IN YOUR FAVOURITE LOCAL PAPER…
Liam Behan snapped this seal in the Dodder near Stella Gardens.
GET OUT AND GET SMART! E
By Rupert Heather urospar Hanover Street has teamed up with City Quay National School to allow customers to donate their loyalty points to a fund that will be converted to Euros and used to purchase SMART Interactive White Boards for the school. The exclusive promotion has been very well received. Many of the shop’s customers have children at the school or know someone who does. It’s refreshing to see a local business taking its responsibility to the community seriously and getting local people involved in the initiative. Principal at City Quay National School Brendan Gallagher said, “Interactive white boards have now become an important teaching aid in classrooms. In this age of technology, it is vital that all children have access to the most up to date tools.” Willie O’Byrne, Managing Director BWG Foods (operators of EUROSPAR in Ireland) added: “Being a local supermarket network, we place a big emphasis on serving communities across Ireland, and we’re proud to have a retailer embracing their social commitment
St Patrick’s NS boys at a recent Football Tournament. See page 18.
Father Ivan Tonge at the Blessing of the Boats. See page 19. with gusto.” As an extra incentive for customers to donate their loyalty points, Eurospar have committed to purchasing an additional SMART Interactive White Board for the school if the target is reached. Speaking at the launch event, John O’Neill, EUROSPAR Hanover Street said, “Parents from the local area visit our store daily and we want to give them the opportu-
nity to buy a fantastic product for the school.” This really is a ‘smart’ initiative and one we hope will be rolled out across the other 55 Eurospar supermarkets throughout the country. It just goes to show what can be achieved when we think and act local. Sign up in store for your rewards tag or register online at www.eurospar.ie
Pictured above are pupils from City Quay National School, Caitlin Tucker age 9, Paul Hanevy age 8 and Zara Lawless age 10. The colourful stilt walkers, above, were one of the many attractions at the May Bank Holiday Weekend celebrations organised by Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre.
Learn all about the joys of kitesurfing on page 16.
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NewsFour Editor Karen Keegan Staff Gemma Byrne Eimear Murphy Rupert Heather Jason McDonnell Sandy Hazel Joe McKenna Caomhan Keane Contributors Jimmy Purdy Pat Kane Kirstin Smith David Thomas Nolan James O’Doherty Noel Twamley Lorraine Barry Nicky Flood Anthony Brabazon Oliver Marshall Ingrid Martin John O’Donovan Austin Cromie Bernie Byrne Carmel Magee
NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
The Letterbox
Dear Karen, After seeing the Brugh photo in the April/May edition of NewsFour I thought some of your readers might be interested in the following: Some time after the Manchester United plane crash in Germany in 1958, a group of boys from Brugh Padraig Boys’ Club got in touch with a similar Boys’ Club in Manchester to arrange a soccer match. They bought a cup and called it the Liam Whelan Cup, they played a match in Dublin and one in Manchester in honour of Liam who died in the crash. The Brugh boys in that black and white photo are planning to come together again with their fellow team from Manchester to commemorate the fifty years since the event. Two meetings have already been held, the next meeting is on July 12th in the Gas Works Pub in Grand Canal Street. Jimmy Purdy Thank you to Robert Maguire for supplying some of the missing names for the old boxing club, Ringsend photo which featured in our last edition of NewsFour. Below, front row left to right: Pato Murphy, Lar Ebbs, Paul Kelch, Robert Maguire, Paul Byrne. Back row left to right: Larry Keane, Emmet McCabe, Mr. Clay. Middle row: Second in Noely Murphy, Patrick Murray, Sean Scanlon, Philip Sanders.
Web Designer Andrew Thorn
Traditional Irish Concerts take place at The Unitarian Church starting June 19th, every Tuesday and Thursday 8pm to 9.30pm through June, July and August. Tickets are available at the door from 7.30pm. Price €15/€12 (student/OAP), children under 12 free. For adv bookings telephone 01 6788470 or email dublin@steeplesessions. com
Design and Layout Eugene Carolan Ad Design Karen Madsen
Telephone: (01)6673317 E-mail: newsfour@gmail.com Website: www.news4.ie NewsFour Newspaper is part of a FÁS Community Employment Programme. Opinions expressed in News Four do not necessarily represent the views of Community Services. Printed by Datascope Ltd, Wexford
S
ummer has finally made an appearance, let’s hope it’s here to stay. Everything is in full bloom around us and now is the time to get out and potter around the garden with Jim O’Doherty on page 9. Ireland is so beautiful when the sun shines and everyone’s mood just lifts with ease, just what we all need. There’s ‘atin and drinkin’ in NewsFour according to one of our subscribers and this issue is no exception. Noel Twamley takes us on a journey with the Bugatti Queen Helle Nice on page 20, a riveting read. If you had the pleasure of witnessing the Battle for the Bay at Dollymount beach last weekend then check out Joe McKenna’s exhilarating account of his virgin kitesurfing attempt on page 16. Having witnessed my first Dublin City Council meeting recently I was pleased to see our elected representatives ensuring that the issues that affect you and me have a voice when it comes to the business of our little city. Sandy Hazel’s DCC News on pages 24 and 25 is of vital public interest. These issues regularly go unreported in mainstream media so don’t underestimate the value of your local councillors. If you want a giggle then Caomhan’s Avengers rant on page 32 is definitely worth a read. Warning – not for the faint hearted! Your contributions to NewsFour are always welcome and greatly appreciated. Any local issues/notices can also be put up on our Facebook page so keep them coming. Enjoy the glorious weather, Karen
Steeple Sessions 2012
Photography John Cheevers
Sandymount Community Services, Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre, Thorncastle Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4.
�e Editor’s Corner
Dear Editor I read in the April News 4 of a reader of your terrific newspaper looking for a Holy Communion 1957 photo. I wonder if any reader would have a photo of same taken in 1940 or 1941. Also I would love to know if any of your readers can recall a sweet factory that opened in Park Avenue in the very late 40s or early 50s. Keep up the terrific work as your paper means so much to so many people in different parts of the world. Dick Pollard Hastings New Zealand Dear Editor, I am writing to you to suggest that families put out more window boxes. I live in an area where the streets are too narrow to plant trees and houses are terraced so it is delightful to see that every year more homes have flowers on their windows or pots outside their doors. I find they need a good bit of water and I gather falling rain in old buckets and pots in my patio that I use. If a water charge happened it might curtail people using water in this way so it is now time to maybe get a barrel and place it under the down pipes. I visited Bonn in Germany back in the 1980s and every apartment window had flowers in some form or other, the place looked so colourful. It would be lovely to see apartments with colour outside and Dublin Docklands could be transformed. Perfume from flowers in the evening is refreshing and so healthy to have around. Many thanks, Mary Guckian
Congratulations Congratulations to Monica Uzell and The Forty Foot 11 o’clockers who raised over €19,000 for charity with their 2012 Calendar. The theme of the calendar was 50s glamour on the beach, with a touch of humour. All funds were raised in aid of Action Breast Cancer.
NEWSFOUR AROUND THE WORLD
Our very own Naturopathic Nutritionist Nicky Flood took her copy of NewsFour on holidays with her to New Orleans recently.
NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
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NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
TOO BIG TO FAIL OR TOO SMALL TO MATTER
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By Sandy Hazel etaining the family home may not always be possible, even with new debt laws due this year. Specific remedies and a whole of Government approach is needed to offer a “fair resolution between debtor and creditor” Minister for Social protection Joan Burton told a meeting of legal and banking bodies last month. The conference, organised by the Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC) discussed the proposed personal insolvency legislation. While businesses in Ireland have legal processes in place to discharge debts, individuals currently do not. According to TASC, household debt in Ireland is around €190 billion. The total of residential mortgage loans outstanding is €113 billion, of which about €14 billion are in arrears. As of December 2011, 75,000 households have had their mortgage restructured. Clearly, mortgage debt is crippling the country and homeowners are not the only ones interested in solutions. The IMF also wants this mess sorted out, but for different reasons. A broke society cannot
spend; even in the midst of debt crises, we are to borrow and risk again. Other countries are watching Ireland and how we intend to sort this out. The proposed insolvency legislation aims to offer schemes where individuals can apply for debt relief certificates, debt settlement arrangements or personal insolvency arrangements with a view to retaining the family home. FLAC’s submission on the proposed bill highlights concerns over thresholds of creditor approval. The
banks may just not agree to the insolvency proceedings, and unclear provisions for fate of rejected applicants. Serious questions are also raised over licensing, monitoring, fees and costs of ‘trustees’; mediators in the insolvency process. The proposed bill “may not be the best model and may even be counter productive,” Professor Jason Kilborn told the conference. “Banks can agree to modify the risk reasonably but they don’t. Why? They don’t have the incentive, it could be spite, irrationality or dis-
interest. They may want to take the quicker loss now, report to investors and so externalise the loss on to society. Terms are not good; the creditor holds the absolute veto.” Kilborn, from the John Marshall School of Law in Chicago, feels that the French model of personal debt management works because the Bank of France “becomes the 800lb gorilla in the room demanding that creditors act sensibly. There is acknowledgment that creditors cannot squeeze blood from a stone, negotiations need to become more balanced.” Kilborn points to the “pernicious relationship where creditors keep debtors under the thumb. The banks need to accept this, acknowledge built-in losses, make better underwriting decisions.” He said that further losses are incurred in fruitless enforcement and in the US foreclosure is proven to cause a 60 percent loss. Financial journalist Jill Kerby said the legislation won’t work. “It is overly complicated and it would take far too long to discharge the debt,” she told the conference. “If we give debt forgiveness to individuals then the State’s debt should also be forgiven,” she said. Kerby suggested that prevention needs more scrutiny and the role of insurance.
“We used to have indemnity bonds, whatever happened to them?” Egil Rokhaug, senior political adviser to the Norwegian Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion, presented the Norwegian Debt Settlement Act as a model of personal insolvency. Norway suffered similar housing and personal debt crises in the early 1990s. Localised enforcement offices assess and instigate a process where new market values are applied and loans restructured or cleared completely. The losses to creditors in the scheme “are less than insolvency.” However, with a smaller percentage of mortgages in distress, and with no banking crisis, Norway’s banks were better able to absorb those hits, a fraction of what it would cost to offer the same remedy in Ireland. Could we afford to be so generous and would we want to? Moral hazard, according to some at the meeting, cannot be used by bailed-out banks as an excuse to not engage in this process. The words black, pot and kettle come to mind. Pictured above, fom left: Minister Joan Burton, Peter Ward SC Chair FLAC and Noeline Blackwell Director FLAC at last month’s conference on personal insolvency.
NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
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The Eucharistic Congress 2012
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By Caomhan Keane he Eucharistic Conis gress coming to Dublin this June 10th, 80 years after it was first hosted on these shores. The parish of Sandymount will be playing host to over 600 Slovakians after their Ambassador specifically asked for the Star of the Sea to be the host church for the nation. Over 25,000 people are expected to attend the RDS every sing l e d a y, 1 2 , 0 0 0 o f w h i c h w i l l b e c o m i n g f r o m abroad. 3,000 Irish people have volunteered to steward the event, particularly the Mass in Croke Park on June 17th, which will end the event, capacity 80,000. “All these people are not just coming to the c o u n t r y t o p r a y, ” s a y s F r a n R e i d w h o i s o n t h e sub-committee to raise the profile of the event in the area. “They are coming to drink and to stay a n d t o b u y f o o d . We w i l l m a k e o u r c h u r c h a v a i l a ble to the Slovakian people. If they want to come back and have a workshop or a cup of coffee, they c a n u s e a l l o u r f a c i l i t i e s . We h a v e o n e o f t h e m o s t b e a u t i f u l p a r i s h e s i n t h e c i t y, b e t w e e n t h e S t r a n d and the village. I would like to see the small businesses taking advantage of this. A lot of Catholics who adhere to the edicts of the church have a l o t o f s p a r e c a s h . We s h o u l d d r a w t h e i r a t t e n t i o n to our heritage. Pearse lived here, James Joyce wrote Ulysses about Sandymount, Paddy Dingham w a s b a s e d o n N e w b r i d g e Av e n u e a n d t h e r e i s a l s o t h e M a r t e l l o To w e r , ” h e c o n c l u d e d .
NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
LOUGHLINSTOWN HOSPITAL CAMPAIGN
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By Jason McDonnell ewsFour interviewed Councillor Hugh Lewis of the People Before Profit party, pictured right, about the effects the closure of the Loughlinstown 24-hour A&E would have on St.Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin 4. Hugh first heard about this a couple of years ago and it has been a long-term agenda close to his heart as he was born there. At the time, Loughlinstown Hospital was a very up-to-date facility but over the generations with different governments, the funding has been reduced and it has lost a lot of wards (including its maternity ward) and suffered large reductions in staff levels. The Government and the HSE are now suggesting that they will be curtailing the 24-hour A&E service at Loughlinstown Hospital, reducing it to a minor injury day-time service and in the interest of patient safety re-routing patients to St.Vincent’s Hospital. But Cllr Hugh Lewis is worried about the travel time to St.Vincent’s for the people south of Loughlinstown, even as far as Wexford. In the case of a heart attack or a stroke, the most important thing to do is to stabilise the patient first and then get the necessary care as soon as possible. By re-routing people from Wicklow this will add at least 10 minutes to their journey time and 10 minutes could be absolutely crucial to the patient. A new report in the NHS in England says that the best form of emergency care is local emergency care where it is well funded
and well resourced. The opposite is being proposed here. Even more worrying is that St.Vincent’s Hospital is completely out-stretched as it is. Every day of the week there are people on trolleys there. The statistics of usage of Loughlinstown Hospital is 21,000 patients in its A&E each year. If the majority of these patients are rerouted and brought to St.Vincent’s this may add to the risk to patient safety. The Government have cut millions from our healthcare system and have plans to cut another €700 million over the next two years. The effects of such are already being felt in Loughlinstown. Cllr Lewis wants to put as much pressure on the Government TDs
as possible. The Tánaiste lives in the Dun Laoghaire area and has many constituents that go to Loughlinstown every day of the week and has always been a supporter of Loughlinstown Hospital. Unfortunately, he has been relatively silent on the issue and has not responded to the request of the campaign to address their rallies. Some success has been had locally in that a motion was passed by the Council unanimously calling on the Government not to go ahead with the cuts. Public pressure on the Government has kept the A&E operating to date. Curtailing services in Loughlinstown could endanger the health of many people in the area and beyond.
Teresa Rooney is pictured here with some friends and colleagues at a farewell lunch which was held in her honour at Irishtown Stadium recently. Teresa was a Development Worker with Ringsend Community Services Forum for the last three years.
NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
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SVP – HELPING PEOPLE
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By Joe McKenna t can be very easy to forget how giving Irish society can be, especially now we live under the gloomy darkness of financial pandemonium. Increasing numbers of regular people are finding themselves under pressures not seen in a long time and pennies have become more precious than ever. But among the desperation that drifts and flits from struggling household to struggling household there is a helping hand that may have gone unnoticed. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul was founded in 1833 to serve impoverished people living in the slums of Paris, France. The primary figure behind the society’s founding was Blessed Frederic Ozanam, above, a French lawyer, author, and professor in the Sorbonne. He was 20 years old when the society was founded and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1997. The society has maintained a strong ethos based around helping those most in need and given our current economic situation it’s reassuring to know that those who are offering assistance are those who have always offered. Treasurer for the Dublin South East Conference of St. Vincent de Paul, Micheal McAulliffe, spoke to NewsFour about how SVP have been helping the increasing numbers of people in difficulty. “I suppose we’re lucky in a sense be-
cause Sandymount, where we’re based, is deemed a fairly well off area, but we still deal with a lot of people who come to us for help. Probably the greatest misunderstanding about St Vincent de Paul is that people either think they have to be down and out to qualify for help or that we just hand out hampers, but it’s not like that at all. “People come to us if they are struggling with bills, food, clothing, whatever it is we talk to them and we try to help them. We have initiatives in place to help people with the essentials and we encourage people to come to us if they are under pressure. We understand that asking for help can be difficult, but no one is judged and nothing is discussed outside of any arranged assistance.” Like most charitable associations these days, SVP is heavily reliant on donations to help them help others and it is a testa-
ment to the generosity of local people that donations are still strong within the Dublin South East SVP. “We’re in a very fortunate position because the community is so giving. We know of other areas where donations are very meagre and it can be very difficult for those conferences so we are thankful that we can help at all let alone operate on the level we do. Only recently we received a large donation from Emmet Switzer and Irial Slattery through their Interfirms seven-a-side leagues and we’d like to publicly thank them for their efforts and support. It’s really all down to people doing things like that, coming up with ways of raising money and being totally selfless, that’s what will help people through troubled times and give them release from what they might see as insurmountable difficulties.” As well as appealing for people who may be in need to come forward, SVP also puts its money to good use by making funds available to local groups and schools to help enhance the area and invest in the future of local communities. “We are involved with several local groups, the Life Centre on Pearse Square being just one of them. We do what we can with our funds, but we are well aware that there are more people out there who need help but are afraid to ask. We get people coming to us in real distress and that’s not a good thing for anyone. We would implore people to come forward, that’s what we’re here for.”
E DUCATE T OGETHER
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By Sandy Hazel epending on demographics and demand, Sandymount and Ringsend may have an Educate Together school in the next two or three years. The campaign to get an Educate Together school in the area has already kicked off with a public meeting and pre-enrolments. The region has been earmarked for a new school by the Department of Education and Science but it is not on the first list of 20 schools starting in February. Any new school will be in addition to current school provision in the area. It is not yet clear if it would be a new build, located in an existing building or if it will be an Educate Together. Other patrons may apply for the running of any new school. There are suggestions too of a transition phase, where patronage could be divested from other schools to Educate Together. Parents at a recent meeting in the Railway Union Club heard that the Educate Together started its first school as the Dalkey School Project in 1978. There have been
43 new schools since 2,000 with 60 now in total nationwide. The first secondary Educate Together is hoped to open in Lucan in 2014 with the VEC. The ethos of Educate Together schools is respect, human rights and countering gender stereotyping in a child-centred atmosphere. Religion, or faith formation, is part of the curriculum but no one religion is put forward as the only truth. Children learn about personal responsibility, ethics, equality and justice. The schools do, however, suffer similar teacher allocation and funding issues as other schools, the meeting was told. Fine Gael TD Eoghan Murphy told the meeting “the demographics are there for another school in the area, but it will probably be after 2013.” The need for schools is determined by population growth said Kevin Humphreys TD. “It was planned on a certain analysis of the area but the Department of Education and Science is currently reviewing these statistics, we need to look at the results of the cen-
sus,” Humphreys told the meeting. He referenced the 15,000 people living in the catchment area of the Irish Glass Bottle site and said he would be happy to meet with the start-up group and department officials. Parents who are interested in enrolling their children should be aware that if a new school is sanctioned then it will start at junior infants. Older classes will only evolve annually. So the current age range for those wishing to enrol now would be around three and under. Evidence of need will help the campaign, and places are on a first-come-first-served basis, so enrolling early is advised.
