February 2008 newsfour

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

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

THE WILD LIFE

SPRING… TIME TO HEAD OUTDOORS Jonathan Butler has his eyes opened to the treasures of the River Dodder on page 14

Dermot Lacey (and family) celebrates a century of Irish scouting on page 15

A cow on a motorbike?! Read about Brian Kelly’s fascinating Vietnam trip on pages 24 and 25

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL’S BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN

P

ictured admiring the wildlife at Sandymount Strand to mark the launch of Dublin City Councilʼs Biodiversity Action Plan 2008-2012 are Cllr Paddy Bourke, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mr John Gormley, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government and Mairead Stack, Biodiversity Officer, Dublin City Council.

“Biodiversity is vital to our existence; it provides us with food, clean air and fresh water. Biodiversity also makes the world around us interesting and beautiful. The majority of people donʼt realise how easy it is to play their part in helping give biodiversity a boost in the city,” says Cllr. Paddy Bourke, Lord Mayor of Dublin.

“Over a million people enjoy biodiversity in Dublin every day, simply by spending time in their own gardens, walking in their local park, woodland or along the sea front and watching wildfowl swimming in the local pond. This plan is a reminder of how delicate the nature around us is and how much we need to do to ensure its survival,” says Cllr Bourke.

Dublin City Council is the first city in Ireland to produce a Biodiversity Action Plan and this is a rounded approach by all relevant departments including Planning, Parks, Engineering, Drainage and Architecture. Production of the Dublin City Biodiversity Action Plan has been funded by The Heritage Council and Dublin City Council.

Ian Coughlan is impressed with Ireland’s new soccer manager, Giovanni Trapattoni. Can he improve Irish prospects? See page 30

FOXES ARE a true part of our urban biodiversity and thousands of foxes are found throughout Dublin City. Fox dens have been found in gardens, under sheds, in wrecked cars and even inside houses.

Sightings of foxes in Dublin city centre have been recorded since Victorian times.

It is an urban myth that foxes are suffering due to the introduction of wheelie bins as rubbish scraps form only a small part of their diet and they can easily make up for it with other food sources.

Mr Fox in Dave Reddyʼs back garden one Sunday afternoon

PAGE 2

NewsFour Managing Editor Ann Ingle Advertising Manager Grainne McGuinness Office Manager Miriam Holmes Staff Grace Charley Brian Rutherford Fergal Murphy Audrey Healy John Cavendish Nessa Jennings Stephanie Morris Contributors Michael Hilliard Derek Buckley Shay Connolly James O’Doherty Ian Coughlan George Humphries Jonathan Butler Dermot Lacey Caroline Grace-Cassidy Joanne Mitchell Christy Hogan Brian Kelly Claire Wheeler Aisling Kehoe Bob Chalfen Carmel Magee

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

T

The Editor’s Corner

he Irish Times recently announced that the price of their paper has gone up from €1.70 to €1.80 and on Saturdays it will cost you €2. ʻNewsFourʼ is pleased to announce that your local newspaper is still free.

Mind you, we havenʼt got a new designer as they have. Eugene has been doing a great job all these years and we donʼt see any need to change.

So what do we have for you this cold and windy February? Dave Reddy has once again bemused us here in the office with the photograph on page 37. Where is it? Who knows. If you do perhaps you would put me out of my misery.

I have a feeling that my good friend Killian has made our crossword a tad difficult this time (page 28). Maybe we will just have to think

longer and harder.

Brian Kellyʼs travel piece on Vietnam will have you all wanting to join those Intrepid travellers in 2008 (see pages 24 and 25). We have given you some tips for a better life on page 34.

However, some people have great outlooks on life already without any help from us. Just read about Linda (page 5), Frances (page 4), Margaret (page 17) and Paddy (page 27) for starters.

The next issue will be out at the end of April when Spring will be well and truly with us.

Please continue to get in touch with any stories, articles or poems.

Have a good and safe St Patrickʼs Day and best wishes for a restful Easter break.

Design, Typesetting, Layout Eugene Carolan

Swimming in Sportsco

We have a Swimming Session Every Sunday Morning from 11am to 1pm in Sportsco.

Price: €25 per 3 Month Session or €5 for one Swim.

Children under 3 years are FREE! This Swimming Session is open to any one who wants to join. It is not just confined to people living in the Sth. Lotts Rd. area.

For further Info just call over any Sunday between 11am & 1pm.

Ask for Mary or Billy.

Ann Ingle

• SPECIAL NOTICE •

Web Designer Andrew Thorn Photography John Cheevers

SHELBOURNE PARK RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION LTD

A Social and Natural History of Sandymount, Irishtown and Ringsend, first published in 1993 and The Roads to Sandymount Irishtown and Ringsend, first published in 1996 are now available From ʻNewsFourʼ, 15 Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4 and ʻBooks on the Greenʼ, Sandymount Village.

NEW CITIZENS INFORMATION CENTRE Dublin 2, 4, 6 Citizens Information Service have opened an outreach service in the Ringsend Community Centre in Thorncastle Street.

This service will be available on Thursdays from 9am to 1pm.

This is a free, confidential and non-judgemental service providing information, advice and advocacy on your rights and entitlements.

Telephone: (01)6673317

Ringsend Active Retirement Association

E-mail: newsfourscs@eircom.net

Retired with time on your hands?

Community Services, 15 Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4.

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.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Paddy Bourke is pictured at the opening of the new housing units purchased by the Voluntary Housing Association of the Royal Hospital Donnybrook.

Why not visit us at the CYMS in Ringsend any Tuesday to Friday from 2.30 pm New members (men and women) always welcome

Our address: NewsFour, 15 Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend Phone: 6673317 • Email: newsfourscs@eircom.net Visit our website at: www.news4.ie

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

PAGE 3

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN RIYP?

R

ingsend and Irishtown Youth Project have had a very busy start to the New Year.

Ringers First Year (RFY) are taking part in a citizenship programme where they have decided to clean up the beaches in their area.

They are also currently carrying out a project for the international food fair which will be held in the Department of Education on Tuesday February 26th. The project is based around new communities and people from other countries living in the area. The group chose to do their project on Poland.

Legends of Ringer are taking part in a Health and Fitness programme alongside Dan Russell, Sports Development officer for DCC. We were lucky enough to get a new drama teacher for the

Chiropractor Dr Gemma Bailey 10+ group and they have been going from strength to strength each week. The DJ group went bag packing in Tesco in Sandymount to help fund their new DJ equipment. The Young Womenʼs group have been busy on programmes around personal development.

The February mid-term saw every group getting the chance to go horse riding in Fettercairn where they received a lesson in

I NCINERATOR

By John Cavendish

T

here were 22 valid objections/ submissions to An Bord Pleanála in the matter of the application by Dublin City Council for the Waste to Energy Plant, the Incinerator on the Poolbeg.

The boardʼs decision to permit the plant, which would incinerate some 780 thousand tonnes of waste per annum, was made in the last week in August 2007, with appellants notified.

On foot of the decision, on 21st November, appellants were contacted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) informing them of a draft decision to grant a Waste Licence to Dublin City Council to carry on Licensed Waste Disposal Activities subject to twelve conditions, and also to inform of the appellantsʼ right to object to the Grant of the License.

The License in question is an Integrated Pollution Prevention Control License (an IPPC Licence), which is necessary for many industrial activities where there is a possibility of pollution of earth, water or air.

Under section 42 of the Waste Management Act of 1996 and 2007 any person could object at any time up to 18th December 2007 and could also ask for an Oral Hearing to be held.

This avenue of approach to objection would cost fees of €200 for written submissions and €300 if the objection included a request for an Oral Hearing.

As far as can be ascertained there were twenty objections made from the ear-

horse riding and in horse care. It was a fun packed week. Well done to all the young people who took part.

Look out all young people from Ringsend and Irishtown aged 1018 for the up and coming Splash Week which will be happening in the Easter Holidays. Posters and date of registration will be displayed around the area soon.

Keep your eyes peeled.

NOW WITH

lier twenty-two appellants to An Bord Pleanala, with some eight of those requesting an Oral Hearing. Among that eight, requests for an oral hearing came from both groups and individuals.

Group objectors include the Labour Party, the Green Party, Sinn Féin, CRAI (the Combined Residents Against the Incinerator), Sandymount and Merrion Residentsʼ Association, (SAMRA), Ringsend, Irishtown and Sandymount Environmental Group.

In line with what is being carried out in Cork, with regard to the granting of permission for a Hazardous Waste Incinerator in the Harbour the CHASE ALLIANCE (Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment), CRAI on January 23rd 2008 through its spokesperson Frances Corr, Company Secretary, announced that it is now applying for a Judicial Review of the process wherein An Bord Pleanála arrived at the decision to grant permission for the Incinerator on the Poolbeg.

CRAI will be seeking sympathetic support from the public since such a review, if granted, could cost many thousands of pounds for expert opinion. It is similar to a High Court action with similar costs.

In papers lodged on 23rd January 2008 as the first step of the Judicial Review, CRAI said that Ireland had failed to transpose into Irish law the obligations laid down under directives of the EC. The action taken is against the Minister for the Environment, Mr. John Gormley, Dublin City Council, An Bord Pleanála and the Attorney General. CRAI says it is entitled to

EPA

have access to a review procedure to challenge the legality of the decision made by An Bord Pleanála in granting planning permission for the construction of a Municipal Incinerator on the Pooolbeg Another hurdle to be cleared for DCC is the requirement for permission to generate electricity from the burning of the waste. The electricity generated will supply power for some 50,000 homes, according to the developers.

One of the conditions of the EPA licence stipulates that the City Council would have to employ someone with a qualification and a minimum of 10 years experience in Incinerator operations to run the facility.

However, in an objection lodged on December 16th last the Council argued the majority of activities in a waste to energy plant were similar to those at a power station and that a person with power station experience would be sufficiently qualified to run the Incinerator.

The City Council Management objection stated that ʻSubstantial experience has shown that individuals with power plant experience have become qualified as waste to energy plant managers when special training on Incinerator operations is provided prior to assuming the position of facility managerʼ.

The City Council have also objected to a condition that states that the Incinerator plant must include a materials recovery process that would be capable of filtering out any material that could be recycled.

Back / Neck Pain Shoulder Pain Ankle Injuries Sports Injuries Repetitive Sprains

Sciatica Tennis Elbow Headaches / Migraines Arthritic and Joint Pain Disc Injuries

Fitzwilliam Health Clinic 19 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2 Phone 6618949 info@fitzwilliamhealth.ie www.fitzwilliamhealth.ie

Mr Tilley and the lights WE ARE very happy to announce that Mr Tilleyʼs Christmas lights in Bath Avenue raised €3,775 for Our Ladyʼs Hospice in Haroldʼs Cross. Mr Tilley wishes to thank all the kind people of the area who contributed.

Correction IN THE article in our last issue on Sportsco facilities we stated that the cost of membership is €350 per year. This cost is for members only. Apologies.

PAGE 4

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

FRANCES MANTLE – STRANDS OF LIFE

By Grace Charley

F

Enable Ireland and their yellow and red textile bins THE EQUIVALENT weight of four male elephants is now received each week in clothing by Enable Ireland.

Enable Ireland Disability Services is urging the people of Dublin to continue to use trademark yellow and red textile bins in order to save cash, help the environment and contribute to the provision of services for people with disabilities.

Clothes production can be a strain on the environment. Chemicals are involved in the bleaching, dyeing and other finishing stages and production is energy and water intensive. This means we should all be conscious of reusing and recycling our textiles. Enable Ireland can take care of both. Enable Ireland reuse what you donʼt want by selling it in some of their 19 retail outlets, and recycle the rest.

Whether you have unwanted Christmas gifts or unused clothes, drop them to your nearest red and yellow Enable Ireland Clothing Bank and you will be doing your bit for the environment, contributing to services for over 3,300 adults and children with disabilities in Ireland, and saving money on refuse charges.

Textile bins in this area are situated at Enable Ireland, Sandymount Avenue and Ringsend Recycling Centre.

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

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

A Friendly & Professional Service

rances Mantle tells me how she found her ideal career despite little education and a lot of heartache. For Frances, FÁS has been instrumental in getting her the career that she always wished for. Growing up in a family of thirteen, Francis wasnʼt afforded the chance of adequate education.

Having left school at the tender age of 13, she developed a keen interest in hairdressing. Like most young girls, Frances practised on a dollʼs head, but years later a burning desire to be a coiffeur saw her banging on doors searching for her first break. For the rest of her adolescent years, Frances worked her way up from brushing studio floors to actual hairstyling.

At the age of 22, Frances swapped work life for family life and gave up hairdressing to start a family.

But tragedy was also soon to strike.

In the same year, Frances lost her mother in a motor accident which she admitted was a huge blow to her and the rest of her extended family.

To cope with her motherʼs death, Frances concentrated on rearing her first child. After this, she was to bear another three children, one of whom was subsequently diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. Francesʼs husband Noel took their daughterʼs illness particularly hard and within a few short years, he too died.

Still reeling from her husbandʼs death, Frances lost a beloved sister to ovarian cancer. Talking to Frances, it is hard to comprehend how she has dealt with the huge loss she has had to endure.

At 46, she was left a widow with a young family still to rear and yet she remains positive in times of such adversity. Frances puts this down to her faith. She belongs to the Metropolitan Church and has found it of great strength and comfort to her in her hours of darkness.

While some people would give up on life, Frances has learned to understand life and its trials and tribulations. Remarkably, she has said that it has made her all the stronger.

With this new found lease of life, Francesʼs passion for hairdressing was re-ignited. It was while working in the Royal Hospital, Donnybrook that Frances was to realise her dreams of crimping again.

After working three years as a Community Employment worker

there, Francesʼs self-belief and confidence grew. With the help of her FÁS supervisor, David Carroll, Frances gained access to the relevant hairdressing courses.

But there are many others, Frances would like to credit for helping her get on the right career path. Eric Rankin in the Royal Hospital, Donnybrook, who was compassionate to her familyʼs needs and allowed her time off whenever it was needed. Helen and Angela in Central Hair Studios, Sandymount, who took her under their wing and gave her the much-needed boost of confidence to retrain in hairdressing.

Peter Nolan in Inner City Partnership who awarded her a financial grant for start up equipment. Robert Finan, Larkin Self-Employment Support Unit, who was on hand to

give advice on taxation and other business affairs.

Louise OʼSullivan, FÁS Employment Services Officer, Bernie Weafer, Jobs Placement Mentor and Geraldine OʼBrien all of St. Andrewʼs Resource Centre also helped greatly with her much-needed direction. And last but not least, Frances would like to thank her brothers and sisters for their continued support and Tony Maguire, who she refers to as her ʻAll weather friendʼ.

Frances has aspirations of one day writing a book, which will record her lifeʼs experiences.

For a hair appointment, visit Frances at 12 Pine Road, Ringsend, Dublin 4. If you wish to avail of her mobile service, call 0860883062.

Special rates apply to OAPs.

Sandymount Bridge Club, Christ Church Hall, Mount Tabor, Sandymount Green, Dublin 4 Play Bridge: Monday and Wednesday 7.30pm Cost €5.00 per night Host available on Monday Nights So no need for a partner on Monday Night Friendly Club, New Players most Welcome Open for New Membership Car Parking available

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

PAGE 5

L INDA

TAKES THE HONOURS

Ballsbridge ICA thriving Manchester United past and present– Munich 1958

Linda Dunphy graduating from Trinity College after completing a Certificate in Contemporary Living. Congratulations Linda.

THE Ballsbridge ICA Guild is in its second year and is going from strength to strength. The highlight of their first meeting of 2008 was a talk by Father Peter McVerry on his wonderful work with the young homeless.

A cheque for €700 was presented to him by Treasurer Pauline Kenny. This money was collected by an auction of unwanted Christmas gifts and by personal donations by members.

Anyone wishing to join the Ballsbridge ICA can contact the Secretary Ide NíThuama at 087 917 6388 or Bridie Murphy at 2691001 or 086 338 0890.

Above: Helen Wall, Maureen Smith, Eileen Dalton, Bridie Murphy, Fr. Peter McVerry, Pauline Kenny & Ide NíThuama.

THE fiftieth anniversary of the Munich air disaster has just passed and is still in the memory of all football fans.

This tragedy is an inspirational story because it left seven survivors and brings people together in peace and respect for those who didnʼt make it home.

This disaster took 23 lives; eight of these were Busby babes. Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney feel very strongly about the tragedy and both share the opinion that winning the Champions League this season would be the greatest testament of respect for the Busby Babes.

Sir Alex Ferguson recently made one of the best decisions of his long managerial career by bringing Sir Bobby Charlton to speak to Manchester Unitedʼs current squad and it was a very emotional experience for all involved.

By Ian Coughlan

PAGE 6

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

NEW LITTER MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR DUBLIN DUBLIN CITY Council is set to adopt a Litter Management Plan for the next three years for Dublin City.

“The Labour Party on Dublin City Council is committed in improving the cleaning regime for Dublin to the same standard as other capital cities.

“Merely increasing the budget will not reduce the amount of litter on our capital streets, it is the responsibility of every citizen, not just the Council,” said Labour Cllr. Kevin Humphreys.

Dublin City will in 2008 have 550 staff and additional temporary staff during the summer and holiday season with a budget of €37 million, removing 25,000 tonnes of litter and waste from the streets and roads of Dublin city.

A

DRIVING LESSON

By Brian Rutherford

“S

urely there is only so much to it,” I thought as I eyed the driving instructorʼs car pull up in my driveway. “I know what Iʼll do, Iʼll sit in for a lesson and get the basics.” At €40 an hour itʼs all I could afford to do.

I had hoped the person in the car would be a female, so I could use some charm, but sadly no, a little man with a tight moustache opened the door. “Hello,” he said. “Hello,” I replied and sat in the driverʼs seat.

The car was relatively new.

Then I noticed two pedals on his side, the passenger side.

“What are they for?” I enquired.

“Theyʼre to stop the car if I feel things are not going right.”

They have it all worked out.

I started it up, it was an Ibiza, a nice, tidy small car, complete-

ly different from my own Opel Omega but the gears were the same so off we went. The instructor seemed a bit ratty and before long we were beside a curb and I had to reverse around a corner.

Wrong, the first time, wrong, the second time, wrong the third time. He decided to leave it for the next lesson. “What next lesson?” I thought.

The 90-degree turn went well and surprisingly he used his foot pedals only once. This is great, I thought. We drove up a country road at Naul and then he asked what the sign meant which was before us. I thought about it and “Itʼs a junction,” came out. “No,” he said, “itʼs a

side road of equal importance.”

I did not have a clue what these road signs meant and he knew it.

“What did he expect?” I thought, “it was my first lesson.”

Then he said “can you go eighty kilometres an hour in this zone?” The sign said I could but what was this he was coming out with? Eighty kilometres an hour seemed a bit fast on these roads but I accelerated to sixty to keep him happy.

