Oct nov 2012 newsfour by News Four

OPEN HOUSE AT POOLBEG THE FAMOUS POWER STATION

IN YOUR FAVOURITE LOCAL PAPER…

IS AMONG MANY BUILDINGS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC IN OCTOBER

By Joe McKenna ow much value do you place on the buildings that make up your city? Do you see them as merely bricks and mortar, some of which have been standing for so long that perhaps people don’t notice them as anything more than just being there for as long as they can remember? It happens, people walk around with their heads down and fail to fully take in some of the expert craftsmanship that has gone into making Dublin look the way it does. That’s why the Irish Architecture Foundation have spent seven years building up their Open House Dublin programme, to bring people closer to the buildings that make up Dublin and the stories that lie within them. “This year is a celebration of the success of Open House and what it is,” Director of IAF Nathalie Weadick told NewsFour. “After seven years doing this and having started with only a handful of events, we are now up to over one hundred and thirty events this year. It’s really about exploring the vitality of the city

through its architecture and the people who relate to it, because it is about the people who come out into the street and engage with their built environment and explore the diversity of the architecture in Dublin, from the Georgian period right up to the most contemporary house.” With seven years behind it, Open House Dublin has managed to bring people closer to the buildings around them by organising free events where the public can gain access and take tours of buildings that would otherwise be off limits. Having started with the theme of Neighbourhoods in 2006, Open House Dublin have implemented a new theme every year and this year’s theme will be Architecture Alive. “What we’re doing this year is exploring the life cycle of a building. These days there’s not a lot of building going on, so a lot of people are re-using and rethinking older buildings so we’re looking at the re-use of spaces like the National Concert Hall which used to be part of UCD. So, where it was once of educational use it’s now of cultural use. We want people to realise that it’s not just about the building and that architecture is about your life and my life.” Having clocked up 23,000 visits over the course of a weekend last year, the IAF are hoping this year’s list of events will attract even more people to come along to whichever of the free

Calum Joyce, Karen Weafer and Lexi Rose having fun at last year’s Halloween Community Parade

events take their fancy. “The stories behind some buildings are so incredible and when we do a lot of these tours and events we always get people saying ‘I never knew that’ and that’s a major part of what we try to do. It’s for everyone and anyone who’s interested in seeing parts of Dublin they would never get to see otherwise. “Some of the highlights this year are Liberty Hall which could become a lost icon if SIPTU get their way, the Pigeon House Hotel, Poolbeg Chimneys and Donnybrook Bus Station, which will be fantastic as its history is so rich and we recently found out that it used to host boxing matches in the ﬁfties. “We have also been given access to the Residence de France on Ailesbury Road where the French Ambassador lives and she has been great in letting us use her home. We’re also doing two tours of Dublin Zoo because

we decided that with this year’s theme we wouldn’t just concentrate on humans. “The Ofﬁce of Public Works are responsible for the buildings there and when you think about what goes into building these structures and how you have to take into account how these animals live, it’s very interesting. “We will have a boat tour down by Killiney where people can see the amazing buildings there and also people will get the chance to see the fantastic mosaics in the canteen at Busáras and that’s something you don’t often get the chance to do so we’re very excited.” Open House Dublin takes place from Friday Oct 5th to Sunday Oct 7th. Details can be found at: www.openhousedublin.com Left: Another local Open House venue is Residence de France on Ailesbury road.

Explore Irish history at Glasnevin Cemetery on page 16

Stella the Fella at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. See page 20

Culture Night Dublin. See page 35

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NewsFour Editor Karen Keegan Proof Reading Gemma Byrne Staff Eimear Murphy Rupert Heather Jason McDonnell Joe McKenna Caomhan Keane Joan Mitchell Liam Cahill Contributors Jimmy Purdy Kirstin Smith James O’Doherty Noel Twamley Lorraine Barry Nicky Flood Cllr Maria Parodi Anthony Brabazon MRIAI Avril Poff David Nolan Pamela Malone Web Designer Andrew Thorn Photography John Cheevers Design and Layout Eugene Carolan