Jump on Board By Sandy Hazel Docklands will host 3,000 crew members and their families and up to one million spectators as the Tall Ships sail into Dublin from 23rd to 26th August. Preparations are underway and Dublin City Council held open days recently. The race, from A Coruna in Spain, to Dublin, offers ten-day volunteering opportunities to crew and also for the Dublin to Liverpool leg of the journey. Anyone over the age of 15 can apply to become a crew member– no sailing experience needed. The greatest event on the maritime calendar will include family fun days, food markets, ship tours, literary and arts dimension and a rumoured skateboarding and BMX festival. Businesses who wish to trade within the Tall Ships site at Docklands need to contact maria@milestoneinventive.com. Ask Maria about business packs which include bunting, flags and window stickers. Other casual trading licences can be sought from Dublin City Council. Berthing locations are all along the Liffey; full programme available nearer the dates. Don’t miss the crews’ parade. Phone: 00353 (0) 86 034 6038 or Email: trainee@dublintallships.ie
Great Famine Commemoration By Rupert Heather The National Famine Commemoration Committee invited those taking part in public and sporting events to observe a minute’s silence on Sunday 13th May in memory of all those who suffered loss of life, loss of family, loss of home and loss of country during the Great Famine.
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2012 Allotment Awards The RDS has announced the launch of its 2012 Allotment Awards. The awards are in their third year and aim to recognise the hard work and dedication of those involved in allotment gardening. The first award for the individual allotment gardener is divided into Experienced and Novice categories. Winners receive prizes of up to €500 and RDS medals and certificates of merit. The second award recognises the work of allotment providers such as local authorities, allotment societies, community gardening groups etc. This award focuses on the overall allotment site and the supports that are provided to the individual growers. This award has a prize of €1,000 and an RDS silver medal. Closing date for entries is Friday 8th June 2012. Application forms and more information are available at: www.rds.ie/agriculture or on 01 240 7215
NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
GARDEN GLEE
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By Jason McDonnell hristopher Kelly, pictured right, has been living in the Shelbourne Park Apartments for over seven years. He is originally from Ashtown, Castleknock near the Halfway House Pub on the Northside. Christopher has been interested in gardening all his life and has always grown his own vegetables. He says “it’s down to the War. When things were hard, people got into the habit of growing their own vegetables.” He even had his own market garden at one stage. Christopher hates when it rains as he can’t get out to work in his prize-winning communal garden. He likes to keep the garden in tip-top shape for the community and fellow residents of Shelbourne Park Apartments. He has won awards for the South East area, one award for the garden itself and one for keeping it clean. They were given to him at City Hall and he received another award in Hill 16 a
month later. When he first started the garden it was an absolute dump. He went out one day and found an old shovel, started digging in one corner and then went a bit further and further till he got the whole thing done. It took three years to get it ready for planting as it was full of rocks. He had to take the rocks out two bags at a time. The garden has been complete for the past four years and things are growing great but have to be regularly maintained. There are two cherry trees and two ornamental apple trees, one red and one yellow. The garden also has ornamental bushes, some pam-
pas grass, a weeping willow and loads of daffodils and tulips, a rose area and a rockery with every spring bulb you can imagine. It was a mass of colour last summer. The walls also have a large selection of hanging baskets and Christopher has made it child-friendly, dog-friendly and bird-friendly and there are a few seats for humans too! Christopher puts in around four or five hours work a day on the garden (weather permitting) and it makes a lovely sun trap when the weather is good. A lovely slate dolmen features as a centre piece. Irish slate itself dates back to over 300 million
years ago and was used for everything from roofs to tools. The slate in this garden dates back to 25 million years ago. Rest assured it’s the real thing, received from a mine in Kilkenny from a friend of his. Christopher would like to know what was on the land of the Shelbourne Park Apartments before the apartments. He pulled a large amount of rocks out of the garden, which led him to believe there may have been a building there at one stage. If any NewsFour readers have any information, he would find it of great interest. Email: newsfour@gmail.com
NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
T HE
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JOYS OF
By James O’Doherty alking through high grass in the stillness and beauty of a May morning, I realised what a great privilege it is to hear the sweet sounds of the garden birds, the drone of the bees and the fluttering of the butterflies. Summer is upon us again and it is a joyous time. Yes, the succession of the seasons reflected in the changes of nature is in the hands of the creator. There are many plants that give beauty at various seasons through the year. They all bring pleasure and enjoyment. Gardening is a personal pleasure. I long ago learned to work with nature, not against it. We are entering the great gardening months of June and July and growth is at its maximum.
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Roses in full bloom, fields amass with colour, allotments are looking their best and summer bedding beckons. Sow, plant and hoe is the order of the day. Continue to cut the grass on a weekly basis. A summer feed during June would be of great benefit. Use it after cutting to get that beautiful green effect. A selective weed killer applied now would keep the lawn weed-free. All summer bedding such as geraniums, begonias, marigolds, pansies, petunias, lobelia and alyssum should be in flower by now. Before planting baskets, containers and flowerbeds, incorporate some general fertiliser into the soil and during the flowering period feed on a tenday rotation basis with a liquid tomato feed. You can still sow hardy annuals such as calendula, cosmos, clarkia, and nasturtium. Prepare ground well and water after sowing. These will quickly germinate and illuminate your autumn garden. Water and feed your sweet pea plants on a regular basis. Remember, the more you cut the more you get. Give roses a good general fertiliser and hoe
BUS UPDATE
By Jason McDonnell rendan Cushen spoke to NewsFour about the service revisions that were introduced to the Dublin South East area on May 13th as part of the Dublin Bus Network Review Project, Network Direct. Routes 1, 2 and 3 were amalgamated and now operate as
Route 1. Route 1 operates crosscity from Santry (Shanard) to Sandymount via Swords Road (Whitehall Church), Drumcondra, Dorset Street, Parnell Square, O’Connell Street, Townsend Street, Pearse Street and Ringsend. Sandymount and Ringsend benefit from a 10 minute morning peak service on Route 1.
on a regular basis. Spray with rose clear to keep green fly at bay. In late June or early July sow wallflowers in the open ground, along with pansies, bellis, foxglove, Brampton stock and violas. These will give you a great display next spring. Tomatoes can be planted outside now in well-prepared ground in a good, sheltered spot. Water them well. They must never go short of water. Have a strong cane for the plant and feed with liquid tomato feed towards the end of June and then at ten-day intervals. Continue to sow salads, crops, broad beans, French beans, beetroot, and cabbage in small
quantities. In late June, sow final carrots, plant leeks and broccoli, sow turnip. Tidy up spring flowering shrubs, brooms, philadelphus, lilac, rhododendrons, azaleas and remove dead flower heads. Prune forsythia after flowering. For those of you with containers and hanging baskets, remember there are a large amount of plants growing in a confined space depending on you for water. In summer, these plants usually need watering daily and sometimes twice a day. So first thing in the morning is ideal. Once again feed with tomato feed every week until late September for a glorious display. Remove dead flower heads on a
regular basis. This is a busy season. Despite intense gardening activity do take a step back and enjoy the fruits of your hard work. Take time to enjoy the beauty around you. There are lovely shrubs in flower over the past few months. Remember, plants are living things so celebrate that life all around you. A walk around your own garden will indicate the plants that grow particularly well and you will soon discover what best enhances your space. A camera and a notebook are essential tools for the gardener. Take them as companions on your walk through the garden. Finally, to finish with a personal recommendation – one of my own favourites at this time is the summer flowering shrub Hypericum (rose of Sharon). Hidicote is also a beautiful golden flowering one, and for ground cover I favour the variety calycinum, another golden yellow. A friend of mine has a stone in her garden that is inscribed with that old adage: ‘The kiss of sun for laughter The song of the birds for mirth One is closer to God’s heart in a garden Than anywhere else on earth’ This is never more true than at this time. Enjoy the summer!
This will significantly improve the reliability of the service and help maintain even intervals between the services at all stages on its route. The link between Dublin South East and St. Vincent’s Hospital and UCD has been maintained via the revised Route 47. The revised Route 47 will adequately cater to the existing level of customer demand for that particular alignment and provides improved linkages from the Docklands area to South Dublin. The service will operate from Sandyford (Belarmine) via Sandyford Industrial Estate, Stillorgan SC, UCD Belfield, St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sandymount and Ringsend to Fleet Street. Route 47 will provide improved connections to key business and leisure areas (Grand Canal Dock, Aviva Stadium, Shelbourne Park and Bord Gáis Energy Theatre). In addition to this, commuters in the Ringsend and Sandymount areas now benefit from additional connections to Stillorgan, both Luas Lines and Sandyford In-
dustrial Estate. Route 47 will also benefit from the consistency provided by the dedicated bus priority on Pearse Street QBC. All of the above service revisions are the result of over a year’s worth of customer travel
pattern analysis and incorporate the recommendations of the Deloitte Cost and Efficiency review of Dublin Bus and, where possible, the feedback received during a process of public consultation that took place in 2011.
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NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
Dublin goes global
By sandy Hazel herever you decide to eat your mutton kidneys fried with butter and a shake of pepper, this year Bloomsday promises to be special. You could have the full Irish breakfast at the Gresham followed by readings and songs on Stephen’s Green bandstand. Or you could do something a little different. A bit frustrated by the previous pomp of Bloomsdays? Even the ordinary man has a life of profound adventure and this year younger folk are delving into the delicious underbelly of James Joyce’s, saucy and out-of-copyright Ulysses. You will get excellent maps, locations and ideas in the Bloomsday Survival Kit for example. It has a manual, equipment and regular feeding times to guide you through the day. You might find yourself dipping your toe into the snotgreen sea at Sandycove or getting into a barfight with a Cyclops in Little Britain Street. Encounter Lamppost Farrell and Skin the Goat or climax on Sandymount Strand. Love Dublin through Joyce’s spectacles. After a day of multiplying the inlets of happiness you can lose yourself in Nighttown at the Twisted Pepper for a night of debauchery. Here you will encounter characters from Ulysses in a riot of midsummer madness and live diversions: there will be music everywhere. God, you will simply have to dress the character. Step into the world of the largest red-light district in Europe in 1904. The fashion was different but vices the same. Organisers say the Bloomsday Survival Kit provides all you need to explore James Joyce’s Dublin. It suggests who, what, when, where, why and how to live, love and voyage round this little world. The James Joyce Centre has also produced a Bloomsday app. With chapters, locations, facts and images, the voice of Frank Delaney guides saunterers and idlers through Dublin in the footsteps of Leopold Bloom from 7 Eccles Street to the National Library, from Dublin Castle to Sandymount Strand. This year there is no excuse for not donning your crumpled linen and straw hats. www.bloomsdaysurvivalkit.com www.jamesjoyce.ie Pictured: Leopold and Bella @ Bloomsday Survival Kit.
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CHANGING YOUR SHAPE? EDUCOGYM TELLS YOU HOW!
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ith research showing that more of us are exercising and dieting than ever before, why are we still finding it so hard to go from shapeless to shapely? When it comes to fitness and nutrition, where are we going so wrong? According to Jamie Myerscough who runs educogym health and fitness group with locations in Dundrum Town Centre, Blackrock, Dublin Docklands and Naas, people need to rethink their preconceived notions of exercise and healthy eating if they want to see real results. “People need to understand that when getting into shape 90 per cent of the calories they burn daily are burned by muscle tissue. The better the muscle tissue, the more effective the metabolism and the easier it is to get in shape and stay there. If muscle tissue is lost, the metabolic rate decreases and this causes weight gain.” Most of us counteract weight gain by counting calories and taking up aerobic exercise. “This can lead to a further drop in your metabolism,” Jamie explains, “as most of the weight you lose through limiting calories and aerobic exercise is important muscle tissue.” In the case of low calorie diets, this can be up to 90 per cent! Educogym is different. It believes that 85 per cent of getting in shape is about good nutrition. This, when combined with its unique fitness programme, is what brings about real results. At the core of this fitness programme is weight-resistance training, which, Jamie believes, is the most effective way to build, strengthen and condition muscle tissue. “Our system is based on a study of people who trained for 20 min-
utes a day, 12 days in a row. The average results showed an incredible 7.5 pounds of fat lost and 3 pounds gained in muscle, a result that has yet to be beaten.” Educogym adopted this approach to their training. Members train intensively for 20 minutes and training is appointment-based and fully supervised in order to motivate and maintain intensity. Each member is also given a personalised nutritional programme based on a natural diet that works with the training to leave members with toned muscles, dropped dress sizes and inches lost from key areas of the body in only a short space of time. Physically, educogym can help you get the body of your dreams, but its benefits go beyond that. Eating a healthy diet gives you a more balanced level of energy. You won’t be hungry or tired, which eliminates mood swings, and you have more self-confidence and greater self-esteem. Think about fitness and many of us see marathon runners and high-performance athletes. Think about exercise and many of us imagine pounding the pavement on five-mile runs. Educogym, however, sees things differently. “Being fit is not about being able to run a marathon,” says Jamie. “Instead, he explains, it’s about being physically sound and healthy as the result of correct exercise and proper nutrition. A person’s metabolism is largely
based on their muscle tissue– the more muscle you have, the better the metabolic rate and, therefore, the easier it is to burn excess body fat.” In fact, an incredible 90 per cent of the calories a person burns daily are burned by their muscle tissue, which is why it is so important to get nutrition and exercise right. “A lot of research shows that if you do aerobic activity, between 25 and 60 per cent of the weight you lose is actually muscle tissue. Once you stop exercising, you regain all the weight you lost, and more.” Muscle, however, burns between 50 and 100 calories each. So how do you maximise training to get the best results? “Research shows that intensive, resistance-based exercise massively increases the amount of growth hormone you produce, allowing you to add back lean muscle tissue,” Jamie says. For women, this means a more toned and shapely body, plus lots more energy. For guys, it’s a more muscular and masculine physic, as well as increased energy and overall better health. “People lose muscle naturally as they age,” Jamie continues, “but by dieting and over-exercising, you are actually speeding up the ageing process. We are trying to help people replace this lost muscle tissue, leaving them feeling rejuvenated with improved hormone secretion and organ function, plus lots more energy.” And the best thing about the educogym programme is that training takes only 20 minutes, its appointment-based, and is fully supervised. There is always a trainer with you to ensure you are doing all the exercises correctly and at the right intensity,” Jamie concludes. “Anybody of any age can train with us, even if they have never exercised before. And all are sure to see great results.” Ultimately, you have the energy to enjoy life to the full! To be in with a chance to win free gym memberships go to http://www.facebook. com/myeducogym Click ‘Like’ and ‘Share’.
EDUCOGYM SPECIAL TRIAL OFFER
TRY 3 GYM SESSIONS WITH YOUR OWN PERSONAL TRAINER and CONSULTATION FOR JUST €49! (REDUCED FROM €125) Call into educogym Dundrum Town Centre, Blackrock, Dublin Docklands or Naas. Tel. 1850 737 737 or email dundrum@educogym.com
NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
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RADIANT OR RIDICULOUS?
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By Caomhan Keane hey say a real man is comfortable enough in his sexuality to not let a little name-calling get in the way of his wearing what he wants. So I checked both my coat and my manhood at the reception of The Zenergy Beauty Salon on Fade Street when I went for a facial recently. While I believe men have as much right to stay in the “youth corridor” as any woman, I always felt there were more energetic ways spent lying flat on your back to achieve a radiant glow. Mother always said “those who fork out x amount for a beauty treatment spend more time trying to look young than any time being it.” Mother needs to pipe down. 40% of customers at this busy city-centre salon are of the less then fairer sex – primarily for the sport,
THE
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deep tissue and physio massages they provide, but also for facials, manicures and the numerous anti-ageing treatments they provide. “Massage was always popular with people who went to the gym or who sit at a desk, bent over all day. In the times we live in they realise that massage is more of a necessity than a luxury.” This is the word of the Lord, or at least the salon’s manager, Anita, as we split some bubbly while Garra fish munch dry skin off our feet as we munch on the complimentary chocolates. But, thanks to marketing and education, men are beginning to realise that beauty treatments can also be an essential way of making themselves more presentable. “We have a huge amount of men who will come in to have their nails filed and cuticles done. Not necessarily a polishing, but if they are in meetings or in the media they want their nails to look good.” As I wrap my plant pot nails from view around the champagne flute, I opt for a Yonka Classic facial, which draws from the best of nature and science to give your skin the natural means to regain its
balance and vital energy at every age of life, or so they tell me. My beautician gets me to strip off from the waist up, leading me through the process and evaluating my skin type before wrapping me in towels and scrubbing my skin. This exfoliates and gets rid of dead surface cells, making my skin smoother. Dead cells rise to the surface every 28 days, so in order for the skin to be a lot smoother and a lot fresher and in order for your following on products, like moisturizer, to actually penetrate the skin and work, they need to go. It leaves my face feeling as smooth as a baby’s arse (albeit a pre-changed one) as roast toner is applied. But my, oh my, the fructivorous fumes that penetrate my nose almost make me pass out with pleasure as my nasal cavity alights with the Parnassian pong. As my shoulders and neck are massaged, I have to catch the awkward-sounding moan of elation that would surely have made the air awkward. A collagen mask is applied, which helps the liquid ample dotted around it to penetrate the skin. This relaxes and plumpens the skin. For it to work, I had to lie completely still and float away on a dream of regular treatments. “We are launching a membership scheme, where once a month you can avail of any one-hour treatment; massage, facial, deep tissue for €45 a month. Come in again, it’s €40. We’re cheaper than any of our local competitors who charge up to €75 for the same thing,” concludes Anita.
BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER
By Sandy Hazel caffolding and tarpaulin suspended below bridge UB63 did not in any way “cause or worsen” the Dodder flooding in Ballsbridge last year, in fact, it probably helped lessen the floods, according to a new report. Iarnród Éireann has published the report into the scaffolding row between local residents, insurance companies and CIE. A team of expert hydrologists from University College Cork and Cork company, Fluvio, led by Professor Eamonn McKeogh found the scaffolding had actually contributed to lessening the floodwaters that breached the quay wall in Ballsbridge on 24th October 2011. The scaffolding was erected to facilitate a DART line inspection. During the flood major debris, mostly tree branches,
collected below the bridge and the report states that “Many local observers attributed the Ballsbridge area flooding to the blockage at the bridge.” Engineer divers for Iarnród Éireann discovered a high degree of erosion and local scour on the river bed under the bridge and the report says that this “compensated for the blockage.” Hydrological analysis, computer modelling and physical modelling by the Fluvio team
indicated that “even if the bridge had been completely free of scaffolding and unblocked, the quay wall would have been breached and the degree of flooding in Ballsbridge would have been slightly greater than what actually occurred. In other words, the bed scour and abutment undermining had the effect of reducing flood levels.” A full copy of the report is available at www.irishrail.ie under the news section.