The next thing he started to complain that his car was coming under unnecessary wear and tear and we had better bring the lesson to a halt. “Fair enough,” I said “but if you used the Omega youʼd see what Iʼm used to.”

We pulled in at the driveway

and he produced a list of questions that I could be asked and also a page of road signs and their meaning.

He suggested that I book six two-hour driving lessons and it was then I realized that this guy was a money grabber, because there is no way I needed that many lessons.

I was humiliated and embarrassed by the experience. Its lucky I was determined to get the test so I will book one more lesson, which is all I need along with a bit of swotting.

This time I will ask for a different instructor and hopefully there will be a bit more common sense used by the person testing me.

Now YOU can get out and about Vastly improve your freedom with an amazing maximum range of 10 miles Enjoy getting on and off your scooter with ease using the lift up arm rests and swivel seat.

Experience a wonderfully smooth ride with traction control and a top speed of 4.5mph Exclusive offer available while stock lasts.

Call now quoting NewsFour and you can have one of these scooters for only €1350.00

Comes complete with arm rests & shopping basket, see our full range at: 8 to 10 Bath Street, Irishtown, Dublin 4 Tel/Fax: 01-6602808 www.physioneeds.ie

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

PAGE 7

MARY ANDERSON – REIKI HEALER IN BLACKROCK

By Nessa Jennings

F

irst of all can I just say that I have no idea how this works. Mary Anderson is a Reiki healer who works at The Rainbow Healing Centre at the back of The Blackrock Market.

Mary is a very warm and capable American woman who has been a registered nurse for 26 years in Nashville, Tennessee.

She trained at home to become a Reiki Master in 2004–2005 and came to practise Reiki in Ireland 18 months ago.

The room is very comfortable and Mary puts on some relaxing music. As I lay down on the couch, I relax as she begins the ʻdousingʼ of my seven chakras by swinging an old-fashioned pendulum in circles over me.

By the motion of this pendulum she can tell if the particular chakra is open or closed, or indeed halfopen, and this tells her where the work is needed.

She begins to work over me, and I can feel her ʻmoving airʼ (or energy) over me in strong movements and I begin to relax further.

Only rarely does she actually touch the body during a session.

In theory, Reiki is a non-harmful energetic therapy where the healer acts as a channel for universal life force energy. Immediately I can feel this energy as a kind of

power of prescribed drugs that the client may be taking for medical conditions or complaints. What she does works hand-in-hand with conventional medicine and may enhance its effectiveness.

Mary Anderson sits on the committee of the Reiki Federation of Ireland and herself trains students of Reiki. She also does vocal coaching as she is a singer/songwriter of Country and Western music.

Mary is currently working on a study of how Complementary Health can help affect weight loss.

For an appointment, her mobile telephone number: 085-775-0599.

What is Reiki? (pronounced ray-key)

downward streaming occurring from my middle which feels like a speeded-up movement or shaking of my cells, and almost as if they are changing places.

This also feels like detoxification as I begin to get a taste in my mouth. I must admit I was a little alarmed by the intensity of this energy. She tells me I seem to be particularly responsive to this kind of treatment.

I asked her if she suffers what

O’C ONNOR ’ S

the client might be suffering? She says “No. The point is I can be in your energy, but I canʼt be you.”

However, she says she has experienced muscle spasms and even crying as she expels ʻolderʼ energies. “As Iʼm working, I can feel different as Iʼm passing over the parts of your body. In particular, I can feel a difference in the energy from one spot to another, and if itʼs a heavier energy, I move it.”

The session ends and I feel very

PARROT AND THE

George Humphries reminisces

T

he Spring Show in the RDS was always a great time for us as youngsters even better than the Horse Show.

The difference between the Spring and Horse Show was that it was much easier for us to bunk in at the spring show.

Simmonscourt Road was closed off and we used to tell the man on the gate that we lived on the other side. While he was bringing us across we would run off to spend the day inside the show.

On our way up to Ballsbridge we always walked up the Dodder then we went around by the Sweepstakes, where there were loads of bicycles belonging to the staff. Further on up Ballsbridge Avenue we would

satisfied, and flushed all over my body and my face has a very high colour. There is no doubt that some work has been done.

When I ask her if the session will have a lasting effect, she says “Yes. I hope so. I provide the energy. What happens next is what you do with it.” I also have a feeling that she is especially gifted.

She says “No. This is a part of all of us. I believe we all have these abilities. Itʼs just how in tune with them we are.”

At the end, Mary emphasizes that what she does is complementary (not an alternative) therapy to Western medicine, and could never replace primary care or the

go into OʼConnors, a small shop that sold lots of commodities and we would buy a few pennies worth of sweets. We were always fascinated by the talking parrot that Mr OʼConnor had outside the shop.

We loved to go in to where the cows were kept– it was a great novelty to get fresh milk straight from the cow. Other times, we

The word Reiki comes from two Japanese words, Rei and Ki. Rei may be interpreted as supernatural knowledge or spiritual consciousness. This is the Wisdom that comes from God or the Higher Self. This Wisdom knows the cause of all problems and how to heal them.

Ki is the life force, the non-physical energy that animates all living things. Reiki may, therefore, be defined as spiritually guided life force energy.

A Reiki healer acts as a channel between the Wisdom and the patient. The healer has no influence on the degree of healing but simply facilitates the flow of energy to where it is best needed.

This is something similar to the healer being a telephone line between the patient and the patientʼs higher self.

RDS

got lots of free samples of different types of food and there was always a few bob to be made too during these events.

Unfortunately, the Spring Show was discontinued some time ago. Today, the same road is now being closed for the Dublin Horse Show, held every August.

In times past, the railway ran right up to the Merrion Road to where the headquarters of Allied Irish Bank now stands. This was once part of the RDS where the bloodstock sales took place.

The trains also brought in a lot of livestock from different parts of the country.

In 1868 the first Horse Show was held on the lawns of Leinster House. In 1881 the Show moved to Ballsbridge, then a greenfield site. Shows have been held annually with the exception of the the two World Wars ever since.

Geraldine M. Lynch (formerly of Irishtown Road)

General Legal Practice Telephone: 087 9874577 for appointment Email: glynchburke@eircom.net

PAGE 8

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

The Letterbox Dear Ann Thank you very much for sending me the books. I received them last Saturday. I spent some time over the weekend having a good look at them and found them very interesting.

In the ʻRoads to Sandymount, Irishtown and Ringsendʼ I was fascinated to see a reference to Park Avenue where I was born and in particular number 25 which was the home of the Jamesons.

My grandfather was Robert William Jameson and one of his daughters Elizabeth Marjorie Jameson was my mother. As my father died when I was 2 years old, I lived at number 25 Park Avenue for about 12 years.

Robert William Jameson ran a nursery at number 25 which was about 5 acres. He ran this from the beginning of the 1940s or earlier until the late 50s or early sixties.

I remember this property backed onto the Cricket Club at the southern end where I used to find cricket balls that had been hit over the hedge.

Thank you Ann for giving me access to these books which have already provided me with much enjoyment.

Kind regards Ken Hosgood, New Zealand A Chara, As media reports draw our attention to the worsening childhood obesity problem in this State, are your readers aware that the government will provide no funding for PE equipment in primary

schools this year?

However, SuperValuʼs ʻKids in Actionʼ, which was launched recently, offers impoverished schools a ʻFREEʼ Gaelic football (R.R.P. €11.70) if we collect €3,190 worth of receipts. A ʻFREEʼ gymnastics springboard (R.R.P €250) will be ours if we generate a mere €39,920 worth of shopping.

It doesnʼt appear to bother either the Department of Education or the Irish Sports Council, who both support the scheme, that the inevitable losers will be the small schools, poor schools and special schools who may have greatest need of PE equipment. Ironically, the Sports Councilʼs John Treacy hit the nail on the head on RTE news when he said that there was a major shortage of sports equipment and that if there was any other means to provide such equipment then heʼd welcome it.

No gold medals for ingenuity but an adequate government grant would be a far better solution to the lack of sports equipment in primary schools than ʻtoken gesturesʼ by supermarket chains.

As a teacher, I refuse to trade commercial access to our students during school time in return for crumbs from the corporate table and wonder, if the Government insist on only partly-funding education, then surely we only require a part-time Minister on part-time wages?

Is mise, Mr. Niall Smyth, St Gabrielʼs NS, Dublin 7

Beach Road Tyre Services

Dear Madam Editor I would like to begin by congratulating you on the newspaper you publish.

The October 2007 copy of the newspaper included an old photograph that was identified as my Great Grandmother Mrs Annie Doyle, Sacristan of Ringsend Church.

My uncle has identified two of the boys as men called Memory and Sheridan.

I am wondering if it is possible to get a copy of that photograph as there is very little evidence of my great grandmother.

Another uncle of mine was Laurence Skinner– he had a shop down there in Ringsend for many years. Mrs Doyle would have been his grandmother. This photograph has really brought a buzz to the family.

If it is possible to purchase that photograph– could you email me back and I can send off a check or purchase it via credit card.

I would be most grateful.

Thank you for your help Don Harper (Photograph sent by email) Selina Kemple has asked ʻNewsFourʼ to publish the following letter to thank all the people who helped her raise funds for the Cardiac Unit of our Ladyʼs Childrenʼs Hospital.

Dear Selina, On behalf of the Cardiac Unit at Our Ladyʼs Childrenʼs Hospital, Crumlin I wish to thank you for your very generous donation of €32,608.14. Our official receipt is enclosed.

To raise the above amount was a fantastic achievement and we are

very grateful to you for all the hard work and effort you put into raising this money. Please also extend our sincere gratitude to all your sponsors and supporters for their generosity and contributions.

The funds we receive from kind donors are used in one of three ways in the Hospital. Firstly, we have research as a major objective and channel enormous energy and funds into trying to solve the problems of childhood illness and disease.

Secondly, we supplement the Department of Healthʼs contribution to Our Ladyʼs Hospital for Sick children by providing items of equipment and capital projects, which may be on the priority list, but which the Department of Health may not reach in its annual subvention to the Hospital.

Thirdly, on an infrequent low key basis, we provide a temporary staff recourse, again where the Department of health may not yet have recognised a service need which we think is necessary and valuable and which we will put into effect so as to convince them of its utility.

Your donation will go into our Cardiac fund, which is dedicated to achieve the various objectives outlined above within the cardiac services of the Hospital. We have much to accomplish each year and we feel very indebted to the thoughtfulness and good nature of people who help us to continue to assist sick children in these ways.

Thank you for choosing us as the beneficiary of your kind generosity.

Yours sincerely, Janet Dunphy Fundraising Executive Our Ladyʼs Childrenʼs Hospital Above: St Johnʼs Church viewed from Park Avenue. See letter from Ken Hosgood.

(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

The Bath Avenue and District Residentsʼ Association would like to thank all the local shops and businesses who supported the Senior Citizensʼ Christmas Party, pictured above. Special thanks also to LRSDC for their sponsorship of the party.

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

ANDREW’S AMATSU HEALING

PAGE 9

N EW

SEATING ON CAUSEWAY AT

I RISHTOWN

By Grace Charley

W

hen our editor, asked me if Iʼd be interested in interviewing Andrew Doyle, an Amatsu Healer, pictured right, I jumped at the chance. I am a keen advocate of holistic healing.

Having being brought up on a daily spoonful of conventional medicine, my first introduction to holistics was when, as children, we where brought for ʻthe cureʼ of such ailments as whooping cough and psoriasis.

In the latter instance, it meant an old woman rubbing spittle into your irritable skin and a few prayers later, the cure was complete. Not a pleasant experience by any means, but we had absolute faith in it all the same.

For anyone who is not au fait with Amatsu medicine, let me explain.

Amatsu derives from traditional Japanese medicine and is based on the principles of natural movement.

Take the cave man for example.

His lifestyle was organically based around hunting, which meant a lot of walking and swimming. These exercises are ideal as they involve the natural movement of our body.

Think about it, our physical make-up is not really compatible with modern day living. An average health-conscious city dweller leaves his office desk, heads for the gym (where he proceeds to sit on a bicycle or rowing machine), drives home then sits in front of the TV. Thatʼs a lot of sitting and crunching of organs.

Our ancestors were probably a lot healthier. Cutting grass with a scythe meant the body twisting itself into a natural state. When the body is properly aligned, organs and ligaments are released of tension, thereby restoring the normal flow of blood and lymph to promote growth, repair and restoration of normal function.

Even crossing your legs can create a misalignment within the body and when this happens the body becomes unbalanced. Carrying heavy bags can pull one side of the body out of sync, therefore causing tension and restriction of a muscle or organ.

Amatsu promotes the drinking of two litres of water daily. Many illnesses can be prevented if the body is kept hydrated. Toxin build-up in our bodies is due to many factors, stress, the environment, processed foods to name but a few. Drinking the recommended amount of water will flush out these toxins and help the body to restore itself.

THE TREATMENT Amatsu treatment ultimately seeks to balance the body rather than simply treating the symptoms. Having said that, the treatment can alleviate and improve existing conditions like back and neck problems, circulatory problems, arthritis, digestive disorders and many other common ailments pertaining to the 21st century.

As with most holistic treatments, the Amatsu experience is gentle and non-invasive. On your first consultation, the practitioner will take details of your medical history and record any conditions you have currently. In a very relaxed and warm environment, they will test your muscle movements and check your alignment.

After discovering my pelvis was slightly out of line, it was then quickly and gently realigned. After this, the status of my organs (liver and pancreas) was checked.This treatment acts as a preventative to the onset of some of the more serious ailments like diabetes which, due to modern living, has become all too prevalent.

Post-treatment, some people may feel a change straight away.

Some feel tired, others receive a great boost of energy. Immediately after treatment, I felt exhausted but the day after the initial treatment, I had boundless amounts of energy.

For anyone seeking to improve their overall health, I would highly recommend Amatsu Healing.

Andrew Doyleʼs new practice is situated in Ringsend, (Next door to Glo hairdressing). Mobile: 086 8260776.

If you require further information on Amatsu Healing, check out their website, www.amatsuireland.com

SHORTLY AFTER becoming a Councillor in June 2007, Paddy McCartan was approached by local people requesting new seating on the Causeway leading to The Nature Park in Irishtown where hundreds of people walk daily.

Following representations by Paddy, three timber based seats have been recently installed. “These

seats allow locals to sit, relax and take full advantage of the stunning vista overlooking Dublin Bay and I am confident that more seats will be installed in the future,” said Paddy McCartan.

Pictured, left to right, with their dogs. are a delighted Leo Hitchcock and Jimmy Nolan chatting with Cllr. Paddy McCartan.

PAGE 10

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

A WEIGHT OFF MY MIND In the confusion of modern day living, our perception of body image and health has become much distorted

By Grace Charley

B

y the time this is printed it will already be February and the words ʻNew Yearʼs Resolutionsʼ will most likely be buried in the recesses of our subconscious minds until next year.

But for now, itʼs the third week of January and Iʼm still holding my own. I made one simple New Yearʼs Resolution– to look after myself a bit better.

Thirty-odd years later and Iʼm about to reprogramme everything I have learned so that I can grab some kind of ʻbetterʼ life for myself. Out with the bad eating-for-comfort habits, out with regrets and in with the ʻmake every day count because it could be our lastʼ kind of thing.

Youʼd be forgiven for thinking that I must have gotten a shed load of self-help books for Christmas but the truth is I have had a terrible few weeks, health-wise. But pity not,

itʼs all been self-inflicted.

There are many theories as to why people like me develop hiatus hernias. The spiritual experts say repressed anger is responsible as it can interfere with the mechanical structure of the body.

The doctors say itʼs heredity and can be exacerbated by stress and a poor diet. Now Iʼm not accepting responsibility for my genetic makeup. But I will accept the fact that I donʼt treat my body the way it deserves to be treated. Thereʼs some religion– I canʼt remember which one– where the body is the analogy of some kind of ʻtempleʼ and should be respected as such. In my Catholic-reared head, that makes a lot of sense.

A healthy body is a healthy mind… your health is your wealth… we regurgitate these affirmations every day but do we actually ever realise them? I for one donʼt. I take my body completely for granted and itʼs only when it breaks down in some form of illness that I have no choice but to listen to it.

Take Christmas for example. Iʼve no God-given right to celebrate get-

Ringsend and District Credit Union Ltd. 5 Irishtown Rd., Dublin 4.

Phone: 6686676 • Fax: 6686288

AT RINGSEND CREDIT UNION WE NOW OFFER • Highly Competitive Lending Interest Rates • Foreign Currencies • Travel Insurance • You can now top up your telephone and pay your household bills 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

ting to the end of another year by over-eating, over-drinking and under-exercising. Seems Iʼm not the only one, judging by the queue in the chemist shops, all looking for indigestion remedies.

But indigestion remedies canʼt mask the fact that the reason your hernia is playing up is because youʼre overweight. Now let me explain something. I weigh just over nine stone.

Before you all start tut-tut-ing and screaming the word ʻdysmorphiaʼ at me, you have to consider I stand at five foot nothing. This (according to the experts) classes me as overweight for my height.

So what did I do? I joined Weight Watchers. Reason: I spend a lot of time on my own so I decided to start the year by being a bit more sociable. Not only that, I think support group meetings are instrumental in achieving goals. And lastly, Iʼm one of these people who need structure in their lives. So joining Weight Watchers seemed the way to go… straight out the door that is.

Some of the participants didnʼt even try and hide their look of distain, ʻwhat is she doing here with her nine stones?ʼ I went in with the same goal as everybody else.

I wanted to teach myself how to tell the difference between hunger and longing. That way I could sustain the right weight for my height, therefore staving off any further health problems while alleviating the ones I already had.

Iʼve no intention of losing so much weight that I end up looking like an eleven year old boy. So whatʼs the problem? The problem is, we only see weight as an issue on a superficial level.

My ancestors didnʼt insulate themselves with comfort food, be-

K EEPING

of nothing else but natural old age.

Iʼm not listening to any more experts who cite dairy, and high carb foods like bread and potatoes as definite dietary no-nos. My grandfather lived on these foods. There was nothing else.

In a way, having a hiatus hernia is a blessing in disguise. It means I canʼt eat or drink whenever or whatever I want. But it shouldnʼt take an ailment to hijack me into a health buzz. When are we going to think enough of ourselves to do that of our own accord?

At the minute I feel I deserve to feel healthy. I hope by the time this is printed I still feel the same.

Above: One sure-fire way to reduce weight.

NEW YEAR ’ S RESOLUTIONS

By Fergal Murphy

W

cause they barely had enough food to keep them alive. And the food they ate was simple and wholesome. Weʼve too much choice nowadays. Itʼs not getting us anywhere.

Weʼve more health problems than we ever had.

The leader in Weight Watchers was promoting their sugar-free jelly.

I asked her if there were any colourings or additives in it. She fobbed me off by saying that I should only concern myself with the fact that there was no fat content or calories in the product. What does that say?

It says, it doesnʼt matter what rubbish you put into your body as long as you lose a load of weight.

