NewsFour_2007_04 by News Four

APRIL / MAY 2007

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

NATIONAL PRIDE FOR LOCAL CRICKETERS T

he OʼBrien brothers from Railway Union in Sandymount have emerged as star players on the Irish Cricket team taking part in the World Cup in the West Indies. Niall, who plays with Northhants in 2007 was voted Man of the Match in Irelandʼs historic win over Pakistan. A big contingent from Railway Union travelled to Jamaica to support the team, including proud parents Brendan and Camilla from Gilford Road. Sister Ciara travelled from London to lend support. The OʼBriens travelled back to Barbados and Grenada to watch the last three matches in the Super 8 series. Members of the Ireland cricket team and management at the ICC Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean have handed over US$1,000 to help towards the cost of heart operations for children in Guyana (see page 25).

Our picure shows Arthur and Bhavana hard at work cleaning Sandymount Green. They were two of the pupils of classes 1 to 4 of St. Matthewʼs School who recently took part in National Spring Clean Day.

BURSTING WITH SUMMER VARIETY Artist Guido Daniele sees all his painstaking handiwork regularly washed away! See page 6

Billy Fleming drives buses, loves buses and takes busman’s holidays to see his favourite buses! See page 7

Coming to a plug hole near you… Michael Hilliard previews ‘Spiderman 3’ on page 18

The late Johnny Cash is collared by Brian D’Arcy, whose ‘Different Journey’ is assessed on page 30

Theyʼre handy, theyʼre willing, theyʼre able! If you are getting on a bit and need some work done about the house, Age Action may well be the answer to your dreams! See page 19.

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NewsFour Managing Editor Ann Ingle Advertising Manager Grainne McGuinness Office Manager Miriam Holmes Staff Grace Charley Brian Rutherford Fergal Murphy Audrey Healy David Hussey John Cavendish Nessa Jennings Contributors Michael Hilliard Christy Hogan Derek Buckley Shay Connolly David Carroll Brian Kelly Bob and Frances Corazza Noel Watson James O’Doherty Saoirse O’Hanlon Tobin Elizabeth Hutcheson Austin Cromie

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

The Editor’s Corner

orry we are little late getting to you this month. Although I had a great time, my sojourn in the US left me jet-lagged and a little disorientated. Nevertheless, we have an exciting edition for you with our usual eclectic mix. Check out Guido Danieleʼs amazing art work on page 6, Brian Kellyʼs account of his recent holiday in Nice on page 34, Graceʼs article on the life of a bus driver on page 7 and our vox pop on religion on page 37. We had no space for our poetry this time so apologies to readers and poets alike. We have included a brief reminder of the candidates in the up-coming election and have included all who have declared at the time of going to print on page 24. I have just nominated someone who I have admired for a long time for ʻHands Up for Dublinʼs

Unsung Heroesʼ, Dublin City Councilʼs initiative to honour people in the community who give of their time and energy for the beneﬁt of others without any reward. If you know someone who you feel should be acknowledged for their good work, get a nomination form from 2222194 or call in to the ʻNewsFourʼ ofﬁce. Application forms must be in by 11th May. Expect our next edition around 21 June and any articles, poems or news you want us to include will be welcome. Contact us at 6673317, email: newsfourscs@eircom.net or call in to 15 Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend. Have an uplifting Bealtaine (see page 25). Ann Ingle

• SPECIAL NOTICE •

SHELBOURNE PARK RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION LTD 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.

Guitar Lessons Professional Teacher Contact Tony at 087 9743775

Web Designer Andrew Thorn Photography John Cheevers Design, Typesetting, Layout Eugene Carolan

Telephone: (01)6673317

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

E-mail: newsfourscs@eircom.net

The Docklands Sport and Recreation Course at Ringsend Tech

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

Affiliated to Comhairle, South-East Area Network, (SEAN) Local History Research, Community Resource Service, NewsFour Newspaper, FÁS Community Employment Programme. Opinions expressed in News Four do not necessarily represent the views of Community Services.

THERE IS a new sport and recreation course starting in Ringsend Technical Institute. It is a one year post leaving cert course and applicants are asked to have completed their leaving cert/ applied leaving cert or equivalent or possess appropriate FETAC level 4 qualifications. The course hopes to attract males and females from the docklands area and make use of local resources like the new Irishtown Stadium and Ringsend Park. Subjects covered include: Athletics coaching, Gaelic football coaching, Soccer coaching, Swimming and lifeguarding, Dinghy sail-

ing and IT. There will be training from expert coaches from the GAA and the FAI which will give the students the opportunity to make much-needed contacts in their chosen field. At the end of the course the participants can qualify with a FETAC level 5 cert in Sports and recreation studies and individual coaching awards in athletics, Gaelic football and soccer. This course would be extremely beneficial for people who would like to work in sports as a coaching officer, leisure centre attendant or youth and community worker. Also anyone hoping to join the Gardai or fire service would find the course of benefit. By Fergal Murphy

Ringsend Active Retirement Association Retired with time on your hands? Why not visit us at the CYMS in Ringsend any Tuesday to Friday from 2.30 pm New members (men and women) always welcome

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

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

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NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

BALLSBRIDGE PLAN

“PUTTING DEVELOPERS’ INTERESTS FIRST ” I

By John Cavendish

n January, Dublin City Council produced a Local Area Plan for much of Ballsbridge, from Shelbourne Road over to Pembroke Road for a mixed-use urban village. The plan calls for the re-zoning of the area to a Z14 status that would allow for the quadrupling of the building density to coincide with applications from developers who wish to re-build the Berkley Court and Juryʼs Hotels. Objections were submitted at the beginning of March and these came from residentsʼ associations and others, who complained that the plan would dramatically change the nature of Ballsbridge to an area with high-rise apartments and offices with little in the way of social and affordable housing. John Gormley T.D. said af-

ter a hearing with one of the developers, Sean Dunne, that “I also have to question whether this area can cope right now with the construction traffic and associated nuisance caused by so many major developments underway or proposed for the next few years. Between development on this site and the proposed redevelopment of Lansdowne Road, the pressure on local roads will be severe.” Rory Hearne, People Before Profit candidate in Dublin South East, said: “The intention to rezone large areas on Lansdowne and Pembroke Road to Z 10 and Z14 should be the subject of a special meeting of the Council. The Dublin City Development Plan, with the zoning agreed was passed in April 2005 by the full City Council. “This draft LAP once more puts the developersʼ interests first over the needs of the com-

munity. Just because large expensive sites are bought up by developers does not mean they should automatically be rezoned to suit the developers.” Councillor Lucinda Creighton of Fine Gael commented, “This Local Area Plan for Ballsbridge had the potential to offer an imaginative framework for a new model of planning in Dublin City. Instead, we have been presented with a plan to rezone Ballsbridge to facilitate one developer. It shows that the developer-led planning process which resulted in the Mahon tribunal has not gone away.” Labour Party Councillor Dermot Lacey wrote to residents saying “When the idea for

a Local Area Plan was mooted it was felt that this would assist us all in protecting our community against the likely onslaught of ʻdevelopmentʼ that Ballsbridge is likely to see in the coming years. Within the context of our very weak planning laws that remains my

hoping to raise funds for the Special Care Baby Unit in Holles Street Hospital. This year we

are adding a new twist– to raise funds for insurance and hire of bouncy castles, etc we are running a series of events: * Table Quiz in Becky Morganʼs on 20th May (€20 table of four) *Mid Summer Fancy Dress and barbecue in Railway Union Cricket Club on 22nd June *Treasure Hunt (details to be ﬁnalised) We are looking for help. May-

aim. “It should be stressed however that, at this stage, the draft plan is a product of Council Management and has not yet been endorsed by the elected members. Personally I cannot see the plan being adopted in its present form.”

Z 6: To provide for the creation and protection of enterprise and facilitate opportunities for employment creation. Z 10: To consolidate and facilitate the development of inner suburban sites for mixed use development of which ofﬁce, retail and residential would be the predominant uses. Z 14: To seek the social, economic and physical development or rejuvenation of an area with mixed use of which residential Z6 would be the predominant uses.

R AISING FUNDS FOR H OLLES S TREET

By Noel Watson

t was in Becky Morganʼs Bar in Grand Canal Street that the idea ﬁrst came to us to try and organise an event to raise funds for charity. The ideas ﬂowed along with the pints and that was the beginning of the Grand Canal Walk. A committee of ordinary people from an ordinary pub setting out to make the world a better place was formed. We have organised a spon-

sored walk for the past three years and two years ago added a street fair with bouncy castles for the kids, a barbeque, face painters, jugglers, stilt walkers and bands galore. Last year the walk was started by Ken Doherty and 98FM broadcast their afternoon show from the Street Fair. Over the past two years we have raised in excess of €60,000 for charity with the Grand Canal Walk and Street Fair. The walk and street fair will happen this year on Sunday 26th August on Grand Canal Street and we are

be you can sing or are involved in a band, maybe you can face paint, ride a unicycle, juggle or just give your time. It doesnʼt matter what you can do– every little bit helps. If you would like to be involved in any way, as a volunteer or as a participant in any or all of the events, contact Noel OʼDowd in Becky Morganʼs Bar, Grand Canal Street (01 6610981) or Noel Watson (0879339204, email: noel.watson@standrews.ie).

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

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H EALTHY

EATING FOR ENERGY

ver wake in the morning feeling dazed, dulled and bleary-eyed and wonder why? Chances are your body is agitated and unhappy from an over-production of mucus. Like a blocked sink, clogged up with pieces of hair, soap and bits of decaying food, the body is being prevented from functioning normally. But a clogged-up body is avoidable. Wouldnʼt it be nicer to wake, clear-headed and full of energy?

An over-processed, dairy-rich diet demands the human body to react as if ﬁghting a viral invasion every day. Certain foods such as milk, bread and wheat cause an increase in mucus secretions. These foods have large protein molecules (casein and gluten) which are difﬁcult to digest and are therefore more prone to putrefaction (the process of decay or rotting in a body or other organic matter), and may be toxic and irritating to the body.

Unwanted Mucus? Beware of the Following! Large meals. Our bodyʼs need for food is often much less than what we eat. Food eaten beyond our bodyʼs need is a burden. If you eat above digestive capacity the lymph glands are overloaded and mucoid forms in response to putrefaction. Eating without hunger. When food is eaten

Foods shown to cause mucus are dairy products, meat, eggs, potatoes, beans, rice, grains, and ﬁsh. That sounds like every existing food in the staple Irish diet but the balance should be improved. Within two weeks of a changed diet, the transformation can be quite remarkable. After adjusting the balance with fruit and vegetables (whose natural, sponge-like properties help prevent intestinal diseases, especially amongst the elderly)

before complete digestion of the previous meal, partially-digested food will be released into the colon thus causing mucus. Not chewing. If food particles are too big the digestive system is overworked. For these particles to be absorbed they must be eliminated through the colon. On the way, these particles putrefy, thus causing mucus. For more information see: www.fasting.com and www.freedomyou.com

you will find yourself with renewed energy. Grapes and citrus fruits are some of the greatest cleansers. They help the body to remove mucus and toxins while supplying vital nutrients necessary for rejuvenation and healing. You can find gluten-free produce in most supermarkets and health food shops. The best method, though, for removing mucus from the intestines and mucoid from the organs and lymph glands (filtering glands) is the combined cleansing effect of a proper diet and some fasting.

The length of time fasting can range from one day to thirty days or more. There are two types of fasting: water fasting and juice fasting. The water fasting is more extreme and is done over a shorter period. Juice fasting is used for longer fasts. Both types can be combined. Not all mucus is bad. Healthy mucus is a clear, slippery, lubricating secretion, used to protect mucus membranes along the digestive, respiratory, urinary and reproductive tracts. Unhealthy mucus though is cloudy, thick, and sticky.

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NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

YOU’VE GOT TO HAND IT TO GUIDO

When Italian artist Guido Daniele was hired by an advertising agency to create body painting of animals, he loved the idea. “I researched each animal in depth

to see how I could transfer it to a hand, and then set about bringing it to life.” The hardest part of his job is watching his creations disappear down the drain after

theyʼre photographed. “Iʼm getting used to it,” Daniele shrugs. “At least I get to start each day with a fresh canvas.” Guido Daniele lives and works in Milan .

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NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

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NO BUSMAN’S HOLIDAY FOR B ILLY I

By Grace Charley

found myself talking a lot recently about the irregularity of the bus service I travel on. You canʼt blame the bus, thatʼs only a machine but is it fair to vent our anger on the bus driver? Is it really his fault that we had to stand in the cold and that weʼre late for work? Instead of complaining, why not just for today, give the bus driver a break. Be nice to them. They have a tough job weaving in and out of all that trafﬁc and think of all the blank faces they have to stare at day in and day out. Letʼs honour them this very day because letʼs be honest– driving today is no busmanʼs holiday. I rang Donnybrook Garage to ﬁnd out more about the work of our bus drivers and spoke to Billy Fleming, pictured right, a very witty, friendly no-nonsense bus driver. How long have you been a bus driver? Fourteen very enjoyable years. What is your usual shift like? No such thing as a usual shift. I could be out on the road as early as 6.15. On another shift I might not get home until after midnight (weekends and Bank Holidays inclusive). Shift work doesnʼt appeal to everybody. I have to say, I like it. It means I get to see my family at different times of the day. What did you have to do to become a bus driver? At the time I applied to be a bus driver, one of the main requirements was the ability to count. In those more laid-back days, we adopted the ʻreturn changeʼ system. Aside from that, we had to undergo an aptitude test, driving instructions, driving test and a further six-week course before we could be sent out onto the road. What in the name of St. Christopher possessed you to become a bus driver? As a boy I used to take the bus from Glasnevin. I loved buses then and would often converse with the drivers and conductors. From that I became an apprentice bus mechanic. When a driving opportunity arose, I jumped at it. By then I had been used to shift work in my mechanical job, so it was a natural transition for me career-wise. I bet youʼre the only people who donʼt say “Thank Crunchy, itʼs Friday.” Am I right?

Yes. Friday evening traffic can be a nightmare but I do have to say bus drivers do have an advantage over car users. We have height. When Iʼm sitting in a heavy flow of traffic, and am able to see whatʼs causing the hold up in front, itʼs less frustrating. Given the extent of change in traffic in recent years, have you any ideas what could be done to help Operation Free-flow? First and foremost, the Government need to get on the ʻgroundʼ more. Itʼs all very well having degrees and big intellectual ideas, but if they donʼt work on a practical level, further chaos will ensue. (Seamus Brennan and his signpost debacle is a case in point). Recently, when the Port Tunnel was closed down due to technical problems, the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern passed me in his chauffer-driven car, safely escorted through the traffic chaos. I couldnʼt help feeling for the ordinary people trying to get to their work. Traffic wardens should be put back on the streets. What would really help is if we had an enforcement officer, who travelled on buses, and who was able to hop off and slap a parking ticket on any obstructing vehicle. That would seem the practical route to go and would certainly go a long way to easing traffic-flow problems. Is there any rivalry between bus drivers and taxi drivers? I feel for the taxi drivers. There are currently 14,000 taxis on the city roads. The competition is way too high. Those who thought it a good idea to dole out taxi plates willynilly, failed to allocate extra ʻrankʼ space. Part of the city traffic blockage is due to taxi drivers not having enough pick up/ drop off space. How do you find drivers in general? Standards in driving are not very high. But itʼs not all down to the drivers themselves. Because the transport administration changes routes and sign postings so frequently, drivers are becoming confused. This speed of change is too much for any driver trying to make their way across a fast-developing city. How do you deal with aggressive passengers? Thankfully, Iʼve had very few incidents of aggressive behaviour or fare evasion on my bus driving shift. I believe there are ways to prevent potential conflict. For instance, oneʼs

demeanour is important. Letting the passengers know whoʼs in charge before they board the bus goes some way to ensuring peace and harmony. This can be a simple exercise in psychology like sitting upright in the driverʼs seat which means youʼre exuding a certain element of confidence and control. Now that Dublin has become a multi-racial city, do you find the language barrier frustrating? On the contrary, I would go as far to say that foreign people make life easier for us. Because they come from larger cities, they are well used to travelling. They know where they want to go and always have their fare ready before they get on the bus. They could teach the Irish a few things about swift travelling. What effect did the tragic accident on Wellington quay have on bus drivers? The one thought that would have raced through all our minds was that could have been any of us at anytime. Dublin Bus has had very few incidents in the recent past so Wellington Quay was a huge blow to everybody involved. It is impossible to eliminate tragedy completely but there are ways of reducing it. For instance, there have been a few traffic incidents on OʼConnell St since its refurbishment. The general consensus is that the newly-developed street is actually causing confusion for both drivers and pedestrians. There should be no confusion regarding traffic and pedestrian lanes. If you were to ask anything of the public, what would it be? All I ask is that the public remember that behind that pane of glass, is

a person. We donʼt eat or sleep on the bus, we do have a life and most of all we do have feelings. If the bus is late, itʼs not our doing. Often times, that bus has been taken off the road because last night some hooligan decided to put a brick through its window. So next time, the bus isnʼt on time, it may well be that itʼs in the garage getting ﬁxed. One other thing. Please have your fare ready when you get on the bus. Weʼll get there much quicker. What kind of things do people leave behind them on buses? Well thankfully nobodyʼs ever left their baby on the bus. Nor have I ever come across a wig or a prosthetic leg lying on the back seat. Though, a few times at the end of a shift, I have found abandoned crutches on the bus, which would lead me to think that a

miraculous session of healing took place while I was at the wheel. But nothing beats the reward felt when you hand back a relieved passenger their lost wallet or house keys. What does a bus man do on his holiday? Bus driving is much more than a job to me. Itʼs a way of life. When Iʼm off, I like to travel to London with my other driver pals and watch the ʻRoute Masterʼ (the old mode of English transport where bus conductors were still in operation and the public could hop on and off the red buses). Only two of these routes still exist. Thanks to Billy, Agnes, Donnybrook Garage and all the bus drivers the length and breadth of the country. Go n-éirigh and bóthar leat.