Naturopathic Nutrition By Nicky Flood The Most Fundamental Nutrient
E
ver notice how lifeless a plant looks when you forget to water it? Add just a little water and it perks back up. Water is just as essential for our bodies because it is in every cell, tissue and organ. Water is the essential nutrient, as life cannot exist without this substance. Human beings can survive only a few days without water, whilst they can survive much longer without food. We need water to maintain body temperature, blood pressure, lubricate and cushion our joints, protect our organs, excrete waste and transport nutrients around the body. Dehydration may occur due to inadequate water intake, or from excessive water loss. Symptoms may include weakness, dry mouth, reduced urine production, concentrated urine, exhaustion, headaches, poor concentration, joint problems, muscle cramps, delirium and, if not corrected, death. Dehydration of as little as 2% can result in poor physical and mental performance and tiredness. Tea and coffee are diuretics, which means they increase urine secretion– for every cup of tea/coffee you drink, drink an extra glass of water to compensate. Hydration is also linked with weight loss, interestingly. What you may consider to be a sense of hunger may actually be thirst. Our brains tend to confuse the signals quite easily so before you grab a snack, have a glass or two of clean, pure water and then reassess your sense of hunger. The average person will lose between two and three litres of water a day through breathing, perspiration and urine and if you are very physically active or in a hot climate, this amount increases. It is important to drink before you even feel thirsty, thirst is too late, it is a signal that your body is already on its way to dehydration. We are lucky to live in a country where clean, fresh water is easily accessible– so why not take advantage of it! Nicky is a Naturopathic Nutritionist practising in Dublin. She writes, speaks and advises nationwide on all aspects of health, nutrition and wellbeing. Check www.nickyflood.com for further info, upcoming courses and workshops.
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NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
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P LAY
TIME AT
R OSLYN P ARK
Anthony (Flyer) Flood
8th October 1941 to 26th November 2011 (Husband, Dad, Granddad, Great Granddad, Brother and pal) From the time we were born, I guess you would know, Ten perfect fingers, ten perfect toes, When you first put your finger in our tiny hand, that’s when we first knew you were our dad, no one else would do. As we grew older, and reached for the sky, Dad was still there to keep the twinkle in our eye, When we needed someone to hold us, you never said we were too big, you’d pick us up and squeeze us and whisper your still my kid, Most people don’t understand or maybe not as well, that’s why your the one we’d run to when we had something to tell. We love you Dad as all could see I’m so glad you’re a part of me. The Flood family would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support, love and friendship.
By Jason McDonnell ‘I do not like thee, Dr Fell’ a play by Bernard Farrell was performed by the Roslyn Park College performing arts class in Sandymount. Mr. Nick Warrington, in charge of the performing arts class at the college did a great job of putting on a magnificent play on Friday May 25th 2012. The show was a great success. The play was directed by Loli Ros Gordon and produced by Heidi Grannoth. West Connelly was the production consultant and Martin Cummins, Cormac Kelly and Ricky Comerford were in charge of stage management and lighting. Next up for the class is the Bloomsday Festival, which will be held in the Phoenix Park. They will be performing a 15-minute extract of the play ‘The Eagle’s Garden’ on Sunday June 3rd at lunch time. Then, they will be performing their full show at the Arts for Living Conference in Cork. A two-day international conference on ‘the arts and disability’ which will be taking place on Wednesday and Thursday 27th and 28th June 2012. Above: Cast from left to right: Jason Kieran as Roger, Niall Walsh as Joe, Megan O’Loughlin as Rita, Wayne Delaney as Paddy, Jessica Deane as Suzy, Mark Nesbitt as Peter, Clare McNamara as Maureen.
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NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
MEET YOUR GARDENER
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By Sandy Hazel hen he was a boy, a trip with his father to buy two pear trees gave Noel Keegan the horticulture bug; he is now head garden-
er at Ringsend Park. Located in the heart of Ringsend and Irishtown off Strand Street, the park comprises over ten hectares of grass-based soccer and GAA pitches, synthetic
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pitches, kick-about areas, playgrounds, athletic tracks and some beautiful mature and semi-mature deciduous and evergreens. A real urban oasis. The willows are a favourite for many. The nature reserve and the Sean Moore Park also come under Noel’s jurisdiction. Noel began a four-year apprenticeship with the then Corporation in 1978. It included two years at parks around the city and two years at the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin to study amenity horticulture. The programme of work for Noel and his nine-strong crew is seasonal: His team comprises craft gardeners, general operatives and tractor drivers/machine operators. Guess which one does security for Trapattoni and the Irish soccer squad when they travel? Long-term gardener Kevin Keating has recently retired.
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“He was extremely experienced and had great skills. He won’t be replaced and is sorely missed,” says Noel. Noel’s current plans for the parks are easier maintenance and he also hints at a Slí Sláinte walkway through the area. The gardeners are also keen on encouraging wildlife. “There were cordylines, like palm-type trees, planted down near the water. We wanted more native plants for the wildlife so we removed them and replanted with hollies for food and shelter for birds,” says Noel. Noel’s advice to future career gardeners is to be engaged. “If they are really interested then it’s easy. The work itself is varied; we rotate the activities so there can be bulb planting, tree pruning, grass cutting and general maintenance.” Litter and dog fouling is a problem but Noel says that dogs
FROM HOME
By Joe McKenna very young person leaving college now is of the opinion that their job prospects lie elsewhere and that Ireland has little to offer them. Almost daily there are stories of heartbroken families bidding farewell to children as they go in search of work and a better life abroad. But is it all doom and gloom? Sandymount couple Andy Scott and Róisín Ní Chatháin, above, have been living and working in Auckland, New Zealand for the past year and a half, soaking up the sunshine and making the most of the living out there. But Andy and Róisín are somewhat of an anomaly if you are to believe the dreary immigration stories of late. Andy and Róisín were not forced from the country of their birth due to hardship. I know it feels like young people were swimming from the shores with a waterproof P45 in hand but it just so happens that some people still leave to see new
things and explore life. NewsFour caught up with the newly-engaged couple while they took a brief holiday in the picturesque setting of Pahia, the main town in the visually spectacular Bay of Islands in the Northland region of New Zealand. “We weren’t forced to leave,” says Andy. “Originally Róisín had wanted to travel and I wanted to do my Masters in Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing, so we had to live apart while that happened and it was tough.” “I didn’t feel like I had to leave,” comments Róisín, “but I was working in a gym. We were haemorrhaging members every day and it was my job to replace them. People kept talking about the recession and the day-to-day living was becoming a bit of a depressing nightmare. We agreed to stay together and once Andy was finished his masters he’d come out and join me wherever I was and at that point I was in Australia.” After reuniting, the couple set out for New Zealand, where Andy now works as an Analyst/Programmer for Vernon Systems, one of the largest software developers in the museum and gallery market in New Zealand, while Róisín is currently an Events Manager and Marketing Coordinator with Vintage Sports and Leisure Events, where she is heavily involved in organising international sporting events all the
are not allowed into the playground area. He reckons that mostly people in the area do appreciate the parks for the wonderful resource they are. Joggers, kids, dog walkers and lunch timers; all are welcome, if they bin their rubbish. But the park crew don’t just get complaints. They receive many compliments and letters on their endeavours. One letter, on the gardeners’ cosy canteen wall, is from the pupils from Haddington Road school. They thank the gardeners for helping them plant a gift of two cherry trees in the park a while ago. “We are doing our best to improve the profile of the area and the look of the area. It is a highmaintenance space and people here are very lucky to have such a large green space dedicated to amenity,” says Noel. Other Dubliners can certainly look at these parks with envy. way from rugby to softball. It would be fair to say that things have worked out very well for the local lovers, but living far away in a country like New Zealand isn’t as black and white as you might think. “Living away from family is hard,” admits Andy. “I mean, home will always be home and it’s sad that there are reasons not to want to go back.” “Sometimes we do wonder why we would ever leave this place,” says Róisín. “The living here is so much more laid-back. I mean you work, and you work hard but when you get off you have so much you can do. It’s real outdoors living here, you can surf, hill climb and do all sorts of activities and the place is just beautiful.” “When we speak to people at home we do get the doom and gloom.” says Andy. “You know, the weather’s bad and people are talking about how bad things are economically, but when we go home we see the real Irish spirit coming to the fore. When things are bad the Irish seem to make the best of it. Last time we were back we saw more market type things and more cool little lower cost eateries etc. which is great to see. The Irish have an amazing talent for adapting and we have done pretty well for a country in the throes of global doom and gloom. We’re great at complaining, but even better at getting on with it. “The best thing about being away for so long is getting perspective on what the most important things in life are. And we may be away for a while but Ireland is still home.”
NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
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MUSICAL TRIBUTE AT SANDYMOUNT HOTEL THE CULINARY CORNER
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By Jason McDonnell brilliant gig and a great night was had by all at the Sandymount Hotel on May 25th. Paul Lewis, a local guitarist from Sandymount who lived in Adelaide, Australia for 30 years and was well-known on the music scene both in Dublin and Oz organized the event as a tribute to his good friend Colm Hyland who passed away six months ago from Motor Neurone Disease. Colm used to play in the KCR on Sundrive Road in Crumlin. He was also well-known on the Dublin music scene, playing keyboards with Paul in the clubs near Meath Street Hospital. Colm, a carpenter by trade built the Lord Mayor’s coach. He was often called away to work in England on the coaches for Royal family events. Before he died Colm recorded ‘My Irish Rose’, a CD that inspired Paul Lewis to host the musical tribute night dedicated to Colm Hyland and another friend of his, Clem Quinn. Clem was a brilliant guitarist and key-
Lemon and Herb Crusted Cod
board player who died of cancer and is remembered from the Kestrel Bar in Walkinstown and as a member of the Miami Showband, who were one of Ireland’s most popular cabaret bands back
in the day. The band had been travelling home to Dublin after a performance in Banbridge, County Down when they were attacked by the UVF at a bogus military checkpoint in July 1975, killing five people. Clem was lucky to survive that night. To commemorate his two friends, Paul got a great line-up of musicians for the night. A duo called Cameo, consisting of Peter and Tommy from Ballinteer played a blinder and really got the crowd going, with a mix of everything from jazz to ballads. Julian Pusca, a teacher of the pan pipes from Moldova (who has never let the fact that he was born without a left arm stop him from winning 20 major awards) was astounding on the night. Noel Milner, the trumpet player from the Cadets (the first band with a female singer to ever have a number one hit in Ireland) was also at the event. Johnny Fagan, a great Banjo player from Dublin’s Little Jerusalem Street made an appearance and Ronnie Reed, a boxer from Walkinstown played some tremendous whistle on the night. Lots of other musicians were there to volunteer and play on the night. Music Night was such a great success that Paul is considering making it a regular event in the Sandymount Hotel. Above: Jenny from Dublin 4 at the Music Night in Sandymount Hotel.
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By Gemma Byrne his is a quick and easy dish that you can have on the table within half an hour. The recipe will work with any firm white fish and you can use any soft herbs of your choice. I have used mustard to stick the breadcrumbs to the fish but if you prefer you can use mayonnaise, softened butter or pesto. Ingredients: 2 skinless boneless cod loins/fillets (about 150g each) Dijon mustard 6 tablespoons breadcrumbs 1 unwaxed lemon 1 heaped tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley 1 heaped tablespoon chopped basil 1 small clove crushed garlic 1 tsp olive oil Salt and Black Pepper Butter Method: Preheat oven to 180ºC. Grate the rind from the lemon using a fine grater, being careful not to grate too deeply (the white pith is very bitter). Combine the lemon rind, breadcrumbs, fresh herbs, garlic, and olive oil. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice (from the zested lemon). Whiz the mixture together in a food processor or with a hand blender. Pat the surface of the cod dry with a paper towel and lay in a greased ovenproof dish. Season the fish well with salt and pepper. Spread the top of the fish with a very fine layer of Dijon mustard. Pack the breadcrumb mixture in an even layer on to the top of the fish pieces. Dot the breadcrumbs with a few pieces of butter. Place in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. This is delicious served with mashed or baby boiled potatoes and green vegetables. A FINE WINE TO COMPLETE THE DISH… Recommended by Dominic O’Shaughnessy
Les Anges Sauvignon Blanc 2011, abv 11.5%, RRP €10.95
Hailing from the Loire Valley in France, this is a typical sauvignon blanc, with all of the dry crisp acidity that one would expect. It has delightful grassy with zesty lemon and apple notes on the nose, followed by a full and racy palate of citrus fruits. The finish is mouth-wateringly dry, wonderfully balanced with crisp and refreshing appeal. The lemon notes will complement the lemon and herb crust perfectly, whilst the refreshing character of the finish will match wonderfully with the light and elegant cod. A perfect match! This wine is available at The Wine Boutique in Ringsend, and other good independent wine retailers.
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NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
MINOR DECEPTION AT BRUGH PADRAIG
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By Jimmy Purdy n 1942 the Catholic Youth Council opened a boys’ club in the technical school in Mount Street Upper. The Legion of Mary men and women ran the club. You had to be fourteen years of age to join. After a couple of years up and running, it had a great reputation and it was the club to belong to. Myself and Benny Gregg from Whelan House in Ringsend decided we would join the Brugh Padraig, as it was called. Friday nights were set aside for joining up, so Benny and I turned up at number 14 Mount Street Upper, all excited about joining this great club. We were met in the hall by two Legion of Mary sisters. “Welcome boys, what are your names, addresses and ages?” As we were from Ringsend, we were within the catchment area accepted to join the Brugh. “Now Jimmy, what is your date of birth?” “April 11th 1933”, I replied. “Ah James, you’re too young. Come back next year when you are fourteen.”
LET’S
Benny and I were very disappointed and headed home down the canal. We walked past the Merville Dairy and onto Barrow Street when we decided to go back the next Friday and give our age as fourteen. So the very next week we became the first boys from Ringsend to join the Brugh Padraig. Down the years many members used that ploy to get into the Brugh. In our innocence, we thought the leaders didn’t know. ‘The Brus’ were great clubs and had activities such as soccer, Gaelic, woodwork, metalwork, arts and crafts, games room and religion. Every Catholic Church had a monthly mass of sodality and the Brugh did too. The Friday before the monthly sodality we would go to the Poor Clare Church on Merrion Square for Rosary, Benediction and a talk by the chaplains of the Brugh. On the Sunday we had sodality mass and Holy Communion. If we had a home game in Terenure Technical grounds on the same week we had to race home for a bit of breakfast, hop on the bus into
GO SURF A KITE!
By Joe McKenna You may not know this, but Dublin Bay is world-famous for its kitesurfing. What’s kitesurfing? Probably the most fun you can have in a wetsuit that doesn’t involve deep sea treasure. Oh, and it’s also a new and very exciting Olympic sport. Two brothers, Bruno Legaignoux and Dominique Legaignoux, from the Atlantic coast of France, devel-
oped kites for kitesurfing in the late 1970s and early 1980s and patented an inflatable kite design in November 1984. It is a design you will see plenty of on a windy day at Sandymount beach when daring souls brave the elements for the thrills kitesurfing delivers. To the unknowing eye kitesurfing looks like a sport that takes years to become competent at, but thanks
town and then the No. 15 to Terenure for a 12 o’clock kick-off. In my early days in the Brugh it was the No. 15 tram which went from the pillar in O’Connell Street, around by Trinity College, up Dawson Street, past the Town Hall in Rathmines, through Rathgar and finished at the tram station which was facing the church in Terenure. ‘An Lasair’ was a weekly bulletin which reported on events of the week in the club. Soccer reports were very popular as lads loved to see their own names for scoring goals or for having a good game. Above: Brugh Padraig U16 Cup winners 1948. Back Row left to right: Tom Larrisey, Terry Dillon, Lar O’Byrne, Paddy Finn, Eddie Stokes, Joe Corcoran. Front row left to right: Josie Burke, Vincent Purdy, Jimmy Purdy, Thomas Purfield, Paddy Butler. Top Right corner left to right: Kevin Purdy (boy), his father Richard (Dick) Purdy, Michael Barry, ? to Francois Colussi, Christophe Kerscaven and Catherine Etienne , the team behind Pure Magic Kitesurfing & Watersports of Clontarf, getting to grips with this addictive activity couldn’t be simpler, as I found out myself. The power of the wind is intimidating. The last thing a newbie kitesurfer wants is to be sucked off into the sky and never seen again, but thanks to the simple and effective teaching methods of Pure Magic anyone can
Remembering ‘An Lasair’ Below is an extract from an old copy of ‘An Lasair’. This one is from 1946 and I would say was written by one of the brothers to encourage the speaking of Irish. It is translated by Mr. Augustine Conway, retired school teacher and principal.
Who is Jackie Carey?
“Doesn’t everyone know who Jackie Carey is?” I hear you say. A man born and reared in Dublin and now an outstanding soccer player. He was captain of the Irish team who were unlucky to lose the game against England recently. Jackie wasn’t at fault for the Irish defeat as he had an excellent game. But, did you know that Jackie has a close connection with the area from which the boys attending Brugh Phadraig come? Jackie attended the Christian Brothers School, Westland Row and played Gaelic football with the school. While he played with the school team they won many trophies. However, when he left school he started to play soccer and it wasn’t long before the English discovered what a clever player he was. Then he went to England and is there since. Why then is Jackie so good? Well, he always preferred football to any other game and he practiced regularly. Maybe some day, you my boy will be as famous as Jackie Carey is today! Maybe, if you have an appetite for playing the game and you practice often you will. Note: Jackie had two nephews who went through The Brugh. Jackie was captain of Manchester United and was manager for a while.
be at ease with the force of nature. Francois spoke with NewsFour about the sport and its benefits. “Ninety per cent of kitesurfing is flying the kite. Once you get the basics, which only takes a few hours, then you go through a fairly quick progression and that’s the only way to learn. After a weekend, maybe four or
five sessions, you have all the tools to ensure safety so that you can go on your own and practice. “One of the best things people notice when they get into kitesurfing is how much of a community it is. Everyone helps each other, everyone interacts and the fact it’s so good for the body helps with the good feeling around kitesurfing. That’s why events like our Battle for the Bay are so much fun. It’s all about having fun, making friends and enjoying yourself.”