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

The Letterbox

Dear Editor, On August 25th I had the honour of deputising for the Lord Mayor of Dublin at a memorial day to honour 18 crewmen lost with the sinking of the ships SS Privet and SS Walnut in 1940 and 1941 respectively. The event took place at Victoria Locks in Newry Co Down. Among the crewmen who perished on these ships was John Hearn. Of the 18 who perished, unfortunately, John was the only one who was not represented by a family member. John, who was just 20 years old, was from Ringsend. I would be delighted if this young man’s family could be traced as I was presented with a plaque to give to them. If any of your readers could shed some light on the family of John, who may have been from Ringsend Park Cottages, please contact me or NewsFour. Kind regards, Cllr. Paddy McCartan 12 Thorncastle St, Ringsend, D. 4. Phone 087 2248 817 Dear Karen I have received this photo (below) from my brother Tommy Cullen, who lives in Pudsey, Leeds, Yorkshire. Tommy is the man on the right of this photo, and he left Dublin in 1955, having joined the R.A.F. He previously lived in South Lotts Road and was a noted footballer in his day. The man on the left of the picture is believed to be Kenny Brophy, and they were great friends. The question is, does any reader of your newspaper, have current contact with, or know the whereabouts of this long lost friend? Kind regards Brian Cullen PC

Ad Design Karen Madsen Sandymount Community Services, RICC, Thorncastle Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4. Telephone: (01)6673317 E-mail: newsfour@gmail.com Website: www.news4.ie

NEWSFOUR AROUND THE WORLD

NewsFour Newspaper is part of a FÁS Community Employment Programme.

The Editor’s Corner

iven that it’s the month for all things ghastly and ghoulish, this issue of NewsFour has some very interesting and spooky articles for you. Who would have thought that hanging out in a graveyard could be so much fun?! See pg 16. What about an eerie encounter with the Banshee on pg 17? Congrats to our Viking Splash winners Edel Corcoran (Donnybrook) and Maureen Fay (Tallaght). The answer was of course U2. Congratulations also to our very talented Dublin Horse Show winners on pg 38. We have 2 more competitions for you; GoCar are offering 2 annual memberships on pg 4 and if you can decipher Gemma’s crossword on pg 35 you could win a €25 book token for Books on the Green. You may have noticed that we no longer have a poetry page or poet in profile section. Please do continue to send us in your poems as we will always make space to feature one per issue. Also, thank you to everyone who sent us their photos of NewsFour around the World. We love to see how well travelled our little paper is so please keep them coming! Just a little reminder to all our readers that the analogue TV network in Ireland will be switched off at 10.00am on Wednesday 24th October, 2012. All TV must be digital from then on which means we say goodbye to the days of coat hanger aerials and move forward with modern technology. Saorview is Ireland’s free digital television service. Please remember that elderly neighbours/relatives may not be aware of or understand the switch over and could need some help getting their TV set up for the winter months. More info at: www.saorview.ie Eimear has discovered a very large box of archived photos in the NewsFour office and is currently undertaking the arduous task of scanning and uploading them to our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/NewsFour. Most of them have no dates or names on them. Could you have been waiting for Boyzone? Were you in the Sea Scouts? Please like our page on Facebook and leave a comment if you recognise anyone you know. While I’m still in shock that Christmas is being mentioned before Halloween has even been and gone it pains me to have to mention it here now too. Our next NewsFour will be our bumper Christmas edition, distributed on December 6th. The advertising space for this issue books out very quickly so please contact Eimear (01 667 3317) well in advance to reserve your space. While I’m on the subject of Christmas, our book ‘Sandymount, Irishtown & Ringsend, A Social and Natural History’ (€13.99) would make an ideal Christmas gift, as would a year’s subscription (€20) to have NewsFour delivered anywhere in the world. Both are available in the NewsFour office.

Brugh Pádraig Mass The Annual Mass for deceased members of Brugh Pádraig Boys’ Club including boys, leaders and chaplains will be held in St. Andrew’s Community Centre, Pearse Street on Thursday November 1st 2012 at 7.00pm.

Opinions expressed in News Four do not necessarily represent the views of Community Services. Printed by Datascope Ltd, Wexford

Friends of the Royal Hospital

Jacqueline Kennedy McGowan is pictured in Winnemucca Nevada at Bellow’s Ranch with her great-niece Raelynn Rose Pinkston (8 months old) and her copy of NewsFour. Even the horse wants a read!

