BBC Radio 2, and an innovative daily programme on BBC Radio 4 called ʻAnderson Countryʼ as a result of which he was hounded out of England. In 1995 he returned to the BBC Radio Ulster morning show which he continues to present. ʻHeadsʼ is available in all good bookshops now, priced €14.99.

Buy it. I promise you itʼs a hoot!

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I

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

GIFT FROM

M ARILYN M ONROE

By Noel Twamley

n 1952 I had started my MechʼEngʼDipʼ and late September I had a most welcome visit from that great abbey actor Dennis OʼDea. Dennis and his wife actress Siobhan McKenna lived near us in Richmond Street and he had an outboard motor for repair.

I agreed and upon opening the box I almost fainted. It was the most beautiful sight to behold. This American motor with its outer shell painted yellow with red stripes was, to my eyes, a work of art.

Note to younger readers: in 1952 Ireland and Europe were a glum and dark place, no colour. It was only eight years since World War Two, the Cold War was in full swing, doom and gloom abounded. Even new cars were black or dark green.

Small wonder I was besotted by this colourful piece of Americana.

I repaired the crossed plug threads and we tested in Portobello Harbour and up to Haroldʼs Cross Bridge.

On returning the engine to Dennis OʼDea, he told me how he had acquired this beauty. “I had just come

back from Canada and USA,” said Dennis “we were shooting a film called ʻNiagaraʼ with Joseph Cotton, Jean Peters and Marilyn Monroe.”

“Now hold on Dennis,” I said, “I know of Joseph Cotton, I have seen most of his films in the Stella and Princess cinemas in Rathmines but who the heck is Marilyn Monroe?”

“ʻNiagaraʼwill be released next year [1953], and I am sure Marilyn will be a big star. Itʼs her first big role and the camera likes her. Indeed, we all liked her, she is a very nice, decent and kind person. Siobhan and I believe she will go far.”

Little did we know then that she was to become perhaps the most famous female movie star of all. Dennis then told me that at the end of filming she had bought everybody a gift– everybody, sound, lighting, cameramen.

“Every chance I got,” said Denis, “I was out fishing on the great lakes.

Marilyn saw this and bought me this motor.” He said she must have spent her entire fee on gifts– she was generous to a fault.

Over the years since then I have read many stories about Marilyn Monroe, most of them nasty, al-

ways looking for scandal. I prefer to believe the honest, kind and warm tribute by Dennis OʼDea so many years ago, The film ʻNiagaraʼ was reissued in 2006 on DVD. I warmly recommend this movie. It is still a powerful piece of cinema from the golden age of mid-20th century Hollywood.

Above: Marilyn and on left with Joseph Cotton in ʻNiagaraʼ.

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NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

PAGE 7

WHEEL SUPPORT FOR CHARITIES

A major element of the p a r tnership between BT a n d The Wheel will focus o n the information and c o mmunication technology element highlighting to e a c h group the help with I C T training and support w h en they sign up.

T he Anchorage Project b a s ed in Ringsend, Dublin i s t he first charity to be s e l ected for free members h i p under the ʻMember S p o nsorship Programmeʼ.

T h e Anchorage Project is a c harity that serves the l o c al community, while at

the same time helping various communities in the developing world.

The activities operating at the project are biased towards young people, families, the elderly, and children with additional needs and they include clubs, childcare facilities, animal units, a garden and a greenhouse.

Pictured left are Deirdre Garvey, Chief Executive Officer, The Wheel, Chris Clark, CEO, BT and Joseph Donnelly, The Anchorage Project.

Dublin 2, 4, 6 Citizens’ Information Service (CIC) has opened a new outreach information centre BT AND THE WHEEL ROLL OUT CHARITY MEMBERSHIPS IN DUBLIN BT has joine d f o r c e s with the umbre l l a b o d y for charities, Th e W h e e l , to launch their ʻ M e m b e r

Sponsorship Programmeʼ w h i c h w i l l se e B T p r o v i d e charities in Dublin with free membership to The Wheel.

The Wheel is a support a n d r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o rg a n i-

s a t i o n f o r t h e c o m m u n i t y, voluntary and charitable s e c t o r i n I r e l a n d . M e mb e r c h a r i t i e s a r e o ff e r e d training and advice to help t h e m r u n t h e i r o rg a n i s at i o n s m o r e e ff e c t i v e l y.

WISHING YOU A HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR FROM LUCINDA AND CLLR. PADDY MCCARTAN

Tuesday 9 am to 1 pm at

Haddington Road CIC St Mary’s Parish Centre, Haddington Road Dublin 4

All are welcome

PAGE 8

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

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NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

PAGE 9

MARIAN’S PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AWARENESS DAY

By John Cavendish On Wednesday 22nd October in Marian College there was the Physical Activity Awareness day with a number of local sports clubs gathered in the school hall showing off the benefits of joining their clubs.

The event was organised by the

schoolʼs new physical education teacher Thomas Broderick in conjunction with the recreation and sports officer for the southeast area of Dublin from the City Council, Aideen OʼConnor.

Thomas Broderick wants to get his students to become more aware of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and sporting activity. A number of local sports clubs from

the Dublin 4 district were present to show off their achievements to the students.

Crusaders Athletic Club, founded by G. V. Ryan in Monkstown Park in 1942, have group training all year long on Tuesday and Thursday at 6.30pm and are based in Irishtown Stadium. They can be contacted on 087 782 8053 or Larry Ryder at 01 283

6490, e-mail info@crusaders. org and they have a web page at www.crusaders.org The YMCA Hockey Club runs weekly coaching and matches for age groups; Under 14s and Under 16s every Friday at Wesley College, Ballinteer; the Under 8s, 10s and 12s from 10.00 to 11.00 every Saturday morning at UCD in Belfield and more coaching for all at the YMCA sports grounds, Claremont Road, Sandymount, at 12.30 on Sundays. For details call Kate Chadwick on 087 236 2820.

The Ringsend Karate Club was founded in 1973 by 8th Dan Sensei (instructor) Fran Nangle.

The Club is represented on the Irish Karate Board and caters for male and female members of all ages. The club regularly competes in national and international competitions and this year had responsibility for organising the National Championship in Kilkenny. For information call Deirdre OʼConnor on 086 0729824.

UCD Marian Basketball Club are celebrating their 40th anniversary season this year.

They have ten teams participating in Dublin and National competitions with junior teams that operate out of St. Andrewʼs Col-

lege, Blackrock and a National League team which features professional and scholarship players playing home games in the UCD sports centre, mainly on Sunday afternoons.

The basketball season starts officially in September with some matches in the summer. The person to contact is development officer Conor Meany by e-mail at conormeany@gmail.com Railway Union is one of the largest mixed-use sports clubs in Dublin. Sport activities include bowls, cricket, hockey, rugby, soccer and tennis and facilities include all-weather floodlit tennis courts, grass courts, a bowling green, and pitches for cricket, rugby and soccer. Located just along Park Avenue in Sandymount they have a fully licensed bar and function hall.

Call 01 2691783 or visit www. railwayunion.com Marian College are well placed with good sports facilities at the school, including a swimming pool that is open to the public with swimming lessons, aqua aerobics, parent and baby classes, holistic therapy and a sports injury clinic.

Above: The Frisbee Gang pictured in Marian College.

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PAGE 10

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

HAVE CHRISTMAS LUNCH WITH TOM O’CONNOR

By Audrey Healy

T

om OʼConnor has just had his hair cut. He tells me that the hairdresser suggested he dye it– but he refused.

“Itʼs all part of the act,” he explains in his familiar Liverpool accent.

Familiar on our televisions screens as the one-time host of popular game shows ʻName That Tuneʼ and ʻCrosswitsʼ, itʼs difficult to believe that the comedian/ TV host/ author worked for many years as a mathematics and music teacher.

The progression from a sensible teaching post to the more adventurous entertainment role began through singing. Tom says that after a while he ended up “being the guy who leaned on a guitar and told jokes and when the audience stopped laughing we sang!”

So how did the transition to the stardom experienced today evolve? “We went where the money was, getting two or three

pounds a night– but we soon discovered that the comedians were getting six pounds. Their

gags were awful and they were using our equipment, so it meant we had to stay on stage all night.

S HELBOURNE P19HARMACY Irishtown Road

Tel/Fax: 668 4481 • Tel: 668 2433

Join our Christmas Club and get 10% DISCOUNT OFF all our gift sets and receive entry to our Christmas Draw for a Gift Voucher WORTH €200 Draw to take place Friday 19th December 2008

A Very Happy Christmas from Paddy and the Staff

Eventually I thought ʻblow this!ʼ so we introduced comedy into the act full-time. I used to write comedy parodies, songs that were big hits back then.”

Hughie Greene invited Tom on his ʻOpportunity Knocksʼ show and he was away.

Tom OʼConnor often spends more time in Ireland than at home in Liverpool. Apart from his family connections here, Ireland is a place that remains close to his heart. “Yes, my ideal audience is here in Ireland. Itʼs not a place where thereʼs a deadly hush. By the time I go on stage everyone is each otherʼs pal because theyʼve shared the jokes with the compere and had a few drinks and wandered about and to that extent when I do any television show now we insist on having an audience that I can work to before I start so Iʼm really doing a live show and the people are feeling it.”

Regular slots and television appearances have all contributed to the successful career of this proud Liverpuddlian. Tomʼs fondness for Dublin is well documented. In many ways, he says, it reminds him of his home town.

“Dublin reminds me of what I remember about the best of Liverpool. The late sixties and early

seventies. People were going forward, they were still excited, people were still happy and going out to be entertained. Liverpool used to be like Dublin but unfortunately it has lost it.”

When you think of Tom OʼConnor comedy is not the only thing that springs to mind.

His love of golf is well-known.

With a schedule as busy as his, it seems that the game has become his secret refuge. “I started the golf back in 1973, I was doing a summer season as a comedian– thereʼs nothing more boring than a seaside resort, two shows a night, usually twenty five minutes a go so youʼre bored, you have a late night, sleep, wake up groggy and then itʼs back on stage.”

Enjoy Christmas lunch with Tom OʼConnor when he appears in Dublinʼs Regency Airport Hotel on Sunday 7th, Monday 8th December, Tuesday 9th December and Wednesday 10th Dec. The cabaret show will feature music and songs from the 70s and 80s, with great standards performed by Helen Jordan, Gerry Farrelly and Clodagh Long. This show is designed to take you back to those great days of Cabaret.

A super full Christmas Lunch will be served at 12.30 and the show commences at 1.30. For bookings and enquiries please call 01 833 0433, Monday to Friday 11am to 7p.m.

SINN FÉIN RE-SELECT COUNCILLOR DOOLAN Dublin South East Sinn Féin re-selected sitting councillor Daithí Doolan as the candidate to contest Dubl i n ʼs S o u t h E a s t I n n e r City in the forthcoming local elections in 2009 at their local election convention.

The meeting, which was chaired by Sinn Féin MEP Mary Lou McDonald, was attended by a large number of party members and supporters from the s o u t h i n n e r c i t y.

“I would like to thank the local party activists who have again given me the opportunity of representing Sinn Féin in the forthcoming elections. I will continue to work hard for the local community and will be particularly vigilant now that the failed economic policies of the current Government are having such disastrous results on the most vulnera b l e s e c t i o n s o f s o c i e t y. ”

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

PAGE 11

R INGSEND G IRLS ’ N ATIONAL S CHOOL CIRCA 1945 Main picture, front row: ?

Charters, Nora Kennedy, Patty Donnery, Margaret Murphy, Rita Flood?, Maura Tonge, Kathleen Reynolds, Healy, ?

Second row: ?, Carmel Kinsella, Lily Byrne, Annie Harney, Kathleen Redmond, Vera Lawlor, Byrne, ?, Olin, Lily Purdy, Purcell.

Third row: ?,?, Sheila Gibson, Bethner Gaffney, Betty Dent, Kathleen Pepper, Kathleen Caulfield, Lily Sweeney, Bridget Gough (the writer) Fourth Row: ?, ?, Maureen Brennan, ?, Olin, Mary Daly, Madge Stafford, ?, Esther Seeney, Raythorne.

The Letterbox Dear Madam Editor I would like to thank you so much for sending me News Four. It brings me back to when I was young. I enjoy the letters and the interesting articles in your paper, in some of the letters I recognize the names of old neighbours. In your article about Lawless shop, I too remember it when it was Robinsons and the many times I was sent to it for crosswords books for my uncle Joe Scully.

I would like to say a big thank you to an old neighbour Oliver Doyle for keeping myself and my late husband Paddy, supplied with your paper for a long time, but it has been hard to get it since moving to Co Meath thank you Ollie.

In our hearts my sisters and I have never left Stella Gardens, and in our telephone conversations (they live in England) we reminisce about old times, even though people had very little, the strand as we called it we could run up to it and play for a few hours. Oh such hard but happy times! On that note I will close, Thank you Yours Sincerely Josie Gorman Nee Josie Bolger Dear Madam Editor Ours is a world where random acts of kindness are sadly becoming more and more rare where people are often too busy to stop and have a word. But one likes to believe that

oneʼs neighbours are people who do care and on whom one can depend.

Not for some of us residents on Newbridge Avenue. I, like so many others, have lost my front garden to a drive in– a necessity in this area where parking is real problem. I saved my money and I chose my builders well– in short a job well done. But alas there are those who feel it is okay to partially block my entrance and make it impossible for me to exit or enter. A neighbour informed me recently that it was not his fault that my car is too wide to manoeuvre past his illegally parked vehicle.

And to those people who leave their vehicles on my road every morning and then head to Lansdowne station or for the number three bus, watch this space. I am a reasonable man but when it comes to this I may just become irrational.

B Lacey Newbridge Ave Dear Madam Editor, I read with enthusiasm, your editorial in the latest edition of NewsFour. (Oct 2008).

Might there be an opportunity to include the Westland Row CBS Past-Pupils Union [PPU], as part of such a directory? Your publication has made many references to the school, its pupils, and their achievements etc, both past and present, over the years. A multitude of references, for which we are most grate-

ful.

Should you decide to include any such reference, I invite you to view the Past-Pupils Web-Site; www.row. ie from whence a wealth of information may be gleaned.

Should you require further information and/ or assistance, you might follow the ʻcontact-linkʼ on the home page. Alternatively, the site administrator would be very willing to help.

Kindest regards, John Sheridan.

Dear Mrs Ingle Thank you for sending me NewsFour. It keeps getting better.

My sister, Josephine Tyrrell (RIP), died last December 2007 in California. She loved NewsFour, her photo was in it twice, once with her Raytown Licence Plate, another time with Gladys OʼConnor. She had intended to send you this article from years gone by printed in the Waterfront paper (see page 36). Our father was David Gough.

I also enclose a school photo (above) but no date was on it. I am 73 now so maybe we girls were about ten years old. I am the last one of the family of eight, reared in Ringsend Park. God Bless.

Yours sincerely Bridget Tiedt (Mrs) Dear NewsFour I am nine years old and I wanted to tell you about the very special mass I went to in Star of the Sea church.

It was special because I brought my rabbit who is called Hobbit with me.

Fr Peter had said that all the animals would be blessed because St Francis loved animals. There were lots of animals there– rabbits, cats, dogs,

fish and hamsters. My dad said it was a great mass.

It was outside and after the mass the lady who works in the church Margaret gave us hot chocolate and marshmallows. They were lovely. Fr Peter visits my school and I would like him to know that I had fun.

Thank you.

Robert McKenna, Sandymount Court Dear Ann I have just been reading my August copy of NewsFour. I have been in Queensland with 3 of my sons for the past 7 weeks away from Melbourne cold. Iʼm 78 now so I feel the cold more then when I arrived here in 1951.

I truly enjoy my NewsFour. The old photos of dockers from 1950 was lovely to see as my late husband Gerry Lynch used that ferry for many years when he was a welder in the docks. His father was also a foreman there for many years, Stephen Lynch. So thanks to Rodney Devitt for the memories.

As my other letters told you, I

lived in Coast Guard Station (below) all my life in Ireland. I was home last year met the young couple who live in 79, lovely people but I did not get to see my old neighbour Bridie Sheen who lives in No 74.

Lovely to see Colm DeRís story also from Pidgeon House Road. I loved the story by G P Lyons about the Shelly banks in 1940. I walked along the Shelly Banks to the lighthouse, it was magic.

Home from Gold Coast now back to No 9 to find my October NewsFour. What a beautiful story

by Jimmy Purdy remembering lost children. I was looking at Brian Ingle Somatic Osteopath, I wonder if he is a nephew of Jimmy Ingle I knew well.

The Book on Sandymount sounds great. I will keep my eye open for it here in Irish shops in Victoria.

Jean Lynch known as Jean Campell Ed: Brian Ingle is indeed the nephew of Jimmy and also my son.

I will forward a copy of the book as I do not think it is available in Victoria.