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S EA S PREE
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By Sandy Hazel he Leinster Open Sea Races commence on Saturday 2nd June with two races every weekend to the middle of September. Races are held at well-known sea swimming points along the coast of Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford including Portmarnock, Howth, South Wall, Seapoint, Dun Laoghaire Harbour, Sandycove, Killiney, Bray, Wicklow and Curracloe. Normally at least 1,600 metres (a metric mile), there are also longer races from 3k to 10k on the Leinster Calendar. The races, run by the Leinster Open Sea Committee in partnership with the swim-
ming clubs of Leinster, give swimmers the opportunity of swimming in the open sea in a safe environment and to enjoy a healthy amenity on our doorstep. A handicap system operates to encourage swimmers of all ages to compete and to get new swimmers joining. Organiser Eoin Gaffney tells NewsFour that “races attract swimmers of all ages and ability from teenagers up to senior citizens. Very often there can be two or three generations of the same family competing in the same race.” The Open Sea Races are patrolled by a minimum of three rescue boats and like all maritime sports races will be cancelled if there is
REMEMBERING MICHAEL STENSON
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By Sandy Hazel t our recent NewsFour business event in AIB Sandymount, we displayed a tiny fraction of the photo archive from 25 years of NewsFour publication. One picture is of a handsome man, in a Bogart kind of way,
standing, relaxed yet on guard, outside his home. In the background a shy little girl peeps out the window. We liked the faces, the composition and the fact it was local but we were not sure who the people in the picture were. A lady, Anne Stenson, called
adverse sea or weather conditions. When swimmers do acclimatise to Open Sea Races they find they are part of a welcoming, sociable and enjoyable sport. “The Liffey swim this year is from the Custom House to the East Link Bridge on 18th August and the Dun Laoghaire race, its 92nd, is 2nd September.” There is a Docklands swim on 12th September and Gaffney reminds us that the The Arthur Dunne Memorial Cup is also a great swim at the South Wall, starting and finishing at the Half Moon club. “Both the Liffey Swim and the Harbour are unique, as spectators can follow swimmers as they race,” says Gaffney. It is mainly for fun, enjoyment and pleasure, but there is some prestige too for your swimming club and, of course, the trophies. In order to compete in the Leinster Open Sea Races, swimmers must be a registered member of one of the many swimming clubs in Ireland. All masters clubs in the Dublin area warmly welcome new swimmers and will help swimmers train and prepare for the Open Sea Races. A list of clubs and the open sea swim race calendar is at www.leinsteropensea.ie For further information email leinsteropenseacomm ittee@gmail.com. in to the bank and told us the man was her husband of 56 years, Michael Stenson. She was touched to see the photo again after all these years, especially as the first anniversary of Michael’s death was this May 19th. They were married on a Stephen’s Day and the couple raised seven children in that house on Seafort Villas. After some time in the RAF, Michael Stenson worked in Brooks Thomas and the Office of Public Works. “Dad was about 72 when the shot was taken,” explains Mairead, Michael and Anne’s youngest daughter. “Denis McKenna worked at NewsFour at the time,” says Mairead. “He took the photo to go with an article about living in the house for so long.” The little girl in the picture is Michael’s granddaughter Annemarie. She is now 18, is the fourth generation to live in the house and misses her granddad big time.
Kitesurfing at Battle for the Bay on Dollymount beach. Photos here and on page 1 by Fergus Meneghan.
Raining on my parade…
Patsy Daly and Ann Cassidy from the Get a Life Women’s Group brave the rain in the May Day Parade in Ringsend. Photo by Maggie Maher
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A spot of shopping: Cllr Dermot Lacey is pictured above with Geraldine Wilton at the Mount Tabor Craft Fair and Car Boot Sale in Sandymount.
Previewing the National Classic Car Show which will take place in the RDS in February 2013, the RIAC organised an event at the Mansion House, Dawson Street. Jonathan Bewley is pictured above at the wheel of his 1900 French ‘Gladiator’ vintage car, with Kevin Byrne on left. Meanwhile boys from St Patrick’s National School Ringsend (in blue) are shown participating in the National Schools’ Football Tournament.
Liffey Ferry re-enactment
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By Jason McDonnell he PR Company appointed by the Port Company came up with a great idea to promote the recent Dublin Docklands Photo Exhibition which was launched on March 23rd. They picked out two photographs to recreate; the first one was of three chil-
dren playing on Guinness barrels, the second a large group using the Liffey ferry (above). Dublin Port Company set about trying to locate the people who were in the original photographs. Maurice O’Toole contacted them to say that he, his older brother and sister were in the original photo of the kids on the barrels but his brother was away on holidays. Any plans to restage that photo had to be postponed.
The Liffey ferry was recently restored by local man Richie Saunders so on Sunday March 25th the people who were in the original ferry photograph gathered together to recreate the scene (above). Charlie Mur-
phy of Dublin Port Company played a blinder in organising the event, as did John Hawkins, Alan Martin and Ritchie Saunders. St. Patrick’s Rowing Club launched the exhibition with the
Minister for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton as guest of honour. The exhibition will move to East Wall in June and Pearse Street in September when the appropriate venues have been secured.
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P ICTURE
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ROUNDUP
Pictured proudly displaying their Aviva Plaque on the wall are the ladies of the St. Mary’s Friendship Club and Keep Fit Club, St. Mary’s Parish Haddington, Ballsbridge. They are very grateful to the the Aviva Stadium Community Fund for the generous grant of €500 which went towards their Senior Citizens Christmas Party. On the day of the Blessing of the Boats ceremony at Poolbeg Yacht Club, Antoinette Redmond is pictured with her grandchildren Edward and Sean on a trip aboard ‘The Rinn Voyager’.
As part of the ‘Titanic 100’ history show, Michael Moylan, top left, recreated the history of the ship for children in Ringsend Library on 12th April.
Some of the committee from the Docklands Seniors Forum and the Docklands Providers Forum who ‘went ballooning’ during their social night in Croke Park recently are, left to right: Helen McCabe, Linda Desmond, Olive McKenna Burke, Derek Murphy, Bernie Pierce and Betty Ashe.
A garden seat was presented to Francis Dignan as Chairperson of the Iris Charles Committee to mark her many years of service as a volunteer at the 50th Anniversary Helpers Day in the Iris Charles Centre recently.
Iris Charles Committee Members pictured recently at their 50th Anniversary. Back Row Left to Right: Mary Moriarty, Sheila MacDonald, Phil Keoghan, Frances Dignan, Phyllis Ennis, Alyne Healy. Seated from Left: Claire McElvaney, Nancy Shalloo and Monica Murphy.
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HELLE NICE, THE BUGATTI QUEEN
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By Noel Twamley have followed Formula One Grand Prix since the 1950s when I would listen to the dulcet tones of Raymond Baxter on the BBC, Home Service radio. Today, thanks to the gigantic leap in technology we can drive ‘In Car’ around Monza in high definition with Vettel, Massa etc., our hands almost on the steering wheel. I am always amazed no women have made it into Formula One after almost 100 years of motor racing. Today, women have excelled at all sports including the unladylike and unseemly world of boxing and wrestling. The only female driver was Helle Nice ‘The Bugatti Queen’. Helle grew up in Paris and, I regret to say, lived a very loose and wanton lifestyle in the 1920s. Thankfully, Helle left this awful way of living when she met her true love – cars. She was a magnificent driver and this bravery and skill brought her to the attention of Ettore Bugatti, who gave her a contract to drive the Bugatti 35C, one of the world’s greatest cars ever. In this car Helle set a world record of 200mph at Molsheim and dozens of speed and endurance records. She was paid £6,000 per race and was sponsored by Lucky Strike tobacco and Esso. The money was pouring in and Helle was now a wealthy woman.
Helle could now race against the best i.e. Tazio Nuvolari, Karl Kling, Louis Chiron etc. However, all was not well at the Bugatti factory – Ettore despised her and behind her back he would call her a “poule de luxe.” This was an ugly, nasty, outrageous name to call a woman. Helle Nice was never a “poule de luxe” (high class prostitute). In the late 1930s Helle left Bugatti and bought an Alfa Romeo and was invited to race in the Brazilian Grand Prix in San Paulo. She arrived in a blaze of glory and hundreds of Brazilian women named their new-born daughters after her. President Marcos held a state dinner in her honour. She was what today’s media would call a
celebrity. The race was held through the streets of San Paulo. Helle battled her way to second place when a catastrophe happened. Some idiot had pulled a straw safety bale onto the road and Helle hit it at 150mph. She was hurled from the car, which tumbled on, killing six people and injuring another 35. Helle’s inert body was placed with the dead until someone saw her legs moving; somehow she survived one of the worst car crashes in Grand Prix history. Helle Nice spent almost all of 1938 recovering from her injuries. She attempted a comeback in late 1938 but the magic was gone. She had lost that cutting edge and was struggling to regain glory.
WHEN LAUNDRY WORKERS WANTED A CLEAN BREAK
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By Jimmy Purdy y story is of the laundry workers who went on strike in 1945 for holiday entitlements. At the time, holidays may have been just one week a year, so the laundry workers set out to get two weeks’ holi-
days with pay. Ongoing meetings were held with workers and management and the union. It was generally thought an agreement would be met, but this did not happen and so the laundry workers of Dublin went on strike to win two weeks’
holidays with pay. If employers thought this strike would break the workers and end quickly, they got their answer – it lasted thirteen weeks. During this time, the laundry workers proved their solidarity to one another as they walked up and down in all kinds of weather. Other workers and people walking by admired and encouraged them. It is well-known that the butchers of Dublin gave them great support. My two sisters Peggy and May worked in the Swastika laundry on Shelbourne Road and I know they got great support from my mother and father to keep up the fight for proper working conditions. A big number of workers from Ringsend worked in the Swastika too. In general, the laundry workers, despite the hard work, were a happy group. Laundries opened long hours including a half-day on Saturday. The weather was kind
In early 1939 she went to Germany looking to drive with Adler Motor Company. Here she met S.S. Major Huschke Von Hanstein and stayed with him until she met General Von Richthofen. These liaisons were to haunt her six years later. In 1940, Germany occupied France. Helle left Paris with her latest paramour, a Frenchman and they lived out the war on her money. In 1945, World War Two ended and the new government rounded up the French ‘traitors’ to appear in court. Among the suspects were some famous people, including Maurice Chevalier, Coco Chanel, and our old friend Ettore Bugatti, who was making aircraft engines for the Luftwaffe. In 1947, Helle and a new man went to Monte Carlo. They were dancing at Bal de Or when French motor hero Louis Chiron crossed the floor and shouted at Helle, “Get that woman out of here, she slept with the enemy.” The media went into overdrive on this and Helle’s life was destroyed. She almost became a non-person. Helle was alone for the rest of her life. No more men or women came into her life again, she had no money, her good looks long gone and she lived the rest of her life on social welfare in a cold attic. Nobody knew her, nobody remembered her. When Helle died alone in 1984, the police found a truck full of motor memorabilia and a framed
poem she had from 1930. This sad poem reads as follows: ‘When she died nobody laughed, nobody cried, where she went, how she fares, nobody knows, nobody cares.’ Her body was sent to SainteMesme for burial in church ground with no cross, no tombstone, nothing. She really had become a nonperson. Some five years ago, yours truly wrote to Miss Miranda Seymour at Nottingham University. I had read an enthralling article about Miranda’s empathy to Helle Nice in ‘Motor Sport’. My enquiry was pragmatic, I simply wanted to know was there an organisation I could send a contribution to, to buy a headstone for Helle’s grave. Thanks to Miranda Seymour, a memorial mass was held at Sainte Mesme in 2010. After the service a fitting memorial had been erected to Helle’s honour and glory. At long, long, last Helle Nice could truly rest in peace. Noble Miranda Seymour ‘The Tifosi’ I thank you, please take a bow. Helle Nice is now in the beautiful uplands of Heaven smiling as she walks arm-in-arm with great drivers who have joined her; Hill, Hunt, Senna, Ascari, Fangio etc., champions all. Finally, I would say to ‘The Tifosi’ all tens of millions of us who love Grand Prix racing can say with our hand on our heart “Helle Nice our Bugatti Queen we have not forgotten you.”
during the strike, so the strikers would cycle out to Blackrock and lie in the sun All the laundries came together and the decision to strike was taken in the round room on the Mansion House and so the laundry workers won the paid holidays for all the workers. As they walked up and down they would sing and this was their song; “Outside the laundry we put up a fight, for a fortnight’s holidays they said we would have to strike, so we went marching up and down and nearly dead for half a crown we are a fighting people who will not be put down.” The laundries involved were Kelso, White Heather, Swastika, Harcourt St., Dunlop, White Swan and Milltown. Another song the strikers would sing as they walked up and down was: “Then the employers offered one week but we wanted two and we well deserve it for the work we have to do.”
These laundries worked nine hours a day in the heat and the steam that the laundry machines produced. Some girls started to work in laundries at fourteen and learned to starch men’s collars as was the style then. Wages at the time was twelve shillings and six pence and at eighteen you went on full wages of thirty two and six pence. If you worked overtime until ten o’clock at night, you would earn ten pence extra. And so the laundry workers won the battle for two weeks’ holidays with pay and all the workers that followed benefitted from the stand these laundry workers made in 1945. The Swastika Laundry gave lots of work to the area. Left: Courtesy Irish Arc h a e o l o g y, a n e l e c t r i c van used by the Swast i k a L a u n d r y a ro u n d t h e 1950s to 1960s.
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RINGSEND AND IRISHTOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE NEWS RICC DEVICE DELIVERS PENNIES FROM HEAVEN
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By Lorraine Barry t RICC, we believe in water. We dedicate ourselves to the conservation and to the promotion of respect for this most remarkable and essential natural resource. To do this, we aim to pioneer the benefits of Rainwater Harvesting to the Community of Ringsend and Irishtown. Rainwater Harvesting offers a sustainable and environmental alternative to purified water. And it’s free. We believe that the benefits of Rainwater Harvesting are immediate and will continue long into the future. Rainwater is filtered by nature, in that there is no chlorine or any other chemical added to it for any reason. It is softwater, absent of limescale or other issues of impurity. It is also damn near untaxable.
As part of our ongoing development of the allotments and gardens at the RICC, we are delighted to announce that we have now installed a Rainwater Harvesting System. Of course, feel free to call into the centre for more information on how you can embark on this delightful and rewarding journey. Pictured are some of the youngest members of the Community at work!! MAY DAY May Day Parade this year was once again a great success and very well supported despite the mixed weather we had. We would like to say a big thank you to all the musicians who performed on the day, to all the groups that marched, public reps, and members of the community.
We would also like to say a special thank you to last year’s Lord Mayor Mick O’Neill for all his support last year, and we would like to say congratulations to our new Lord Mayor Brian Betts who is delighted to take on this new role. “I am proud and honoured to represent Ringsend and Irishtown as the Lord Mayor for 2012. Having worked and volunteered in RICC for over ten years I have been privy to the growing services in the area and as Lord Mayor I plan to improve, support and enhance these services to meet the needs of the entire community and will help in any way I can. A sincere thank you to all who voted for me.” Brian is pictured above with Minister
for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton. SUMMER PROJECT 2012 There are some very exciting changes to this year’s Summer Project!! The project will run for a two week period twice during the month of August. Participants aged 5 to 15 are invited to register for the project from 7th to 16th August OR 20th to 29th August
Cost of registration is €10 and will take place on Tuesday 5th June @ 10am to 12pm in RICC. Promises to be a fun packed Summer Camp with plenty of activities. Limited places are available. Watch out for promotional information. We are also looking for volunteers to help out with the project. If you are interested in helping please contact the Centre at 6604 789.
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SLIMMING WORLD RINGSEND / IRISHTOWN: 579 STONE LOST
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By Joe McKenna s the Ringsend/Irishtown branch of Slimming World celebrated its first year in existence on April 28th, members also celebrated something truly remarkable, a combined weight loss of 579 stone in one year. Slimming World was created in 1969 by Margaret Miles-Bramwell, who remains the driving force behind the company today. With a philosophy of ‘food optimizing’ and a flexible, empowering, permissive approach to healthy eating, Slimming World has become the weight loss plan for anyone who wants to lose weight while still enjoying quality foods. There is little or no weighing and measuring and no calorie counting involved. Food optimising is purportedly based on the scientific principles of satiety (the satisfying qualities of food) and energy density, and encourages slimmers
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By Rupert Heather new touch rugby league starts on Monday June 4th in Ringsend Park. Beginners don’t worry, if you don’t have a team– just turn-up and get coaching on the basics. Touch Rugby is a minimal contact sport played by people of all ages, gender, abilities and body shapes. General play is similar to tag rugby except a ‘tackle’ is by a single touch rather than pulling a tag. Garry Glen, President of the Irish Touch Association said, “because Dublin 4 has embraced Touch Rugby we have created a summer league in Ringsend Park.” Players should wear normal running
to fill up on nutritious, low energy dense foods to satisfy their appetite, while limiting consumption of less satisfying, high energy dense foods. Unique to food optimising is the unlimited choice of many ‘free foods’ which can include lean meat, fish and poultry, pasta, eggs, rice and grains, vegetables and fruit, which may be eaten freely. Slimming World Consultant Pamela Malone, spoke with NewsFour about the great response Ringsend has had to Slimming World. “It’s been incredible. I mean the people of Ringsend have done amazingly well, losing so much weight. We have people who have lost up to six stone and are now off all medication that was helping them cope with the effects of their weight. We have whole families coming to us, we’re having people referred to us by their GP because shoes, shorts and t-shirt. Each session costs as little as €3. Sandymount Touch Rugby in partnership with Monkstown Rugby Club has built a great social night on Mondays, with forty people taking part. Three players from Monkstown represent Ireland at Touch Rugby: Abigail Doyle, David Condon and Mike Davies. Davies says, “Touch is more inclusive than tag and more importantly it’s more fun.” Run by experienced players and coaches, the games last for forty minutes. At least three women must be on the pitch at any time. For general information, times and registration forms visit www.irelandtouchassociation.com
they see how well it works. We currently live in the only generation where children are dying before their parents because of obesity. “At Slimming World people learn about what good food is. We have people who are only now learning what food is supposed to taste like and what’s good for them because they were used to eating processed foods with a lot of fat. It’s taking control of your eating and keeping healthy and so far it’s really taken off.” Slimming World meetings take place every Thursday in Clanna Gael GAA at 3.30pm/5.30pm/ 7.30pm Pamela can be reached at 0861231774
S MALL
SCIENCE
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big congratulations to Star of the Sea B.N.S, Sandymount and St. Brigid’s G.N.S, Haddington Road who received an Award of Science and Maths Excellence as part of the Discover Primary Science and Maths (DPSM) programme. The awards recognise the achievements of primary school children and teachers in the application of science and maths in the classroom. Please visit www.primaryscience.ie for further information on the Awards of Science and Maths Excellence and the DPSM programme. Photos by Maxwell Photography
Being Men’s Health Month, a special congratulations goes out to John Berrigan who reached his target and lost almost four stone.
T OUCH
AND GO
Two drive-in cinemas? Ringsend may be getting two drive-in cinemas similar to the one in Cork. The cinemas can accommodate about 100 vehicles and will be located close to the Irish Glass site. The screens could possibly be up and running by August or September of this year.
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DCC News • DCC News • DCC News
By Sandy Hazel NAMA The councillors have asked the area manager Michael O’Neill to arrange for a meeting with NAMA to “discuss the number of buildings owned or controlled by NAMA that are on the Council’s derelict sites lists to work out a plan to ensure these buildings do not fall into unnecessary disrepair.” “If these buildings fall into further disrepair, then they are worth less to the tax payer,” Cllr Oisin Quinn told last month’s meeting. The manager said that “NAMA and DCC person can talk one to one” but Cllr Mary Freehill replied that “NAMA were not prepared to meet any elected reps, it only wanted to meet officials at the planning SPC.” It is agreed to ask NAMA officials to come to discuss derelict sites at a meeting. PARKS Cllr Kieran Binchy has asked that a Slí na Sláinte be introduced into the area.