Friends of the Royal Hospital Donnybrook are having their Annual Christmas Sale on Saturday 17th November from 10am – 2pm in their Concert Hall in the Royal Hospital on Morehampton Road, Donnybrook. There will be a monster rafﬂe and a range of household, bric-abrac, cosmetics, jewellery, cakes, toys and gifts available. Come along and join the fun.

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

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GET READY, GET SET, GOCAR

By Joan Mitchell ast week I had a drive in a new car which offers a new concept in car ownership i n I r e l a n d . We h a v e a l ways been obsessed with o w n i n g a c a r, b u t n o w with the recession we have become more aware of costs – petrol, insurance, motor tax and servicing – GoCar could be t h e a n s w e r. GoCar is a car when you need it – think of it l i k e c a r h i r e b y t h e h o u r. Yo u p r e - r e g i s t e r o n l i n e and give your Laser (yes

Laser) or credit card det a i l s . Yo u r e c e i v e a u s e r card in the post, that is yours to keep, then you can log on and book your car for your next trip to IKEA, or to do your big monthly shop or to collect your son/daughter f r o m t h e a i r p o r t . Yo u a r e billed at the end of the calendar month, so no cost up front for you. Companies are using them instead of taxis to take staff to meetings; colleges are using them as foreign students find them invaluable as they

don’t have access to a car n o r m a l l y. L a r g e o u t - o f town furniture stores are talking to GoCar about having a few on-site so their customers can transport their bulky purchases home, rather than wait f o r s t o r e d e l i v e r y. If you are a one-car fami l y, t h e n y o u c a n b o o k i t occasionally if you have a hospital appointment but need to be home in time to pick up the kids. If you want to hire it, to take your family to the airport, and then leave it there, you can do that too. So how does it work? When you register and get your ID card, you log on and give them your d e t a i l s . Yo u t h e n c h o o s e the location of the car c l o s e t o y o u ( t h e r e ’s o n e on South Lotts Road in D.4) and it will tell you the colour and the make. When you arrive at the G o C a r b a y, s i m p l y h o l d

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012 the ID card over the front driver side of the window and the receiver there w i l l u n l o c k t h e c a r. When you get inside, open the glove compartment and enter your code into a laser card type-machine and that will release the car so you can press the start button beside the steering wheel. If you have any difficulties, there is a phone in the card machine where you can get directly connected to customer support in their office. It is a simple and clever solution to a complicated problem. No need

to spend thousands every year on a car if you only u s e i t o c c a s i o n a l l y. H i r e a GoCar by the hour and book it for one hour or h a l f a d a y. I f y o u n e e d i t l o n g e r, c o n t a c t t h e m directly as they have a range of car-hire options which will suit you for longer durations. I am sure GoCar is going to provide a cost-effective and convenient solution to car ownership for all of us in Ireland. It has worked in a wide range o f c o u n t r i e s g l o b a l l y, a n d now it is definitely going to be a success here. Info a t w w w. g o c a r. i e

GOCAR COMPETITION GoCar are offering two lucky NewsFour readers a one-year membership worth €110 each. All you have to do is answer this simple question: What is the location of GoCar in Dublin 4? Send your answers to GoCar Comp at: newsfour@gmail.com or post to NewsFour, Ricc, Thorncastle Street, Dublin 4 before the 16th of November.

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

PROPERTY APARTHEID

By Joan Mitchell omen’s rights have changed unbelievably in the last few decades. We can vote, we have choice who (and if) we choose to marry, we can get any job we are qualiﬁed for and if we want to buy a place to call our own, we can. Up to the mid-1980s it was impossible for a woman on her own to get a mortgage. So, despite a woman being a teacher, a nurse or a hairdresser, owning a home was beyond her reach. If you think of a ‘career woman’ who wanted to buy her own apartment in Sandy-

mount or Ballsbridge, that right to own property was denied her by the then Government of Ireland. So fast forward thirty years and you have a woman who isn’t earning as much as she used to and can no longer afford the high rents of the private sector – what is our valued citizen to do now? One reader called in who had been renting the same property for ten years but due to changes in the economy – like a lot of us – she fell on hard times. Now the landlord wants her to move out. This reader is having palpitations, she is so stressed. This is a reality for