SANDYMOUNT HOME HELP SERVICE Do you have two to four hours free every week and would you like to earn some extra money? We pay you €13.53 per hour (gross) to visit and care for vulnerable elderly in the community For further information, phone Brenda Dempsey (before 6.00pm) at 087- 9292119

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NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

The Letterbox Below is a letter that Tom sent to Dublin Bus. We thought that our readers might be interested to read his efforts on behalf of his neighbours. The General Manager Dublin Bus 59 Upper OʼConnell Street Dublin 1 Dear General Manager I have been asked to write to you on behalf of the residents of Cambridge Road, Ringsend Park, Pidgeon House Road, Cambridge Avenue, Poolbeg Quay, The Coastguard Station and Ocean View Estate to earnestly request a much improved bus service for their areas. The service provided to the residents of these areas by Dublin Bus is totally inadequate and unfair. It falls far short of the needs of the people living in these areas and should be radically improved. What the residents are requesting is that at least one bus per hour be provided to service these areas between the hours of 8am and 11pm, both ways, i.e. from the city centre

and to the city centre. It would be quite simple and easy to organize. In the case of the No. 2 and No. 3 all that would be required is that one bus per hour, on the journey from the city centre to their normal terminus would turn at Ringsend Church, stop just beyond the church on Thorncastle Street, then proceed along Cambridge Road, with a stop close to Ringsend Park, then along Pidgeon House Road with a suitably placed stop and then, with a stop to suit the residents of Poolbeg Quay Apartments, the Coastguard Station and Cambridge Avenue, proceed along Seán Moore Road (with a suitably placed stop for the residents of Ocean View Estate) through Church Avenue on to Tritonville Road and continue then on its normal route. This procedure, if followed, would not cause any signiﬁcant inconvenience to anyone. On the journey from the city centre, only one bus stop would be missed once per hour, that is the one at the junction of Bath Street and Irishtown Road (opposite George Reynolds House). On the journey from Belﬁeld, or St

Johnʼs Road, to the city centre, the designated bus would follow the same route in reverse, so to speak. This proposal, if acted on, would redress a grave injustice to the residents of the areas I have listed which has been going on for far too long and would provide them with a fair service to which they are as much entitled as any other area of Dublin. I trust you will give due recognition to the validity of their claim. Yours sincerely Tom Sheridan Dear Madam Editor You pose the question as to whether there is a relationship between Tommy and Tony Kiernan in your February issue, I think that there is. During my time at the Ringsend Dockyard, Joe Kiernan of Stella Gardens was the Foreman Painter and his brother Peter, St Patrickʼs Villas, I think, was his Chargehand. Another brother, Willie?, spent spells ashore from his main job, sailing in schooners, and worked as a painter in the Dockyard. Joe Kiernan had 4 sons in the Dockyard. The eldest, Peter, was a Blacksmithʼs Striker and the others, Joe, Tommy and Tony were apprentices in the Boilershop. Tommy came to Cheshire in the early 50ʼs where he worked at Bartonʼs En-

gineering in Runcorn, whose main business was deck machinery for the Royal Navy. In 1954 Tommy left Bartonʼs and started work in a local chemical works (better money) and in March of that year he told his workmates that he was going home for the big day which to the exiled Irishman is St Patrickʼs Day. However, to his workmates the big day translated to Tommy getting married. As was usual at that time a collection was made and come the day of Tommyʼs departure and, to his shock horror, the Foreman gathered all the workers together, said a few kind words and presented Tommy with a canteen of cutlery. It is my understanding that Tommy never returned to that workplace. If you are out there Tommy, sorry for spilling the beans. Donal McKenna Winsford Cheshire

Hello Ann In the February copy of ʻNewsFourʼ a letter from Mandy Pullen is looking for information on the Pullen family tree. I do not have any direct information for her. However, I have in my possession a letter from my grandfather, to a Mr W Pullen, who moved to Canada in1920.The letter is dated, January 26th 1921.This letter was returned to my grandfather as the incorrect address was on the envelope. Both Mr Pullen and my Grandfather came from Pembroke Cottages, Ringsend. I would like to know if there is any connection, and perhaps send a copy of the letter to the family. Ann as you have her email address would you send this on to her. Many thanks for publishing my Aunt Annieʼs photo in the paper on her 100th Birthday Best regards Peter Sheerin

I RELAND P ARK FOR T ORONTO

Iannelli’s 6 Bath Street

By John Cheevers

uring the dark days of the Great Irish famine thousands of Irish were forced to abandon their homes and make the long and arduous journey to the Americas on board the Famine

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Ships. Over a few short months in the summer of 1847, 38,000 famine emigrants arrived in the city of Toronto. Sadly 1,100 died. The population of the city at that time was just 20,000. A specially designated site situated at the entrance of Toronto harbour has been chosen to commemorate those who arrived safely and those who lost their lives. Five ﬁgures by Irish sculptor Rowan Gillespie (pictured above in Dublin) depicting the emigrants will be displayed in a setting of stone columns, oak trees, and an illuminated cylinder of stacked glass which is symbolic of the New World. In June of this year the garden, which is to be named Ireland Park, will be opened. President Mary McAleese will pay an ofﬁcial visit to Toronto to celebrate this special occasion.

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

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N EPAL CEREBRAL PALSY SCHOOL PROJECT PROGRESSES B y Bob and Fr ances Cor azza

he project is to take Self Help Group for Cerebral Palsy (SGCP), a Nepali non-government organization from a 21 year-old organization with no facilities except rented rooms in two buildings to a situ-

ation where they have their own land and speciﬁcally designed therapy, school and vocational training units. In 1996 we worked there for over two years and have had a lot of involvement bringing staff to Ireland for short periods of training and funding their own college education in Nepal. We began the therapy, school and vocational training project in

1997, raising funds and in 2003 bought an acre of farm land. We then put in a road and began construction. In December 2005 the therapy unit with administration on top (pictured on right) began functioning. The school foundation ceremony was March 8th 2007, and now the ﬁrst half of the school consisting of four classrooms, accessible toilets and a kitchen area is being

built. After the school is completed, we will set about the vocational training unit, which is for children with cerebral palsy who have sufﬁcient hand function to be able to stay on after school and produce

goods to be sold to the local community. If anyone would run in the MiniMarathon for us and raise funds we would be very grateful. On left: Bob and Frances during the school foundation ceremony.

Nepal Cerebral Palsy School Charity Registration CHY-16410 Allied Irish Bank Account 03648603 Womenʼs mini marathon– Bank holiday Monday June 4th. Entry forms: Evening Herald Thursday and Saturdays. If you register you get an engraved medal but you can still join in as many do after the ofﬁcial run Bob and Frances Corazza, Tel: 01 6687538 Leave your name and number. E-mail: francorazza@hotmail.com

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Your local Letting Agent in Sandymount, Dublin 4 Houses and apartments urgently required for corporate clients Fully licensed and bonded O’Keeffe Estates, 1st floor, 2 Seafort Avenue, Sandymount, Dublin 4, Ireland. www. okeeffeestates.ie • e-mail: okeeffeestates@eircom.net Telephone: 01 260 8268 • Mobile: 087 299 7266 •

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NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

A VOICE

FOR THE VULNERABLE Sandymount man in charge of a social project trying to improve drug policy and treatment

By Brian Kelly

uaidhri McAuliffe, whose family ran the chemist in Sandymount village for generations, is coordinator of an organization called UISCE, the only social project of its kind in the country. Formed from a Drugs Task Force initiative and funded by the Health Service Executive, UISCE stands for Improved Services, Communication and Education and acts as a voice for drug users, ex-users and professional staff in the development of drug policy and treatment response. The personnel of UISCE consists of Ruaidhri, pictured right, and just one part-time development worker, yet their much-indemand service covers drug users in the north inner city, where the number receiving methadone treatment for addiction is currently estimated to be over 1,000 people. Just two years into his tenure at UISCE, he talks to NewsFour about the wide-ranging nature of his work, his views on drug policy in Ireland and about the difﬁculties of operating a service in one of the most maligned and misunderstood regions of the capital.

Could you tell me exactly what your role in UISCE incorporates? What we do in UISCE is represent the interests of the drug user and try to meet their concerns. We look at areas like treatment and rehabilitation, research, supply and control, plus there is a whole other arena we operate in, where we would be liaising with community groups like the local policing forum and the local methadone clinic in Amiens Street, which is the same kind of clinic which operates in Ringsend, but on a much bigger scale. We were a voice in the wilderness in some ways in the past, until we got the support of families of drug users behind us. UISCE can effect change and we have inﬂuenced ofﬁcial drug policy in the past. Part of what we do is informing people about their rights, particularly in working class areas. People from the north inner city are already coming from a disadvantaged background. If they are drug users on top of that, it just compounds the prejudice, so it very important that drug users have a voice, which is what we in UISCE try to give them. Would you say heroin is still the most prevalent drug in the north inner city? Heroin is still quite prevalent. In terms of usage though, alcohol has become a big issue for a lot of

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users. They become stabilised on methadone and might give up heroin altogether, but a lot of people then develop a dependency on drink, which is a potent mix with methadone. The drawback for people who might be mixing the two is that alcohol ﬂushes the methadone out of the body a lot quicker than when you are sober. It is a signiﬁcant problem and clinics would be very wary of giving methadone to people who are drunk because there is a huge chance of overdosing. What about cocaine use? There has been a lot of talk lately about the increase of the drug through all sections of society It is a problem for some because I am used to dealing with users who have a history of injecting, which is pretty risky. I would be concerned about people injecting cocaine because one of the effects of cocaine is you tend to want a lot more of it than say, heroin and injecting cocaine can leave you more prone to viruses and does a lot more damage to the veins than just inhaling the drug. There is a lot of casual cocaine use about though; there is no doubt about that. Methadone is seen as the solution to heroin addiction, yet many would argue it is far from the perfect answer, would you

agree? Yes. You are looking at a situation where you bring people in for treatment for heroin and you give them methadone. Sometimes though, users ﬁnd methadone isnʼt enough and they need valium for their anxiety and pills to help them sleep, and you have to help them because these are legitimate concerns. What I see sometimes is people topping up their methadone with prescription drugs, with alcohol, with hash, with anything else really. Thatʼs where methadone gets criticized, because it is seen as not strong enough on its own. So what do you think is the solution? Heroin should be prescribed to people who cannot handle methadone on its own without having to top up with a cocktail of licit and illicit drugs. I think people would be doing a lot less damage to themselves if they were just doing heroin on its own. I am an advocate of harm reduction for drug users. Any policy change that will result in less harm to people and less death has to be welcomed. Controlled prescribing of heroin has to be considered on those grounds. What other changes would you like to see in drugs policy and drug treatment?

One particular area where I would like to see change is in drug treatment among the homeless. There are huge waiting lists for methadone treatment for people on the streets and living in shelters. They are a particularly vulnerable group of people. There is a proposal at the moment, and I would be fully in favour of it, to provide an on-site sterile, injecting facility under medical supervision. If the homeless had somewhere to go and take their drugs in a clean, supervised environment, instead of going down some back alley and injecting God knows what, I think that would be very beneﬁcial. What about the de-criminalisation of drugs? Drugs shouldnʼt have anything to do with the criminal justice system. Whether someone takes drugs or not is up to the individual. It is their choice; a moral choice and I do believe it is a victimless crime. Taken in isolation, what people inject or smoke should not be of concern to anybody else.

I can understand people objecting to drug-taking, and that is their opinion, but I donʼt think people should be prosecuted for it. I mean, I object to certain things like blood sports for instance, but I donʼt want someone criminalised for it.

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

PAGE 11

FATIMAH’S SURVEY SUCCESS

By Nessa Jennings

atimah Alaya-Kenny from Sandymount was awarded a prize at the BT Young Scientist competition which took place at the RDS in January. She won second prize in the Junior Individual section of the Social and Behavioural category with a project focuss-

ing on Integration into Irish society. Fatimah, pictured above, says she was inspired to research into integration because of her experience of moving to Ireland three years ago from the Middle-East. Her central question: ʻHow would non-nationals and Irish nationals respond if they were asked to give their personal views respectively on Integration into Irish Society?ʼ A questionnaire was designed and circulated to a sample of students attending secondary schools in Dublin. The data was analysed using T-tests and presented on graphs with a written presentation of the conclusions from the study. Integration is a dynamic ʻtwo-way process of mutual accommodation by all immigrants and residents of member statesʼ. Fatimah herself had a very positive initial experience here, ﬁrst helped by Mary Price, the principal of Lakelands School, Scoil Mhuire in Sandymount. She now attends Teresians in Stillorgan and has produced this project at 14 years old as a First Year student. The Young Scientist week was a fun time, what with winning the judgesʼ recognition and a prize of €225 as well as meeting other young scientists from all over the country. The conclusion of the project results was overall positive– that we have welcomed non-nationals into our schools. This shows young Irish people to be openminded. With non-nationals currently estimated at between 300,000 to 350,000, Fatimah believes that, through eliciting opinions from young people regarding integration, we will “be able to take seriously their views and act upon them without further delay as a foundation for future integration.”

Readprint.com IF YOUʼRE someone who enjoys reading and regrets never getting round to exploring those all-time classics like ʻRomeo and Julietʼ and ʻPride and Prejudiceʼ, or if youʼre just someone who leads a busy life and hasnʼt got the time to delve into a good paperback, then www.readprint.com may be just what youʼre looking for. This new innovative website offers users the chance to read chapter by chapter the works of some of the bestknown novels of their favourite authors of all time. Choose from Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Lewis Carroll or William Shakespeare. www.readprint.com allows you to select and read novels by each author on a user-friendly chapter-by-chapter basis. This is an ideal medium for everyday readers and also a useful tool for students and teachers alike. It also provides a valuable biography of each author which may also come in handy. The only downside to the website may be that itʼs probably not a good idea for anyone to sit in front of a computer screen and stare at it for as long as it takes to read an entire book but as the name suggests, it is possible to print out each chapter so that way you save money too and can read the book in your own time. Find out more on www.readprint.com By Audrey Healy

I look forward to working with you as your Dáil candidate for Dublin South East. Make sure you are registered to vote. Call Daithí 086-8534666.

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NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

Sports Desk Sponsored by

Raytown Bar

By Derek Buckley Irishtown v Ballsbridge 0:1 ʻKelly huffed and puffedʼ It took a late strike to separate these teams and to break Irishtownʼs new manager, John Bolandʼs, heart. Púdgeʼs team controlled the game and any chance Ballsbridge had was denied by in-form keeper, Damien Jenkins, but had the likes of Dave Kinsella and John Mullen taken their opportunities, Mr Púdge Boland wouldʼve had his ﬁrst victory since taking over. Ballsbridge striker Bob Kelly was a nuisance against Marke Dunne and Paul Lillicrap, but it was his extra energy that gave him the edge to clinch victory. However with a performance like this, Púdgeʼs team wonʼt be long before they are climbing up the table. Man of the Match: ʻSafe-handsʼ Damien Jenkins The Noel Fox Cup will go ahead this summer and interested parties should contact me. Entrance fee again is €125 per team. Cambridge Boys Mini World Cup 2007 Following last yearʼs successful Mini World Cup, Cambridge Boys announce the dates for the 2007 World Cup. The Cup will take place over a two-week period from Monday 28th May to Sunday 10th June. Cost per player is €5. Posters with registration details, age groups, etc, will appear over the next two weeks. The main sponsor this year for the World Cup is D-O-NEE Kitchen Co. (087 270 6356), the FAI and Dublin City Council. FAI/Cambridge Boys Summer Camp News Cambridge Boys have for the ﬁrst time become a host venue for the FAI Summer Soccer Schools 2007 with National Irish Bank as main sponsor. Any boy or girl between the ages of 7 to 15 years can register online at www.fai.ie or by calling 1890 653 653. The Summer Camp week will be from 9 to 13 July from 10.30am

to 3pm daily. Cost per week is €89, which includes a full set of gear, ball, shin pads and water bottle. Cambridge Boys launch website The website is now up and running so for information just log on to www.cambridgeboysfc.com. Cambridge Boys on behalf of their teams would once again like to thank everyone at Ringsend and District Credit Union who kitted out all the teams with tracksuits and gearbags recently. Their support this year and hopefully in future is greatly appreciated. THEREʼS ONLY ONE KEANO Yes, there is only one Roy Keane and what a job he has done with the Black Cats (Sunderland). After Niall Quinn ﬂopped as manager after only a half dozen matches, he turned to his so-called close friend Keane to take the reins and at that time the only way for Sunderland was up as they were rooted at the bottom of the table. For the next eight months Keaneʼs troops marched steadily up the table. As honeymoon periods go they donʼt come much sweeter than that. But when they get up, and I say when, thatʼs when Keaneʼs skills will be tested. Yes his current squad are a proven championship side, but are they premiership material? Well, in my opinion– no way! Keane has a host of players who already ﬂopped in the premiership, most of all David Connolly, a proven hitman in the championship but thatʼs really as good as it got for him.

Should Sunderland hit the top flight, the club will receive up to 40 million in television money, with Quinn giving Keane probably half of that to bring in new talent. So what does the Cork man do? Bring in the Chelsea rejects and pay them top dollar, which will lead to dressing room friction amongst his own troops. Or box clever and have his scouts on full alert for a bargain or two in Europe? Will he cope with the flair of Alex Ferguson and the ruthlessness of Jose Mourinho? Bottom line, what Keane has done with Sunderland has been a fairytale, but back in the big time, unless he brings in quality, heʼll end up like former Black Catsʼ manager and another so-called close friend, Mick McCarthy, back in the Championship! So once again, well done Roy, and hope at best for a middle of the table finish! Pictures from lower left, clockwise: Irishtown FC; Man of the Match Richard Quinn Dowling pictured with David Kemple after a recent win over Park Celtic, 3-1, trophy sponsored by Raytown Bar; Ballsbridge Over 35s; Noel Fox memorial plaque; Damien Jenkins, left, presented by Francis Hopkins with a bottle of champagne, sponsored by Raytown Bar.

