NewsFour_2004_06 by News Four

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

STRESSED-OUT SOUTH WALL TO CLOSE

he Great South Wall, one of the areaʼs best-loved and most used amenities, is to close for the Summer while vital structural exploration takes place. As George Kearns mentioned in our April issue, cracks have widened. The Wall was strengthened and refurbished in 2000 by Dublin Port Company at a cost of €3.9 million. Workers at Dublin Port have reported seeing cracks on the wall and the company are doing

tests to examine the extent of the damage. As a result, from early June the wall will be closed to the vast numbers of ﬁshermen, walkers and swimmers usually found there in the Summer months. A spokesman for Dublin Port said the closure of the wall, home to the legendary Half Moon Swimming Club, was “regrettable but absolutely necessary”. “If we could do the work over winter time we would but we canʼt because of the weather,” said Mr Jimmy Carolan, Market-

ing Manager with the Port. “Believe me, we are not happy about it either, but we have no choice”. Mr Carolan said the work was “vital” for two reasons. If the three-mile wall, which dates back to the 1700ʼs, was breached this would be disastrous for Dublin Port. “Within a week of the wall

being breached, the whole area would be covered with sand because of the tides,” said Mr Carolan. He said the work must also be carried out to preserve the safety of the people who come from miles around to enjoy this public resource.

Mr Carolan added that the people who built the wall with granite blocks each weighing a tonne were “geniuses”. “The blocks were carried on barges from quarries in Dalkey across Dublin,” he said. At the time of construction the sea wall was the longest of its kind in the world.

T EXACO T RIUMPH

R UN , B ABY , R UN !

Pictured with his painting ʻLet Sleeping Wolves Lieʼ, winner of ﬁrst prize in category E of this yearʼs 50th Texaco Childrenʼs Art Comprtition, is Dylan McKeown, age 8, a student at St. Maryʼs Boys National School, Haddington Road. With him is his mother Theresa.

Barnardos and Danone called on thousands of toddlers throughout Ireland to join them for the Danone big toddle for Barnardos, a brand new fundraising event where children get to help other children around the country to raise vital funds for Irelandʼs leading childrenʼs charity. Leading the charge at Little Bo Peep creche are, from left, Katya Lawlor, Padraig Dennan and Lauren Handley. See page 5.

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NewsFour Managing Editor Ann Ingle Advertising Manager Grainne McGuinness Staff Rose Hogan Robert C. Diaz Frances Corr Maggie Neary Patrick Duffy Nicola McMahon Lisa Berigan John Hobson Contributors Jimmy Purdy Alex O’Hanlon Shay Connolly Michael Hilliard George Humphries David Carroll Michelle Gleeson Music Correspondent Daniel Hegarty Web Designer Andrew Thorn Photography John Cheevers Design, Typesetting, Layout Eugene Carolan Support Tony Daly

Community Services, 15 Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4. Telephone: (01)6673317 E-mail: newsfourscs@eircom.net Affiliated to Comhairle, South-East Area Network, (SEAN) Local History Research, Community Resource Service, NewsFour Newspaper, FÁS Community Employment Programme. Opinions expressed in News Four do not necessarily represent the views of Community Services.

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

The Letterbox Madam I was looking in the NewsFour over the weekend and came across the pictures of the Parade at Ringsend Library in 1945. You were asking what the rough concrete structure with the door at the right hand side of the Library was so I asked my mam Marie (Mullen) OʼBrien who lives facing the Library all her life and she told me that it was an Air Raid Shelter and they also used to have one in the middle of St. Patrickʼs Villas as well. Hope this answers your question. Regards, Maria OʼBrien Thanks Maria. Thomas Malone from Dublin 24, Kay Rolly from Arklow and Bill Maybury got in touch with the same answer. Ed. Madam Congratulations on an excellent recent issue. I thought your readers would be interested to know where to obtain the book on Irish Flour Milling. Norman Campion tells me that book should be readily available in Easons,

Nassau Street. (or alternatively they would order it) or it could be obtained from Lilliput Press, the Publishers, who may be contacted @ 6711647. Hope this information is of interest David Carroll Madam One must commend Sandymountʼs two vigilant Valkyrie, Catherine Cavendish and Lorna Kelly, on their letter in your April edition concerning the uprooting of the little copse of trees and bushes in Sean Moore Park by Dublin City Council. This heavy-handed action by the Council seems to have been predicated by the belief that trees create litter, and the cans, bottles syringes and other rubbish fall from the branches like leaves in Autumn. The disgusting state of the ground around some of the park benches, strewn for yards with the after-effects of cider parties, shows that it is not just the bushes and shrubs where the rubbish gathers. If the botanical design and décor of our public parks is to be dictated by winos, junkies and gangs of youths, then we might as

well erect chain-link fencing all around and put them out of bounds to everyone. Other European cities seem to be able to enjoy vandal and rubbish free parks by means of policing, park rangers and the vigilance of ordinary citizens. Our City Councilʼs Parks Department, which does such an excellent job all over Dublin, seems to have had a knee-jerk reaction in Sandymount this time. Yours, etc., Rodney Devitt Madam, Thank you for advertising the Wran Boys event in your Christmas issue. On behalf of the Chairperson and Board of Open Door Care Centre, thankyou to all the Wran Boys Festival Committee for selecting us as their charity for 2003 and to all your readers who supported the event. The total lodged so far is €3270.00 and this will go towards our Art Therapy Programme for members here at Open Door. We so much appreciate your support of our work and the Wran Boys Festival 2003 was such a great success– we all enjoyed the day enormously. Kind Regards Yours Sincerely Heather Latchford

Development Co-Ordinator Open Door Madam Just by coincidence I have come across your April edition of News 4. As a newcomer to Dublin I truly found it very informative print of different events and general concerns. I consider myself as an insider when it comes to ʻspeaking Jazzʼ, and, therefore it is not surprising to me that the article on Ramon Valle has caught my eye particularly. The article described very nicely the rare fusion of Jazz, spiked with natural inspiration of the artistʼs Cuban background. It appeared to me as a real hot tip on a rather infamous musician, which forced me to walk the stalls of the music shops in Dublin. And yes, indeed, as some still mourn about the tragedy of the dying swan in Tchaikovskyʼs ʻSwan Lakeʼ, and fail to move on, my search for ʻRamon Valleʼ in various shops has shown that we are still quite ignorant when it comes to knowing real bliss in music. I take my hat off for the author of this article, and thank him for inspiring me, by widening my musical horizon and shall be looking out for more. Yours Sincerely Adrian Schmid

The Editor’s Corner

ITʼS A MINOR miracle that we got this issue out at all considering the upheaval weʼve been experiencing a ro u n d N e w s 4 H Q l a t e l y. We h a v e c h a n g e d o u r p r i n t e r, i n t ro d u c e d n e w d e s i g n s o f t w a re a n d o n t o p o f t h a t I f e l l d o w n s o m e s t a i r s a n d b ro k e m y a r m a t a c r u c i a l s t a g e o f p ro d u c t i o n which didnʼt help! Thankfully all the News 4 team came to my aid with Lisa literally becoming my right-arm and Eugene playing a blinder in the lay-out of the paper that you now hold. At 36 pages, this edition is smaller t h a n u s u a l b u t I h o p e y o u a g re e t h a t i t i s f u l l o f g o o d re a d i n g a n d w o r t h wh i l e i n f o r m a t i o n . I a m s u re y o u w i l l p a r t i c u l a r l y e n j o y t h e w o n d e r-

fu l p o e m s w r i t t en and illustrated by t h e p u p i l s o f S coil Mhuire, Sandy mo u n t . T h a n k s o n c e again to our advert i s e r s a n d e s p e c ially to all the poli t i c i a n s w h o p l a ced ads in this issue. We w i s h a l l t he candidates every s u c c e s s w i t h t h e election although o b v i o u s l y t h e re has to be winners and losers. O u r n e x t i s s u e will be with you in t h e e a r l y w e e k s of August by which t i m e I s h o u l d be fully restored to h e a l t h . P l e a s e continue to send in a l l y o u r a r t i c l e s, stories and poems w h i c h a d d s o much to News 4. We h o p e t h e g o o d weather continues a n d y o u e n j o y t he Summer ahead. A n n Ingle, Editor, News 4

Local Hero LOCAL cricketer Niall OʼBrien made his county debut for Kent versus Gloucester at Bristol in April. He is pictured leaving the ﬁeld being congratulated by team mate Anjad Khan.

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

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

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100 Y EARS T

OF THE

A BBEY T HEATRE

By John Hobson

his year the Irish National Theatre ʻThe Abbey Theatreʼ celebrates the 100th anniversary of the staging of its first plays and since then the Abbey has been at the forefront of staging Irish and international theatrical productions. The Irish National Theatre was founded in 1903 by W. B. Yeats, Lady Augusta Gregory and J. M. Synge. Yeats who was born on the 13th June 1865 at Sandymount Avenue remained a director of the theatre till his death in 1939. With patronage from Miss Annie Horniman, premises were purchased on Old Abbey Street and on December 27th 1904, the Abbey Theatre opened its doors for the first time. On the first night, the Abbey Players presented a double bill, ʻOn Baileʼs Strandʼ by Yeats and ʻSpreading the Newsʼ by Lady Gregory. Over the next few years the works of some of the greatest Irish playwrights– Synge, Yeats,

Shaw, OʼCasey and others– were premiered at the Abbey. The theatre became renowned for its acting tradition, and has had its share of controversies: in 1907 riots broke out over the use of the word ʻshiftʼ in Syngeʼs ʻThe Playboy of the Western Worldʼ, and similar disturbances took place in 1926 during performances of OʼCaseyʼs ʻThe Plough and the Starsʼ in which the national ﬂag was seen sharing the stage with a pub and a prostitute. On other occasions it was ac-

Cllr. Chris Andrews Pembroke Ward Tel: 01 6794368 Email: chris.andrews@indigo.ie

cused of stagnation and mediocrity. In recent years it has presented exciting work by the new generation of Irish playwrights. Since 1925 the Abbey has incorporated a smaller theatre, the Peacock Theatre, suitable for experimental productions and intimate performances. The old Abbey Theatre was badly damaged by ﬁre in 1951, and the company went into a ﬁfteen-year residency in the Queenʼs Theatre in Pearse Street while arrangements were made for a new purpose-built theatre to replace the old building.

The new theatre, opened in 1966, was designed by the Irish architect Michael Scott and was funded by a Government grant. The exterior of Scottʼs building, which was almost startlingly featureless, was altered in 1989 with the addition of a portico and balcony window designed by McCullough and Mulvin on the Marlborough Street front. The foyer and bar contain a wonderful collection of portraits of the celebrities associated with the theatre. The Abbey nowadays presents new plays by established writers

Pat Bunce Candidate South East Inner City Ward Tel: 086 80 11477 Email: patbunce@hotmail.com

such as Tom Murphy, Bernard Farrell and Brian Friel. It also features new productions of classic plays by writers such as Sean OʼCasey, Oscar Wilde, and J. M. Synge, as well as works by established in ternational writers. To celebrate the 100th anniversary the Abbey has devised a programme which is both diverse and extensive and is based around ﬁve identiﬁable themes: The Abbey and Europe; The Abbey and New Writing; Summer at the Abbey; The Abbey and Ireland and The Abbey on Tour. In addition to the programme on stage and in keeping with their philosophy of artistic and social inclusiveness they have developed a wide range of community, education and artist development programmes. For bookings or general information the theatre can be contacted at: Address: Abbey and Peacock Theatres 26 Lower Abbey Street Dublin 1 Phone: 01 887 2200 Fax: 01 872 9177

Michael Turley Pembroke Ward Tel: 087 24 78015 Email: michaelturley.com

Working with Eoin Ryan TD Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time if we can be of assistance to you

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NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

Percy French 1854 - 1920

The Last Troubadour By Patrick Duffy

“Remember me is all I ask, and yet If remembrance prove a task forget”

he above is written on a seat on the banks of the Grand Canal, just down from Patrick Kavanaghʼs seat. One wonders if they ever met. William Percy French was born 150 years ago on May 1st, 1854 at the family residence, Cloonyguin House, Co Roscommon about ten miles from the town of Roscommon. His father was Christopher French, a scholarly man who was a Doctor of Law and a Justice of the Peace. His mother from Carrick-on-Shannon was the daughter of Reverened William Percy. The Frenchs were part of the

ʻlandlordʼ class but had a good reputation and had a close relationship with their tenants. Percy was the second son and third child of nine and by this time the family fortune was small, so he would have to make his own way in the world. His father sent him to Trinity College, Dublin to study civil engineering. There, he quickly found banjo playing, lawn tennis and water-colour painting more congenial than chemistry, geology and maths. Oh, the sons of the Prophet are hardy and grim And quite unaccustomed to fear But none were so reckless of life or of limb As Abdulla Bulbul Amir. His university career was distinguished only by the compo-

sition of this song ʻAbdul Abulbul Amirʼ, which he sold for £5 and failed to copyright. It became world-famous in a pirated edition years before he was acknowledged as the author. After graduation from Trinity he became an apprentice to Mr George Price, Chief Engineer of the Midland board. After that he took up an appointment with the Board of Works in Cavan and became engineer on a drainage scheme. Cavan became his home for seven years. It was perhaps the happiest time of his life; he was accepted as one of the people of the farming community. Some of his ﬁnest paintings date from this period as well as two of his best songs. ʻPhil the Fluterʼs Ballʼ and ʻCome Back, Paddy Reillyʼ. The garden of Eden has vanished they say, But I know the lie of it still, Just turn to the left at the bridge of Finea, And stop when half-way to Cootehill. He also wrote ʻSlatheryʼs Mounted Futʼ at this time. In 1889, he decided to try his luck as writer and painter in Dublin. He became editor of ʻThe Jarveyʼ, a new comic magazine. He wrote two light operas and a number of songs, and gave lessons in painting. With some friends he wrote and produced ʻDublin up to Dateʼ, a topical show with sketches, recitations, and a com-

ic lecture on Dublin . From this he built up the solo entertainment for which he was chieﬂy known during his lifetime. One day, while resting on a ﬁne summerʼs afternoon on the cliffs of Skerries, looking north towards Down, the ʻMountains

of Mourneʼ, his most famous song, was born. Oh, Mary, this Londonʼs a wonderful sight, With the people here workinʼ by day and by night, They donʼt sow potatoes, nor barley, nor wheat, But thereʼs gangs oʼ them digginʼ for gold in the street. In 1900, Percy French moved to London, and became one of the most successful entertainers of his day, singing his songs to the banjo, and illustrating his stories and recitations with comic drawings. With Dr Houston Collison, composer, gifted singer and pianist, he gave recitals in London and the provinces, and the two toured Canada, the United States and the West Indies. During the war they went to entertain troops in France. Percy French was married twice and both marriages were happy, though the ﬁrst one ended tragically in 1891 with the death of his wife on their wedding anniversary. Their baby daughter died a month later. A few years afterwards he married again, and his second wife and three daughters survived him. On January 24th 1920, ʻThe Last Troubadourʼ died.