PAGE 5 a huge number of women, who are now just entering retirement and have no security or peace of mind. They are vulnerable to their landlord’s agenda and feel cut adrift from the home-owning majority. Around the Dublin 4 area, there are many properties which are now mostly empty. Would those home owners be prepared to rent out a room to someone in a vulnerable position? I spoke with Older and Bolder (01-8783623) which is a charity focused on making sure older people are aware of their rights and are treated equally. They are alltoo-familiar with this scenario of people renting privately. Perhaps a man who was separated couldn’t afford a second mortgage, so he rented privately while he was earning good money, or like the case above where women couldn’t get mortgages, unwittingly they ﬁnd themselves in a situation where they can’t afford the private rent and they have limited access to public housing. We have changed our attitude to women over the years and now we absolutely need to change our attitude to older people who rent. They are not second class citizens, and we need to make sure they are treated with respect and dignity.

Festival of Harvest Thanksgiving Christ Church, Sandymount (on the Green) Saturday, 20 October - Sunday, 21 October 2012 Saturday, 20 October, 10.00 am - 3.00 pm

Craft Fair and Café All church proceeds to Christian Aid Ireland Supporting community development and climate change alleviation partnerships in developing countries. Sunday, 21 October

Morning Service of Harvest Thanksgiving at 11.00 am Guest speaker: Rev Julian Hamilton, Methodist and Presbyterian Chaplain, Trinity College. Evening Service of Harvest Thanksgiving at 7.00 pm Followed by light refreshments. All are most welcome to come along to any or all events, and in the meantime, warm autumn greetings to all our neighbours from Christ Church, Sandymount.

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SAD FATE OF SANDYMOUNT SEAL

By Liam Cahill oira Lawson, a photographer based in Dublin, took an early morning stroll on Sandymount Beach recently. The tide was way out and Moira noticed a rather unusual looking lump on the beach. The lump turned out to be a baby seal but due to a lack of light it was hard to make out. On first appearance it looked small and was eating an unusually large amount of sand. Moira knew she needed some assistance and immediately called the DSPCA. “It was just their answering machine saying the office was closed and to call the local Garda station, so I phoned Irishtown Garda Station but they said they couldn’t help. I then tried Tara Street Fire Station and they said to phone the Coast Guard,” said Moira. After a few moments of obtaining contact information and making the formal call to the Coast Guard, they too said they couldn’t help. “Maybe

just wait for the tide to come in,” they said. This was 5.30 in the morning, the tide only comes in at 10am. A few moments later she was joined on the beach by a local man who went home, checked the internet and contacted a seal sanctuary based in Dingle, Co. Kerry. Ally McMillan from Dingle Wildlife and Seal Sanctuary guided Moira through the next

stages. “Basically, she asked me to take some photographs and send them to her,” said Moira. McMillan wanted to get a better understanding of what they were dealing with. The seal was a rare breed that came from the North Pole and had obviously drifted into waters unsuitable for it. Before this particular incident, only three animals of this type were ever found in Ireland

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012 and only one was saved and released into the wild again. Back on the beach, McMillan suggested getting the seal somewhere safer. This posed logistical problems due to the fact that Moira had no car. Moira was told that the most important thing was not to let it get back into the water as it was already dehydrated and this would kill it quite quickly. Moira’s friend Con Murray arrived and helped her to cart the seal up the beach and they waited at the top for help. It was clear to Moira that nobody knew who to contact. “People gathered around us and would say there was a sanctuary in Balbriggan but nobody knew what to do or where to turn,” said Moira. “Paula Hughes from Sandymount Pet Hospital nearby came down and helped put the seal on a stretcher. It clearly wasn’t well and kept eating sand and there was nothing we could do to help it,” said

Moira. Undertaking a massive round trip, Ally McMillan arrived and brought the seal back to the sanctuary in Dingle. Sadly, at midnight that evening, after treatment, the young pup died. It was then transported to UCD for a postmortem to determine the exact cause of death. What’s known thus far is the seal consumed a large quantity of sand while stranded on the beach. According to the experts from Dingle, this may have clogged up its digestive system and led to its demise. Moira, Con, and the staff from both Sandymount Pet Hospital and Dingle Wildlife and Seal Sanctuary are to be commended for their brave rescue efforts. After this discovery the Irish Seal Sanctuary reopened their Balbriggan office. Should you come across a seal on the beach please contact +353 66-9151750 (Dingle) or +353 1 8354370 (Dublin).