So now what do I do? I use common sense, thatʼs what. I follow my grandfatherʼs diet, who died at 96

ith the New Year comes a clean slate, a chance for change and for improvement. For many of us this means a New Yearʼs resolution or two, the most common being to get in shape or to quit smoking.

Also many of us would have set goals to achieve in the New Year such as to get a promotion or to take up a new hobby.

One of the best ways to keep resolutions or goals is for every goal you make, have a clear, concise, realistic plan or set of steps to achieve the goal so that you have a clear picture in your head

as to how to get from the starting point (where you are now) to the end (achieving your goal).

Tell other people and ask for their help in achieving the goal or resolution. For example, if you are trying to lose weight see if a friend will train with you in the gym or go for a run with you.

Have faith in yourself and tell yourself positive things about your goal and how great it will be when you achieve it. Its very important to have a reward in sight for all the hard work– for giving up cigarettes it could be to put all the money youʼve saved in a jar and put it towards a holiday so as you have an incentive for staying off them. Whatever it takes at the start to help break the habit!

Another tip is to buy a calendar and for every day that you complete your goal place a large X on the calendar. Itʼs a lot easier to do things one day at a time– instead of looking into the future just concentrate on the task at hand. If you skip one workout or have one cigarette itʼs too easy to skip the next one or have the second and third cigarette, so donʼt start!

The longer you keep on the path toward your goal the more it will become a part of you and will become second nature. Keep the goal in mind and you will achieve it.

And remember, if you do have a moment of weakness and have a cigarette or pig out, chalk it down to experience and move on, donʼt abandon your goal altogether!

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

L E P AYSAN G LUTEN - FREE

GOURMET MEALS NOW AVAILABLE IN D UBLIN 4

By Stephanie Morris

T

hierry Peurois is a very knowledgeable and well-trained chef. His flair for cooking comes as naturally to him as picking apples in the Autumn.

He grew up in France, where he was the son of the local boulangierre in St. Malo, Brittany. Thierry has worked in Michelin Star restaurants both in London and Germany.

It was in London that he met his lovely wife, originally from Greystones. Love blossomed as did his experience in the food world and he moved to Greystones where he opened a restaurant ʻLe Paysanʼ, which proved to be a great success.

However, a year ago, he took the very brave decision to change course. He really enjoyed his experience at ʻLe Paysanʼ as owner/ chef but felt that his family and personal life demands were not being met, as he was totally consumed by the restaurant.

Thierry and his wife sold the restaurant and set up a ready-to-go meals business still under the name Le Paysan. I was a regular patron of the restaurant in Greystones and was delighted to see Thierryʼs products in the local Eurospar in Barrow Street and Spar in Bath Avenue.

They are not only as good as restaurant quality, but also healthy and nutritious.

He saw a niche in the market for gluten-free meals, so he does not use wheat

PAGE 11 products in any of his cooking and there is no wheat to be traced at his premises, he simply runs a wheat-free catering zone.

He is delighted with his new business venture and grateful for the time he can now spend with his family.

Two young children are a demanding and fun business, he explains.

His range of soups are still his old favourites, I noticed, leek and potato, his famous seafood chowder and many more, all top quality. I had a dinner party and bought 12 portions of his chowder, heated it and voila, the guests were speechless.

His main courses range from supreme of guinea fowl, with a potato and herb stuffing, monkfish casserole, gently cooked with courgettes and tomatoes in a cream and wine reduction, Madame Peuroisʼs casserole made with chicken, beef bourguignon, an old favourite and Le Paysan lamb casserole, with a hint of rosemary and thyme, to name but a few.

Thierry runs a very successful outside catering business and caters for the more exclusive function. He will come to your home and cook the entire meal and accommodate the culinary demands of his clients. His prices vary according to the function but his quality and expertise is top-class and he can advise on wines to accompany the experience. ʻFood and Wine Magazineʼ said of him ʻThierry Peuroisʼs food can save dinner party divas from last minute panic.ʼ If friends are over and you canʼt stretch to outside catering, pick up a few ready-to-go meals, heat and you have the pleasure of a delicious, homecooked meal without all work.

The soups sell for about €4.50 and his ready-to-go gluten-free meals are all about €8.50. They cater for all occasions and supply freezer food on request.

You can call to place orders on 211 6388 or check out their website www. lepaysan.ie

Advice Clinic every Wednesday 7pm, Ringsend Community Centre Telephone: 086 8534666 Email: cllr_daithi.doolan@dublincity.ie Visit our website: www.dublinsoutheast.com

DELIGHTED TO BE SUPPORTING THE RINGSEND WOMEN’S WEEK – MARCH 3RD TO MARCH 8TH

PAGE 12

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

The Fontenoy Files

By Shay Connolly

A

happy New Year to you all, folks, and hope it has already got off to a good start. Well, we are here plugging away in the usual fashion buoyed by the completion of our hurling wall arena. This area is a glorious sight and whilst we call it a hurling wall arena it in effect serves as a Ball Wall as both football and hurling can be practised against it.

It was a joy to see the Saturday Morning Academy practising in it last week amid glorious Springtime sunshine. As we go to print the floodlights are being erected and by the time you read this they will be shining brightly for all the kids to play on. Some important footwear rules for the use of this arena are Up to under 10– runners are sufficient.

Over 10 to Adult– moulded studs or blades only.

It is very important that these rules are adhered to by all as the longevity of the surface is very much determined by the footwear we wear on it.

Juvenile has started back and is in full swing at the moment.

This year the Academy is divided into two sections for boys and girls. Registration continues each Saturday morning and if you wish your child to sign up just pop down at 10.45 a.m. any Saturday.

For the first time ever, the Club has employed the services of a Youth Development Officer and his duties will include the overseeing of the Clubʼs five year plan for our Juvenile section.

His name is Donal McGovern

and Donal comes with a wealth of experience, having served as a Juvenile Coach with Parnell Park. Coupled with the Clubʼs own coach, Johnny Sadlier, the Club is satisfied that it has put in place all the right structures to deliver its Juvenile Master Plan.

Adult hurlers are on the threshold of returning to senior status after a lapse of 23 years. Their upcoming match against Raheny will determine their fate.

This team includes some very fine young players, all who served their time as the Warriors and is backboned by some steely elder lemons. Whatever the outcome they are a team very much on the up.

They recently travelled to Tipperary for a hurling camp. While the camp was very demanding and entailed 7.00 am morning

starts, they were allowed to let their hair hang on the last night.

The local population were shocked to see such a fine body of men enter the local disco.

Everything was brewing well for some serious matchmaking until they opened their mouths.

Their Dublin accents sent them scurrying back across the floor to Coventry.

The Ladies Adult Footballers have just completed a fantastic season which saw them earn promotion to second highest flight in Dublin football. Having already secured promotion, their league final play off against AllIreland Junior Champions Cabinteely was plagued with misfortune.

Having to field without five of their top-class players who were all sidelined with injuries, the girls found the hurdle too stiff to climb. Having been behind by 10 points at half-time, they brought it back to a point 10 minutes into the second half.

But, alas, it was not to be and their efforts fell short in the end. However, this is one of the youngest Ladies Footballs teams in Dublin and their future looks very bright indeed.

This year the Clubs Partnership Programme with Trinity College will see an educational dimension added to the Clubʼs Youth Service. This programme will see our Junior and Leaving Certificate students partake in

Grinds and Educational Seminars from Trinity Undergraduates to assist them in their studies.

This is in response to some appalling figures recently issued regarding Ringsend and Irishtownʼs record for third level entrees. The aim of this programme is to offer these students a better choice as to what career they might pursue after Leaving Certificate stage. The launch of this programme will take place in early March in the Clubhouse.

At another ceremony recently held in the Clubhouse, the Bingo Committee handed over a Defibrillator to the Club (pictured above). This was warmly welcomed by the Club and our thanks to all concerned.

Our sincere condolences to the Pullen Family on the recent

sad loss of Ann. Ann was very much part of our Clubhouse since it was opened in 1989 and her sudden passing has left us all numb here. Ar Dheis De go raibh a ainm dilis.

U15 Footballers are flying it at the moment, having secured six points from their first three matches. Hurling training has resumed for this team on Friday evenings and no doubt that the hurling wall arena will have a huge influence on their skills development in the coming year.

Adult footballers have resumed their campaign and their first league match will commence shortly. It has been a gruelling few years for this team and the demands are very high.

If we can adapt the motto of ʻWhen the going gets tough, the tough get goingʼ then we have a great chance of returning to Senior Football, a place where a club like ours belong. Go for it lads!

Over the last number of years this column has touched upon the problems that the Club faces regarding the mass exodus of some of its finest home-grown players to various parts of the country to live.

At a recent hurling match in midweek. Martin Neville gestured to the sideline that he was in some bother. As the first aid man went to his attention believing that Martin had sustained an injury, his problem was revealed when he explained that he had to come off as he had to get home.

Martin lives in Portlaoise. His brother Thomas lives in Swords.

Their partners also play for the

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

club and yet they make these arduous journeys twice and three times a week as loyal servants to the club. But how long can these young couples, and we have a multitude of them, sustain this travelling?

In the light of the forthcoming development of numerous sites in this area the demand for social and affordable housing has never been greater.

Therefore, we read with some astonishment that some of our local representatives object to an affordable housing scheme across the road from us at Church Avenue. The mind boggles!

PAGE 13

THE Riverside Singers, pictured above, meet every Wednesday morning from 10.30 to 12.30 in Ringsend Technical School. New members are Opposite page, main picture, left to right: Tony Byrne, Jay Byrne, Sheila Cross, Joe Murray and Mick Bolton present a defibrillator to Pat Kane (second from left), Adult Games Chairman.

Bottom left: Juvenile Chairman Dave Walsh refereed the U9 game versus St Markʼs.

Bottom Right: Maurice Hennessy coaches at the Saturday Morning Academy.

Above: More action from the Saturday Morning Academy.

always welcome. For more information, you can contact Ray Ryan at 087-9195012, or email him at rayryan66@yahoo.com

ENTER THE DRAGONS AS PART of the Chinese New Year celebrations, dragons took to the Docklands while Dragon Boats raced each other on the Liffey.

Events like this all contribute to the new lifestyle patterns of the rapidly-developing Docklands area, giving it a personality all its own and blending in some of the old with the ultra-modern apartment living and business premises.

Calafort Átha Cliath The Coalboat kids

Now on sale at Books on the Green, Sandymount and Waterstone’s in the Jervis Shopping Centre

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

Telephone: 887 6000, 855 0888 Fax: 855 7400 Web: www.dublinport.ie

PAGE 14

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

D ODDER DELIGHTS

I

By Jonathan Butler

knew nothing about the River Dodder. For me it was simply a reference point, somewhere that you passed hastily on your way to Donnybrook or Lansdowne in order to arrive before kick-off.

On other occasions it was a sort of personal Rubicon, a river that you passed on your way into town.

Once past the Dodder there was no

turning back. The differences being that, unlike Caesar, I was on the 46A bus with loud fellow teenagers behind me instead of on a horse with several Roman legions in my command.

The meeting of the Ballsbridge, Donnybrook and Sandymount Historical Society changed all that. The Society is a year old and was born out of what the Chairman, John Holohan, described as “a desire to find out more about the area.”

There is already a membership of about 200.

When I arrived, there was already a queue forming outside and by the time the lecture started there were at least eighty to ninety people packed into the assembly hall of St. Maryʼs National School on Belmont Avenue, Donnybrook.

Mr Holohan introduced the guest speaker, Dr Christopher Moriarty.

Dr Moriarty described himself as a ʻnaturalistʼ. He is a retired Trinity College lecturer and has written several books including ʻDown the Dodderʼ.

With the aid of some lovely photographs and a deep, soothing voice, Dr. Moriarty, took us on a relaxed and witty journey along the 21 kilometres downstream from the Dodderʼs source at Kippure, in the Wicklow Mountains, all the way to Ringsend and into the Irish Sea. The Dodder was a busy river in the mid 19th Century and had no fewer than fourteen mills on its short run. Its brief, direct course makes it a powerful and therefore at times treacherous waterway, as demonstrated most recently in August of 1986 when it flooded so dramatically.

Due to all this industry, many bridges were built over the Dodder, each of them with their own history.

During the Second World War, for instance, the bridge at Rathfarnham was fitted with an anti-tank device in order to repel unwanted invaders. Indeed, so concerned were the Irish Government that they even bored holes into it, in order to blow it up if necessary.

From Rathfarnham we wandered down the river past the nine arches and the old chimney of the Dublin Laundry, today a haven for the cormorant. Dr Moriarty told us of the flora on the river such as the Alexanders, which, were until the arrival of parsley used in salads. He spoke about the Butterbur also known as ʻratsʼ umbrellasʼ due to their wide, low-lying leaves.

We passed and imagined the site of Donnybrook Fair whose opponent, Fr P.J. Nowlan, banned in 1855 and consecrated his Church on the green eleven years later. We ambled along Anglesea Road and pictured the men and women of the Ballsbridge Horseshoe Pitch-

P ADRAIG

ers Club who still to this day play horseshoes on the tiny hidden green opposite Pembroke Library. As the sunset began to appear in his slides, Dr. Moriarty took us through Ringsend and concluded his talk.

I really wasnʼt sure what to expect from this evening. I admit to imagining scenes from the Vicar of Dibley but what I experienced was a congenial and vibrant gathering of a community that enthusiastically longs to be made aware of the abundant historical treasures around it. A thoroughly enjoyable, rewarding and different way to spend an evening.

If you wish to become a member of the Ballsbridge, Donnybrook and Sandymount Historical Society you will find membership forms at the Pembroke Library, Anglesea Road. Events are free to members of the Society and a charge of €3 is made for visitors.

Left: The Dodder is home to many herons. Above: Milltown arches.

HEADS BACK TO THE SEA

PADRAIG, a grey seal pup born in Dublin Bay, was rescued by Padraig OʼConnor, known locally as the ʻHarbour Masterʼ, a backbone of the Great South Wall walking and swimming community (the Half Mooners), on 3 December 2007.

Padraig spotted the seal on the bay side of the Pump House at the start of the Great South Wall. When rescued, Padraig was 3 to 4 weeks old and was in the process of moulting his white coat but was clearly struggling to survive, still just at his birth weight of 15 kilos, with wounds on his back and flippers.

Thankfully, Padraig has made a great and speedy recovery under the care of the Irish Seal Sanctuary and was returned to his rescuer at his place of rescue, and indeed his birth place, Dublin Bay on 16 January at the start of the Great South Wall.

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

PAGE 15

100 YEARS OF SCOUTING IN IRELAND

By Dermot Lacey

O

n February 22nd members of the largest Youth Movement in the world celebrated their Annual Founders Day. Here we will have particular reason to celebrate as the Scout Movement in Ireland will be celebrating its centenary.

Yes, one hundred years of proud public service and commitment to young people unmatched by any other organization in the world. It is a Movement I have had the privilege to be a member of since I

joined Donnybrook Cub Scouts in 1966.

Last year, Scouts and Guides in over two hundred and fifty countries marked the Centenary of World Scouting with an International Jamboree held in England.

That camp commemorated the decision of Robert BadenPowell– or B.P. as he became known– to hold a camp for twenty boys on Brownsea Island off the coast of Dorset.

2007 also marked the centenary of the publication of the worldʼs second biggest publishing success, (only exceeded by the Bible), in English, ʻScouting for Boysʼ.

Current membership of the World Organization of the Scout Movement stands at approximately 30 million young people and adults, with over ten million members in the Girl Guides.

Since 1907 it is estimated that well over 300 million people have at some stage donned the uniform and made the Scout or Guide Promise. The Scouting record of education, promotion and encouragement of young people stands unequalled by

any other voluntary body.

Following the initial success of the concept in Britain, Scouting came to Ireland soon afterwards, with branches established in Dublin as early as 1908. The first recorded Scout meeting in Ireland took place in Dame Street in Dublin in February 1908. That event will be commemorated by the unveiling of a plaque on the site later this month.

For reasons, to do with our history, politics and the struggle for Independence, many Irish people were reluctant to join, or let their children join, what was perceived, to be a British, Unionist or Protestant body.

To counter this, and following some preliminary soundings by leading Catholic figures of the day, the Roman Catholic Hierarchy approved the establishment of the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland. This new Association was formally launched in 1927.

Among the earliest Units was my own local Scout Group in Donnybrook, founded by Monsignor Daniel Maloney in 1927 which, to this day continues to thrive.

The new Association grew rapidly throughout the thirtytwo counties and operated in parallel with the other Scout Association already in existence.

For the next seventy-five years Ireland had two Scout Associations: the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland and the successor to the formerly British-based, Scout Association of Ireland.

That division of Scouting in Ireland was finally healed in the early years of the new century.

In the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement, Scouting played its role through the creation of a new 32-county, 40,000 strong, Scouting Ireland. The new body was an amalgam of the former two Associations.

The challenge for Irish Scouting now is to ensure that it continues to be as relevant and innovative as before and that the values and methods of Scouting are offered in a way accessible to and understood by the people, particularly the young people of Ireland.

Scouting in Ireland is well regarded in the wider movement and this is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that the current Vice-Chairperson of

the World Scout Movement is an Irish woman, Therese Bermingham, while the Chairman of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is another Irish woman Elspeth Henderson.

The main event marking the Irish Scouting Centenary will be Jamboree 2008 to take place in Puunchestown in August. This will be an enormous undertaking with approximately 10,000 young people, including several thousand from abroad sharing the unique Scouting experience in an Irish setting.

The Jamboree will require the support and encouragement of the various public bodies and the financial support of Government. Is it too much to ask that Government would contribute a significant sum to celebrate one

hundred years of service?

So, congratulations Scouting.

You have done our world much service. You have given hundreds of millions of young people, fun, friendship and challenge. Long may you grow and develop. Long may you forge peace, harmony and understanding in our world and long may you give the opportunities you gave me, to so many more in the future. Good Scouting.

Dermot Lacey is President of Donnybrook Scout Group and a former Lord Mayor of Dublin.

Clockwise from top left: ʻScouting For Boysʼ (1908); some members of the presentday Donnybrook Scout Group; how to light a fire from ʻThe Scouting Trailʼ (1964).

PAGE 16

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

Bookworm

marry childhood sweetheart Ken who is waiting for her back home.

Should the author have described her date or brief relationship with the man she met, Simon, with any real intimacy, the reader might have been convinced that the couple had a chance but they literally only met for

five minutes and suddenly they were an item. It seems an implausible and unbelievable situation, certainly not one that would see Caroline throw away her marriage to her fiancée whom she had been with since childhood.

The next part of the story involves investigative reporter Alice Fitzsimons who is seemingly happily married to Bill who drops a bombshell one day and tells her that they are in financial ruin.

Rather than stay and help him sort out their financial difficulties she decides to go for a break in Argentina and thatʼs where, once again, the authorʼs story falls short.

In what started out as a good and very intriguing mystery once again matters of the heart take precedence as well as the fact that there are more shootings and fights than in a James Bond movie which again, just seemed very implausible.