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

PAGE 13

NEW DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL OFFICE Dublin City Council has opened a new area office in Portview House, Thorncastle Street, dealing with the Ringsend area and the Pembroke Ward. This office will co-ordinate the delivery of all Dublin City Council services in this part of the South East Area. Staff hope to work closely with Community Groups, Residents’ Associations, local businesses and other agencies working in the area such as the Gardaí and the Health Service Executive. The Local Liaison Officer for the Dublin Waste to Energy Project has also moved from Cambridge House to this office. This office can assist you in dealing with any issues relating to Dublin City Council. Up-to-date information on relevant issues and application forms will also be available there. So why not call in or contact us by phone or email and tell us what local services you would like us to provide in the new office. The opening hours are: 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Monday to Friday. Contact details for the office are: Telephone: 01 2227395 * Fax: 01 6606921 Email: ringsendandpembroke@dublincity.ie

ORAL HEARING ADJOURNED The Oral Hearing into the proposed Waste to Energy Plant (Incinerator) for Dublin has been adjourned by An Bord Pleanála until 11am, Tuesday 15th May at The Gresham Hotel, O’Connell Street. The Briefs of Evidence already presented are available at www. DublinWasteToEnergy.ie

PAGE 14

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

A PROMISE TO GWENDOLYN

By James OʼDoherty

t was one of those autumn evenings. The summer a distant memory but winter not yet upon us. I was caught up in heavy traffic in Mount Merrion. As the traffic continued to crawl that autumn evening, I found myself thinking back over the years to a short spell I spent in Colaiste Carmen in Wexford. I was brought one Saturday afternoon to Ballynastragh House in Gorey, home to the Countess of Wicklow to see a dollʼs house. But this was no ordinary dollʼs house. This was one of the greatest ever built– Titaniaʼs Palace. It was in 1907 that Sir Neville Rodwell Wilkinson K.C.V.O. (18691940) an accomplished officer of arms and a veteran of the Boer war was strolling around his garden in Mount Merrion House. His daughter Gwendolyn, who was three years old, claimed to have seen a fairy running under the roots of a tree at their home in Mount Merrion. She felt sorry for the fairies who had no home and her father promised to make a palace for them. That is how this great dollʼs house came about. It was built by Sir Neville between 1907 and 1922 for the fairy queen and her royal family. The story of Titania and Oberon in Shakespeareʼs ʻA Midsummer Nightʼs Dreamʼ inspired the name and the actual building of the Palace was placed in the hands of well-known Dublin furniture maker James Hicks, while Sir Neville did most of the decoration, even perfecting a technique of painting, a sort of miniature point painting. It was inaugurated on July 16th 1922 on the anniversary of the wedding by Queen Mary and shown to the public at the Womenʼs Exhibition that same summer. It travelled the world and collected huge sums of money for neglected, disabled and unhappy children. Titaniaʼs Palace was built in sections so that it could travel safely. This great fairy home designed and decorated by Sir Neville contains his private collection of tiny objects of art, objects he acquired during thirty-five years of travel around the world. There are sixteen rooms and three thousand tiny works of art built around a courtyard. I remember the Hall of Guilds, The Hall of the Fairy Kiss, The Chapel and The Throne Room with its diamond peacock set in the back of the throne made by a French jeweller Baugrand for the Paris exhibition of 1856. In front of the throne is the inscription that dedicates the palace to the crippled children for whom it was built. The inscription written in Greek translates as ʻSilver and Gold I have none, but what I have I give youʼ. This great dollʼs house was auctioned at Christieʼs in London and sold to Legoland in Denmark. There it remains on display. What a shame that each generation of children in Dublin do not have the opportunity to visit this wonderful fairy home. Sir Neville married Lady Beatrix Francis Gertrude Herbert first daughter of the 14th Earl of Pembroke. They moved into Mount Merrion House and lived there until the start of world war one in 1914. They had two daughters, Gwendolyn and Phyllis. To celebrate their births two redwood trees were planted opposite the entrance to the Chapel of Therese. Sir Neville was survived by his widow and two daughters. As the traffic finally moved that evening in Dublin, I drove out of Mount Merrion and thought how one childʼs imagination inspired such a wonderful creation. It is a beautiful story of a promise fulfilled and as with all good stories itʼs one to pass on. In 1980, work began on Taraʼs Palace, which was inspired by Titaniaʼs Palace. It is on display from April to September, Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm at Malahide Castle. (Tel: 8463779). As well as the dollʼs house there is a collection of dolls, antique toys and other dollʼs houses on display. Pictured above is Titaniaʼs Palace, now in Legoland, Denmark, with, inset, Sir Neville Wilkinson.

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

R OAD

PAGE 15

SAFETY REALITY

A tragedy in her French village dampens Saoirseʼs yearning for motorbikes… but not for cars!

By Saoirse OʼHanlon Tobin

he first European Road Safety Day was on Friday, 27th April 2007 and was dedicated to young drivers. This day was linked with the first worldwide road safety week (23rd April to 29th April 2007), and was organised by the World Health Organisation and the United Nations. Even if itʼs a good thing to do, we shouldnʼt need it. We should all be able to take our responsibilities seriously without other people reminding us to be careful. If people decide to drive, they should also decide to be careful at what they are doing. If people arenʼt ready to be vigilant, then they should get somebody who is an experienced driver to drive them.

In France, in 2006, about 4700 people died and 100,200 people were injured in road accidents. Thatʼs 43% less than in 2002, but is still too much. It doesnʼt seem so terrible when you see an accident reported on the news, or on the internet as those involved are strangers, but when it is somebody you know, you realise how bad it really is. About two months ago, a 15year-old boy from my village was on his way to school, on his motorbike, after the Christmas holidays. He was driving too fast in wet conditions, lost control of his bike and crashed into the cars coming the opposite way. He died, leaving behind family and many friends, my sister and I among them. In fact, our whole village was devastated by his death. And he is only one person, so imagine loos-

ing 4700 people in only one year. Before our friend was killed, I couldnʼt understand why my parents didnʼt want me to have a scooter or a motorbike, like many of my friends have. They kept telling me that at my age I am too young to have one or to understand the responsibilities I would have towards myself and other road users. (In France, the law permits a 50cc scooter or motorbike from the age of 14). But since my friendʼs accident, I can understand what they meant, and I now no longer have much interest in having one. In second year of secondary school, we have to pass a test called ʻlʼASSRʼ. Itʼs a questionnaire of about 20 questions on road safety, and we need 10 right answers to pass the test. Then, after that, we

need to go to a driving school to pass the second part of the test called ʻLe BSRʼ. That costs about €150 currently. Driving a car is something else though! I canʼt wait to be old enough to drive. Here, the legal minimum age for learning to drive a car is 16 years of age, but if you want to drive on the road, you need to be accompanied by either a parent, or a responsible person approved of by your parents, with a full driving licence. The accompanied driver must

be a minimum of 28 years of age, and have a full driving licence for more than 3 years. Approximately 80% of these young learner drivers pass their driving test, whereas older learners donʼt seem to be as lucky. Of the older learner drivers who do their driving test, approximately 50% of them pass it first time. If even one person reading this pays a little more attention while driving, then European Road Safety Day will be worthwhile.

France heʼs sheepishly repentant and claims his running away was simply something he had to get out of his system, heʼs all better now and ready to pick up where

he left off. But Judyʼs a changed woman, a stronger and more independent woman whoʼs not ready to settle for second-best. Admirably, she rejects his flowers, notes and proposals and Barry is left weeping into his pint. And then thereʼs hot-shot Lenny, Barryʼs best man, all the way from Australia, complete with perma tan and dazzling white teeth. Judy simply canʼt stand him. He is so obnoxious and super confident. And he looks down on her, ridicules her because she dared to believe in the sanctity of marriage, humiliates her even further when her dream of happy ever after falls to pieces before her eyes. But they say thereʼs a fine line between love and hate and a moment of weakness see Lenny and Judy discovering a strange kind of common ground that neither of them can fathom and that leads to some emotive times for both. Will Judy fall head over heels in love again or can she play the game with no strings attached? ʻNo Strings Attachedʼ is published by Headline Review. Clare Dowlingʼs previous novels are ʻFast Forwardʼ, ʻExpecting Emilyʼ and ʻMy Fabulous Divorceʼ.

Bookworm ʻNo Strings Attachedʼ By Clare Dowling

Review by Audrey Healy

laire Dowling delivers another riotous read in this, her fourth book. In ʻNo Strings Attachedʼ, the bookʼs heroine is Judy, a thirtysomething gal about town who has the world at her feet. Sheʼs working at her favourite job and sees the world through rose tinted glasses– after all sheʼs about to walk down the aisle with Barry, the man of her dreams. Readers are offered a front row seat as we follow her journey from ﬁancée to bride-to-be accompanied by her lovable but eccentric parents, her best friends and the best man from hell. Sadly, Barry gets an attack of pre-marriage jitters and has other ideas and leaves Judy literally at the altar, embarking on a trip to France, no less, where he exercises their joint credit card a little too generously, leaving Judy wailing into her veil and a house

full of nosy family and friends tucking into the pre-made sandwiches and revelling in the juicy gossip. Intertwined in the story of Judy and Barryʼs relationship is that of Judyʼs brother Biffo and his on-off relationship with Judyʼs best friend Angie, a career woman. Biffo found her career and earning power hard to handle and always felt inferior in their relationship and he ﬂed to the US but now heʼs back for the wedding of the year. Now that the union is no longer happening, can Biffo and Angie resurrect what they once hand or is it all doom and gloom? And then thereʼs Mick and Rose, Judyʼs long suffering parents. Theyíve been together for God knows how long but Mick has had a wandering eye in the past. Still theyʼve been as one through thick and thin and Mick reckons the best way to seal their relationship is by renewing their vows. Rose, however, isnʼt too sure and there are moments of

both hilarity and pain as we witness three sets of couples struggling to achieve a balance. When coward Barry does eventually make contact from

PAGE 16

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

Myths and Legends

By Brian Rutherford

e read a lot about Irish mythology, but what about Britain and Northern Ireland? There are books detailing British folktales, myth and legend, from King Arthur to Stonehenge, pictured right. I decided to concentrate on the great Stonehenge, Glaston-

bury and the Giantʼs Causeway. Salisbury Plain holds the key to one of the greatest tourist attractions in England, Stonehenge. Stonehenge has stood for four millennia. It comprises of a circle of thirty uprights capped by lintels, but the stones we see today represent Stonehenge in ruin. Many of the original stones have fallen or been removed by previous generations for home

construction or road repair. But what does the circle of standing stones mean and how was it built? The theories are numerous. Some say itʼs a temple to forgotten gods and others that it is a Neolithic observatory. What we do know is that some of the stones are bluestones and in wet weather they turn a bluish colour. The strange thing is bluestones are only available in Ireland and Wales. How did they transport them such a great distance? Merlin of Arthurian legend is reported as saying: “Laugh not lightly, in these stones is a mystery, and a healing virtue against many ailments, giants of old did carry them from the farthest ends of Africa and did set them up in Ireland, what time they did inhabit there.” It remains a mystery to this day. Now, from the most popular tourist attraction to the most mythical spot in England, Glastonbury Tor, pictured above, which rises up from the ﬂat landscape of Somerset. Christian legend claims that Joseph of Arimathea visited and brought his young nephew Jesus with him. It is also said that Joseph returned around 37 AD

and brought with him the Holy Grail. William Blake, the famous English poet, believed the legend and was inspired to write ʻJerusalemʼ, the opening lines of which are: And did those feet in ancient time Walk upon Englandʼs mountains green? And was the Holy Lamb of God On Englandʼs pleasant pastures seen? In Arthurian mythology, Glastonbury is said to be the island of Avalon and King Arthurʼs burial place. Today, Glastonbury hosts a fantastic rock concert each year and is visited by thousands. The Giantʼs Causeway in Bushmills Co. Antrim is central to an area of isolated ruins, kelp walls and shoreline ﬁelds, where years of farming and ﬁshing have taken place. It is an amazing collection of 40,000 Basalt columns, hexagonal in shape. The discovery of the Giants Causeway is reported to have been by the bishop of Derry in 1692.

CECIL’S BARBER SHOP Traditional-Style Barber Shop Established 1939

Cecil’s is back in Ringsend Special Rates for OAPs Only €6 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Closed all day Monday 10 Thorncastle Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4 Tel: 6680606

Legend has it that it was the work of the giant Finn MacCool. Finn is supposed to have constructed it so that he could have a sturdy pathway to Scotland in order to ﬁght the Scottish giant Benandonner. The truth is that they formed 65 million years ago over a long period of igneous activity. It is, in fact, rock crystallisation under conditions of accelerated cooling. The same formation can be found can be found at Staffa in Scotland. The other thing that this area of Antrim is famous for is the sinking of a Spanish ship in 1588 called the ʻGironaʼ when 300 sailors drowned in terrible conditions. The Ghost of the ʻGironaʼ is said to haunt the stones to this day. The Giantʼs Causeway is open all year round.

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

M IND ,

By Grace Charley ʻA manʼs health can be judged by which he takes two at a time, pills or stairsʼ Joan Welsh

he first sniff of a cold, and weʼre swamping the chemists looking for that overthe-counter decongestant cum pain reliever. In western society, we want everything now, right now! The quick fix. Years ago, a common flu was allowed to take its course, helped on by a natural home remedy like a hot honey and lemon drink. Whoʼd have thought that something like antibiotics which are supposed to help can also have adverse

PAGE 17

BODY

effects taken too often over time? How many times do we have to be told that our diet and lifestyle is the key to good or bad health? Isnʼt it common sense that overconsumption of frilly lattes and nonsense yogurts is going to clog up the sinuses? As someone whoʼd eat a barrel of apples a day to keep the doctor away, I welcome complementary medicine wholeheartedly. Having just recently enquired about reﬂexology, I was delighted when the opportunity to avail of a session presented itself. Fortunately for me, Iʼm not funny about feet. Like most people, I like mine rubbed at every opportunity, others, well they wonʼt let anyone near their tootsies. Since having a lengthy session of reﬂexology with Pearl Lonergan, I have come to understand this complementary thera-

SOLE

py is much more than foot rubbing. Pearl Lonergan, pictured on left, works in the Mater hospital as a discharge co-ordinator. In the evenings, she runs a reflexology practice from home. She has always championed the use of complementary therapy alongside conventional medicine. She was delighted when the Mater incorporated reflexology into its health care system. Pearl had worked in health care for years, but it was a migraine that eventually got her acquainted with reflexology. After trying many different treatments unsuccessfully, Pearl opted for reflexology to ease her crippling migraine. Although there is no cure for migraine, reflexology did go a long way to managing the condition and with that, Pearl has never looked back. Such was the power of the treatment, Pearl then went on to train in reflexology in the Walmer College in Raheny. So how does reflexology work I asked Pearl? Reflexology involves applying massage to certain points of the feet which correspond to particular body functions and organs. Energy then flows through the body along meridians that have their end points in the feet. A healthy flow and balance of energy through these meridians is seen as being ultimately responsible for general good health and wellbeing (see diagram below). As a receiver of any treatment, one can feel vulnerable but Pearlʼs warm friendly manner on our greeting put paid to that and I relaxed instantly. Inside, the treatment room was warm with a nice view out onto a leafy road. Californian Sage incense wafting in the small intimate room only served to relax me even

more. As I listened to a hypnotic CD in the background, Pearl began to work on my feet. A session of reﬂexology is different for every individual so I had no expectations. But I was surprised when I began to experience sensations which moved around different parts of my body. One particular pressure point on my foot was activating an ageold niggling nerve in my neck and shoulder. But the most surprising sensation I experienced, was a wave of panic that engulfed me right out of the blue. As someone who has lived with panic attacks, I breathed through it. After the panic wave passed, I lay savouring every moment of relaxing bliss. The session lasted more than an hour and when it was over, Pearl and I had a chat. She assured me the wave of panic was a positive thing as it was my body releasing negative energy. She touched on other areas of my health that may need a little attention and guided me on how to strengthen those areas. Pearl is emphatic about clearing up some misconstrued information surrounding reﬂexology. “We do not diagnose illnesses,” says Pearl, “we help people bring about balance in their mind and body which invariably has the potential to heal

underlying conditions.” Reflexologists work with mainstream medicine and in fact, they on occasion refer clients on to GPs. This is where the term ʻcomplementaryʼ originates from. ʻAlternativeʼ medicine is chosen by those wishing to be healed without other medical interventions. In order to fully benefit from this form of complementary therapy, 4 to 6 treatments are advisable. Before treatment can begin, a general medical history is assessed along with the clientʼs current lifestyle trends. This helps the practitioner gauge what areas of health need particular attention. Having experienced both mainstream and holistic medicine, I would prefer the latter. For one thing, you are listened to and you never feel like you are being shoved out the door. After all, holistic medicine is just as much about the emotional state. And if our thought patterns can compromise our health, we need to start there. The last time I checked, antibiotics are unable to soothe the mind. Pearl Lonergan lives in Sandymount and is a member of the Irish Reflexology Institute. For an appointment, ring 087 264 3918 or email: pearlreflexology@yahoo.ie

PAGE 18

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

Film Scene•••By Michael Hilliard ing of Ferrell with John Heder, of ʻNapolean Dynamiteʼ fame. The duo play wonderfully off one aother, with Hederʼs slightly more laid back and subtle approach complementing Ferrellʼs more outrageous moments. All of the usual thinly-worn romantic sub-plots, clichéd dialogue, and wafer-thin characters rear their ugly heads, but when the end result is this much fun, does that really matter? 3.5 out of 5

‘Blades of Glory’ The two best male figure skaters in the business find themselves disgraced and out of work, after taking joint-first at the World Figure Skating Championships, and engaging in a very public bout of fisticuffs. The pair, above, are reluctantly reunited to compete in pairs skating, as the worldʼs first all-male team. The latest in a long line of formulaic yet high-concept come-

dies starring Will Ferrell, whose previous efforts have been somewhat hit and miss, and who perhaps works best as a supporting actor. This time out though, and for the ﬁrst time since ʻAnchormanʼ, Ferrell manages to remain entertaining throughout, and succeeds in ﬁnding comedy in even the most mundane scenarios. The primary reason for why this movie works so well, despite its obvious and, in all honesty, fairly shaky storyline, is the pair-

‘Sunshine’ Director Danny Boyleʼs latest, a science fiction adventure movie, pictured right, doesnʼt quite work. Boyle is undoubtedly a gifted director, with cult classics ʻTrainspottingʼ and ʻ28 Days Laterʼ, among others, under his belt but one gets the impression that he was unsure of which direction to take ʻSunshineʼ. The film begins well, introducing the audience to a crew of mission specialists on board a spacecraft fifty years in the future, on a mission to boost the dying sunʼs power. This is the second attempt at the same mission, the previous one having failed at the expense of its entire crew, so there is already a palpable tension in the air when we first meet the Icarus 2 crew. Although an ensemble piece, Cillian Murphy as Capa, steps into leading man territory once again, in his sophomore outing

with Boyle. He acquits himself well, although the character feels somewhat under-developed. The pacing of the film is another hurdle, starting off very leisurely, gradually upping the ante when things start to go wrong for the crew. The filmʼs saving grace is the stunning visuals. Being relatively low-budget ($50m) for this type of effectsheavy picture, the crew managed to work wonders. The film has been compared to ʻAlienʼ for its claustrophobic feel and tension, and ʻEvent Horizonʼ for the introduction of a vaguely spiritual, yet misplaced concluding third. While the parallels are obvious, this film can never really touch either of those movies in terms of execution. A disappointing and frustrating effort then, albeit a noble one, for Boyleʼs first big ʻeffectsʼ picture. 3 out of 5

Summer Preview TRANSFORMERS Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg deliver their take on the eighties robot franchise this July 4th. This mega-budget adaptation is looking to be the biggest blockbuster of the summer if early word is anything to go by. DIE HARD 4 Bruce Willis returns for his fourth outing as indestructible New York cop John McClane, when the entire computer and technological structure that supports the economy of the United States, is under threat. Released July 6th. SPIDERMAN 3 The cast and crew return to bring the Spiderman trilogy to a close. This chapter will bring in fan favourites Sandman and Venom, and Peter Parker, pictured below, must team up with an unlikely ally in order to save the day! Released May 4th.