Dancing at Dodder View

By Rupert Heather he Dodder View Cottages Street Party on 8th September celebrated 100 years since the houses there began construction. The event was a massive success for a community still coming to terms with the 2011 flooding. The street party attracted over 200 visitors. The sunny weather contributed to the day, which saw friends, neighbours and visitors come together to relax and enjoy great entertainment. The idea was born when the residents’ committee, formed in response to the floods, realised the cottages dated back to 1912. The party was an opportunity to welcome the return of those displaced by flooding back to their homes and also to mark the centenary. After the welcome speeches, local historian John Holohan spoke. The Communication Union Workers Band kicked things off in style. The barbecue started and people sat at tables eating and enjoying the sunshine. There was a display of old photographs from the neighbourhood. Pippa the clown appeared for the kids. There were spot prizes, a DJ and karaoke as festivities continued long into the night. On display was a community arts project, a knitted flood wall highlighting the requirement for adequate flood defences. Businesses in the area supplied all the food, prizes and refreshments and were extremely generous in supporting the event. One of the organisers, Deirdre Billane said “I’d like to thank everyone. It was a whole community effort.” Co-organiser Ann Kelleher said, “It was a massive success, I’ve had phone calls from people saying what a memorable day it was.”

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

YOUR NUMBER 1 PRIORITY

By Joan Mitchell here has been a great deal of controversy voiced in the area about the changes to local bus routes, and at NewsFour we have received a number of calls from distraught readers. Up to a few months ago there was the number 2 bus and the number 3 bus serving the area, but these two routes were merged into a new route – the number 1 bus. The confusion began as there was a number 1 bus decades ago, and lots of our older

residents thought the new number 1 would follow the same route. We also have the number 47 which serves the area too. We spoke with Dublin Bus and they explained that they had done a number of meetings with local residents, and had got substantial feedback from the area before implementing changes. They also said there were cutbacks from the Government, which meant the subsidies they received had been cut considerably. A representative told us that

PAGE 7 they were still aiming to give an excellent service with a considerably reduced budget. When we queried the route and timetable, we were directed to latest information on the internet at www.dublinbus.ie or you can call 01-8734222 to speak to someone directly. To clear up the route confusion, the number 1 bus starts at St. John’s Church in Sandymount, and then heads onto the Strand Road, then Newgrove Avenue, Sandymount Road, Tritonville Road and Irishtown Road. It then makes its way up Bridge Street, Ringsend Road, Pearse Street, Westmoreland Street and onto O’Connell Street. From there it heads up Parnell Square and up Dorset Street, before travelling on to Drumcondra Road and finally stops at Shanard Street in Swords. The number 47 follows a similar route but terminates in Fleet Street. If you catch this bus coming from town it will suit students going to UCD, as it drops off in the University en route.

MARTIN GOES TO THE FLEADH CHEOIL

By Jason McDonnell n Saturday August 18th local man Martin Lawlor (right) and Banjo player Kieran Ferry set off for the Fleadh Cheoil in Cavan. They said they would be celebrating win, lose or draw. The standard of the bodhrán over 18s competition was very high. There were 15 people from all over the world entering, including Amy Richter from America and James Dolin from Dublin. The winner was Paul McClure from Co. Donegal. Niall Quinn from Co. Down came second and Martin Lawlor third. Martin, who is visually impaired said, “the bodhrán playing had gone up another level this year. The judge, Helen McLoughlin had a very hard job.” Martin says he was happy to be there and really enjoyed the whole experience. He would like to thank his friend Kieran Ferry for all his help. Martin plans on going to Derry next summer, but just as a spectator as he may take a break from competitive bodhrán playing until he finishes his Diploma in Traditional Irish Music in Ballyfermot College.