DCC is in discussion with a representative from Slí na Sláinte regarding the introduction of a route commencing in Ringsend Park but also linking it with the surrounding area, including Sean Moore Park and Irishtown Nature Park. “It is hoped that signage will be erected and a leaflet designed over the coming months,” Binchy was told. There is an existing Slí route which runs along Sandymount Promenade. CANAL NEWS Councillors aired their dissatisfaction with Waterways Ireland at last month’s council meeting. Cllr Mary Freehill lamented the lack of interaction between DCC elected reps and Waterways Ireland. “We have no in-
put. There are a lot of complaints; boats cannot get up and down, it is not being dredged, there are issues over jurisdiction. We and our constituents live just a few yards from the canal and yet it is managed from Enniskillen. We need more interface with Waterways Ireland,” said Freehill. Cllr Mannix Flynn said that more canoeing should be encouraged and supported also on our canals. “If people see it being used this way there might be less bikes and trolleys shoved in,” he said. While there is a DCC personnel link with Waterways Ireland, Cllr Kieran Binchy agreed “there should be democratic representation.” Cllr Jim O’Callaghan said that the councillors should
be more involved. “We do need some involvement on how it progresses.” Councillors are disappointed with underuse of facilities. “A marina costing millions is lying empty in our constituency, I think it is a disgrace,” said Cllr Dermot Lacey. Freehill said that changing the terms of reference via the minister could take years but that a six-monthly meeting should be requested of the minister in the North. DCC replied that membership will be reviewed in July and “we will be putting pressure on for councillors to be included.” BRIDGE REPAIR Cllr Maria Parodi has asked the area manager to inspect, repair and preserve the archway of a rail bridge near Barrow Street where there has been some subsidence and movement. The bridge referred to spans a narrow stretch of waterway between Grand Canal Docks and the entrance to The Grand Canal. It is not owned or maintained by Dublin City Coun-
cil but manager Michael O’Neill assured councillors that Irish Rail has been made aware of the observation concerning subsidence and movement. DODDER BRIDGES Gerard O’Connell from DCC presented plans for parapet strengthening at Londonbridge and Newbridge as part of the Dodder flood alleviation works at last month’s council meeting. To make the Londonbridge stronger, a Ushaped construction will be required and parapets will need to be raised 750mm. Construction will take four months. At Newbridge the proposal will also include linking the two bridge parapets under the roadway. Construction will take
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DCC News • DCC News • DCC News about three months and the road will need to be closed. New parapets will be reinforced concrete. Existing stone will be recycled. Other suggestions to have collapsing parapets were deemed too costly. GRAND CANAL WEBSITE The Grand Canal Sub Committee has made a presentation to the Operating Liaison Group regarding the possibility of creating a website for the Grand Canal. The website would inform the public about the various responsibilities held by Waterways Ireland and DCC in relation to the canal and its environs. It would also highlight events taking place along the canal, including cleanup operations. A previous presentation was made regarding setting up a Canal Warden Service. This was received favourably and Waterways Ireland is looking into voluntary recruitment. BOLAND’S MILL Cllr Kieran Binchy asked the area manager if there has been any contact or engagement with the owners regarding the former Boland’s Mills site, Grand Canal Dock. “The owners of this site were written to in 2009 and requested to carry out certain works which were largely carried out. We are seeking clarification of the current ownership with a view to instructing them to carry out works under the Derelict Sites 1990 and the Planning and Development Act, 2000. The Councillor will be kept informed of any developments,” the manager replied.
Sandymount topics
Forthcoming events
COUNCILLORS TO HEAR LEGAL ADVICE The City Development Plan rezoning of lands belonging to the Sisters of Charity in Sandymount was deemed overly restrictive by the Commercial Courts last month. Councillors are holding special meetings this month to take legal advice on how to proceed with the case. RTE is also challenging its land rezoning by the council as Z15.
The Bavaria City Formula One race event will take place on Sunday 3rd of June from 12:00hrs to 18:00 with a potential audience capacity of approx 100,000. The event will be a demonstration of racing that offers the experience of Formula One in a much safer format. Bavaria City Racing is not an official F1A event or an event set up to allow teams to compete against each other.
SANDYMOUNT GREEN Cllr Maria Parodi asked the manager to repair and restore the wooden laths on the benches in Sandymount Green. The manager replied that there is an on-going problem with replacement of wooden laths on park benches because they are regularly vandalised shortly after being repaired. “This division no longer propose to replace wooden laths but to replace them with steel laths which are more robust and should be more resistant to vandalism. The repair of the seats in Sandymount will be added to our list of park bench repairs in the area and undertaken as resources allow.”
The Flora Women’s Mini Marathon takes place on Monday 4th June 2012 at 15:00hrs. Participants will gather from about 12:00hrs at the start area on Fitzwilliam Street. Traffic restrictions are in operation from early morning (06:00 hrs Fitzwilliam Street) to allow for the build-up of temporary structures and to facilitate the setting up of barriers. It is the country’s biggest one-day charity event and 40,000 participants enter each year to complete the 10-kilometre route in the south city area. The event build-up is centred on St. Stephen’s Green/ Fitzwilliam Square areas. The race follows a route out to Belfield along the Northumberland Road, Lansdowne Road, Shelbourne Road, Merrion Road artery, returning along the Stillorgan dual carriageway through Donnybrook Village to finish in Stephen’s Green East.
GILMORE SOLICITORS 22 BRIDGE STREET, RINGSEND, DUBLIN 4 Tel: 6677170 * Fax:6673809 E-mail: info@gilmoresolicitors.com SANDYMOUNT PROMENADE In response to issues on Sandymount Promenade and recycling, Cllr Dermot Lacey received the following reply: “at the start of 2011, paid parking was introduced in the car parks along the Strand Road, Sandymount and because of space restrictions the large green recycling container for plastics in the car park near the Martello Tower had to be removed. Arrangements for the collection of textiles, glass, aluminium and steel cans were not affected by this change… the long term waste strategy aims to deliver on maximum recycling potential and as a result the possibility of removing all remaining banks from the car park at Sandymount at this time would not be feasible. The recycling banks at Strand Road have a very high usage and as such play an important role in the local community.”
House Sales/Purchases Re-mortgages & Commercial Property Family Law Wills/Probate/Estate-Planning Employment Law District Court & Road Traffic Offences
A Friendly & Professional Service
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L IFEBOAT
By Caomhan Keane 012 is going to be a busy year for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute, with plans afoot to launch a new website and station in July and a new crew-designed life jacket and reality show on RTE in October. With this in mind, NewsFour thought it was high tide (sic) that we get to know a few facts and figures about the men and women who risk their lives day in, day out for no cash, just glory in the Irish Sea. The RNLI has saved more than 139,000 lives since its foundation in 1824, as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck by Sir William Hillary. Given that all international travel was done by sea and having witnessed several wrecks in his own life time (the rescue of many of whom he was directly involved in) the Isle of man native appealled to the Navy, the Government and other “eminent characters” for help in forming “a national institution for the preservation of lives and property from shipwreck.” The name was changed to the Royal National Lifeboat Institu-
tion in 1854, initially funded by wealthy philanthropists before switching to the more generous dime of the public. It costs €13 million a year to run the RNLI in Ireland, €4 million of which is raised through fund-raising. This year’s Flag Day, held on May 1st, titled May Day and accompanied with an advertising campaign funded by John West, took in record numbers. “Stations in city areas raise a lot of money,” says Niamh Stephenson, a former political press officer who has totally revitalised the Institution’s approach to PR. “All money raised is donated to the RNLI and not for specific stations as those stations that have a very small population but maybe go out and rescue 30 people a year couldn’t pay for their upkeep on what their communty can give.” She says that people who are specifically fond of a station can request that the money be given to that station only. “We find it happens a lot with people who have been rescued by a particular crew, they want to give back to them directly but actually our most fascinating area of funding is legacies.”
Six out of ten of the RNLI’s launches are paid for by people leaving money in their will to the organisation. “Often we never get to know them as we are dealing with an executor, because there is no living relative. You have no idea why they have left you the money. Were they rescued? Was a loved one? It’s just a lovely thing to do.” Sometimes private philanthropists pay big bucks to have the boat named after themselves or a loved one. Like every other charity, the RNLI have been hit by the recession. “Legacies… people aren’t leaving their worldy goods to anyone. They dont have worldly goods to leave so we are adapting. We have to ensure that we are doing everything cost-effectively without compromising anything. But we are very, very lucky. People have a special place for the RNLI in their heart.” Dublin has three lifeboats. Two all-weather boats in Dun Laoghaire and Howth and an in-
shore lifeboat in Skerries, known as the “workhorse” because it does so much work. The Howth Lifeboat, the ‘George Geoffrey Benbow’, was the busiest boat in the country last year, launching to 48 requests for help and bringing 60 people to safety, with Dun Laoghaire launching 38 times and Skerries 28. “They can be called out three or four times over a weekend. Bank holidays and summers are very busy while the more disturbing left-field callouts come around January. Horrible tragedies that occur in the depths of winter.” There’s a total of 1,500 lifeboat crew in Ireland, 350 of which are women, more than any other country in the world (although none are coxman). A further 500 work as shore crew, maintaining and launching the boat with 2,000 dedicated volunteers raising money for the charity. The statistics show that launches to vessels suffering machinery failure still account for the largest number of callouts at 187. This
was followed by vessels reported to be in trouble at 78, with 74 grounded and 73 capsizing. The most amazing thing is the fact that these volunteers commit all this effort and time for free. While some of the more isolated lifeboat coxmans are on slight retainers, the rest do all this for free. They abandon their friends, their families, everyone and anything at a moment’s notice to dart off to sea when their pager goes. The youngest members of the RNLI are 17 years of age, some are sitting their Leaving Cert. Generally they try to retire people at 45, though many hang in there till 50. “They are so incredibly proud of what they do,” says Stephenson. “They help each other through the sad callouts and celebrate the successful ones. Not being paid allows them to step away with no pressure if needs must. Although I have to say when people move away they often end up just getting themselves assigned to another life boat. They are incredible people.”
NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
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THE CROWNED KING OF BURLESQUE
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By Caomhan Keane ou may remember Big Chief Random Chaos. He was featured in these pages last year. Well, now he’s royalty. At the first-ever World Burlesque Games (it’s the old Burlesque Week with a competitive kink, thank you Mr. Olympics) Big Chief Random Chaos was handed the twisted crown for his particular brand of shock cabaret. “It was a fantastic experience. I
D ODDER
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By Rupert Heather tretches of the River Dodder in Dublin 4 have become an eyesore in recent months due to the dumping of supermarket trolleys, scrap, rubbish and other materials. In an effort to address the situation local councillors have organised a River Dodder cleanup, with the help of Dublin City Council who collect the waste. Volunteers from the public are
won so that’s always good. It’s just great to have a week to go to see shows and hang out with burlesque people. There was a really nice sense of community about the whole week.” Irish audiences should get themselves down to the League of Decadent Bastards in the Sugar Club on June 2nd to see what he and his brand of international and Irish cabaret stars have to offer. Other artists on the bill include his London runner ups,
CLEAN - UP
encouraged to get involved and help restore the river to its natural state. Bisecting the Dublin 4 area as it does, the river has the potential to be a focal point for the entire community. The clean-up which takes place on the second Saturday of each month begins at 10am. Participants meet at Ballsbridge. Speaking about the initiative, Sinn Féin’s Ruadhán Mac
The Monsters of Schlock. He doesn’t know what will happen when they are let loose in the Sugar Club, but if past performances are to go by we can expect to be screaming and laughing at the same time. “They’re the worlds most extreme two mancircus act. They do lots of freak show kind of stuff like breaking blocks on themselves and sticking their hands in coyote traps.” “We were having a mock fight over the Internet in the run-up to the Games,” Big Chief says, referring to the act critics call the Beavis and Butt Head of the burlesque world . “But I knew when I finished I’d won it. They had gotten such an enthusiastic reaction from the crowd, I had to up my game, so to have the audience standing and hollering at the end was an amazing experience.” Bow before your Royal Highness. https://entertainment.ticketsolve.com/shows/126523309/ events
SOCCER
SISTERS
As the countdown to Euro 2012 this summer continues, the FAI teamed up with Focus Ireland & Aviva to launch this year’s Aviva Soccer Sisters program which aims to get more girls playing football. Pictured are some of those who took part in the launch. Photos by Mark Henderson
Photo: Jose Farinha Aodháin said, “At a time when Council services are stretched, community activism is the most effective way of addressing local problems such as dumping.” In related news, Labour Cllr Dermot Lacey had a motion agreed to organize an event under the working title ‘A Day for the Dodder’, bringing together the different youth, environment, sporting, community and residents’ groups along the Dodder. The clean-up day will utilise the resources of the Council and other arms of the Public Service. The Dodder is 26 km long, it travels through Donnybrook and Ballsbridge and enters the Liffey near Ringsend, along with the Grand Canal near Grand Canal Dock. Having once supplied power to many mills along its banks, the river is now better known for angling and at certain times holds brown trout and sea trout. In recent times communities along the Dodder have been beset by heavy flooding. The Dodder is a fantastic natural resource and we should all get involved to ensure that it remains clean and polution-free. Picture by Paul Hughes.
€193,893 raised for Irish Cancer Society at Tesco Tesco Ireland’s staff and customers across South Dublin showed their support for the Irish Cancer Society over the last two years by hosting a range of fundraising activities raising a total of €193,893. Dublin 4 stores played a big part with the amounts raised as follows: Sandymount €6,119, Ringsend €1,729, Baggot Street €4,360 and Merrion €20,450.
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NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
Widow She stood outside the barracks, Waiting with the rest of us
K EVINI JOOSEPH M ARTIN 1948 & 1952 RISH
LYMPIAN
for her husband to come home. I must have been twelve or thirteen At the time. She stood near me In the crowd. The sky changed To the colour of her coat. She was like a strange bird Standing there, observing everything With her darting eyes. He had died Abroad. A burst appendicitis, So they said. The news ran Through the town like A messenger-boy. The funeral came slowly Up the town. Past the barracks Where he had worked. The brown coffin was covered In lead. I was afraid, But I faced it. We all did. A soldier. Dying on duty, Thousands of miles away from home. She never took off the black coat. For years afterwards, she flitted Up and down the town, A strange dark bird With a grey collar. She kept busy to deal with the pain. I think of her at night, In the bed where they slept The night they were married. Her mind moved in circles Around the dial of their lives. The evening they first met. The uniform. The braid. The smile On his face, as he came Towards her, lovingly. By Oliver Marshall
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By Ingrid Martin his summer, London will play host to the Olympic Games for the first time since 1948 as some of the world’s greatest sports stars assemble in the English capital for the first time in 64 years. The Irish boxing squad, including the brilliant Katie Taylor, will carry the country’s medal hopes to the English capital, but it isn’t the first time that our boxers starred at a London Olympics. The London games of 1948, known as the Austerity Games due to the theneconomic problems following the Second World War, were opened by King George V at Wembley Stadium and
amidst the celebrations at the famous old stadium was a young Pearse Street boxer, Kevin Martin. The London Games was to be Kevin’s first Olympics and the young Dubliner went on to represent his country again in 1952 in Helsinki, becoming the first athlete to represent Ireland in consecutive games. Born on Christmas Day 1925 in Queen’s Terrace, Pearse Street, Kevin was the youngest of 14 children. Following his marriage to his childhood sweetheart, Veronica Kavanagh, he made the big move ‘over the bridge’ to live in Ringsend. The young boxer attended St. Andrew’s National School, now the Resource Centre, but it wasn’t in the classroom that Kevin learnt his most valuable lessons in life, but in the boxing ring. In an ironic twist of fate, Kevin only took up boxing in order to build up his strength after fighting childhood illness. That fearsome courage he showed in order to get healthy was soon transferred into the boxing ring. It was Kevin’s older brother Eddie, who had boxed professionally in the UK in the early thirties, who first noticed his sibling’s gift for the sweet science. In a bid to help his little brother grow
stronger and beat ill-health, Eddie took Kevin into the ring for the first time, but it quickly became apparent that beneath his waif like sibling beat the heart of a champion. Kevin’s first taste of success in the ring arrived at the tender age of twelve years old. Weighing just four stone, he was crowned Dublin Junior Champion. By fourteen, Kevin had left school and set out to train as a butcher in the city’s famed Moore Street and he later went on to open his own butcher’s shop on Bath Avenue. Kevin quickly rose through the ranks on the national boxing scene and travelled to Madrid prior to the London Olympics. His fight against a Spanish boxer, with two judges from Spain and one from France looking on, went against the young Dubliner. When the local referee raised the arm of the home town fighter the Madrid crowd booed the decision. Martin may have lost the fight, but he certainly had won many Spanish hearts. Despite having to combine work and training, Kevin earned his call-up to the Irish Olympic team for the London games, proudly wearing the green shirt at the greatest show on earth. In what turned out to be a hectic year for the
young boxer, he went on to fight against an American team in August of the same year at the National Stadium and travelled to Glasgow for an international match-up with Scotland. Four years later, in 1952, Kevin again won the chance to represent his country at an Olympic Games and the Pearse Street lad travelled to Helsinki and into local sporting history as he became the first athlete to represent Ireland at consecutive games. Kevin’s biggest match of 1952, and of his life, arrived on New Year’s Day when the champion boxer married his beloved Veronica (known as Mona Kavanagh) in St Patrick’s Church, Ringsend. The happy couple moved to Ringsend where they reared five children (Gwen, Ingrid, Kevin Jnr, Eamonn and Mark). He lived at 119 Ringsend Park until his untimely death in 1983 while on holiday in Australia visiting family. He was only 57 years old. It was a sad loss for Kevin’s family and friends, but he has never been forgotten. The boxing ring wasn’t all about personal glory for Kevin. Instead, he gave back to the community in which he was born and raised. He took on a role as coach in the Mount Street Boxing Club, the club that Eddie had formed, for a period of time and passed on his skills and knowledge to a new generation of boxers. Family and boxing remained closest to Kevin’s heart until he passed away. For a man that won many battles, from childhood illness to Olympic bouts, Kevin remained very much focussed on what really mattered– his family. Enjoying his young grandchildren who were competing against each other in a backyard race in Sydney shortly before his death, he said “Anyone could be a good winner, but it takes a real champion to be a good loser. It’s not about winning, but about competing and doing the best that you can to the best of your ability.” Wise words from a true champion. Above: Kevin with the team and pictured left in 1948.
NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
A home defects and improvement column by Anthony Brabazon B.Arch. MRIAI. Q. I am planning to build a very simple extension to my house. How do I find a reliable builder? A. If you have plans and specifications ready it would be a good idea to have your architect or engineer recommend a builder. This dramatically increases the likelihood that they have professional references and they will be loyal to the architect (or engineer) as well as yourself because the repeat business they cherish will come from them and not you. The entire building process is complex at the best of times and is only worsened if a good trustworthy relationship is not established with a competent builder
PAGE 29 at the outset. John Ruskin once said, “There is scarcely anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse, and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man’s lawful prey.” This quote is particularly apt when it comes to construction. Before you put any builder on your tender list make sure he is insured with three types of insurance, (public liability insurance to cover the brick falling on the passer-by’s head, employer’s liability insurance to cover the chap falling off the roof and contractor’s all-risks insurance to cover the works so you get more than just “sorry Ma’am” when the chap with the blow torch sets it on fire the day before handover). Avoid “cash” deals (i.e. 13.5%VAT avoidance) as they forfeit your legal protection and if your builder lies to the taxman maybe he lies to you too! A local builder in a country village will normally behave himself to preserve his reputation but in large cities like Dublin it is too easy for the rogue builders to flit around the place undetected.
My strong advice would be to not allow anyone price a job who is not pre-approved as outlined above. Having said all this, there are a number of very competent, experienced and fair builders who will work on tight and competitive, though not impossible, profit margins. Remember that “the workman is worthy of his wage” and the last thing you want is a builder going into liquidation while on your project. As a rough rule of thumb, I would advise that any works over €30,000 in value should have at least a partial service by an architect and anything over €60,000 should have a full service where a standard RIAI contract is administered and interim payments are certified by the architect. Strangely enough, most people find that, for a small proportion of the overall spend, the architect saved them a fortune in the entire process. As always we at Help My House are happy to advise on site for any specific project for the €150 fee.
PROPERTY CRIMES INCREASE
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By Sandy Hazel urglary, theft and related offences are rising sharply compared to other crimes, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. Burglary and related offences rose by 7.9%, while fraud, deception and related offences rose by 6.3%. There were 76,924 recorded theft and 27,439 burglaries in the last quarter of 2011, with Dubliners suffering 47,163 of those crimes. Denizens of Dublin 4 are not immune. Times are hard and people are desperate. Cash for Gold outlets
can make it simpler for goods to be turned into cash. Your belongings can be easy pickings for those who want them, so here is some commonsense advice for keeping your home and valuables safe. Apart from the usual mortice locks and alarms, the following suggestions may help. Never, ever leave a spare key under a mat, a bin or flowerpot. It is the first place a burglar will look. Don’t issue any news onto your Facebook page about your upcoming holiday; you are basically advertising your unoccupied property.
If you are going away, leave a key with a trusted neighbour who will collect post and operate lights and radios. Approach your local community gardaí to set up neighbourhood watch.
T
Money matters
By Rupert Heather housands of Irish consumers may have been mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) alongside loans or credit facilities. Many who bought PPI were either unaware that they’d done so or believed it was compulsory. The scam failed to disclose the sale of insurance to borrowers. The failure to explain exemptions, terms and costs meant that many Irish consumers were duped into buying worthless policies. The financial regulator confirmed that about half of all personal loans in the last ten years were sold with PPI. When making a claim on PPI, if you lose your job for example, claimants are faced with numerous obstacles and often find they’re not entitled to any benefit. PPI does not come cheap. The larger your loan or credit card bill, the more expensive it is. Mortgage repayment cover can cost up to €4.75 a month for each €100 owed on your mortgage. That amounts to €1200 per year or in excess of €20,000 over the life of a €300,000 mortgage. Consumer groups have long complained that the purchase of insurance is often an “implicit condition” of a credit offer. The consumer lobby group, the Consumers’ Association of Ireland, expressed this concern in a submission to the Central Bank. It wrote, “It is not put in writing, but it is made implicitly clear to consumers that obtaining credit would be ‘helped’ by the purchase of insurance.” PPI selling has proved to be a highly lucrative income stream for bank and financial institutions over the years but now it is time for the consumer to fight back by claiming refunds of their mis-sold policies. Now a new industry has emerged with companies encouraging consumers to claim back mis-sold PPI on a no-win-no-fee basis. If a case is successful the fees can be as much as 30% of the amount won. If you think you were mis-sold PPI you should contact the Financial Regulator, the National Consumer Association (www.nca.ie) or Citizens Information Centre (0761 07 7110- Rathmines). Do not leave car keys, or any keys or purses on the hall table. Make it as difficult as possible for anyone to see in your windows. Fit blinds or curtains so your valuables are not on display. Chain up wheelie bins; they make it easy to carry away stolen items. Erect a sensor light outside as it deters burglars. Never leave valuables in your car when parked. Leave the glove compartment open, and empty, to show there is nothing there. One tactic is for thieves to see opportunities as you bring in shopping from your car, leaving doors open and bags in view. One lady had her bag stolen while decanting groceries
into her hallway. “My life was in that bag: cards, cash, keys, vouchers, phone – all gone in three seconds,” she told NewsFour. Park in well-lit areas if possible. Have your car keys ready prior to approaching your car. Personal safety means never being fooled into sympathy or distraction by someone asking you a question or looking for directions. Stay alert without being paranoid. There are expert pickpockets around– keep tight hold of your bags. A common tactic for thieves is to stand beside a shopper who has put bags down momentarily; they simply lift them up, leaving a similar, empty bag behind.
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SISTER’S
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By Rupert Heather wo performances of the The Vagina Monologues were staged at the Sugar Club on the 18th and 19th of April for V-Day, a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls. The V-Day movement is growing at a rapid pace throughout the world and it is disturbing to think that women still face rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation and sex slavery across the globe. Directed by Rachel Mungra and starring no less than 17 women the night was a huge success. A native of Holland who settled here 10 years ago Mungra is a trained classical singer who turned her hand to directing after appearing in last year’s perform-
movies. “I was always fascinated by the international appeal of Rudolph Valentino, who was probably the biggest movie star ever. I wanted to bring that aspect of the presentation into Silent. That you can watch a silent movie without the words coming up on the screen and you can understand it. When you go to the theatre it is the visual that you remember, that you carry with you, so I wanted to find a platform to tell the story so that the audience didn’t have to follow the text, but could follow the gesture and the visual. “When people say ‘write what you know about’, well the only thing I know about is being alive. Everybody can’t have every experience. You don’t have to go through what a character goes through in real life but you can put yourself in their shoes for an hour and a half and research them. So I like to find out the details for myself and through the medium of stage performance, pass that on.” Silent left the NewsFour staff
tongue-tied and thrilled when it played at the Pavilion Theatre last November. You really don’t want to miss it now that it has returned to the National Theatre. It’s theatre wrestled from the theatrical elite and servicing the every man. “I believe theatre is for everyone and I wanted my theatre to be for the public. I have played everything from the peasant to the posh and have no frustrations when it comes to playing those parts. I have seen the different audiences those plays attract. I have seen the audiences that like grounded, dirty, Irish stories and drama and I have seen the audiences that love pomp and ceremony. And there is room for all of that. But as we go forward in recessionary times, theatre should be for everyone and no one should ever feel left out or awkward.” Wednesday May 30 to Saturday June 16, on the Peacock Stage. Time: Wednesday to Saturday 8pm. Ticket prices: €25 (concessions €18).
ACT
ance. She said, “What I really like about the Vagina Monologues is it shows the different sides of women and that we have a lot of strength. Some of the monologues are harrowing, some are very funny.” The play is an awareness piece for both sexes and a series of 14 monologues. While beautifully narrated by Anna McGrath the monologues vary from hilarious ‘no holds barred’ accounts of women discovering sexual freedom to tales of women confronting the taboos of their hidden place. The lighter side of the evening was interspersed with poignant mes-
ARTIST
A
years. What they have created for us is the ability to enjoy being feminine in whatever way we chose.” The play is exactly that; a witty, heartfelt, hilarious and sometimes touching account
of women celebrating their womanhood. There were no shortage of men at the event and in some ways this is exactly the kind of evening that us men should support. Proceeds from the night, in the region of €1,500, were donated to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. 14,000 people of both sexes called the Dublin Helpline in 2009. The overall standard of the acting was excellent and the production felt slick and professional. With individual performances too numerous to mention it would be churlish to single anyone out for individual praise. For more information about V–Day visit: http://www.vday.org/home
IN PROFILE: ALICIA IRWIN
By Jason McDonnell licia has been drawing ever since she can rem e m b e r. S h e s a y s she may not be the best at it (not by far) but when she draws, she locks onto something deep down inside. There is an emotion she needs to capture, a “feeling.” Maybe through a c h a r a c t e r ’s eyes you can see their love, or maybe it is pain they are feeling, a “longing.” She focuses heavily on characters because she builds worlds around them, and she injects those worlds into every stroke of her pencil and tablet pen. There is nothing she finds more beautiful than expression. She s a y s , “ Yo u c a n l o o k a t s o m e o n e ’s f a c e a n d b o d y l a n guage and imagine what their world is like or what their life might consist of, what their dreams may be.” Alicia says she used to hope to accomplish so much with her artwork and at one stage she wanted to be an a n i m a t o r f o r D i s n e y, o r a t l e a s t a f i n e a r t i s t f o r t h e m . N o w, s h e j u s t w a n t s t o a c c o m p l i s h b e i n g p r o u d o f h e r w o r k . I t ’s s o m e t h i n g s h e h a s b e e n s t r u g g l i n g w i t h f o r years. She has a loving husband and a one year old son and she wants to share with her son the knowledge that if you’re good at something, you should be proud of it, even if it brings nothing tangible back to you. Yo u c a n v i e w A l i c i a ’s a r t o n h e r F a c e b o o k p a g e a t h t t p s : / / w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / c a p t a i n j e a n l u c p i c a r d oftheussenterprise
sages about the harrowing conditions faced by women in war. Talking about the role of the women’s movement, Mungra said, “A lot of groundbreaking work has been done over the
THEATRE ‘SILENT PREVIEW’ By Caomhan Keane inner of two coveted awards at the recent Edinburgh Fringe Festival (The Scotsman Fringe First and Herald New Angel Awards) Silent is the touching and challenging story of the homeless McGoldrig, who once had splendid things. But he lost it all, including his mind. He now dives into the wonderful wounds of this past through the romantic world of Rudolph Valentino. “I had been on the road for the past six years with a show called Forgotten, which is another solo piece,” says writer and performer Pat Kinevane. “While I was touring New York I was shocked by the amount of homelessness there. And when I came back to Dublin I realised it was growing considerably here as well. I wanted to understand the whole concept of being homeless. What drove people to the streets?” He wrote frantically from a stream of consciousness at the start. “Then I did research, talking to people on the street, talking to social services, talking to the agencies that deal with people who live on the street.” He also just observed people, watching the public, how people treat the homeless, seeing how their body language changes. And of course there was fiction, “I don’t know everything. I had to make up stuff and make it theatrical.” It pays homage to the old silent
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BOOK REVIEW ‘THE MANUSCRIPTS’ by George Fitzgerald Reviewed by Jason McDonnell his book is about three different characters. The first is a woman called Ash who opens up the story with an introduction on how she met the other two characters, Pitbull and Frankie. She then gives us a look into her lifestyle, which is very different from Pitbull and Frankie’s. Even the name Pitbull conjures up ideas of violence and crime. Frankie is an interesting character, born into a New York ghetto in the 1930s. He moves to Dublin as a boy and ends up living in what were described as Europe’s worst slums, the tenement areas of Monto. During 1870 to 1924
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Monto had up to 2,000 prostitutes working there. His life is a tale of inner-city Dublin street crime and prison until he comes into a wonderful place of transformation. Pitbull is never really fully described in the book, he was brought up in South Finglas,
‘D UBLINERS ’ W ALKING T OUR
I
By Caomhan Keane n 1914 the epiphany that awoke the world’s imagination to the battered yet tumultuous city of Dublin, her streets, and her people, was a modest book of short stories that would become a defining Irish classic, James Joyce’s Dubliners. Wonderland Productions’ Dubliners was a self-guided audio-walking tour that invited you to tour the streets and historic buildings in which Joyce set his classic stories, whilst you listened to these stories on headphones, as they were told and performed for you by a large ensemble cast led by the celebrated Joycean actor Barry McGovern. “It’s essentially allowing you to read the book as you go around the
BAND REVIEW BRIT FLOYD Reviewed by Jason McDonnell n Friday 4th of May Brit Floyd played in the O2 Dublin. Brit Floyd was born out of a split in The Australian Pink Floyd Show in 2010 when Damian Darlington decided to leave and form a new band called The British Floyd, which was later shortened
O
where he was led down the wrong path. His options were limited and he didn’t have that many choices growing up. His life becomes a chilling tale of where gangland Dublin can bring you. Ash is a beautiful woman from the Southside of Dublin who lives the picture-perfect life until she finds herself caught up in the world of drugs and the sex trade. In London she meets a priest called Fr. Joseph O’Reilly, who introduces her to Pitbull and Frankie and they go looking for the hidden Manuscripts concerning Frankie’s past. The manuscripts go back to the 1800s and involve the five points of New York but some secrets are sometimes best left hidden. ‘The Manuscripts’ can be purchased in Footprints on Talbot Street.
city,” says director Alice Coghlan. “It’s very much a dramatised text, very like a radio play, with everything filled out to evoke the era, the feeling and the mood, from the sound track to the soundscape.” Dubliners was the key event at Dublin One City One Book Festival, Wonderland’s second collaboration with the festival following 2010’s hit dinner theatre production of The Picture of Dorian Gray. You chose from the Dubliners ‘A Full Day’s Epic’, which guided the Joycean enthusiast across his city, from Chapelizod to Ringsend, via his adolescent years in North Richmond Street. Dubliners ‘A Half Day’s Adventure’, meanwhile focused on the seven tales which occur inside the
city centre. Both audio-walks include the unique chance to hear The Dead, inside the historic House of the Dead, ‘the dark gaunt house on Usher’s Island’ where Joyce’s aunts lived. “The Ideal way to do the tour is to cycle it using the city bikes,” says Coghlan. This allows you to do the city centre stuff and not have to push a bike around. You can just hop on and go.” The piece not only allowed you to experience the book in the places it was set but also gave you fascinating information about Ireland as Joyce would have experienced it. Did you know that post-Independence the Irish government made quite a bit of money selling the stuff they didn’t want anymore, like statues of the Queen, to the Australians? Or that the original Gresham hotel was bombed to the ground during the Civil War? What does Coghlan think the lasting appeal of the book is? “As you get older you understand him a lot more. It doesn’t necessarily suit young people as well but as you get older you become aware of the sadness of life.” www.jamesjoyce.ie
to Brit Floyd. It was a brilliant night of music. The show started at 8.00pm sharp and finished about 11.00pm with a 20-minute break in the middle. I was shocked at the performances of all the members of the band especially Damian Darlington, the band’s musical director. He seemed to have hurt his foot and was unable to stand while playing guitar, but was well able to operate his array of complicated foot pedals whilst sitting down. The stage presentation was next to
none, comprising of an elaborate light show, projections, lasers, video wall and, of course, flying pigs. The visuals in the show were so good I didn’t want to blink in case I missed anything. I’ve been a big fan of Floyd and listening to Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall since I was a kid and I can honestly say these guys hit every note to a tee. It sounded exactly like Pink Floyd would have played in the day, they were identical. They even had the vocals exactly the way they
Bath time
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By Rupert Heather
ver gone out for a pint after work and ended up in the bath?
Well now you can at Dublin 4’s newest watering hole. It’s
never a good thing when a charming local pub becomes a
characterless boozer but be assured The Bath on Bath Avenue is not one of those places.
With its natty blue frontage and smart but homely interiors, The
Bath blends the best of local charm with a sophisticated edge. A heated patio and conifer-surrounded picket fence welcome the outdoor
enthusiast. Large beer barrels and an actual bath give the smart brick terrace an authentic feel. LCD screens show sport.
The influence of the oval ball game is never far away here but it’s
not in your face. A stone’s throw from the Aviva and enjoying the support of the Leinster Rugby crowd, this is a perfect match day venue.
Inside the odd shabby chic touch, a real fire and well-chosen decor
give a tasteful note that sits well with the overall theme. Such an ob-
vious venue for a good local gastro pub and it’s surely only a matter
of time before the food offering is expanded.
The Bath is making a low-key start to life. As its popularity with
the after-work set blooms it’s reassuring to know it hasn’t forgotten the neighbourhood. By all accounts, Sunday night has taken off with
those who went there under its former guise, Murrays. Getting the blend right for a pub like this is difficult yet manager Brian O’Malley and company have made a good start and should be congratulated. See you in The Bath.
are on the albums. On the way out of the show I was handed a DVD of their first performance on the 22 January 2011 at the Echo Arena, Liverpool, to an audience of 6,000 people. Another wonderful performance. For €35 it was the best night I have had in a long time for talent, value for money
and a free DVD. I’d definitely recommend seeing them when they tour Dublin again.
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NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
FOCUS THEATRE CLOSES AFTER 45 YEARS
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‘The Avengers’
Reviewed by Caomhan Keane guess it’s a matter of how low you set your expectations. I set mine to Hollywood Blockbuster: Got Good Reviews? I never figured that I’d been mislead by hype and that those behind this children’s comic book would dismiss the adults accompanying them, not to mention the millions of comic book fanatics around the world, so completely. Then again the €700 million grossed around the world shows how much I know or at least how much the moneymen can get away with. If you like your action heavy on comedic sauce, falling down from the special effect heavy spins then this is the flick for you. The ludicrous story has something to do with aliens from outer space threatening life on Earth as Universal assembles as many franchises as possible under one roof (the cinematic equivalent of Liffey Valley) to save the day. From the start things are blown up, buildings collapse and actors run blindly away from effects as the plot is discarded when The Avengers makes good on its promise to be an ass-kicking juggernaut. The problem being that there is so much metal on metal bish bash bang that none of it is memorable. Not a single sequence of action detracted from what an artistic and intelligence vacuum the whole affair is, sucking the dignity and talent of all involved into a reverse toilet, crapping it out of the silver screen in a painful excretion of genre box-ticking. It’s certainly not helped by the tits and arses assembled to bring our heroes to life. Few, if any of whom bring any charisma to their roles. Robert Downey Jnr is always watchable but can anyone recall the last time he played anything other than the smugliest of snot rags on screen? He’s Iron Man/Tony Stark. Mark Ruffalo is bumbling brawn as The Hulk, Chris Helmsworth is Thor, or She-Ra, I can’t be sure (not that it matters), Chris Evans is Captain America (about as appealing on screen as its culinary namesake is off it), while Scarlet Johansson wears a cat suit rather nicely. Samuel L Jackson has an underdeveloped turn as the master of ceremonies, who gathers the team together but doesn’t tell them all that he knows (one of many unsubstantiated sub-plots). While the one person who doesn’t showboat, the magnificent Tom Hiddleston, the villainous Loki, who steals a weapon of mass destruction and every moment he spends on screen, is the only lead who you welcome the sight of. The movie’s lighter moments are its best but even then the makers manage to screw up the balance, jamming a joke in where its least needed such as The Hulk and Loki’s climactic showdown, which is pant-wettingly funny but infuriating, as it completely robs us of the weight such a scene deserves. Director and screenwriter Joss Whedon seems so focused on securing sequels that he looses touch with the story, which is full of loose, contradictory and unclear ends. (Did no one else pick up on how The Hulk could suddenly control his temper and not assault the rest of the Avengers in New York? Was he just that peeved with how much of a non-event Black Widow turned out to be that he had to resort to the clatters?). Truth be told my rage is probably a reaction to the great and misleading reviews this movie has garnered by film critics who really should have equipped me better. In a world where The Dark Knight so thrillingly showed us the potential of the super hero genre, to treat this as an equal is a shocking and unwarranted slight.