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

N ARCOTICS A NONYMOUS

“N

PAGE 19

AGE ACTION: HANDS-ON HELP FOR THE ELDERLY

By Audrey Healy

othing works better than an ex addict talking to another”– so says a man who knows. Tommy is speaking from personal experience. Once a heavy user of drugs, he eventually put an end to his destructive life and found solace in ʻNarcotics Anonymousʼ, an organisation established over twenty years ago with the aim of offering support and direction to those trapped in the world of drugs. The only qualification needed says Tommy, is the desire to stop using. This desire and the rapport between its members has earned NA an admirable reputation and as a body, it has achieved more results than many other treatments for drug addicts and their families. Currently active in over 100 countries including here at home, NA boasts an impressive success rate and uses the original AA plan– the twelve-step abstinence programme. With up to seven meetings a day, 365 days a year, NA offers support in both a practical and emotional way, for all affected by drug use, whether directly or indirectly. It also tries to enable members to learn from each otherʼs experiences, how to recover from the effects of addiction in their lives and to live drug-free. Anyone who suspects or recognises a problem within themselves or their family with regard to substance abuse is invited to attend, whether it be alcohol, hard drugs, solvents or prescription drugs. Recovery is based on addiction, not on the drug itself and patients can be referred to the group through their GP. Tommy says that the scourge of drugs knows no boundaries and does not discriminate. He has witnessed “everyone from housewives to bank managers” attending meetings. One of the major reasons behind the incredible success of NA meetings is the honesty and support given to one another and the assurance of absolute confidentiality at all times. Members are invited to share their personal experiences with their group and the relaxed and informal atmosphere in which these sessions take place allow for a stable environment in which to recover. NA receives no government assistance and is funded by its members. In an effort to maintain daily meetings, the group organises fund-raising events and days out, including retreats, discos, health fairs and conferences. Question and answer sessions and topical discussions take place regularly and NA are accessible to callers at all times, maintaining a crucial twenty-four hour help line. There are two types of meetings associated with NA– one for addicts themselves and the other for concerned members of the general public. This can prove to be an invaluable source of information and help to parents and teachers who know someone who is showing signs of addiction. Narcotics Anonymous, 4-5 Eustace Street, Dublin 2. Helpline Number Phone 01 6728000 Email: na@ireland.org, website: http://www.na.ireland.org

AGE ACTION IRELAND with support from Irish Life have launched a new programme of handyperson and home visiting services to help older people to stay in their own homes for as long as they wish. Age Action is the national advocacy body on ageing and older people. Their vision is to make Ireland the best place to live for all older people. They are looking for volunteers, starting in the Dublin Docklands area and Galway City. The only qualiﬁcations required are a positive, caring attitude, some spare time and the ability to help older people with small tasks around the home. DIY or basic

joinery skills would help, but a willing pair of hands is the only real requirement. They will provide training, insurance and out-of pocket expenses. Are you interested in volunteering for this very worthwhile programme? Do you have relatives or friends who may also be interested in volunteering? If so, please contact Jennifer Connolly on: Tel: 01 4756989 or Email: jennifer.connolly@ageaction.ie Pictured above are, left to right: Kevin Murphy, CEO Irish Life Retail; Jennifer Connolly, Administrator; Sean Silke, Development Project Manager; Robin Webster, CEO Age Action.

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PAGE 20

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

M OUNTJOY P RISON AND THE D UCHAS C ENTRE By Audrey Healy

rom where I stand on Dublinʼs North Circular Road, I have to stretch my head in an awkward position to even attempt to look up past the high wall that separates the inmates of Mountjoy prison and those on the outside. Yet, apparently, some relatives and friends of those same prisoners are ﬂouting the law and throwing drugs and sim cards over that same wall to their waiting contacts on the other side. Itʼs a major problem for the prison authorities says governor of Mountjoy prison John Longeran, who revealed that, as we speak in March of 2007, some 200 mobile phones have already been conﬁscated. “Our biggest scourge here would be drugs being thrown

in over the wall from the North Circular Road,” he says from the confines of his office at the top of the prison building. “Itʼs a big problem though it does at times depend on who is in and who is out and who had contacts at any one time. “Another massive problem is sim cards and mobile phones– last year over 600 mobile phones were confiscated and this year alone 200 were confiscated. Itʼs causing us great difficulty.” Walking through the bright, modern corridors of the female wing of Dublinʼs Mountjoy Prison in the inner city, I canʼt help wondering what Annie Walsh, the only woman to be hanged in Mountjoy Prison, might have made of the facilities here today. All around me are her twentyfirst century contemporaries who serve their time with the welcome benefits of a modern educational

unit, a well-equipped library, stimulating workshops, a hairdressing salon, a health care centre, a pre-release facility and a central kitchen and dining room, surely a far cry from the modest surroundings in which she served her sentence for the murder of her husband back in 1928. Capital punishment may no longer be lawful in Ireland but Annieʼs presence is very much with me as I pay a visit to the heavily-guarded Mountjoy prison this morning and see just where she lost her life in the still-present

execution chamber where her body now lies at last in peace. What is now the Dochas Centre (meaning hope) and was once simply the womenʼs prison has enjoyed an incredible journey and one that John Lonergan, as prison governor since 1984, has witnessed with a certain degree of pride. He has a great knowledge of the history of the building that now houses almost one hundred women, as opposed to 500 men, itʼs particularly low in Ireland relative to men, he points out. “The new womenʼs prison,”

says Governor Lonergan, “will be eight years in operation in September and though that is a relatively short period of time historically in a prison, it is already well established and I believe that it is a much better and more positive place.” Thereʼs an air of tranquillity and serenity in the Dochas Centre and ironically there is also a sense of freedom. Inmates enjoy a certain sense of liberty and live in spacious rooms with compact cleaning facilities, such as a toilet, shower and wash-hand basin.

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NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007 This is despite the fact that many of the females there have committed extreme crimes, some on a par with those of their male counterparts just a few feet away. Governor Lonergan explains: “We have a pretty ﬂexible regime. There is one house of eighteen rooms which are never locked up so the women there have complete freedom within the house all night and if they want to get up they can. We have a second house which is open until twelve at night so they are free until midnight and the remainder are locked up at half seven. They would spend about twelve or thirteen hours in their cells from seven in the morning but thatʼs more to do with the house rather than them being a high security risk. There are 500 men and just 100 women so obviously the men donʼt have the facilities for communal dining.” Each ʻhouseʼ in the centre also includes a small kitchen and communal sitting room where the women gather to dine and relax together in contrast to their male counterparts who eat in their individual cells alone. The Dochas Centre runs a tight ship and have in total, a staff

PAGE 21 of over a hundred, made up of prison officers, nurses, teachers, probation and welfare officers, psychologist, doctor, librarians and chaplains. A wide range of educational, work training and personal development courses and activities are available in the Centre, with teachers provided by the Dublin City V.E.C. There has been much publicity about the fact that many of the female prisoners have been permitted to bring their newborn babies and young children into the confines of the prison and many questions have arisen as to whether this is the best environ-

ment for a child, even if they are with their biological mother. Governor Lonergan takes this point, but stresses that, ideally, prison authorities do their best to keep children out of prison. “Our strategy over the last thirty years has been if at all possible to keep the mother and the baby out of prison and by and large that has worked– but there are always exceptions. “We donʼt have regular signiﬁcant numbers of mothers and babies in prison. We try to organise it that the mother and baby are released and that is the best solution, but where a mother and baby are in prison we do try to facilitate family visits and stay-overs where women can have children for a weekend or a few days.” As I leave the Dochas Centre, I wonder again what drove Annie to murder her husband; I wonder how she coped with life behind bars, what her daily regime was, how she coped with being separated from her loved ones and what went through her mind as she was led to the gallows on the 5th August 1928, destined to become but a statistic in years to come. Opposite page: The womenʼs prison. Left: John Lonergan.

SWOT – Study With Out Torture

By Grace Charley

ANYBODY out there studying for exams, my thoughts are with you. The following are a few simple tips to guide you through the sea of text books. * Study in a bright, airy room. It will keep you alert and prevent you from dozing off. Good lighting is essential to avoid eye muscle strain. * Surroundings should be tidy and uncramped. Disorganised room= chaotic mind. * Eat well. Donʼt leave for school without breakfast. Even blood sugar levels are vital in sustaining high concentration levels. Porridge and bananas are good brain foods. Eat plenty. They will boost your concentration levels. * Donʼt cram. Itʼs impossible to absorb too much information. Study one section of each subject at a time. * Physical exercise increases endorphins and promotes a positive approach to challenges. It also helps relieve stress. * Get a good nightʼs sleep. Burning the candle at both ends is not conducive to good exam performance. * Lastly, do your best. If you get the results you hoped for, good for you. If you donʼt, donʼt despair, there are many other options available to getting the career you want e.g. further education and work experience. In the end, passion and willingness to learn will get you there. Thatʼs something that canʼt be taught.

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PAGE 22

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

T HE R ED D EVILS LIFE AND TIMES OF MANCHESTER UNITED. PART 2 By Brian Rutherford

n 1950 Manchester United played Mexico. They won the 1952 league championships against Arsenal 6-1 and they set about touring America. The Manchester team was now growing old and Busby introduced some new talent, Duncan Edwards being one of them. With the new team United took the first division by storm. Sir Matt Busby was reported to have said at this stage that “itʼs a world game”. In 1957 United entered the European Cup and played Athletico Bilbao in the quarter finals and Madrid in the semis, which they lost. In 1957 they also played Aston Villa in the FA Cup, which they also lost 2-1. In 1958 they chased the three titles again and in the European Cup Quarter finals they won and made it to the semi-finals. Returning from this match,

the great plane crash happened at Munich airport. Twentythree people died, including eight players. Sir Matt fought for his life in a Munich hospital and survived. The whole of Manchester mourned, as did the world. The team then introduced a lot of new signings to patch it up, including Johnny Giles. Surprisingly, they made it to the FA Cup final against Bolton. In 1962 Dennis Law was signed and a bright new era had arrived with him, including the 1963 FA Cup final which he almost won singlehandedly. Also signed up were Bobby Charlton, David Herd and Nobby Stiles. It was also the era of the great George Best who was spotted by Bob Bishop, the United Irish scout in Belfast. They played in the European Cup again but were knocked out by Sporting Lisbon. Sir

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Matt was unhappy. He seemed to be obsessed by the European Cup and in 1968 they made it to the semi-finals against Real Madrid. They won this game and the final too, in which they played against the great Usavio of Benfica. It was 1-1 and in extra time United scored three. Busby was knighted. George Best was only 23. Sir Matt left the team at the end of the season. Wilf McGuinness, a 32 year old, took over. He left in 1970 after just 18 months, due to a defeat by Aston Villa in the semifinals. An Irish man, Frank OʼFarrell, then took over. In 1972 United were getting beaten regularly and ended up one place from the bottom. OʼFarrell was also sacked. George Best retired and Bobby Charlton also left after 706 games and Dennis Law joined Manchester City. United had no stars left and they slipped to the second division but with Stuart Pearson as captain re-entered the first division. Steve Coppell joined from Tranmere Rovers along with Gordon Hill. United were back and in 1976 were in the FA Cup final against Southampton, which they lost. They also played in the UEFA cup. In 1977 they won the FA Cup 2-1 against Liverpool. Martin Buchan lifted the trophy. Docherty was then told to leave the team as he had an affair with the Physiotherapistʼs wife. Dave Sexton took over and signed Joe Jordan and Gordon Mc Queen. They made it to the FA Cup

final against Arsenal in 1979. It was a very dramatic match with United coming back from 2-0 down with just four minutes left to score 2. Arsenal then squeezed a winner with 1 minute left. Ray Wilkins was signed and Sexton paid one and a quarter million for Gary Birtles. They won nothing and Sexton left. It was time for big Ron Atkinson to take over. He signed Frank Stapleton and Bryan Robson and described Robson as “pure gold”. He also signed Norman Whiteside, a 17 year old. They then went on to win the

FA Cup 4-0 against Brighton in 1983. It was only their second major trophy in fifteen years. Steve Coppell left due to injury and Atkinson signed Gordan Strachan from Aberdeen, Paul McGrath and Kevin Moran. In 1985 they took on Liverpool in the semi- final of the FA Cup and won 2-0. In the final they played Everton and won that too. Then disaster happened as Bryan Robsonʼs shoulder collapsed while playing against West Ham. Mark Hughes went to Barcelona. Atkinson was asked to leave after United sunk to 19th in the league table. It was the turn of Alex Ferguson from Aberdeen. United went on to many victories under Alex Ferguson, who is still manager to this day. They won the now-famous treble (FA Cup, league table and European championship) with the likes of Roy Keane and David Beckham in the squad in 1999. United won the FA Cup for the 11th time in 2004 with a 3-0 win over Millwall. Wayne Rooney arrived in the same year and went on to win his first trophy at the club in February 2006, scoring twice in the 4-0 Carling Cup final win over Wigan Athletic. Old Trafford has grown into one of the most impressive stadiums in the world with a capacity of over 76,000. Left: Wayne Rooney and above Cristiano Ronaldo.

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

S ANDYMOUNT L ADIES G OLF S OCIETY – SWINGING FOR CHARITY

By John Cavendish

he Sandymount Ladies Golf Society, SLGS, was founded in late 2002 and the first outing took place to Charlesland Golf Club in March 2003. The aims and objectives of the Society are to provide a social and recreational outlet for our members; to provide an opportunity for members to improve their golf game; to provide a forum for social gatherings; to create an opportunity to contribute to the mutual benefit of the community in Sandymount and to encourage the development of a web of support for the benefit of the Societyʼs members. Currently membership is capped at 170 members and they are full for the current year. Many of the members are involved in different ways with organisations and charities that might benefit from support either through a contribution of time or money, and the SLGS tries to support these efforts. The Golf Society has been able to support a number of charities including The Rose Project (see www.roseproject.org) which was founded by Mary Donohoe and would love volunteers to participate in this yearʼs Womenʼs mini marathon; St Michaelʼs House where their donation went towards the provision of a sensory room in the Ailesbury Respite House; the Blackrock Hospice in memory of the late Liz Hatt; Nepal Cerebral Palsy School Charity which is run by local residents, Bob and Frances Corazza who have been tireless in their work in Nepal and in their fundraising efforts here at home. At their most recent outing in March, a donation to the National Breast Cancer Research Institute, NBCRI, which is based in NUI Galway, was made. Last yearʼs Captain Mary Marren lived for many years in Galway. When the NBCRI decided to set up a Dublin Committee she offered her support with a fundraiser and prizes on the day were sourced through Finola Cassidy and the Pink Toolbox Company (yes everything was pink– toolboxes, gym kits, gardening tool sets) and some of the proceeds from the prizes also went towards Breast Cancer support. On the golf front they try to have two to three outings a year with local club Elm Park being a convenient venue, but have ventured farther afield including Charlesland in Greystones, Clontarf Golf Club, the Castle and Milltown. SLGS have organised lessons for members with Seamus Greene in Elm Park and some of the members have got together to practise in Stepaside. The Sandymount Physiotherapy Clinic has sponsored a matchplay trophy for the Society and this is played for each year. On the social front they have a Christmas mince pie coffee morning in early December. The Society is run by an enthusiastic and willing Committee of 9 people who are elected by the members. Current committee for 2007 comprises Pauline Tighe, President Siobhan OʼShea Captain, Barbara Cotter Vice-Captain, Fina Murphy Secretary, Mary Kane Treasurer, Mary Marren, Phil Daly, Jill Victory and Sheila Rainey. Pictured above, back row, left to right: Mary Marren, Phil Daly and Mary Kane. Front row, left to right: Siobhan OʼShea and Pauline Tighe.