He did exceptionally well in his first year, getting distinctions in all eight subjects. In college, he is currently working on making a traditional Irish CD called ‘The Dancing Goat’. Martin got some of his best friends, including Kieran Ferry on banjo, Barry McGee on concertina, Alan Curtain on bouzouki and Shirley Rodgers on flute and whistle to play on the album, which will be available next year when he

has completed his diploma. Martin would like to thank Rob Faulkner, an American bodhrán maker who has made his latest drum, as he feels it is one of the best drums he has ever played. He would also like to give a mention to Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, dedicated to the promotion of the music, song, dance and language of Ireland. Photo by Suzanne Pender

DO YOU THINK THE LOCAL BUS SERVICE IS

BETTER OR WORSE SINCE THE RECENT CHANGES?

Sophie McCarthy at the Irishtown bus stop said, “The bus service has got better since the recent changes and it’s a lot easier now to get a bus.”

Ann Ingle at the Sandymount bus stop said, “I’m sorry to see the number 3 bus go as its loss is detrimental to third level students for access to UCD and DCU.”

Josie Murphy at the Ringsend Road stop said, “It’s alright when they are on time but sometimes they can be 10 or 15 minutes late, It hasn’t got any worse or better really.”

Theresa Tighe at the Irishtown bus stop said, “The service has got a lot better since the changes and now I never wait more than 20 minutes for a 1.”

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NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

THE CLIFFS OF MOHER ONE-DAY TOUR

By Jason McDonnell ne Saturday in September, I took a €40 day trip with The Dublin Tour Company to the Cliffs of Moher. I boarded the shuttle bus departing from outside the Dublin Discover Ireland Centre at Suffolk Street at 7am, where I met up with some tourists and a few Dubs who were heading off for the day. We pulled in at 8.30 for a

spot of breakfast and then on to Galway, where we met up with a local guide, Fiona Brennan. She gave us a wonderful tour of the City for an hour. The walk began at the River Corrib beside the Spanish Arch and Claddagh Village, followed by a walk to the ancient medieval quarter. The walking tour highlights included St. Nicholas Collegiate Church, the Lynch Memorial Window, Eyre

Square and Kennedy Park. At 11.30am we headed off for the Burren. We travelled along the spectacular Coast Road with a really fun driver, Damien Noonan, who was cracking jokes and giving us a lot of history about buildings along the way. The highlight of the drive for me was the dancing dog that does a little dance as the coach goes past and the llamas which

one of the local farmers has been breeding for the last few years. After we explored the archaeology and unique rocky landscape of the Burren we got back on the coach to have lunch at O’Connors Pub in Doolin. After lunch we went straight to the Cliffs of Moher, which were only 15 minutes away. The Cliffs of Moher (left) are still Ireland’s number one tourist attraction and well worth a visit if you have never been there. It is over 200 metres high and 8 kilometres long. Some of you may have seen them recently in Harry Potter’s Half-Blood Prince. I really enjoyed the stunning views over the Atlantic Ocean and spent two hours there soaking up all of the natural beauty. Afterwards, we stopped off at the 5,800 year old Poulnabrone Dolmen (right) which is Ireland’s oldest known monument. There were two more stops on the way back to Galway. First was the

Ballyalban Fairy Fort – home of the little people, and the 16th century Dunguaire Castle. We returned to Galway and after a short break went straight home to Dublin City, arriving at 9pm. The day tours can be booked online with the Dublin Tour Company and the Cliffs of Moher tour operates 7 days a week, all year round. www.dublintourcompany.com Tel: 00353 (0)91 566 566

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

WE ARE SAILING…

By Rupert Heather ow that the excitement of the Tall Ships is subsiding and we’ve begun to take stock of the enormous good it did, the challenge is to properly understand its legacy. The Tall Ships races are races for sail training. The Tall Ships have been a beacon for cross-community youth development here since the late seventies as over 50% of the crew onboard each Tall Ship must consist of young people. As Kalanne O’Leary Chairperson of Sail Training Ireland puts it, “The sail

training experience can be life-changing, it’s extremely effective.” The ‘Asgard II’, previously owned by the Minister of Defence, and named after the famous ‘Asgard’ which smuggled guns to the Irish Volunteers at Howth in 1914, was pivotal in helping large numbers of young people to access team work and life skills sailing training programmes. When it floundered in the Bay of Biscay it left a gaping hole in the resources available to youth development work. Emerging from various guises, Sail Training Ireland was formed to keep the tradition