PAGE 12

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

Salon 4 Hair and Beauty

4 Bridge Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4 Tel: 01 6678865

HAIR – Thursday to Saturday only Thursday 9.30 am – 6 pm Friday and Saturday 9 am – 5 pm Specialist colouring and cutting • Easy mesh • Blow dry Perms • Up styles • Hair extension (Monday to Saturday) TREATMENTS FOR MEN AND WOMEN Specialised facials Anti ageing treatments Eye care (Tinting/shape) Make up (MAC products) Eyelash extension Spray Tan (Fake Bake) Deluxe manicure/pedicure Paraffin manicure/pedicure Gel/acrylic nails Gel on toe Nail art Sports Massage Hot Stone massage Reflexology Body Wrap Waxing Specialised waxing (Brazilian / Hollywood)

Wedding Packages available Gift vouchers available Pamper packages available Men and women welcome

Christmas Specials Available!

Opening hours Closed Monday Tuesday and Wednesday 10 am to 7 pm Thursday to Friday 9am to 8 pm, Saturday 9 am to 6 pm

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

PAGE 13

FRED ESPEY – LIVING A FULL LIFE

By George Humphries

F

red Espey is a very colourful and interesting character. Fred was reared on South Lotts Road in Ringsend.

Back in those days most people in the area had one thing in common– they had very little money.

Things are so different these days. Fred was born at the Rotunda hospital in 1934, one of six children. Swimming was always a big part of his life and still is to the present day.

He went out regularly as a youngster to the south wall. The trip out always seemed very long and the trip back seemed even longer. Fred fondly recalled he learned to swim at the Half Moon with his father. They caught big crabs on the south wall and salm-

on bass were always plentiful.

Over the years Fred took part in several sea swims it was during one of these swims that he met his wife Eileen McNulty, who was herself a keen competitive swimmer. They have three children including one girl who is an architect married to a Scot. They live in Dar As Salem in Tanzania in East Africa, while the boys live in Montreal and Dublin.

Fred was educated at St Stephenʼs National School on Northumberland Road now called the Schoolhouse Hotel. He then went on to St Andrewʼs College on Clyde Road, where he played rugby and cricket but his heart was always in the water, either swimming or diving and later sailing.

At the age of sixteen he went to work in Paul andVincentʼs on

We would like to wish all our customers a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New year and thank you all for your support in 2008 Bob, Monica and Staff

Hanover Quay. This company produced fertilizer and animal feeds. Fred worked in the office in Blackhall Place as a clerk. He would go to the bank on College Green where he would draw the wages on Thursday. He would leave the money in the car, go into Bewleyʼs for a coffee and the money was always safe.

The workforce numbered one hundred and fifty men. Some of these men would have been seasonal workers and at the end of the season they were laid off with no prospects of getting work. Fred remembers the plant where they made the fertilizer. The heat was unbearable. Even on the coldest days in winter, the men would be stripped to the waist, the heat was so intense.

There was a public house on the grounds of the factory at Hatches corner at Sir John Rogersonʼs Quay. Back in those days all the cargo discharged from ships moored at the quayside was unloaded by hand. Fred remembers seeing the dockers going across the lock gates carrying their shovels– they were completely black after digging a coal boat. The men would use their shovels to fill the buckets and this was really backbreaking work.

A lot of these men would go into the bar at Hatches corner and sink a few pints after a hard dayʼs work digging out coal or any other bulk cargo from the holds of the ships.

In Ringsend at that time was the ʻproductsʼ which was a knackers yard on Thorncastle Street where the dead horses were taken in.

Fred recalls getting the maggots from the rotten carcasses which he used as bait to catch fish.

Ringsend produced many brilliant footballers down through the years and Fred recalls meeting Sacky Glenn while on holidays in Kilcoole. This legendary local hero was a friend of his dad and even stayed a few nights with them in their holiday home.

Fred also knew Ronnie Nolan and Arthur Fitzsimons, who lived close to Fred on South Lotts Road.

Fred Espeyʼs mother was one of the Blackmore family, who were fishermen. Her father and her uncle had come from Torbay on the Devon coast. Like lots more of these families, they settled in Ringsend.

These fishermen from Torbay were renowned for their knowledge of the sea and were probably the best fishermen in the British Isles, so Fredʼs love of the sea wasnʼt licked from a stone. Fredʼs grandfather was recruited by the Royal Navy, as his knowledge of the sea was immense. He was lost at sea while searching for mines on the north-east coast of England in 1917, during the First World War. The Blackmore family eventually moved out to Kingstown, as it was known in those days, now called Dun Laoghaire. His mother

worked as a telegraphic operator and was involved in the breaking news of the sinking of the ʻLeinsterʼ in the 1940s. Sometimes she would have to deliver the telegrams herself. Fredʼs father worked in Guinnessʼs brewery.

He left to join the British army during the Second World War, later he went into the RAF. Sadly, he passed away a young man at fifty four years of age.

Fredʼs grandfather, also Fred Espey, was the manager of Wallaceʼs coal yard, which was on Ringsend Road facing Bolandʼs Mills. Fred was a good singer and he joined the boysʼ choir at St Bartholomewʼs Church of Ireland on Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, which had an excellent choir of young boys. They were renowned as being one of the finest in the country.

Today Fred, pictured above, still enjoys a swim at the Forty Foot. He goes there almost every day for his daily plunge. He is also very keen on walking sometimes he goes out to Djouce mountain in Wicklow, where he spends several hours walking and enjoying the fresh country air. Fred sometimes goes off for the day on the train to Waterford, Rosslare or wherever the fancy takes him.

RODNEY DEVITT, D. P

OD. M., M. CH. S. I.,

PODIATRIST / CHIROPODIST Is now in private practice four full days at 62 Tritonville Road, Sandymount, Dublin 4

For consultation, advice and treatment for all foot conditions Telephone 6680485 for an appointment Monday to Thursday inclusive, 8am to 5pm The surgery is at garden level – no stairs Four minute walk from No. 3 bus (Star of the Sea Church) Off-road car parking – free

PAGE 14

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

Aoibhne plays her cards right

A

LIFFEY FERRY

By Stephanie Morris

oibhne Hogan, originally from Sandymount is mother to Chloe, aged 5 and Remy aged 2. Aoibhne designed a card to send to family and friends when Chloe was born. When her friends received the cards they began asking Aoibhne to do theirs. She was happy to do this and gradually the idea of starting her own business designing cards emerged.

Aoibhne is a graduate from Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design and subsequently spent a few years working in Taiwain teaching Art and English. When she started her business she called it Formosa Designs as this means ʻbeautiful islandʼ in Taiwan. Aoibhne is now sucessfully designing and making greeting cards for all occasions and events from birth announcements, christening cards, birthdays, thank-you cards and more. All these designs can be found in well-known card galleries, such as Swalk, Meadows & Byrne, gift, craft and bookshops around Ireland.

The cards Aoibhne produces are unique with fresh, clean lines and a funky, fun look. They are simple and yet classic.

Recently Aoibhne has gone on to set up an on-line business to sell greeting cards that are specific and personalised to the needs of each client. Aoibhne will personalise any event, be it invitations for birthdays, christenings or weddings. She is able to do a collage for Hen parties, once the bridesmaids give her the photos of the bride-to-be.

Photographs of babies can be incorporated into her christening invitations to give that very special personal touch. Her website (www. formosadesign.com) gives examples of her work and is currently being upgraded. For the time being, you can ring her on 087 264 0004 or email at greetings@formosadesign.com.

T

By John Fitzgerald

he Liffey Ferry is a cross-river ferry service operating between Sir John Rogersonʼs Quay on the south side of the river Liffey and Spencer Dock on the northside. Its operating hours are 7am to 7pm from Monday to Friday.

Aimed primarily at commuters, it averages 500 passengers per day. Taking less than five minutes to cross from one side to the other, it saves having to walk up the quay to the Sean OʼCasey pedestrian bridge, or down the quay to the East Link bridge.

A single crossing costs €2, while a return ticket sells at €3. Clever commuters take advantage of the tenjourney tickets, which can be purchased for €10.

As with all boats it operates when weather permits.

REBORN

On my first attempt to take the ferry, I was met with a cancelled sign at the quays. They advise commuters from their website.www.liffeyferry.com with weather alerts, and have recently introduced a text alert service, whereby they will alert you by text when the ferry service is suspended and again when the service recommences.

The Liffey Ferry is operated by Sea-Cruise Connemara Ltd, which also operates the Liffey River Cruises, offering sightseeing cruises. The Liffey Ferry operates with support from Dublin Docklands Development Authority. Local skipper Juliette Nash, pictured above, was at the helm the day I took my maiden voyage, and appeared to be thoroughly enjoying her work. This appears to be a service which is destined to grow.

Contact: www.liffeyferry.com, telephone 014734342.

CLLR. SARAH RYAN DUBLIN SOUTH EAST

Introducing your new Councillor CLINIC TIMES Sarah Ryan is available to her constituents at: Ringsend Community Centre Saturdays 10.30 to 12.00 St Andrew’s Resource Centre – Pearse St. Tuesdays 7pm to 8pm

CONSTITUENCY OFFICE If I can help in any way, you can contact me at: Members Room, City Hall, Dublin 2 Tel: 087 637 4285 Email: cllr_sarah.ryan@dublincity.ie

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

PAGE 15

THE SANCTUARY– A WAY OF BEING

By Louise Hanrahan

I

n our daily lives these days, we live in times of great change and uncertainty, confusion and at the present moment with recession.

The pace of our lives has quickened, the wide range of our responsibilities has widened and the prob-

lems we are experiencing daily are becoming increasingly more difficult and complex to deal with.

The Sanctuary is based in Stanhope street, Dublin 7, and in a nutshell is an oasis in the heart of Dublin city and apart from being a very special place it is an ideal setting for an interlude from the busyness of life for each and everyone of us.

It was established in 1998 by Sr.

Stanislaus Kennedy, pictured right.

In her wordly vision, Sr. Kennedy knew that we all need time to escape from the hectic stress of our day to day routines, and she felt that the Sanctuary would provide individuals with the opportunities to explore their inner wisdom and spirit; to live harmonious and balanced lives and to give us all our own chance to develop our full potential to work towards a caring, inclusive and fair society no matter our race or creed.

The Sanctuary is a Voluntary Organisation. As a member of a local

C HRISTMAS C HOIR P ERFORMANCES D ECEMBER 2008

TO

J ANUARY 2009

Rehab programme I was given the opportunity to visit the sanctuary on a weekly basis, and this totally restored my faith in my own recovery. I would look forward to meeting the staff on a weekly basis, having a refreshing peppermint tea, and then getting stuck into my Yoga/ meditation class, or even better again, Creative Writing.

It has beautiful peaceful gardens along with dangling chimes. It emanates total inner peace as there are lots of open spaces and water fountains to just sit and ponder on oneís own personal life. We all need time to think, reflect, to grow, time to be present with ourselves and others. Time to begin a journey towards balancing who we are,

what we want to do, and where we really want to go. ?

There is a wide range of programmes available. Workshops, Evening Courses, and treatments are offered at the Sanctuary. They include Holistic treatments, Spiritual direction, Art therapy, and Creative writing.

They are intended to make one discover and embrace our lives within and around us. We can deepen our inner wisdom and harmony, and we can just give ourselves a chance to be more positive and develop a more balanced attitude to our lives.

The main thing behind everything we do is down to our own value of ourselves. The Sanctuary offers us the chance to take stock of our day to day living and where we are going.

Everyone has their own various methods and techniques to deal with life on a day to day basis. The Sanctuary offers us all that chance of being still, aware, present, grounded and more importantly being in the HERE AND NOW!.

The Sanctuary, Stanhope Street, Dublin 7. Tel: 01 6705419.

Grace Hamilton Quality Hairdressing Services

Specialising in: colouring, perming, cutting, blowdrying Upstyles for debs and weddings ST. PATRICKʼS CHURCH, RINGSEND December 8th– Lighting of tree and carols after 7 pm mass.

ST. MARYʼS STAR OF THE SEA CHURCH , SANDYMOUNT Wed, 17th December at 7.30 pm.

DONNYBROOK CHURCH OF THE SACRED HEART Carol Service– Sunday 21st December 7.30 pm Faureʼs Requiem also to be performed during December.

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL, EARLSFORT TERRACE, DUBLIN 2. (TEL: 01417-0000) Sat, 6th Dec 8 pm– A Christmas Gala with Johnathan Ansell Tickets €30, €35, €40.

Sun, 7th Dec 8 pm– Christmas Song and Dance Festival (€20, €25 and €12 children under 12)

Tues, 9th Dec 8 pm– RTE Concert Orchestra ʻ Joy to the Worldʼ (€10.50, €21, €26, €32, €37).

Wed, 10th Dec 1 pm– A Russian Christmas with Celine Byrne, soprano (Tickets €10).

Wed, 10th Dec 8 pm– Handelʼs Messiah, Our Ladyʼs Choral Society (tickets €30 and €35).

Fri, 12th Dec 1 pm– Christmas with New Dublin Voices (€10 and €14).

Sat, 13th Dec 3.15pm and 8 pm– Carols by Candlelight (€23, €33.50, €42.50 and €46).

Sunday 14th Dec to Sat 20th Dec (tickets €15 for child, €20 for adult, family ticket €65– two adults and two children).

The Snowman Movie, narrated by Craig Doyle, National Concert Hall Orchestra.

Sun 14th Dec 8 pm– The Glory of Puccini (€15, €20, €25, €30).

Tues 16th Dec 8 pm– An Evening with The Celtic Tenors (€25, €45, €50).

Wed 17th Dec 1 pm– Christmas Lunchtime Concert (€10).

Wed 17th Dec 8 pm– A Glorious Choral Christmas (€10, €15, €20, €25).

Special offers for OAPs No appointments necessary Tuesday to Saturday 9.30 to 5 pm Ruth’s Hair Salon 79 Pearse Street, Dublin 2

Fri 19th Dec 1 pm– Christmas Lunchtime concert (€10).

Grace: 085 830 1808 • Ruth: 087 678 7528

Sat 21st Dec, 3.15 pm and 8 pm– Carol Singing, presenter Martin King, Dublin Concert Orchestra. (€22, €32.50, €41.50 and €44).

Beach Road Tyre Services

Mon 22 at 8 pm, and Tues 23 Dec at 3.15 pm and 8 pm– The Glory of Christmas (€22 to €44 euros) Sat 27th Dec to Tues 30th, 2pm and 6pm– A Christmas Carol. (Tickets €16 to €34, family ticket €115 euros– two adults and two children).

Wed 31st December 9.45 pm New Yearʼs Eve Big Band Extravaganza! (€35, €40, €50, €60, €65).

(Rear Kilroy College)

CAMBRIDGE ROAD, RINGSEND, DUBLIN 4 PHONE: 6683805

Computerised Wheel Balancing Fast Puncture Repair New & Remoulded Tyres Stocked

FREE FITTING

ALL WORK DONE WHILE-U-WAIT Open 6 Days a Week • Phone 6683805

We wish all our customers a very Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year

PAGE 16

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL RINGSEND

AND

PEMBROKE AREA OFFICE

WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS PLEASE NOTE THIS LOCAL OFFICE IS LOCATED AT: PORTVIEW HOUSE, 1ST FLOOR, THORNCASTLE STREET, RINGSEND, DUBLIN 4.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT US AT THE ABOVE ADDRESS (OPENING HOURS 9.00 AM TO 5.00 PM MONDAY TO FRIDAY) TELEPHONE 01 2227395 OR EMAIL RINGSENDANDPEMBROKE@DUBLINCITY.IE WE WOULD LIKE TO REMIND YOU DON’T WASTE THIS CHRISTMAS… RECYCLE! RINGSEND RECYCLING CENTRE, PIGEON HOUSE ROAD OPENING

HOURS FOR

CHRISTMAS

PERIOD:

WEDNESDAY 24TH DECEMBER: CLOSED FRIDAY 26TH DECEMBER: CLOSED SUNDAY 28TH DECEMBER: CLOSED TUESDAY 30TH DECEMBER: OPEN 9.00 AM TO 5.00 PM THURSDAY 1ST JANUARY: CLOSED

THURSDAY 25TH DECEMBER: CLOSED SATURDAY 27TH DECEMBER: OPEN 9.00 AM TO 5.00 PM MONDAY 29TH DECEMBER: OPEN 9.00 AM TO 5.00 PM WEDNESDAY 31ST DECEMBER: CLOSED FRIDAY 2ND JANUARY: OPEN AS USUAL

FOR FURTHER DETAILS CONTACT: PHONE: (01) 6144750 WEBSITE: WWW.DUBLINWASTE.IE EMAIL: INFO@DUBLINWASTE.IE

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

PAGE 17

BOUNDARY CHANGES SPLIT SANDYMOUNT COMMUNITY AREA

By John Cavendish

S

andymount residents recently protested at proposed local electoral boundary changes by the local electoral boundary committee set up by Environment Minister John Gormley that reported in June.

Addressing the audience, Pat McCartan of Fine Gael asked that people should write to the Minister objecting to the change that will see the old Pembroke area split down the middle of Sandymount Green between the South East Inner City and a new Pembroke Rathmines

B IG

ward on the southern side of the Green up to Rathmines. On the Sunday of the protest people gathered in a line across the Green to show how the new Boundary will split the Village.