The novel continues on with themes of mistaken identity, murder and people falling in love at the drop of a hat. However, the mystery is a compelling one and the reader will enjoy seeing it reach its conclusion.

This is a story about sisters and friends and love and though itʼs a little unrealistic at times it is the best of the four novels Linda Kavanagh has written to date and I look forward to her fifth. ʻTime After Timeʼ is published by Poolbeg and is available nationwide.

do both in the home and in our communities.

“The reason I tabled the motion was in an attempt to give due recognition to all this work.

The motion was passed in November and in January we held a meeting with community

groups, Dublin City Council and Dublin Docklands Development Authority to see what exactly we should do.

“We agreed that the main theme would be promoting womenʼs health. We now have a packed agenda for the week leading up to International Womenʼs Day on March 8th.

“The events are all free and will include talks on breast cancer, stress management, looking after mental health, alternative health workshops and a celebration on Saturday night for local women.”

Cllr. Doolan concluded by urging, “women to come along and enjoy a wide range of free events and celebrate International womenʼs Day on Saturday night.”

Reviewed by Audrey Healy ʻTIME AFTER TIMEʼ

by Linda Kavanagh have to admit that it was with some hesitation that I accepted the challenge to read and review Linda Kavanaghʼs latest book ʻTime After Timeʼ.

I had attempted to read but abandoned half-way through all her three previous novels, ʻLove Childʼ, ʻLove Hurtsʼ and ʻHush Hushʼ, all published by Poolbeg, as I found both the writing and plot irritating.

However, as someone who has slogged all year and handed in a book to be published in September 2008 I know how hard it can be to produce a manuscript once a year and so I decided to read her latest offering with an open mind.

Once again I found myself

I

with conflicting emotions at the end of this complex and at times intriguing tale which takes the reader on a journey going back over three decades and into the lives of three central characters.

Thereʼs bride-to-be Caroline who is preparing for her wedding and whilst sorting through items at home stumbles across a photo of a mystery women who she soon learns is her elusive Aunt Gina. When she asks her mother and other aunt about her it is clear that she has opened up a can of worms and her questions are not welcome.

But Caroline is on a mission– to find her mysterious Aunt, heal whatever rift has evidently kept her from her family for so long and have

The Oarsman Bar Ringsend Bridge Street Phone : 6689360

her as guest of honour at her wedding.

On a subsequent trip to London with her two friends, during which she also plans to make discreet enquiries about her Aunt, she literally bumps into a man on the street, goes on a date with him, sleeps with him and there and then decides not to

Enjoy Ringsend & District Women’s week – Doolan

Traditional Music Every Wednesday and Thursday night

INTERNATIONAL Womenʼs Day is an international celebration for women all around the world. And this year it is coming to Ringsend.

Sinn Féinʼs Councillor Daithí Doolan was delighted when his motion calling on Dublin City Council to host an event in Ringsend to celebrate International Womenʼs Day was passed in November.

Speaking to ʻNewsFourʼ, Cllr. Doolan said: “Women have been the backbone of this community for generations. Yet women get very little recognition for all the great work they

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

100

PAGE 17

YEARS YOUNG Margaret Kilroy (nee Miley)

By Caroline Grace-Cassidy

W

hen I close my eyes outside the white door in Stella Gardens and listen to the sea gulls squawk, I smell the air and am instantly brought back thirty years. Iʼm standing at the counter in Lily Bon-Bonʼs shop waiting for my quarter of apple drops.

Iʼm waiting for the green man to cross over to Scotchieʼs

chipper for a one and one. The street lamps are warming up throwing a light orange glow around the flats.

Iʼm skipping through the lane getting ahead of her to see if there is a bus coming. Iʼm waiting outside the pork shop. Iʼm outside Clearyʼs waiting for the No. 3 with bags of vegetables from Moore Street and meat from the butchers. Iʼm full up from my lunch in Arnottʼs.

Iʼm in Tomʼs shop for a few slices of hard cheese and a

quarter of corned beef. Sheʼs bought me a pink balloon.

There are pigʼs feet in the pot.

Iʼm poking the daylights out of her open turf fire. Iʼm in the big feather bed with lots and lots of blankets and those soft, stripy flannel sheets.

I can see the orange street lamp from the bed. I can feel the warmth of her body as I snuggle in on a cold night.

The bucket is in the room for the occasional wee– itʼs way too cold for a young wan like

me to traipse out the back on a winterʼs night. ʻChuckyʼ egg mashed up in a cup with butter in the morning and soldiers of toast. Gay Byrne on the old wireless and the smell of brasso wafting up the stairs.

Iʼm playing with my cash register and sheʼs cleaning, sweeping the ʻcarpetʼ always on the move, folding, ironing, wringing out God knows what over the old enamel sink. Sheʼs watering the geraniums.

Iʼm ʻdoing-her-upʼ, brushing her hair and smearing old lip stick over her lips. Sheʼs letting me do it with no fuss.

Sheʼs making the dinners for Dolly, her sister-in-law who lived alone in Ringsend Park Cottages and walking there through the park every day to feed her.

I associate food and comfort and warmth and love when I think of her. When she went all modern and got the electric fire, Iʼd hold the knife through the grids with bread on the end making toast on the fire. Toast has never tasted so good.

These are my memories of growing up with my Granny.

Margaret Kilroy. Born in 1908 and now in her 100 year. I want to give you a sense of her first.

The sharpest mind I have ever in my 36 years encountered, never forgets a name or a face or a date.

Sheʼs as strong a woman as there can be and a true fighter in every sense of the word.

Strong. So strong. The original independent woman long be-

Restaurant review

M

ulligans is the newlyopened pub in Sandymount village. As you enter the brasserie-style front bar at lunchtime, the atmosphere is calm and comfortable.

We seated ourselves in the back section, which is wood-panelled

and where there is a screen for the matches, a fireplace and a baby grand piano. The couches are leather, it is not too bright, and outside through the glass is the smoking patio.

The soup of the day is minestrone to an original recipe.

It is a deep, hearty tomato and basil soup with plenty of pasta and vegetable. We are served by a friendly, efficient young lady from Wicklow.

At the tables are quietly-spoken patrons and the music is nice and low. My Chicken Boxty came with a thick pancake, and with its thick roasted pieces of chicken in a creamy smoked bacon and leek sauce was very tasty and had been made with flair. The side salad was mixed

Above: Margaret is pictured with Noeleen and Caroline. we would come back for the live jazz session on Sunday at 5 pm.

We shared a dessert, a light strawberry cheesecake drizzled with raspberry coulis. We had our coffees outside on the patio which, despite the chilly day, was comfortable.

Lunch came to €40 (including a gratuity) which was very good value for one soup, two mains, one dessert, sparkling water and two coffees, stylish and comfortable surroundings and great service.

Mulligan’s Pub in Sandymount

By Nessa and Stephanie

fore Destinyʼs Child ever told us about independent women!

And now in her 100th year she resides in Sir Patrick Dunʼs.

She started there as a day patient with Sr. Eileen Kilkenny 10 years ago and eventually went in as a full time patient 18 months ago and Eileen has been like a daughter to her. All the staff are fantastic.

So whatʼs her life story? Margaret Miley was born into 59 Townsend Street on 21st March 1908. She is the eldest girl in a family of eleven children and the only one left with us.

She married Laurence Kilroy in 1928 and had 3 children, Kathleen, Michael and then seventeen years later Noeleen.

She lost Kathleen to TB and then Michael (Mick).

Margaretʼs Father and brothers Paddy, Terence and Michael were all well-known Dockers. Margaret moved to Stella Gardens in the 1950s and soon after became the first woman to work in the ESB Generating Station on Ringsend Road, later moving to Pigeon House Road, where she worked until she retired in her seventies!

Margaret has nine grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. Along the way she has met the great James Larkin, James Connolly and Countess Markievicz, along with the last three Presidents of Ireland.

Happy birthday Granny. We love you.

leaves dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette which complemented the boxty very well.

Stephanie had the Steak Emmenthal, which is a succulent minute steak with emmenthal cheese served on ciabatta. Also on the menu was Irish stew, smoked

salmon, bagels and sandwiches.

There is a special brunch menu for weekends (12pm-5pm).

We were pleased to see an extensive wine list with a lot of wines available by the glass and a menu for cocktails and top shelf liquors. We decided that

DO SAY: Please and thank you.

DONʼT SAY: How much are the pints?

DO TALK ABOUT: The rugby DONʼT MENTION: The incinerator.

PAGE 18

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

Film Scene•••By Michael Hilliard ‘Cloverfield’ ʻCloverfieldʼ tells the story of five New Yorkers, caught up in an attack on their city, by a mysterious force of nature (part of the fun is trying to comprehend what the enemy actually is).

The main gimmick with the movie is that itʼs shot entirely from a hand-held

video camera perspective, with the two main charactersʼ back-story being unveiled through video previously recorded on the tape that is being recorded over, popping through whenever the ʻpresentʼ taping ceases.

The movie follows their adventure trying to escape and save a friend, a love interest of the main char-

acter.

Produced by J.J. Abrams, a co-creator of TV show ʻLostʼ, and written by his long-time collaborator Drew Goddard, ʻCloverfieldʼ injects a much-needed shot of adrenaline into the tired monster movie genre.

First time feature director, Matt Reeves (also a long-time cohort of Abrams), proves himself to be one to watch. A hugely successful internet viral marketing campaign preceded its release and the captivating teaser trailer sealed the deal for many.

The end result is exquisite. ʻCloverfieldʼ is the most exciting cinematic experience in years. From the moment we meet these people at a going-away party for our main character, to the initial tremors and ensuing panic, all the way to the poignant closing shot, your eyes will be glued to the screen.

The cast of unknowns are adequate, and convince in a tense or frightening situation, which really is their primary task. Had ʻCloverfieldʼ been shot in the traditional manner, it surely wouldnʼt have been the success it is. The key to its effectiveness, is the degree to which the audience member is immersed in proceedings, and on that level, itʼs wildly successful.

4.5 out of 5

‘The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford’ Director Andrew Dominicʼs second feature film, ʻJesse Jamesʼ, is a masterpiece.

Itʼs taken him seven years, since ʻChopper ʼ in the year 2000, and obviously a meticulous amount of detail and research has gone into bringing Ron Hansenʼs novel to the big screen.

Covering the final months of the infamous James

Gang, the movie portrays the strained relations of the few remaining members struggling to survive on the harsh Missouri winter landscape.

Robert Ford (Casey Affleck) has grown up worshiping the legend of Jesse James, and through his brother meets his hero. Ford is desperate to prove himself worthy as a James Gang member, but as he becomes increasingly exposed to the man, and not just the myth, an inevitable realisation of resentment takes hold.

Brad Pitt is excellent as Jesse James, but perhaps overshadowed by Affleckʼs career-making turn as the misfit Ford. He is so con-

vincingly desperate, and skin-crawlingly creepy, yet still manages to evoke sympathy from the audience.

Cinematographer Roger Deakins, has shot the movie in such a way, that one could take any scene in the movie, take one still image from it, and be left with a beautiful still photograph. It truly is a gorgeous film, complementing his outstanding work on ʻNo Country for Old Menʼ, and the majority of the Coen Brothersʼ back catalogue. ʻThe Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Fordʼ is highly recommended viewing.

5 out of 5

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

PAGE 19

OUT OF STEP WITH JOHNNY DEPP B EWLEY ’ S T HEATRE C AFE

AT

L UNCHTIME

Joanne Mitchell has spent the last year writing and touring in ʻLiving With Johnny Deppʼ

T

he theatre on the top floor of Bewleys is oldworld. On the stage are a tall filing cabinet and a teacherʼs whiteboard. The music playing is Westlife.

On the tables are Shania Sweeneyʼs Junior Certificate results, an NG. “It all happened… like… because I wrote about Johnny Depp in my mocks. Oh ma God, I like totally love Johnny Depp!”

Joanne plays the Sligo schoolgirl who takes ʻwrite about what you knowʼ quite literally, couples her fantasies with her exam-taking, exposing her teacher to unsuitable scenes.

Miss Murphy has a few unsuitable scenes of her own, and Joanne plays this scandalously, as a total skit, while we in the audience are her class pupils!

We are paying attention but we are in stitches laughing.

When Shania is finally dragged into the Principalʼs office, the somewhat sultry, angry Miss Ingoldsby, who is going to have to expel her student, the performance takes on manic proportions.

Joanne has her swigging from a bottle of vodka between rants and she finally climbs on top of the filing cabinet in her

Carl von Linné

demented state. “Do you think Johhny Depp can save you, Shania? Do you think Johnny Depp even knows who you are?”

This is highly comic performing and writing by Joanne Mitchell. It is directed by Micaela Miranda, her partner at MADCAP Theatre Company.

Their next project is ʻSeanscealta Graʼ in February. The lighting for this play was by Colum Maher, who works as the technical manager for Be-

wleyʼs Cafe Theatre.

Bewleyʼs Theatre, Grafton Street continues its lunchtime shorts with ʻThe Art of Swimmingʼ, another one-woman monologue ʻabout long-distance swimming, celebrity, storytelling and timeʼ, written and performed by Lynda Radley.

It runs from Monday 18th February to Saturday 1st March (doors open at 12.50pm and the performance starts at 1.10pm).

Phone 086-8784001 or Web: info@bewleyscafetheatre.com

THE 300th Anniversary of the birth of Swedenʼs most famous scientist and botanist, Carl Linnaeus was celebrated in November. The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Paddy Bourke and His Excellency, Claes Ljungdahl, Ambassador to Sweden, pictured above, planted lime trees in honour of Linnaeusʼs scientific achievements.

The Ambassador said: “This year, 2007, marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Carl Linnaeus (in Sweden known by his noble name, Carl von Linné). Already in his life time, Linnaeus was known all over Europe as a famous scientist, botanist and zoologist. He is probably the best known Swede who ever walked this planet.

“Linnaeus developed the binary method of classifying plants that 300 years later is still in use. Quite an achievement for a man, then only in his mid twenties. The heritage that Linnaeus and his students have left to the world is still very much alive and valid. This anniversary is not just about looking back, but just as much about the future of generations to come.

“I hope that the lime trees (Tilia Platyphyllos Corallina) we are planting today will form a pleasant grove, a token of deep and sustained Irish–Swedish friendship, as well as an inspiration for an ecologically sound care for the nature in which we are living.”

More information on the life of Carl Linnaeus may be found on www.linnaeus.nu/eng/default.asp

The Yacht Thorncastle Street, Ringsend, 6680977

Line Dancing at the Senior Citizens Christmas Party in the CYMS.

‘For a Quiet Pint in comfortable surroundings and a friendly atmosphere’

PAGE 20

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

G ARDENING

T

raditionally, St Patrickʼs Day is the day to start in your garden for the Spring Season. And for many of us this means a reoccurrence of back pain and muscle

AND BACK PAIN

aches. Gardening for some of us is just a chore but for others it is our primary leisure activity and a source of much enjoyment.

Whichever category you fall

into, it is essential to prepare your joints and muscles prior to descending on your garden this spring.

The main reason people get back pain is because they underestimate the amount of muscle involvement required to perform gardening activities. With many of us, these muscles have not been used through the winter months and therefore are prone to injury and over-use.

Digging, prolonged stretching and bending over while planting puts undue stress on the ligaments and joints in the lumbar spine, neck and extremities. When a joint is overused it will become inflamed and tender, triggering a protective muscle spasm leaving you with that horrible, dull ache for several days after gardening.

If left untreated or exposed

to repeated overuse, dysfunction within the joint may occur over time. This can potentially lead to irritation on spinal nerves resulting in referred pain into the extremities, with one example being Sciatica.

There are many ways to treat musculoskeletal pain. Chiropractic provides a non-surgical and drug-free treatment. It is a 100% natural approach to health care, as it is based on restoring function to our bodies on a skeletal, muscular and nervous system level.

If any of the above is a concern to you, and you are suffering any back, neck pain or extremity pain, then Chiropractic treatment could be for you.

Dr Gemma Bailey is a qualified Chiropractor. Having studied at Glamorgan University, she graduated in 2005.

She is also a full member of the Chiropractic Association of Ireland and practices at the Fitzwilliam Health Clinic in Dublin 2.

C HIROPRACTIC GARDENING TIPS 1. Kneel on one knee rather then repeatedly bending from the hips 2. Try and vary the tasks into short bursts of different activity 3. If you suffer from knee problems use a cushion to kneel on or a gardening stool to sit on, this should avoid slouching 4. When digging, keep your back hollow and legs well apart. Use your legs rather then your back 5. Keep warm and covered up– this prevents muscles from becoming chilled 6. If you ache the next day, speak with your Chiropractor for further advice and treatment. They will advise you if you should use ice, heat or if further treatment is required

Clyne’s Master Butchers 13 Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4 Tel: 6680456/6602091

We now stock Wagyu/Kobe beef Fresh fish From Howth daily S PRING L AMB

Quality, Value, Service and Expertise AND

T URKEYS

Keeping home dining special All our carcass beef is aged 14 days FOR

E ASTER

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

PAGE 21

ROYAL HOSPITAL

ACQUIRES SOCIAL HOUSING Royal Hospital Donnybrookʼs Housing Association Acquires 20 Modern Apartments at Fraction of Open Market Price he Voluntary Housing Association of the Royal Hospital Donnybrook (RHD), in Dublin, has acquired 20 apartments in a private devel-

T

opment adjoining the hospital on Bloomfield Avenue from Dublin City Council under the Social Housing provisions of the Planning and Development Acts.

With the financial support of the Department of Environment, Dublin City Council and the Friends of the Royal Hospital, the Housing Association was able to acquire the apartments for €4.6 million from the private developer of the Bloomfield complex, whereas the open market value would have been about €11 million.

This brings to 49 the number of housing units now owned by the Housing Association, adding to a 29-bungalow complex which opened in 1993.

At a hand-over ceremony presided over by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr. Paddy Bourke, the Chairman of the Voluntary Housing Association, Mr. Robin Simpson, paid tribute to all the

NEW MOTOR LOAN ONLY 6.98% APR • LOANS FROM €10,000 TO €30,000 • NO EXTRA HIDDEN CHARGES • LOANS CAN BE REPAID EARLIER WITHOUT PENALTY • FREE LOAN PROTECTION INSURANCE • FOR MOTOR LOANS OVER €30,000 OUR PREMIUM LOAN RATE OF 5.9% APR APPLIES • AVAILABLE ALONGSIDE EXISTING LOAN REPAYMENT PROTECTION INSURANCE OPTIONAL

TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY SANDYMOUNT CREDIT UNION IS REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL REGULATOR

personnel from the various agencies, including the Department of the Environment, Dublin City Council, the HSE and the various bodies and personnel associated with the RHD for their role in the project.

Mr. Simpson paid special thanks to the Friends of the Royal Hospital “who played a vital role through their generous capital contribution that enabled the Housing Association to pay the deposit for the apartments.”