PAGE 9 of sail training alive. When the Tall Ships left Dublin this year some of them went to Liverpool for the Tall Ships Irish Sea Regatta, which was organised through a European Union Youth In Action Programme. 22 young people from both North and South helped race the somewhat ironically named ‘Pelican of London’. After voyaging from Dublin to Liverpool participants were left off in Belfast. Unfortunately, not having a national sail training vessel is hindering the process of placing trainees on Tall Ships. Kalanne O’Leary says, “Our main mission is to keep sail training alive, but the economic situation dictates that our own Tall Ship is some years away.” Accentuating the positives, she says, “We have succeeded up to now because we have a coastal vessel, ‘Spirit of Oysterhaven’ licensed to take trainees in coastal water.” There are also three voyages taking place in October aboard ‘The Tenacious’ which is accessible to the disabled, including those who are deaf and blind. Surely then, this is the real legacy of the Tall Ships. The economic situation is cyclical but the need for hope for our young and cross-community dialogue for inclusivity and understanding never goes away. Michael Byrne of Sail Training Ireland encourages anyone of any age who wants to go on a Tall Ship to contact the website http:// www.irishsailtraining.com. Top left: Budding sailors Amy McGough and Saoirse Geoghan. Right: A good sense of direction. Photos by John Cheevers.

The three Tall Ships pictures are courtesy of James Murray/stilpix. Bottom left: Tall Ships leaving on ﬁnal day. Bottom centre: Wheel of ‘Armada del Equador’. Above: Tall Ships at sunset.

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NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

Niamh Walsh Remembrance

REMEMBERING NOAH

We would like to say thanks to everyone who touched or was touched by Niamh’s life. €580 was generously received by Enable Ireland on your behalf From the Walsh family.

Garden In Heaven

There Was A Special Garden in Heaven Waiting for Someone As Wonderful As You So, The Master Took Your Hand And Gave You Eternal Life, Brand New The Angels, We Can Hear Them Singing Small Children Are Telling Jesus The News There Is A New Rose In Heaven Picked By God, That Precious Rose Is You It’s Hard For Us To Let You Go To Realize Your Life On Earth Is Through But We’re Thankful For All The Memories Seeds Of Love, Planted In Our Hearts By A Woman Whose Life Was Honest And True! In Loving Memory Of Niamh Walsh Who Became A Perfect Rose In Heaven – (21st August 2012)

Tá suil again go spreagach spríongaí siorghra – Hope Springs Eternal

St. Andrew’s Bingo Great family night out PLEASE SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY BINGO 114-116 St. Andrew’s Resource Centre Pearse Street, Dublin 2 Wheelchair Accessible! When: Saturday Nights Time: 8.30pm (sharp) – 10pm Venue open from 7.30pm Buses 1 & 47 and 56a & 77a from Ringsend Rd to Tallaght Close to Westland Row & Grand Canal Dart Station Contact Ann Maher 01 677 1930 for further information

By Rupert Heather ason and Debbie Reid’s world was turned upside down when their unborn son Noah was diagnosed with Potters Syndrome/Bilateral Renal Agenesis, which is a condition that inhibits the formation of kidneys in the foetus. With the support of family, friends and the Little Lifetime Foundation the brave couple are gradually coming to terms with their loss. So much so that they organised a charity cycle to raise awareness of the condition and to keep the memory of little Noah’s brief but treasured life to the fore. Speaking about the success of the event, Jason says, “It felt great. We are never going to forget Noah and we want people to know how common the disease is.” Their other children Kayla and Adam who have suffered

FUNNY

immeasurably also helped their parents come through the shattering experience. The whole family would like to express their gratitude to their friends who came out in their droves to support the event. The couple were forced to live through the agony of Debbie carrying Noah for ﬁve months while they planned his funeral. Noah was born on June 26th 2012 and was alive for about two minutes. During that time Noah’s loving parents, sister Kayla and brother Adam held him and said goodbye. The family could not have come through the experience without the support of the Little Lifetime Foundation who put them in touch with the Barretstown retreat. There, both parents and kids received family-oriented bereavement counselling and support which was invaluable.

BONE TUNE UP?