Speaking to the crowd Catherine Cavendish spoke to say that the terms of reference for the Boundaries Commission required recognition of the historic, cultural and social mores of villages such as Sandymount and that what had been done was not in line with those terms.

John McAlinden, the Postmaster of Sandymount Post office said “I think that the integrity of the village

BIRTHDAY FOR

S OPHIE

and its surrounding areas is crucial for the welfare of the people who live here and the people who trade here and indeed the business people here also. The result of any division of the electoral areas can only take the focus off the representatives from the crucial issues of this

specific area and is bound to cause long term-damage.”

Since the gathering in October Minister Gormley has written to residents stating that he had to accept the boundary proposals as an independent body had been charged with this responsibility.

He says that it is unfortunate that Sandymount has been split between two electoral wards by the revised boundaries and that the Green party had made a submission to keep Sandymount intact but that this was not adopted by the independent committee.

BORZA’S TAKE-AWAY Established 1965

5/5a Sandymount Green, Dublin 4

Traditional Fish and Chips to take away Phone: 01-2694130

“Save time – Call and Collect” Above is Sophie Walsh at her 7th Birthday on 7th October 2008. Her sister Aoife is also in the photo along with her friends Aoibhe and Killian. Best wishes also to Grandad Paddy Walsh of South Lotts, Ringsend. Lots of love to Grandad from Aoife, Sophie and their auntie Margaret Dunne, who sent us this photo.

WISHING ALL OUR CUSTOMERS AND FRIENDS A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS

PAGE 18

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

M ARIA P ARODI

By John Cavendish

T

he Labour Party in Dublin 4 has now added Maria Parodi to run alongside Cllr Kevin Humphreys for the Dublin South East Inner City Council four-seat electoral area.

She will be canvassing in a locality where the top issues are the City Council proposed municipal waste incinerator and the Dublin Docklands Development Authority plans for the Poolbeg peninsula.

This district includes Pearse St, Ringsend, Irishtown, Sandymount, Docklands, City Quay, Portobello, South Circular Rd and Kevin Street. Maria lives in The Bottleworks, Ringsend. Her reason for political involvement is about “enhancing the quality of life of people in our community.”

Maria has been active in the local community for several years and has assisted in various community initiatives with local organisations such as the Ringsend Action Project. She is also a mem-

ber of the Ringsend and Irishtown Crèche Management Committee and supports the campaign to scrap the newly-introduced Community Childcare Subvention Scheme.

Maria strongly believes that it is essential to have ongoing open communication and consultation between residents and their elected representatives, in order to deliver the services that people in the area need and deserve.

As with the other councillors and candidates in the forthcoming local elections, she has actively canvassed against the incinerator in Dublin Bay. She is an active member of CRAI and has been involved in organising events to raise awareness and community support in opposition to the incinerator.

At the EPA oral hearing open day held on April 22nd 2008, she made a written objection to the proposed decision to award a waste licence to Dublin City Council for an incinerator located in Poolbeg saying “this incinerator is not in the best interest of the

population or the environment and I strongly believe that this method relies on an outdated, inefficient approach to waste management.”

With the Environmental Protection Agency due to rule she says, “Ultimately, I strongly believe that the fight against the incinerator is not over. I do not think that the government can justify building it given the current economic situation and the global commitment to combat climate change.”

Some of her campaign priorities

are “to ensure that access to adequate housing is a right and not a privilege and to continue fighting for improved public transport.”

Along with other issues, Maria supports initiatives that plan to improve public lighting, traffic management and making the streets cleaner and safer.

Maria Parodi is concerned about developments for the district including the Docklands Development Authority proposals for the Poolbeg. She says “I firmly be-

lieve that it must be sustainable and take a community gain approach and I believe that this is an important issue which will have a huge impact on the communities of Ringsend, Irishtown and Sandymount. That is why I actively took part in the pre-statutory consultation process by attending an open day and the pre-statutory workshops. I believe that any future development in Poolbeg must address environmental concerns, include sufficient amenities and infrastructure, provide local jobs and an adequate mixture of social and affordable housing.”

With environment issues prominent in the locality she said, “I strongly believe that any future development in Poolbeg must take into consideration the EIS; particularly the effect it will have on wildlife and the existing nature preserve. I firmly believe that the environment is one of the most important issues affecting our generation and future development must take this factor into account.”

Maria Parodi is available to hear your issues and concerns and you can contact her on mariaparodi@votelabour.ie or 0857160742 or visit Mariaʼs website www.mariaparodi.ie

Beach Road, Sandymount, Dublin 4 Telephone: 660 5150 Fax: 660 8499

Christmas stationery and gifts available Happy Christmas to all our customers

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

A RIGHT

PAGE 19

ROYAL OCCASION

By James OʼDoherty

I

t was August 12th 1821 and three people awaited with great expectation for the arrival of His Majesty George IV. Who were these three? Earl Talbot, ruler of Dublin Castle, Abram King esquire in the Mansion House and Jonas Greene the recorder whose main responsibility was ensuring that every effort should be made to impress his majesty on his visit to Dublin and convey to him the loyalty of his then Irish subjects George IV, pictured below, landed at Howth on Sunday August 12th and although nothing like it is today he was surprised at the beauty of our beloved city.

From Howth he drove to the Vice Regal Lodge in Phoenix Park and rested for a few days. He made his state entry into the city on Friday August 17th, which was also his birthday.

Decorations and arches were erected on the route and the houses were lavishly decorated, blue being the chosen colour for the welcome. At the top of Sackville Street (now OʼConnell Street) he received the keys of the city.

The procession was enormous, never to be repeated– the royal party, civic officials, military, clergy and a concourse of some

twenty thousand gentlemen on horseback wearing blue followed the royal carriage on its way to the castle.

In front of the GPO a balcony was erected for foreign ambassadors and their families. The vocal reception was huge “God bless you, Ireland loves you …” the king replied “I love Ireland.”

He attended a service in Christchurch, the Theatre Royal, dinner in the mayorʼs house and Trinity College. On September 3rd he departed from Dunleary–

which from that day would be known as Kingstown.

There the Lord Mayor addressed his majesty and he received from Dan OʼConnell a laurel crown. Thanking all, the royal party departed.

In 1838, the coronation of Queen Victoria, pictured left, took place. The Lord Mayor of the day issued a proclamation asking for the illumination of the city to testify to the universal joy at the coronation of the young queen on June 28th.

The city was greatly illuminated– candles and oil lamps were the main source along with some gas. The Alliance gas company had introduced gas to Dublin in 1825 but due to cost and the difficulties in supply it was slow to be accepted.

Back to the coronation there were rings, brooches, earrings and other souvenirs on sale. The Royal Coburgh Gardens (now Iveagh Gardens) off St Stephenʼs Green were opened on June 26th for a huge firework display.

Firing commenced at 8pm and admission was one old shilling.

The weather was very unfavourable (some thing havenʼt changed) yet huge crowds gathered in the park on the day for the review of the 7th fusiliers, 2nd Dragoon Guards, 17th Lancers, 8th Hussars and the 79th Highlanders.

At twenty past one a Royal salute was fired amidst thunder, lightening and heavy rain.

The Zoological Gardens

opened its gates for the day to huge crowds, the Rotunda Gardens were beautifully illuminated, with bands playing and fireworks being let off. A transparency of the queen was shown bearing a shamrock, rose and thistle in one hand. The Lord Mayor patrolled the main streets on foot, the High Sheriff on horseback and handsome carriages moved through the streets.

Wreaths, crowns and harps adorned the city. Full-length transparencies of the queen illuminated many buildings. Trinity College displayed The Royal Arms, the Gresham Hotel had a full-length portrait of the queen surrounded by four stars and several shots were fired from the top of Nelsonʼs pillar.

The Custom House was lavishly illuminated and celebrations were trouble-free. On June 29th a coronation regatta was celebrated. “Her Majesty may she reign long and happy” was the coronation cry that Thursday in June many years ago.

Yes indeed the second city of Victoriaʼs empire celebrated with great gusto. One thing remains the same– we Irish still know how to throw a good pary!

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PAGE 20

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

Film Scene•••By Michael Hilliard ‘Quantum of Solace’ ʻQuantum of Solaceʼ picks up directly from ʻCasino Royaleʼ, the much loved reinvention of the James Bond franchise from 2005. Having been betrayed by Vesper, the woman he was willing to resign from duty with MI6 for, ʻQuantum of Solaceʼ shows the formation of Ian Flemingʼs 007 (Daniel Craig), into a cold-hearted killing machine. The film-mak-

ers have wisely avoided the often cheesy formula of Bond movies past, and have finally created the character Fleming had penned.

Craig has made this role his own, fusing rugged physicality with a razor-sharp wit, sadly missed since the Connery glory days.

Certain traditions of past Bond remain of course, such as the exotic locations, stunning ladies, and of course, the Aston Martin.

Gone, however, are the extrava-

gant gadgets, the obligatory ʻQʼ scene in which Bond would receive a convenient array of hightech toys that somehow always manage to come in handy, just at the right moment.

The closest comparable movie series which the new Bond has borrowed from, or been inspired by, is ʻThe Bourne Identityʼ and its sequels. However, Robert Ludlum could be criticised for borrowing liberally from the Fleming series first– Jason Bourne and Commander Bond going so far as to share the same initials. The action scenes, in particular, most notably the hand-to-hand combat, bear a striking resemblance to the Paul Greengrass directed ʻThe Bourne Supremacyʼ, shaky-cam laden as they are.

It may have something to do with both series now sharing the same second-unit action directors, but make no mistake, it is no coincidence. They needed to make Bond relevant to a sophisticated and more movie-savvy audience, and where better to take the lead from, than the most successful spy franchise of the decade.

The question is, though, has it worked? To a point, yes. The

C HRIS

aforementioned action scenes are nothing short of spectacular, pushing boundaries with a perfectlyexecuted opening car chase, and numerous foot/ boat/ motorcycle chases, which all manage to get the heart racing.

The key, however, to a successful action scene is that the characters are put in legitimate danger.

The audience must feel as though there is a sufficient element of danger involved, and actually question the charactersʼ ability to emerge unscathed.

This is what ʻCasino Royaleʼ pulled off with aplomb, the audience for the first time witnessing Bond being beaten and bloodied (and even tortured), raising the threshold for perceived danger, and showing consequences to actions. ʻQuantum of Solaceʼ has stumbled on this point. All the hard work in achieving this sense

VISITS

of danger from ʻCasino Royaleʼ has been washed away for its follow-up, which is a crying shame. The audience never feels as though the characters are in any real danger.

The pacing feels off. One gets the impression of studio interference, or perhaps producer interference. Director Marc Forster, known for character-driven pieces ʻMonsterʼs Ballʼ and ʻFinding Neverlandʼ, never gives the impression he is comfortable with a studio action picture, admirably trying to flesh out the character, but being stopped in his tracks, to provide more action at the behest of the producers.

All in all, ʻQuantum of Solaceʼ does itʼs job, while never quite living up to the high expectations set by its predecessor.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

G AZA S TRIP

Fianna Fáil TD from Dublin South East, Chris Andrews visited the Gaza Strip to campaign for the end of the Israeli blockade. He returned on 11th November, after meeting with UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees, the Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and the Palestinian legislative council.

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

PAGE 21

ICE CREAM HEAVEN FROM BURKE’S

By Stephanie Morris

I

recently tasted divine ice cream from Burkeʼs Farm made by Bernie Burke from the cream of her Jersey cows. This Christmas she has made mince-pie ice cream (“unbelievably good,” to quote Rachel Allen) and a plum pudding ice cream (“also fab,” according to Rachel!)

Bernie and John Burke are successful dairy farmers at Tara, supplying milk from their Fresian herd to Glanbia. About two years ago, Bernie came up with the idea of producing ice cream.

After a lot of thought, discussion and research of existing foreign well-known gourmet ice-cream brands, she thought, that with her green, green, grass in her big back (farm) garden, precious Jersey cows and some imaginative flavours, she could do every bit as good! And this is what Bernie has done. And possibly better.

She researched the market in England, travelling and exploring various ice cream parlours and how small producers make it work.

Bernie intuitively took the next step and bought two Jersey cows and began experimenting with recipes and production methods.

Now with seven jersey cows happily grazing, a great staff of three happily milking and mixing under the watchful eye of ʻhands-onʼ

‘DELIRIUM’ IN

By Nessa Jennings

ʻD

eliriumʼ, an original interpretation of Fyodor Dostoyevskiʼs masterpiece ʻThe Brothers Karamazovʼ, must have been so called because of the madness that appeared on stage that night.

Uproarious, scandalous and irreverent high-octane entertainment, very pacy with the action moved along by quick-change sets and the storyline advanced and told by a ʻmentalʼ puppeteer.

How you could get the story of Dostoyevskiʼs epic work of human psychology in one go like this?

Well, Enda Walshʼs script managed it and it was a thoroughly modern take, full of humour and ingenuity.

The plot hangs on the relationship between a father and his three sons.

Fyodor Karamazov, the thoroughly disgraceful father, holds the keys of his sonsʼ futures as they all return to claim their inheritance.

There is a fourth bastard son, Smerdyakov, who he has turned into his servant, played as a comic turn by Lucien MacDougall. Then there are the women, Grushenka

THE

Bernie, the team have mastered a range of imaginatively and beautifully-flavoured, ʻcreamyʼ ice cream.

Whackey flavours include apple crumble, rhubarb and custard, clotted cream and strawberry, Belgian chocolate, mint and old favourites such as vanilla and chocolate. Beau-

tifully creamy, beautifully Jersey.

But what makes Burkes Farm Ice cream so unique? The milk from the Jersey cow is what. The Jersey cow, once spoken of so affectionately and held in the highest regard for their milk ʻcream a la crèmeʼ uniqueness, rarely even gets a mention nowadays.

In days gone by when our milkman delivered our milk in bottles, I remember the Jersey top was gold– thatʼs if you got there before the birds had beaked it for its cream!

Even the birds knew their top-shelf milk.

I first stumbled upon Burkeʼs Farm Ice-cream, standing cool and proud beside the Haagen-Daas, Moovin Pic and other such well-known foreign producers. I was immediately intrigued by the label on the tub: ʻBurkeʼs Farm Ice Cream, Made with Rich Jersey Cowsʼ Milkʼ and wait for it, ʻMade in Tara, County Meath, Irelandʼ!

I am delighted to see Burkeʼs competing with the likes other big ice cream names in the Irish market.

Burkeʼs is Irish-made, start to finish (except for a little advice from a very good Italian friend) and is doing very, very well and so it should.

Bernie Burkeʼs Farm ice-cream has spread from the market venue of St. Anneʼs Park, where Bernie

first began selling, and since can be found in nearly all Supervalu shops in Meath and some farm shops etc.

It appears to be moving swiftly into the Dublin supermarkets and gourmet delis. Mortons of Ranelagh and Fresh at Grand Canal Quay stock it along with other upmarket stores. Burkeʼs Farm ice cream is appearing on menus in the likes of the new Marriott Hotel in Ashbourne, and the Salt House Cafe in Drogheda.

Burkeʼs Farm ice cream recently won the Gold award at the Blas na hÉireann Awards for the apple crumble flavour. Bernie Burke is highly spoken of in the Bridgestone ʻIrish Food Guide 07-08ʼ and she is actively involved in the food producersʼ Artisans Group.

Meeting Bernie was a personal pleasure. I am inspired by her enthusiasm and passion, but with a no-nonsense, happy, laid back approach.

She kindly left me a tub of Clotted Cream Strawberry ice-cream, and though I started with a small saucer, like that of a cat, by the late night news, many little saucers were had!

Bernie has one little wish for the year ahead “I have a friend saying the rosary for sunshine this summer,” Bernie laughs. Amen to that.

PEACOCK

and Katerina acting up. Mayhem ensues.

Carolina Valdes, playing Katerina, gets the best lines and Julie Bower as Grushenka, sings really well, dances gracefully, you canʼt take your eyes off her when sheʼs on stage. The girls steal the show.

Eva Vilamitjana was responsible for the excellent choreography.

The multi-media experience does not take away at all from the great acting. Fyodor was played by Denis Quilligan and the three sons, Alyosha by Joseph Alford; Ivan by Dominic Burdess; Mitya by Nick Lee. ʻDeliriumʼ was created by Theatre O, a collaboration between the performing artists, directed by Joseph Alford, and as already noted, written by Enda Walsh.

The novel itself, ʻThe Brothers Karamazovʼ is darker, more lengthy and more difficult than ʻCrime and Punishmentʼ, which was a page turner, (if youʼre into that sort of thing!).

Karamazov was Dostoyevskiʼs final work, constructed by him early in his life, and completed with much difficulty at the end of his life. Like other massive novels, it spans two generations and takes on all the big themes. It will definitely get you thinking and praying, if you can adjust to all the Russian names and characters.