Up to five patients are moving out of the RHD to begin a new life living independently in the new apartments where they will

be supported with care packages funded by the HSE. The remaining fifteen apartments are being allocated through a process agreed between the Voluntary Housing Association and Dublin City Council.

Elderly, vulnerable individuals who are on the Council waiting list for accommodation will be housed there.

Pictured on left, left to right are: Miriam Mooney, Medical Social Worker, Royal Hospital; Roisin Gaffney; Veemee Chellamootoo, carer and Karl Schutte, Home Instead Senior Care.

Above: the new apartments.

Sandymount Credit Union Limited 13 Bath Avenue, Sandymount, Dublin 4.

Tel: 668 5079 / 073 Fax: 6681807 email: info@sandymountcu.ie Website: www.sandymountcu.ie

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Opening Hours 10am–12.30pm 10am–12.30pm 10am–12.30pm 10am–5pm 2pm–8pm

2–5pm 2–5pm 2–5pm

STANDARD LOANS TO MEMBERS UP TO €15,000 9.4% APR MULTI-PURPOSE LOANS UP TO €30,000 7.5% APR PREMIUM LOANS OVER €30,000 5.9% APR SPECIAL LOANS TO STUDENTS/APPRENTICES 6.5% APR (INCLUDING MATURE STUDENTS) LOAN REPAYMENT CALCULATOR AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE

PAGE 22

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

THE SCIENCE GALLERY AT THE N AUGHTON I NSTITUTE

By Christy Hogan

T

he Naughton Institute on Pearse Street in Dublin opened to the public on 2 February. The Institute is named after one of the founding patrons, Doctor Martin Naughton.

An initiative of Trinity College Dublin, the Institute will explore how science impacts on our daily lives.

The magnificent gallery is a world first and thereʼs something here for everyone. The brochure mentions ʻwhite hotʼ scientific issues, and to tell you the truth I havenʼt got my head round that one yet. There will be exhibitions, public experiments, challenges, festivals, workshops and debates. And if there is some burning issue exploding in your Modula Oblongata, well hop along to the Gallery.

The Science Gallery held

its inaugural exhibition ʻLight Waveʼ in early February. Yours truly went along to a Lightwave event titled ʻRock Concert Visualsʼ presented by Willie Williams, ʻLightwaveʼ show director and multimedia artist. Willie is best known for his stage lighting work with U2.

He explained the relationship between the rock music artist and the stage lighting.

Some of the artists featured on screen included David Bowie, U2 and REM. ʻLightwave on the Streetsʼ featured a Volkswagen Beetle covered with 1,659 computerised lights. If you saw this Beetle with a few gargles on you, well, God only knows.

The founding director of the Science Gallery is Michael John Gorman from Dublin. Michaelʼs ambition is that the Science Gallery will appeal to people from various backgrounds. You donʼt have to know about Archimedes

in the bath shouting ʻeurekaʼ as the water sloshes over the edge.

And you can be impervious to Newtonʼs law of gravity and the Granny Smiths falling to the ground.

The Science Gallery was initiated by Professor Mike Coey of Trinity Collegeʼs CRANN research centre. CRANN means Tree in Irish, and in this case the tree of knowledge.

The funding for the Science Gallery came from Trinity College, the Department of Enterprise and some private funding.

Michael John Gorman wants to remove the myth and magic

from science and the Gallery is the starting point.

The Gallery is in an ideal position, close to lots of work places and commuter stop-offs.

The Dublin Docklands, IFSC, Pearse Street Dart Station and the city centre are all close by.

Walkers can enter the Naughton Institute, stroll through the college grounds and exit at Grafton Street.

The Gallery is focusing on 15 to 25-year olds and it is hoped that free admission will attract these students to drop in on a regular basis. Encouraging the ʻEinsteinsʼ of the new millenni-

um and throwing off the esoteric cloak is the function of this Science Gallery– novice and anorak, don and donkey all together like Brownʼs cows.

The Gallery has a multimedia lecture theatre which can double as a cinema and can seat 144 people. You can discuss nuclear energy, stem cells, green issues, biofuel issues and how to get figs into fig roles.

And if you have the neck you can ask why toothpaste comes out in stripes and why itʼs not all mixed together. Forget about conjecture, letʼs leg it to the Science Gallery.

Wife’s List

All those little jobs your wife keeps asking you to do A complete home service company Phone Billy on 087 2706356/6688361 Or email doneekc@eircom.net

We specialise in kitchen and bathroom remodelling. En suites from start to finish. Add value to your home by converting under the stairs to a new toilet Tiling Bathrooms Kitchens Wall and floor tiling Carpentry New doors Floors Fitted kitchens Wardrobe Attic ladders Assistance with flat pack purchases

Electrical New sockets New fuse boards Electric showers Light fittings Plumbing Repairing leaks Outside taps New tanks Installing dishwashers Installing washing machines

Wife’s List is a professional handyman service. Customer satisfaction is a priority.

From hanging curtains to repairing leaks, no job is too small for us.

Our technicians have over 20 years experience and are professional, insured and reliable.

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

F AMOUS

PAGE 23

PSYCHOLOGISTS John B Watson, 1878-1958 Watson is the author of a book entitled, ʻPsychology From The Standpoint Of A Behaviouristʼ. He believed that psychology was a natural science whose domain was restricted to observable events, i.e. the behaviour of organisms.

Edward Tolman, 1886-1959 Clark Leonard Hull, 1884-1952 and Skinner, 1904-1990 These men specialised in descriptions of the ways in which organisms

By Brian Rutherford

P

sychology is the science of behaviour. The word ʻpsychologyʼ comes from two Greek words, ʻpsukheʼ meaning breath or soul and ʻlogosʼ meaning word or reason. The modern meaning of psycho is mind and the modern meaning of logy is science, thus the word psychology literally means the science of the mind.

People used to conceive the mind as a floating spirit but that changed to the functioning brain, which we use to control behaviours. Therefore the study of the mind turned to the study of the brain.

This study of the brain was taken up by several modern psychologists.

Some of these will be familiar to you and some will not.

Willhelm Wundt, 1832-1920. He was part of the German school and he described psychology as The science of immediate experience or Structuralism. He told his colleagues to engage in introspection, which simply meant looking within and recording the findings.

Hermann Ebbinghaus, 18501909.

Hermann was also part of the German School. He attempted to measure human memory. He also record-

behaved and also in the explanation for why they behaved in the way they did. Each had a different view on how behaviour occurred, but all used animal experiments. Hull also used mathematics. Tolmanʼs theory became known as purposive behaviourism. Skinner published a book in which he described radical behaviourism and how it could operate. This was called ʻWaldan Twoʼ.

Jean Piaget, 1896-1980 He became interested in the question

ed the speed with which forgetting occurred.

Charles Darwin, 1809-1882. He proposed the theory of evolution in his book, ʻOn the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selectionʼ.

This was published in 1859.

Galtan 1882-1911 He was Darwinʼs cousin and he was interested in whether peopleʼs features correlated with each other and whether such occurred for psychological features such as memory capacity, reaction time and intellect.

He wrote a book entitled ʻHereditary Geniusʼ in 1869.

Sigmund Freud 1856-1939 Freud (pictured above) worked in the area of the theory of personality. He described the concept of ego, superego, id and other mental structures.

Edward Thorndike, 1874-1949 He specialised in Behaviourism, a direct follow-on from Functionalism. It is the study of the relation between peopleʼs environments and their behaviour.

Ivan Pavlov, 1849-1936 Pavlov was a Russian who believed animals could be taught cause and effect relations in the environment, i.e. a dog could be taught to salivate quite easily and at will.

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

of human knowledge and how we begin to acquire knowledge. He experimented by using children and rating the knowledge acquired at various ages.

Max Wertheimer, 1880-1943 Wertheimer was German and attempted to discover the organisation of cognitive processes. This was called Gestalt psychology. This meant that perception resulted from patterns of interaction among many elements. These patterns could exist across space and time.

PAGE 24

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

W HAM , BAM , THANK YOU ‘N AM

Text and photos by Brian Kelly

T

he first thing you notice about Hanoi is the motorbikes. Of a population of 3.5 million, 1.5 million own bikes, while the remainder it seems, ride pillion.

Itʼs an extraordinary sight to see so many bikes hugging the streets of Hanoi. At every traffic light, they are dozens of them jockeying for position. Once the lights go green, the air is filled with the continuous sound of engines running and horns blasting.

In a developing country where the average wage is little over $5 a day, private cars are out of bounds to everyone except the elite, so motor and push bikes act not just as private transport, but commercial vehicles too.

Spend any time at all in Vietnam and you will see the most extraordinary things carried on the back of motorbikes. Whole families sitting snugly on the back of Honda 50s is not an uncommon sight (with ʻner a helmet between the 4 of them).

I have also witnessed flocks of chicken and geese strapped to the rear of bikes. Not to mention dead pigs. But the most extraordinary

sight of all was the fully grown cow wrapped around the back seat of a bike heading out of Hanoi.

On almost every street in every city and town in Vietnam you will see crowds of people on the pavements selling all kinds of goods.

People will gather around food stalls and sit on small plastic chairs eating, drinking teas and beers and chewing the fat.

Many more are content to take a break from the hectic pace of Hanoi life by lounging on their parked bike watching the world whizz by around them. With a growth rate of more than 8% per annum, business is booming in Vietnam and like its neighbour China, the country is learning to balance the twin ideals of communist rule and economic freedom.

Shopping is one of the many pleasures Hanoi has to offer and most visitors who come here will eventually be drawn to the Old Quarter, a dense network of small, narrow streets where commerce has been taking place for over 1000 years.

It is worth spending some time in this ancient area, which represents the historic centre of Hanoi and contains many fine temples including Ngoc Son Temple, situated on a small island on Hoan Kiem lake which surrounds this whole district.

Cross a bridge at the northern end of the lake to enter this peaceful spot and feel your inner calm restored after all the frantic shopping.

Myself and the other half travelled to Vietnam to join a 10-day tour of the country organised by Intrepid, an Australian travel company which specialises in environmentally conscious, low-impact tourism around the world.

Joining a small group of six people from the UK, Australia and Canada with a tour leader from England, our Intrepid crew bonded over dinner on our first night together in Koto, a restaurant currently managed by a Drogheda man in Hanoi.

Koto is staffed by seriously disadyoung vantaged people who receive a job, accommodation and an all-important bicycle in return for valuable training and experience in running an English-speaking restaurant.

The next morning we began our ʻSpirit of Vietnam Southboundʼ ad-

venture, ironically enough by heading north to Halong Bay, a fourhour bus ride from Hanoi. Despite coming down with an early case of tummy troubles, I was determined to enjoy a place which was recently shortlisted as one of the new natural wonders of the world.

A UNESCO world heritage site, Halong Bay is situated near the border with China in the Gulf of Tonkin, and is dotted with almost 2,000 limestone monolithic islands, thick with jungle vegetation and home to innumerable species of wildlife. We took one of the many guided boat tours which can be hired from a few hours to a few days to explore the 180km of islands, inlets and fjords of Halong Bay. Almost one third of the islands have been given names, acquired because of their unusual form. Rising out of the sea like giant, living sculptures, each isle is individually shaped but collectively spellbinding. The deeper into the bay you delve, the more you discover, like the numerous caves and lagoons which can be explored on foot or by kayak.

Some of the islands also support floating villages of fisherman, who cruise Halong Bay for 200 species of fish and 450 type of mollusc.

As we continued our slow boat to China and the sun began its slow retreat from the day, I sat on deck and decided where my vote in the Natural Wonders of the World poll would go.

Next morning, as if revived by the power of nature itself, I plunged merrily into the Gulf of Tonkin for a pre-breakfast swim. I wished we could have stayed longer, but we were setting a course back to Halong to start the next leg of our Vietnam journey.

After a day to ourselves in downtown Hanoi, our Intrepid passengers

re-assembled in the evening for the overnight train ride to the central coastal town, and former capital of the country, Hue. We travelled first class on the train, which meant dormitory-style bunks with four to a cabin. My first ever all-night train journey was fun, despite the lack of sleep on the creaky old locomotive.

Next morning, we awoke to a sight I had not expected to see on this trip: rain. Vietnamʼs dry season is officially from November to April, but as with the rest of the world, the country is not immune from the effects of climate change.

Little did we realise what we were in for with the rain, for we had arrived to catch the tail end of some of the worst flooding seen in central Vietnam for almost 100 years. The floods lasted from mid October to mid November and would claim the lives of over 100 people.

As the rain beat down incessantly, the roads remained impassable and we found ourselves stuck in Hue

The most extraordinary sight of all was the fully grown cow wrapped around the back seat of a bike heading out of Hanoi. for two more days than expected.

Our next port of call Hoi An would be a shortened stay as a result.

Despite the rain, Hue offered one of the highlights of the trip in the form of a motorbike ride across the town and into the surrounding countryside. Six of us, covered from head to toe in plastic see-through ponchos, piled on the back of a convoy of motorbikes and were driven across flooded roads and rough rural paths by a team of local riders.

We made several stops along the

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008 way including a visit to see how Vietnamʼs famous conical hats are made. The group also visited the majestic burial ground of Vietnamʼs last emperor, Tu Duc. It was an exhilarating three-hour ride, the monsoon-like rain adding a tinge of drama and risk to the whole occasion.

More drama was to follow after lunch when, upon returning to our hotel, we were informed that the nearby river was about to burst its banks and we would have to evacuate the premises pronto. While we quickly packed our bags to relocate to a hotel on higher ground, I made a mental note never to complain about Irish weather again.

Arriving In Hoi An two days later, we enjoyed a fine dinner for next to nothing in an Italian restaurant.

Vietnam is a seriously cheap country with prices for most goods and services less than half of what you would pay at home.

PAGE 25

Next day we had time only for a quick visit to the townʼs massive market before catching an afternoon flight to that most musical of cities, Saigon. Officially known as Ho Chi Ming City in commemoration of the leader of the Viet Cong forces, Saigon is one of the southeast Asiaʼs largest and busiest cities with a population of over 5 million and an urban sprawl that stretches for miles in every direction.

On our first full day in the capital, we revisited some of Saigonʼs recent history with a tour of the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, a two-hour coach ride from the centre. The tunnels were used by the Viet Cong to control a large rural area stretching as far as the Cambodian border.

In the area of Cu Chi alone, a vast network of more than 200km of tunnels existed, some of which were 30 to 40m in depth and contained three separate levels, which people spent weeks living in.

Descending into these dark, extremely narrow chambers, you realise how brave, yet how frightening it must have been to spend any length of time in here– especially when the Americans discovered the tunnels and began

to systematically bomb the whole site.

The Cu Chi tunnels are now a major tourist attraction and people travel in great numbers just to see how the ordinary Vietnamese as well as soldiers managed to live for so long in such cramped, claustrophobic conditions.

The history of the tunnels is told in the form of historical newsreel footage and a walking tour of the area, which includes some grisly examples of how the Viet Cong soldiers ensnared American G.I.s with a series of clever, cunningly disguised jungle booby traps.

Returning to Saigon, we continued our conflict theme with an afternoon visit to the War Remnants museum. What was particularly shocking, amidst all the images of war is the ordinary, innocent lives that were affected. We are all accustomed to the iconic image of the naked Vietnamese child crying on the road, the victim of an American chemical bomb attack.

That famous photograph is here along with a great many others equally powerful. A strong stomach is required for some of the exhibits, particularly those which deal with local birth defects, which resulted from the widespread use of Agent Orange. Some of the museumʼs

pieces are more subtle though, and all the more poignant for it.

Amidst all the military hardware and violent representations of war, I was drawn to a small glass case which housed the remains of Vietnamese childrenʼs clothes; one a girlʼs dress, the other a boyʼs pyjamas. They were tiny specimens, dating back over 30 years but what those two young children must have witnessed is left entirely to your own imagination.

Cheering us up after our war day, the group assembled later for what was to be the final meal of our Vietnam trip. As we enjoyed a few beers together in a bar, which reflected the modern face of the country with its cool music selection and young globe-trotting crowd, we raised a glass to the end of our south-east Asia adventure.

Cheers, Vietnam. Our brief sojourn in your charming country left me, for one, thirsty for more.

Tritonville Bar and Terrace

Cordyline Restaurant

Modern Décor Large TV Screens Terrace and Beer Garden

DELICIOUS FOOD SERVED DAILY!

Communion and Confirmation Lunches LUNCH MENUS FROM €25.00 Children’s menus available BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT!!

CALL CIARA ON 01-6684321

Email: info@mountherberthotel.ie • Web: www.mountherberthotel.ie

Herbert Road, Sandymount, Dublin 4 Tel: 6684321 Fax: 6607077

PAGE 26

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

Sports Desk Sponsored by

Raytown Bar

Compiled by Derek Buckley

The Club was founded in 1972 by Fran Nangle and he remembers the days when you couldnʼt move in the Club with the amount of members.

Nowadays, with the likes of PSPs, DVDs, Nintendo, Wiis, etc. the young peo-

NEW

A

THE

ple seem to have less spare time. The Club is run by Fran, Cheryl Kelly (who are both black belts) and Deirdre OʼConnor.

Over the years the Club has been very successful. They travelled to Slovenia, Bosnia,

LOOK I RISHTOWN

Wales, Milton Keynes and all around Ireland and have just returned from Cardiff.

Anybody interested in sponsoring the Club should contact Deirdre OʼConnor at Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre.

OVER 35S

KARATE KIDS

fter being invited to a demonstration by the Ringsend Karate Club which was held before Christmas in Sally OʼBrienʼs in Ringsend I was left shellshocked.

I could not get over the professionalism of the trainers and members. For over one hour I was treated to all the moves and tricks which swept me off my feet.

The highlight of the demonstration night was 11 year old Karl Doyle, pictured above. He is currently a yellow belt and eats, sleeps and drinks karate! He represented Ireland in Essex and is a British Open Championship winner and also came third

in the Irish Nationals.

When Karl decides to take a break from karate he likes to watch soccer and is an out-and-out Liverpool fan, with Steven Gerard being his favourite player.

Currently the Club has up to 20 members and new ones are more than welcome. There is a trial period of two weeks, Mondays and Wednesdays at 5.30 pm and if your son or daughter from the age of five onwards decides they want to join they can then become a member and from there onwards each session costs €4.00. For more information drop into Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre, Thorncastle Street.

I

would like to take this opportunity to thank Cliff and staff from the Raytown Bar in Ringsend for their generous support and also for becoming the Clubʼs new main sponsor.

The backbone of the Club, Kevin Reynolds, Willie Cronin, David Greer and Damien Jenkins have recently appointed a new-look management team in Rod Lillycrab and ʻwealth of experienceʼ Ritchie Tiernan, a former manager and player of Ringsend Rov-

ers and at the age of 50 years is still participating in the main squad.

After a conversation with Ritchie he informed me of high hopes for the coming season with the attraction of a couple of ex-League of Ireland players being linked with a move to the Club and would welcome any local ex-player to come and get themselves back into shape as they train in Ringsend Stadium Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Of course before you resume

training with the Club, each player will be handed their personal diet sheet which must be upheld.