Guitar Lessons Professional Teacher Contact Tony at 087 9743775

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

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Tiny Tots Take a Toddle for Barnados BARNARDOS and Danone called on thousands of toddlers throughout Ireland to join them for the Danone big toddle for Barnardos, a brand new fundraising event where children get to help other children around the country to raise vital funds for Irelandʼs leading childrenʼs charity. From 1st - 16th May créches, Montessori and pre-school groups were asked to organize their own sponsored ʻToddleʼ of up to half a mile in their own time during the two weeks. Up to 12,000 children took part. Danone provided special packs for the children and any other materials needed, which meant that all the funds raised went to Barnardos and their work with vulnerable children. The toddlers from Little Bo Peep at Sportsco, Ringsend were only too happy to take up the challenge. With great encouragement from Pauline and Eimear who run the Pre-School they had no problem taking a toddle for charity whilst toddling in the fresh air over the two week period. Barnardos are delighted with any funds raised considering €7 can buy a toy for their toy library, €25 can buy a ﬁrst aid kit for a Barnardoʼs childrenʼs project and €50 will provide breakfast for 15 children for a week in one of their family centres. Barnardosʼ founder Thomas Barnardo was born in Dame Street in Dublin in 1845 and was educated at St Patrickʼs Cathedral School. He left Dublin in 1866 to train as a doctor in London, and then to head off to China to become a missionary, however he never left London as the child poverty of the East-End appalled him, and his lifeʼs work began by establishing childrenʼs homes that spread throughout Britain and eventually world-wide. By Rose Hogan

Simon Cowell on the Prowl Simon Cowell, the music expert who has become a household name on both sides of the Atlantic is to star in a brand new talent show with a difference. Cowell who has just signed a two year exclusive deal with ITV, will put his own neck on the line in The X Factor (working title), when he sets himself up in competition with two other key industry judges looking for the next singing sensation. The competition will give everyone the opportunity to shine. With no limits and open to everyone over the age of 16, The X Factor is inviting solo male and female wannabes to apply along with bands, groups and families all hoping for stardom. It will be the ﬁrst time such an exhaustive search for talent has taken place. At the end of the most extensive auditions ever seen in the UK and Ireland, hopefuls will be whittled down to 120 and divided into three categories. Each category will be assigned one judge faced with the task of shaping up their acts so that one of them emerges as the winner of TVʼs biggest search in history.

Stars of the Sea

Ringsend and District Credit Union Ltd. 5 Irishtown Rd., Dublin 4. Phone: 6686676 • Fax: 6686288

At Ringsend Credit Union we now offer • Highly Competitive Lending Interest Rates • Foreign Currencies • Travel Insurance ON APRIL 30TH last as Dublin was celebrating the historic accession of 10 new countries to the European Union with the fireworks extravaganza, some young entrepreneurs from Star of the Sea School were setting up shop on the sea front. John Flanagan, Gavin Hogan and Peter Murray, with the help of Johnʼs Mum and Dad

Yvonne and Peter, sold chocolate bars, crisps and drinks to the crowds making their way to and from the fireworks. All the proceeds went towards the Church funds. Father Briscoe was only too happy to accept a cheque for €135 from the boys for their efforts. By Rose Hogan

All Business Transacted During Opening Hours OPENING HOURS Monday–Thursday 9.30am-12 noon • 2.00pm- 4.30pm Friday 9.30am-12.30pm • 2.00pm-4.30pm • 6.00pm-8.00pm Closed Wednesday Afternoon

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NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

S COIL M HUIRE S PEAKS O UT ! M

any thanks to the pupils of Scoil Mhuire for sending in their wonderful poems and stories we wish we could print them all. We give below a random selection.

Bullies By Maggie Noonan Big fat ugly bullies! What more could you expect. Their knuckles must be very sore Because they spend their time Punching people in the face. I wonder what itʼs like being bullied, Punches to the face, Or names like “Dork” and things like that It would be an awful disgrace. Why do bullies do this? Donʼt ask me! I am only writing the poem Now itʼs your turn to tell me. Homework Oʼ Homework By Serena Nealon Homework Oʼ homework itʼs such a delight To read to write every-night Itʼs great to learn for a day in my life Where these things come in to light Itʼs nice to get a break once in a while But getting back into it gives me a Smile. I Wish By Niamh Gorman I wish that I was ten feet tall. Then I could see over my back wall. I wish that I had wings to ﬂy. Then I could play games up in the sky. Hide and Seek behind a cloud. Or I could shout out really loud. With no one to say sush sush. My favorite game is I wish.

Not my kind of teacher By Sinéad Kennedy My teacher is a pest, She never ever skips a test. She gives us homework every day And we never ever get time to play According to her the biggest crime, Is not getting to school on time. She doesnʼt seem to care at all If you are good at art or football She only wants you to pass All the tests she gives in class. I hope our next teacher is really kind Or else Iʼm leaving school behind.

Summer is back By Deborah Barry Sun is back out Umbrellas are put away Months are getting brighter Mild is not here again Everything is growing back Right now its not sunny its pouring. The Bakery By Rachel Clarke (Age 10) The Bakery is my favourite place to go, Where they sell all kinds of dough, Such as cakes, pastries, tarts and buns too, The delicious smell as you pass by makes you stop and sigh. So in you go and before you know, Your favourite one is wrapped and ready to go. The House Ghost By Caoimhe Loftus I met him in the garden eating all the plants. He said, “I see you staring at me. Iʼm such a fancy pants”. I cried, “Itʼs not that Iʼm staring

at. Itʼs just that you are a ghost”! “Well, I know Iʼm a vision of loveliness! “Oh sorry - I didnʼt mean to boast!” I met him in the kitchen whilst getting a glass of juice Are you trying to scare me it really is no use? I see I havenʼt introduced my self, hello my name is Bruce But why did you pick my house? “I picked your house because itʼs so nice, And since I have died I have stayed here once or twice”. The last time I met him was at the front door I said “goodbye, I hope to see you soon”. Sadness came over me as I waved goodbye And as he slowly passed me by. He said: “You are my good friend But unfortunately this is the end”. The Old Tree By Suzanne Sheehan There was an old tree that looked like an ogre. And it was feared by people all over. Although its bark was worse than its bite. It still gave all a terrible fright And now alone among the clover, Its only visitor is a dog called Rover. Member By Lyndsey Ashe-Byrne Member you told me all them lies Member you told me Iʼd get eaten by ﬂies Member you told me rocks were food Member you told me to go round in the nude Member you told me always to

be rude But now Iʼm big and can reach the skies You canʼt tell me anymore lies. Dublin Champions By Amy Behan On Wednesday 5th May Scoil Mhuire entered the Ribena 5 aside Dublin Champions League. The team are Rebecca Nagle, Elaine Woods, Amy Behan, Emma McErlean, Laura Montgomery, Aisling Ryan, Katie Lauk and Rachel Joyce. They won the league and are now representing Dublin in the Leinster ﬁnals. We want to say thank you to Mr Donnacha Cleary and Mr. Eddie Hassett the teamʼs coaches!! The Invalid By Anna Cagney His armʼs in bandage, His eye does not see, Tucked up in bed, He no longer is free. His hairʼs wearing thin, His mouth does not smile, He hasnʼt seen daylight, In quite a while. He has plenty of stitches, Heʼs been through the wars, Now he sits in silence, Behind wooden doors. He remembers adventures Of many years before, He would trek, he would crawl, He would ﬁnd and explore. The children would take him, Just everywhere, They couldnʼt leave home, Without their teddy-bear. A Holiday to Forget By Lucy Siggins The boat trip was horrible. There were cockroaches in the bath, and the one bathroom was shared by twenty people. You had to queue for hours just to go to the toilet. People were getting sick as the boat pitched back and forward in the waves. The smell

was unbearable. When we ﬁnally got to England it was raining heavily. “Not the king of holiday in the sun I wanted,” said my Dad. The tent was tiny, so we crammed ourselves in. We were exhausted. When I woke up next morning I discovered we had camped on a spiders nest and there were spiders all over me. I screamed and screamed and woke up the whole campsite. It got worse because in the space of two weeks my Dad, my brother and I got food poisoning. I was never so relieved to be going home. “Next year weʼre deﬁnitely going to Spain,” my Mum said as she plonked herself down on the couch. I ran up the stairs to my bedroom and lay down on my bed and went to sleep straight away; I was so relieved to be home after that horrible holiday! Limerick By Olivia Burke There was an old witch named Nellie Whose clothes were always so smelly Her cat had a twitch That gave him an itch So he scratched himself And watched tele.

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

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H ANS C HRISTIAN A NDERSEN By Robert C. Diaz

ans Christian Andersen was born in the slums of Odense. His father was a poor shoemaker and his mother, who worked as washerwoman, was uneducated and superstitious, but she opened for her son the world of folklore. Andersen received little education, and as a child he was highly emotional, suffering all kinds of fears and humiliations because of his tallness and effeminate interests. Encouraged by his parents, he composed his own fairy tales and arranged puppet theatre shows. In 1816 his father died and Andersen was forced to go to work. He was for a short time apprenticed to a weaver and tailor, and he also worked at a tobacco factory. At the age of 14, Andersen moved to Copenhagen to start a career as a singer, dancer or an actor– he had a beautiful soprano voice. The following three years were full of hardships, although he found supporters who paved his way to the theatre. Andersen succeeded in becoming associated with the Royal Theatre, but he had to leave it when his voice began to change. In 1822, Jonas Collin, one of the directors of the Royal Theatre and an inﬂuential government ofﬁcial, gave Andersen a grant to enter the grammar school at Slagelse. He lived in the home of the school headmaster Meisling, who was annoyed at the oversensitive student and tried to harden his character. His appearance drew unwanted attention– he had a long nose and close-set eyes. Hans gained admission to Copenhagen University, where he completed his education. In 1828, Andersen wrote a travel sketch. Andersenʼs poem ʻThe

Dying Childʼ, was published in a Copenhagen journal and the Royal Theatre produced in 1829 his musical drama. PHANTASIER OG SKISSER. In succeeding years he also wrote impressionistic prose arabesques, plays, and novels. From 1831 onwards he travelled widely in Europe, and remained a passionate traveller all his life. A visit to Germany in 1831 inspired the ﬁrst of his many travel sketches. He later wrote sketches about Sweden, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and the Middle East. During his journeys, Andersen met in Paris, among others, Victor Hugo, Heinrich Heine, Balzac, and Alexandre Dumas. ʻA Poetʼs Day Dreamsʼ (1853) Andersen dedicated to Charles Dickens, whom he met in London in 1847. And in Rome he met the young Norwegian writer Bjˆrnson. As a novelist, Andersen made his breakthrough with ʻThe Improvisatoreʼ (1835), using Italy as the setting. The story was autobiographical and depicted a poor boyʼs integration into society, an Ugly Duckling theme of self-discovery in which Andersen returned in several of his works. However, Andersenʼs fame rests on his ʻFairy Tales and Storiesʼ, written between 1835 and 1872. ʻTales, Told for Childrenʼ, appeared in a small, cheap booklet in 1835. The third volume of his tales, published in 1837, contained ʻThe Little Mermaidʼ and ʻThe Emperorʼs New Clothes.ʼ Among Andersenʼs other best known fairy tales are ʻLittle Ugly Duckling,ʼ ʻThe Tinderbox,ʼ ʻLittle Claus and Big Claus,ʼ ʻPrincess and the Pea,ʼ ʻThe Snow Queen,ʼ The Nightingale,ʼ and ʻThe Steadfast Tin Soldierʼ. In his fairy tale collections Andersen broke new ground in both style and content, and employed the idioms and constructions of spoken language in a way that was new in Danish writing. Some of Andersenʼs tales re-

vealed an optimistic belief in the triumph of the good, among them ʻThe Snow Queenʼ and ʻLittle Ugly Ducklingʼ, and some ended unhappily, like ʻThe Little Match Girl.ʼ His works inﬂuenced, among others, Charles Dickens, Willam Thackeray, Oscar Wilde, C.S Lewis, Isak Dinesen, and P.O. Enquist. Between the years 1840 and 1857, Andersen made journeys throughout Europe, Asia Minor, and Africa, recording his impressions and adventures in a number of travel books. He wrote and rewrote his memoirs, ʻThe Fairy Tale of My Lifeʼ. Andersen died in his home in Rolighed on August 4, 1875. He never married. His last unfulﬁlled love was the singer Jenny Lind, who inspired ʻThe Nightingale.ʼ

THE FUTURE AS SEEN FROM THE PAST

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NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

PAGE 9

N OT THE T ITANIC , T HE D OULOS By Patrick Duffy

uilt just two years after the Titanic, the Doulos, celebrating its 90th Birthday, berthed at Sir John Rogersonʼs Quay in May. Doulos a Greek word meaning serv-

ant has a crew of 320 Christian volunteers from 45 different countries. It is the oldest, active ocean-going liner aﬂoat. First named ʻMedinaʼ, she began her career in the USA. Built as a cargo ship, she was reﬁtted in the 1920s as a tramp steamer to transport onions from New York

to Texas. After the end of World War Two the Medina looked to be heading for the scrap yard but she was rescued and renamed ʻRomaʼ and after extensive refitting was given a new lease of life. Another rescue and refit was needed in 1951 and she was renamed ʻFranca Cʼ. Now dubbed the worldʼs largest floating book shop, the ʻDoulosʼ offers 7,000 different titles ranging from sports and cookery to childrenʼs and Christian books. 17 million people have visited the ship in 94 countries. On Saturday 15th May at the RDS Concert Hall the Doulos crew celebrated cultural diversity when the crew presented dances from different countries, cultural music, songs and drama. It is her first visit to Dublin.

AUTOGLASS

ART EXHIBITION

1 800 435363

Gerard Dolan

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Pictured clockwise: The ‘Duolos’ at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay during May; local people who were invited on board for refreshments; part of the extensive bokshop on board the ship.

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A retrospective and current exhibition of paintings by

Railway Union Sports Club Park Avenue, Dublin 4 Friday 11th and Saturday 12th June 2004 at 7.30pm. Part of proceeds will be donated to R.U. Bowling Club Further information from Gerry Dolan, Phone 4947129

PAGE 10

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

Baby and me BABY AND ME is a new column charting the highs and lows of the life of one local single mother I realized something about mornings that I used to know before but must have hidden from myself until ʻMy Little Sunshineʼ was born– I am absolutely, without a doubt, not a morning person. When I was pregnant people said to me that I would get used to the early mornings, but two years down the line and Iʼm not convinced. Iʼve pondered this ʻmorning dilemmaʼ and come to the conclusion that what ʻMy Little Sunshineʼ is missing is a snooze button. Through my teenage years I needed my mother calling, coaxing, shouting and shoving to stir my sleepy head. Other times it even required some cold water and blanket deprivation. When left to my own devices I recall having three alarms set to go off at staggered intervals. One was electric and the other two were the old-fashioned wind up clocks that get very excited about waking you up. I used to place those two on a metal tray with some coins so when they jumped around beside my head it was like a party. I think the picture is probably becoming clearer for you now– I donʼt wake easily and deﬁnitely not joyfully. Then my mobile phone arrived with the perfect snooze button. This phones manufacturer obviously understood something that ʻMy Little Sunshineʼ doesnʼt– some people need a few tries at waking! I bring her into the bed every morning with the silly notion that I might get those extra tries at waking up without being cross-eyed in the process. It doesnʼt work. Her methods are simple and repetitive. “Read my book mammy” as the book is pushed in my face in a not-so-gentle fashion– hardly something I can really ignore despite my best efforts. So I have to begrudgingly read her books with one eye open (two eyes wonʼt focus). When I ﬁnally do become acclimatized to morning I start to feel slightly ashamed that I wasnʼt encouraging her adoration of reading. Reading is something I strongly advocate and love doing at other times of the day that I consider appropriate, but not too early in the morning. Will the summer and its bright and cheerful mornings help ʻMy Little Sunshineʼ in her quest to make a better morning person out of me? Good luck ʻMy Little Sunshineʼ, I wish you the best in your mission!