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PAGE 22

Christmas greetings Anthony and Joan Flood and Family would like to wish Michael and Pauline Flood and family in Manchester; Johnjoe and Colleen Tierney and family in Coventry; Ann Flood and Paul Eccles in Scotland; Bernadette and Michael Keating in London; Tom and Margaret Egan in Canada; Willie and Joyce Egan in Canada; Terry and Julie McDonald in Canada and Tom and Heather Flood in Canada A very merry Christmas and a very prosperous New Year.

LOST– GENT’S RING ON 15.10.2008 A very unusual gold ring was lost in Ringsend Village. ‘It was my father’s ring and has great sentimental value.’

Reward offered. Telephone Tony at 086 8375436.

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

ROSS RETURNS , ROYSH? MR S AND THE SECRETS OF ANDORRAʼS BOX by Ross OʼCarroll-Kelly

Review by Nessa Jennings

Y

ou might need a special lexicon and an in-depth knowledge of designers and models to keep up with Ross OʼCarroll Kellyʼs latest exploits. Ross has a job thrust upon him, in his natural field, as coach to the Andorran national rugby team. There is also an unexpected guest staying in his house! He must play manager and guardian, with hilarious consequences!

Ronan, his ten year old son has a life of his own on Dublinʼs Northside, and Rossʼs visits to Dublin Odd offer even more insight into the Southside animal.

Ross would like to disown his own parents, to whom he shows a more than rudely healthy disrespect. Sorcha has

left, taking their daughter this time, but Ross is so busy juggling his responsibilities…

Events unfold in this instalment at a great pace and are shockingly funny– the laughter can be gut-wrenching. The novel is very tight and the locations will be familiar to Dubliners. Itʼs great craic.

The blokes spend all their time ʻripping the piss out of everythingʼ, and the girls that he knows ʻcracking their holes laughingʼ all the time!

If you are still innocent about this lifestyle and before the recession sets in and wrecks it all, itʼs time to read this.

If I had to sum it up in a fragrance, I would say itʼs Escape for women, very fresh and frivolous, unchallenging, with many high notes, and Polo for men, relentlessly sporty, slightly troubling, stable yet unstable, hasnʼt changed since the 80ʼs, posing no deep questions and unrepentant.

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NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

‘W HERE THE TREE TOPS GLISTEN …’

By James OʼDoherty

D

ublin is a beautiful city and at this time of year the arrival of the huge Christmas trees for various parts of the city adds a further dimension to its beauty.

When night falls these trees become a source of wonder, shining with countless lights. For children the Christmas tree is the most delightful of festival traditions. So where did it all begin?

The Christmas tree was introduced into France in 1840 by Princess Helene and it appeared in England for the fist time in 1790. When Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had a tree in 1840 the tradition began to spread and it fast became a domestic institution.

This coming Christmas, approximately six million Christmas trees will be sold in the UK alone and will be a feature of homes worldwide So are you making preparations for Christmas? Selecting and decorating your tree? Can I share some advice? I am not a festive connoisseur. I am not worried about shape or indeed about

falling needles all over the carpet!

However, I suggest the following trees for purchase: The Norway Spruce is the real Christmas tree with soft green needles. But unfortunately its popularity has dwindled because

PAGE 23 its needles tend to drop in our centrally-heated homes. The Noble Fir Tree comes highly-recommended with its tiered effect, a non-shedder of needles with a pale grey bark. Or the Nordmann Fir a tiered blue spruce, a classic shape with sharp needles. The Douglas Fir has short needles and may prove popular.

And The Lodge Pole Pine, a particular favourite of mine, is growing in popularity.

And letʼs not forget the much-loved Scots Pine. All of these varieties are good trees for your home.

Remember, it is a mistake to erect your tree too early. I suggest you wait until Christmas week, it will look better and last that bit longer and do remember to put the lights on first and the decorations after.

Always remember safety first. Make sure your tree is properly secured.

Keep it well away from open fires and heating appliances. Use good-quality lights and remember to always unplug these when leaving a tree unattended.

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KNOCKOUT FILM ROLE FOR ‘BIG JOE’ EGAN?

Former Dublin boxer ʻBig Joeʼ Egan has landed a part in Guy Ritchieʼs latest movie, ʻSherlock Holmesʼ which is due for release in 12 monthsʼ time.

Originally, Joe auditioned for a bit part but after meeting Guy Ritchie, Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law who also star in the film he has been given a bigger role.

“All I know is I am playing someone called the ʻbig manʼ with more lines and more money.” Well done Joe, we look forward to seeing you on screen.

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PAGE 24

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

CARING FOR CHRISTMAS POT PLANTS

By James OʼDoherty

P

eople will give and receive numerous festive pot plants over Christmas. Of course, top of the list is the beautiful Mexican plant the poinsettia, pictured far right. Keep this in good light, allow the compost to dry then water it thoroughly and every ten days feed it with a liquid fertiliser (tomato feed is fine).

Solanum– the Christmas cherries, pictured right, are popular too (remember the berries are toxic). They really are festive plants. Again, they need good light. When dry, water them thoroughly and feed them as well. Azalea needs good light and to keep its compost moistened with a liquid feed every ten days while it grows.

A beautiful bowl of hyacinths will fill your room with a festive scent. Careful watering is required. The

bulbs of these can be planted out in the garden after flowering. The chrysanthemums make excellent short-term houseplants. The varieties of kalonchoe are good house

plants too, so select your house plants carefully.

As you select your tree and prepare for the festivities take a moment to consider where and when did the

keeping of Christmas begin?

Many details of its early history remain uncertain but it is clear that the earliest celebration of the birth of Christ on 25th December took place at Rome about the middle of the 4th century.

The observance of the day spread from the Western to the Eastern church which had wanted to keep January 6th as a joint commemoration of the nativity and baptism of the redeemer. The first mention of nativity feast on December 25th is in a Roman document known as the Philocalian Calendar dating from the year 354.

From Rome, Christmas spread throughout the West with the conversion of the barbarians. St. Augustine brought it with him to England and Christmas Day 598 AD witnessed a great event– the baptism of more than 10,000 English converts.

In 567 AD The Coun-

cil of Tours declared the twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany as festival tide.

And so the festive season began.

The laws of Ethelred (9911016) ordained it to be a time of peace and concord when all strife must cease. It is a message that is surely appropriate for todayʼs world.

And so Christmas draws close. Use the great green gifts, the trees and garlands, plants and flowers to add colour and scent to your celebrations.

It is my hope and prayer that beneath all our outer decorations, under all the glitter and wrapping paper there will lie a real and lasting desire for peace in our country, in our homes and in our hearts.

Happy Christmas to you and yours.

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NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

‘BACK TO THE 80S’ AT MARIAN

PAGE 25

Manu Katche Quintet at Tripod, Dublin

By Nessa Jennings

M

anu Katche, the in-demand French African jazz drummer of rock artists such as Sting and Peter Gabriel, appeared in the Tripod in October after a sell-out show at Belfastʼs Waterfront.

The quintet that feature on his latest release ʻPlaygroundʼ (2007) for ECM comprise of two Norwegian musicians on horns, and two Polish musicians on piano and double bass.This night, a new line up appears promptly on stage at this comfortable, dark and user-friendly venue located beside

by Ray Ryan

“W

as this musical inspired by Brian Cowen and Brian Lenihan?” I hear you ask! Definitely not! In fact, I want to assure you that this show has nothing to do with either man, or the budget. On the contrary, itʼs a happy, bubbly, lively show, designed to blow away your budget blues.

It runs from Wednesday 10th to Saturday 13th December at 8pm each night in Marian College, Lansdowne Rd. ʻBack to the 80sʼ marks the 33rd anniversary of the first Marian College musical, ʻOliverʼ, and any of you who have seen the Marian College shows down through the years will know that youʼre in for a treat.

We canʼt claim to be able to emulate the standards of last yearʼs ʻLes Miserablesʼ (which was undoubtedly the best show ever seen on the Marian College stage), but weʼll give it a good shot.

The show is set in an American High School (no, itʼs not ʻHigh School Musical 4ʼ) and features Corey Palmer Snr., 30-something, looking back on his High-School graduation, and the events leading up to it, back in the 80s.

It has the usual mix of school high spirits, the inevitable love/ crush ingredients and misunderstandings, and of course the ʻbaddiesʼ, who want to spoil everyone elseʼs fun.

Chief among the latter is Michael Feldman, played by Matthew Ennis, while his rival, Corey Jnr., is played by his twin brother, Owen. Talk about brotherly love! Matthew and Owen are only in 5th year, yet incredibly, this is their fourth show with us, and last year we saw fantastic performances from both in ʻLes Misʼ, Owen as Thenardier, and Matthew as Javert.

The twins live in Ringsend, but are well-known far beyond the confines of Dublin 4, having featured in many tal-

ent competitions and on TV. What distinguishes this musical from other High school musicals is the music– there are no fewer than 21 hit songs of the 80s cleverly incorporated into the show, so it will be singalong time for all you people who were young in the 80s!

Sandymount man, Peter OʼDonoghue, is our stage manager yet again. Peter has been with us for more years than he cares to remember, and is assisted by Kevin Kelly, stage designer supreme, well known to audiences since his days with Sandymount Musical Society when he and Peter started working together.

Bernard Lynch and Grainne McCarthy again direct. We welcome for the first time Sinead Leonard as choreographer, and yours truly is again banished to the pit as MD, assisted by new music teacher, Lorraine Lee, well known to followers of the Avonmore M.S. in Arklow.

The female principals and chorus are almost all drawn from Muckross Park, chief among them being last yearʼs Cosette, Sophie Moran, pictured above, who plays the sweet Tiffany, Shauna Carrick (last yearʼs Mme.Thenardier) as Miss Brannigan, the teacher with the ʻdarkʼ past, Sorcha Ni Dhuill (multiparts last year) as Eileen, the new girl, and newcomer Sarah Gordon as Cyndi, who has dated every guy in the class.

The only non-Muckross girl is Cassandra Foley (niece of James, our maintenance man) from Pobailscoil Neasain, Bayside, who plays Debbie.

We hope that all you past-pupils of Marian College, St.Maryʼs Haddington Rd, and Muckross Park (and your families) will come along to enjoy the show. Others, of course, are also more than welcome, even Brian Cowen and Brian Lenihan!

For bookings please phone Anne during school hours at 6684036, or myself at 087-9195012, or you can email rayryan66@yahoo.com

Crawdaddy in the old Findlater building on Harcourt Street.

The music being performed tonight is also drawn from ʻNeighbourhoodʼ (2005) another ECM release featuring Jan Garbarek. Both albums proved a surprise commercial success for the label.

The original material is thematic

DÁIL ÉIREANN, LEINSTER HOUSE, KILDARE STREET, DUBLIN 2 TEL: 01 6183054 FAX: 01 6184146 EMAIL: CHRIS.ANDREWS@OIREACHTAS.IE WEB: WWW.CHRISANDREWS.IE

and structured; ʻPlaygroundʼ is quiet, tempered and laid-back. The concert delivers all the excitement of the live performance of jazz, with trumpet and saxophone solos plenty interesting and delivering some beautiful tones, against the stable backdrop of double bass and piano.

The groove and interest is provided

by Manu Katche himself with incredible ease and variety. The whole band performs with ease and accomplishment.

They are a relatively young band at the peak of their creativity. This is sophisticated stuff and gets the full approval of the Dublin audience. ʻPlaygroundʼand ʻNeighbourhoodʼ available on ECM records.

A Very Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year to all my Constituents

PAGE 26

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

HAWKIN’S BAZAAR AT ILAC CENTRE

T ILESTYLE

Tilestyle is Finalist in the Retail Excellence Awards 2008

By Nessa Jennings HAWKINʼS BAZAAR is a brand new toy shop opened in November in the ILAC Centre. This is a relatively small shop, with a huge range of stuff. Prices range from about €45 down.

From The Natural History Museum come the radio-controlled Black Widow and Tarantula, and hand-controlled aliens and airships. Best of all is possibly a radio-controlled flipping mouse; Let this go in the room and watch your cat go mad! You can also get your own ant colony.

Pet Dreamz are restful and realistic-looking kittens or puppies asleep in their basket. There are also large and small hand puppets of Emu and the Muppets. There is a pig that walks and oinks and a rabbit that hops and shuffles (these could also interest your cat or dog!)

In the art room, you can find: Origami paper art kits; Spiral Draw (like the old spirograph); Stained Glass Colouring Book; Fashion design kit.

The Spacehopper has made a comeback, as have Fisher Prices Television sets and Record Players! You can Make Your Own Monopoly– customize your own board, using a PC and a colour printer and this set.

There is a special 10% discount for schools buying toys for the classroom or nursery.

Thereʼs a section called Childʼs Mind Games: True or Bluff; Chatterbox Word Games; Picture Guessing Games, and Charades. Thereʼs also a section of naughty adult games.

Classic Childrenʼs Books are re issued at affordable prices: ʻAlice in Wonderlandʼ; ʻFamous Fiveʼs Survival Guideʼ, ʻ How to Solve a Mysteryʼ and ʻJust Soʼ stories by Rudyard Kipling.

This is an English company which prides itself on bringing back retro toys for todayʼs children to enjoy.

Irelandʼs most innovative retailers were recognised at the glittering FBD Retail Excellence Ireland Awards 2008 at Lyrath Estate Hotel, Kilkenny. TileStyle, Europeʼs Largest Tile and Stone Showroom, is very proud to have been a finalist at such a prestigious event.

What the Judges said: ʻTileStyle does everything in abundance. The incredible display stands married with a brilliant design create a real wow factor. However, it is the

EXCELS

dedicated and informed service that makes this store a must visit.ʼ TileStyle is at Ballymount Retail Centre (Exit 10 From M50), Dublin 24 Tel: 01 855 5200. Email:info@tilestyle.ie Web: www.tilestyle.ie Pictured at the FBD Retail Excellence Ireland Awards 2008 are Alan Nuzum, CEO, Skillnets Limited, Gerard McNaughton, Retail Director, TileStyle, Miriam OʼCallaghan, Awards Host, Lisa Geoghegan, General Manager, TileStyle, and Paul Candon, Chairman, Retail Excellence Ireland.

S ANDYMOUNT C REDIT U NION P OSTER C OMPETITION

The 25th Annual All-Ireland Poster Competition run by 521 credit unions was launched earlier this year. Frank Clarke, Irelandʼs internationally-famous TV painting teacher, leads the panel of judges. Local winners go forward to the Regional Finals and then on to the National Final in February 2009 if they are successful.

The Irish League of Credit Unions is Irelandʼs successful, not-for-profit, financial co-operative run by and for almost three million members.

Above: Scoil Mhuire girls who took part in Sandymount Credit Union Poster Competition with Bernadette Smith and Mr Hassett.

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

PAGE 27

HQ DRY CLEANERS 7 Bridge Street, Ringsend Tel: 6685363 Monday to Friday 8 am to 7 pm Saturday 9 am to 6 pm

Dry cleaning Same day service Designer wear Specialists in silk, bridal gowns, etc.

All household dry cleaning Curtains, sofa covers, etc.

Laundry service Shirt service (5 shirts â‚Ź12) OAP rates all week YOUR GARMENTS ARE PROFESSIONALLY DRY CLEANED AND HAND FINISHED BY EXPERTS

PAGE 28

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

The Monitor

By Jean Giff She goes to visit Dr D. “My head is often dizzy,” says she.

“Donʼt worry, Iʼll lend you a Monitor overnight, and that will show me how to put you right.”

So kind Dr D put ʻthe yokeʼ on Miss Jean, and she trotted off home, a happy old bean.

The Monitor started its work– no delaying; every half hour this ʻvein squeezerʼ seemed to be saying “Iʼm wrapped round your arm I must get tight and more tight, ʻtil at last Iʼve got you into a fright. The pressure and pain will

reflect on your heart… the result of this will be stored on your chart.”

So, all thruʼ the day, and each hour thruʼ the night the ʻvein squeezerʼ worked ʻtil morning light, recording her heart beats in a box tied to her waist, all of which should prove if her dizziness was fact or fiction based!

One good thing came out of this, for old Jean has found she can live thruʼ a bit of torture, should Ireland be invaded and her people kicked around!

So I thank you for the ʻsqueezerʼ that did its job so well, and look forward to hearing what it told you (even though it gave what I felt was ʻa day in Hellʼ).

H AMLEYS ARRIVE

By Nessa Jennings

H

Councillor Michael Donnelly Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year ‘Looking forward to meeting all in Dublin 4 in 2009’

amleys the famous toy store (established 1760) of Regent Street, London has just opened a store in Dundrum Town Centre.

Itʼs a massive shop of 32,000 square feet, selling everything imaginable on three floors, with all areas clearly sign-posted. A band of bears playing Christmas tunes greets you and opens onto the considerable soft toys section.

All kinds of bears line the shelves. From Paddington with his suitcase for his passage from Lima to London, to the enormous bear crashed out in Regentʼs Bear Park.

A giant bear will set you back around €250.

Magic is cool with Marvinʼs sets, wherein he reveals the secrets of his illusions, and kids can learn how to amaze their parents and their friends. There are all kinds of other wild animals in soft toys and ʻflyingʼ pigs and hogs.