Surely after this there will be alarm bells ringing in Ballsbridge as they are their main rivals. All that can be said now is that recent results will be reversed.

For more information on the Club drop into the Raytown Bar and have a read of the Clubʼs noticeboard and even make time for a pint as well!!

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

PAGE 27

LENDING A HAND– PADDY GILMARTIN

THE MINSTREL BOY

By James OʼDoherty

A

s I left my home one February morning there was a nip in the air, a hint of spring. A robin was singing and crocuses and daffodils were in bloom. I could sense that summer was not all that far away and that the seasons were changing.

On this late February day, 26th to be exact I decided to walk in the footsteps of one of our great Irishmen. The man who said “There exists no title or distinction to which I could attach so much value as that of being called your poet, the poet of the people of Ireland,” the words of the great Thomas Moore.

So on February 26th, the anniversary of his death in 1852, I began my walking tribute to Thomas, and who better to accompany me than the great Robert Emmet, who himself spent many happy days walking around Dublin in the poetʼs company.

I remarked to Emmett how kindly he treated Thomas, always having a gentle regard for his welfare.

Emmett reminded me of the other friends Thomas had– Shelley, Byron, Sydney Smith, Wordsworth and of course Samuel Rogers. He also remarked that Mooreʼs friendship was not confined to writers and artists. Indeed, all his life he seemed to have a genuine skill at making good friends.

As we walked through Ringsend the years rolled back and Emmet commented on the slums and beggars who shocked visitors when they landed at the South Wall and drove through the surrounding areas.

As we made our way to number 12 Aungier Street, where Thomas was born on May 27th 1779, we found a city whose streets were full of beggars while all around them the residential areas thrived. The contrast was vivid, with the poor and the well-off existing side by side. When Thomas was two years

old Ireland had an independent parliament, Catholics had no political status and many professions were closed to them.

At number twelve we met the woman who played a huge part in the life of her son– Anastasia Moore. He loved her all his life.

She reared Tom in an atmosphere that suited his nature. His was a happy childhood.

The old cemetery in Camden Row beckoned and we walked in the small gate. I recalled how the poet loathed the funeral when he buried his father in 1825. The weather we are told was awful that day, the undertaker was late and the journey to St Kevinʼs was dreadful.

We stood in silence at the graveside of the Moore family and I remarked to Emmett that Thomas had selected and paid for the erection of the tombstone.

Leaving the sacred place, we went to Grafton Street where the best school in Dublin was situated back then. Number 75 housed the English Grammar School. There we acknowledge Headmaster Samuel Whyte, who was delighted with Thomasʼs progress and under whose tuition he developed so well.

We nodded to Grumpy Donovan, his old master in classical studies.

No time to stop for a chat.

Trinity College beckoned and despite being a Catholic Moore began his studies there in January of 1795.

The years have passed and now he is Mr. Thomas Moore of Trinity College and his name proudly stands on the lists of subscribers to ʻAntholgia Hibernicaʼ.

Trinity introduced him to Irish music and above all it gave him his friendship with Robert Emmet.

Here, we acknowledged his tutor Robert Burrows, a great scholar and one-time Dean of Cork. In 1798 Thomas graduated with a B.A. 1798 was also the year of the rebellion and this left a deep impression on Tom. He later wrote the life of Fitzgerald. When the rebellion broke, Tom was ill in bed and when Emmett died Moore was due to sail to Bermuda. At 25 he set the course he was to follow until his death.

The first of his melodies appeared in 1808 and the last one in 1834. In 1809 he met Miss Elizabeth Dyke and on March 25th 1811 he married his beloved Bessie. As a husband he was faithful and loving and remained happily married to Bessie.

A good Christian he was generous and kind. Of their five children none survived. The last few years of his life were sad but Moore remained at home and lived in peace and contentment.

We left Trinity College and at the junction of College Street and Westmorland Street we congratulated Christopher Moore, the Dublin born sculptor on his great statue of the poet erected here in 1859.

The Botanic Gardens was our last port of call. Planted inside a circular railing is a rose grown from a cutting taken from the original rose Thomas Moore was looking at when he composed ʻThe Last Rose of Summerʼ.

My walk in the footsteps of Moore with my companion Robert Emmet was over. Before bidding Emmet farewell, I commiserated with him on his tragic love affair with Sarah Curran and reminded him that Thomas, who knew Sarah personally, had written the beautiful poem ʻShe is far from the landʼ in their memory.

Moore died on 26th Februray 1852. His beloved Bessy lived until 1865 when on September 4th she joined Tom in Bromlam Churchyard on the North side of the church.

As dusk fell I recalled the visit the great landscape painter Cheswick made to Tom. He found him pottering in his garden. It was planted with laurels and Moore in an inspired moment joked “you found me reposing upon or among my laurels!”

May he continue to repose in our history and culture. He will always be good company.

Clockwise from top left: Thomas Moore, Mooreʼs ʻIrish Melodiesʼ cover page and Meeting of the Waters near Avoca, Co Wicklow.

Y

By Claire Wheeler

ou may well have wondered about the man to be seen ʻsinglehandedlyʼ (in both senses) picking up litter and rubbish around Sandymount, who was awarded a certificate from Lord Mayor Paddy Bourke, in recognition of his service to the community at SAMRAʼs recent AGM. Paddy Gilmartin was reared in Sandymount, with two brothers and three sisters, and his formal education was at Star of the Sea school. He was baptised in Westland Row, a fortnight after his birth in the National Maternity Hospital in Holles Street as was the practice. Disabled from birth, instead of secondary school, his parents put him into St. Augustineʼs of Blackrock, a residential institution with the John of God fathers as they wanted to secure his future.

However, Paddy did not like it, so his father took him out. He now lives in the old family home in Oaklands Park. Despite his disability, and with the use of only one of his hands, he manages very well with the aid of Meals on Wheels, supplied formerly by the nuns in Lakelands convent, and currently from Sir Patrick Duns. “They do a very good job,” he observes.

When asked what got him started, Paddy thinks he was influenced by a lady whom heʼd see picking up litter in Sandymount, the late Mrs. McAuliffe, the chemistʼs mother. He used to light the fire with paper that he had picked up, but stepped up collections with the arrival of the wheelie bins.

He has a waiver on bin charges, so it makes sense to pick up the litter, as he can afford to put out a full bin every week while doing something useful, cleaning up the place. He regularly collects litter on his way to Pembroke Library and occasionally as far afield as OʼConnell Street, saying he just wants to help with litter prevention. His slogan is ʻKeep Dublin Tidyʼ.

And what of his experiences? He is grateful to the man who stopped, got out of his car and gave him a litter-picker, which makes the job easier, although he washes his hands meticulously after collecting rubbish. He canʼt pick up dog dirt and finds it disgusting, especially if he steps in it (itʼs difficult enough for the able-bodied to deal with!).

He sometimes picks up broken traffic cones, and wishes that City Council workmen would remove them all when they finish a job. “How did you manage to carry a traffic cone?” I asked him. “I wheeled my black bin up to the cone and lifted it in,” was his reply. And when he came across a roll of carpet dumped by the crossing on Serpentine Avenue, he was able to carry it under his arm.

Paddyʼs other pastimes are football and gardening– he will soon be continuing his hobby of selling plants. A regular at Residentsʼ Asssociation meetings, he is concerned about problems such as street crime and drugs.

Paddy Gilmartin is grateful for the Lord Mayorʼs certificate, and points out the importance of encouraging people to help their community.

Despite the negative response ʻItʼs not mineʼ when he has approached some people, he hopes his example will encourage others to do their bit.

He cannot understand why more people donʼt pick up litter, both to keep the place tidy and to set an example to the young. Considering that God gave most of us two hands, as well as eyes to see and appreciate a pleasant environment, he has a point.

PAGE 28

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

EDUCATION – A RIGHT OR A PRIVILEGE?

By Aisling Kehoe

A

ccess education is something which has flourished over the past ten years. Access education offers young people the opportunity to gain a third-level education who otherwise might not get this chance.

Access education works through link schools from lower socio-economic backgrounds attempting to rectify the situation whereby certain sectors of society are under-represented at third level. Access offices work throughout all of the major universities in Ireland; they are becoming stronger each year.

However, they have raised many questions.

Is education a right or a privilege? Once upon a time, education was most certainly a privilege. For many years education was a luxury reserved for the wealthy and elite of our society.

THE NEWSFOUR

CROSSWORD COMPILED BY KILLIAN HOLMES

The notion that education at third level would be open to young and older people from all walks of life was almost laughable. There is no doubt that this is no longer the case. Education is widely available for the people who are prepared to go out and fight for the future that they want.

But what happens when the struggle becomes too much and the fight just doesnʼt seem worth it. What happens to the student who fights for the future they wanted, but who fails to fit into the mould that was created long before they were even thought of?

In recent years education has been cracked wide open by access programmes. Speaking as a University student who came directly from an access programme, I can speak directly from experience. Experience that was not always pleasant.

I believe that access students need to work twice as hard to

gain a place in university– in some cases it means an extra year of studying before they actually begin their degree.

As it stands, college life is challenging to begin with, it is the start of a whole new world. There shouldnʼt be a problem with education being widely available to people who are prepared to work for it. There shouldnʼt be a problem, but there is.

As open as education is becoming, some people refuse to move with the times. There are certain people in this society that believe if you canʼt pay for it you shouldnʼt have it.

How many points you received in the Leaving Certificate can be a contentious issue because not all access programmes work on a points scheme. If you didnʼt get the points and are an access student, then in some peopleʼs minds clearly you donʼt belong in their world.

When students are made to feel out of place in their Univer-

Name:……………………………

Address:………………………… Telephone:…………………

sity life they stop going to class, begin to fall behind and before they know it, itʼs exam time and theyʼre not ready.

The solution lies in education, it lies in people learning that there are different people in this life. These people need to remember that different does not mean bad, it just means different.

Iʼm sure that all college students can learn a lot from each other, not all education comes from a classroom or lecture theatre.

Education comes from experience and experience comes from life. There are many different walks of life. The secret to a successful education is an open mind.

Entries for the crossword to be submitted by 8 April 2008. Prize is €25 book token. Last crossword winner is James Pullen, Pembroke Cottages, Ringsend ACROSS 1. Heavy jacket with hood, trainspotter (6) 5. Lacking strength or vigour, weak (6) 10. Tall onion-shaped spire found on mosques (7) 11. Early part of day, before noon (7) 12. It takes ages to get this wise (4) 13. Brief story with moral lesson (5) 15. Hard outer layer of grain, good for the digestion (4) 17. Merry (3) 19. Choreographers create these (6) 21. Aromatic seed, a gem of a nut really! (6) 22. Lockjaw (7) 23. Illegally take person away, kidnap(6) 25. Expression of gratitude (6) 28. A curved line (3) 30. Act with speed to a County Dublin seaside town (4) 31. Maliciously burning a home or property (5) 32. Of the mouth (4) 35. Simple well known saying expressing a truth, adage (7) 36. To obtain (7) 37. Completely motionless in attics (6) 38. Exactly between ten and twelve (6) DOWN 2. In geometry a nine sided polygon (7) 3. Very uncommon, unusual perhaps (4) 4. Small bag with gear for training maybe (6) 5. Parents and their children (6) 6. Used for hearing (4) 7. County divided by Lough Allen (7) 8. Pleasurably entertained, it made us smile (6) 9. Drink made of eggs, milk, sugar and rum (6) 14. Middle Eastern street markets with shops and stalls (7) 16. Go and bring back, Fido (5) 18. _ _ _ _ _ peas yummy with fish and chips (5) 20. A badgerʼs home (3) 21. Dry fruit consisting of an edible kernel in a woody shell (3) 23. Sudden or unexpected (5) 24. To twist or deform, make look strange (7) 26. To feed, protect and support (7) 27. Worked out the answer (6) 28. Language that might be spoken at 14 down (6) 29. A dead personʼs body (6) 33. Let or lease (4) 34. The way we express our political opinion (4)

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

PAGE 29

SUPER TUESDAY – PRIMARY ELECTIONS IN THE US T OO

By Nessa Jennings in Dublin and Rob Chalfen in Boston

“B

ecause this campaign for the United States is different,” said Barack Obama in his acceptance speech at his headquarters in Illinois, where he used to work as a community organiser.

It is different because the candidates are different. It is possible that he will become the first-ever black president, he has both a clean sheet, and is an unknown quantity.

Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, who supported the war in Iraq, could be set to become the first-ever woman president of the United States. Faux pas and White House soap opera are likely to be exposed if she faces off against war hero John McCain.

Only Evangelical Baptist minister Mike Huckabee remains on the Republican side, grossly-under funded but honest, who has taken Arkansas and Tennessee. Mitt Romney with his millions has gracefully bowed out.

John McCain is truly the ʻfront

CLOSE TO CALL

runnerʼ.

They say independents vote for him because they canʼt stand Hillary Clinton. And there are a lot of unaligned or ambivalent voters around this time.

On Super Tuesday, where 24 states were up for grabs, it may be significant that Hillary Clinton and John McCain won both of the crucial states, that is New York and California. These states are crucial because they yield to the candidate the greatest number of delegates.

When it comes down to it, at the end of the Primaries, on the 3rd of June, it will be the number of delegates that counts. After Super Tuesday, Hillary Clinton has 1,045 delegates, and Barack Obama has 960 total delegates. 2,025 democratic delegates are needed at the national convention at the end of the summer.

Itʼs the politics of fear versus the politics of hope put forth by Barack Obama whose acceptance speech in Illinois was so impressive and the crowd so responsive.

Hillary Clintonʼs “Bring me your poor and huddled masses” (taken from the inscription at the base of the Statue of Liberty) sounded clipped and out of context almost compared with Obamaʼs rhetorical skill. “We are more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are what we have always been, a United States.”

There are benefits to having the Republican race reduced to one front runner. It means that he can find holes in the Democrats. This could fuel the

debates, bring out important policy issues and iron out problems before November. This could help make the Democratic party stronger.

Obama needs to be tested in these debates as he got popular awful fast.

And he could be even more popular after his exposure and his wins on Super Tuesday. He has managed to raise all his campaign money from small public donations ($2,500 maximum per person), whereas Hillary Clinton has just put in $5million of her own money. He could rip through her solid base with his speech-making, charisma and charm. But it appears that this one is too close to call.

This may not be a good thing.

There will be a Republican convention also at the end of the summer. It will be entirely ceremonial, attended by the delegates or supporters, when John McCain will accept his nomination to become candidate for the Presidency of the United States.

On the other hand, we expect the nomination to be undecided for the Democrats. In that case, the convention will actually be a functioning body attended by delegates. Superdelegates, such as Bill Clinton and Teddy Kennedy, are experienced politicians whose opinions will have more clout at the convention. They are seen as the wise men or elders who will moderate somewhat a process that might be ʻtoo democraticʼ.

Whether the Clintonʼs coalitionbuilding potential will win out here and efface Obamaʼs personal popularity and the promise of change, itʼs hard to say. He may as yet be too young at 44 years. One thing we can say is that Super Tuesday brought out more young voters since they got the right to vote in 1972.

Who will come out on top? Clinton, McCain and Obama face the big slug-out.

Locals continue to resist Incinerator for Dublin Bay On December 13th 2007, Local resident Maria Parodi, pictured above with Cllr. Kevin Humphreys, organised a Pub Quiz opposing the proposed Dublin Incinerator that is to be located on the Poolbeg Peninsula. The Anti-Incinerator event was an effort to create awareness and raise some funds in aid of CRAI. Maria would like to thank members of the local community who were able to attend and demonstrate there on-going support to the campaign against the Incinerator.

Maria also wanted to thank all the local businesses in the area that made donations. Including the Mount Herbert Hotel, Bahay Kubo, Milanoʼs, Marioʼs, Mira Mira, Clyneʼs Butchers, Shelbourne Pharmacy, Sandymount Pharmacy, Glo, Books on the Green, Butlerʼs Pantry, Serena and Tesco Merrion Centre. A special thanks to the Vintage Inn Pub, Quiz master Paddy Walsh and all those who assisted in making the night a success.

PAGE 30

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

THE WAITING GAME IS OVER!

By Ian Coughlan Ian is a fifth year student in Ringsend Technical School

Chinese dragon boat racing near Butt Bridge.

Psychic Fair Catherine Woods and friends are holding a

Psychic Fair / Alternate Therapy fundraising event in aid of the Animal Foundation on Sunday 20th April 2008 from 1pm to 5pm at The North Star Hotel, Amiens Street, Dublin 1.

On the day there will be spiritual healing, tarot & angel readings, amatsu massage therapy and head/ hand and foot massage.

Any two Therapies for €50 All proceeds go directly to the Animal Foundation, Lough Andy’s House, South Green Road, Kildare Town, Co Kildare.

For further details please contact: Catherine Woods PRO Animal Foundation, Telephone: 01-8552799

I

rish football has now hit a new low; our footballers are losing interest in playing for their country unless they will have a good chance of playing in a world cup. Ireland have now lost the services of Steven Finnan, Steven Carr, Andy OʼBrien and the ongoing saga over Steven Ireland and his apparent disinterest in playing for Ireland again.

We have an inability to nurture young football and managerial talents which is proven by footballers Darren Potter and Anthony Stokes, who once played for Liverpool and Arsenal but are now playing for Wolves and Sunderland. We desperately need a better player development system to turn Ireland into a respectable football team which has been absent for many years.

GOING DOWNHILL The main problem with the Ire-

Iannelli’s

land squad is the FAI and the financial decisions they have made in the past. This is proven by the hiring of Steve Staunton.

Instead of going for experience, we went for a man who gave a lot to Ireland as a player but was unable to make an impact as a manager. Some fans believe that instead of having Irelandʼs best interest at heart they were looking for financial gain.

The most resent search for the right man hasnʼt been without controversy. It has taken over a month longer than planned and now we have to continue playing football without the leader we so desperately need.

SUMMING IT UP In the end there is no denying the managerial skills of Terry Venables or Giovanni Trapattoni but I must question both possibilities.

Trapattoni has spent many years as a manager and doesnʼt speak a word of English. He would have very little knowledge of the Irish players. Venables is an English man and all fans might not see eye-to-eye with him unless he achieves instant success.

On a personal level I would like to see the boys in green led by a man who wears his heart on the Ireland flag. It may be true

6 Bath Street

Fresh Fish Daily • Home Made Pizza Kebabs • Southern Fried Chicken Delivery Service Available 6.00 to 11.30pm Phone: 6674020

Happy Easter to all our Customers

IRELAND, ITALY OR ENGLAND As an Irish man myself I would love to see Ireland winning by any means necessary but is the answer really Terry Venables or Giovanni Trapattoni. I believe that each national team should be managed by one of their own countrymen.

During all the chaos of finding the new Ireland manager the FAI have shown very little interest in David OʼLeary and Roy Keane.