“W
By Caomhan Keane ithout the Focus Theatre Irish people would have been deprived of access to some of the finest works which are important for an understanding of our humanity and the purpose of our human existence.” So says an t-Uachtaráin Michael D Higgins and so say all of us with the sad news that The Focus Theatre has been forced to close its
doors after the latest round of savage funding cuts. After 45 years at its Pembroke Street address, the theatre, founded by Deirdre O’Connell (left) and her then-husband Dubliner Luke Kelly, will take up a nomadic existence until its Board can find a way to placate the Arts Council’s demands that it generate sufficient income from productions to make it self-sustaining. On Sunday 29th April, the President and his wife attended the final ever performance in the building, ‘Hollywood Valhalla’, by Aidan Harney, along with members of the Kelly and O’Connell families. “When I moved to Dublin, aged 19 or 20, I worked next door to it for several years and I used to nip in to see the lunch time thea-
DEFINING ART
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By Rupert Heather hat bothers me about RTE’s foray into the art world with Ireland’s ‘Favourite Painting’, is that no matter how many experts you employ, art transcends this sort of comparison. Coming up with lists of things makes reasonably interesting television but the most we can say is that paintings mean different things to different people for different reasons. Accepting that certain paintings have a special resonance with the public is fine but trying to condense them into a final list is more x-factor than expressionism. Thankfully, with the wealth of great art held in collections for the benefit of the Irish people we in Dublin are fortunate. For what it’s worth no visit to the National Gallery would be complete without viewing two of my personal favourites. Sir William Orpen’s portrait of internationally acknowledged Irish tenor John Count McCormack, painted in 1923, coincided with McCormack’s decision to retire from Opera. In casual tennis attire, the subject displays a relaxed yet dignified air. McCormack’s beautifully captured eyes reflect a life of accomplishment and humility. Loose flowing brush strokes and generous proportions create an easy realism. Umpferstedt III, painted in 1919 by Lyonel Feininger is an architectural composition of the city Ump-
ferstedt with cubist fragmentations. With its austere steely tones and underlying two-dimensional symmetry, the painting is typical of the cubist movement’s rejection of traditional techniques. Feininger was invited to the ‘Bauhaus’, where he taught graphic art and painting until 1926. The painting hangs beside but is not overshadowed by a Picasso still life, purchased in 2008. Feininger’s work is equally important. Arriving at the Hugh Lane after 6.00 pm to discover it closed, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the neighbouring Irish Writers Centre holds a considerable collection of Irish paintings. Free to the public, the collection was donated by Frank Buckley, who in the catalogue introduction says, “From the beginning I have purchased the paintings of artists working in Ireland; we may speak in different accents, but we use the same language.” Displayed along a winding staircase and in adjoining rooms the collection has a contemporary feel, with figurative paintings,
tre there,” says Harney. “I would love to have seen it remain where it was, but the reality of the present economic climate has made that impossible but the spirit of what Deirdre (O’Connell) has started will live on, even if the venue itself will have changed. ‘Valhalla’ was a beautiful piece to close the venue on as it is about love, loss and new beginnings.” The theatre was the first to introduce Irish audiences to the plays of Beckett, Sheppard, Ibsen and Strindberg as well as launching the careers, of amongst many others, Gabriel Byrne and Tom Hickey, who trained at the venues acting studio. It will celebrate its 50th year in existence next year while all the shows it has programmed for the rest of the year will take the stage at a variety of venues around the country. landscapes and abstracts all vying for attention. Patrick Hennessey’s Walled City, painted in 1978 is a vividly real image of a man set against the backdrop of a castle wall facing out to sea. The ancient and modern meet and present a dilemma that transcends time. The quizzical, almost fearful look, on the man’s face, points to an anxiety between existence and time. Beautifully detailed and super real, Buckley asks, “Is the intent to contrast the durability of stone and the consistency of the sea with the fickleness of man’s experience of love?” Sean McSweeney’s vigorous abstract style is perfectly demonstrated by Bogland – Sea. Concentrated on a small area, the painting is full of vivid brushstrokes that give it an energy in keeping with the wildness and drama of the scene. The colouring is exquisite, the deep blues and greens of the painting offer a rich palate that draws the eye in. The artist was born in Dublin in 1935 but is now based in Sligo and is remarkable for the “emotional intensity” in his work. Without scratching the surface of these art collections and given the scale, complexity and diversity of the works, I wonder how it is possible to even begin to list the nation’s ten favourite paintings. I’m sure there a few under paid and under-appreciated artists who feel the same way. For More information visit http://www.writerscentre.ie/ Above: William Orpen.
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W HAT ’ S THE RACKET !
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By John O’Donovan s summer approaches, people begin to think about what activities they can take part in during the coming months and how they can keep their children active and happy during the holidays. Tennis is a great option to consider. The popularity of the sport is at an all-time high, with people intrigued by the Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray rivalry. The strength and style of Wozniacki, Sharapova and Azarenka as we approach the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships is also alluring. Luckily for those interested in taking up the sport or resuming their careers, there is a club with the best possible facilities in the heart of Sandymount. Claremont Railway Union Lawn Tennis Club is located in Park Avenue and is part of Railway Union Sports Club that offers
bridge, bowls, cricket, hockey, rugby and soccer in addition to tennis. There are 11 tennis courts. This is a particularly exciting time for the club as there are five new topof-the-range Tiger Turf Advantage tennis carpet courts being installed in July. These courts will be of the highest standard in the country. As well as these new courts, the club has six high-quality grass courts, one of only two clubs in Leinster which still has grass courts, which enables members and guests to experience a sense of Wimbledon tradition from May to September every year. There is also a practice wall and ball machine. Along with these, there is an excellent and most welcoming members’ bar with the option of joining other sections of Railway Union at a reduced rate. The club has a great mix of both competitive and social tennis. There
are men’s and women’s teams competing in all the Leinster Leagues from Class 1 to Class 7. The club also runs many year-round internal tournaments, with the main club championships being held on grass during the last two weeks in August. There is also a great social scene in the club. Club night is every Thursday evening, where there are great doubles games followed by drinks in the bar. Wednesday and Saturday are Ladies’ morning when there are great matches on offer for
all standards of player from beginner to advanced. The Junior Section (Over 7 years) is also thriving. In the months of July and August, there is a steward on duty each day from 11am–5.30pm to supervise juniors and organise matches with other clubs and tournaments among the juniors themselves. The juniors also take part in Leinster Leagues year-round and are encouraged to play against older players from a young age. Indeed at present, we have some of the top jun-
iors in Leinster playing in our club. There is top-quality coaching available for all standards from beginner level right up to Class 1 standard at junior and senior level. The club is hosting an Open Day on Saturday June 23rd. We invite everyone of all ages to come down and sample our club facilities, see what is on offer and experience what it’s like to play on real grass courts! The subscription is €362 for Senior Membership, with the first month free if you sign up by direct debit. Junior membership is €163, with reductions for family membership. Those interested in more information can email claremontrailwayltc@gmail.com or phone Anna on 0862530697 or Peter at 0862523539. Check out our website www.claremontrailwayltc.com We look forward to welcoming you to our Open Day and to our Tennis Club Top: John O’Donovan and Joanne O’Reilly at Railway Union.
PET PORTRAIT WINNERS
This is why I love my little kitten (well not really a kitten anymore)! Her name is Mica, I got her when I was about 8. I remember the first time she fell asleep in my arms. She has the softest fur you could ever imagine and big green eyes that are outlined in thick black lines like Cleopatra. I especially love the ginger fur behind her pointy ears. Her snow white paws are so dainty and elegant. Oh and her pink little button nose. I love her little whiskers too and the way she drools all over my arms when she’s sleeping. But the best thing of all, I love the way she knows when I’m sad, and gives me extra cuddles but I don’t like it when sleeps on all my black clothes! Julia McClean Age 12 Dolphins Barn
In our February/ March edition of NewsFour we asked our readers to tell us why they love their pet so much. Congratulations to Julia McClean and Charlie Trehy, who both won a 40 minute photo shoot with their pet and an 8 x 10 framed photo for their entries. Thanks to Fergus Meneghan (086 4094138) of BARKING MAD PET PORTRAITS for allowing us to publish the photos of the winners with their pets. www.barkingmad.ie
My dog’s name is Ali and the reason I love her is because she’s a lovely friendly dog. She’s a boxer dog and she is brown and white. When my baby cousins are at my house Ali is so gentle and she lets them give her treats and hold her while I push them in the buggy. Sometimes when I’m on a walk with Ali we play hide and seek, me and my mam play chasing with her and hide behind the trees. So that’s why I love my doggy. Charlie Trehy Age 12 The Docklands
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NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
IRISH IMMIGRANTS GET PROPER BURIAL
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By Jason McDonnell ive Irish immigrant railroad workers who died amid a cholera outbreak in 1832 were buried in Philadelphia recently. They had been denied a proper burial 180 years ago, but were re-buried in a ceremony by Bishop Michael J. Fitzgerald at West Laurel Hill Cemetery, on
March 9th 2012. It is believed that 57 Irish labourers died near the Philadelphia suburb of Malvern, Pa., in 1832 in a place called the Duffy’s Cut site. Their bodies were believed to be buried in a mass grave with no headstones, next to the railroad line, used today by the Amtrak and local commuter trains.
Researchers and historians Bill and Frank Watson found skeletal remains there in 2009. When some of the bones showed signs of pick axe or hatchet marks on the skulls, the researchers considered murder. One of the skulls included a possible bullet hole. Anti-Irish sentiment made 19th-century America a hostile place for Irish workers.
DUBLIN FIRE BRIGADE AT 150 IT’S
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By Sandy Hazel ublin Fire Brigade celebrates its 150th anniversary this year and celebrations will include a parade through Dublin city on Saturday 2nd June. Starting at Parnell Square at 6.15 pm, firefighters, engines and ambulances will parade from Parnell Square through O’Connell Street and Dame Street up to Dublin Castle, where the Lord Mayor of Dublin and the Chief Fire Officer of the Dublin Fire Brigade will formally inspect the Honour Guard and marching body of the DFB and watch on as the Fire Service Pipe and Drum Bands perform a tattoo in recognition of the Dublin Fire Brigade’s 150 years of service. Vehicles will include a fully-restored 1921 Leyland Fire Engine, which was used for Michael Collin’s funeral and a rebuilt horsedrawn ambulance, which was the first ever used by the DFB, designed by the then Chief Fire Officer, Captain Purcell. Alongside these two historic vehicles, there will also be a modern ambulance, fire appliance, turntable ladder, advanced paramedic vehicle, swift water rescue boat and more. Marching, too, will be eleven Fire Service Pipes and Drums Bands who have travelled over for the event from all over the USA.
ALL KICKING OFF
By Joe McKenna “When I was a teenager, a lot of my friends would be down the park on a Friday night drinking cider, but I’d always be out kicking a ball. There was nowhere to get a game at that time, so I’d play by myself for hours.” David Beckham
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The two brothers have long hypothesized that many of the workers succumbed to cholera, a bacterial infection spread by contaminated water or food. The disease was rampant at the time, and had a typical mortality rate of 40 to 60 percent. The other immigrants, they surmise, were killed by vigilantes because of anti-Irish prejudice, tension between affluent residents and poor transient workers, or intense fear of cholera or maybe a combination of all three. The men’s families were never told of their deaths but a passenger list for the John Stamp, a ship that sailed from Ireland to Philadelphia four months earlier, offers possible identities for 15 workers who came from Donegal, Tyrone and Derry. So far the Watsons have identified one victim as 18-yearold John Ruddy, based on bone size and the ship’s manifest. They have found a section of teeth with a rare genetic anomaly (a missing upper molar that never formed) shared by other Ruddy family members in Ireland. The brothers see the project as
he above words define the mentality it takes from a young age to get to the top of world football. Constant discipline, persistence and commitment are needed when less taxing options seem tempting. But as we all know, that level of devotion is seldom seen outside
of top-flight football and regular young players can easily find themselves drifting away from the game once teenage life begins to throw up distractions. Step forward the FAI Late Night Leagues initiative. In an attempt to lead young people away from anti-social and harmful behaviour, the FAI set up the Late Night League Programme just under two years ago, hoping to offer young people around Dublin alternative activities at prime anti-social hours and with the assistance of Dublin City Council and the Aviva Community Fund, Irishtown Stadium has seen its Late
a way to document early 19thcentury attitudes about industry, immigration and disease in Pennsylvania. Their ultimate goal is to recover all the remains and identify the men. The Watson brothers and others played bagpipes at the funeral for the five men and said afterwards, “Our goals from the beginning were to get them properly remembered and properly buried.” After the speeches and prayers, the caskets were lowered into a grave in silence. A rifle salute by men dressed as Irish soldiers who fought in the U.S. Civil War ended the ceremony. Beth Anne Killian of Lansdowne, Pa., said she was motivated to attend the ceremony to see the Irish workers “get the proper respect they deserved.” The researchers plan to send the remains of a sixth body to Ireland for re-interment. Their next investigation involves another possible mass grave of Irish railroad workers about 10 miles up the tracks in Downingtown. Two other sites suggested by local historians could follow.
Night League become a success. FAI Community Development Officer for Dublin South Inner City, Jonathan Tormey, spoke to NewsFour about the leagues. “We run the leagues for four weeks at a time on a Friday night between seven o’clock and ten. It’s really just to give the kids something to do, because otherwise they might be out drinking in the park, and we’ve found that if there’s a game of football on, most of them want to come along. It’s not just here in Irishtown, though, it’s all over Dublin and to be honest it’s worked really well. “We have it set up so that it’s not just about the game it’s about respect as well. If you swear you lose points. If you lose a game and don’t shake hands you lose points. Little things like that will hopefully help a lot of kids. It’s totally free and it helps people make friends, it keeps young people off the streets, it’s great for their health and it’s open to anyone between the ages of 13 to 19. I would encourage anyone to get involved, because it’s all about providing an outlet for young people through football, and only good things can come from it.” Information on the Late Night League Programme can be found at Irishtown Stadium or www.fai.ie
NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
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BRAM STOKER CENTENARY
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By Jason McDonnell ram Stoker was born into a middle-class Church of Ireland family in Marino Crescent in Clontarf. He was the third of seven children, and was very ill until the age of seven. His mother spent most of her time with him, reading to him. The author died 100 years ago on April 20th 1912 at the age of 64. He studied maths at Trinity College and got a job in the Civil Service. Then in 1878 Stoker married an actress called Florence Balcombe. They settled in London and together had a son named Irving Noel Thornley. During this time, Stoker became good friends with fellow Irishmen Oscar Wilde and William Butler Yeats, as well as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the famous Sherlock Holmes. His best known novel was
8 5
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pub‘Dracula’, lished on May 26th 1897. This was by far the most famous horror story ever published. Stoker worked regularly for The Daily Telegraph paper from 1905 until 1910, wrote 12 novels altogether and also published collections of short stories, most of which have been completely overshadowed by his creation of Dracula. Nowadays the vampire story has become very modernized and Americanised. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight books are a few examples. The lead characters are no longer a mature, violent, dangerous aristocrat, but a handsome young boy that no one talks to in school and is eternally 17. It seems that the vampire character is being reinvented for each generation, which I suppose is not a bad idea to keep the story alive. ‘Dracula’ is the biggest horror story ever written and the most filmed horror character ever created. Ireland is lucky to have a tourist attraction like this, yet little is done to promote it. Above: Christopher Lee in the film ‘Dracula’.
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ODEON POINT VILLAGE LISTINGS FOR
JUNE
AND
JULY
THE NEWSFOUR CROSSWORD COMPILED BY GEMMA BYRNE
By Jason McDonnell With the Odeon on our doorstep, complete with an amazing state-of-the-art ISENSE 3D screen (the best screen in the UK and Ireland) it’s worth finding time to catch a few of these great 3D titles over the coming months.
Prometheus: Release Date: 1/6/2012. 3D journey that reaches the farthest corners of the universe. Ice Age 4: Release Date: 13/7/2012. The fourth installment of the Ice Age series. The Amazing Spider-Man: Release Date: 3/7/2012. Peter Parker’s past is revealed. The Dark Knight Rises: Release Date: 20/7/2012. This is the epic conclusion. Dr Seuss’ The Lorax: Release Date: 27/7/2012. Family animation by the creators of Despicable Me. The Bourne Legacy: Release Date: 17/8/2012. The fourth installment of the massively successful Bourne series. The Three Stooges: (Subtitled for hard of hearing) Release Date: 20/7/2012. The blundering brothers on their wildest adventure ever.
Name:…………………………… Telephone:………………… Address:………………………………………………………… Prize of a €25 book token. Post entries to NewsFour, RICC, Thorncastle Street, Ringsend, D.4 by 20th July 2012. Winner of our April/May crossword competition was Aine Moloney of Irishtown. ACROSS 1) This American child star sang The Good Ship Lollypop (7,6) 10) Infuse gradually into the mind or feelings (7) 11) Say how you feel about this non-stop train (7) 12) Fight tooth and ----(4) 13) This -- -- Michael Jaskson’s planned 2009 tour (2,2) 15) It never stands still and is a great healer (4) 17) Attempt this in rugby (3) 19) Chooses by voting (6) 21) Failed to remember (6) 22) Outlook, view or belief (7) 23) Scarcely, barely (6) 25) Yellow fruit (6) 27) Press lightly with something absorbant (3) 29) Sheet of paper (4) 30) Boring (5) 31) Get -- --, partake in (maybe mischief) (2,2) 34) Foreboding (7) 35) Purify liquid by vaporizing (7) 36) Places to which people are going (12) DOWN 2) Antagonistic, unfriendly (7) 3) Surprise attack (4) 4) Sign Up (6) 5) We vote on a stability one on May 31st (6) 6) Charts (4) 7) Ogling (7) 8) Lovable character that’s a big fan of honey (6,3,4) 9) Concentrated liquids derived from plants (9,4) 14) Nationality of a Tehran native (7) 16) Took without permission (5) 18) ----- Skehan, this Irish TV Chef is a bit of a hero (5) 20) Secret Agent (3) 21) --- off, get rid of or dump (3) 24) An early form of jazz (7) 26) Uses in a practical way (7) 27) Plum-like fruit (6) 28) Member of an armed gang of robbers (6) 32) Black build up in a chimney (4) 33) Civil order granted by the courts to deter delinquent behaviour (1,1,1,1)
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NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
GOOGLEBRIDGE G
By Sandy Hazel oogle has applied to Dublin City Council for planning permission to link its three buildings on Barrow Street with a suspended bridge structure. South East Area councillors were presented with the plans at last month’s meeting. The three structures on Barrow Street, employing 2,000 people, are Gordon House, Gasworks and Google Docks (formerly known as Montevetro). Google says the proposed bridge will “help us to move more freely between our buildings and will connect the work areas in all our buildings more easily.”