Thereʼs a hum of battery-operated toys all round the store and displays of yapping dogs and meowing cats. New out this year is Biscuit, a life-size Golden Retriever, who obeys six different voice commands, and will set you back €200.

On the middle floor, you will find the games section, with an extensive range of computer games. All the board games are there, including an electronic version of ʻDeal Or No Dealʼ and the world edition of Monopoly, with electronic banking and millions of dollars at

your disposal. You can build skyscrapers and pyramids as well as houses and hotels. Thereʼs a travel game called Dicovering Ireland, a game that Iʼve played that is really fun, as well as Diplomacy, Twister and Cluedo, and the Harry Potter Edition.

Hamleys has its own range of traditional games such as Snakes and Ladders, Solitaire, Ludo, Chinese Checkers, Labyrinth, Backgammon and Chess. There are pocket-size and standard sets available.

You can also find toys for outdoor play, science gadgets, Lego/construction toys and memory games.

The top floor has all the dolls, from Barbie to Bratz, Hannah Montana and ponies, and Hamleys Limited Edition Costumes for girls. Also on this floor is an Arts and Crafts section and the Book Garden; the Regal Tea Cafe and a party room which can be hired.

The early learning range for pre-schoolers is very good, stocking the unbreakable Fisher Price range and Vtech games, which are mainly counting and musical toys.

Elmo, pictured above, is hilariouslooking! He kisses you and tells you he loves you! Toys that swim in the bath are really affordable plastic squids, frogs and turtles.

There are trains and cars galore as well as everything else you can think of.

Donʼt miss a visit to the shop this Christmas if you have a child in your life.

Dundrum also has a Santaʼs Grotto, where you can visit and get a photo and a present for €10.

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

PAGE 29

C ONFIRMATION CLASS 1937/1938 R INGSEND N ATIONAL S CHOOL

Back Row left to right: Two Deavey Brothers, Thomas Elliot, Martin Murphy, Willie Byrne, Joe Behan, George Knott Second Row: John Deavney, Tommie Donaldson, Sean Fox, Michael Egan, T. Renick, Owen Cullen, Gerry Smith, Tommie Murphy Third Row: Thomas Gaffney, Paddy Stafford, W. McGuinness, Willy Buckley, Christy Clark, Tommie Mullen, Eugene OʼBrien, Tom Dent, Gerard Duff Front Row: Willie Greenhalgh, Tom Dunne, John Dunne, Peter Marry, Gerald Mooney, Paddy Daly, Paddy Caulfield, Tommy Kendle, Tommy Atkins.

THE NEWSFOUR

CROSSWORD COMPILED BY KILLIAN HOLMES

Name:……………………………

Address:………………………… Telephone:…………………

Winner of October crossword was Lisa Archbold. Entries to be sent by 10th January 2009. Christmas prize of €30 gift token.

Across 1 5 10 11 12 13 15 17 19 21 22 23 25 28 30 31 32 35 36 37 38

First name of Duke of Edinburgh (6) Who would you prefer to govern us 5 across or 18 down (5) Native of Belgium (7) With frank in front it is a gift from the three wise men (7) Earth (4) Call it out if the numbers match (5) Bed for baby Jesus (4) This creature gives us honey (3) Make hot again (6) Wore away gradually (6) Did Bond prefer his shaken or stirred (7) Stevedore (6) Moved suddenly and rapidly (6) Royal Air Force (3) Throat can be this when inflamed (4) Daughter of Zeus, her face is said to have launched a thousands ships (5) A curved piece of material (4) Annual book containing calendar, etc. (7) Live together (7) Indicates with finger (6) Loud noise or sports bat (6)

Down 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 14 16 18 20 21 23 24 26 27 28 29 33 34

Satanically difficult or unpleasant (7) Wild animalʼs home (4) Dip this in the ink to get writing (3,3) Access over water or a card game (5) Staple diet of over half the worldʼs population (4) Not notice taken (7) A person who mistreats another person (6) Ducks have these feet (6) Free from bias (7) Small part in a film or play (5) See 5 Across (5) Dark thick liquid or old sailor (3) Conclusion (3) Showing gloom or depression (6) Short for this time of year (7) Hope you keep out of this over the holidays (7) I shot the sheriff, who shot the ------ (6) Shows response to a stimulus (6) Person skilled in the art of using a foil (6) Person unknown (4) Sophistication in dress and manner (4)

PAGE 30

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

DO YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING LOCALLY

By Grainne McGuinness, Louise Hanrahan and Nessa Jennings

E

very Christmas, we all have the same problem, Christmas presents, what am I going to get for the most important people in my life? We went around some local shops to see what was on offer and hopefully to give you some ideas and inspiration.

Shelbourne Pharmacy on

Irishtown Road caught our eye with its beautifully-decorated window display. We went inside and found that it was packed with great gift ideas. Perfumes, aftershave, his and hers jewel-

lery, vanity cases which are very handy if you are staying with

Ringsend and District Credit Union Ltd.

5 Irishtown Rd., Dublin 4.

Phone: 6686676 • Fax: 6686288 • Email: info@ringsendcu.ie

friends, amazing scented candles as well as table decorations were all great value.

There is also great value to be had in their new range of colourful Venice jewellery. We all like to get into a nice, warm bed. So, why not buy a snug-as-a-bug hot water bottle priced at €10.99.

Sometimes the old ways are the best!

We then went across the road to Physio Needs (left) on Bath street. Well, if its relaxation you want go no further. They have a huge range of yoga and pilates equipment such as mats, balls, rollers, special pilates socks and a great DVD to help you with your workout.

Also, check out the electric massagers to ease away some of that Christmas stress. It is worth looking at their catalogue or going to www.physioneeds.ie to see the vast selection.

We have all received presents that we either have no use for or that we just donʼt want. Thatʼs where Mrs. Quins charity shop on Bridge Street, Ringsend, comes in very handy.

You will have a good feeling knowing you are helping someone and while you are there have a look around, as they have some great bargains in new gift sets, jewellery, decorations, toys, CDs, DVDs, videos, books, menʼs and womenʼs clothes, shoes and

bags.

They also have Christmas cards and tickets are on sale for £3 for one strip for their raffle that will take place on 19th December, with all proceeds going to the National Council for the Blind.

Around the corner in Bradleyʼs Pharmacy they have a great

range of gift sets, well known perfumes and aftershaves, cameras, jewellery, gadgets and not forgetting the kids, they have a

range of puzzles and games, Hannah Montana and High School Musical colouring books as well as toy cars and trucks. To get rid of those Christmas pounds, Slendertone is down from €170 to €130.

Nearby, there are great gifts to be found in the Wine Boutique.

Luxury hampers are a great idea for a family present and prices range from €45 to €210.00.

The box of Grahamʼs Ports in a tasting pack of five bottles was very appealing at €50. They also stock cheese, coffee and chocolates.

After all the shopping you need to get ready for those festive nights out by having wonderful treatments in Images and Salon 4. From head to toe, you will look and feel great.

Happy shopping.

Sandymount Pharmacy on the corner at Sandymount Green The pharmacy has a range of perfume gift sets: Calvin Klein; Chanel; Burberry and Elizabeth Arden, and Bourgois Paris cosmetics for your last-minute needs.

Broadway Nails will give glamour to any big night out and are really easy to apply. La Roche-Posay, skincare range preferred by dermatologists for use on sensitive skins are available.

The very helpful staff will help you make up gift boxes from the full range of LʼOccitane en Provence. A gift box can also be made up of Dr. Hauschka certified organic skincare and make-

THE JACK FOUNDATION DONATION TO ST. VINCENT’ S

AT RINGSEND CREDIT UNION WE NOW OFFER Free Loan Protection Insurance Foreign Currencies • Travel Insurance House Insurance • Interest Rebate on Loans All Business Transacted During Opening Hours OPENING HOURS Monday and Tuesday 9.30am-12.30pm • 2.00pm-4.30pm Wednesday 9.30am-12.30pm Thursday 9.30am-12.30pm • 2.00pm-4.30pm Friday 9.30am-12.15pm • 2.00pm-7.00pm CHRISTMAS OPENING TIMES: Closed 25 - 26th December Reopening 29th, 30th, 31st December. Normal hours Closed 1st January 2009 Reopening 2nd January 2009. Normal hours

On Monday 20th October, the charity set up in memory of Jack OʼNeill, JACk, donated €45,000 to the hematology unit at St Vincentʼs Hospital, Dublin for Irish patients diagnosed with this serious condition.

Presenting the cheque were his widow Jacqui with his two sons Mathew, 15, and Eoin, 12, who gave Dr. Karin Murphy the cheque that will go towards the diagnosis and treatment of Irish sufferers.

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

PAGE 31

They even have two Image Boxes for instant digital photos, and picture frames, also here, make an ideal gift.

Books On The Green up products, which would be much appreciated by any woman as a present.

on raising their kids. And for children, there is an Aladdinʼs Cave in the room at the back, full of toys and beautiful illustrated books.

Pink Armoire

McAuliffeʼs Pharmacy, opposite Tesco

This pharmacy has Clarins, and also No.7 and Rimmel make-ups.

Bahoma of London, candles and room fragrances are here. Dove Hampers and sets of Simple are for sale.

Gift boxes are from Crabtreee and Evelyn. There is a large stand of grooming accessories.

There is a distinctly Irish selection of books in the window of Books on the Green: Seamus Heaneyʼs autobiography ʻStepping Stonesʼ; ʻWild Dublinʼ, Eanna Ni Lamhnaʼs exploration of wildlife in the city; Sebastian Barryʼs ʻThe Secret Scriptureʼ; Benjamin Blackʼs ʻChristine Falls, and ʻDublin 4ʼ, an illustrated book on Sandymount, Ringsend, Donnybrook and Ballsbridge.

There are all sorts of history books of local interest inside.

There is a crime section, 2009 diaries, and the full catalogue of recent publications are for sale, saving you a trip to the major book stores.

For parents, there are guides

are a speciality. The Matchbox cars are also for the real vintage fans.

They also have a range of diaries for the New Year, and decorative wreaths to hang on the door for Christmas.

The main thing that Pink Armoire offers is a very intimate interior design service. Sharon Creagh who lives in Sandymount will personally visit your home to give advice and great ideas for making your home an amazing showpiece and sanctuary.

Pink Armoire is an outlet for everything needed for interior design from paint and wallpapers to carpets and lighting.

Mira Green

Pink Armoire at 4 Seafort Avenue (01 667 4520) looks so inviting with its window display of exclusive items and baby pink exterior. After venturing in, we were not disappointed. The quality and variety is second to none.

The jewellery is beautiful, very dressy and suitable for those special occasions. Satin clutch bags

Mira

Sandymount

I had never visited this shop before and was amazed by the variety of the stock, which was out of this world. Everything was so quirky and unusual. I wanted to just buy everything in

sight. Of course for Christmas, there is a range of hand-painted, crafted Christmas decorations, along with accessories. The wax scented candles are a treat. Cinnamon and fig will be a popular favourite for Christmas.

There are porcelain figures, including large pigs, in which to save your pennies as well as cuddly toys in all shapes and sizes, also baby clothes, herbal teas, organic roast coffees, Green & Black organic chocolate and lots more.

The range of cards for all occasions is just mind blowing. No big verses, just beautiful pictures that you would love to frame, never mind stick in an envelope.

For those of us who need to de-stress, there is a lovely wide range of aromatherapy oils and for the ladies, solid jars of perfume which will really linger.

On the cosmetic side, they stock Burtʼs Bee Wax Products which are totally natural.

On display are lampshades of every size, quality and variety and most unusual hand-made woven mats from South America. The hand-made ethnic jewellery from Brazil is striking.

Mira Mira is a shop out on its own. To visit is a treat in itself.

Tritonville Bar and Terrace Modern Décor Large TV Screens Terrace and Beer Garden

‘NEW’ TRADITIONAL SUNDAY LUNCH MENU EVERY SUNDAY FROM 12.30 – 4.00PM (CHILDREN’S MENU AVAILABLE) FESTIVE CHRISTMAS MENUS, BIRTHDAYS, ANNIVERSARIES, TABLE QUIZ NIGHTS… WHATEVER THE OCCASION WE CAN CATER FOR YOUR NEEDS! CALL US NOW ON (01) 614 2000 Email: info@mountherberthotel.ie • Web: www.mountherberthotel.ie

Herbert Road, Sandymount, Dublin 4 Tel: 614 2000

PAGE 32

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

A N E GYPTIAN

By Eugene Carolan

M

y introduction to Cairo was a trip from the airport at 11.30pm. At night in this warm climate people come out in droves, shops are open, tea is drunk, business is done.

Traffic comes from all directions, including ancient, battered Peugeots and Fiats I have not seen on roads for decades. Many drivers see no need to turn on their lights. VW minibuses ply as taxis,

EXPERIENCE

their rear engine hatches opened to prevent overheating. There are quite enough overheated drivers already.

Cairo, a vast city on the fertile Nile Delta intersected by numerous waterways, is too large to take in on a short visit. For the many of its nine million people who live in poverty, life is harsh. About 90 per cent of the Egyptian population is Muslim and this is reflected in the way people dress and, for good and bad, in their attitudes to others.

Many people are astonished that

the famous pyramids at Giza are in the suburbs of Cairo, indeed the site itself is being undermined by erosion and development. An abandoned 20th century visitor complex on the periphery is progressively falling over the edge.

Nearby, guards strolled about indifferently. Although we visited early, individuals selling souvenirs, water and camel rides were as persitent as midges.

The Sphinx is close by, sadly missing its beard and nose. For hundreds of years it was almost buried in sand and erosion also took its toll. Yet, it is still an impresive work.

A visit to the Cairo Museum is essential. This houses many of the treasures of Egyptʼs older, less constrained civilisations. Even in early October, it is hot indoors and out, but well worth the effort to see such marvels as the treasures which were tightly packed into Tutankhamunʼs small tomb. Among these are beds, containers, his marvellous throne inlaid with gold and ebony, and, most prosaically, a pair of his underpants! He died from an infection aged about 18.

A room is set aside for Tutankhamunʼs treasures, with many beautifully-made trinkets of gold, ebony and coloured enamels. The centrepiece is the astonishing solid gold death mask and his two inner coffins, one gilded wood with semiprecious stones. The other coffin is solid gold and still has the power to astonish with its beauty.

We rounded off a day in Cairo by visiting the Khan al-Khalili market, built in 1382. The market is an experience full of colour and

noise, but stopping to look at goods we found ourselves surrounded by determined, frequently aggressive salesmen. Had they allowed shoppers to move in peace, one suspects they would have done even better business. As it was, we retreated for an hour to a centrally-placed coffee shop where one can relax in peace.

Nearby, Muslim women, some with borrowed newly-born babies sought alms beside the mosque. As our Egyptian guide pointed out, in Egypt, one must take the good with the bad. While many Egyptian buildings are in a state of decay or simply unfinished, all mosques are pristine.

Further on, a vast graveyard, the ʻCity of the Deadʼ is inhabited by many homeless people who are paid by well-off families to guard their family tombs.

At the railway station to catch our overnight sleeper train to Aswan, we were joined on the platform by many Muslim pilgrims heading home in packed carriages.

We enjoyed the luxury of cabins with fold-down beds and washbasins and were served dinner in the cabins, then retired to the salubrious bar carraige at the rear before bed.

In the soft, warm light of early morning, heading southwards on the western shore of the Nile, people with donkeys and carts worked in the fields, stacking grain or just moving about. The Biblical vision was only disturbed by the occassional tractor, car or incongruous, unfinished modern apartment block among mud-brick huts.

Despite the morning heat on the platform, Aswan is a relatively sedate town, the railway station facing a strip of greenery leading to a long, pristine promenade area along the Nile occupied by luxurious Nile cruisers, usually four storeys high, sometimes moored four deep.

On one such cruiser, our rooms were impeccable, and the food outstanding. While in Aswan at night,

we visited a department store and bank, both of which harked back to a bygone age. The local market is well worth seeing, and one tends to develop a relaxed attitude to the enthusiastic stallholders.

In the morning a Nubian boatman brought us in his felucca to the temple of Isis at Philae. By the 1970s the rising waters from the Aswan Dam had half submerged the temple.

This vast edifice, like Abu Simbel before it, was laboriously moved stone by stone onto a higher island nearby, which was landscaped to match the original.

Returing to shore, we braved the usual assault of peddlers before setting off for the Aswan Dam. There is a Lower Dam built by the British from 1898 to 1902, but the current High Dam was built between 1960 and 1972. At 3.6 kilometres long, it needs to be viewed from the air to appreciate its full splendour.

All the electricity for Egypt is generated here. Large numbers of the local Nubian tribe were displaced and their lands flooded.

It is worth taking a felucca sailboat trip around nearby Elephantine Island. Lapping water and reeds form part of a nature reserve, sadly not accessible to visitors. Here also are the Botanical Gardens, while

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

the Aga Khanʼs mausoleum tops a nearby hill on the western bank.

A few workmen quarried rocks on the island. Despite the serenity, the rounded façade of MacDonaldʼs burgery could be seen fronting the broad promenade on the eastern shore!