PAGE 23

Cycleway to change track FOLLOWING SOME early conceptual work, that might have alarmed some residents along the route if they saw it, design work is now starting to examine the feasibility of the proposed Sutton to Sandycove Promenade along Sandymount, and the practicality of several alternative routings. It should be noted that the primary purpose of this concept is a maritime promenade, and that its use for bicycling will be subordinate to the requirements of pedestrians. Any possible problems of security and anti-social behaviour are also receiving full attention, as are the requirements of the protected areas of the Bay and their wildlife populations. Consultation meetings are taking place between the appointed consultants, Scott Wilson Ltd, and all the interested parties to ensure the widest possible input from those concerned into the design of this

ambitious project, which would certainly transform access to and emphasis on the wonderful amenity of Dublin Bay. The opportunity will also be taken to integrate the promenade, as far as possible, with the ﬂood control works that will be essential in the near future to combat the threat of rising sea levels as a result of climate change. It will certainly be some time before the alternatives are again put before the public, and longer before any construction begins. By John Cavendish

PAGE 24

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

YOUR

ELECTION CANDIDATES AS THE GENERAL

ELECTION APPROACHES, WE PROVIDE THE FULL LIST OF DECLARED CANDIDATES

MICHAEL MCDOWELL TD Michael McDowell is Tanaiste and the leader of the Progressive Democrats. He has always lived in the heart of Dublin South East. Married to Niamh Brennan, with three school-going sons. He was educated at Pembroke School and Gonzaga College. Graduated in Economics and politics from UCD. Practised as barrister since 1974 and Senior Counsel since 1987. Currently Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, he has served Dublin South East twice as Dáil Deputy from 1987-1989 and 1992-1997. Michael served as Attorney General from 1999-2002 and became President of the Progressive Democrats in Febuary 2002. He was appointed by the Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, to chair the Working Group on Company Law Enforcement and Compliance which reported on November 30th, 1998. Michael is a Grandson of Eoin MacNeill, co-founder Gaelic League and founder of the Irish Volunteers, who served as minister for Finance and Education in the First and Second Dáils. Contact: info@michaelmcdowell.ie, www. michaelmcdowell.ie, (01) 498 8084.

MICHAEL MCDOWELL TD

RUAIRÍ QUINN TD

LUCINDA CREIGHTON

RORY HEARNE

for Public Service and Minister for Trade & Enterprise, and he was first-ever Labour Party Minister of Finance during the Rainbow Coalition, when he delivered the first Budget surplus in almost three decades. Leader of the Labour Party between 1997 and 2002, he is currently the Labour Partyʼs Spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade & Employment. Ruairí Quinn has lived in the area all his life and remains active in a broad range of community organisations. He is currently the patron of Sandymount Community Services, Trustee of the Irish History Society and Chairperson of the European Movement Ireland and the Holocaust Education Trust. An architect by profession, before going into politics Ruairí worked for Dublin corporation and an architectural firm. Contact: ruairi.quinn@oireachtas. ie, www.ruairiquinn.ie, tel: 6183434.

pointed her vice-chairman of Fine Gaelʼs Dublin task force– a committee established to rejuvenate the party in the capital. Contact: help@lucindacreighton. ie, www.lucindacreighton.ie, 497 6248.

Earthwatch, Amnesty International and the Chartered Institute of Water Management. John has introduced a number of private members bills including the Energy Conservation Bill and the Road Trafﬁc Reduction Bill. Contact: johngormley@eircom. net, www.johngormley.com, 6184247

scholarship in his ﬁnal year. During his time at UCD, he played rugby for the University team and was capped for Ireland at student and U21 level. Contact: jim@jimocallaghan. com, www.jimocallaghan.com, 475-8943. Full time constituency ofﬁce at 37 South Richmond Street, Portobello, Dublin 2

CHRIS ANDREWS Councillor Chris Andrews is a Fianna Fáil candidate for Dublin South East. Born in Dublin in 1965, Chris is a member of Dublin City Council for the South East Inner City Local Electoral area. He was ﬁrst elected to the Council in 1999 but lost his seat in 2004, despite increasing his vote. Chris took Garry Keeganʼs place on the Council when he resigned. His father Niall Andrews was a Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin South and an MEP for Dublin. His uncle, David, is a former Government Minister and a TD for Dun Laoghaire. Chris is married and has two young daughters, Siofra and Saoirse Mae. Contact: chrisandrews@eircom. net, www.chrisandrews.ie, 4062824.

DAITHÍ DOOLAN Daithi Doolan is the Sinn Féin candidate for Dublin South East. Daithí Doolan, a native of Cork, is a Sinn Féin Councillor for Dublin City Council– South East Inner City and is currently a member of the partyʼs Ard Chomhairle. As Sinn Féin candidate for the South East Inner City, Daithí received a strong endorsement from the electorate, polling over 24% in the 2004 Local Elections, and coming second on the poll, having unsuccessfully contested the 1999 Local Elections in the same ward. In 2002, Daithí led Sinn Féinʼs campaign against the Treaty of Nice. As the partyʼs Campaign Director, he managed their campaign for a ʻNOʼ vote in the October referendum. Contact: daithidoolan@hotmail. com, www.dublinsoutheast.com, 0868534666

RUAIRÍ QUINN TD Ruairí Quinn TD has been a representative for Dublin South East since 1973, when he was ﬁrst elected to Dublin City Council. He was elected as the Labour Party TD for Dublin South East in 1977. He has held cabinet positions including Minister for Labour, Minister

LUCINDA CREIGHTON Councillor Lucinda Creighton is the Fine Gael general election candidate in the Dublin South East constituency. In 2004 Lucinda was elected for Fine Gael as the youngest member of Dublin City Council, representing the Pembroke Local Electoral Area. She joined the party in her ﬁrst week studying law at Trinity and was soon elected to the partyʼs national youth executive. She later moved to the senior national executive. Since studying Law in Trinity College Dublin, Lucinda, originally from Mayo, lives in Donnybrook in Dublin South East. She is a barrister by profession. Lucinda worked on the campaign of Frances Fitzgerald in the Dublin South East constituency in the 2002 election. In the aftermath of the 2002 elections, Enda Kenny ap-

JOHN GORMLEY TD

CHRIS ANDREWS

RORY HEARNE Rory Hearne is the People Before Proﬁt Alliance Candidate for Dublin South East. Rory was elected President of Trinity College Studentsʼ Union in 2000 and was elected Deputy President/ Campaigns Ofﬁcer of the Union of Students in Ireland in 2003. He has a young son. Rory has worked as a teacher and journalist. He is currently completing a Ph.D. in Trinity College, researching the negative impacts of privatisation on workers and low-income families. Rory Hearne has been active in campaigning politics in Dublin for over 10 years. He has been particularly active in supporting campaigns against the closure of St Lukeʼs Cancer Hospital Rathgar, against the proposed Poolbeg Incinerator, the Bin Tax, the Anti-War Movement, the Shell to Sea campaign and campaigning for education and youth services. Contact: rory.hearne@yahoo. ie, www.roryhearne.org or 086 1523542. JOHN GORMLEY TD John Gormley is the Green Party candidate for Dublin South East. In 1991 he was elected to Dublin City Council and was Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1994 to 1995. In June 1997 he was elected to the Dail. He wrote the Green Guide for Ireland in 1990. He has held many positions in the Green Party including Campaign Director for the successful anti-smog campaign in the 1980s John is currently spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Health and Children. He is a member of

JIM OʼCALLAGHAN Jim OʼCallaghan is a Fianna Fáil candidate for Dublin South East. In 2002 Jim ran as an independent, ﬁrst-time candidate for the Seanad and secured 1,300 votes. In the summer of 2003 Jim OʼCallaghan was selected by Fianna Fáil to contest the local elections for the Rathmines Ward along with Ald. Michael Donnelly. He secured in excess of 900 votes. Jim OʼCallaghan is 39 years of age and was raised in Cornelscourt, Dublin. He graduated with a law degree from UCD and Masters Degrees in law and criminology from Cambridge University. He qualiﬁed as a Barrister in 1993, winning a

JIM OʼCALLAGHAN

DAITHÍ DOOLAN

EOIN TIERNEY Eoin Tierney is standing as an independent. He was born and bred in Donnybrook. He has a lifelong interest in politics. Eoin has a degree in maths and physics from UCC and currently runs his own IT business. Website: www.eointierney.org Telephone: 086 063 0362 ESTHER UZELL Esther Uzell is the sister of Joseph Rafferty, a man shot dead in Ongar, west Dublin in April 2005. (No image available)

EOIN TIERNEY

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

PAGE 25

ICC DONATES $1,000 TO G UYANA CHILDREN ’ S SHELTER

C ELEBRATE OLDER AGE WITH B EALTAINE By Audrey Healy

his yearʼs Bealtaine Festival is close at hand and libraries and community centres throughout the country have announced an exciting and stimulating schedule of events for this yearʼs line-up, with a month long national festival celebrating creativity in older age. This yearʼs festival with the support and encouragement of Age and Opportunity takes place from 1st to 31st May 2007. It is expected to be just as successful as last yearʼs which involved the participation of over 40,000 nationwide. The theme for 2007 will be ʻForever Beginʼ, from Brendan Kennellyʼs poem Begin, to focus on events celebrating the joys of constant learning. The festival, which is now in its twelfth year, will cover all art forms including theatre, literature, dance, ﬁlm, storytelling, music, painting, sculpture and critical events.

According to a spokesperson for the Older Personsʼ Network, the festival aims to “promote meaningful participation in all areas of the arts by older people as well as offering a focus for celebrating the contributions of older artists. The Older Persons Network are hoping that the events will be supported by everyone and welcome everybody to view the various themes which will be on show.”

ʻBealtaineʼ was chosen as the name of the festival because of the ancient Celtic festival of that name with its evocation of springtime, freshness and renewal as well as associations with ﬁre and energy. The carnival is a celebration of creativity intended to renew and refresh. It is also intended to defy stereotypical notions about ageing and to celebrate older age as a time of renewal, creativity and growth. Most events are organised independently but the festival

is coordinated and promoted nationally by Bealtaine and is a unique partnership between Age & Opportunity, national and local arts organisations, public libraries, VECs, health boards and groups of older people around the country. The Festival aims to bring about a shift in attitudes and practices that will create opportunities for older people to participate fully and meaningfully in the arts. Anybody and everybody can get involved in Bealtaine at some level, whether as organiser, participant, performer, audience or critic. Older people are involved at every level but people of all ages can take part. Bealtaine brings older people into contact with members of the wider community including school children in a range of events and in a range of capacities. If youʼd like to get involved or would like further information, please contact the organizing committee on 01 8057704 or log onto www.bealtaine.com

embers of the Ireland cricket team and management at the ICC Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean have handed over US$1,000 to help towards the cost of heart operations for children in Guyana. The donation came at the end of an emotional visit by eight members of the Ireland squad, including Kenny Carroll of Railway Union (pictured in centre) who took time out from their busy schedule to visit a shelter which is housing 14 children who, until a few weeks ago, were living rough on the streets of Georgetown. The children had either run away from home or been made homeless because their families could not care for them. At the shelter they receive care, food and education The Ireland cricketers then went on to visit the pediatric department of the childrenʼs hospital in the capital to hand out sweets and cheer up the young patients.

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PAGE 26

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

The Fontenoy Files By Shay Connolly

ost teams are well into their new leagues and there is much to report on. Under 14 hurlers match versus Setanta is the match report this month. Played on the cinder surface of Ringsend Park, the sun shone gloriously down on what was to be an enthralling encounter. Recently promoted from last yearʼs league, a stiff contest was envisaged against the same team who had beaten them after a replay in the semi-final of the Championship last year. The boys started off like an express train and led by 1-2 to no score after 10 minutes, with the goal coming from Kenneth Lyons, doggedly made by the persistence of Ciaran Crowe and Aidan Bolton and 2 points from Dylan Lacy. Setanta, unbelievably made 5 forages into the Clanns 21-yard line in that first half and it yielded three goals. On the other two occasions Michael Gilroy in goal made two fantastic saves. The main reason for the Setantaʼs few attacks was the dominance of our half back line. Jordan Barnes was lording it at centre back and he was ably assisted on his flanks by Tadhg Dunne and Conor Saunders. The lads continued to take their points and a number of excellent scores were recorded, one a leftfooted kicked point by Ciaran Diviney and another beautifully taken by Michael Power to lead by two points at half time. It was nick and tuck in the second half. Our midfield pairing of Desmond Soon and Davide Iannelli began to edge the midfield contest, with Desmond getting

in some fantastic blocks and the sheer energy and skill from Davide providing a continuous supply of ball to our forward line. Dylan Lacy caught everyone by surprise when he went for a goal midway through that second half from a free 25 yards out. The sliotar rattled the back of the net and this paved the way for victory. Sub Donal McGawley had a telling impact on second half procedures but the most telling factor for this victory was the performance of the full back line in the second half. Shook by those ﬁrst half goals the lads closed up shop for the second period. David Nangle was outstanding and was equally assisted by Anthony Byrne and Joey Sadlier on the wings. In the end the boys ran out winners by three points. This particular team has all the raw material to make it to the very top. But they need to work harder on their game. Hurling is a game that needs to be constantly practised. Our new hurling wall project should greatly assist all our young players with their practise. Team members: Michael Gilroy, Anthony Byrne, David Nangle, Joey Sadlier, Conor Saunders, Jordan Barnes, Tadhg Dunne, Desmond Soon, Davide Iannelli, Michael Power, Dylan Lacy, Kenneth Lyons, Ciaran Crowe, Aidan Bolton, Dylan Marr, Ciaran Diviney, Robert Lacey, Dean Coleman, Donal McGawley. Adult lady footballers have started their campaign in ﬁne fashion, recording two wins and a draw from 3 matches. This could be the year for them. With many

talented young girls coming through to strengthen the squad, this outﬁt will represent a formidable challenge in their league and championship. Speedy recoveries to Grace Dunne and Louise Kane from their recent injuries. Mark Campbell and Anthony Darcy are beginning to do some serious training at present with the U.12 squad. Speaking with Mark, he told me that they intend to work on strengthening this team in the tackle and all sessions over the next month or so will be geared towards this. They are beginning to ﬁnd their feet, numbers at training are commendable and the only way is up from now on in. If the guys work hard and put in the effort, then a very decent team can emerge from this squad. Simon Beirneʼs U.10s continue to contest admirably in their Go Games competition and Simon has some star quality in this squad. U.11 footballers are trotting along nicely under the watchful eyes of John Dodd, John Hunt and Ray Walsh. Struggling somewhat last year, they have found a new lease of life and have won two out of their last three matches. Numbers at training are averaging 20 at each session and hopes for the future are high. It is intended to start an U.10 and U.11 hurling team in the coming weeks. The number of youngsters at this age group seen around the area with hurleys in their hands is phenomenal. Kids in this area take to hurleys and sliotars like a duck does to water and we intend to nourish this interest in the best

possible fashion. Fontenoys, the second oldest hurling club in Dublin, was established in Irishtown Road in 1892 and is continuing to produce some fantastic hurlers. I once was getting my hair cut (the few strings that are left) in

Cecilʼs when Jim (R.I.P.) came in from the back. He said that I was the very man he was looking for and that could I do anything about the amount of young people who were playing hurling in Thorncastle Street up until 11 oʼclock at night.

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

I told the late Jim that it was the sweetest complaint that I had ever heard and that if they were playing hurling they were sure to be avoiding all the other bad distractions in society today. Jim laughed and agreed with me. Great work is being done in the schools by Robin Booth and Michelle Fitzgerald in Ringsend and Kevin Munelly, Brian McDermott and Alan Gorman in Star of the Sea. Mentioning Star of the Sea, the first leg of the Moclair Cup (Home) will be played on Saturday 28th April. This is the 34th year of the competition between the Star and Ballina and great credit is due to Star teacher Mick Maughan who, along with his brother Tom, organised this event all those years ago. Every year since, this competition has kept its competitive edge and both schools have produced numerous players who went on to play Senior Football for their county. This yearʼs event may be a chance to revenge the All-Ireland semi final defeat to the Mayo boys last September in Croke Park and our Juvenile Coach Darren Magee has taken a special interest in this match. Attention all you Star lads– you can save the face of Dublin Gaelic football from the humiliation of that black September day last year. Best of luck to both teams! Inter Hurlers have got off to a great start in their new league campaign, beating St. Sylvesters and Setanta in their first two matches. In the Sylvesters match they came from 5 points

PAGE 27

down with 5 minutes to go to win by a point. However, in the first round of the Championship, which is run off on a league basis, they fell to St Vincents by 3 points, having shot 18 wides in the hour. U.16 ladies footballers have recorded two wins and a draw in their first three matches of the new season. Albert Hannon and Co have brought a new approach to the adult footballʼs second team and numbers at training are very healthy indeed. Despite losing by a point to Portobello they have recorded three other wins in their 4 matches to date and promotion is the goal this year. Speedy recovery to Stephen Cox after his recent injury. The first team after a fantastic victory in their first match at home to Skerries Harps have come off the rails since. Their recent loss to Cuala after being 8 points in front has left serious questions to be answered from this squad. There is still a long way to go but if there is no return to form in the near future all the success gained after being promoted last year will have been in vain. I have written in glowing terms of when this team has performed well but my pen is out of ink on this team at the moment. Can you give me something to write about lads? The Club extends its deepest sympathies to the McNaughton Family on the recent passing of Jim. Jim and his company Tilestyle were our first sponsors here at the club. Jim showed a very keen interest in the affairs of our

club over a lengthy period of time and his contribution was a major factor in getting us off the ground after we moved to our new site at Sean Moore Park in 1989. Jim was proud of his Leitrim roots and it was indeed fitting that Dublin and Leitrim were the first inter county teams ever to play in Sean Moore Park when they marked the official opening of our new Clubhouse. Ar dheis de go raibh a ainm dilis. Our Easter Football and Hurling camp produced a massive turnout with over 200 kids partaking. The glorious weather contributed to a most enjoyable week where skills and team work were very much in evidence. Expertly supervised by Club Coach and Dublin Inter county star Darren Magee, all participants were provided with kit bag and jerseys. Brenda Daly representing our sponsors Dublin Port Co presented all with their trophies and paraphernalia. Summer Camps will be upon us shortly with the Hurling Camp on from 23rd to 27th July inclusive and Football Camp from 30th July to 3rd August inclusive. At this stage the club would like to welcome Johnny Sadlier as Assistant Juvenile Coach. Johnny has donned the club Jersey since he was a nipper and was a prominent player for the Warriors in their campaign up until minor level. He plays adult football and hurling for the Clanns and has always resided in the area. There is a Tipperary connection here through his Grandfather but

thatʼs enough of that. Johnny is a Dub and proud of it. Noel McDonagh, he who claims to be on the telly more times than Brad Pitt, has recently taking a liking to Basketball. Noel spent a weekend in Cork recently with a belle who is well known in Basketball circles. When ribbed about a possible romantic development Noel dismissed it completely stating that it was strictly a fact finding weekend on the sport. Yeah right! A glorious sight recently was the Hurling Go Games for Under 8s and U.9s at Sean Moore Park. These are held every fortnight and are run on a league basis. This was simply a joy to watch where backs canʼt enter the forwards zone and vice versa. The skill that was on display was unbelievable but above all one could not avoid being struck by the sheer enjoyment being expressed by the both boys and girls partaking. It is hard to single out any individual but I would have to write about Sean Saundersʼs performance. He was in goal for the first half in his first match. He came out for the second half and between that and his second game scored a whopping 10 goals. Sean, a son of the Cranky Yankee and nephew of former

Club legend Kieran is deﬁnitely one for the future. Clanna Gael Fontenoy were nominated for 9 awards at the recent Dublin Docklands Young Achievers Awards held recently. In the end we won awards in three different categories, Ladies U.14s, Boys U.13s and an individual award for young Ciaran Diviney. So we hope you all have a happy summer as we pray for rain to descend on our pitches. Water is a major problem for us at present and we would welcome any ideas from members or readers as to where we might source some water as a very dry summer is forecast.