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Mother and Child Proﬁle By Nicola McMahon Name: Cathy Pinel Daughterʼs Name: Enora Ainhoa Aspirot Where are you from? Brittany France How long have you lived here? 6 years Why did you move? For work reasons Do you like living here and why? I like living here because the atmosphere is relaxed and I like the culture too. I noticed there seems to be less babies in France last time I was there so I think itʼs

better for Enora to make friends. I also like the way Ringsend is like a small village where everyone knows each other. What differences do you think there are between home and here? More babies as I said and there are also more parks here, which

is very nice. What things do you like to do here We like to go see the ducks in Herbert Park and to go on the slide and swings there or in Ringsend Park. We also like going to the zoo and going for coffee!

S UGAR -F REE B IRTHDAY P ARTY I DEAS ! By Nicola McMahon

ast year I held my first sugar-free birthday party much to the surprise of my mother who couldnʼt believe that it was really a party, much less a childʼs first birthday party, without the sugar and spice and all things nice! However, as she ate pancake layered cake she also ate her words! It was actually very simple to do but admittedly a little time-consuming. All the food was eaten even without the sugar or chocolate and Iʼm taking that as a good sign rather than kids hunting in packs eat anything! Iʼve put together a few recipes below, but you could try making the layered pancake filled with strawberries and cream, and bowls of fresh fruit salad are always popular. Armed with all these lovelies you might find it best to stay as close to home as possible as it makes it much easier to organise activities and you wonʼt have to lug supplies around. When you are planning the party remember who it is for and how The Boss will react to stimulation before inviting just about everyone who has ever invited you anywhere! For the entertainment, have enough similar toys around so fighting can be kept to moderation using distraction tactics. Perhaps you know someone who juggles or has a steady hand with face paint? Anything to keep tod-

dlers engrossed temporarily and let the adults grab some food. Birthday Carrot Cake 2 and1/2 cups thinly sliced carrot 2 and 1/2 cups apple juice concentrate 1 and 1/2 cups raisins 2 cups whole wheat flour Half cup wheat germ 2 tbsp baking powder 1 tbsp each of ground cinnamon and vanilla extract A quarter cup vegetable oil 2 eggs and 4 egg whites Three quarters of a cup unsweetened applesauce Preheat the oven to 220C then line and grease two 9inch cake pans. Mix the carrots with 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of juice concentrate in a saucepan then bring to the boil before simmering with lid on for about 15 minutes until the carrots are tender. Puree the mixture then finely chop the raisins before adding them. Combine flour, wheat germ, baking powder, vanilla and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add quarter of a cup of juice concentrate, the eggs and whites then beat until thoroughly mixed. Fold in the carrot puree and applesauce then pour the mixture into the cake tins. Bake for about 35 minutes and check it by inserting a knife and making sure it comes away clean. Turn out onto wire racks and let cool then smooth on frosting. Cream Cheese Frosting

Half cup apple juice concentrate Half cup finely chopped raisins 1lb cream cheese 2 tbsp vanilla extract 1 and half tsp unflavoured gelatine Keep 2 tablespoons of the concentrate aside then blend the rest with the cream cheese, vanilla and raisins. Stir the gelatine into the rest of the concentrate while bringing to the boil to dissolve it. Beat this mixture into the cream cheese mixture until blended. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before smoothing onto the cake. Fruit Ices Makes 20 large ice cubes 250g any fruit 200ml water Puree fruit and mix with water then pour into an ice cube tray and freeze. Can be made into slush puppy kind of drinks by using blender and adding some more water or juice. This provides vitamin C and fibre. Fruity Frozen Yoghurt As above, but substitute water for natural yoghurt or goatsʼ milk or soya. This can be given as an alternative to ice-cream, which usually contains a surprising amount of sugar as do processed flavoured yoghurts. Popcorn is useful as a filler and can be left natural or flavoured with cinnamon or toasted sesame seeds. It provides fibre and protein.

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

PAGE 11

F ROM T OKYO TO W ICKLOW FOR P EACE AND Q UIET tle bit sad leaving a place where the walls talk and at every moment there is a different story. Sahoko exhibits her work at a Figurative Art Exhibition, Dun Laoghaire County Hall, Marina from 21st to 27th May and Mermaid Art Centre Bray from Wednesday 2nd June.

By Patrick Duffy

“W

hat a mistake Iʼve made,” reflected Sahoko as she came out of Dublin airport. “The sky is so big and itʼs bloody freezing”. That was back in February 1994. Tokyo meant a stressful life as an assistant director for a television company. Most of her working days were spent underwater, taking photographs for research films. She is there on time, when I arrive in the square to talk to her about her painting. Punctuality is an important Japanese trait, as is politeness. She is bouncy and friendly. “I wanted to go somewhere quiet and start back at painting again. I was living with my parents and grandparents, so many people. I liked Ireland for its size.” We arrive at her house on the hill in Wicklow, I look down and see a good day: Wales is visible. As I sit talking to Sahoko Blake (her husband Liam is a photographer) in their spacious wood-floored kitchen I couldnʼt but be aware of the quietness, a pleasure away from the noise

and turmoil of the city. Looking around, I see flowers so real I feel like touching them, the blues, yellows, greens, reds speak. “The only flowers I paint come from a flower shop already cut, in a vase, so itʼs an individual piece. In nature I probably

L OCAL L EPRECHAUN L OCATED !

Catherine Smith was ‘captured’ recently on a Hen Night dressed in this very fetching ‘Leprechaun’ outfit!

wouldnʼt paint them because they are nice as they are and too beautiful and powerful and I wouldnʼt be able to show that wildness in a painting,” explains Sahoko. Her charcoal nudes are well known and stand out as exotic especially her Sumo Wrestlers. She has exhibited at The Solomon Gallery in Dublin, Cheltenham in England and the R.H.A. Dublin, Holland, Berlin, Slovenia etc. and most recently Eigse Carlow Arts Festival. She did charcoal on paper for ten years. “In painting the human form, the model is always different, the studio light and also the pose, a model doesnʼt have to be beautiful, every moment changes. I am trying to show the model I like anatomical drawings, inside out, I start with bone structure then flesh and finally skin to cover up. Even for a clothed model I would start this way. I like to be like a pathologist,” explains Sohoko who has a fine arts degree from Tokyo University. “I start with dark colours from the sketches then I cover up with toned colour.” I look around the walls of her gallery-like house and see bodies of all ages and tones in different positions. “Its as if the body exudes light,” I comment to Sahoko. “Thatʼs the way you see them,” she replies.

She comes from an academic family, with her father and brother being lawyers; she comes third in the family after two brothers. “I couldnʼt speak as a child with two elder brothers. I didn”t know when to utter something.” In the land of the rising sun, silence is seen as golden and maybe at this time she saw the importance of the visual which is asserting itself now. “I would like one day to do landscape or other different ideas but I am only 35 or is it 36 so I am still young.” The Blakes have one daughter Hanna. I am a lit-

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NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

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NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

Docklands Maritime Festival

Centenary year 2004 Barbecue Railway union Club Youths are holding a Barbecue on Friday June 18th at 6.00pm to celebrate the club Centenary Tickets on sale for super prizes. Win a meal for two in dublin’s leading Indian resaturant– RASAM or a signed cricket bat presented by Niall and Kevin O’Brien, signed Leinster replica rugby shirt and tickets for major sporting events. Remember Bloomsday is June 16th– special prizes awarded to best dressed Barbecue participants in Joycean attire.

THE FIRST EVER celebration of all things maritime takes place on the Liffey at Dublinʼs Docklands this June bank holiday weekend. The Grand Turk, star of the “Hornblower” series, will be just one of a number of tall ships to arrive into port, Irelandʼs very own Asgard II, the Jeanie Johnston, the Kathleen & May and the Lord Rank will all open to the public for tours throughout the weekend. For the ﬁrst time since the visit of the tall ships to Dublin in 1998, visitors will have the chance to take a spectacular sailing trip out into Dublin Bay on the Grand Turk, sailing twice daily from the Dublin Docklands Development Authority ofﬁces on Customs House Quay.

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PAGE 13

Angie Murphy

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Working for a better healthcare system for everybody Working with Tom Crilly Phone: 087 2937558

THE WORKERS PARTY

PAGE 14

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

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THE LITTLE MASTER S UNIL G AVASKAR By Patrick Duffy

Swimming in Sportsco We have a Swimming Session Every Sunday Morning from 11am to 1pm in Sportsco. Price: €25 per 3 Month Session or €5 for one Swim. Children under 3 years are FREE! This Swimming Session is open to any one who wants to join. It is not just confined to people living in the Sth.-Lotts-Rd. area. For further Info just call over any Sunday between 11am-&-1pm. Ask for Mary or Billy.

As a little boy Gavaskar used to have daily cricket matches with his mother in the small gallery of their middle -class apartment in Mumbai. He always wanted to be a batsman and even as a young man he hated to lose his wicket and would throw a tantrum when he was dismissed. He learned from Modhaw Mantre, his uncle and Indian player that he would have to work hard to earn the Indian colours, and that there were no short cuts to the top. He played his last test innings against Pakistan in Bangalore in the ﬁfth and ﬁnal test in 1987. His debut was against the West Indies in 1970-71 at Port of Spain, Trinidad. In that time he showed he was the most complete opening batsman. “The Indian combines Boycottʼs steadiness and

Greenidgeʼs ability to keep the runs ﬂowing,” commented Ian Botham. He was an Indian cricketer that made Indians feel proud of being Indian– many radio or television sets were switched off as soon as he was dismissed. For a large part of his early career, he cut out risky and aggressive shots like the cut, hook and pull and concentrated on playing inside the ʻVʼ. In the latter part of his career he batted with gay abandon and fast bowlers often dreaded bowling to him. He modelled his game on immense concentration, ﬁerce determination, and single minded dedication to the cause of his team, quick footwork, sound timing and discipline. His achievements and records testify to these qualities: He scored 774 runs in the 1970/71 series against the West Indies. He is the only batsman to score

1000 runs in a calendar year on four occasions. He scored the most test runs as an Indian. He scored 58 century stands with 18 different players. He is the only cricketer to score 4 consecutive

centuries at 2 venues Port of Spain and Waukhede. He captained the maximum draws in test cricket. He now works as a journalist and T.V commentator.

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

PAGE 15

RDRD L AUNCH A NNUAL R EPORT BRIDGE

at Haddington Road At 7.30 pm an enjoyable game of bridge takes place every Friday evening at Haddington Road Bridge Club (Church Community Hall). By Frances Corr

ingsend and District Response to Drugs (RDRD) launched their annual report and celebrated the graduation of some of their clients at a function in Clanna Gael hall on 8th April. The Dublin Port Company sponsored the event. Chairperson/Director The Thomas Crilly opened the proceedings by welcoming everyone to the graduation of clients who had become drug-free over the preceding year. Before the graduation ceremony got underway the Chairperson launched the annual report. The report contained the progress of RDRD to date and the issues that are relevant to the success of the programme in the future. The Chairman in his address stated that although RDRD maintains good working relations with the South Western Area Health Board (SWAHB) he was concerned in particular about the Brennan report and the possible restructuring and rationalisation of the existing health agencies. A move towards a more cen-

tralised system of financial management may mean an amalgamation of existing services and it has been his experience that restructuring and rationalisation was another term for ʻcut backsʼ. Mr Crilly went on to say their project would be forced to join a long queue with other disadvantaged groups, competing for important services and funding. RDRD was also particularly concerned at the evidence of increased use of opiates in the city, Trinity Addiction research centre in conjunction with the Dublin City and County coroners have identified an alarming rate of opiate related deaths in Dublin. Opiates are a group of drugs such as morphine and heroin, which have been used for thousand of years to lessen pain and produce euphoria. These drugs, originally derived from the juice of the opium poppy, have many benefits in medical use, but also produce sobering side effects of addiction, as does the synthetic product Methadone. Dr. Michael Ryan a member of the board of RDRD and a founder director of the Dub-

lin Opiate Overdose Reaction Strategy (DOORS) is highlighting concerns on this issue and particularly the fact that there were more opiate-related deaths in Dublin during the research period than road deaths. RDRD is calling on the government to invest in strategies such as DOORS, which concentrate on educating people on how to deal with drug overdose. The eight participants who graduated drug-free through the RDRD programme and their families had experienced the full range of activities and services available throughout the year 2003 at the Spellman Centre. The participants are on the threshold of being able to live an independent life. RDRDʼs commitment to the graduates will continue throughout their lives and this will provide valuable continuity and assistance for the participants.

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NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

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By Patrick Duffy

t is that time of year again when mother nature remembers life and ﬂoods the landscape with a panorama of colours of different hues and takes us out of our Winter dilemma of doubt with life-giving forces, one of these vital forces being the common nettle. The nettle is a common and painful stinging weed, which appears wherever land is disturbed by man and left derelict. It has variously been used in cloth manufacture, as a food and medicinally. Nettle is from an old word to twist (and hence make ﬁbre). It contains formic acid, gallic acid, vitamin A and C and mineral salts including calcium, potassium, silicon, iron, manganese and sulphur. It is an astrin-

gent (draws tissue together), anti hemorrhage, diuretic (causes increased ﬂow of urine) and galactioguge (stimulates the production and ﬂow of breast milk). So it cleans the blood. As children, we used to use a dock leave to remove the sting. While rubbing the stung area we used to repeat: ʻDocken, docken in and out, Take the sting of the nettle out.ʼ Nettle Soup Collect nettles. Pick smallest upper leaves. Use gloves or grasp tightly so as not to be stung.

You need: 4 oz onions 6 oz young nettles 1 pint of stock Sauté onions. When softened, add a pinch of sea salt, black pepper and the washed nettle leaves and stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Anything can be added for taste and ﬂavour. Nettles can be cooked like spinach, they can also be dried by hanging up and used later to make herbal tea. Put a sting into your life!

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PAGE 17

W RITER

A SSOCIATION

By Maggie Neary

the park or beach with them.” I ask “What is your proudest achievement as a poet?” She responds without hesitation “Being in the recent Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing Volume V. I am really delighted to be in there particularly because it was Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill who choose the ten poems and because of what she said about them.” And her proudest moment outside of her poetry? Quick as could be, she smilingly said “My three children.”

andymount Strand, famed as the early 20th century setting for the musings of Bloom in Joyceʼs Ulysess, today still draws writers such as Siobhan Campbell who comes here “because I like to spend time with my three children and they love the beach.” I met with Siobhan in the Airfield Trust outside Dundrum where she is currently the Writer in Association. Seated in her office, a converted outhouse that faces onto an enclosed sunfilled courtyard, Siobhan summed up her year with Airfield in one word “Fantastic”. The first year was co-funded by Dunlaoghaire Rathdown County Council Arts Office and the Arts Council with Airfield giving the space. That year was extended and then Airfield asked her to stay on to run writing events and workshops. She began writing poetry as a teenager and was encouraged by publication in Young Irish Writing in the ʻIrish Pressʼ. Siobhan also laughingly recalls “When in fifth year I was thinking of becoming a vet. My English teacher sat me down one day and said ʻwhats this I hear?ʼ She was not prescriptive but she gently swayed me towards doing arts and she was dead right.” I asked Siobhan how she managed poetry writing with running a home, three children and her work “I suppose,” she replied, “I am very disciplined. We launched my first book in 1996 on the day my eldest child was born. I wonder how I have fitted it all in. Still I do not regard myself as prolific but think of myself as a very slow writer. “It takes about three years preparation for each book of poems. There was a big hiatus after each baby was born when I went totally to ground. At any one time I nearly always have two or three different ideas on the go and find myself working with one today and one tomorrow maybe just getting half a line or a line, and move something on. A composer friend of mine remarked to me how it takes her one-year to compose 16 minutes of fully orchestrated music. That would probably be

The Fabulist She lived next door to us in green suburbia, pebbledashed against the back side of urban Dublin in those days that clear the moment you think of them. She ran her house like a ship. She was the admiral, taking the roll, calling all hands,

the equal to 10 or 12 poems for a 16-minute reading and it takes at least a year to do that. More probably. “When I start a book I have no idea of what I am going to do. There are, I think, two kinds of writer, the one who knows beforehand what they are going to do and the other who is writing to ﬁnd out something. The latter are writing for writingʼs sake and then they begin to see the shape the writing is taking.” Born in 1962 Siobhan has two books of poetry published, with inclusion in anthologies and other publications. Her work has been broadcast on BBC and RTE radio and she has given readings worldwide. While living in New York she worked on her ﬁrst book ʻThe Permanent Waveʼ that was published in 1996. This was followed in 2000 by ʻThe Cold that Burnsʼ which she worked on during two and a half years living with her husband and three children in San Francisco. She explains that a friend who commented “your poetry is like liquid nitrogen, it feels soothing and it eats into your skin” had suggested this title to her.