Cruising upriver, the banks of the Nile slipped by silently, sometimes lush and green from ancient irrigation channels which run inland.

At other times, the brown hills of the desert were visible in the distance. Periodically, small feluccas and large Nile cruisers slid by our floating cocoon.

We disembarked and walked to the Temple of Kom Ombo as darkness fell and floodlights took over.

The carvings on buildings such as these are not mere ornament, they tell in enormous detail how people lived, what they ate, what they wore, how they viewed life and death.

Sailing northwards, the Temple of Horus at Edfu is among the best preserved. The walls are covered with elegant bas-relief images depicting religious and mythological events. The pharaohs ruled Egypt from about 3500BC to 2475BC, an incredibly long dynasty.

The Valley of the Kings at Thebes resembles an undulating quarry of loose stone. It is now entered through a reception area

which shows a three-dimensional model of the many tombs within. A good coffee shop and shuttle train are welcome as even at 10am the heat is blistering.

Tutankmamunʼs tomb is obligatory, although it was hastily requisitioned and decorated when the young king died suddenly. Relatively small, in a side room his outer gilded sarcophagus and mummy are still in place. The archaelogist Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamunʼs tomb in 1922, with most of its treasures intact.

The tomb of Ramses VI is large and richly decorated in vibrant colours, with a vaulted ceiling and a recently-reassembled inner sarcophagus of the pharaoh.

In the nearby Valley of the Queens, the Tomb of Queen Nefertari is said to be the finest of all.

It is exquisitely decorated with scenes of the soulʼs journey to the underworld. Its reliefs were damaged by humidity, water and salt but it is now fully restored. Sadly, visitors generate humidity and it was closed when I visited.

At the valley entrance on a hilltop is the the domed house built by Howard Carter during the many years he spent excavating these tombs. Close by are the Colossi of Memnon, two 60-foot high seated statues of Amenhotep III. During the Roman period, the north-

PAGE 33

ernmost of these statues ʻsangʼ at sunrise. An earthquake in 27 BC seemed to create this phenomon, as it stopped when the statue was repaired in 199 AD. A final essential journey was inland from Luxor to the temple of Karnak. It was crowded, but in the warm but mellow evening its vastness could be appreciated. Entered by an avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, towering columns support vast stone beams. A large manmade lake cistern is further back.

Against one incompletely finished wall is a sloping mound of earth thousands of years old. Such temporary moveable mounds were the key to the building of these temples and the pyramids.

Leaving antiquity behind, we had a final coffee before joining a long convoy of vehicles through the desert in darkness with a brief ʻcomfortʼ stop at an oasis before reaching Hurghada on the Red Sea at 11.30pm.

Our hotel overlooked an internal garden of grass, palms, ponds and swimming pool. To the rear, a

landscaped beach curved into the Red Sea- an obligatory swim!

Hurghada itself is a purposebuilt resort. It is still just a few streets deep with a long ʻstripʼ of shops and hotels parallel to the beach. Foothpaths and site markers in the desert show the extent of its future ambitions as a Las Vegas by the Red Sea. For travellers, as opposed to tourists, a day or two there is enough.

More interesting is the full day of travel, by bus from Hurghada, where the road flanks the Red Sea and the oil pipeline on the right, before it gives way to the lower reaches of the Suez canal. Rather then heading north to Suez itself, we had a stop at another oasis for more coffee, then headed west, inland towards Cairo. Although still desert, the land becomes more hilly. Newly built luxurious villas and apartments appear along the road, bolt holes for the wealthy of Cairo.

A beautiful sunset, and as we approaced outer Cairo, braving its chaotic traffic, we saw more apart-

ment buildings, these built by the government to relieve the horrendously overcrowded slums of the city, although people still resist moving.

Arriving after 10.00pm at our hotel, there was still time for a late dinner and drink by the hotel pool before going to bed for a few hours and heading to the airport at 4.00am for the 7.00am flight home.

Approached without prejudice or preconceptions, a journey through Egypt becomes a richly rewarding experience.

Clockwise from top left: Detail from the Temple of Isis at Philae; this ceiling detail of a womanʼs face, with some original pigmentation, is in a room at the Temple of Horus at Edfu; the ram-headed sphinxes at Karnak; a panoramic view of the pyramids with tourists and guards in the foreground; relaxing on a felucca at Aswan; a young belly dancer; Nile cruisers near the Esna Barrage; a Nubian boatman accompanies himself on a song.

PAGE 34

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

THE CYCLE OF LIFE

I

still have my Raleigh bike with its three-speed Sturmey Archer gears and Lucas Dynamo in my shed. It is now 60 years old. In the fifties, I used to oil the hubs, pedals and chain and a group of us from Sandymount would head off for the weekend to an An Oige (IYHA) hostel, maybe Avoca or Aughavannagh, County Wicklow. Those were the days.

The main picture above of happy cyclists relaxing was taken on 3rd May 1953. On right is the IYHA hostel at Avoca during that period.

By David J. B. Lyon

H ARD

TIMES IN

R INGSEND

By Geoffrey P. B. Lyons

H

aving mentally revisited some of the events of my youth, after I read the articles by Michael McAuliffe in June, and Rodney Devitt, last August, I would like to follow up with some social history of my own.

Soon after the Second World War, our family emigrated from North London to Dublin 4. Motherʼs family lived on the Pigeon House Road and that was to be our dwelling place also.

As a small boy I arrived into Dublin in shock when I witnessed the poverty. I found many friends as I grew, indeed my first love Annie, is still my most precious, other half. I went to CBS Westland Row and became immersed in all things Irish.

I worked at the head office of

the Society of St Vincent De Paul in Grafton Street. My duties in that system were simple, but I often said a prayer of thanks for having a job.

I really just set the meeting table with jugs of water for the Council

of Dublin committee meetings, and sealed up some of the thousands of appeal envelopes for appeal week.

But I was aware of the huge task of distributing food, fuel and clothing vouchers in various parishes.

AND

I RISHTOWN

First hand, I saw so many Ringsend children wearing hand-me-down clothes and some without shoes.

In the late 1940s, I recall also leaving Scothie Byrneʼs chip shop of an evening in Irishtown, to regularly find children of about six or seven asking me to spare a few chips, and yes, I gave them some.

They would sit on the old granite wall by the passageway we knew as ʻthe drainʼ and enjoyed their supper. I also recall that awful odour belching from the tanning factory at ʻThe Pointʼ in Ringsend.

I knew that I was in a better-off family than most, in those days.

However, I mixed with many very

different boys for outdoor sports. I played lots of football, and swam in the summer months.

I knew about the signs of relative poverty, from my experiences in the world of pigeon fanciers. Just like North West areas in England, Dublin was famous for having thousands of pigeon fanciers, though on a smaller scale.

At 13 or 14 years of age I was quite an expert in all matters relevant to these birds, having studied all aspects of our feathered friends, and loved every minute of that phase in my life. The sport of pigeon racing is the poor manʼs horse racing, that is obvious, but itʼs funny how our social history changes when the pigeon fraternity reduces in size– the relative wealth of the area tends to increase. I believe this trend would possibly be true in Dublin 4.

Above: Children playing in Ringsend, 1954.

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

PAGE 35

SAMRA SEEKS SPECIAL PROTECTION AREA ON POOLBEG

By John Cavendish

S

ince June 2008 The Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) have been inviting local residents, businesses and other interested parties to various open days to view and discuss the Docklands Development Authority Draft Plan for the Poolbeg Peninsula.

The Committee of Sandymount and Merrion Residentsʼ Association recently called an EGM to discuss their reaction to the Plans.

SAMRA was able to obtain Joe McCarthy, Chartered Engineer, noted for his analysis of the elec-

A

A

tronic voting debacle, as the guest speaker to show the residents what is envisaged by the DDDA for the Poolbeg Peninsula.

Joe McCarthy was a member of a special interest group on the environmental consequences of the plans. Joe reported that that questions were asked without adequate replies and that some of the planning details were not laid out and were said by the DDDA to be still not finalised.

The planning process, he said, involved taking in concerns of those at these meetings, chaired by Mr Cormac Russell of the DDDA, then digesting the various concerns followed by producing a scheme

which goes before the Minister of the Environment, currently John Gormley TD, for approval or rejection around February 2009 after some City Council consultation.

If the plans are approved, the DDDA will then be the sole planning authority for the area.

Joe McCarthy provided a splendid explanation of what is envisaged by DDDA in an hour-long seminar with slides of the plans and the impact it will have for Sandymount and its environs.

He explained that this stage now was the only opportunity for the residents to react to the proposals, as there was no appeal available to An Bord Pleanála.

At the end of the presentation the SAMRA environment spokesperson Lorna Kelly told how they had written previously to the Minister seeking an extension of the Special Protection Areas (SPA) without response and had complained to the European Union on the grounds that the SPA was under threat from proposed developments.

The people attending the EGM were asked to make their feelings known by a show of hands approving four motions before the meeting to be put to Minister Gormley.

1. We request the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government to take immediate action to ensure that all lands which were unused and undeveloped as of January 2007, on the Poolbeg peninsula, south of a line drawn from South Bank Road eastwards to the seaward side of the Sewage works and lying east of Kilsaran Cement plant are zoned as public open spaces and parkland, as originally promised as far back as 1963, together with the Roadstone causeway and the grass area on the western side.

2. We request the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government to include the land area on the Poolbeg peninsula used by wild birds, as shown on the map

Donna the Florist 51a Donnybrook Road, Dublin 4

Donna Ryan, Interflora Award-Winning Florist

WASTE OF MONEY ?

Dublin City Councillor has described Ringsend waste treatment plant as an “unmitigated disaster from day one.” It has caused significant inconvenience, discomfort and annoyance for the people of Ringsend and surrounding areas since it first began operating.

Sinn Féin Councillor Daithí Doolan was responding to publication of a Department of Environment-commissioned report into the operation of the plant.

The report has found that the projections for waste to be treated at the plant were massively underestimated. It found that there was poor monitoring of waste loads from trade licences and that there were ʻcertain anomalies in the measure-

ment of flow and load arriving at the plant.ʼ Councillor Doolan said: “This report vindicates Sinn Féinʼs consistent position on this issue. It proves the folly of the public/ private partnership process that brought it into being. And it should act as a serious warning against those who want to use the same process to have an incinerator foisted on the people of

this area.

“When private profit and not public need are to the fore in these types of project then corners will be cut and problems will be conveniently swept to one side. The fact that the bulk of the recommendations in this report relate to monitoring and measuring loads clearly indicates there are serious concerns about what was going on at the plant. This plant has already cost the city of Dublin millions and millions of euro. If it was a Council-run and controlled plant I donʼt believe we would have had the problems we have had to date. I think it is imperative now that Dublin City manager make a full statement on the matter and the issues raised in the report.”

already lodged with him by SAMRA, to be included in the previously-designated Sandymount Strand and Tolka Estuary SPA area, in accordance with the requirements of EU Birds and Habitats Directives.

3. We request the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government not to approve any plan, proposal for the Poolbeg peninsula by any body, over which he exercises some control, without his prior consultation with representatives of SAMRA, or which conflict with the motions agreed by residents of Sandymount and Merrion EGM held on the 20th October 2008.

4. We request the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government to direct Dublin Docklands Development Authority and Dublin City Council to avoid all further development on the Poolbeg peninsula land that was reclaimed from the sea with commercial, industrial and municipal waste, between 1963 and 1981, other than open space permitted, in accordance with the development guidelines of June 2007 and the Draft Flood Risk guidelines of September 2008 issued by his department.

The floor approved the motions and a letter has been sent to the Minister.

MANY GIFT IDEAS! TO NAME BUT A FEW… Scented Candles Glass Mosaic Ornaments from Italy Christmas Door Wreaths and Swags made to order Table Decorations made to order We provide a delivery service in the Dublin area

Opening Hours

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9 am to 6 pm Monday to Saturday 11 am to 2 pm Sunday Telephone: 2194555 Fax: 2611799 ‘For a very friendly service’

PAGE 36

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

T HE G OOD S AMARITANS

T

M EMOIR

his is the twelfth book written by locally-based writer, Anthony Jordan. The Samaritans, a highly esteemed voluntary organisation, has been a feature of Dublin life for nearly 40 years.

The story of its founding in Dublin in 1970, is outlined for the first time in this book. Most surprising is the detail of the opposition it faced from the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, John Charles McQuaid.

The Archbishop expected that all voluntary organisations in his Archdiocese would be under his aegis.

A Church of Ireland Canon, Billy Wynn, outmanoeuvred the Archbishop by enlisting notable Catholics to back the Dublin Samaritans.

After some early teething difficulties, which are detailed in this book, the Samaritans have become a welcome organisation available to people who are in distress. The Samaritans now have twenty branches throughout all of Ireland.

OF A BIOGRAPHER

The memoir gives a very personal insight into the movie star Daniel Day Lewis, whom the author got to know in the 1980s, when he lived in Sandymount, while making the film about Christy Brown.

Jordan writes that in n 1988 a tall man knocked unannounced at the door of his office at National Association for Cerebral Palsy Ireland, Sandymount School and Clinic. “He gave his name as Daniel Day-Lewis and said he was in Dublin preparing to play the role of Christy Brown in a new film. He wished to spend up to six weeks in our school. It was a Monday morning and I was trying to organise my schedule for the day.

I did not ask him to take a seat, intending to send him on his way as quickly as possible.” When he found that Noel Pearson was producing the film and Jim Sheridan was directing, he quickly asked Day-Lewis to take a seat.

Anthony Jordan writes about his

childhood in Mayo, boarding for five years in St. Jarlathʼs College Tuam, five years as a seminarian in Maynooth and career in Special Education at the Central Remedial Clinic in Clontarf and Enable Ireland in Sandymount.

He also gives the background to his eleven biographical books. He gives a vivid description of the ʻBattle of Ballsbridgeʼ in 1981.

Many local names feature in the book as the author writes about voluntary community activists. He praises in particular the local parish choir at Star of the Sea Church and looks forward to hearing its church bell ring out, as he walks daily with his dog ʻMurphyʼ in Irishtown Nature Park.

The book is available at all good bookshops, including Books on the Green in Sandymount Village. ʻTHE SAMARITANS– MEMOIR OF A BIOGRAPHERʼ by Anthony Jordan is published by westportbooks@yahoo. co.uk at €16.

D OCKLANDS S ENIORS T ALENT S HOWCASE

These Yearsʼ Kathleen Parkes– ʻAll The Liesʼ/ Christy gags (First Place) Tommy Seery– ʻScorn Not His Simplicityʼ Fran Lacey– ʻDonʼt Laugh

K

athleen Parkes (pictured right with Niall Quinn) from Ballybough in the Dublin Docklands hinterland was the winner of the fifth Docklands Seniors Talent Showcase 2008 at the Abbey Theatre.

Celebrating her 81st birthday, Kathleen sang ʻAll the liesʼ and did a ʻChristyʼ recitation as made famous by her heroine Maureen Potter. Kathleen won a €1,000 travel voucher.

The distinguished panel of judges included RTEʼs Aonghus McAnally; 2FMʼs Larry Gogan; renowned actress Geraldine Plunkett; singer Sandy Kelly and Niamh OíSullivan, Board Member, Docklands Authority.

Additional entertainment was provided by special guest artist Rebecca Storm while the judges deliberated.

The fourteen accomplished finalists and their song of

choice was as follows: Paddy Behan– ʻHello Dollyʼ Philip Murphy– ʻSome Enchanted Eveningʼ Teresa Carroll– ʻOnly Youʼ Leo Lawlor– ʻFor The Good Timesʼ (Second Place) Sean Caulfield– ʻLover Come Back To Meʼ Jenny OʼBrien– ʻFields Of Athenryʼ Hubert Gannon– ʻOn The Street Where You Liveʼ Michael Fox– ʻAfter All

At Meʼ Maureen Breen– ʻThis Is My Songʼ Mike Scott– ʻLady Of Spainʼ Paddy Hewitt– ʻMy Wayʼ (Third Place)

RIVERSIDE SINGERS TO SING IN THE NATIONAL CONCERT HALL THE RIVERSIDE SINGERS, based in Ringsend, will sing in the National Concert Hall on 12 February 2009 along with six other choirs, and the Knocklyon Concert Band, which celebrates its 10th anniversary. Altogether, there will be over 130 singers, singing everything from Abba hits, through Andrew Lloyd Webber highlights, to Handelʼs Hallelujah Chorus. Musical director is Robert Chester, and chorus-master is Ray Ryan.

The Riverside Singers rehearse every Wednesday morning in Ringsend Technical Institute, from 10.30 to 12.30, and new members are always welcome, especially men.

More details from Ray at 087-9195012, or email rayryan66@yahoo. com

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

PAGE 37

T IERNAN D OLAN GIVE TO GOAL CHRISTMAS

THIS

WIN €150!

By Audrey Healy

G

OAL volunteer and secondary school teacher Tiernan Dolan is not a man who likes to be told to slow down and as the festive season approaches he would like to appeal to you to think of those less fortunate than yourselves.