Opposite page, top: Participants at the Easter Camp and below, Brenda Daly of Dublin Port with Jason Murphy, best Under 9s at Easter Camp. This page: Clanna Gael members who received Docklands Young Achievers Awards, from left: Ciaran Diviney, Conor Saunders, Serena Hannon and Chelsea Spain.

Calafort Átha Cliath

Dublin Port Company Port Centre, Alexandra Road, Dublin 1. Telephone: 887 6000, 855 0888 Fax: 855 7400 Web: www.dublinport.ie

PAGE 28

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

I T ’ S A WONDERFUL LIBRARY A

re you a member of your local Dublin City public lending library? If the answer is ʻnoʼ then please join and marvel. Whatever your worldly interests, there are corresponding books for you to borrow. For dayto-day information, the libraries have a selection of national daily newspapers and a choice of weekly and monthly magazines. There is a lot more going on than just loaning out books and being able to read newspapers. Since 2001 Dublin City Libraries have provided a free internet service where you can use a computer to go online, check e-mails and surf the net. If youʼve never surfed the net or used a computer before, ask the librarian about the computer workshops for beginners. Dublin City Libraries host a free programme of tuition in Computer Basics, Email and Using the Internet. If reading books is not your thing and you couldnʼt be both-

The NewsFour

Crossword

Name:…………………………… Address:………………………… Telephone:…………………

ered with cyberspace or the internet, donʼt dismay as the libraries have updated and modernised their lending catalogue with a wide range of multimedia. There are music CDs available to borrow as well as DVDs, CD-roms and videos. And if you prefer to sit back in a comfortable chair and let someone else do the reading, there is the large selection of audio books. There can be no better place for parents to take their children, than the library. With books today not cheap and time ever more an issue, a thirty-minute visit to the library with your children is time well spent. If you donʼt already know, you will be amazed at what joy your library card can bring your children, whatever age they may be. All libraries will have an extensive and colourful selection of childrenʼs and young adultʼs books. For multi linguists or those learning a new language, the foreign language section should help improve vocabulary and reading skills. If you wish to improve your Japanese, Russian or Irish among other languages, selected branch-

es hold conversation exchanges. For those new to the country and the English language who care to further their English literacy, there are the easy readers, a less demanding read that does exactly what it says on the book. There are also a number of newspapers and periodicals in different languages available in the Central Library. If youʼre hankering to discuss that book youʼve just read, try one of the reading groups that meet, usually once a month, to talk about an elected book. Last year, over 200 titles were read by 85 reading groups in Dublin City Libraries. Or how about writing your own book? There are the Writersʼ Groups where members talk and encourage one another to improve their writing at informal meetings. Dublin City Council libraries also provides a lending service for the housebound. For more information visit your local branch to ﬁnd out how you can join, or if you have access to the internet ﬁnd out more at : www.dublincity.ie/living_in_the_ city/libraries Above: The Dublin City Library in Pearse Street.

Winners will receive a €25 book token. Our winner of the February Crossword was Michael Mullin of Rathgar. Entries to be sent to ʻNewsFourʼ, 15 Fitzwilliam St, Ringsend, Dublin 4 by 5 June. ACROSS 1 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 18 21 24 26 30 31 32 33 35 36

Exceptionally good, excellent (5,4) An attempt to communicate with the dead (6) Chilly period, usually in Spring (4,4) Very sad and also the name of a hill in the area (6) The book that contains the prayers said by the priest at mass (6) The Italian way to say hello or goodbye (4) Press, radio, tv, etc (5) This little girl went through the forest with Hansel (6) Sometimes known as the Big Apple (3,4) Pronunciations common to a group of people (7) Icy balls fell from the sky when it ------ last night (6) The supermarket set to take over Europe (5) ---- Simone famous American jazz musician and singer (4) Sea-going vessel used to carry oil (6) An electric generator (6) They mend our shoes (8) They never prosper and ruin a game of cards (6) Gradually, not all at once (2,7)

DOWN 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 13 17 19 20 22 23 25 27 28 29 34

Humorously sarcastic or mocking (5) The inﬂiction of pain and suffering on another (6) First name of American President 1981 to 1989 (6) Of the moment (7) Older, higher in rank or age (6) Not defeated, as in football team (8) Nearly made it! (4,5) Makes impossible things happen (5) Bubbly chocolate bar (4) Where the accused person stands (2,3,4) Neighed (8) Wireless (5) ---- Cola, famous American soft drink (4) Foods such as potatoes, rice, cereal are said to be this (7) Hatred, ill will (6) Where the horse lives (6) Not off (2) Bush, Harrison and the Patron Saint of England share this name (6) Children of ---, the dying swans (3)

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

F UNKY

PAGE 29

FURNITURE

tʼs easy to revamp an old chair into a fresh, modern piece of furniture that can add a splash of colour to any room. The key is to be adventurous and to move away from the more obvious safe colours and fabrics. There are fantastic fabrics to choose from, silks, velvets, tweeds, faux fur, animal prints or abstract designs. As for the colour, the choice is endless. Take the chair pictured below. Recently rescued from potentially ending up as ﬁrewood, it was decided that it needed a ʻnew lookʼ. First the chair was sanded down and cleaned. One coat of green Dulux undercoat was then applied and left to dry following the recommendations on the tin. Once dry, the chair was

painted in a final satinwood green coat and left to dry for 24 hours. Next was the ʻseatʼ of the chair. The old tapestry material was stripped off and replaced with a modern ʻzebra printʼ material, retaining the old wadding underneath. The new material was then carefully stapled into place using an upholstery staple gun and the seat was formed. The paint used for the final coat is from the Colourtrends range and is available in any home decor shop. Most decor shops stock a suitably sufficient selection of paints and if you have any queries just ask the staff. The material was purchased in KA international, Blackrock, or alternatively Murphy Sheehy in Castle Market, off South William Street, stock an excellent range of fabrics that offer huge potential to be creative. Auction rooms are a good place to find cheap items that can be transformed into something contemporary. Friends or neighbours, too, are often keen to get rid of old, unwanted pieces of furniture. Try using fabrics that blend in with curtains, rugs or wallpaper and donʼt be afraid to use and mix vibrant colours. Use your imagination, get creative and experiment. Move away from the predictable, be inspired and, most importantly, have fun.

PAGE 30

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

B RIAN D’A RCY ’ S

By Nessa Jennings

“W

e need to reﬂect on our various journeys.” says Brian DʼArcy in his autobiography “A Different Journey” which was published last year. He was encouraged to put pen to paper by friends who knew of his rich and varied experiences at the centre of Irish life during a period of unprecedented change in Irish society, as we as a nation ʻgrew upʼ. He also documents the period of turbulence for the Catholic Church which followed Pope John Paul IIʼs visit in 1979. He remembers: “In my mindʼs eye I can still see the million-plus people stretched across the plains of the Phoenix Park, all neatly

fenced into manageable squares on a beautiful day when the atmosphere was as close to heavenly as you can get on this earth.” No-one that day could have predicted the troubles that were later to beset our national faith. The book recounts Brianʼs very personal story through key events that were happening in our history and contains his own personal philosophy as he encounters himself through experiences where he is bound to reﬂect and to grow spiritually. The book is full of famous names from show-business and sport, his two main passions. He recalls entering the Graan monastery in 1962 aged 17 in Enniskillen, ﬁve miles from his home in Bellanaleck as a novice in the Passionist order. He describes the three-fold deprivation of love, food and sleep designed

DIFFERENT JOURNEY

to break you and the strict regime of that year where every hour was accounted for. The order demanded the three vows of chastity, poverty and obedience and trained students to mortify their eyes by walking with their heads bent and eyes cast to the ground. “The bleakness was awful.” Thereafter, he describes more freedom when he went to Dublin to Mount Argus to become a priest and also attended UCD. His ﬁrst escapade was to sneak out of the monastery the night the Beatles came to the Adelphi. Thereafter, the modernisation of Ireland is told through the history of music, mainly Brianʼs involvement with the showbands. Brian says that the showbands brought glamour, excitement and travel. For the people that fol-

New Citizensʼ Information Centre in Milltown By Elizabeth Hutcheson

ave you got a problem and are unsure where to go for help? Your local Citizensʼ Information centre provides free information on all your civil rights, entitlements and social welfare allowances. Maybe youʼve never heard of them, but with a new centre which opened in Milltown on 21st February to complement the existing network of centres in Rathmines, Aungier Street and St Vincentʼs Hospital, popping in to ask a ques-

tion has never been easier. Liz Carroll, Development Management for Citizens Information centres located in the Dublin 2, 4 and 6 areas, says having an additional facility in Milltown will help ease increasing pressure on the other centres in the area. “Demand for information is growing. After all, information is a tool but ﬁnding the right bit is often the hardest part and thatʼs where we come in,” said Liz Carroll. “Many people are still unaware of their basic rights and entitlements on a range of State services, such as social welfare, medical cards and em-

ployment beneﬁts. By widening the network of centres weʼre able to meet this increasing demand for information and help citizens improve their situations and build better lives.” Citizens Information, which is funded by the State agency Comhairle, received in the region of two million queries last year alone through its nationwide information centres, telephone service (1890 777 121) and website (www.citizensinformation.ie). The service is free, conﬁdential and independent. While the majority of queries handled relate to employment rights and social welfare allowances, trained

lowed them, happy memories and self-confidence. Astonishingly, there were, at one time 600 fulltime professional bands playing up and down the country and they helped in no small part to bring north and south closer together. He says then “If I was asked when the Golden Age declined, I would have to say it was when the Miami Showband were murdered. Thatʼs the day the music died.” Brian DʼArcy is also known for his work in journalism and was the first priest in Ireland to become a member of the N.U.J. He was editor of ʻThe Crossʼ, the magazine of the Passionist Order, has been writing his column Father Brianʼs Little Bit of Religion for The Sunday World for thirty years, broadcasts on radio ʻPause for thoughtʼ for the BBC and has appeared on several, memorable and controversial Late Late Shows. A lot of people will remember his showdown with Cardinal Daly at the height of the church scandals. He says “The clerical club, right to the very top, closed ranks and by their constant denials destroyed the credibility of our church.” Brian reflects on his own vocation, saying that God takes no pleasure in unnecessary loneliness and strongly advocates that priests be allowed

to marry. He also thinks that the church can only be saved by an interested and educated laity ʻA Different Journeyʼ contains much more and is a distinctly Irish biography. It is excellent, as it is full of fond reminiscences for those who have grown up at the same time. There are also many reflections on poetry, art, lyrics, philosophy and doctrine and there are some hilarious moments. To finish, he says “The personal lives of showbiz friends, the crippling doubts of politicians, as well as the mistakes of the famous and influential, will go to the grave with me.” About the journey, he says “Itʼs worth recognising that the journeys we think weʼre making for the first time are as old as time itself.” Above: Two ʻmen in blackʼ. Brian with Johnny Cash.

information providers also advise on everything from housing and education, to having a baby, coping with illness and accessing support for persons with disabilities. And thatʼs not all. Staff and volunteers assist in ﬁlling out forms and will follow up on an enquiry or an appeal, if necessary, through their advocacy service. “Unfortunately, though, there are occasions when all we can do is listen,” said Liz Carroll. “But then sometimes being heard is all a person needs when facing a difﬁcult situation, in order to know what to do next.” To contact your nearest Citizensʼ Information Centre write, drop in or telephone any one of the following:

Rathmines CIC: 11 Wynneﬁeld Road, Rathmines, Dublin 6 Telephone: 496 5558 / 498 2999 Milltown CIC: Milltown Parish Centre, Milltown Road, Dublin 6, Telephone: 219 6740 Carmelite CIC: 56 Aungier Street, Dublin 2 (Located beide Whitefriar Street Church) Telephone: 400 5971 St Vincentʼs Hospital: M e rrion Road, Dublin 4 (Located in the main corridor, beside coffee shop) Telephone: 405 3760 As opening times vary itʼs a good idea to phone and check ﬁrst. Citizens information is also available by telephoning the Citizensʼ Information Phone Service on 1890 777 121 (Locall) and online at www. citizensinformation.ie

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

PAGE 31

S PEAKERS ’ SINN FÉIN DEMANDS ABOLITION OF ROAD TOLLS TAX Concluding Sinn Féinʼs Week of Action on Transport, Sinn Féin Councillor Daithí Doolan said, “The cityʼs traffic chaos and gridlock faced each day by commuters is a direct result of government refusing to invest in a publicly funded fully integrated public transport system. Sinn Féin is calling for an extra 500 buses for Dublin Bus to be allocated to areas we have identified as under-serviced. We also wish to see the abolishment of road tolls as they are yet another unjust tax on people travelling to and from work and cause major traffic gridlock on our roads.” PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT CANDIDATE CALLS FOR INCREASE IN TAX ON PROFITS At a time when the cost of living is shooting through the roof, workersʼ wages are being restrained below the rate of inflation, children are squashed into overcrowded

classes, and the A & E crisis continues, the banks are creaming off unprecedented profits. Rory Hearne, candidate for People Before Profit Alliance, Dublin South East stated. “In local communities local council services are completely inadequate, developers are being facilitated with planning decisions and ordinary people are left out. I challenge the government to put ordinary people first over the needs of the wealthy banks and increase corporation tax rate on banksʼ profits to at least 25%.” CREIGHTON CONDEMNS POOR PLANNING At a public meeting organised by FG Councillor Lucinda Creighton recently, residents of Ballsbridge gave an emphatic ʻthumbs downʼ to the proposed Local Area Plan for Ballsbridge. Lucinda commented at the meeting: “This Local Area Plan for Ballsbridge had the potential to offer an imaginative framework for a new model of planning in

live online and in the street.

Down in the Docklands Event: We Are Here 2.0 From 30 April to 12 May Venue: Various We are Here 2.0 returns for the second time with a series of urban artworks and interventions. Highlights of We Are Here 2.0 include Cargo Soﬁa, an engaging performance on board a converted freight truck, driven by two Bulgarian truckers who tell the tale of their journey from Soﬁa to Dublin. Can You See Me Now, a collaboration with Blast Theory and the Docklands Authority, is an exhilarating chase game played

Event: Murmur at Dublin Docklands From 4 May to September Venue: IFSC/South Quays A co-commission by the Docklands Authority and Bealtaine, Murmur at Dublin Docklands collects and presents stories set in various Docklands locations, as told by Dubliners themselves. At each location, a Murmur Dublin Docklands icon, with telephone number and location code, marks where stories are available. With a mobile phone, users can listen to the story while also experiencing the place themselves. Event: Docklands Maritime Festival From 1 to 4 June Venue: Liffey Quays, Docklands Majestic tall ships, lively street theatre, uplifting music and a colourful outdoor market, the Docklands Maritime Festival will have something for everyone this June Bank Holiday Weekend. Last yearʼs festival attracted over 55,000 visitors and this yearʼs event is expected to be even more popular, with more attractions including a spectacular ﬂeet of Tall Ships, nautical street enter-

CORNER

Dublin City. Instead, we have been presented with a plan to rezone Ballsbridge to facilitate one developer. It shows that the developer-led planning process which resulted in the Mahon tribunal has not gone away. Poor planning in Dublin is a cancer that has not gone away.” ENVIRONMENT MUST BE PRIORITY FOR OUR SURVIVAL SAYS COUNCILLOR DOOLAN Speaking at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis, Dublinʼs Environmental Spokesperson Cllr. Daithí Doolan said: “One clear example of what must be done is here in Dublin. The government have plans to build a superdump in north county Dublin and an incinerator here on Dublinʼs southside. Both unneeded, both imposed, both unsustainable. But we also have unique opportunity to rectify the problem with the proposed development of the Poolbeg Peninsula. With the population of Dublin growing by

a massive 15% to reach 1.7m over the next ten years land must be developed in a sustainable manner to meet the needs for homes and infrastructure. The Poolbeg Peninsula offer a unique opportunity to build a community that is of the highest environmental standard and with infrastructure integrated into the planning process.” PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT CONDEMN THE CLOSING OF ST LUKEʼS Rory Hearne of the People Before Proﬁt Alliance says that many from Sandymount, Irishtown and Ringsend and beyond have been patients in St Lukeʼs cancer Hospital, Rathgar or have had friends or relatives who have attended the hospital. The news that the Government has decided to shut St Lukeʼs and transfer its radiotherapy services to St Jamesʼs and Beaumont by 2011 is being greeted with shock, sadness and anger. More than 20,000 patients are treated annually in St Lukeʼs. Pa-

tients explain that the wonderful therapeutic surroundings help cancer sufferers. It won the top award in the audit of acute hospitals for spring 2006 while St Jamesʼs, where they plan to transfer it to, is overcrowded with operations cancelled very recently. Rory Hearne says: “St Lukeʼs is being transferred as part of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) which means big developers and speculators could make millions from the 18.5 acre St Lukeʼs site while radiotherapy services could be privatised in St Jamesʼs.” Rory Hearne believes that St Lukeʼs is the centre for excellence for cancer treatment in Ireland and should get more investment rather than being shut. The People Before Proﬁt Alliance are making this as a big a key issue in the next few months. They call on all those concerned with the health system to support them. The petition to save St Lukeʼs is available at www.roryhearne.org. Ph 086 1523542 for information.