Paul Durcan described her second collection as “passionately precise, precisely passionate”. Siobhan agrees with those who describe her work as anti-romantic adding “I think it is poetry with a core of steel, I am glad when it packs a punch.” Siobhan who is currently preparing to move lock stock and barrel to London where her husband has now been posted, is also well on the way with preparation for her third book of poems. She remarks “there is nothing glamorous or high-ﬂying about writing, it is just to sit at the blooming desk and move on with what you are working on, reading it out loud to yourself, looking up a work that might just lead you on to something else.” Yes she says, “it is just like that, 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration.” Siobhan explodes with laughter when I ask her how she likes to spend her leisure time, replying “I would love to have some leisure so I could tell you what I would do with it. I do love theatre but donʼt often get the chance to attend. I spend some time reading and playing with my three children, I love to go to

meting out inventive punishments: You with the watering can, for not making yours, youʼll weed that bed instead. When we visited to eat her biscuits, she despaired of us ever knowing the value of money. On washing days she would sprinkle her sails with holy water and a prayer for drying. She prayed to Saint Jude of difﬁcult cases for her offspring to keep trying. At night she sat with a hot cocoa for the dayʼs review. She planned apple tarts, roast chicken, stew; her cooking tasted as though she cared. On her deck, you dared to try for perfect fullness. Her stern look still cuts a swathe through the general dullness By Siobhan Campbell

SUPPORTING YOU IN OUR COMMUNITY

PADDY MCCARTAN Pembroke Fine Gael Local Election Candidate Sandymount • Ballsbridge • Donnybrook • Milltown

If you need my support with a local issue please contact me at my advice centres O’Briens, Leeson Street First Saturday of each month Crowe’s Ballsbridge Second Saturday of each month Time 12.30 – 1.30 pm Telephone: 6609202/6761279 Fax: 6610121 Email: patrickmccartan@hotmail.com

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PAGE 18

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

T HE GRAND CANAL – BARGING ALONG FOR 200 YEARS

Fifty Canal Boats from all over Ireland recently navigated the Grand and Royal Canals to converge at the Waterways Visitor Centre, Ringsend, for the Dublin 50-50 Rally. This event celebrated the 200th Anniversary of the first trade boat to travel from Ringsend Docks to the Shannon River and also the 50th year of the Ireland Waterways Association of Ireland.

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NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

PAGE 19

S ENIOR C ITIZENS ’ T ALENT S HOWCASE

By Francis Corr

he Second Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) talent showcase for the over 60s took place on the 25th April in the Abbey Theatre. Darkie Bolger, who won first prize is from the North Strand area. She entertained the audience with the song ʻShoeshine Boyʼ. Sean Caulfield who sang ʻImpossible Dreamʼ was placed second, (Sean took first place last year) and third place went to Tommy Bolger who did his rendition of ʻMarthaʼ. Twelve contestants were selected to take part in the final contest, and six of them were from the Ringsend/ Irishtown area.

The theatre was packed to capacity and could have been ﬁlled twice over, such was the demand for tickets for this very popular event. Kevin Hough produced and presented the show and the Musical director was Andy OʼCallaghan. The Guest artist for the night was Red Hurley, who had the audience singing and dancing in their seats. Donall Curtin, a Board member of the DDDA and Chairman of the Community Liaison Committee (CLC), acted as chairman of the adjudicators panel, the other members being Austin Gaffney, Jean Costello, Brian Jackson and Jim Bartley. I spoke to some of the adjudicating panel after the show who told me it was a very dif-

ficult choice as all the finalists were extremely talented. Each of the contestants in the final received a crystal plaque and the first prizewinner also received a prize to the value of €1,250 , second prize was €750 and third received €500. The majority of the contestants from the Ringsend/Irishtown area, who reached the

ﬁnals are members of the Ringsend Active Retirement Group. The group who meets regularly in the CYMS, Irishtown Road, were jubilant at their membersʼ success. Some of the contestants said they were so scared their knees were knocking, others said their legs turned to jelly as they walked on stage. I can assure them this was not visible

to the audience. They all came across as very competent, professional and talented entertainers. They did themselves and their community proud. Those who succeeded in reaching the ﬁnals from the Ringsend/Irishtown area were Tommy Bolger, Sean Caulﬁeld, Eddy Gregg, Julie McCann, Philip Murphy, and Alice Weafer.

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NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

Pay Roll By Alex O’Hanlon

“T

HE SAME dull, depressing ofﬁce, it hasnʼt changed in seventeen years,” thought Greg Fowler as he entered the shabbily painted doorway. He hung his hat and coat on the stand, as usual; sat at the desk, as usual;

and opened the ledger, as usual. The same routine every morning, he was sick of it; had been for years now. Greg was a weak man. He knew his job here, and wondered what would become of him if he ever had to leave. Many hours of

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his “working” time were spent in day dreaming of faraway places, but he would never see these places on the salary old Mr. Beeching paid him. Lotteries and sweeps had been his hopeful investment up to now, but somehow luck had eluded him. His thoughts were interrupted as Perkins, the new clerk hurried in. Throwing his coat on the stand he sat down at the other desk. He booted up his computer seconds before Beeching entered. After only three weeks Perkins knew Beechingʼs movements better than Greg did. “Morning” grunted the boss as he passed through to his own ofﬁce, not waiting for a reply. They settled into the morningʼs routine, with Perkins working and Greg mumbling about him doing too much. Greg suspected that Perkins was paid more because he used a computer. Enough to make anyone hostile after seventeen years of loyal service. Beeching left for the bank, as he did once a month, about eleven oʼclock, and Greg put his pen aside. He opened the bottom drawer of his desk, took out a travel brochure, and began to read. Perkins looked at him and grinned. “Going abroad this year, Greg?” he asked with a sneer. Greg put his book away with disgust; he didnʼt like Perkins. Someday, when his luck changed, he would sneer right back. Too mean to have a security guard deliver it, Beeching carried the money himself in a brown paper bag. He came in and Greg fumbled for his pen, as usual. Beeching gave him a warning look. Perkins rose from his seat and followed the boss across the room. As Beeching turned the handle of his ofﬁce door Perkins grabbed the bag of money. He tried to wrench it from the withered hands, but Beeching hung on. Perkins was deter-

mined, and with a tearing sound pulled the precious bundle from the old man, who went sprawling into his own office. Perkins dashed from the room, grabbing his coat on the way. As he did so a roll of notes dropped from the torn bag; his running feet kicked it and it rolled across the office floor coming to rest under Gregʼs desk. All this time Greg had sat there stupefied. It was all over in an instant. Perkins had gone. Beeching stumbled to the ʻphone and called the police. Later that afternoon Beeching went to the station with the police and Greg was left alone in the office. This was his chance; he went down on his hands and knees and pulled the roll of money from under his desk. He was afraid to count it, almost afraid to touch it, but he guessed it to be about €5,000. Looking left and right continually with frightened eyes he made a small package of it and addressed it to a Mr Kemp at his lodging house. Quickly, he slipped out to the post office and posted it. He felt relieved as he sat down at his desk again, nobody had noticed him, he was sure of that, and nobody knew about the roll of money. Even Perkins had not seen it. Greg knew that his luck had changed. He had taken his cut of the “Perkins job”. He felt smug and worldly. Within two days Perkins was arrested, and most of the money recovered. Greg would have to wait a while before he could do anything, then he would go on that long dreamed of trip. The money would give him confidence, he could do things he had always wanted to do, have a holiday first, then start a new life. Yes, all he needed was a little help to get started, and this was it, after all, seventeen years with Beeching, working for a mere pittance, he deserved it. Greg did less work in the next few days, he had big decisions to make. Now that he had the

money it wasnʼt so easy to make up his mind. A holiday was easy enough, but what about work. He was almost set on going to New York, but he would have to wait a few more weeks to let the heat die down. As the days went by Greg began to feel anxious about his parcel. He began to wait for the postman before leaving for work. “Canʼt be much longer” he thought nervously, “better not make enquiries, only draw attention to myself”. The postman passed again, no parcel. Greg just had to ask. “Anything for us?” “No, Greg” was the reply, “Not since that package the other day”. “Package?” croaked Greg. “Yes, for someone called Kemp. Your landlady said nobody of that name ever lived here, so it went back to the GPO. Probably be opened to see who sent it” Eight years later Greg was presented with a cheap watch for twenty ﬁve years service with Beeching.

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NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

PAGE 21

D UBLIN By George Humphries

ʻD

ublin In The Rare Oulʼ Timesʼ was Pete St Johnʼs tribute to his native city, a Dublin that has changed drastically. In the not too distant past, Sunday was always a very quiet day. Supermarkets were not open, a few shops opened for a hour or two in the morning and then everything closed up again. The pubs didnʼt open until 12.30, closed at 2.00, opened at 4.00, closed at 10.00. Sunday was regarded as a day of rest. In my childhood it was a special day. We always got a fry-up for breakfast then off to Mass. Sunday dinner was usually a roast and a boil, roast beef or lamb and a bit of corned beef or pigʼs leg. After dinner it was off to the Ritz where there was always two pictures shown in those days. Televisions were only

T HE R ARE O UL ’ T IMES

coming in, few people had a motor car and life was much simpler. People made their own entertainment. Very often, after the pubs closed a carry out was brought to someoneʼs house for a hooley which sometimes went on to the early hours. Anything that remained from the dinner was put on the frying pan and this was bubble and squeak and maybe a few pigʼs feet or a few ribs were devoured, washed down with a few bottles of stout. Some great singers did their party pieces on these occasions and others would be dying the next morning. This was all part of the weekend. Nowadays Sundays are just like any other day. John Clarkeʼs public house on Irishtown Road was a great local for a past generation. There were some wonderful characters and there was always something happening. My own father, along with the late Kathleen OʼReilly,

often organised outings from Clarkeʼs. A bus was laid on. Most of the crowd would not have had a car so this was a great way to get to see places outside Dublin. Everyone who wanted to go on the outing would have to pay ten shillings and they often went to Wicklow and sometimes up as far as Drogheda. All the women would make sandwiches. No fast food in those days! My father told me years ago about the time they were passing the Sugar Loaf. The late Noel Mahon told a woman on the bus “There is the Sugar Loaf,” and she asked: “Is that where they get the sugar from?” He was left speechless. Willie Lattimore was, and still is, a great character. He is one of a lot of brothers who are neighbours of mine. I remember he used to get a crowd of us and would ask each to pick a letter from the alphabet, then he would ask

questions like name a country, capital city, town, fruit, fish, and vegetable beginning with that letter. The list would go on until whoever he was asking could not think of an answer. Once, when they were in the Lansdowne Bar, Jintox Doyle was on the letter Y. He was asked to name a fish beginning with Y. His reply was rapid– “Whitning”. They all got a good laugh at his witty answer and I believe the quizmaster gave it to him. On some outings Willie would get a stick of chalk

and everyone getting on the bus gave half a crown and got a number. Then he would write the numbers on the front wheel of the driverʼs side of the bus. When they arrived at their destination whoever had the number nearest the ground won the kitty. People donʼt do this kind of thing anymore but the memories of those simple days are still etched in the minds of those who took part in those wonderful, happy times. Below: The Clarkeʼs pub gang in the 1960s.

PAGE 22

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

The Jukebox Review IN BRIEF: Morrisseyʼs comeback is complete with the release of ʻYou Are The Quarryʼ (Sanctuary). Without question, this is his strongest solo album since ʻViva Hateʼ. Cork act Sunday Morning have been busy recently. The band are releasing a single a month – the latest ʻValentinesʼ (Last Serenade) is deﬁnitely worth a listen. Lastly, Fairuza have released a new singe ʻThe Champagne Industryʼ (Fairuza Music). The extra track is a cover of Nirvanaʼs ʻSomething In The wayʼ – both tracks are available for download from www.fairuzamusic.com

MUSIC

By Daniel Hegarty

epending on where your tastes lie, 2004 has been a pretty good year for music so far. Foamboy have been gathering momentum for some time. ʻTry Again Tomorrowʼ (Thewhitelabel) is their second album within six months. If you are partial to Jesus & Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, or Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, point your attention in Foamboyʼs direction. ʻMeltdownʼ (Infectious) from Ash has been receiving some mixed reviews. Without reservation, the bandʼs latest material is some of their strongest. The album sits somewhere between 1998ʼs ʻNu-Clear Soundsʼ and their last record ʻFree All Angelsʼ. The best advice is, disregard the critics and judge for yourself – you wonʼt be disappointed! ʻWave Of Mutilationʼ (4AD) is The Pixiesʼ second best of album, but whoʼs counting. This is considerably more comprehensive than their 1997 ʻDeath To The pixiesʼ compilation, and features their cover of Neil Youngʼs ʻWinterlongʼ. Mundyʼs third album ʻRaining Down Arrowsʼ (Camcor) is as catchy and likeable as youʼd expect. Itʼs very much a record of extremes – deep heartfelt ballads, and bright upbeat pop tunes. Itʼs deﬁnitely a step in a more commercial direction, but that isnʼt a bad move in this case. Thereʼs hype, and then thereʼs music that misses the bullʼs eye. Itʼs hard to decide which of these ʻInto The Spotlightʼ (Booney Tunes) from Elaine Palmer falls under. Sheʼs got a great voice, some nice tunes, but the record has what seems like a cold northerly breeze blowing right the way through it. Maybe itʼs an album you have to come back to, or perhaps one to forget? Juno Falls have put out one of the early contenders for debut of the year. ʻStarlight Driveʼ (N8) has everything that a debut should – passion, power, and

Myles from Juno Falls hits all the right notes. more importantly some cracking tunes! You canʼt help but think of acts like Crowded House and The Byrds when youʼre listening to this record. If youʼre after Lou Reedʼs deﬁnitive live recording, stay away from ʻAnimal Serenadeʼ (Sire/ Reprise). Itʼs not that itʼs a terrible album, thereʼs just very little that encapsulates you – Reed is capable of much better than this. After the disintegration of Queens Of The Stone Age, Josh Homme is back with another project. ʻPeace Love Death Metalʼ (AAA) from Eagles Of