David OʼLeary had a very good reputation as the Leeds manager, and Roy Keane has the passion, the desire to win and most importantly demands the respect of those around him. Sam Alardice who was once a stoneʼs throw away from the England job could have the same effect on the Irish team as Jack Charlton.

that the fans of Ireland team are expecting far too much from a squad with just two squad members playing in the top four in England, John OʼShea and Darren Gibson. I still believe that with the right attitude and the right manager we can qualify for the 2010 world cup.

As we go to print the announcement of the appointment of Giovanni Trapattoni has been made.

I have mixed feelings about this.

Trapattoni is an excellent tactician and has one of the best CVs in world football, but questions must be asked over his English and his knowledge of Irish football.

Above: Well, it wasnʼt Roy (pictured above in 1993) nor David, but give us a wave, Giovanni!

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

PAGE 31

THE POETRY PLACE

To Homemakers/ Writers Iʼd like to be ʻa Maryʼ But I canʼt afford the time I have to be ʻa Marthaʼ Put washed linen on the line Iʼd like to sit and wonder At the beauty of the world But the table needs a setting And the meat is getting cold To stand and stare is good Look nature in the eye But it will not peel potatoes Or make an apple pie

We do belong

They were right when they said hold on To those ripples of electricity inside They were right when they say just wipe aside The thousands of tears youʼve cried

I sit at my outdoor breakfast table

They were right to say be courageous, Be firm, stand tall, be strong They were right to say this ainʼt the end The were right to say go on

is grateful when I press a coin into his hand.

How could I have doubted you Just because you did not call How could I have dreamt of you When you were here all along

So Iʼll settle down to clear this mess And keep the bugs at bay But Iʼd rather be ʻa Maryʼ And write the livelong day.

By Carmel McCarthy

Don’t know who I am

Canʼt leave you and walk away Canʼt get you out of my mind No matter how far I run No salvation can I find

Your face embedded in my pillow Our bodies entwined in the night Your hair falling loosely upon my shoulders Your eyes meeting mine in the light

Your name and number haunt me As they come up on the phone My mind it is in turmoil I donʼt wanna be alone But youʼre no good for me this time Your mind is too confused You leave me feeling loved one night Then lonely and so used I donʼt know who I am When Iʼm in your arms I donʼt know who I am When I succumb to your sweet charms Tonight I think Iʼll sleep alone Though my thoughts still turn to you Still I know Iʼm hoping That youʼre thinking of me too

By Audrey Healy

Not turning toward me, he stops, and prays out loud, to the air, to Allah, then kisses his hand with the coin.

I take out a coin and flick it to him from my seat.

I am not proud of this kind of giving.

The coin hits his head and bounces to the ground.

I groan, but am rewarded by his sudden dazzling smile As he stands up and shows me the coin.

He points to his head.

By Audrey Healy

Your ashtray still sits on my chair Your clothes sit in the hall Your scent fills the bedroom air As though you never left at all

An ancient man on crutches

A child limps by, stops, looks at me, pleading.

They were right now I know it As the radio plays our song They were right I know as I take your hand They were right, we do belong

Canʼt get you out of my life Canʼt get you out of my heart Canʼt tear your eyes away from mine Even though weʼre far apart

as the morning darkness unfolds.

We both thank God, I guess.

Our fingers clasped together Me melting in your embrace And finally, when itʼs all over We stare into one anotherʼs face

Canʼt escape from you Canʼt get you out of my head Canʼt erase the things you did Canʼt erase the things you said

Football

The following poems by Niall Hughes, are taken from his collected poems ʻAt First Lightʼ, published recently a year after his untimely death at 47 years on St. Brigidʼs Day, 1st Feb, 2007. The first was written on one of his many travels, and the second was written thirty years ago in 1977.

Artist, poet, community arts organiser, film-maker and environmentalist: the late Niall Hughes is remembered with affection by his family from Moate in Co. Westmeath, and his sister Emer Hughes who has put together his poetry with autobiographical notes.

If anyone wants to buy the book by post please text or call on 086 803 5579. The book costs €15 and because much of Niallʼs time, energy and work focused on homeless people in Galway, all proceeds from ʻAt First Lightʼ will be donated to the Simon Community and Focus Ireland.

As always, we welcome contributions to The Poetry Place, which can be sent to the ʻNewsFourʼ offices at 15 Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4.

ʻFootball!ʼ I say.

He nods brightly, and, still smiling, limps away.

On Leaving Galway Weeping over the roots of trees I feel the ʻrightnessʼ of all things Gathering apple blossoms to my face I remember my first young love Crows are cawing distractedly Strutting like ragged obscene gentlemen The wind moves, leaves of trees throwing light like water on the road Leaving all this expanse of sea and rock Iʼm flying now to you, my first love Going to gather you in bunches to me and feel your kisses strewn all around Sweet mother: gentle father Unmoving centres– guide my course

PAGE 32

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

LIVERPOOL – CAPITAL OF CULTURE T he European Capital of Culture is an EU project designed to highlight the culture of the continent. Competition is always fierce, as every city bids to showcase its contribution to the worldʼs cultural landscape.

As of 2000, the award has often gone to two or more cities, and in 2008, Liverpool shares the title with Stavanger in Norway. So a trip to Liverpool this year is a must. Itʼs a city with a huge maritime history, some excellent pubs, two football clubs and of course the Beatles.

The best place to find the most up-to-date details on the events programme is at the official website liverpool08.com, where events are laid out down to the minute and all the latest news can be sourced.

From April until the end of July,

the Walker Art Gallery hosts the only European showing of ʻArt in The Age of Steamʼ celebrating the art of Turner, Monet, Van Gogh and Hopper.

From May until the end of August, Gustav Klimt will be bringing the bling to the city at Tate Liverpool. In September Liverpool-born conductor Sir Simon Rattle will return together with his Berliner Philharmoniker Orchestra to the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Liverpool Sound, in June, will be a once-in-alifetime concert attracting some of the biggest names in music and will be beamed live around the globe.

In September Liverpool-born conductor Sir Simon Rattle will return together with his Berliner Philharmoniker Orchestra to the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.Over one million

rates Doctor Duncan, a relentless campaigner against poor living conditions in the Liverpool of the Victorian era, and the first Chief Medical Officer of Health to be appointed in the UK.

people are expected to watch the start of the Tall Shipsʼ Races 2008 in July when over one hundred vessels will grace this great port once again.

Even the cityʼs pubs have been recruited. ʻAround the city in 80 Pubsʼ, a project which aims to promote Scouse public houses– architecture, traditions, music and beer is under way. This is to be part of a five-month programme, culminating

with a two-week festival coinciding with the cityʼs beer festival held in the Crypt of the Catholic Cathederal.

Cains Brewery have launched a Culture Ale 2008 for the year, avilable in the Dispensery at 87 Renshaw Street and St Johnʼs Lane, Queenʼs Square. Doctor Duncanʼs attracts many real ale enthusiasts because of the huge variety of guest ales on offer (700 in the last 12 months) and the excellence of it cask ales, which won it the first Cask Marque accreditation in Liverpool.

This is a handsome pub, lovingly refurbished in authentic Victorian style, it lies at the heart of Liverpoolʼs newly regenerated Queen Square area. The name commemo-

SOME OTHER IMPORTANT LOCATIONS IN LIVERPOOL The Tate Liverpool www.tate.org.uk The Walker www.walkerartgallery.org.uk Albert Dock www.albertdock.com The Beatles www.beatlesstory.com THE CATHEDRALS Liverpool Cathedral www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral www.liverpoolmetrocathedral.org. uk SPORT Liverpool Football Club www.liverpoolfc.tv Everton Football Club www.evertonfc.com Aintree Racecourse www.aintree.co.uk Above: Liverpoolʼs Albert Dock.

Below: The Port area.

The Door Sculpture March 8th 2008 ON MONDAY 2nd December 2002 a street sculpture of a wooden door was erected at the Library Plaza. The Door, sculpted by Joe Moran, symbolises the Hall Door that most victims of domestic violence are trapped behind.

Following on from this, a permanent sculpture called ʻThe Doorʼ will be unveiled by Ringsend Action Project at Ringsend Library Plaza on the 8th of March this year. The 8th March is International Womenʼs Day and RAP is using this occasion for the unveiling of the sculpture.

Crucially, ʻThe Doorʼ is ajar, representing the fact that, with help and support, there is always a way out of a situation of domestic violence and hope for the future.

Made of bronze and wood, this representational piece is intended to be a beacon for those who choose to seek sanctuary from physical, sexual, and mental abuse.

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

PAGE 33

L OVELORN ON V ALENTINE ’ S D AY

By Stephanie Morris

J

anuary, for me is the bleakest month of the year, and somehow, I do not feel I am alone in my feelings of emptiness. The end of the holiday season, the start of New Year, funds are low, the weather is unpleasant and as I stare at my calendar I see that the next milestone on the horizon is alas, St. Valentineʼs Day.

As I write this, sadly, I am lovelorn! When you are in a state of pining for a recent love, Valentineʼs Day is a day to wish away.

However, it might be a good time to take a look at LOVE. What is a healthy love relationship? Real love has been described as a state of being. It is pure, it is simple, it emanates from within us, a place we cannot clearly define, though it feels like the heart is talking to every

cell of our being.

It is your own inner creation going outward, sometimes we stop it, sometimes we share it.

For some, itʼs one of lifeʼs peak experiences and for others, itʼs one of lifeʼs deepest troughs.

Though many will not openly admit it, most of us yearn for the fulfilment of a healthy relationship but often find ourselves instead being faced with the trials, confusion and conflict of an unhealthy one. We often find it difficult to leave because sometimes love can be compulsive, controlling and addictive.

Psychotherapist Brenda Schaeffer, author of ʻIs it Love or Is it Addiction?ʼ asks the pertinent question how can something as wonderful as love make you feel so bad? She explains in her book: ʻ…the intensity of love addiction is often in direct proportion to the intensity of oneʼs sense of unmet needs during childhood. Intense love-addiction often accompanies low selfesteem. Such obsession presents us with a huge paradox, we fall into it as an attempt to gain control of our lives, and in so doing we actually grant control to forces outside ourselves.

R AILWAY U NION C RICKET C LUB

O

n February 20th at Railway Union Adrian Birrell, pictured, former coach to the Irish Cricket Team delivered a presentation entitled: ʻIreland in the Caribbean 2007– the story behind the successʼ.

All sports fans present got an insight into Adrianʼs passion, attention to detail, dedication and how his coaching philosophy, vision, man management and motivational skills developed from his early times coaching in the South African townships up to Irelandʼs participation in the Cricket World Cup with three players from Railway Union in the squad.

The audience found out what makes a successful and inspirational sports coach ʻtickʼ or others simply attended to recall the excitement of Irelandʼs participation in the Cricket World Cup. The evening was also an opportunity to purchase signed copies of ʻRaiders of the Caribbeanʼ by Trent Johnston and local writer Gerard Siggins.

NEWS

ʻThis willingness to give control away springs from fear: fear of pain, fear of deprivation, fear of disappointing someone, fear of failures, fear of being alone…ʼ fear, fear and more fear– addictionʼs best friend.

How many times have we nurtured a good friend, sister or brother through a broken romance, it can be so painful to watch as the individual struggles to cope with a broken heart and for that there is no cure other than time.

Despite everything, I am not giving up on love and on St Valentineʼs Day 2008 the poem from Paulo Coelho in his book ʻLife, Selected Quotationsʼ was a gift in itself for me.

certainty that everything under the sun was written by the same Hand, the Hand that awakens Love, and that makes a twin soul for everyone who works, rests and seeks treasures under the sun, Without this our human dreams, would make no sense.

Hope springs eternal in the human breast!

Left: St Valentine and followers.

In this world there is always one person waiting for another, be it in the middle of the desert or in the middle of a big city, And when those two people pass each other and their eyes meet past and future lose all importance and the only thing that exists is that moment and incredible

SCRUFFY MURPHY’S PUB

1 - 2 Powerscourt, Lower Mount Street Tel: 6615006 Fax: 6620259

Now serving Sunday lunch from 1–5 pm Hot carvery lunch and sandwich bar Monday to Friday Evening menu from 5.30 - 8.30 All proceeds from the event will be directed towards the development of Youth Cricket in Railway Union over the next year. Coaches from the Club

will soon be visiting our local schools, with the cricket seasonjust around the corner, and pupils and parents will be given full details.

Function room available for hire All functions catered for Late bar available

PAGE 34

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

S ALSA I Samuel Best RIP IT WAS with deep sadness that we learned of the death of our good friend and colleague Samuel (Sammy) Best. For years Sammy was a familiar figure in the CYMS, where he was a dedicated member of the Active Retirement Association. Indoor bowling was especially his keen interest and he took part in several competitions with his team mates and had great success.

Sammy was one of lifeʼs gentlemen and he will be sadly missed by his many friends. We extend our sympathies to his family.

Carmel Magee

TIPS FOR A BETTER LIFE IN 2008 • Take a 10 Minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant • Live with the 3 Es: Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy • Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007

FOR SLIMMING

By Nessa Jennings

n a renewed bid for self-improvement, I enrolled in Salsa Slims classes at Glenalbyn clubhouse in Stillorgan. On the first night, there was a weigh-in for all of us on electronic scales measured in kilos. I wish I hadnʼt asked for the stones and pounds conversion!

However, this made the goal of even greater weight loss more possible, and the prize of €2,500 for the person who achieves the most weight loss after 10 weeks, extremely motivating. The magazine we were given is full of girls smiling, holding the big prize cheque!

We are also given a Weight Loss Programme booklet to help us on our way. The RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of calories for women seems to have dropped from 2,000 to 1,500. Foods are all listed under type, with their calorific values given, and a lot of foods are disallowed or only to be taken rarely. There are also recipe ideas... and a diary for the ten weeks with a column for your sins and digressions, or unplanned food consumption. It is Sam, the instructorʼs, first class also, but she is excellent. She walks us through the simple steps slowly at first. Some of this resembles aerobics, but everything is

K ITE

done on a count of eight, according to the Latin rhythm. All steps begin on the left. Of necessity, there is plenty of repetition.

When the music starts and we get our first real practice, the music gets into your bones, all the girls appear to adopt their own style and it becomes dance. There is sway and clap and twist, and the moves get more complicated and turn into mini dance routines with names such as Susie Q, Pedro, Maria, Bicycle and Flick. If you could get them, these are the type of moves you could use to impress friends on the dancefloor!

MAKING IN

Salsa is fun. The class lasts an hour and is relentless. The music goes very fast and its normal if it takes a while to get the steps and routines right. It helps if you count, and it has pattern. You can add your own expression even if youʼre getting it wrong! I had two left feet the second week I was there.

Once learned, Iʼd say you can use it to sashay around the kitchen when youʼre listening to Ricky Martin!

Stepping Out 01 620 5030 www.steppingout.com also Shauna in YMCA Sandymount at 087 206 9455.

R INGSEND L IBRARY

• Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 7 • Try to make at least three people smile each day • Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life • Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment • Smile and laugh more • Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good • Don’t take yourself so seriously, No one else does • Don’t compare your life to others, you have no idea what their journey is all about • No one is in charge of your happiness except you • Frame every so-called disaster with these words: in five years, will this matter?

• However good or bad a situation is, it will change

R

By John Cheevers

ecently some lucky children were introduced to the wonderful art and craft of kite making by artist and author Jeffrey Tan. This event, which was part of Dublinʼs Chinese New Year Festival, took place in Ringsend Public Library.

Kites of various designs, such as the Lantern, the Caterpillar and the Whistling Kite, so called because of the high pitched sound it emits, were on display

and are extremely popular at festival times in China.

The children constructed their kites from scratch.

They cut out the shape of the kite and carefully positioned the frame. The tail which is needed for balance was attached. Their finished creation was appropriately emblazoned with a Chinese symbol, and they were ready for take-off.

Above, from left: Jasmine, St. Bridgetʼs School; Zosia and Hannah, St. Patrickʼs School and artist, author and kitemaker, Jeffrey Tan.

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

PAGE 35

ALL ARE WELCOME AT SANDYMOUNT BRIDGE CLUB

By Brian Rutherford

B

ridge is a great game which can help you to make new friends and remain mentally active as you get older. However, it is difficult to learn to play bridge without some help.

Anyone interested in taking up bridge but who is unsure how to play can learn in just 10 short weeks. Qualified bridge teachers give lessons in many of the VECs. Anyone interested in taking part should contact their local VEC or contact the President of Sandymount Bridge Club.

When you learn to play bridge you will agree that it is the greatest card game ever devised. You will welcome the winter nights as you will always have company and you will wonder why you left it so long to take up the game. In the summer there are organised bridge holidays and weekends in Ireland and abroad

and many hotels arrange bridge weekends and lessons.

Sandymount Bridge club has been going for 30 years now and meets every Monday and Wednesday 7.30 to 10.30 pm in Christ Church Hall, Sandymount Green.

The club contains players of all levels from novices and beginners to experienced, competitive players. It has a proud record for producing strong bridge players. The club exists to play bridge and to enjoy it.

Just as important as the Monday and Wednesday night card playing sessions are the social activities and the unique social atmosphere of the club. The priority is to enjoy yourself, play cards, meet people and generally relax. For those who wish to seriously compete, facilities and support are provided.

The Club specialises in contact Bridge. This is a partnership game. It is ideally adapted for social play at home or at clubs. It is great for tournament

play among more experienced members.

It is enjoyed equally by casual players who do not want to take the game too seriously and by scientific players who wish to study and master the intricacies of complex bidding techniques and card play strategies.

There are special nights and each year there are five competitions, The Eileen Lyons Cup, the Terry Brazil Cup, The Kennedy cup and the Brenda Cup. There is a pairs competition, Presidentʼs night and an excellent Christmas party.

A TLANTIC

ROWING RECORDS SHATTERED

I

By Fergal Murphy

n the last issue we chatted with local man Peter Donaldson, pictured right, who was about to set off on an attempt to

break the transatlantic rowing record of 35 days 8 hours and 30 minutes which was set in 1992.

There have been over 60 attempts during the past 16 years.

Peter and the other 13 lads had to arrive out in Porto Morgan on

the 4th of December, two weeks before setting off, to check everything was all right with the boat, solar panels and fix a few other niggly little bits and pieces such as damage in transit and to take the boat out on a short sea

New members are the lifeblood of the club. Beginners, guests and new members are most welcome at any time and there is a relaxed friendly atmosphere for newcomers. The annual subscription is €15 and currently there is a membership of 72 people and there are 9 tables in use.

The cost per evening is €5.

If you decide to go along you will enjoy a pleasant, relaxing evening in wonderful surroundings and pleasant company. If you donʼt have a partner host partners are provided. trial.

On the day of departure Peter had an extra-large breakfast in the Irish Bar and at 1.05 pm GMT set off to a fanfare from loved ones and onlookers. Three days out they ran into a very bad storm, causing them to be blown backwards and they had to deploy the sea anchor and sit there for 12 hours while being blown backwards eight or nine miles.