Designed by HLW and Reddy architects, the proposed bridge is a lightweight structure of steel and glass designed as a transparent box to allow maximum light penetration to the street and the buildings. Each structural element is designed to work in a spider’s web type structure to ensure the visual effects of any supporting elements are reduced to the minimum. The bridge aims to be an “iconic addition” to the street, according to the architects. Councillors are generally supportive of the “innovative” plans but Dermot Lacey has said “local residents should be kept informed of plans and
works.” Cllr Mannix Flynn expressed some concern that public streets can be colonised by corporations in “campus schemes and Googlezones.” If planning permission is received, Google hopes to com-
21
SARAH BRIDGE
A BRIDGE
YEARS ACTIVE
OF DISTINCTION
By Austin Cromie “There can be little doubt that in many ways the story of bridgebuilding is the story of civilisation. By it we can readily measure an important part of a people’s progress.” Franklin D Roosevelt
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mence construction sometime between July and September 2012. Google hopes that larger elements of the bridge will be fabricated off-site. Barrow Street is Google’s European Headquarters, pro-
he art of bridge building began with the ancient Romans who were superb engineers. They built stone arch bridges and aqueducts of great strengths, many of which are still standing today. In 1791 Scottish architect Alexander Stevens designed the Sarah Bridge at Islandbridge, Dublin. Sarah was Countess of Westmoreland and laid the foundation stone that year. It spans 104 feet (single arch) a world record for 38 years and later surpassed by the famous Grosvenor Bridge in Chester with a span of 200 feet. Sarah remained the longest span in Ireland until Lucan Bridge was completed in 1814. It is still the second longest masonry arch road bridge span in the country. The longest single-arch masonry bridge to be built here is the Lucan Bridge. It has a single arch span of 110 feet and its parapet has cast-iron railings, manufactured in the Phoenix Iron Works at Islandbridge c1814. It is broadly true to say that single arch bridges were the forerunners of the suspended deck bridges that are a familiar sight in our modern landscapes.
M
By Carmel Magee embers and friends of Ringsend Active Retirement Association helped to celebrate their 21st anniversary in March. Father Tonge celebrated mass in the CMWS
and encouraged us to keep going forward. This was followed by a dinner dance in the Grand Canal Hotel. Looking back, it’s hard to believe that a group of seniors could have achieved so much. From
viding online sales and operations support to customers in more than 50 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The Dublin site is the third largest site in the Google Corporation. Its presence on Barrow Street has helped develop a technology cluster of Irish and international digital and internetbased companies in the area. Google, currently completing the internal fit out of Google Docks, will also be upgrading the décor of Gordon House to a similar standard as the recently renovated Gasworks building. holidays abroad and at home, visits to the Áras, Dublin Castle, the Mansion House, theatres and museums are just some of the things we’ve accomplished and the memories keep flowing back. Our activities continue on a regular basis with keep-fit, bowling, snooker, crafts, a variety group and many social occasions. So if you are retired with time on your hands, why not drop into the CMWS on Irishtown Road between 2.30pm and 4.00pm Tuesday to Friday. There’s always a cup of tea! Pictured, left to right: Sean Caulfield, Bernard Flood, Carmel Magee, Father Tonge, Anna Hulgraine, Una Henry, Olive Farrell, Derek Murphy, John Wall, Peter Rossiter, Philip Murphy.
A NEW HANDBOOK FOR PENSIONERS
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By Bernie Byrne any older people don’t use the internet and so can’t access information on vital public services easily. The launch recently of ‘The Irish Pensioners Handbook 2012’ was welcomed by Kathleen Lynch, TD Minister for State. The book features information on: • Allowances and Entitlements for older people and carers • Medical Advice • Home Care • Advice Around the Home • Nursing Home Care • Dementia and Alzheimer’s care
• How to deal with Bereavement
• Tips on Health & Fitness, Nutrition & Diet, Holidays & • Travel • Financial and Legal advice
It also has a directory of older people’s organisations and other useful contacts and was produced by Home Instead Senior Care with the support of Age Action and the HSE. If you would like to obtain a copy of the handbook or other free educational booklets or enquire about information on the provision of free training in the community on a number of health-related issues then please contact: Home Instead Senior Care, 60 Merrion Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Phone 6670911 or email bernie.byrne@hisc.ie
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MICK MEAGAN: IRELAND’S FIRST FOOTBALL MANAGER
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By Joe McKenna s we sit on the edge of Ireland’s first major footballing tournament since Japan 2002 and the country braces itself for football-fuelled hysteria throughout the weeks of June, we at NewsFour came upon a man that many current Irish football fans would have nev-
er heard of. The name Mick Meagan means quite a lot along the halls of Goodison Park, where he played the majority of his football for Everton, then moving on to Huddersfield and Halifax before returning home for spells with Drogheda United, Bray Wanderers and Shamrock Rovers.
HEAVYWEIGHT
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By Joe McKenna s the likes of Paddy Barnes, John Joe Nevin, Darren O’Neill and Micheal Conlon prepare to go toe-tot o e w i t h t h e w o r l d ’s f i n est boxers at the London Olympics, there is a local iniative with real promise which hopes to help the Dublin South East area produce boxers who are capable of one day representing their homeland at an Olympic level. The idea of the Dublin South East Boxing Club arose nearly two years ago when a group of local activists noticed that the area was lacking somewhere for local boxers to train. Local community volunteer Chris Andrews s p o k e w i t h N e w s F o u r. “I knew Susan Men-
But it was in international football where Mick Meagan was written into football trivia history by becoming the first manager of the Republic of Ireland football team, taking over from the team of selectors who had previously been in charge. NewsFour caught up with Mick after his daily swim at
the 40 Foot with the 11 o’clock club and took him back to Dalymount Park, where he made his Irish International debut in May 1961 against Scotland. “It was fantastic coming out and the crowd around you. I mean, back then we’d get forty thousand people watching us and the crowd were right on top of you. As a youngster who loved football, you would go to Dalyer and watch the exhibition matches when the English teams would come and play and would just hope that one day you could play against them or be one of them.” Leaving Dublin at the age of 17 to ply his trade as a professional footballer, Mick played against some of the biggest names in the game, having come up against the famous Busby Babes of Manchester United in their prime and the Legendary figures of Newcastle’s Jackie Millburn and Stoke, Blackpool and England hero Sir Stanley Matthew. It’s fair to say Mick Meagan got to live the dream of nearly every young boy kicking a football and has seen the game change throughout his lengthy career. “When I was young we
played for the love of the game and money wasn’t an issue. You got paid what you got paid and that was your job. I find it wrong that some of these guys are getting two hundred thousand pounds a week; it sends out the wrong signal to kids. When I played it was for the game and the money didn’t matter, but things like Sky have brought a lot of that to the game, y’know?” With Giovanni Trappatoni about to take his squad to Poland for what could be the last big tournament for many of them, We asked Mick how he views the team’s chances. “I think we’re going to have a great Euro. I love the setup, I think the players are all great lads and I can see them looking after each other and that’s what I like about Trappatoni; he’s got a great bunch of players around him. I think if Duff can go back to his dribbling game and Richard Dunne is available, I think we can do really well. “I feel like we can get out of our group at least. When you look at some of the players that won’t be going, it gives you confidence in the players that are going.” Let’s get the ball rolling then, and here’s hoping for a green and glorious summer on the pitch.
and Pearse Street but it has to meet the right height requirements. Most premises can’t facilitate a full-size ring, so if anyone has a property or knows someone with a p r o p e r t y, w e ’ d b e m o r e than delighted to talk to t h e m . We h a v e Ti m D a rm o d y, a l o c a l a r c h i t e c t , helping us with reports on premises and we’re still looking. Everything
e l s e i s i n p l a c e , i t ’s j u s t the premises.” Wi t h s o m a n y s p o r t s catered for throughout Dublin South East, Chris Andrews believes that a boxing club will only offer further sporting opportunities to young l o c a l s . “ I t h i n k i t ’s i m portant for young people to have an outlet through sport and for them to have a full range of activities to choose from. Dublin South East is so rich in sport and sporting hist o r y, i t m a k e s c o m p l e t e sense to train boxers here. Our intention is to train and produce worldclass boxers who can go on to represent the area a n d t h e c o u n t r y, b u t a s a community iniative we will encourage people to come down and train even if they don’t want to comp e t e a t a h i g h l e v e l . I t ’s a club for the area.”
AMBITIONS
t o n a t S t A n d r e w ’s a n d I knew John O’Brien, who h a d b o x e d p r o f e s s i o n a l l y. We g o t t a l k i n g a n d d e c i d ed to see about setting up a boxing club in the area. There hadn’t been a club here in quite a while and there was always a club around here, going back years. Basically from there it developed into a larger group, including Mick Quinn from the I R F U , B e t t y Wa t s o n f r o m S t A n d r e w ’s a n d L o r r a i n e B a r r y f r o m t h e R I C C . We also have Dublin City Council with us, too. I t ’s j u s t e v o l v e d f u r t h e r and further and I think with recent events in Irish boxing, the development of boxing and with the success Irish women have had in boxing, there is a need for Dublin South
East to have a club.” Despite so much postive impetus and momentum, the project has found itself up against a hefty o b s a c t l e . “ We ’ v e b e e n unable to find premises, b a s i c a l l y. I t ’s a c o m b i n a tion of cost and location. O b v i o u s l y, i f w e h a d l o t s of money we could put it a n y w h e r e w e w a n t e d . We want to find somewhere close to both Ringsend
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S
o here we go folks, one of the most hectic sporting summers in many a year is upon us. The Olympics in London, The European Soccer Championships in Poland and the Ukraine and right here at home the battles for Liam McCarthy and Sam Maguire. Will Kilkenny continue to steamroll all in front of them in hurling again in 2012? Can Tipp rediscover the form of 2010? Will Jimmy Barry Murphy drag Cork back to the summit? And for us Dubs the big question is will Anthony Daly’s boys take another step up on the ladder and bring the Dubs to the promised land? With the injury woes of the last 12 months starting to disappear, there is a sneaky suspicion that the hurlers of Dublin might just turn a few heads this summer and deliver on the promise of the last couple of years and sure wouldn’t it be great to see? Who will ever forget that epic Dublin/Kerry battle last September in Croke Park? The sense of relief when the ref blew the final whistle was etched on every Dublin face as 16 years of waiting was finally over. How quickly time passes and the journey starts again. June 3rd Dublin v Louth, the boys should get over Louth but as always with Dublin the first round is a dangerous one. Who will be the main contenders in football? Surely those Wily Kerry men will be relishing the opportunity to take back the trophy they believe the Dubs stole from them in the dying moments last year. Has Mickey Harte started to put together a new Tyrone? Will Mayo finally deliver on their undoubted potential? Will the Lily-
The Fontenoy Files By Pat Kane
white bandwagon even deliver a Leinster title? Can Cork get to the top again with probably the best squad in the country? Or, will the Dubs give us another summer from heaven? The months ahead will give us the answers to all these questions and what a summer it should be. On the Club front, things are motoring along nicely. The Camogie girls have continued their winning ways and with games to spare had secured their position in the top four playoff end of the league. The girls have been battling hard and coping well with the higher division this year and as the summer progresses the competition for trophies will only intensify. Rumour has it that Jenny Hevey is already back in training and looking for her place back for the championship. Jenny now has a new number 1 fan, her new baby boy, and no doubt it won’t
be long until he’s standing on the line shouting “c’mon mammy.” On behalf of everyone in Clans, a big congratulations to Jenny and Robert on their new arrival. Senior Hurlers continue to impress and surprise everyone. Their performance in a recent league game v Ballyboden brought a smile to everyone’s face. It’s been a while since we overcame Ballyboden in a Senior hurling game and the manner in which it was achieved was a joy to watch. As championship time is now upon us, we are hoping that they can bring their league form through and make serious inroads into the summer’s championship. Footballers have been relatively quiet, with only a handful of games played and at the time of writing they still do not know who their opponents will be in the championship 2nd round. However, they continue to work
S TADIUM
hard under the guidance of Dermot Flanagan and we are confident that when games resume we will be as tough and competitive as we have in recent years. Lady footballers have also been busy recently and both Senior and Junior teams are in top half of their divisions, having both only lost one game each in their respective leagues. Senior girls are also only one win away from the semi-final of the senior championship where current Dublin and Leinster champions Na Fianna await them, so no pressure girls, we’re sure you will give it a mighty effort. Juvenile, as always, is as busy as can be, with all teams competing well and, more importantly, getting great enjoyment from our games. Both our Boys and Girls U14 teams competed in the recent Féile competitions. They both performed brilliantly
SPRINT
Tension is etched on the faces of these young women taking part in a recent race at Irishtown Stadium.
NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012 in reaching the semi-finals of their respective divisions. Unfortunately, on this occasion they were both to lose to the eventual winners of the competition, but they gave us lots to shout about along the way. Our U16 team, too, had a great run in the recent championship and in the end lost out in the quarter final by a goal to an extremely good Parnell’s team. All credit to the lads on the team for a mighty effort and to Al and Ray for the time they put into it all. There are big things ahead for this team. A number of Clans girls are involved with Dublin county teams at various levels and we would hope to have info on how they progressed in the next edition of NewsFour. Clanna Gael Fontenoy always has a welcome for new members, both as players or otherwise. If you would like to access further info on the club, check us out at www.clannagaelfontenoy.ie or on Facebook Above: Clanna Gael Ladies U14 Féile Team 2012.
NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012
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ST PATRICK’S CY UPDATE
O
By David Thomas Nolan ur final update of the season brings lots of exciting news for the club. The second team finally won the Major 1A Saturday division, a 1-3 win away to CYM Terenure on a cold Monday night sealed a second straight title, captained by long time club servant Leo Ridgeway. The lads only suffered defeat in the league once all season, coming away to third placed Sacred Heart with just a handful of games remaining but even more remarkable was the team’s performance in both the FAI and Leinster Junior Cups. They reached the fifth round of the FAI Junior but it was their run in the prestigious Leinster Junior that really got people’s attention. It took the might of favourites St Kevin’s Boys to beat them in a barn-storming semi-final played in Ringsend toward the end of April. CY took the lead through Stephen Ryan but fell 1-3 down mid-way through the second half. A strong fight back began by the magnificent Warren Behan who headed home but despite a great effort the equaliser didn’t come much to the dis-
Y
appointment of a very large home crowd. Congratulations to the management team of Derek Bowden, Ray Doyle and Wayne Byrne. John Young’s troops are still in action as this report is being compiled. With just one remaining league game it looks like a comfortable top four finish for the first team! An excellent return from our debut season in the Intermediate top flight, but as with the second team it’s cup football that’s making all the headlines. CY recently took on Airtricity side Bray Wanderers in the quarter final of the Leinster Senior Cup and in front of a great attendance in Irishtown Stadium beat the visitors by three goals to nil. Alan Murphy opened the scoring just before half-time while Dean Young and Andy Doolin sealed it with a goal apiece in the second period. The reward for these efforts is a semi-final away to UCD. Former Ringsend clubs Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers face off in the other last four bout. A great achievement to be the one remaining amateur club in the Leinster Senior Cup but it doesn’t
LOCAL
By Rupert Heather MCA Cricket Club, based in Sandymount, begin a new season hoping to reap the rewards of a coaching and youth development blueprint that combines sustainable growth with a winning mentality. The recruitment by the Claremont Road club of Ireland International Trent Johnston as head coach from local rivals Railway Union is a huge boost. Former Ireland captain Johnston, who ended a five year association with Railway, will add strength to an already successful coaching set up.
stop there. Having received a bye into the Ford FAI Senior Cup second round draw they were paired with Dundalk. This hugely anticipated game will take place in Oriel Park on Friday May 25th with a 7:45pm KO. We hope to take a strong travelling support up the M1 and who knows what can be achieved! Three days prior to that, CY travel in the opposite direction for a quarter-final clash in the Metropolitan Cup with Arklow Town, a tough assignment. All in all it’s been a fantastic season for the club, its 75th season. Our third team finished a respectable fifth in the league and prove that the conveyor belt of local players is still going strong. As it’s almost the end of an epic season, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our main sponsor FLANAGAN’S, also the support given from Sally’s The Shipwright and our many, many other contributors and raffle ticket buyers. We hope you will stand shoulder to shoulder with us again next season. The committee.
CRICKET FOCUS
Former Irish International and current Club Captain Alan Lewis said, “We’ve been hang-
ing on for the last four years. From nearly being dead we set up a model of youth develop-
MAJOR EXPANSION PLANNED AT RAILWAY UNION RFC
A
By Kirstin Smith
fter an extremely successful 2011/2012 season which saw the rebirth and growth of the club, Railway Union RFC is
looking ahead to next season, and plans are in place for fur-
ther expansion and development.
March, April and May saw the culmination of the season, including a
bitterly fought-out match against Mullingar, which saw the opposition win by a point and take the league play-off spot. The 3rd XV reached
the final of the Guilfoyle-James Cup, losing to Blackrock RFC in the final at Donnybrook. Other events included the annual Dinner-Dance, tour to London and the Kinsale Seven’s Tournament over the May Bank Holiday weekend.
Launching this season is Under 21s and Ladies Rugby, with new man-
agement teams putting final plans in place over the summer months.
Pre-season training will begin in July.
These new teams will join the current three men’s teams that are in
the club.
Anyone interested in joining Railway Union RFC for the coming sea-
son should email info@railwayunionrfc.com to register their interest
and to receive further information. All new members are most welcome, with or without rugby experience.
Pictured above at the Annual Dinner Dance, from left: Courtney
Smith, Grace Fox and Kirstin Smith.
ment. The next step is to give those young players the conditions to flourish.” Last season YMCA enrolled 170 youth players. A remarkable development from a position of having just 50 kids involved four years ago. Academy products Jack Tector, James Smith and Callum Donnelly among others are already starting to make a name for themselves. With all four of their junior teams promoted last year and the senior team maintaining their division 1 status, could a period of “sustainable” growth see YMCA mount a challenge for senior honours? If the current crop re-capture the “spirit” of the all conquering 90s team that contained six full interna-
tionals then anything is possible. Lewis says “that team was a breeding ground for excellence. We want to re-establish that ethos.” The arrival of Lee Cole as wicket keeper batsman and the continuing emergence of Robert Garth as an opening bowler will help the cause. So too will the return of Albert van der Merwe from injury and Indian professional Simi Singh will add steel to the batting line-up. Lewis adds, “I’d like to think we could be at the upper echelons of the league. We weren’t too far away last year and if we can get the spirit of a winning team, that will help.” Pictured: Ireland International Trent Johnston
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NEWSFOUR JUNE / JULY 2012