Death Metal is deﬁnitely going to be one of 2004ʼs highlights. Those who loved QOTSA and Desert Sessions are going to fall for this immediately. ʻLikes…ʼ (K7) from Dani Siciliano is one of the more unusual records to surface of late. The sometimes Matthew Herbert collaborator has put together an album that slips between genres. Along with some highly infectious pop/jazz numbers, she covers Nirvanaʼs ʻCome As You Areʼ – interesting! Juliana Hatﬁeldʼs ʻIn Exile Deoʼ (Zoe) is a mixed affair. The

former Blake Baby and Lemonhead has tendencies to slip into Avril Lavigne territory at certain points (Lavigneʼs producer David Leonard co-produces two of the tracks). In fairness thereʼs nothing particularly evil about Lavigneʼs music, but Hatﬁeld would do herself more credit by staying away from guitar pop fashions, and being her usual individual self. In the mid 90s, The Crystal Method were dubbed ʻa poor manʼs Chemical Brothersʼ. The duoʼs latest album ʻLegion Of Boomʼ (V2) further underlines

RECOMMENDED: Syd Matters ʻA Whisper And A Sighʼ (V2) Ratatat – ʻRatatatʼ (XL) Waiting Room ʻCatering For Headphonesʼ (Out On A Limb) Cowboy Junkies ʻOne Soul Nowʼ (Cooking Vinyl) Autamata ʻMy Sanctuaryʼ (RG) State Of Bengal Vs Paban Das Baul ʻTana Taniʼ (Realworld) Eyvind Kang ʻVirginal Co Ordinatesʼ (Ipecac) Jesse Malin ʻThe Heatʼ (One Little Indian) Katell Keineg ʻHigh Julyʼ (Megaphone) Wiley ʻTreddinʼ On Thin Iceʼ (XL)

ESSENTIAL LISTENING

Fingathing ʻBig Red Nebula Bandʼ (Grand Central) Fingathingʼs third album contains some of todayʼs most interesting and inventive music. Much like ʻTalkinʼ Honkey Bluesʼ by Buck 65, ʻBig Red Nebula Bandʼ sets a new standard, and pushes the boundaries that little bit further. www.ﬁngathing.com

Baby Dayliner ʻHigh Heart & Low Estateʼ (Brassland) Gary Numan and Mircrodisney come to mind when listening to Baby Daylinerʼs debut. Donʼt be fooled though, this is much more than an 80s retro record - itʼs 12 tales that have been beautifully synthesised and vocalised. www.babydayliner.com

Magnus ʻThe Body Gave You Everythingʼ (Anti) For want of a better term, Magnus are a super-group. Featuring Tom Barman of dEUS, and CJ Bolland, the mixture has explosive results. There is little to measure Magnus against, you have to hear them to appreciate their eminence. www.magnusmusic.com

Stanley Super 800 ʻStanley Super 800ʼ (Bingo) Itʼs taken some time, but the Cork four-piece have come good with their debut album. Theyʼve been hailed as “musical mavericks”, and this record illustrates why. Highlights include ʻSummer In The Cityʼ, and the beautiful ʻMoonlightʼ. www.stanleysuper800.com

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

PAGE 23

Sounds of the Summer

The Pixies, Ash and The Strokes.

ith the nice shiny and bright weather rolling in, live music by the festival-load is coming right behind it. Hereʼs a look at some of the best bits that June and July have to offer.

Heineken Green Energy Festival– June 3rd-7th: This yearʼs event has some cracking shows, however one or two of these are already sold out. Josh Ritter pays another visit to Ireland for his biggest gig so far– you can catch him at Dublin Castle on June 4th, with special guests Bell X1 and mark Geary. Morrisseyʼs concert at the castle the following

day is sold out– begging or bribing is the only way youʼll get into this! The rest of the dates are: June 3rd: Jet & La Rocca– Ambassador Alice Cooper– Olympia June 4th: The Revs & Walter– Temple Bar Music Centre Amy Winehouse– The Village Hal & Fionn Regan– Whelanʼs June 5th: Supergrass– Olympia The Dead 60ʼs– Temple Bar Music Centre I Am Kloot– The Village HIM– Ambassador June 6th:

The Distillers– Ambassador Iggy & The Stooges– Dublin Castle June 7th: The Streets– Dublin Castle Peaches– Temple Bar Music Centre Sun Kil Moon– The Village Dogs Die In Hot Cars– Whelanʼs Red Hot Chili Peppers– Phoenix Park– June 12th: Itʼs been billed as the yearʼs biggest one-day event, and it is… by a considerable margin! Along with the Chili Peppers, you can catch The Thrills, Groove Armada, and the mighty Pixies, for

what is (until we hear otherwise) their only Irish date since reforming. Metallica – RDS Arena – June 25th: This isnʼt a festival, but on a hair-standing-up-on-the-back-ofyour-neck meter reading, this is going to hit boiling point! If Metallica werenʼt a big enough draw on their own, then the addition of Slipknot and Lost Prophets should prove irresistible. Oxegen – Punchestown Racecourse – July 10th & 11th: The festival formerly known as Witnness has a frighteningly

good line-up this year– frightening because youʼre unlikely to be able to catch all the bands you set out to see! Headliners include David Bowie, The Strokes, The Darkness, and The Cure. Other acts include PJ Harvey, Snow Patrol, Chemical Brothers, The Rapture, N.E.R.D, Future Kings Of Spain, Ash, and many others. The lineup is growing so quickly; itʼs pointless trying to keep up! Youʼre better off logging onto www.oxygen.ie or www.mcd.ie for updates and stage line-ups. Oxegen will also be the last time Irish fans will get to see Orbital– they plan on splitting soon after.

NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS

No Whipping Boy reunion, but watch this space.

umours of a Whipping Boy reunion have been ruled out by former band member Paul Page. Speculation started after the bandʼs 1995 album ʻHeartwormʼ appeared back in record stores last month. A number of sources had suggested that the band had booked venues for live dates this Summer, but Page commented that there are no plans to reform the band at any point in the near future. One Whipping Boy-related story that can be conﬁrmed is regarding Fergal McKee. The bandʼs former vocalist is currently laying the foundations of his solo career. The musical direction that McKee is taking is unclear, but one source likened the McKeeʼs new outing to that of An Emotional Fishʼs Ger Whelan after he mutated into Jerry Fish. New Yorkʼs Interpol are back in the studio recording their second album. The follow-up to ʻTurn On The Bright Lightsʼ is scheduled for release in Septem-

ber. No title is known at present, but new songs include ʻNARCʼ and ʻLength Of Loveʼ. The Hives are also working on new material. The band performed a number of new tracks at the South By Southwest music festival in the US recently – these included ʻAbra Cadaverʼ and what many believe will be their next single ʻIdiot Walkʼ. Sandymount band Tokai (Conan Brophy, Neil Brophy & Evan Kenny) released their debut selftitled EP last month. The band performed on RTE Network 2ʼs ID Plus programme two weeks ago, and have been compared to acts as varied as Gomez and David Bowie. The ʻTokaiʼ EP will be available nationwide shortly. RTE 2FM will be celebrating its 25th birthday with a special broadcast day on Monday, June 7th. Each of the stationʼs presenters will host an hour-long show highlighting their favourite music from the past 25 years. For more, go to www.rte.ie/2fm

PAGE 24

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

Film Scene •••By Michael Hilliard

‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ ʻEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindʼ tells the story of a miserable couple who fall out and undergo a memory wiping treatment to be completely free of each other for once and for all. Written by Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) and directed by acclaimed music video director Michel Gondry, ʻEternal Sunshineʼ delivers an extraordinarily honest, yet imaginative tale of heartbreak and happiness. Having just broken up with Clementine (Kate Winslet), Joel (Jim Carrey) is surprised and disappointed to discover that she has had her phone number changed. Upon further investigation, he discovers a business card that explains how Clementine has had all memories of him erased from her mind, so he should never be mentioned to her again. Distraught and unable to get over the love of his life, Joel opts for a similar memory wiping procedure. Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson) is the pioneering scientist, aided by two young assistants, Stan and Patrick, who seem unable to resist manipulating the technology for their own benefit. Jim Carrey has never been better in a dramatic role. He manages to deliver a deeply complex performance, whose depressed, self loathing loner conveys both pain and despera-

tion mixed with moments of pure joy and happiness. Winslet brings a real authenticity to the fore as the enigmatic Clementine, a young woman clearly in search of meaning but perhaps not giving herself the time to find it. Complemented by a fine supporting cast including Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo and Kirsten Dunst, both Carrey and Winslet succeed in captivating and involving the audience from the get go. Both Kaufman and Gondry have crafted an incredible exploration of love, memory and the stress and helplessness of forgetting a painful past and building a brighter future. ʻEternal Sunshineʼ is a consistently poignant and endlessly thought-provoking film which forces the audience to consider the true value of memories, good and bad. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is highly recommended viewing. 4 out of 5

‘Troy’ Hollywood has attempted this story before. The 1955 feature, Helen of Troy, covered the main plot of Homerʼs ʻThe Illiadʼ while including some other elements of Greek Mythology such as the Trojan horse, which actually appeared in a separate story, ʻThe Odysseyʼ. Going by what seems to be a rule of thumb in Hollywood, if it ainʼt broke, why

fix it? Narrative liberties have been taken to try to force the story into the traditional blockbuster mould. Comparisons to Ridley Scottʼs ʻGladiatorʼ have been bandied about, perhaps in an effort to maximise interest (and profit), but unfortunately ʻTroyʼ doesnʼt even come close to matching that filmʼs sophistication and beauty. Director Wolfgang Petersen first won recognition for his work when the classic World War II submarine thriller ʻDas Bootʼ was completed in 1981. Since then his output has included ʻAir Force Oneʼ, ʻOutbreakʼ and ʻThe Perfect Stormʼ. With these films, Petersen had managed to command respectable, if not great, performances from his leading men; the likes of Dustin Hoffman, George Clooney and Harrison Ford. Petersenʼs first choice for Achilles, “the greatest warrior the world has ever seen”, was Brad Pitt. Perhaps not surprisingly, his performance is respectable, not great. The real standout here is former stand up comic, Eric Bana, as Trojan prince Hector. His performance in ʻChopperʼ as Australian criminal Mark Brandon Read and his rendering of Bruce Banner in ʻHulkʼ, convinced Peterson of his ability to bring both grit and nobility to the role. Orlando Bloom, of Lord of the Rings fame, has perhaps the most difficult role as Prince Paris of Troy. A lover, certainly not a fighter, Parisʼs affair with Helen which plunges the Greeks and Trojans into war seems like too great a challenge for the young actor. After a dire performance in ʻPirates of the Carribeanʼ, Bloom overacts almost every expression and his dialogue seems forced and ultimately laughable. If you can manage to ignore the sometimes atrocious dialogue, blatant posing from Pitt and Bloom and the boring first hour, the movie certainly picks up for act three. Undeniably entertaining, this is where you begin to wonder, had the movie endured a more rigorous edit-

ing process, would we be looking at a far greater movie? As it is, Troy is a bloated epic with thinly drawn characters whose underlying motivations of glory, greed, and revenge seem all too familiar and remarkably unexciting. 3 out of 5

‘Van Helsing’ The year is 1887. Van Helsing is in Paris in pursuit of Mr. Hyde. Upon accomplishing his mission there, he returns to Rome, where he is assigned a new task from the Vatican; to help Anna Valerious and her brother Velkan, to finally destroy Count Dracula. They must visit Transylvania, where they fight alongside Frankensteinʼs monster, against Dracula, his three brides and a werewolf. The concept of teaming up three of Universal Studioʼs most famous monsters and pitting them against a legendary vampire slayer, is so great it makes one wonder why it hasnʼt already been done. Director Stephen Sommers seems to have a sort of infatuation with the monster genre, his previous two films being ʻThe Mummyʼ and ʻThe Mummy Returnsʼ.

The cost of ʻVan Helsingʼ has been rumoured to be in the region of $200 million, and it shows. Portraying Gabriel Van Helsing (originally Abraham) is Australian actor Hugh Jackman. Jackman has starred as Wolverine in both ʻX-Menʼ movies and as a computer hacker in ʻSwordfishʼ alongside John Travolta. He brings a much needed mysterious quality to the role, even when charged with the task of spitting out some of the worst written dialogue ever put to paper. Kate Beckinsale (ʻPearl Harborʼ, ʻUnderworldʼ) stars as Anna Valarious, Van Helsingʼs trusty sidekick and eventual love interest. Her performance is utterly forgettable and pales in comparison to Jackmanʼs star turn. Despite paper-thin characterisation and a convoluted plotline, ʻVan Helsingʼ is the most fun to be had at a cinema in a long time. When you hear of a movie rated 12PG involving Vampires, Werewolves and Monsters, you donʼt go in expecting a dramatic masterpiece. You want to be entertained, and in this respect Van Helsing delivers. 3.5 out of 5

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

PAGE 25

ertisement feature - Advertisement feature - Advertisement feature - Advertisement feature - Advertisement feature - Advertisement featu

Myths and Facts about the proposed Incinerator for Poolbeg Peninsula FACT The proposed incinerator for Poolbeg is part of the Dublin Waste Plan. The Plan includes 59% recycling of household/municipal waste, 25% thermal treatment, generating energy to make electricity and 16% landfill. (Recycling rates in Dublin are 20% and rising.) Traditionally 95% of waste was landfilled. The Plan will see landfill reserved for residual waste that cannot be recycled or thermally treated.

FACT No Planning application has yet been lodged. A service Provider will be selected by Dublin City Council later this year and will prepare and submit Planning and Licensing Applications to An Bord Plean路la and the Environmental Protection Agency. These two independent bodies (not the Minister for the Environment, nor Dublin City Council, nor the Dublin City Manager) will decide whether or not a thermal treatment plant can be built on the proposed site.

MYTH Proposed plant will be the biggest in Europe.

FACT By European standards, the proposed plant will be of average size only. It will handle approx. 500,000 of non-hazardous waste - 25% of what is generated in the Dublin region annually. (Amsterdam has a plant capable of treating 800,000 tonnes, Rotterdam 1.2million tonnes, Paris 800,000 tonnes and London 450,000 tonnes)

MYTH There will be between 500-800 truck movements to/from the plant each day.

FACT Estimated truck movements to and from the plant will be 400 a day, based on a 500,000 tonne plant. This represents a very small increase on current traffic levels in the area.