When the storm abated it took them 12 hours to regain the ground they had lost and they had only made it up when a second storm, a lot worse, struck them.

With winds of 35 to 40 miles an hour and torrential rain they had no choice but to deploy the sea anchor for the second time and sit there for the next 18 hours while being blown backwards a further 15 miles. All in all, the lads lost three days in the storm so it wasnʼt exactly the best of starts!

After that disastrous start the lads got into a routine and rowing two hours on, two hours off they started to make a steady pace and with good trade winds broke the record for rowing over 100 miles a day in nine consecu-

If you would like more information, contact the president, Valerie Hobson at 2693886. The vice president is Anne Fearon, the treasurer is Mary OʼKeefe and the secretary is Anne Jordan.

Car parking is free and is available in the grounds of Christchurch, Mount Tabor, Sandymount Green, Dublin 4.

Pictured above at Sandymount Bridge Club are Valerie Hobson, President; Mary OʼKeefe, Treasurer; Jennifer Nolan and Valerie Hogan.

tive days and the record for most miles travelled in a 24-hour period!

After spending Christmas and New Year with nobody but each other for company, the lads knew the end was in sight and on the 17th of January at 20.35 GMT Peter Donaldson and the 13 other men completed their transatlantic voyage by arriving in Barbados.

All the preparation, hours in the gym and financial sacrifice had been worth it and after a physically draining and mentally tough 33 days seven hours and 30 minutes all the hard work paid off and they beat the record by 49 hours!

PAGE 36

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

MOUNTBROOK SMOOTHS THE WAY WITH LOCALS

By John Cavendish

S

ean Dunneʼs Mountbrook group have proposed building 16 apartments at 7 Church Avenue in response to the requirement to provide a percentage of Social and Affordable homes, under ʻPart Vʼ, to coincide with his proposed re-development of the Berkeley Court and Juryʼs hotel site in Ballsbridge.

Sean Dunne said that it would be financially unfeasible to have Social and Affordable units on the Ballsbridge site as maintenance charges and concierge fees would be prohibitive. Mr Dunne hopes that his proposal for Church Avenue will enhance his prospects for approval from the City Council.

However, both Chris Andrews TD of Fianna Fáil and Lucinda Creighton TD of Fine Gael have made objections to Dublin City Council along with Councillors John Kenny of the Progressive Democrats and Pat McCartan also of Fine Gael.

In her objection to the housing at Church Avenue, Lucinda Creighton TD said that the Church Avenue proposals were not in the interests of proper planning and sustainable development of the area. She stated that she objected to the scheme as it would overlook and overshadow the houses and gardens of neighbouring properties as well as causing additional traffic.

Chris Andrews TD complained that the buildings proposed at Church Avenue would be out of

AFTERNOON

T

ea specialist ʻHouse of Teaʼ has recently opened a shop at the chq building in Dublinʼs Docklands.

House of Tea offers shoppers over 100 different varieties of tea, including black, green, white, Oolong, Pu Erh, fruit and herbal tea.

To complement the range the shop offers also tea ware, tea accessories and many gift ideas.

House of Tea has a small but cosy seating area where all the teas can be ordered and tasted on site. The menu also offers tasty homemade lunch options and freshly-baked breads and pastries. The speciality of the house is the afternoon tea, complete with cakes, scones and cucumber sandwiches served on a three-tier tray.

scale with existing buildings in the area, that it would diminish residential amenities, and would set a bad precedent for the conservation of urban villages, especially as the surrounding area consists of one and two storey family residences and also that there was no vehicular access proposed for the site.

On Monday 11th February Sean Dunne held a seminar with representatives of community action groups from Ringsend and Irishtown, including the Spellman Centre, Clana Gael Fontenoy GAA and Ringsend Community Centre to present proposals of community gain with the provision of a new community centre (above) on the site of the existing centre at Thorncastle Street with accommodation for a sports hall, a créche for 100 children, day care centre, youth clubs, offices for health and other services.

The Ballsbridge development of the seven-acre site proposes a 37 storey tower standing 132 metres positioned at the corner of the existing Juryʼs Hotel with a cultural quarter at its base.

Sean Dunne purchased the site of the two hotels for €54 million per acre.

The plans are for a mixed-use development with 532 family size apartments, an underground mall, an embassy complex that can accommodate some of

the 29 embassies currently in Ballsbridge, an office block, 232 bedroom hotel, an ice rink, a seven day a week créche for 150 children where 30 of the places will be provided at a subsidised rate.

The cultural element of the scheme is to have public art spaces, cinema, artist-run subsidised galleries for commissioning and selling art work, an Irish Centre for Contemporary Art, a Centre for European Culture, theatre, a jazz venue, a fitness centre and bookshops totalling some 60,000 sq feet.

Mountbrook contends that the opening up of the new streetscape between the proposed buildings in Ballsbridge will be a gain for the community.

Henning Larsen Architects, based in Copenhagen, are responsible for the design and have

attempted to build with as much environmental sustainability as can be managed for a high-rise development, including the recycling of materials from demolition, a biomass boiler and district heating and cooling, solar heating and sourcing of electricity from Airtricity.

Lansdowne Road is to be relandscaped (see below) involving the widening of footpaths replacement paving, new lighting, tree felling and replacement planting. A new pedestrian bridge is also proposed across the Dodder River behind the old Swastika Laundry at the back of the Oval development, which has recently been completed.

Mountbrook has also entered into discussions with Mount Tabor Housing Association regarding a possible re-development of the sheltered housing at Margaretholme on Claremont Road Sandymount with a view to increasing the number of residential units up to 90, an increase of 52, with a new community hall.

tea– and even those who think they donʼt– to visit us and taste some new varieties.”

The chq building is lo-

cated in the IFSC on Custom House Quay, opposite the Sean OʼCasey Pedestrian Bridge, in Docklands.

TEA AT CHQ

Motivated by the lack of good leaf tea in Ireland, Martin Mehner, pictured below, established The House of Tea in 2004. His goal was to introduce people to the diverse world of tea and prove that there is more to tea than just a bag.

The teas are sourced from around the world, often directly from the tea gardens or manufacturers.

This allows the company to monitor the quality of their products and to ensure the workers in the, mainly Asian, countries are paid fairly.

M a r t i n Mehner says that the companyʼs biggest asset is their knowledge and passion about tea: “We encourage anyone who enjoys

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

S ANDYMOUNT –

By John Cavendish

T

uesday 5th February saw an interesting gathering take place at Star of the Sea church Hall for the Launch of new DVD ʻSandymount– a nostalgic look backʼ. The producer Leo Sheeran of Power Video Production told the people who filled the hall that he had grown up in Sandymount, that his father, Joe, was also from Sandymount, from the Railway Cottages, Gilford Road and drove a tram for a living.

PAGE 37

THE

Leo said that the hall we stood in had been his classroom when he was young. Leo Sheeran teamed up with local historian and author Brian Siggins who wrote about the Great International Exhibition at Herbert Park in 1907, ʻThe Great White Fairʼ.

Brian Siggins had contributed to some local histories about Pembroke district in ʻThe Roads to Ringsend Irishtown and Sandymountʼ. Together with Albert McGregor, another Sandymount native, who did much of the camera work they have produced a fascinating DVD all about

DVD

Sandymount and what makes life worthwhile here.

Leo Sheeran told me that he had lived in England for some years and had often travelled to the United States where he had come across ex-pats from Sandymount who had asked for memorabilia and photographs of the village. After getting involved with an amateur video club, he decided to make a movie about Sandymount to satisfy the demand from the US and elsewhere.

The Star of the Sea hall was wall-to-wall with photographs

Where in D4 is it?

and historical mementoes of the Village down the years and I noted one picture from Roslyn Park Girlsʼ School where my elder sister went. It was closed down in 1982 and is now Rehab, with training for the disabled.

The DVD begins with view from a helicopter flying over the Village and the Strand and then a history of the locality telling of the brickworks and the tramways. Leo Sheeran talks with Brian Siggins out at the tower and tells about the swimming baths and the pier that used to be there.

Fergus Murray is then recruited for a walk around the Green and a discussion of how things used to be. Fergus was Sacristan at Star of the Sea Church and showed where he planted an oak tree in the front of the church lawn to mark 50 yearsʼ service.

There are visits included to the Christian churches, the Romanesque St. Johnʼs and the Guru Nanak Darbar. When I grew up on Lansdowne Terrace it was the local cinema where we went to see Saturday matinees.

Missed is the Presbyterian Church on the corner of Tritonville road, which was knocked down to make way for apart-

ments and the video footage is up-to-date enough to include Kieran Mulliganʼs new buildings and pub.

The DVD has all it needs to remind one of the lives and times of the area and is an interesting social study to be handed down before the developers get going on the reclaimed part of the Strand.

The DVD is available at ʻBooks on the Greenʼ in Sandymount.

Albert McGregor, Leo Sheeran and Brian Siggins are pictured at the launch of the new DVD.

The Shelbourne House 2 Shelbourne Road, Dublin 4 Telephone: 6676380

Live music weekends Sunday lunch 12 to 4.30 Texas Hold ‘Em Monday and Thursday at 8.30pm Function Room available Dave Reddy submitted this photograph and challenges readers to tell us where in the Dublin 4 area it was taken. No prizes, but we will give you the answer in our April issue!

St Patrick’s Weekend Saturday 15th March– Live Band Firepoint

PAGE 38

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

M u s ic4 …

BY FERGAL MURPHY * NESSA JENNINGS * AUDREY HEALY

Album Choice

BRUCE CHATWIN’S ‘SONGLINES’

ʻR

Mary J Blige – Growing Pains Growing Pains is Mary J Bligeʼs eight studio album in a career that has seen her emerge from a cycle of domestic violence and domestic abuse a stronger more self assured woman and artist.

Itʼs pretty much same old Mary J with something for old and new fans, from old Rʼn B to up tempo dance to a laid back groove about love and loss. Mary J is at her best when she touches on the darker side of things “No more drama”, being one such moment and on this album its “Roses”. A dark anti love song which has her sounding wounded, angry and uses all her magnificent vocal abilities. Reminding us just how good she is when she puts her heart in to it!

Wyclef Jean – The Carnival Volume 2 One third of the Fugees returns with his third studio album in ten years. His first two albums were among my favourite from a hip-hop artist because of the musical diversity and the amount of soul this man has.

This album doesnʼt disappoint either with guests ranging from Shakira to Norah Jones and Akon to Paul Simon. On paper this seems like an odd blend but with Wyclef as the common denominator bringing his soulful voice and funky guitar playing to the mix it works pretty good. Itís like a tour of the worldís musical styles in one album from the hard rocker of Riot to the ragga influenced Hollywood meets Bollywood.

The stand out songs being the first single Sweetest Girl, the follow up to 911 featuring Mary J Bligeʼs tale of custody battles What About the Baby and the standout song on the album, the moving and emotional Fast Car (not Tracy Chapmanʼs) featuring Paul Simon.

BEST OF ETHIOPIQUES – WORLD MUSIC COLLECTION

By Nessa Jennings

A

ll tracks on this 2CD set are taken from the ʻethiopiquesʼ series of albums compiled by Francis Falceto and released by Buda Musique. At the time of writing, the series comprises 21 releases and is still growing.

This is one of those excellent

must-have world music collections.

These recordings are said to capture the ʻmodernist audacityʼ of Addis Ababa at the end of the reign of Emperor Haile Sellassie I. The main body of Ethiopian vinyl was produced in less than one decade: from 1969 to 1978. The musicians, capturing this post-revolutionary spirit, can be heard playing, as it were, as if their lives depended on it. A new wave of music was to come through in the mid-1970ʼs when a particularly brutal military junta deposed Haile Sellasie, and censorship made for artistic decline. However, there was a lone producer nicknamed Ali Tango keeping the recordings alive, by publishing everything on audiocassette. Sales of these music cas-

settes reached a dizzying level.

The recordings were made with a minimum of technical equipment. A microphone for the singer, and another in the middle for the musicians; a two-track tape recorder, no re-recording or mixing, and usually recorded in clubs where, because of the curfew, the dinner bands performed in the early evenings. These gems are all the more precious for having been crafted in such difficult circumstances.

With this collection, you can hear the stars of Ethiopian music at their most spirited. You can also hear all of the influences that they were absorbing, from the sound of an acoustic piano in the corner of a music hall, through to trance.

This music transports you, creates a very cool mood and with its rhythms is great for dancing.

Throughout this album, it was the vocals– ʻmeditative, devotional or uplifting for some, mind blowing for othersʼ– that got me!

By Nessa Jennings

egardless of the words, it seems the melodic contour of the song describes the nature of the land over which the song passes.ʼ Bruce Chatwin, a world traveller, has written a work combining fiction and nonfiction about the Aboriginal trails which can only be travelled by knowing songs. The Songlines, or Dreamings, emerge as invisible pathways connecting up all over Australia: ancient tracks made up of songs which tell of the creation of the land.

In the book, the white man, who wants to build a railway across the land, meets a host of colourful characters whose shenanigans can only be explained by their culture. They want to protect themselves from the snoopers, such as ethnographers and even musicologists, and preserve these Songlines along which they travel.

The book unfolds in the style of magic realism as the natives do what they want in their own land. As nomads, they must travel, and the Songlines provide a career of seasonal journeys on foot through blistering land of thornscrubs or desert. Their wandering may be seen as a form of aberrant behaviour, yet they still preserve the once universal concept: that wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.

Songs that must be known by travellers have names such as Fire, Spider, Wind, Grass, Porcupine, Snake, Old Man and Two Dancing Women. There is even a Quantas Dreaming, which describes a trip taken to London on the national airline!

Aboriginals, when tracing a Songline in the sand, will draw a series of lines with circles in between. The line represents a stage in the Ancestorʼs journey. Each circle is a ʻstopʼ, ʻwaterholeʼ, or one of the Ancestorʼs campsites. The words may change but the melody remains the same.

The first half of the book chronicles the main characterʼs travels through outback Australia and the second half is dedicated to Chatwinʼs musings on the nature of man as traveller and city builder.

The narrator has a real affection for the Aboriginals, believing that the worldʼs first languages were in song. Early man had learnt to speak by imitating the calls of animals and birds, and had lived in musical harmony with the rest of creation. ʻThe Songlinesʼ is funny, insightful and well-written by Bruce Chatwin, and was first published in 1987 by Vintage Classsics.

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

PAGE 39

Music4 …

CHRISTIE HENNESSY ‘MR BLUE’

Christie gave me the following account of his famous song ʻMr Blueʼ.

By Audrey Healy

“I

ʼve picked a song called ʻMr. Blueʼ. I wrote it after I heard a very moving story on the radio one night.

I didnʼt get the full gist of what the man was saying but it seemed to be a very interesting story and over the next few days I started thinking about it and wrote this song.

“The story goes that there was this man who lived in New York and he was a big businessman.

Every day he was collected to go to work in a chauffeur-driven car.

On one of these days he said ʻI think Iʼll be like everyone else and take the trainʼ, which was something he hadnʼt done in years.

“He didnʼt go where he wanted to go, he got the wrong train and was shocked when he came to this remote village which was not where he intended to be. He sat there and asked himself ʻWhat

the hell am I doing here? Iʼm miles away from where I should beʼ.

“He got off the train and started to walk around the station and have a look around, still not knowing why he was there and he was actually late for work by now.

“Standing on the corner was a little dishevelled girl. He looked at her and she was really out of place. She was wearing a dress that was too big for her and shoes that were too big for her. He went over to her and said ʻAre you waiting for somebody?ʼ and she said ʻYesʼ and he asked ʻWho?ʼ and she said ʻI donʼt knowʼ.

“It turned out that heʼd been there ten years before and had met a woman. This little girl had been coming back to the station for nine hours every day when she should have been at school and she had no idea why… and it turned out that that little girl was actually his daughter!”

A native of Tralee, County Kerry, Christieʼs strong accent never faltered, despite more than forty years in the UK. He was generally regarded as one of Irelandʼs

2

Remembering Christie Hennessy and Joe Dolan

I

reland lost two of its musical heroes as 2007 drew to a close and both contributed to my book prior to their deaths. In ʻThe Singer and the Songʼ, the great and the good of Irish talent came together in aid of Brainwave– The Irish Epilepsy Association.

In this unique collection, sixty musicians including the recently-deceased Christie Hennessy and Joe Dolan, explain the inspiration behind a favourite song they have composed or performed– giving us an insight into how classics such as Pete St Johnʼs ʻThe Fields of Athenryʼ and Phil Coulterʼs ʻThe Town I Loved So Wellʼ were written. ʻThe Singer and the Songʼ also features contributions from Brian Kennedy, Paul Brady, Christy Moore, Charlie McGettigan, Paddy Cole, Liam Clancy, Mary Coughlan, Gemma Hayes, Eleanor McEvoy, Don Baker, Declan OʼRourke, John Spillane and many, many others.

Audrey Healy most prolific singer/ songwriters, having notched up four double platinum albums and five top ten singles.

Christy had also produced, written and performed with a wide range of recording stars including Jools Holland, Christy Moore, Mary Black, Yazz, Aled Jones, Beverley Craven and Tanita Tikarim, while Frances Black, Eleanor Shanley, Clannad and Foster and Allen have all enjoyed great success with his songs.

Having made his name as a songwriter Christy Hennessy be-

came one of Irelandʼs most popular personalities and his instant rapport with an audience drew sell-out crowds to his live gigs.

JOE DOLAN ‘MAKE ME AN ISLAND’

ʻMake Me An Islandʼ by A. Hammond & M. Hazlewood was looking for a change of direction when John Woods of PYE Records introduced me to Joy Nichols.

She had this song ʻMake Me An Islandʼ and wanted me to record it. At first it didnʼt strike me as having hit potential, but during

“I

the recording session it grew on me. When PYE Records released the song, Radio Luxembourg picked it as their ʻpower playʼ and within weeks it was racing up the charts in the UK, leading to a ʻTop Of The Popsʼ appearance.

“It made number three in the UK charts and almost immediately became a hit all over Europe, Australia, South Africa and Asia.

“It was the key to appearances all over Europe and tours followed in Australia and South Africa.

Thirty-odd years later I am still singing it , and it still makes my day!”

Had the man in the white suit remained in his first job with the ʻWestmeath Examinerʼ, we might never

have had the pleasure of uttering that immortal phrase– ʻthereʼs no show like a Joe show!ʼ Thankfully for his thousands of loyal fans worldwide, the young Joe Dolanʼs stint in the newspaper business was not to be and he was soon making the headlines himself.

After sensibly completing his apprenticeship with the newspaper Joe decided to embark on a full-time career in the music business and so the famous Drifters Showband was formed, with Joe as guitarist and Lead vocalist. The rest is history. Joe is the only Irish singer ever to have had top 10 hits in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

May Joe Dolan and Christie Hennessey be remembered through their music and may they rest in peace.

On left: Joe Dolan early in his singing career and above, Joe pictured performing in Las Vegas in the 1980s.

PAGE 40

NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008