tainment and over 100 market stalls. Event: No Fit State Circus presents ImMortal From 1 to 24 June (except Mondays) Venue: Georgeʼs Dock, IFSC This breathtaking, imaginative show explodes around, above and among the audience in a multi-sensory feast of circus, dance, music and video. Audacious, ambitious, anarchic, surreal, magical, thought provoking and funny, ImMortal by NoFitState will arouse all the senses. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Event: Club Immortal 1-3 June, 7-10 June, 14-17 June, Thursday to Saturday Venue: Georgeʼs Dock Club Immortal will be to cabaret what ImMortal is to circus– no two shows are ever the same. Featuring the NoFitState troupe with more skills and stunts than can be crammed into the ImMortal Show, followed each evening with a special guest including Jack L, Caroline Moreau and many others. Further details on Down in the Docklands can be found on www.dublindocklands.ie

Please Help

The Silesian Mission in Cherrapunjee, North East India

Donate your small coins The needs of the mission are enormous as it is made up of over 100 villages. They have the highest rainfall in the world and sometimes crops are destroyed by torrential ﬂoods. To help the mission a collection of those small coins which accumulate in your pockets and purses is made on an ongoing basis. Please pass on your small coins in a suitable container to: The Catholic Men and Women’s Society of Ireland Irishtown Road (facing the library) Thank you Tom Sheridan On behalf of the Branch Committee

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NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

D UBLIN HONOURS T HOMAS K INSELLA

By Austin Cromie

ocal resident Thomas Kinsella, poet, translator, editor and publisher will be honoured with the freedom of the city later this year Recognised internationally as one of the great Irish poets of

his generation, Kinsella, pictured above, is spoken of in the same breath as Patrick Kavanagh, Austin Clarke and Seamus Heaney. He has earned great distinction and critical acclaim as Irelandʼs great ʻUrban Poetʼ. The poet was born in Inchicore in 1928. He was educated at OʼConnell schools and

then UCD. He was a civil servant for nearly 20 years in the department of ﬁnance. In 1965 he became writer in residence at The University of Southern Illinois before taking up the position of professor of English at Temple University, Philadelphia. He returned to live in Percy Place in Dublin. In the title poem of ʻNight Walker and other Poemsʼ (1968) he wrote one of the most significant Irish works of the second half of the twentieth century. It ostensibly records the journey of the narrator as he moves through familiar south County Dublin suburbs, in effect the

poem charts the substantial religious, cultural, and political changes that have taken place in post-independence Ireland from the 1920s to the mid 1960s. In the early 1970s Kinsella decided to found his own press, The Pepper Canister Press, from which most of his subsequent works have been issued. He is well-known as a translator of manuscripts from Irish into English. His version of ʻThe Tainʼ is a landmark publication and is Irelandʼs nearest approach to a great epic. ʻThe Tainʼ (Cattle Raids) is an eighth century legend detailing the route from Rathcroghan, Co.

Roscommon to the Cooley Peninsula Co. Louth and follows the epic story of Queen Maeve of Connacht and her attempt to capture the famous brown bull of Cooley (Tain bó Cuailnge). When the two bulls met, they killed each other. A sculpture of the event, shown above, adorns the wall of the main entrance to the College of Technology, Kevin Street and was presented to the College on long-term loan by the Gresham Hotel. The sculpture is by John Behan and was unveiled by President Patrick J Hillery on 10th of October 1987.

G RACE WINS AWARD FOR B ENNY

ʻT

he Trouble With Benny Bubbleʼ is a childrenʼs story surrounding the adventures of a hapless teddy bear (Benny) and his mischievous little brother (George). When George goes missing, Benny wanders into Bluebell Wood in search for him. Bluebell Wood is no place for a teddy bear as Benny soon finds out when he encounters a very big and hungry Moth Queen. If Benny is to ever see his little brother again, he must first melt the heart of a frozen Fairy Tree. This is Grace Charleyʼs first book to be published. The story was originally an end-of-year screenplay whilst studying for an MA in Scriptwriting at Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art & Design. The screenplay was subsequently awarded full Writersʼ Development Funding from The Irish Film Board and the Travel & Mobility Award from The Irish Arts Council. The screenplay was then adapted into a childrenʼs book and won first prize (a publishing deal with Trafford Ireland, UK and Canada) in the Drogheda Borough Council Literary Competition. Judges: Evelyn Conlon (author), Jonathan Williams (Literary Agent) and Fergal Tobin (Gill & McMillan). Grace is a journalist with ʻNewsFourʼ and works part-time as an arts facilitator with The Base-Dare2Dream, Ballyfermot.

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

PAGE 33

E MERALD G IRLS ’ P IPE B AND 1950

The Emerald Girls Pipe Band taking part in the competitions in Fermanagh, County Tyrone in 1950. Two members are Ringsenders: Maureen Gleeson, South Dock Place (3rd from left) and Dympna Purdy of Penrose Street (5th from left).

SUMMER COURSES 2007 Compiled by Grace Charley LISTOWEL WRITERSʼ WEEK WORKSHOPS Poetry (Getting Started) Director: John McAuliffe Course Theme: The workshop will look at how to get started on a poem and aims to build conﬁdence and skills for beginners. The course will use contemporary poems by Seamus Heaney, Elizabeth Bishop and Paul Muldoon, as well as exercises to stimulate writing. Entry Fee: €150 Schedule: Thursday May 31st to Saturday June 2nd. Popular Fiction Director: Denise Deegan Course Theme: A practical, interactive workshop on building a popular ﬁction novel, covering characterisation, story development, writing skills and editing. The workshop will also include advice on how to get published and working with a publisher. Entry Fee: €150 Schedule: Thursday May 31st to Saturday June 2nd. Writing For Screen Director: Eugene OʼBrien Course Theme: What is the ʻBig Ideaʼ? Visual rhymes, the rule of threes, sequence, breakdown and dialogue will be addressed in this course. Bringing out the themes of the various ideas and asking how to represent these in a visual way will be at the core of this screen writing workshop. Entry Fee: €150 Schedule: Thursday May 31st to Saturday June 2nd.

For further details, contact: Poetry (Getting Started) Workshops, Writersʼ Week, 24 The Square, Listowel, Co. Kerry. Phone: (068) 21074 NATIONAL COLLEGE OFART & DESIGN Summer courses of one or four weekʼs duration are on offer during July each year. These courses take place between 10am to 4pm, on the Thomas street campus. Students can choose one or more courses to suit their needs. Courses on offer: Painting, drawing, ideas generation, print-making, photography, sculpture, ceramics, stained glass, jewellery making, fashion design, textile printing, creative embroidery, design for print, principles for design, bronze casting, sculpture and portfolio preparation. For further details, contact: NCAD, 100 Thomas St, Dublin 8. Tel: (01) 6364203 COLÁISTE PHOBAL CHLÉIRE The Irish Summer College on Cape Clear, Coláiste Phobal Chléire structure their Irish College courses to cater for students at all levels. The aim of the Irish Summer College is to give young people a greater command of the spoken language and a deeper appreciation of their culture. Students enjoy the experience of living on an Island. Being a Gaeltacht Irish is the language of everyday communication. The islandʼs many unique, natural

geographic and historic features are constructively employed in promoting an active learning process. The people of Oileán Chléire are well disposed towards young people attending the Irish Summer College, who wish to learn Irish or improve their competency in Irish and are always willing to speak to students in Irish. Coláiste Phobal Chléire makes every effort to ensure that your child will have both an enjoyable and beneﬁcial experience with us. We know from years of experience that the students who attend the Irish Summer College on Oileán Chléire will improve their standard of Irish and also enhance their personal development. Semi-formal classes are organized in the mornings, where students are divided according to age and proﬁciency in Irish. The afternoons and evenings are given over to various informal and sporting activities. Return transport from Cork to the Irish Summer College on Cape Clear is included in the price below. For further details, contact Comharchumann Chléire Teo. Oile·n Chléire An Sciobairín, Co. Chorcaí. Phone (028) 39119 RINGSEND DISTRICT COMMUNITY CENTRE Computer Training (Basic, IC3 For Beginners) Fee: €2 per class (Unemployed/ Pensioners) €5 Standard. Schedule: Tuesday to Thursday. For further details, contact Brendan or John Phone: (01) 6604789.

George Humphries walk raises €2,500 THE recent sponsored walk along the River Dodder in memory of Mr George Humphries raised €2,500 which was presented to the Hospice.

St Mary’s Holy Faith School to close TO mark the closure and celebrate the achievements of the school, Mass will be celebrated in St Maryʼs Church, Haddington Road on Saturday 19 May at 3 pm. After Mass refreshments will be served in the school

Docklands Fun Run– Tuesday 22 May THIS yearʼs 7.5k Fun Run, which is in its seventh year, takes place on Tuesday 22 May and is expected to attract over 1,000 participants. All proceeds raised will go towards Irish Autism Action. The Docklands Fun Run is open to people aged sixteen years and over and of all ﬁtness levels. Entry costs just €15 (€5 for students) and all participants will receive a goody bag, t-shirt and medal. This year, a number of experienced masseurs will be on hand after the race to ease away the aches and pains of tired runners. The Run kicks off at Georgeʼs Dock and goes through Ringsend along the South Quays, Moss Street and Townsend Street before the ﬁnish line at Georgeʼs Dock. To take part in the Docklands Fun Run visit www. dublindocklands.ie

Railway Union Bowling Club Your local club Indoor and outdoor We need new members Ladies and Gents Youth no handicap No experience necessary Telephone: 2697819 or 4947129

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NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT …

Text and photos by Brian Kelly

hat a splendidly located city Nice is. Even before you land you realise the grand sweep of the place, located in the Bay of Angels on the shores of the Mediterranean and ﬂanked by the foothills of the French Alps. Founded by Greek traders in the 4th century BC and occupied by the Romans 300 years later, the French only took custody of Nice from its

Italian rulers as late as 1860. The Gauls were quick to capitalise on the cityʼs idyllic location and 300 days of sunshine a year. By the end of the 19th century Nice was one of the ﬁrst cities in the world to develop its economy around tourism. Luxury hotels were built for the whims of Russian, English and French arrivals and with the addition of casinos, villas and marinas, Nice established itself as a playground for wealthy exiles seeking winter solace from harsher climes. Indeed, the ﬁrst thing you notice upon arrival in Nice is the Prom-

enade Des Anglais, a 5km walkway– named after its many visitors from Britain– covering the length of the city from west to east. This is Niceʼs main thoroughfare, a place where everyone goes to watch the world, his wife and her French poodle go by. And with 4 million visitors a year, there are a lot of people to watch. Watching planes coming in to land is another cheap thrill along the Promenade. The airport is perilously close to the city centre and the ﬂight path of every plane passes right in front of the Prom at 10 minutes in-

tervals. Youʼre almost close enough to see the gleeful look on peopleʼs faces as they descend into possibly the most relaxing and laid-back of French cities. When we arrived in late February, Nice was in the middle of a two week carnival with the Promenade the main focus of the fun. Night and day, people poured into the city to be entertained by a parade of floats, fireworks, fairground rides and a general air of joie de vivre. When festivities closed each evening, the municipal crews arrived to sweep away the confetti and the yards of multi-coloured string squirted from hundreds of aerosol cans. As people made their way home, everybody seemed to have a garland of flowers and a large smile attached to them. It was like St. Patrickʼs Day Parade without the green beer and cold weather. One of the delights of Nice is discovering the old quarter of the city, Vieux Nice. This is a pedestrian-only district with narrow, shaded streets housing a great assortment of boutiques, craft shops, delicatessens, small art galleries, souvenir stalls and cafés. Itʼs easy to lose yourself (figuratively and literally) in these

maze-like alleyways, but you are never far from a square or open space where you can sit back amidst the pastel-coloured buildings and baroque churches and enjoy a cool drink in inevitable sunshine. If you want to take in a view of the entire city, a large dollop of the Mediterranean as well as the Port of Nice with its bank of million euro yachts, make for Le Chateau close to the old quarter. This hillside public park was once the centre of power of the ancient Greek city of Nikaia and later the site of the cityʼs ﬁrst cathedral, the remains of which are visible on the top of the hill. You can take an elevator to the Chateau, near the Hotel Suisse, but it is better to climb the stone steps at the end of rue Rossetti and admire the many dramatic panoramas on the ascent. Once you reach the summit, thereʼs plenty to keep you there including a cooling waterfall, café, childrenʼs playground plus several kilometers of walks for the really energetic. Main picture: The Promenade Des Anglais. On left is one of the Niceʼs ﬁne ʻbelle epoqueʼ apartment blocks from the early 1900s.

Nice is the ideal location for a city break and a great base for exploring the rest of the French Riviera. Only two hours flying time from Dublin with Aer Lingus operating five flights a week, you can pick up good hotel deals at www.nice-hotels.org or by emailing info@nice-hotels.org. Bon vovage!

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

A WING AND A PRAYER

DITCH YOUR F E A R O F FLYING

By Grace Charley

ummer is looming and for many people that means, sun, sand, sea and scary flying. All phobias are debilitating. But fear of flying is especially so. I empathise with anyone who has such a fear. But take heart, this fear can be alleviated if not completely conquered. Twenty years ago, a turbulent flight to France on a school holiday left me with a terrible fear of flying. To be fair, my fear had already been instilled long before this maiden flight. As children, our heads can sometimes be filled with adult nonsense like, “If God meant us to fly, heʼd have given us wings.” From this, I had subconsciously decided that flying was going against human nature. All it took was a deep air pocket and a collision with the seat in front of me to cement my fear, thus reminding me that we should never be complacent, especially not in the air. I forgot about the flight until a few years later when Iwas arranging a trip to England with a few friends. I put up a convincing argument as to why travelling by boat was better than travelling by plane. For a start it was cheaper, our holiday would

D RIVE - INS Christy Hogan voices his opinion on parking permits

PAGE 35

ome years ago Dublin City Council introduced pay and display and permit parking in many areas of the capital. It eventually arrived in parts of Ringsend. Initially, this system worked very well. It was, dare I say, a kind of ʻcommunal parkingʼ. However, over recent years there has been a huge increase in the number of ʻdrive insʼ granted permission by Dublin City Council. Thus the resident with the ʻdrive inʼ has de facto, a designated parking space which no other resident can use. This resident also retains the beneﬁt of a parking permit which can be

undoubtedly last longer as it takes two days to travel by boat and we would have have a good view of the sea. They bought it. But the next holiday meant venturing beyond Stranraer. And if I wanted to go on that Spanish holiday I was going to have to fly. And I did. And I flew on the one after that. But each holiday I went on was marred before it had even started. There was no pre-holiday excitement. I would have happily swapped the dusty coliseums for the safe hills of Donegal. There were plenty of books on Roman history in the library at home. I could look at the pictures. Just donʼt make me get on the plane. The dread was all-consuming. Iʼd break out in a cold sweat whenever Iʼd have to look for my passport and my mouth would dry up at the thought of shopping for sun-block. Approaching the airport was akin to arriving at the gallows. Iʼd withdraw and the rare times I did speak, it was with a nervous rattle and gibber. Boarding the plane, I scanned the air hostesses. Sheʼs only smiling because sheʼs been told itʼll make us feel less frightened. She doesnʼt really want to be flying either. All these thoughts would be running through my head. By the time the engines started, my white knuckles had

already detached themselves from my wrists. I cared very much who sat beside me. If a priest sat next to me Iʼd relax a little, so long as he didnʼt take out his rosary beads. If I hear “Ding dong! This is your captain speaking,” Iʼm on the ﬂoor hyperventilating. I always glanced round at the other passengers for reassurance. Iʼd be envious of the ones who were able to sleep, read or have a conversation with the people next to them. Iʼd badger the airhostesses about the change in engine noise or Iʼd want to know if the airplane had suddenly veered a degree left? I counted every second of the journey and willed it to end. Thankfully, my desire to travel was stronger than my fear of

flying so I was able to push myself on the plane, but I had help. Double gins. A whole flight to America and back got lost in an inebriated cloud. Nothing unusual about that. This was how a lot of terrified people got through a flight. But re-fuelling meant air-rage and soon intake of drink was severely limited on board a plane. But asides from that, alcohol didnʼt quench my fear. If anything, it made me feel even more irrational. The alcohol wasnʼt going to get to the root of the fear. Fear, as we know, is a state of mind. We alter the mind we alter the state. And so my quest started. I considered counselling, hypnosis and just about every other fear-busting therapy under the

sun. In the end, I settled for the ʻAlan Carr Easy Way to Enjoy Flyingʼ book. Just like in his how to quit smoking books, Carr offered insight and information on the what, whys and wherefores. This simple and short easyto-read manual was to be my passport out of fear. Itʼs not an overnight cure, but each flight I have taken since has been a lot smoother. Taking off and landing still unsettles me a little but I feel confident that weʼre probably going to get to wherever weʼre supposed to be going. OK, if God really meant us to fly maybe he should have given us wings. But since when did that get in the way of man and engineering? Life is one big ride. Get on it and enjoy it.

Council has made it obligatory for residents to purchase a permit to park a car outside their homes. With the increase in ʻdrive insʼ coupled with diminishing parking spaces the permit is almost useless.

In other words, the Council has made it obligatory to purchase something which is in fact ʻnot for saleʼ. In any other business there are words to classify this situation; itʼs called ʻdaylight robberyʼ plain and simple.