MYTH The waste ash from the thermal treatment plant is toxic. FACT: The volume of waste is reduced by 90% (75% by weight) in modern thermal treatment plants. Most of the ash is non-hazardous and is recycled in road construction. 1% of the original volume of waste is hazardous and will be disposed of in an environmentally sustainable manner. For further information: Elizabeth Arnett Dublin City Council Regional Office Cambridge Road Tel: 01 282 5918 www.dublinwastetoenergy.ie

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PAGE 26

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

The Fontenoy Files We Struggle on Through a Mist of Highs and Lows

By Shay Connolly

ome good stories to relate of late. Minor footballers top their league with one match to go. They play St Pats and a win will see us capture a minor title for the first time in many a year. Letʼs all keep our fingers crossed. The minor hurlers have had a peculiar season, losing to some of the weakest teams and beating some of the top teams. One of the top teams, Whitehall Colmcilles, came to Ringsend in April with a 100% record. They blew our lads away in the first half and at half time they led by ten points. (I bet you think I make up these stories!) But in the second half the Ringsend boys turned it all around and won the match by 9 points! Hard to believe but true. Even harder to believe was that they travelled to one of the weakest teams in the league a couple of days later and lost– heavily. Can anyone explain it? I canʼt. Dermot Nicholson is having a great year and is currently on the Dublin U17 squad. U 16s are having a great season. They top the football league by 5 points with 5 matches to go and unless there is a major collapse they should capture league honours. Lately, they have been concentrating on hurling. Their nickname is ʻThe Warriorsʼ around the club and they do act as warriors most of the time. They prepare for their battle well, are disciplined in the fight and to date they have captured many scalps, including two great victories over Round Towers and St Judes. But sweetest of all was their trip to Kilmacud recently where they came out of Crokes back yard with a onepoint victory. Leading by 5 points with just a few minutes to go, Crokes brought it level 4 minutes into injury time. As the ref wrote the score down we took a quick puck out and all of a sudden we were on the attack. The ref looked up and went to grab his whistle to blow full time. He missed the black cord that holds the whistle and by the time he went to grab it again Warrior

Nodge OʼLeary from OʼRahilly House put the sliotar straight between the posts. What a victory! What a bunch of warriors! Three warriors of this team, Ray Rush, Cormac Connolly and Graham Watson are training weekly with the Dublin squad and have travelled the length and breadth of Ireland in the last 18 months, beating Kilkenny, Wexford, Offaly, Laios and Antrim to name but a few. Letʼs go to the girls now. The Camogie team are finding it really tough at present in Senior League and will have to improve to stay in this lofty division. I watched them against Round Towers some weeks ago and for 15 minutes in the second half they played to their potential and worried Towers for that period. If they can multiply that 15 minutes by 4 then they will be on the road to recovery. The ladies football section are competing admirably with the U16s unbeaten in the league to date and the senior girls chalking up some fine wins in the Cup. This section is organising a tournament in memory of former player Tracy Staunton. Tracy was tragically killed in an accident in 2002. This tournament will have teams from all over the country participating and will be run off over the weekend of July 11/12th at Sean Moore Park and Ringsend Park. Inter hurlers, Iʼm afraid, have had a bad start to their Championship, losing their first two games to Thomas Davis and

Naomh Olaf. They are missing some key players at present due to injuries etc. but there is no doubting that they are finding the going tough. Junior hurlers: Now let me tell you a tale about this team. They were finding it hard to field a team for their first few matches when the selectors decided that they would try and entice a former veteran and legend of past days out of retirement. They spoke to his wife and children to strengthen their enticement. An attractive package was put in place and the legend was approached. There were wild scenes of jubilation in the bar when the legend accepted to return on a match to match deal. And so it was that this legend made his first start for many a year in the recent Championship match versus Na Fianna in Sean Moore Park. From the start it was obvious that the legendʼs first touch had never abandoned him as he set up score after score except that there were no other forwards there to take them. Five minutes into the second half and with the home side down seven points, the legend struck. With his back to goal he followed out an awkward ball, lifted sweetly, turned majestically and smashed a low drive into the bottom corner of the net. The legendʼs family went delirious on the sideline and made a show of the legend himself. But the boys were back in the game. After that Na Fianna kept fouling the legend and the boys took

their frees to win the day by two points. Chairman Pat Kane, a near legend himself said that it was a joy to play alongside the legend as he gave him so many more options in his play. But the surprise element is gone now as the news has hit the GAA world and all teams will now be prepared. For those who do not know whom Iʼm talking about please send your educated guesses to the legend himself at the Club. One of the most uplifting sights in the Club in recent years is the commitment shown by Mark Moore, Colm Reynolds, Thomas Neville and Ricky Joyce to underage teams. These are players who are giving their all to the teams they play for and yet are ﬁnding quality time to pass their expertise on to the younger members. Take a bow, lads. My monthly match for this period was the U.11 hurling tie against Parnells in Sean Moore Park. A nice summer evening it was and there was a great turnout of parents from both sides for the encounter. This was only the second hurling match ever for this Clanns team and the pace was frantic from the start. Conor Byrne was like a tiger at full back, taking his knocks like a mature Kilkenny cat. He was ably assisted at the back by Aidan Bolton, Ciaran Crowe, and Joey Sadlier. In the middle Dylan Lacy was running the show. His ﬁrst touch, striking and distribution of the ball were impeccable. Up front Cian Kelliher, Jack Hayes

and JP Hugh were keeping the pressure on the Parnellsʼ back line. The game amazingly turned around at half time with no score on the board from each side. Balls whizzed wide, hit posts and were stopped on the line at each end. This trend continued in the second half until Parnells went ahead with eight minutes to go. Not to be outdone, Clanns were awarded a free about 50 metres out and up stepped Dylan Lacy to split the posts and draw it level. Parnells applied severe pressure in the remaining minutes but the lads stood tall and heroic defending from everyone saw this team gain their ﬁrst ever league point in hurling. There were two international stars donning the Clanns jersey. Conor Saunders, a native American and Seamus Keating, whose parents have just returned from Australia. Both played magniﬁcently and Conor Saunders received the match ball afterwards for his bravery shown. A great occasion and everyone returned home happily. The Development Committee is extremely disappointed of late. For the second year in a row the next phase of Development has had to be shelved as we received no grant from the Department of Tourism and Sport. I donʼt know about you folks but we feel that we work extremely hard to bring a better quality of life to the youth of our area. We commend all other organisations in the area that are doing likewise. We are catering for 27 teams and we feel that we have opened up our doors to other sports and all the community who may wish to use our facilities. We do not apologise for always trying to improve those facilities and we are not unhappy that we have increased our debt threefold in the last few years and our commitment to increase it once more. Because the youth of this area deserve it and we will not be found wanting in our future attempts to bring quality services to the people of Dublin 2 and Dublin 4.

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

PAGE 27

Calafort Átha Cliath

BACKCHAT

new course for Stress Management has begun at the Club. Known as the ʻTuesday Clubʼ, it was founded by Paul Duffy and John Dodd, both prominent members of the Irish Stress Relief Society. Tuesday club members gather weekly to talk about the people they detest most in the Club and discuss ways of trying to love them. The method is done by naming the person 10 times in anger, followed by mentioning the same name again 15 times with ʻI love youʼ included. To date no one has succeeded in reaching anyway near the ﬁfteenth time! * In March the Intermediate hurlers had a table quiz in the Bar to raise funds for the cost of hurley sticks. Well known historian Brian Riddock and his fellow historians won the big cash prize with a nail biting last round. Stephen Bodkins team, which included about 50 and Jack Hayes, claimed that they were getting the wrong answers from a bar staff member, who they believe was a plant for the team of historians. And itʼs all a bit of craic. Supposedly. * Chairman, Pat Kane is planning a brain-storming session shortly among all club members who wish to attend. A top class ﬁve-star hotel is mooted as the forthcoming venue. There is also talk of a stay-over in the same hotel. I should have plenty to write about in the next column. * The clubʼs new Juvenile Chairman Yankee Saunders is settling into his new job quite well. Having returned from California some years ago with dollars hanging out of his back pocket, he now likes sitting in

the top chair and practises the swivel of that chair for hours on end before each meeting. He tells me that he thinks like a Yank and that he would like to get the top seat in the Club by climbing the ladder in the underage section first. Sort of Senator before President job. All aspiring Chairpersons beware! * The club has a new Juvenile Coach. His name is Eamon Clancy and he once played for Clanns a number of years ago. Eamon will take up his post in the very near future. * This column forgot to mention the recent engagement between Oran Burke and Suzanne Murray. Oran, a dual star with the club began to tell me that he first met Suzanne, herself an accomplished player with the Camogie squad and financial guru at a prominent P.R. company in the Ringsend area, after he had suffered cramp during a football league match in Ringsend. I told him to stop right there. * The Club will hold a great fundraising event for the ʻPeople in needʼ Telethon on Friday 21st. A host of activities are planned from seven-a-side football to head-shaving and eyebrow waxing. The moment of the night should be the shaving of Jack Nicholsonʼs head. Now folks this is some head! This head resembles the bushes that were recently cut down in Sean Moore Park except there is more wildlife in this hair than there ever was in those bushes. Trinity Collegeʼs research lab is taking away the remnants of hair to look for extra terrestrial life there. * A Poker Classic will start soon in the club. It will be run off over 10 weeks on Thursday nights and will commence some

time in June. Please see notice board for details. This competition is open to ladies as well. * Gillian Early celebrated her 21st at the club last month. Gillian tells us that she intends spending the next 21 concentrating on Camogie, as she had never concentrated on it before. * Our condolences to the Murphy family on the death of Captain Philip. Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

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PAGE 28

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

E IGHT

BOOKS ON AND NONE THE WISER

By Patrick Duffy

“S

liding on his bottom he approached his sister who was holding the chalk. He lifted his left foot towards her and took the stick of chalk between his toes. Everybody was surprised and waited as Christy prepared. His mother noticed what he had done and quickly taking another piece of chalk she wrote ʻAʼ on the ﬂoor. Copy that she said– after several efforts a rudimentary ʻAʼ was visible on the ﬂoor.” (from Christy Brownʼs Women). Christy Brown was born in June 1932 at Dublinʼs Rotunda Hospital. About forty years later he wrote: “A thing of remorseless gluttony of immense invincible vacuity is my muse”. These extracts from Anthony J Jordanʼs biography of Brown draw on letters acquired as a result of a Christy Brown Commerative Day at Sandymount organised by Jordan after Brownʼs death in 1981. Jordan was principal teacher at the Cerebral Palsy Irelandʼs Sandymount School Clinic. A Mayo man who lives in Sandymount, Jordan says “private letters never intended for publication were brilliant and are all in the book, Brownʼs philosophy of life shone through and I felt they had to be put in the public domain.” Christy Brown in a letter to

Katriona Maguire, March 1962 wrote: “a girl once told me, a very beautiful girl, that it was dangerous for people in my position to indulge in romantic fantasies. I do not see why a physical disability should preclude any romances in oneʼs life.” Sometimes Brownʼs imagined woman and real one were at odds and Brown writes about facing up to reality and how it can be a liberating experience. Eoghan Harris after reading the biography wrote in the Irish Times that that is what the IRA have to do. This is the bind they are in, the reality is there staring them in the face and if they take it on board they will ﬁnd it liberating, just like Christy Brown. Christy did get married and lived for a time in Kerry and England. Marriage was a major achievement in his life. Christy befriended Betty Moore an American woman (previous to

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his marriage to another woman) and she played an important part in his independent development physically and as a literary person. After the publication of ʻMy Left Footʼ he went to her in America. He dedicated ʻDown all the daysʼ to her. When I asked Jordan if he was fond of Christy Brown he replied “No”– because of the way he treated Betty Moore, after he met a younger woman.” “Writing biographies is awful hard work,” says Jordan and compares it “to doing a jig-saw puzzle. You have to be accurate because of its factual nature and you might have to do so much intensive research about one item that somebody might not pay attention to at all. I am very disciplined and would write for 3 solid hours every morning, without fail, ﬁve days a week, with research in the afternoon. “I was ploughing a lone furrow, now I am regarded as an expert on Major John McBride but when Yeats is criticised, academics would knife you for that because many are making a good living out of him.” In 1990 he was given a biography of Maud Gonne and it made him wonder if the author was absolutely fair to Major John McBride. “When I went to look for information I found that there was absolutely nothing written about him and thatʼs what started me off.” Having completed biographies of Major and Sean McBride he found “he was being treated by some people as a republican with a big ʻRʼ, so he sat down one night and had a look at Boylanʼs dictionary to ﬁnd someone as far removed from republicanism as possible but it wasnʼt much use

as all the people were dead.” So it didnʼt take him long to come up with the very much alive Conor Cruise OʼBrien. He had had contact with him in writing the McBrideʼs biographies and found that he was most fair to John McBride. A diplomat, newspaper writer and editor, university professor, politician in the same constituency as Charlie Haughey, writer of plays and a Unionist, Jordan relates that “initially I didnʼt go to Conor Cruise but subsequently I did and he was very helpful and in some cases he gave his version of events and these were included.” Jordan sees OʼBrien as a man with “abundance of intelligence and courage” with a great knowledge of his subject and “an ability to argue logically, a very rational man. “O Brien in very difficult times warned people and guarded against the republic becoming involved in any kind of violence or militaristic way vis a vis the North.” In 1972 “when Bloody Sunday happened in Derry his attitude was that the British should leave Ireland that was the solution but very shortly after that he saw that this would be a recipe for civil war and he changed tack and it is to his credit, many people find it difficult to change but he did and he was vilified by the IRA and by nationalists to a great extent for that and delivered a great service to the country.” The title of his book ʻTo Laugh Or To Weepʼ is apt because some people didnʼt know what position to take with OʼBrien. A two-volumned biography of John F Kennedy by William Manchester ʻDeath in Novemberʼ led Jordan to another subManchester ject– Churchill. named his biography of Churchill ʻThe Founder Of Irelandʼ and Jordan quickly realized that that didnʼt sound quite right, so his own biography places him as ʻa founder of Irelandʼ. “Churchill was in a pivotal position in the British government at crucial times in Irish History. He was secretary for war in 1921, he was secretary for the commonwealth a year later when Ireland was negotiating the treaty.” explains Jordan. Also “his earliest memories were of Ireland– he lived in the

Phoenix Park for 3 or 4 years as a child, he saw Dublin as the second city of the empire and Ireland as an integral part of the British Empire and he couldnʼt understand why the Irish didnʼt see themselves as that and be happy in it.” Churchill was captured during the Boer War and was a prisoner of war, He was a journalist-cum solider and “thatʼs how he really made his name initially.” At a dinner set up by Prime Minister Atlee in 1948 with Churchill and Sean McBride to discuss partition, Churchill began by saying to McBride; “I believe you were at the treaty negotiations in London in 1921.” (McBride was a bodyguard to Michael Collins). McBride said he was. Churchill continued: “Well we were on opposite sides then and weʼre still on opposite sides,” and he went on: “I believe your father was in the Boer War.” McBride said he was. Churchill went on: “I was there and we were on opposite sides and weʼre still on opposite sides.” Jordan likes to work on at least two books at one time so that he can swap from one to the other. At the moment he is editing a collection of John McBrideʼs writings, putting his writings into the public domain again “because of the way he has been demeaned by Yeats in particular, and biographers. “The vast majority of people wouldnʼt know that McBride wrote anything, he wrote a very long account of the Irish Brigade in the Boer War which is interesting historically. “Iʼm putting things on the record and I can give my interpretation and hope that biographers writing about Yeats, Maud Gonne, etc. will have this material available to them, so they can get the two sides or however many sides there are and not just one point of view.” W.B. Yeatsʼs Anniversary is on 13th June, and Sandymount according to Jordan would be an ideal place to do something even on a small scale. “It is an asset from a tourist point of view.” Jordan says his work could be done by anyone, and from an Eavan Boland expression ʻhe is putting down timeʼ with a useful exercise which is enjoyable but hard work.

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

PAGE 29

F ANNY B LANKERS -K OEN , THE ‘F LYING H OUSEWIFE ’ By Jimmy Purdy

aving read of the death of Fanny BlankersKoen at the age of 85 it stirred up memories of great athletic meetings here in Dublin staged by the great Billy Morton. Francina Koen was born in 1918 in the town of Baarn in Utrecht and became involved in athletics at an early stage. She adopted swimming as her first sport before switching to the track relatively late at 17. She married Jan Blankers, who became her coach. He was a Dutch triple-jumper, who took part in the Olympic Games. She was developing into a very good athlete and took part in the Berlin Olympics in the high jump and 4 x 100 relay. She finished fifth in the high jump. These were the Olympics just before the war and Jesse Owens of America was one of the stars of the games. The 1940 and 1944 Olympics were not held because

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of the outbreak of the Second World War. While going training, she would cycle to the track bringing her children in a little trolley attached to her bike. Fanny Blankers-Koen arrived in London in 1948 at the age of thirty when most athletes would be slowing down, to run in the Olympic games. At these games she ran a total of eleven races including heats and ﬁnals. She won them all and collected four gold medals. After eight gruelling days she left London with the moniker ʻFlying Housewifeʼ forever linked to her name. Fanny Blankers-Koen was also a good high jump and long jumper and because in those days athletics were conﬁned to compete in four events she might have won more medals. She also won European titles and a lot of national medals. She broke sixteen world records during her career. Billy Morton, who was attached to Clonliffe Harriers, staged many international ath-

letic and track cycling meetings and one of these meetings was immediately after the 1948 Olympics in London. I followed all these meeting and one of my great thrills was seeing Fanny Blankers-Koen equalling the 100 metres world record right here in our own backyard of Ringsend, Lansdowne Road. Many stars of other countries travelled over from the Olympics of 1948 to compete, among them from Jamaica, Arthur Wint and McDonald Bailey. These two were part of a relay team who won at Lansdowne and their prize was a Raleigh bike each.