Tiernan likes to be in the thick of the action and has been for over fifteen years, but a few short months ago, was forced to take stock and confront his own mortality when he suffered a mild heart attack.

Today heʼs a changed man, exercising religiously and having a cup of coffee without his customary accompanying bun– and he feels all the better for it.

“My brother had a triple bypass done some years ago and though I wasnʼt exactly expecting my heart scare I felt I was next in a way, it wasnʼt a huge surprise.”

Tiernanʼs long-standing association with GOAL, which celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this year, began in the early nineties when he offered his skills as an amateur photographer and was invited on a fund-raising trip to Sudan. “John OʼShea of GOAL said I could be opening a door that I could not close and that door is not off its hinges,” he laughs. “That door was opened over in Sudan and that trip was an

‘NEWSFOUR’ SHORT STORY COMPETITION The winner will have their story published in the February issue of ‘NewsFour’, also receiving a prize of €150.

In addition, Leo of Power Video Productions, is offering you the opportunity to have the story filmed if it is suitable or possible to make into a film script.

incredible experience. It changed my outlook forever and I never imagined that Iʼd still be working with them all these years later.

“You can see the images on television and on video but seeing them in reality is quite another experience. You donʼt get to see, taste or smell it until youʼve been there, you donʼt get the sounds or to interact with the people, to hear their stories and see first-hand, itʼs totally mind-blowing and it changes you for the better.”

Tiernan has been on fourteen overseas trips with GOAL, from Afghanistan to Angola, Sudan to Darfur. Admitting that the scenes witnessed are utterly heartrending, Tiernan stresses that each and every trip abroad with GOAL is nothing less than “an absolute privilege” and he is all too aware that many more yearn to be in his place.

Recently, Tiernan was sadly bereaved by both parents and in

their memory has asked people to contribute to his latest mission. Tiernan is currently involved in building six houses in Uganda for families orphaned by AIDS, at a cost of just €3,500 per house. “Itʼs a great project,” he says enthusiastically. “I visited the region last year just to see the set-up and to visit one family who are getting a house and I asked the woman there would it make a difference to her to get this house and she smiled and said “itʼs not a house, itʼs a palace.”

That says it all, the work of GOAL and the work of people like Tiernan Dolan who make it happen.

If youʼd like to make a donation to GOAL, please send your contribution to GOAL Ireland: PO Box 19, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin or make a credit/ Laser donation by phoning 012809779.

P ATRICK IS AT HOME IN N ORTHBROOK

All entries should be unpublished and contain no more than 1500 words.

Entries must be received no later than 1st January 2009 and should be sent to Short Story Competition NewsFour 15 Fitzwilliam Street Ringsend Dublin 4 or by email to newsfourscs@eircom.net Sponsored by Power Video Productions and NewsFour

Christmas greetings Merry Christmas to Connie, Arthur and Glynnis in Wales and to Evelyn and Danny in Cyprus From Una. *** RDRD and the Spellman Centre wish all their friends and associates a very Happy Christmas.

GILMORE SOLICITORS 22 BRIDGE STREET, RINGSEND, DUBLIN 4 Tel: 6677170 * Fax:6673809 E-mail: gilmoresol@gmail.com

PICTURED ABOVE are Dympna Talbot, Cllr Paddy McCartan, Patrick Talbot and staff nurse Aljamol Jose at Northbrook Nursing Home in Ranelagh, where Patrick is receiving excellent care and attention. Following his discharge from St. Vincentʼs hospital, Patrick was moved to a nursing home in Bray where he spent over 18 months. Unfortunately, because of the distance from his home in Sandymount this proved very unsatisfactory for Patrick, his wife

Dympna and family. “When Dympna approached my constituency office about their predicament, we immediately contacted suitable nursing homes closer to his home and were delighted to facilitate his transfer to Northbrook in Ranelagh,” says Paddy. “My husband Patrick and I are so happy with his move to Northbrook and we wish to thank Paddy McCartan and his secretary Marie for making it all possible,” says Dympna.

House Sales/Purchases Re-mortgages & Commercial Property Family Law Wills/Probate/Estate-Planning Employment Law District Court & Road Traffic Offences

A Friendly & Professional Service

PAGE 38

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

ST PATRICK’S CYFC

By David Nolan UPDATE FROM PATRICKʼS CYFC:

ST

S

ince the last instalment the clubʼs fortunes have been mixed. Our First team exited the Umbro-sponsored FAI Intermediate cup at the hands of fellow senior 1B side Postal United out in Tallaght.

Whilst CY had the better of the game, taking an early lead through a Philip OʼConnor strike, disaster was to befall midfielder Graham Hannigan as the usually ultra-reliable penalty-taker missed a goldenportunity to extend his teamsʼ lead in the second half just as the home side were starting to turn the screw.

Hannigan hadnʼt missed a competitive penalty in four previous seasons but put this one wide of the upright. The slender one-goal lead was eventually surrendered to bring this tight contest into extra-time and eventually penalties.

Both sides had netted their first three penalties each with Postal then netting a fourth to lead 4-3 in the shoot-out. Next up for the Y was talisman Tho-

T RAVELS

I

f you are going on holiday with young children over the Christmas period or in the New Year, instead of wandering around shops trying to find those essential items, you might think of taking a look at www. babytravelshop.com. Any of the items found on this innovative site would also make great Christmas presents.

Aishling OʼDonoghue, found-

Winners of the Halloween Word Search

Congratulations and €10 on its way to you!

stuff in midfield with as much as shooting in anger finally broke his scoring duck with a spectacular winner in a thrilling 4-3 win away to Orwell FC– one for the grand children methinks!!! The 3rd teamʼs most recent game away to Lakelands FC resulted in a 4-1 defeat but they still hold top spot in the league.

With some important fixtures to come in November, all three senior teams will feel that whilst there is work to be done they are a good position to challenge as we lurk ever closer to the turn of the year.

The 1st team have two important cup games coming up,

WITH BABY MADE EASIER

By Stephanie Morris

Theo Scolard Elton Saldanha Jonathan Egan

mas Nolan, who fired his penalty left and high only for the home keeper to tip away. This left Postal with a fifth penalty to win the tie, and it was duly dispatched to send CY crashing out at the first hurdle. Two league games were to follow, losing by a single goal out at Valeview Shankill but bouncing back the following week away to UCD with goals from Glen & Anto OʼConnor conjuring up an important 2-1 away win keeping title ambitions alive.

The second team continued their good form with three wins on the bounce to move to the top of Major 1C Saturday, beating St Judes, Stillorgan Lakelands & Alpine Express all away from home but disappointingly fell to a 2-1 home defeat to old rivals Ballyfermot Utd. They bounced back in style beating Valeview Shankill 5-1 on November 8th. Also in good form is our 3d team currently leading the way in division 2 Sunday. Since last reporting they had four wins on the trot, wining away against Queenʼs Park and Orwell FC and at home against Meath Rangers and Cabinteely.

A special mention has to go to captain Noel Boland who after many many years strutting his

er of babytravelshop.com has two children Fionn aged 3 and Cian 1½. Aishling was very well established in the travel company Ebookers and enjoyed her career there.

However, a few years ago she made a longhaul journey to Australia with Fionn, at 3½ months old. Before travelling, she experienced great difficult in sourcing the essentials for the journey and the ʻday in the planeʼ experience was not a happy one.

On her arrival, Aisling discovered that Australia was a mecca for functional baby travelling gear which was safe and fun. On returning home she decided to take the

ʻleap of faithʼ and move from her hard-working comfort zone to starting her own online baby

away to Valeview in the Gilligan cup on the 16th November and a home tie in the Moore cup the following Saturday night against Garda FC. 2nd and 3rd team will also hope to keep the form up and stay top of their respective leagues. Next issues will include a profile on our schoolboy teams.

ST PATRICKʼS CYFC CLUB CONTACTS ARE AS FOLLOWS Club Chairman: Mr. George Desay Club Secretary: Mr. John Healy Mob: Club Treasurer: Mr. Patrick travel business.

Baby Travel Shop has everything you could possibly need from pop-up travel cots to 100% UV protective creams and sunglasses for your baby and toddler. They also have a range of baby organic sun creams, towelling hooded tops and ponchos, and much, much more.

Baby Travel Shop provides handy check lists for planning your trip and useful hints about travelling on flights with children. These items are wonderful gifts for any occasion, both to babies and mothers. The Bushbaby Splashsuit (left) is a great innovation and fits over clothing and can be removed without taking off the wellies. There is also an interesting and functional range of bags and luggage. The Totseat

Healy: Committee members: Mr. Derek Bowden, Mr. Patrick OʼKeefe SENIOR TEAMS: 1st Team Manager: (LSL Intermediate 1B) Mr. John Young 1st Team Coach: Mr. Mark Benson 2nd Team Manager: (LSL Major 1C Sat) Mr. Anthony Owens 2nd Team Coach: Mr. Wayne Byrne 3rd Team Joint Managers (LSL Div 2 Sun) Mr. David Nolan & Mr. Ray Williams Above: Can you name the team shown on the top of the page and the year? will prove a great help as it can be easily carried and attached to any dining chair.

Aisling has used her travel experience wisely and you will find a section on the website called Travel Zone. Aisling has sourced well-recommended holiday providers that specialise in family holidays, from varying activities to creche/babysitting facilities.

Checking out Aislingʼs website before going on holiday will save parents a lot of worry and make their children more comfortable on the journey. The products are entertaining and functional and considering the quality are not expensive. You will find all the gear, lots of helpful tips, information and advice for travelling with babies and toddlers. Happy Travels!

To speak to Aisling OʼDonoghue call: 4004400/087 799 1663. www. babytravelshop.com, e-mail aisling@babytravelshop.com

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

PAGE 39

S ANDYMOUNT W RAN B OYS

By John Cavendish

T

his year is the 25th anniversary of the revival in Dublin of the old Irish tradition of hunting the Wren (pronounced Wran) on St. Stephenʼs Day, 26th December on Sandymount Green.

The dayʼs events will begin with a poetry reading at around 11am in the Sandymount House followed by performers on the ʻGuinness Gig Rigʼ from 12 noon, keeping everyone warm

T

S ANTA

util 2pm.

This old Irish tradition of hunting the Wren is shrouded in legend and is still practised in many parts of the country, particularly in Kerry.

In times past, the Wran was actually hunted and killed, tied to a holly bush and paraded around the locality in celebration of the Winter Solstice Festival. Nowadays, the Wran is represented by a symbolic bird in a holly bush and accompanied by much music-making and merriment.

COMES TO

This year the Grand Marshall is Aine Holland, who will also be singing. The Master of Ceremonies is Mick OʼBrien and Chief Whip will be Pat McEvoy.

The father of the Wren is to be Bob Ryan, whose son is the Energy Minister Eamonn.

Performers will include the band ʻThe Shamrockeryʼ and Mick Lacey, Bill Doonan and Cathal Holland (Aineʼs father) all singing along with the other groups of musicians.

There will also be ʻThe Swords Mummersʼ who do ʻmummingʼ, a centuries-old mid-winter tradition of folk drama that involves dressing in strange costumes and sometimes performing a series of character roles in rhyme.

The Wran the Wran the king of all birds On St. Stephenʼs Day he was caught in the furze Up with the kettle and down with the pan A penny or tuppence to bury the wran The Wran the Wran for all to see Here dressed up in a holly tree Now Mrs Murphy donʼt be thinking Give us our money and let us go drinking This year the collections made at the merrymaking on the morning go to the Bethlehem Maternity Hospital.

G EORGE ’ S Q UAY

he popular ʻ12 Days of Christmasʼ Festival returns to Dublinʼs Docklands this year from Friday 12th to Tuesday 23rd December, 12 noon to 8pm daily.

Now in its fourth year, this charming Yuletide event offers visitors a magical festival experience in a unique waterside village setting with over 80 market traders selling a range of Christmas gifts, seasonal food and stocking fillers. Over 80,000 people enjoyed its festive atmosphere last year.

The festival will take place in a beautifully-lit area on Georgeʼs Dock in the IFSC, and offers an appealing range of gift ideas for friends and family, from craft jewellery, stained glass giftware, wooden toys, beauty products and leather ware to a unique selection of home accessories, including mirrors, lamps and art.

A new addition to the festival this year will be Santaʼs Grotto in the chq building. Santa will be there at the weekends to give children an opportunity to ask for their special gift.

The festival is traditional Christmas at its best and offers a lot more than shopping. Back by popular demand this year is the beautifully restored showpiece ʻGalloping Horsesʼ Carousel and other fairground attractions, as well as face painting for adults and children alike.

And, to ensure a really festive atmosphere, there will be carol singers and bands on hand on selected days to perform a feel-good selection of Christmas favourites.

C OUNCILLOR S ARAH R YAN

S

By John Cavendish

arah Ryan, daughter of Fianna Fáil MEP Eoin Ryan, was coopted onto Dublin City Council in May 2008. Sarah is the the fourth generation of her family to serve as a public representative. Her grandfather was Senator Eoin Ryan, and great-grandfather, Dr Jim Ryan, who was a minister in the governments of Eamon de Valera and Sean Lemass. Sarah beat off serious competition to take the Fianna Fáil seat.

Sarah studied history, has fluent Irish and after completing a Masters from the Smurfit Business School works now as a Business consultant. She has also worked as a teacher in CBS Westland Row and a Dublin 4 taxi firm. She told me that she does not have any aspirations to run for the Dáil seat but says “I feel that it is very important to have a strong understanding of local politics behind you” and says she has enough to do with the business consultancy company that she works for and the Council work to keep her going without building ambitions for the Oireachtas. She did help her father in his election campaign in the past and was active in Ógra Fianna Fáil.

Talking to her out on the seafront at Sandymount, she says her biggest asset as a Dublin South East area Councillor is her upbringing in the district. “I grew up here in Bath Avenue and still live in Sandymount and regularly walked along the Strand, I know the place from living and working here,” she says.

She is not so comfortable with the proposals from the Dublin Docklands Development Authority for the Poolbeg peninsula and hopes to see the wild birdsʼ habitat protected and limitations on development.

She says she hopes that the DDDA will respond properly to the public consultation process and respect the nature reserve SPA. “Iʼm a big fan of the Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen who said ʻalways design a thing by considering it in its next larger context, a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city planʼ.”

Sarah Ryan is “pro business” and believes in commonsense policies and politics as this is in keeping with her work and she says she still has cocerns for her former workplace, the CBS school, where the building needs modernising. Cllr. Ryan has now to hold on to her seat at the forthcoming local elections, expected sometime in June 2009. The Local Election Boundary Committee has recommended a transfer of the electoral divisions of Pembroke West A and Pembroke East B to the South-East Inner City electoral area. As a result, the South-East Inner City electoral area will have a total population of 40,028 with four Council seats.

Her campaign message is about her love for her home town She says “Dublin is a wonderful city and while Iʼve had the privilege to travel I always love coming back to it. This area in particular is full of history and wonderful natural environments between the Canal and the seafront. Iʼm proud of my city and its people, and its not a surprise that it is so popular as a destination for people all over the world.”

PAGE 40

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

The Fontenoy Files Get to know your local GAA club

Y

ou may not be aware that you are currently within walking distance of one of the most progressive and ambitious GAA clubs in Dublin. Clanna Gael Fontenoy is the local GAA Club for Dublin 2 and 4 and for large parts of the South inner city.

Clanna Gael Fontenoy is the result of an amalgamation which took place many years ago between Clanna Gael GFC and Fontenoy Hurling Club. We currently field Adult teams at Senior and Junior Hurling, Intermediate and Junior Football, Intermediate Ladies Football and Junior Camogie along with both codes for both boys and girls across all juvenile age groups.

We are situated on the Sean Moore Road between Ringsend and Sandymount and over the last number of years we have developed our facilities there to include two floodlit grass pitches, a floodlit artificial training pitch and hurling wall, a large clubhouse that includes eight dressing rooms and shower facilities along with a spacious and comfortable lounge bar but most of all we offer a warm welcome to all those who wish to come along and enjoy our facilities.

If you would like to enquire about getting involved at any level, be it as a player, mentor or simply as a social mentor, please feel free to contact the club at 01 6604064 or drop down any time as you can be sure to always find a warm welcome awaiting you.

Eugene Davey, Chairman 2008

CLANNA GAEL FONTENOY HAS

U13 Dublin Ladiesʼ Shield Winners.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

1. Academy For Children (boys and girls) aged five years to nine years we have our academy that runs every Saturday morning at 11am from September to June. We introduce children to Gaelic Games in a relaxed and fun way.

The academy is run by parents of children involved and the coaching aspect is organised and implemented by our development officer along with parents and senior players from the club who are all qualified GAA coaches.

Parents are encouraged to help out and take part as much as possible in all club activities. If you would like to bring your children along, please contact our development officer Donal McGovern at 0868066421 and he will be only too delighted to give you any details you may need.

Alternatively, simply come along any Saturday morning from 11am onwards.

2. Juvenile Section Juvenile covers all age groups from ages 10 to 16 years and covers both hurling and football for boys and camogie and football for girls.

All of these age groups compete in

competitive leagues and championships and receive instruction and coaching to the highest levels.