AND ‘ RESERVE PARKERS ’ used at any parking space available. In short, this resident has two parking spaces. Unfortunately the designated ʻdrive inʼ has, in a minority of cases it must be stressed, spawned a new phenomenon, the ʻReserve Parkerʼ. The trick here is to park your car outside your neighbourʼs house using your permit, leaving your own designated ʻdrive inʼ free for relatives and friends. This is to the detriment of those who have no ʻdrive inʼ and rely solely on a permit to park their car. I have mentioned this to some local Councillors and I almost broke my proverbial you know whatʼs laughing at their answer. They say they can do little to stop the abuse as it would entail a change in the trafﬁc by-laws. Well, well, well, what a load of

tripe, codswallop, balderdash, Iʼm not allowed to use expletives, moreʼs the pity. Why am I so exercised by the Councillorsʼ response? A news item in the national newspapers on March 17th stated ʻthe Council has published a draft of its parking by-laws which it hopes to implement in August if the proposals are supported by city Councillors.ʼ Are these new by-laws about to address permit parking abuse? No way José. These new by-laws are intended to swell the coffers of Dublin City Council. The bylaws will allow increases in permit and pay and display charges. This will jack up revenue way beyond the €26 million accrued from parking in 2005. This all leaves one big problem for the Council to address. The

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NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

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Flowers for all occasions • Donna carries a wide range of exotic ﬂowers and plants • Also a wedding specialist

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IT’S ALL GO !

THIS WARM, sunny weather has made everyone cheerful and active. Take the boys from Star of the Sea, above, who did a big local clean-up. Our picture shows, in front, from left: Dean Hurley and Michael Jordan. At back: Nathan Murphy, Cian Mulcahy, Karl Victory, Rory Sheils and Christian Iannelli. Below: Pictured at Lucinda Creightonʼs recent coffee morning are, from left: Anthony J Jordan, Margaret Bolger, Councillor Lucinda Creighton and Sean Ralph. Bottom: Celebrating Daffodil Day at Cambridge Court are Dan Nguyen, May Pullen and Olive Farrell.

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

PAGE 37

RELIGION TODAY

On Easter Monday, ‘NewsFour’ asked some of Ringsend’s locals a few questions on the subject of religion. Did they practice a religion and if so what did that entail? How important was religion in their life and did they think it necessary? And, ﬁnally, what would the world be like without religion and did they believe in an after life?

The Golden Rule

he world in which we live is currently obsessed with economic prosperity, and it is inevitable that religious belief will suffer. Todayʼs culture seems to be more about making money and spending it, than anything else. A recent religious survey carried out amongst the young in Ireland proved that knowledge of the Christian faith is in decline. The survey involved one thousand 15-24 year olds and found their level of Christian knowledge alarmingly low. Only five per cent could quote the first commandment, half could not name the ʻFather, Son and Holy Spiritʼ as the three persons of the Trinity and thirty three percent didnʼt know what Easter celebrates or where Jesus was born. The core beliefs of the major world religions promote peace and reconciliation, but religious belief seems to be one of the main factors of conflict around the world today. A browse through any newspaper will confirm that, with disputes between opposing faith perspectives happening all the time. So though all the five major world religions agree on what is called ʻthe Golden Ruleʼ, that is to treat others as you would like to be treated yourself, conflict and ill-feeling is still widespread.

THE GOLDEN RULE OF THE FIVE MAJOR RELIGIONS Judaism: ‘What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow men’ Islam: ‘No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother which he desires for himself’ Hinduism: ‘Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you’ Christianity: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ Buddhism: ‘Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would ﬁnd hurtful’

Maurice Collins I visit the church three or four times a week and pray to my own special saint. I go some Sundays, but I wouldnʼt go every Sunday. I think religion is important, if you donʼt have a belief you have nothing. It doesnʼt matter if youʼre a Muslim, or a Protestant or whatever, it doesnʼt really matter, you need to have a belief. If I go to a church and pray to a saint to help the holy souls, Iʼm not saying that works miracles but I think in my own mind, it does have some effect. It has an effect on me. An afterlife? I couldnʼt answer that question, but I doubt if there is one. In a world without religion I think weʼd be like animals in the jungle. Religion keeps every human being together and if you havenʼt got that, then what have you got? Oliver Gleesson Iʼm baptized Roman Catholic and believe in God and in Jesus Christ. But I donʼt believe in the Catholic organization, theyʼre control freaks. Practicing my religion entails real prayers, not just reading the our father, but actually talking to God. I go to church every Sunday but only because Jesus preached keep holy the sabbath day. Religion is very therapeutic in my life, it helps guide me and keep me on the right track. I havenʼt a clue what will the afterlife be like, but I feel that it will be something beautiful. I think believing in God is necessary whether youʼre Muslim, Catholic or Protestant, but I donʼt believe in religious organizations. To me that goes against the whole meaning of what god is. I reckon a world without religion would be more chaotic. The few people that are praying are just about keeping it together. Jackie McDermott Iʼd go to mass on holy days and Sundays, and yes, religion is important in my life. There has to be something other than just material things. A lot of young people though arenʼt interested. I donʼt know if itʼs to do with what the catholic church went through with the abuse and that. My older daughter has no interest and I donʼt force her. Sheʼs 21 and doesnʼt go to mass but my youngest, whoʼs eleven, she looks forward to it. Once you get in there it does give you a bit of peace, and I think it brings you a bit of luck health-wise. Some people believe that they shouldnʼt christen their children, that they should be let find their own way in religion. But getting them christened is something all will do. I do believe there is an afterlife. I picture it as being a lovely garden with trees and flowers and peaceful and Iʼd hope to see those who went before me. If there was no religion Iʼd just see doom and gloom. I think religion is necessary, it gives you peace and serenity. Mike Wen I donʼt have any religion. I grew up that way. My parents they didnʼt really have any religion. In China itʼs very common, we just grew up that way. In my neighbourhood nobody was of any religion, and as kids we had no ideas about religion. I donʼt think religion is necessary, but I think there is a good aspect to it. It can be like a teacher and teach people to be good, but that doesnʼt mean that if you believe in God you are a good man. People who believe in God still do wrong things and because you donʼt believe in anything doesnʼt mean you are not a good person. I think the way you look at the world is more from your family, from your parents. I really donʼt think there is an afterlife, but I donʼt know so I couldnʼt tell you. A world without religion? I think that would be the perfect world, all the races getting along, no discrimination, no conflict. People just being good people, no matter where theyʼre from or from what background. Katie Lowry I was brought up catholic but I donʼt go to church. I donʼt find it terribly relevant to my life at the moment. I would be more inclined towards the spiritual side of things and at the moment, probably Buddhism would be the nearest kind of religious practice I would do. It doesnʼt involve daily routines, just certain kinds of readings, or meditations, once or twice a week. I think religion is important as a kind of enlightenment or comfort. I would believe in an afterlife, but not in a physical manifestation. I would go so far as to believe in reincarnation, but thatʼs a whole different kettle of fish, but I think that you would come back. Is religion necessary? It means so much to so many people on the planet, how could you disregard that? So much of the world and itʼs problems and pleasures are about human beings and their nature. Whether or not that would change if there was no longer organized religion Iʼm not so sure of. Liz Sheehy I attend church maybe once a month so Iʼm not a ʻonce a weekʼperson. Formal religion is not important in my life, but Christianity, as a day to day living thing is. I donʼt hold with some the churchʼs thoughts on what you should, and shouldnʼt do. I donʼt agree with their views on homosexuality for example. I think a belief in something greater than yourself is necessary, whether that take the form of Islam or Buddha, or Christ or Nature or Druidism. Religion did bring me into thinking about greater beings or greater powers, but I wouldnʼt necessarily follow the christianity story in the Bible. Religion and children though is not happening any more and even a lot of my generation are very skeptical and wouldnʼt attend church services. Is there an afterlife? Sometimes I think the lights go out and thatʼs it. Youʼre immortalized in your friends memories, or your childrenʼs memories, or by history if you get that far. A world without religion would be lawless I should imagine! It would be mayhem. I donʼt think religion will go away and material wealth wonʼt overtake it. People tire of that and you can have so much. It doesnʼt matter if you have ten or twenty pairs of trousers, you can only put on one leg at a time.

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NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

M u s ic4 …

BY FERGAL MURPHY * NESSA JENNINGS * BRIAN RUTHERFORD

Summer gigs

Albums Victory for the Comic Muse – The Divine Comedy Neil Hannonʼs ninth album, ʻVictory for the Comic Museʼ, includes a thirteenpiece string section, harp, French horn and oboe as well as Dougie Payne of ʻTravisʼ on bass. It is hard to select a favourite from the album, showcasing as it does Hannonʼs clever use of character-based lyrics. Is it his wife he is singing about in the wonderful ʻArthur C Clarkeʼs Mysterious Worldʼ as he laments the differences between the psyche of men and women? He has said that ʻA Lady of a Certain Ageʼ, the story of a faded society woman in her twilight years, comes from reading Noel Cowardʼs autobiography. Whatever his inspiration, each song requires attention so that no word of this great lyricist/ poet is missed. He covers the whole gamut of emotions in his own inimitable style.

Arcade Fire – Neon Bible This is the follow up to the Arcade Fireʼs critically acclaimed debut Funeral which saw them gain a huge following, with our very own Bono among the celebrity fanbase. This album was recorded in a church and you can hear the religious influences throughout the album from the gospel-like start to ʻMy Body Is A Cageʼ to the biblical style lyrics. This is an album of the moment, tackling issues from Americaʼs invasion of Iraqʻdonʼt wanna fight in a holy war, I donʼt want a salesman knocking at my door, I donʼt wanna live in America no moreʼ to Americaʼs celebrity culture in ʻAnarchist Television Bluesʼ. This album is powerful in a few senses, the songs have an anthemic feel to them with plodding drumbeats, driving organs and building rhythms offsetting Butlerʼs angst-filled voice. This is very different to most other music out now. Itʼs an acquired taste worth acquiring.

Kings of Leon – Because of the Times This, the third album from Tennessee family unit the Kings of Leon (three brothers and a cousin) sees the lads coming up with a pretty good third album in a row. No mean feat by anyoneʼs standards. The Kings of Leon take a bit of getting used to as Calebʼs voice is unlike anything youʼve ever heard. He shrieks, drawls and screams his lyrics in a deep southern accent that makes them sometimes unintelligible. The one thing you can understand is the emotion in his voice. This album reminds me a lot of the Pixies with Calebʼs shrieks and with a lot of the songs being driven by the bass. It has taken me quite a few listens to fully appreciate this record which, to be honest, I wouldnʼt have done if I hadnʼt been such a big fan of the Kings already. The stand-out tracks are the hauntingly explosive debut single ʻOn Callʼ and the feet twitchingly funky ʻMy Partyʼ. One for the fans.

The Phil Ware Trio at Whelans ʻIn Our Own Timeʼ he Phil Ware Trio had a CD release gig at Whelans on 12th April. Everyone in the venue seemed aware of the special occasion as the trio took to the stage earlier than their regular gig at J.J. Smyths on Monday nights. The ﬁrst performance of new music is always very exciting– sound in creation, happening now. The trio were performing mainly original compositions from their debut album ʻIn Our Own Timeʼ. The gig was mind-blowing, it swept you along with invention and intrinsic rhythm and the album is a document of that night. This very impressive trio comprises Phil Ware on piano, Kevin Brady on drums, and David Redmond on double bass. Their collective compositions are the epitome of pure jazz. Recorded at Balbriggan studios

with Phil playing one of the best pianos in the country, and mixed with the help of Dave McCune, the production values are very high. Phil spent time thanking everyone involved in making the project, and quipped with the audience, introducing a standard “Letʼs play something we all know, or I mean, letʼs do something we all play!” He especially thanked Kevin and Dave for their work and for being great to work with: “The interplay of these three ﬁne players is tight yet relaxed, passionate.” Phil Ware, English-born has been based in Dublin since 2000. Heʼs a magniﬁcent piano player, intuitive and gifted, replete with

new ideas, sweet and deliberate, and is by now an honorary Irishman. The album closes with a reading of that magic Bond theme ʻNobody Does It Betterʼ sung by Carly Simon. The entire album is a sheer listening joy. Do buy this album if jazz is legal in your house. www.philwaretrio.com

he summer is nearly upon us and as usual weʼre spoiled for choice here in Ireland. It being a case of too many gigs and not enough time… or money! The highlight of the summer is as usual the Oxegen festival, taking place on the 7th and 8th July. Hopefully youʼve got a ticket ʻcos they were sold out pretty quickly after going on sale. There are too many great bands to name but the highlights deﬁnitely being our very own Snow Patrol and American rockers Kings of Leon on Saturday and Razorlight, Arcade Fire and the Kooks on Sunday. The Heineken Green Energy Festival takes place this summer over the May bank holiday weekend and will make Dublin Castle the focal point of the city for the weekend. One of the best live bands of the summer and certainly the indie live band of the moment, Kasabian will be taking part on the 5th with Sinead OʼConnor and David Gray playing the other nights. Also this summer there are a load of ʻold rockersʼ dusting off the cobwebs and coming back on the live scene. With the likes of the Rolling Stones (one not to be missed), Aerosmith, The Who, Meatloaf and the prince of darkness himself Ozzy Osbourne touring. For those of you who like your performers under 60 we have the Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters and the aforementioned Kasabian. For the funky bunch among you who like to go to a gig and get their groove on we have the likes of the legendary Diana Ross, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake. For the ladies we have Al Green, Joe Cocker and the aul smoothie himself Lionel Richie. Rounding off the summer at the end of August/ start of September we have the Electric Picnic in Stradbally Hall, Co Laois with the likes of Primal Scream, Bjork and the always entertaining Iggy Pop and the Stooges ending the summer with a bang.

From top: Meatloaf and Kasabian

NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007

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She had moved to Dublin, where she sang and tried modelling and where she met her husband Maurice McGowan, who was artistic and literate. He, too, enjoyed music. As Shane says himself, “When I was little I was brought up by the people in Tipperary who knew millions of songs. It was real gut

stuff, music that had been handed down from generation to generation, listening to and singing Irish music was a part of life, I had an auntie who played the concertina, an uncle who played the accordion and cousins who played banjo and tin whistle.” At the age of seven Shaneʼs father got a job with C and A, a British clothing ﬁrm, and the whole family, including Siobhain, Shaneʼs sister, had to move to central London, where the only songs heard were a pub jukebox. Shane had an uncle who ran an Irish pub in Dagenham and he spent a lot of time there. He was also accepted into Westminster public school, but later got expelled due to possession of drugs. This was to become a characteristic of McGowan over the next years with Shane having more than a taste for just beer. Then everything changed. While working at a pub in Charing Cross, Shane stumbled on the punk scene. One night, he saw The Sex Pistols play and in his own words “Seeing the Sex Pistols changed my life, it changed loads of peopleʼs lives. Here was a band that just got up there and made really horrible noise and didnʼt give a s***. They were all our age and had dyed hair and wore brothel creepers and it was just a question of, I hate everything, I thought they were brilliant, the best group I had ever seen.” Shane soon jumped on the

punk bandwagon and got a job at Rocks Off, a Soho record shop. It was about this time he decided to give singing a go in a band called ʻThe Nipple Erectorsʼ. They released a single, ʻKing of the Bop/ Nervous wreckʼ. They then changed their name to ʻThe Nipsʼ and released ʻAll the time in the world/ Gabrielleʼ. In 1980 they broke up. Shane met James Fearnley at this time, who went on to play with the Pogues. Shane had also met Spider Stacey at a Ramones gig and Jem Finer was also in the wings following the break-up of the Nips. About 1982, after Stacey, Finer and McGowan played a few gigs, Fearnley was approached and accepted membership of the group. Cait OʼRiordain who got to know Shane decided to give it a go as well. The band now known as ʻPogue Mahoneʼ released a single ʻStreams of Whiskey/Dark streets of Londonʼ and gigged playing Dublinersʼ favourites and some songs by Brendan Behan. Spider Stacey once said of McGowanʼs singing, “The refrain at the end of a song hit an emotional nerve and I just started crying, it was really embarrassing.” This was proof of what was to come and the rest is as they say history. No date is yet set for the wedding but whenever or wherever it takes place, Happy Wedding Day to Mr McGowan and Victoria.

makes them such outstanding talents. Where the book really comes into its own, though, is when Ger and James delve deep into the old scorebooks, ﬁles and databases to unearth the life and times of some of the old masters of Irish cricket. A lot of the 100 people here are not

exactly household names, but anyone who has played cricket at any level in this country, particularly people of an older age, will enjoy dipping in this book and reminding themselves just how good many of the cricketers they played alongside and watched really were.

Well researched with plenty of entertaining tales from over a century of cricket in Ireland, ʻ100 Greatsʼ is out now and available from Books On The Green in Sandymount Village. Above, from left: Gerard Siggins, the Pakistani Ambassador and James Fitzgerald.

Shane the survivor

By Brian Rutherford

ﬁrst caught sight of the Pogues when they were shown on ʻThe Tubeʼ on Channel 4. I was a mere 13 year old and when I saw them sing a song in a toilet I was very amused. Now, 24 years later, I ﬁnd the snake himself,

Shane Mc Gowan tying the knot. This is his story. Shane Mc Gowan was born in Kent, England on December 25 1957. He lived for most of his childhood in Puckaun, Tipperary, which is where his mother came from. His mother was well used to singing, dancing and storytelling.

‘Ireland’s 100 Cricket Greats’ By Gerard Siggins and James Fitzgerald

By Brian Kelly

rish cricket is currently enjoying a renaissance period. With the countryʼs success in qualifying for the second round of the Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean, beating giants of the game Pakistan along the way, the game has taken a leap from minority interest to headline news in the national media. This book by Ger Siggins (already a veteran of Irish cricket books with his history of the game ʻGreen Daysʼ) and James Fitzgerald, former cricket correspondent of ʻThe Irish Timesʼ, is a chronicle of 100 cricketersʼ achievements for their country from the late 19th century to the present day. All the top players from recent

times are here including Ed Joyce, Eoin Morgan, Jeremy Bray and Trent Johnston. The authors do well not just to record their triumphs with bat and ball, but analyse what

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NEWSFOUR APRIL / MAY 2007