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PAGE 30

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

M ORE Y OGA P OSITIONS I

By Nicola McMahon

n the last issue we covered the dog and cat poses. Moving on from there, some variations on the cat pose will help towards preparation for more difficult poses. Variation 1: * Begin with hands directly under the shoulders and knees directly under the hips– table position. * Extend the right leg back, keeping the top of the foot on the floor * Stretch forward through the breastbone * Push up through the arms and look upwards * Keeping the pelvis level begin to slowly raise the right leg from the floor as high as is comfortable * Come back to table position and repeat on the other side

This should be practised a number of times before attempting the next posture which is Salabhasana, known as Locust Pose. Be aware of your body doing the next pose and never push yourself further than is comfortable. This posture is very good for strengthening the muscles of the spine, buttocks, and backs of the arms and legs. The pose also encourages elasticity of the spine and stimulates abdominal organs. Caution: Do not practice the Locust Pose if you are pregnant or if you have serious back injury People with neck injuries should keep their head in a neutral position by looking down at the floor Salabhasana (Locust Pose). Salabha = grasshopper, locust. * Lie on your belly with arms beside your body, palms up and forehead resting on the floor. Alternatively, make fists with your

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hands and bring them together in the groin area, arms tucked beneath you. * Turn your big toes toward each other and keep your legs together. * Exhale and lift your right leg as high as possible. Point the toes and try not to tilt the hips. Repeat with the opposite leg. * Exhale and lift both legs at the same time. Hold for five breaths– release and repeat * Next, exhale and lift the head, upper body, arms, and legs away from the floor. Youʼll be resting on your lower ribs, belly, and front pelvis. * Reach strongly through your legs * Raise your arms parallel to the floor if you have them alongside your body and stretch back through your fingertips. Imagine thereʼs a weight pressing down on the backs of the upper arms, and push up toward the ceiling against this resistance. * Look forward or slightly upward, being careful not to crunch the back of your neck by focusing on keeping it long. * Release with an exhalation. Remove hands from under body if you have used this version and place arms alongside your body Take a few breaths and repeat one or two times more if you like. Balasana is a restful pose known as Childʼs Pose that can be used as a gentle forward bend with the body resting on the thighs. * Kneel on the floor and sit on your heels * Exhale as you fold forward down onto your thighs * Rest your head on the floor if possible or else place your hands in fists one on top of the other under your forehead. * Lengthen your tailbone towards the floor, you may need to use a cushion if you canít stay on your heels. * Lay your hands on the floor alongside your body, palms up, and release the fronts of your shoulders toward the floor with the shoulder blades wide across your back. * Allow your breath to massage the body.

The Great Potato Blight

By Michelle Gleeson

ere I am standing at the kitchen sink beginning preparations for the family dinner. The queues at the shop and heavy trafﬁc on the return journey have delayed me a little but, never

mind, I still have time to get the dinner together at this stage Peeling starts and as with too many meals these days the scenario is much the same. Peel one, skip one, hack one, good one, holes, half potato, quarter potato, skip one again. Before you know it you have lost more potato than you have retained! The sink is now full of black eyes, rotten centres and large chunks of unusable potato, you may just be lucky enough to scratch enough potato together to go around. Looking into the sink annoyance besets me. Why is it so hard to buy a bag of decent potatoes these days in Ireland? I have heard of The Great Potato Blight but this is ridiculous. It isnʼt like you can scoop the whole lot up, place it in the bag and march back to the shop to complain– land the bag on the counter with your complaint and you will look half-mad. Arrive to complain without the evidence and they just might not believe you. It is a difﬁcult one for the cook to deal with on a regular basis. How much money are we throwing into our bins? I have often resorted to the special, silver foil brand (extra price) to ensure top quality in my spuds, only to be let down again! I must admit to resorting to both avenues of complaint outlined above– I found the accompanied version worked better! Bad potatoes are one of the many things about which we are reluctant to complain, yet it costs us a lot of money on a monthly basis. Who do we blame– farmers, buyers of produce in supermarkets. It seems we just have to accept that if we buy a bag of spuds and half of them are rotten then we throw them out and go buy more the next day! Donʼt throw your money in the bin please– speak up!

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

PAGE 31

W OMEN By Rose Hogan

omen all over the country are currently running, jogging and walking in preparation for the Evening Heraldʼs 22nd Womenʼs Mini Marathon, which will take place on Bank Holiday Monday June 7th. Dads everywhere will be left ʻholding the babyʼ as Mothers, Grannies and Daughters leave them lumbered as they head off to make the 6.2 mile journey for their chosen charity. The Womenʼs Mini Marathon is the biggest event of its kind in the world, dramatically increasing in numbers since it began in 1983, when 9,000 women took part. In 2003 the numbers had risen to 37,000 and to date a whopping 66 million euro has been raised for different charities. It is now the biggest single day charity event in the country. This festival of women is open to ladies 14 years and upwards,

ON THE

you can run, walk or crawl in your own time, no pressure is put on anyone, after youʼve done it once chances are youʼll be hooked. The craic on the day is 90, and the sense of fulfilment afterwards when you wear that medal is tremendous. The starting point is Fitzwilliam Square and the finishing point is St. Stephenʼs Green, although the celebrations certainly donʼt finish there, restaurants and bars in the area are packed to the rafters with ladies discussing the antics of the day until well into the night. Very little training is necessary as a good brisk walk 2 or 3 times a week will get most people through. The emphasis is on fun and thereʼs usually plenty of that around on the day. Remember, it has the highest finishing ratio of any event with less than one per cent failing to reach the finishing line, just avoid those blisters and bunions by wearing the old comfy trainers as opposed to the new, stylish ones.

R UN !

Over the years a sinister element has been making its way into the marathon. Ladies who may not be all they seem, or perhaps a little bit more. Hairylegged ladies, sporting wigs and mini skirts to die for, large breasted nuns and nurses, and others resembling ladies of the night, all add to the fun and excitement. The closing date for this yearʼs entry is gone, but thereʼs always next year. All you have to do is get an entry form from the Evening Herald, fill it in and send it off, then pick a charity of your choice and they will supply you with a t-shirt and sponsorship card and bobʼs your uncle. The current entry is €12, which will also get you two free tickets to the Womenʼs World Show in the RDS where you collect your number and goodie bag. In 2003 Sonia OʼSullivan from Cobh in Cork finished in first place in 33 minutes and 21 seconds, so get cracking– you have 12 months to beat that!

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PAGE 32

NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

L OCAL C ANDIDATES W HO

ARE THEY ?

W HAT

CANDIDATES PEMBROKE

AT A

G LANCE

ARE THEIR POLICIES ?

CANDIDATES SOUTH EAST INNER CITY

Chris Andrews (FF) Chris Andrews is a sitting councillor for Fine Fail in the Pembroke ward. Chris believes that our environment is important to us and is a strong and consistent advocate of waste management improvements. He is also concerned about infrastructure and the inappropriate and large scale development of apartments and offices in the city. Chris feels that Dublin’s virtual state of gridlock is a serious problem and he has been an advocate of quality bus corridors. He also believes that Local Govenment needs to be reformed but says this will not happen without Councillors who are strong enough to make the hard decisions.

JOHN BARRY (FG) John Barry is a 46 year old businessman and was a founding member of the Irish Green Party. He runs a local business and has worked in the South East Inner City for the last 27 years. He lives in the area with his wife and two young children. John Barry is running for Dublin City Council to drive forward the creation of a better, greener more community friendly city environment in a serious business-like manner. He also believes our streets should be safer and better maintained and that more should be done to improve recycling facilities in the City.

LUCINDA CREIGHTON (FG) Lucinda Creighton is a representative for Fine Gael in the Pembroke area. Originally from Claremorris, Co. Mayo, she now lives in Donnybrook and works in Dublin City Centre. She is a Graduate of Law from Trinity College, Dublin and is also a qualified Attorney at Law from the New York Bar Association. She is working to change the perception of politics and is committed to meeting with all local residents to listen to their concerns. Her priority is to highlight issues on behalf of residents, lobby for change and take action in the interests of the community.

PAT BUNCE (FF) Pat Bunce is a Special Needs Resource Teacher in City Quay N.S. Pearse St. and lives in Sandymount. He has been involved in the Dublin Inner City Schools Primary Schools Initiative where he organised sports competitions for the 13 schools involved. His is a member of the policy committee which conducted surveys and commissioned reports for the schools which were used to highlight needs for the schools in drawing down resources. Pat believes strongly in partnership between all facets of the Community and advocates the provision of Local Health Centres in the area similar to that being built in Meath Hospital. He supports the continued provision of affordable housing and continued rejuvenation of flat complexes as started by the present Government.

WENDY HEDERMAN (PD) Wendy Hederman lives with her husband Brendan and three young children off Appian Way. She graduated from Trinity College, Dublin with a law degree and is a solicitor practicing commercial and EU law. Her mother, Carmencita Hederman served on DCC from 1974 to1999 and was Lord Mayor in 1988, when Dublin celebrated its Millennium. Wendy is concerned about the threatened proposed development of an incinerator in the area and the proposal to build a 26-story apartment block in Donnybrook village. She says Dublin has been allowed to develop big city sprawl, but has a small city infrastructure and management.

CONOR DELANEY (FG) Conor Delaney is 30 years of age and has been involved in South Inner City issues for a number of years. His primary issues are Traffic, Health and Planning/Heritage. He also believes that Dublin City Council should increase funding to provide better local recycling facilities and he wants to see the creation of a new traffic division. He says that a new metropolitan Garda force with sole responsibility for patrolling and the power of arrest is also needed to make our streets safer. Conor is a member of the Clanna Gael Hurling Club in Ringsend, the Sandymount and Merrion Residents’ Association and is a Minister for the Word in Star of the Sea Church in Sandymount.

DERMOT LACEY (LABOUR) Former Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr. Dermot Lacey is the Labour Party candidate for the Pembroke area. He is married with two children and lives in Donnybrook and has been on the City Council since 1993. Councillor Lacey is active in a wide range of community groups and is particularly committed to the reform of Local Government structures and for the introduction of a directly-elected Lord Mayor. Long housing lists, traffic problems and planning are high on his agenda for reform. He is against the proposed incinerator in the area and is enthusiastic about plans for the enhancement of Sandymount Strand.

DAITHÍ DOOLAN (SF) Daithí Doolan is the Sinn FÈin Representative for Dublin South East and says he has a ìpassion for politicsî. Originally from Cork, He has been a political activist for most of his adult life and was active in CND, The Anti Single European Act Campaign and The Anti Apartheid Movement. He lived in London for five years and since returning to Ireland in 1992 he has held many posts within Sinn FÈin. He opposes bin charges, hospitals closures and high-rise developments. He has also tackled both the causes and consequences of drug addiction in the community with great success as a founding member and current PRO for the Ringsend & District Response to Drugs.

PADDY MCCARTAN (FG) Paddy McCartan has strong roots in the community, having grown up in Ballsbridge. He attended school in Marian College and qualified as an Optician from Kevin Street. All his working life has been spent in Baggot Street and Ringsend, where he runs two opticians and it is from here that his involvement in community work began. His priority issues for the local elections are: local environment, planning application and development proposals, harnessing the full potential of our older generation and increasing the integrity and effectiveness of local government. Paddy’s campaign has the full backing of Cllr Joe Doyle, who is retiring after a distinguished career in politics.

KEVIN HUMPHREYS (LABOUR) Cllr. Kevin Humphreys is leader of the Labour Group on Dublin City Council. He was born and grew up in the South East Inner City and has firsthand experience of many issues that affect local communities. He believes that a fairer society will only be achieved through equality of opportunity and as a member of the City of Dublin Vocation Education Committee has worked for improved access to education for all. Kevin has actively worked on identifying sites for social and affordable housing and has been to the fore on the City Council against the location of an incinerator in Ringsend. He has worked to improve amenities for the youth in the Ringsend/Pearse Street area and is actively involved in many relevant committees.

SINÉAD PEMBROKE (SF) Sinéad Pembroke is the Sinn Féin candidate for the Pembroke ward of Dublin South East. She is a 20 year old Politics and Sociology student in University College Dublin and has been continually active on youth and student matters in the past few years. Recently she has spoken strongly on the issues of sustainable development and the planned incinerator on the Poolbeg peninsula. She feels that the people of Pembroke are looking for a real alternative and a fresh voice in City Hall to deal with matters such as these.

GARRY KEEGAN FF Councillor Garry Keegan MBS, MSc, has lived and worked in Dublin City since 1987. Garry studied Business and Marketing at both University College Dublin (UCD) and Trinity College Dublin (TCD). He ran in the local elections in 1999 and replaced Eoin Ryan on the Council four years ago. He is a strong supporter of sports and admires the work of such organisations as the Poolbeg Boat and Yacht Club, Clann na Gael and Markevitch Football Club. Garry holds advice centres on Tuesday 7 - 8 in St Andrew’s Resource Centre and Thursday 7 - 8 in the Community Centre, Thorncastle Street.

MICHAEL TURLEY (FF) Michael Turley is a 29 year old IT professional from Donnybrook. Although he has no family connections in politics, he has always had a sincere interest in government and joined Fianna Fáil in 2002. Having worked with Councillor Garry Keegan and Deputy Eoin Ryan he was selected as a local election candidate for Pembroke. Since graduating from Trinity College, he has worked for various IT companies and financial institutions. He feels that although technology has been identified as a critical component to Ireland’s economic success, engineers are woefully under-represented at senior political level.

JOHN KENNY (PD) John Kenny is 29 years old and was brought up in Ringsend and then Pearse Street. He was educated in Marian College and won a scholarship to study accountancy and finance in Portobello Business College. He is currently working in financial services in Hatch Street, having previously worked as a commercial accountant. Kenny is a member of the National Crime Council and his special interest is to involve local communities in crime prevention. Like the majority of people living in Ringsend Irishtown and Sandymount he is worried over the proposed development of Europe’s largest incinerator at Poolbeg.

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CANDIDATES SOUTH EAST INNER CITY

CANDIDATES PEMBROKE CLAIRE WHEELER (GREEN) Cllr. Claire Wheeler was born in Dublin and spent her childhood years in Clonskeagh. Claire joined the Green Party in 1989. In 1991 she was elected to Dublin City Council but lost her seat in 1999 when Pembroke was reduced to a three-seater. However, she was co-opted back onto the Council by the Green Party to replace Ciaran Cuffe TD. Some of her prime concerns include the maintenance of natural space and amenities, in particular Sandymount Strand and the Dodder Linear Park. Claire believes that facilities for children also need to be addressed, as crime and delinquency could be decreased through proper recreational and sports-facilities.

PAULINE O’SHEA (GREEN) Pauline O’Shea is a resident of Doris Street, Ringsend. Some of her policies include education for life, healthcare with dignity, working for an inclusive society including making EU Nationals and Non-Nationals aware of their right to vote in local and European elections if they are resident in the country for a year or longer. Pauline is also concerned about sustainable waste management and real measures to end traffic gridlock.