Times for training and games vary across all the various age groups so if you are interested in being involved it would be wise to contact our development officer Donal McGovern or our Juvenile Chairman Dave Walsh at 0862352021, either of whom will steer you in the right direction.

We cater for children of all standards, size and ability and we believe there is a place for everyone so please donʼt hesitate to get in touch.

3. Ladiesʼ Football Ladiesʼ football is the most recent

Martin Neville shows that he can play both codes.

addition to our Club and it has also been the fastest-growing section.

We currently field teams at most Juvenile age groups right up to Adult level. Ladies football is open to all girls, young or old and regardless of their ability.

We are currently in the process of implementing a County Board initiative entitled ʻGaelic for Mothersʼ.

This is a novel way of encouraging parental involvement in sport while their children are participating elsewhere in the club. It is a non-competitive and fun way of excercising and it has proved remarkably successful in other clubs throughout the county.

If you are interested in getting involved in any aspect of Ladies football please do not hesitate to contact us.

4. Camogie Camogie has been established in our Club for over 25 years now and down through the years it has been huge successful. We currently field a team at Adult level and recently we have re-started our juvenile section.

For the first time in quite a few years 2009 should see us field at Juvenile level.

Once again, we are open to all ages and standards and look forward to meeting you if you wish to join us.

5. Adult Football We currently field two adult teams, our first team competes in Div 3 (Intermediate) of the County Football league and our second team competes in Div 7 (Junior). Both teams train on Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm and new players are always welcome.

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

PAGE 41

Recent Summer Camp participants.

6. Adult Hurling We also field two hurling teams, the first team at Senior level and the second team at Junior level.

Both teams train on Monday and Wednesday at 7pm and once again new players are always welcome.

7. Social If playing competitive sport is not for you, then please do not let that put you off coming down to us. If you simply want to train and enjoy some healthy exercise we have some of the best facilities in Dublin for you to use and enjoy.

If simply enjoying a drink and relaxing in a warm and friendly environment is what you enjoy well why not come down and sample the comforts of our modern lounge and bar.

If any of the above is of interest to you, please do not hesitate to contact us at the relevant number that you can find in our contact list printed elsewhere in this article.

Education Through Sport This year the club extended its services by putting in place an Educational Programme that sees younger members of the club receiving grinds for the various subjects that they might be struggling with at school.

These grinds are provided by Trinity College students who use the clubʼs facilities throughout the year. Ten Junior Certificate students were chosen to inaugurate this scheme and in June of this year they were recipients of an award at Trinity College. Parents were invited along on the day and a tour of the College followed showing all the lecture rooms and how the students go about their daily routines.

The schemeʼs intention is that those who play sport together can educate together and the Club will extend this service to all who wish to avail of it in the coming years Progress built on solid foundations with a vision of the future Is Clanna Gael Fontenoy the club for you? We would like to think Clanna Gael Fontenoy is a club for everyone, all age groups all standards and abilities. The GAA was founded to encompass everyone and we feel we are true to these ideals.

Although having a somewhat illustrious past when county titles were won at Senior football as well as numerous Junior and Intermediate titles in Hurling, the Club went through a relatively

lean period when we didnʼt get too many visits to winnersʼ enclosures but with the development of phase one of our Clubhouse in 1989 all that changed.

In 1989 our hurlers resided in the backwoods of Junior B hurling but with the efforts of a committed number of people and the fact that we now had a visible home, things began to look up and over the coming years a number of Junior league and championships were won and eventually in 2007 with an influx of players from a now-robust juvenile section we regained our Senior Hurling Status for the first time in 22 years.

This has been the progression that was dreamt of when our Club developments began some years previous.

Football, too, has shown the same sort of progression and all current signs suggest that a return to Senior football is imminent. Ladiesʼ football is thriving, Camogie has been re-vitalised and everyone is proud to wear the Club colours.

This sort of progress did not happen overnight and it has been the result of a lot of patience and hard work by numerous dedicated people. These people have a vi-

sion where Clanna Gael Fontenoy is one of the Top Clubs in Ireland.

Do you want to share that vision?

If so, then come down and see us, we all look forward to meeting you.

Contact Details for various teams are as follows: Senior Hurling: Ciaran Murphy at 087 2333720; Junior Hurling: Ronan Murphy at 087 2904942; Inter Football: Albert Hannon at 087 2587700; Camogie: Elaine McDonnell at 087 6204893; Junior Football: Pat Kane at 086 3715944; Juvenile Section: Dave Walsh at 086 2352021; Ladiesʼ Football: Paul Kennedy at 086 1973962; Club Development Officer: Donal McGovern at 086

8066421; Club Manager: Shay Connolly at 087 9011716 Reports on all teams and club news will be updated in the next edition. Nothing left to say only to wish our members, neighbours and friends a very happy Christmas and a wonderful and peaceful New Year. Please see notice board for all Club festivities over the Christmas period.

P.S. Is it true! I heard that the Legend is a Granda! Heʼs much too young for that caper. Sure it is not so long ago that this mortal was gracing the hurling and football pitches with his silken skills. If the Grandchild Seanna is any bit of her Granda then surely the future looks bright for Ladiesʼ GAA in the capital.

Calafort Átha Cliath

Dublin Port Company Port Centre, Alexandra Road, Dublin 1.

Telephone: 887 6000, 855 0888 Fax: 855 7400 Web: www.dublinport.ie Action from the World Powerscreen Sevens Final in Toronto, Canada.

PAGE 42

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

T HE P HONE

L OSING

MY MOTHER

By Glenda Cimino

W

The Ringsend Action Project and the Domestic Violence Working Group have played an active role in the 16 Days of Action Opposing Violence against Women annual global campaign. Each year they hold a public event and on Friday 28th November at Ringsend Library Plaza the working group unveiled The Phone. The Phone displays information on services and Helpline numbers available for women experiencing domestic violence.

Womenʼs Aid Freephone 1800341900; Garda Siochána/ Police 999/ 112; Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Freephone 1800778888; National Network of Womenʼs Refuges & Support Services 0986479078; Emergency Accommodation Sonas Housing 018309088; AKIDWA (African Womenʼs Network) 01 8148582; Health Service Executive 1850241850; Samaritans Freephone 1850609090; Citizens Information Centre 1890777121; Legal Aid 1890615200; RUHMA Project 018360292.

Pictured above are, from left: Aileen Foran, Rita Bivainiene, Maria Parodi, Margaret Martin, Mary Doolin and Maeve Healy.

The Goughs– a famous family This is an extract from ʻThe Waterfront Magazineʼ published in September 1960 and sent to us by Bridget Tiedt.

This month we visit Ringsend again to pay tribute to one of the most noted families in the district: the Goughs Over a hundred years of Port generations of this renowned family. Many people are still alive who will remember with affection and respect the celebrated ʻGeorgieʼ Gough. A man of versatile talents and multifarious activities, he was for half a century a familiar figure in his straw hat, and was known affectionately as the Lord Mayor of Ringsend.

A tough man in an era and area of tough men, he was keenly interested in all forms of sport and athletics, including boxing, and he originated the Ringsend Dodder Regatta, the proceeds from which helped materially to build St Patrickʼs Church. ʻGeorgieʼ was a popular stevedore, and for many years partnered William Archie Murphy. His brother James was also a well known figure in Ringsend. A docker and busheller of high repute he was also one of the early ʻhobblersʼ who did so much to bring employment to Ringsend and lay the foundation of the districtʼs prosperity.

James had two sons, who are still prominent in Port life in their respective spheres. Initially they both followed the family calling, and they both took part in the Civil War. It was typical of the tragic times that they fought on opposite sides, David serving with the National Army as a section commandant while James fought on the side of the Republicans. They both survived to return to the docks when hostilities ceased.

David is at present Labour Superintendent of the B & I, and has led a colourful and chequered career. With his father he bushelled grain before the introduction of the Silo, and as compensation for the loss of their employment they received the princely sum of £15 each.

David subsequently was a founder member of the Irish Seamenʼs and Port Workers Union and later became an official. He gave outstanding service to the Union in its formative period, and was dockersʼ delegate for 18 years, working in close association with such personalities as the late Joe Ellis, Jack Kelly, Jimmy Conroy, and John Dempsey. His departure was a loss to the Union and the Movement generally.

The Goughs have given more than their share to the prosperity and well being of Ringsend. They have left their impress on the annals of Dockland, and played a notable part in the evolution of the Port.

Waterfront pays tribute to the Goughs past and present

hen I was 19, my father died suddenly and totally unexpectedly from a cerebral haemorrhage– at the age of 48. It seemed a lot older to me then than it does now. As he had largely been an absentee father, what was lost was the possibility of knowing what I had missed as a child, and knowing him as an adult. The conversations we had never had, and would never have.

My mother, on the other hand, has just reached the ripe old age of 87. She lives in Carrollton, Georgia, USA– on her own since her last husbandʼs death seven years ago.

I have made a point, come hell or high water, of visiting her each year, since she has been on her own.

On these visits, we have had family reunions, met distant relatives, grieved together over the loss of her brother and sister in law, my uncle and aunt, shared meals, poetry, and old photographs.

My mother never had the luxury of an education as I did. She had to leave school at 13, though she loved it, to take care of her new baby sister. That baby sister, now in her 70s, takes care of her now, driving her on her weekly trips to lunch and the supermarket– the only places she ever goes.

Agnes, my mother, has always regarded an old person as “someone 10 years older than you are.” She didnʼt like going to the local Seniors Club for lunch, because she didnʼt want to hang around with all the old people. Blessed with good health all her life, only recently has she suffered the indignities of medical need.

Her intelligence is acute, honed by reading all of the newspaper every day. And while she had osteoporosis and high blood pressure, she was coping very well until last winter.

Last winter she was faced with a series of problems that had me worried sick. She fell and broke a tooth, and had to wait three days in agony before her dentist would see her. She slipped off the end of her bed and broke her left hip and had to have a replacement.

When that was just healing, she began to have pains in her heart and had to have an artery cleared. That was followed by a couple of heart attacks and a triple heart bypass.

And lots more medication to take.

Just when my sister and I were

relieved that she had survived and was out of the hospital she tripped and broke her left leg in three places. She was proud after the heart operation that the doctor had said she recovered faster than his other patients, most of whom were much younger.

But, finally, she began to recognize that she was not superhuman.

While she still has tapered, polished nails, the high heels will never come out of the closet again, and she has succumbed to the humiliation of the walker.

It had been over a year since my last visit, when I saw her. She was pale and smaller, still (unlike me) stylishly dressed in matching colours, but the change was drastic.

She could hear less well, and was so much more frail– vague, forgetful, alternately annoyed and depressed.

It was as if my intelligent, happy, friendly mother had been replaced by someone I hardly recognized and who at first hardly remembered me.

Checking her medications, I found that she had been off one of her main blood pressure medications for over two weeks, because the bottle said ʻno refill.ʼ I moved heaven and earth to get her back on it– only to discover when she saw her ʻheart doctorʼ that she had been put on double the desired dosage by her GP. Finally, she was back on the medication and on the right dosage. We made her a chart of what she had to take when, how much and why.

But it was as if some kind of veil had fallen between us, as if she had taken one step closer to death, and one step beyond me. It was harder this time to reconnect. She had been through so much. She always liked to do the cooking and washing up herself (I didnʼt ever do either well

enough) but now I found myself doing all the cooking and cleaning without the usual complaints from her.

It took a while, but with her medication adjusted, we began to connect again, sharing old stories, telling jokes, looking at family photos of the many gone beyond. And the old rapport and love reasserted itself, though the beautiful woman my mother had been was now well hidden in old age.

She told me that when she went to hospital with the broken hip, the doctors would not give her any pain medication until she was to be seen the next morning. In agony, what kept her going was the sound of ʻAmazing Graceʼ, her favourite song, being sung in the next room.

In the morning she asked the nurse, ʻwas that a radio or a real choir in the next room, singing during the night?ʼ The nurse replied, ʻthere was no music in the hospital last night.ʼ She told me that she heard the music clearly, and it made her lose all fear of death. She wants to talk about death now, her next journey.

She has decided against cremation, preferring to be buried in the old family cemetery in Kennesaw, Georgia with her mother, and her baby brother, Harry, who died at three years, from cholera.

Whenever I find myself impatient at shouting at her three times, and she still canʼt hear me, or want her to sit down instead of muddling around the tiny kitchen helplessly in her walker while I cook, I think how lucky I am to still have her. I never forget that each time we say goodbye, may be the last time on this earth, anyway.

Above: Agnes Brown at 87 before her triple heart bypass.

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09

PAGE 43

C OMMUNITY C HILDCARE UNITS FACE CLOSURE

PROTEST MARCH ON

H

undreds of people are expected to take part in a protest against a new Government funding scheme for Community Childcare, which threatens to force up to half of the Community Childcare facilities in Dublinʼs Inner City to close before the end of next year.

The protest is being organised

by SIPTU and the Inner City Childcare Providers Network (ICCPN) and will begin at Liberty Hall at 1pm on Tuesday 9th December and move to rally at the Office of the Minister for Children who have introduced the new Subvention Scheme.

According to the ICCPN, the Minister for Children has refused to meet them to discuss the results of research they have conducted which shows that the Subvention Scheme is causing big problems for Community Childcare facilities.

The research, which involved detailed consultation with 15 inner city community childcare providers, found that due to the conditions attached to the Sub-

9TH DECEMBER

vention Scheme: • There is a real risk that services will close.

• Working parents may see increases in childcare fees ranging from 50% increases to 166% increases over 2007 costs, making childcare unaffordable for many.

• Vulnerable children, who are the majority of children catered for by the community facilities, will lose their valuable access to pre-school education.

This is because: • Nearly half of the community childcare providers (42%) have already seen their funding reduced and their funding will be further reduced by 15% in 2009 and 25% in 2010.

• Implementation of the scheme is very cumbersome and difficult to the extent that over 50% of projects are concerned about the impact additional administration is having on the quality of services for children and families.

• Subvention payments are paid forward based on previous yearsʼ enrolments. As a result, projects are now no longer able to plan in

a coherent and businesslike fashion for the following year.

Two Community Childcare facilities in Ringsend– the Ringsend Community Crèche and Ringsend Action Project Afterschool Project– have been adversely affected by this new scheme.

According to Claire Casey of Ringsend Action Project “The Créche has had to increase fees dramatically and the Afterschool is being told to begin charging parents up to €800 per term.

Families on low pay who do not qualify for any Subvention are not able to afford the cost price of these facilities and will be forced to take their children out of them.” Ms. Casey insists that “This Scheme is a poverty trap for low-paid workers that is having the exact opposite effect that the Government wants when they say the Scheme is supposed to target disadvantaged families.”

She says that both the Créche and the Afterschool will be closed on December 9th. When

R EVEREND P HILIP I RVINE

By George Humphries

A

familiar face that was in evidence around Sandymount for many years was that of the Reverend Philip Irvine. Philip, pictured right, was a minister for many years at St J o h n ʼs A n g l i c a n C h u r c h o n S t J o h n ʼs R o a d j u s t o f f P a r k Av e n u e .

Having retired some years back, Philip went out to live in Dun Laoghaire. I meet him at Sandycove when he is out on his daily walk.

Philip Irvine was born in Philadelphia in 1930, the son of a gentleman f a r m e r, C a p t a i n G e r a r d M . F. I r v i n e , w h o s e r v e d as Captain with the Royal Enniskillen Fusiliers in the great war from

1914 until 1918. When he retired after the war he went to Philadelphia where he married an American lady and they had two children, one g i r l a n d o n e b o y.

In 1939 Captain Irvine decided to return with his family to live on the family farm at Killadeas near Irvinstown just outside Enniskillen in county Fermanagh.

When Philip was thirteen he was sent to boarding school at Rossall, a renowned private school in Lancashire, where he spent five years.

In 1948 he went on to Q u e e n ʼs U n i v e r s i t y i n Belfast and subsequently to Edinburgh where he entered the Scottish Episcopal College. He was ordained a curate in 1959 and served for

a number of years at St A n d r e w ʼs i n A b e r d e e n .

On his return to Belfast in 1961 he served as curate until 1966 and came to Dublin in 1967, where he was appointed chaplain to the sisters of St. John Evangelist, a nursing home on Pembroke Park in Ballsbridge.

Having spent a number of years there, he was appointed curate in St J o h n ʼs A n g l i c a n C h u r c h .

I always give him a copy of the paper when we meet and he is very happy to be kept up to date with news of his old parish.

Philip has now moved to Dalkey and I met him again when I was picking b l a c k b e r r i e s i n K i l l i n e y.

All at ʻNewsFourʼ wish him a long and happy retirement.

asked how this will affect families using these facilities, she said “We have to protest this terrible Government decision as strongly as possible, and many parents have already told us they want to protest it too. We hope that parents and children, and anyone who believes that quality childcare should be available to everyone, will join us in calling for adequate funding for Community Childcare facilities.”

Above: Will there be a ʻClass of 2009ʼ?

PAGE 44

NEWSFOUR DECEMBER 08 / JANUARY 09