Two most recent candidates for the South-East Inner City Area are: Linda poole, Student, (Non Party), 11b York Street, Dublin 2. Noel Ivory, (Non Party), 37 Smock Alley Court, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.

SHAY RYAN (SWP) Shay Ryan is originally from South Lotts Road, Ringsend and now lives in Ranelagh. He is a care worker with the Irish Wheelchair Association at the Mount Street Day Centre. He is the Dublin South East representative for the Campaign against the Bin Tax and is also active in the fight against incineration. Shay says, “There are hundreds of people on the housing lists across the South East Constituency. Yet large parts of Ringsend and Pearse Street have been taken over by private property developers who build luxury apartments and sky-scraper office blocks.”

The Referendum

ANGIE MURPHY (WP) Angie Murphy is the Workers Party candidate, who campaigns strongly for improved healthcare. She supports the abolition of all service charges and opposes an incinerator in Ringsend. She also supports recycling and the use of drugs money confiscated by the CAB for anti-drug projects. She supports the right of everyone to housing and favours a reduction in the power of the City Manager in favour of elected Councillors.

By Frances Corr

referendum to change the Constitution will be held on June 11th, 2004. On the same date the local elections and European Parliament elections will be held. In the constitutional referendum you will be asked to vote YES or NO to a proposal to change the Constitution in relation to the constitutional right of people born in the island of Ireland to Irish citizenship. The constitutional right of every person born in the is-

land of Ireland to be a citizen of Ireland is contained in Article 2 of the Constitution. This article became part of the Constitution in 1998 and came into operation in 1999. This was agreed as part of the Good Friday agreement. It meant the Oireachtas no longer had the power to decide whether or not citizenship could be withheld from any person born in the island of Ireland. On June 11th you are being asked to vote on whether or not the following new wording should be put into Article 9 of the constitution. 1. Notwithstanding any oth-

er provision of this Constitution, a person born in the island of Ireland which includes its islands and seas, who does not have, at the time of the birth of that person, at least one parent who is an Irish citizen or entitled to be an Irish citizen is not entitled to Irish citizenship or nationality, unless provided for by law. 2. This section shall not apply to persons born before the date of the enactment of this section. If the majority vote YES to this proposal the Constitution will be changed and it will mean that people born here after the amendment takes ef-

fect will not have the right to be Irish citizens, unless one of their parents either is an Irish citizen or is entitled to be an Irish citizen at the time of the birth. The Oireachtas will then be in a position to pass legislation which governs how other people born in Ireland may become Irish citizens. If the majority vote NO to this proposal the Constitution will not change. This will mean that any person born on the island of Ireland will continue to have a right to be an Irish citizen. The Oireachtas will remain unable to pass legislation restricting that

right. The government is proposing the change while other political parties and groups representing the rights of asylum seekers are opposing the change. But it is a decision for the people of Ireland, we have been asked to vote on this major change to our constitution and we should take time to reflect on all the relevant facts to make an informed decision which should not be rushed. A booklet on the referendum can be obtained from the Referendum Commission, 18 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin. www.refcom.ie

The Vintage 74 Irishtown Road

Winners of the Docklands Schools Photographic Initiative with judging panel and staff of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority.

FOR GOOD DRINK AND GOOD ATMOSPHERE, IT HAS TO BE THE VINTAGE

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NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

E UROPEAN E LECTION C ANDIDATES Labour - Ivana Bacik Ivana Bacik is 35 years old and lives in Dublinʼs Liberties area. She is well known as a human rights activist and campaigner. She stood for election to the Seanad as an independent in 1997 and 2002 on the Dublin University Panel. She ﬁrst joined the Labour Party at age 18 and is currently Vice-Chair of the Michael Kearney Branch in Dublin South-East. In 1989-90, Ivana was elected President of Trinity College Dublin Studentsʼ Union. She teaches law at Trinity College and works as a barrister in Dublin. Ivana has campaigned with organisations such as Amnesty, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and the Irish Family Planning Association. On an international level Ivana has worked with the Council of Europe to develop a criminal code for Kosovo. Ivana is campaigning for a “thriving, tolerant Dublin for all of its citizens”.

Fianna Fáil - Cllr Royston Brady (Lord Mayor) Royston Brady is a member of Dublin City Council and is also the current Lord Mayor. Royston has been a member of the Fianna Fáil party for a number of years, starting as a member of Ogra FF at the age of 11. He was selected as a candidate in November 1998 for local elections and went on to become the youngest member of Dublin City Council at the age of 26. Royston is running as a Fianna Fáil candidate for the European Parliament (MEP) representing Dublin He hopes to represent Dublin in Europe, to “emulate our past success and to speak out strongly on every issue of concern to Dubliners.”

Labour - Proinsias De Rossa MEP Proinsias De Rossa is the Labour MEP in the European Parliament and is Vice-President of the 175- member European Socialist Group. He was a Minister in the 1994-1997 Rainbow Government and a political campaigner. This experience was brought to bear in his role as one of the Irish representatives in the European Convention which prepared the draft European Constitution. He has consistently given priority to eliminating poverty, strengthening social policy, improving the environment, defending jobs and opposing war. He hopes to continue his work “to make Dublin a great city in which to work and live and for a better Europe in the future.”

Socialist Party - Joe Higgins TD Joe Higgins is the Socialist Party TD for Dublin West and will be their candidate in the upcoming European elections on June 11th for the Dublin constituency. Joe Higgins, born in May 1949 is the Socialist Partyʼs sole TD. As a socialist, he accepts less than half his Dáil salary and donates the rest to his party and other socialist causes. He also refuses to socialise in the Dáil bar. He spent a month in jail last autumn for fighting the bin tax. Originally from the Kerry Gaeltacht, he was politicised as a seminarian in America by the Anti-Vietnam war demonstrations and the race riots that he witnessed in the 1960s. After abandoning his training for the priesthood he returned to Ireland, where he put himself through UCD. He joined the Labour Party at UCD and aligned himself with the so-called “Militant Tendency” within the party, which opposed coalition. He left the party after the expulsion of militant members at the 1989 Party Conference in Tralee. The expelled members became Militant Labour, before reforming as The Socialist Party in 1997. He was elected to Dublin County Council in 1991 and is now a member of Fingal County Council.

Sinn Féin - Mary Lou McDonald Mary Lou McDonald is a member of the Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle and is the partyʼs candidate for Dublin in this yearʼs European elections. She hopes to secure the ﬁrst seat for Sinn Féin in the European Parliament. She was Educated in Trinity College, Dublin, the University of Limerick and Dublin City University. Mary Lou has studied English Literature, European Integration Studies and Human Resource Management. She is the Sinn Féin representative for Dublin West and is keenly involved in many local community groups. She is a member of the Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle and the party representative to the National Forum on Europe. She currently works for the party in co-ordinating the work of Sinn Féin elected representatives across the island. Mary-Lou is married and has a baby daughter.

Green Party - Patricia McKenna MEP Patricia McKenna was elected to the European Parliament in 1994. She stood as the Green Party candidate and topped the poll in Dublin, getting 14.5% of the votes. She was re-elected in the European elections in June 1999. She is well-known for her opposition to the nuclear industry, her campaigns on the Nice, Maastricht and Amsterdam Treaties, her protests against US-led military aggression in various parts of the world, and her efforts to have genetically modiﬁed organisms banned. As an MEP, Patricia divides her time between the Parliament Ofﬁces in Dublin, Brussels and Strasbourg. Patricia is a full member of two standing Committees: the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection Committee and the Fisheries Committee. She is a substitute member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Common Security and Defence Policy and is a member of the Parliamentʼs Delegation for Relations with Member States of ASEAN, South-East Asia and the Republic of Korea and Vice President of the Peace Initiatives Intergroup.

Fine Gael - Gay Mitchell TD Gay Mitchell is the Fine Gael candidate for the Dublin constituency in the European Elections. He is a member of the Dáil and was ﬁrst elected in 1981. He is currently opposition spokesperson for Foreign Affairs. Gay was Fine Gaelʼs National Campaign Director in 1987 for the Single European Act Referendum, in 1992 for the Maastricht Treaty Referendum, and in 1998 for the Amsterdam Treaty Referendum. He has served as a member of Dublin City Council, City of Dublin VEC, and Chairman Rathmines College of Commerce. He is a former member of the board of Our Ladyʼs Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin and was Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1992 to 1993.

Fianna Fáil - Eoin Ryan TD Eoin Ryan was born in Dublin and lives in Sandymount with his wife and three children. The 51 year old was educated in St. Maryʼs College, Rathmines, The Dublin College of Commerce and Rathmines and Kildalton Horticulture College, Co. Kilkenny. He is a Full-time Public Representative and was ﬁrst elected to Dáil Eireann in 1992. He was Minister of State at the Department of Local Government with responsibility for National Drug Strategy 1999 - 2002, a Member of Seanad Éireann 1989 - 1992 and a member of Dublin City Council since 1985. As a local TD he continues to make a signiﬁcant contribution to the News 4 area. He recently called for Ireland to take a lead in driving reform within the European Union, to enhance European competitiveness and to restore the credibility of the Union among the people of Europe. “Ireland can be a force for reform within the Union. The ten new members regard us as a role model and the challenges they now face were challenges we successfully overcame in the 1980s. We can be sure they will support us in the drive for economic reform within the EU,” he said.

European Election Candidates Update Comhar Criostai/The Christian Solidarity Party– Barry Despard Barry Despard, 7A Lanesborough Gardens, Dublin 11. Counsellor

Non-Party - Paul Doonan Paul Doonan, Boothill, Durrus, Cork, Company Director. Paul Doonan is running in the election to highlight what he sees as the government arrogance and incompetence in its handling of many issues including the

smoking ban, GM Food, E Voting, toxic incinerators, road tolling and health waiting lists. Tom Prendeville Tom Prendeville, 52 Goldsmith Street, Phibsboro, Dublin 7, News Reporter

Brendan Price Brendan Price, Tobergregan, Garristown, Fingal, Co Dublin. Independent Biologist, Wildlife Rehabilitator. He has been a candidate in the last four Seanad elections for The National University of Ireland.

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The Poetry Place Who owned this house? Who owned this house? For sure I know. My parents lived here long ago. Beside the church where mother prayed, Relations welcomed when they stayed. Grandchildren playing on the grass. The decent bell called out for mass. I turn the key and walk within. Allʼs quiet now a dearth of din. The clock has stopped at half past three. My mother would announce the tea. This house holds memories sad and sweet. But I have others now to meet. I cannot linger long to grieve And so I slowly take my leave. By Carmel McCarthy

Childminder I sit at the telly, Iʼm all alone. Enter a child With an ice-cream cone. No matter how hard He tries to lick, It drips down his front Twice as quick. I close my eyes And try to snooze And I donʼt give a damn If he licks his shoes. Oh obnoxious child Left in my care While his parents Are living it up somewhere. Itʼs he who will win As he takes his nap, Having smiled at his granny, He sits on my lap. And now we are both Quite reconciled. What a picture we makeGrandmother and child. By Marie McAuliffe

The Spire As I went in to see the spire, I stopped and gazed with desire, The monument is very tall, It is the biggest of them all, And as it glows through the night, It makes the stars look Oh so bright, It lights up OʼConnell Street, And all the children think itʼs neat. By Nadine Nolan Age 9

So many, so much So many voices, So many fears, So many cries, So many tears, So much anger, So much pain, So much ﬁghting, Too much of everything. By Ailish Brady

New Languages

Peace

Trying to cope with a new language, I found it a struggle as I travelled By bus, when a French bus conductor Got cross with me after I offered Him coins on my way from Ferney To Geneva, during my summer holidays. I required Swiss francs, but had taken French francs along to cover my journey. I could not make sense of his words. Getting back to my friends, they explained That I required two sets of coins.

Peace perchance to live The parties met yet very little give Around the table meetings by the score For each to bend and give a little more

Then I suddenly remembered, how little Time I give to Italians in the chipper, Chinese workers in the takeaway, When I eat at Indian restaurants back In Dublin, have my hair styled By African women, or order drinks From Asian workers in pubs, how Difﬁcult it is for all those people Who are far away from their homelands. Yet we seldom notice or make any effort To learn or speak their languages.

By Michael Gleeson

By Mary Guckian

India; poetry in commotion People everywhere like ants Hump-necked oxen and plump artificial birds I look for cricket but hear mosquitos In India, the flat red universe, the country that never sleeps Traffic and trafficking both organised and chaotic Machines and sentient beings, anything goes Observe the movement of the clever monkeys and kulis Under the peepal tree the true path was shown There is no end to roadside homes, trades Everything is near but for how far People squat with bums close to ground And the work gets done Equanimity and the sun go hand-in-hand As scarecrows perform salutations Give us the sun to our green land To find liberation Can happiness come in our flabby waists Our exposure of flesh, our fatted animals India and mother nature as one But in our world the colours run Happiness is found in nodding heads, hard beds and sell In butterflies, smiling faces and greetings that glow In dusty-haired people dusting cars with rags True wealth is in the heart, if only weʼd know In India everything is impermanent In the moment is the only way to go Or in the burning ghats of the holy city Beside the Ganges where daily people wash head to toe For true holiday spirit donʼt forget the soul In satsangs and ashrams where spirituality flows Is this the incarnation for a dip in the Ganga My choice, my suffering, just observe and let go So thanks for experience, namaste Siddhartha and co Iʼll always remember wherever I roam Your incense and people etched deep in my soul Most importantly where the feet are, will always be home By Jonny

One life so cheap, worth keeping alive? No bombs to shatter quiet lives The history old and tainted by the battle Bodies strewn in streets like blooded cattle The abattoir is closed throw down your tools or continue to your deaths like silly fools

Be Here Now “Be here now,” the Guru said “The past is over and totally dead Youʼve learned your lesson, God speed your ways And help you live it day by day. Savour the moment, the mountain, the sea. Look waves are swirling just for me Tossing their foam in a milky dance As clouds glare down from a threatening stance They promise a storm, let it come, let it go The earth will be the better you know More refreshed then it is right now When it settles down, after the row.” By Carmel McCarthy

Changing Times By stealth, our city grows. In its heart, a black vein, ﬂows. Where to now? one must ask, its dithering mass. By Thos. Maher

View from a balcony As I sit here burning There is a yearning To see you smile And ease this aching heart of mine. Like driftwood drifting Between day and night A cock crows In the midmorning sun Passion burns deep inside Life something more than this. By Dolores Duffy

Gray Green Water Fingers of rain lash the peninsula from heavy brooding clouds Forbidden love of rocks and water. Gray green pool sits with ships of striped colour settling between God and us. From the starlings come and whistle a song borrowed from a lark. By Robert Morah

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

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NEWSFOUR JUNE 2004

‘Through The Looking Glass’ New paintings by Michael Cullen at

Taylor Galleries, 16 Kildare Street from 10th June to 26th June

Pictured at the Anchorage, above, from left: Daoire Power, Adam Boland, from the ship ‘Dulos’ Lucy from Brazil, Carly Weafer, Kate Nolan and Melissa Shepherd.

Above: ‘The Versatile Peer’ (Medium: Oil on linen).

Left: Tigger and Winnie the Pooh with friends at the Anchorage, Ringsend.

Michael Cullen, 6 Henrietta Street’ Dublin 1. Phone: 872 4090

Clyne Bros Selection of Fruit and Vegetables now available “The best butchers in Ireland”– ‘Dubliner’ Magazine All our Beef is hung for 14 days

Customers will be pleased to know that the inconvenience from the roadworks will soon be coming to an end

Full Traceability on all our Meat H.A.C.C.P. Plan in Operation

“Our Reputation is Your Guarantee”

12 Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend • Phone: 6680456 - 6602091