Donal Bracken Local Electrical Contractor

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NO JOB TOO SMALL OR TOO LARGE

By Liam Cahill new musical comedy club night, the Fandora Club, which bills itself as ‘a show, inside a competition, inside a show’ takes place on the ﬁrst Thursday of every month at The Grand Social just off the Ha’penny Bridge. The show, the brainchild of Sharyn Hayden (aka Shazwanda) promises both musical and comedic genius and if the launch night in September which featured Joe Rooney (Fr. Damo from Fr. Ted) and comic duo

Accident & Emergency (fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is anything to go by, then it will certainly deliver what it promises. “We looked at the comedy club scene, and realised there was a lot of talk out there, but no nights which would cater for the musical comedians,” Sharyn says. Sharyn has managed to cultivate a cult-like following with a whole YouTube channel dedicated to her alter ego Shazwanda (and her rather camp antics),

The charity cycle from the Beehive Pub in Wicklow to the Martello Tower in Sandymount which took in Wicklow, South County Dublin and Dublin 4, was a huge success, with 36 participants. The Reid family, originally from Ringsend but now living in Arklow, were overwhelmed by the support they received. They would like to thank their friends, both in Ringsend and Arklow and The Vintage Pub for providing a venue for the postcycle presentations, drinks and food. All the money raised will go to support the work of The Little Lifetime Foundation who sponsored t-shirts and certiﬁcates for the cyclists. www.alittlelifetime.ie Above: The cycling team and all their supporters. 500 odd Twitter followers, and throngs of support on her Facebook page. Most of the performers who take part on the night refer to themselves as musical comedians. “They are guys whose comedy material really heavily relies upon their ability to play songs and sing their material. They do some stand-up but also have really funny songs to go with their material,” says Sharyn. The act means that what people get is not just a comedian who is dishing out jokes, but one who is also able to provide some musical entertainment for the remainder of the show. “For the last few years I think the surge in comedy nights in Dublin has been amazing. Musical comedy is my love and I like to be able to go and see a mix of comedy and music,” says Sharyn. The Fandora Club provides just that and costs just €6. For tickets visit www.entertainment.ie

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

THE

LOST BOYS

By Liam Cahill ust off Dame Street there just happens to be two Starbucks practically next to each other. The venue was chosen mainly because it’s the cheapest venue to host a chat about mental health and youth unemployment. Due to the economic downturn, the problem has got increasingly worse, which is a pity, as my interviewee Stephen with his ﬂoppy boy-band hairstyle and retro rocker jeans had big plans. “I’d love to move to America to San Diego and get any sort of job, but that’s a long way off,” says Stephen as he takes a seat next to me. “Being unemployed could play a part in my mental state sometimes, but at the moment it isn’t too bad. If I have to sit in all day, every day, cabin fever will take over and I’ll be mentally derailed.” As he peers over his shoulder, he turns back to explain how most days he wouldn’t even get dressed,

P REPPY ’ S

By Liam Cahill ith October the new September in men’s fashion it’s all about the preppy look. With college kicking off, we examine preppy clothes and how to gain that university look. Before mainstream fashion got its hands on prep, it was a tool used only by the highly inﬂuential members of society. In the book by Jeffrey Banks and Doria De La Chapelle ‘Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style’ the authors describe the preppy look as one which ‘connects us to the idyllic college days, sport, and the spirit and vitality of youth’. Originally coined in the elite Ivy Universities of the United States, the look has morphed into a mainstream idea inﬂuencing iconic brands such as Top Man and River Island.

not seeing the point since he is unemployed. Eventually, the stresses of being without a job may impair Stephen at some point. Without any consistent structure or daily chores, the mind can drift into dark places. “I will get annoyed,” he says, “I’ll go off the tracks and probably go crazy to some extent, but that’s what unemployment does to you.” According to the CSO (Central Statistics Ofﬁce) Ireland’s youth unemployment rate is stuck at 17.5% with a total of 437,300 signing on. Staying Headstrong At a recent meeting with Headstrong – Ireland’s national centre for youth mental health – Communication Director Micheline Egan gave me extensive insight into the minds of young people without work. “Young unemployed people are feeling angry and frustrated with the world they’re facing. They see

PAGE 11 the impact of unemployment, uncertainty, and financial debt, both on their families and peers and often feel powerless,” says Egan, citing a foreword written by her boss, Tony Bates, in the My World Survey: National Study of Youth Mental Health conducted by her organisation and UCD. As the report suggests, young people are painfully at odds with what we would wish for them. Unemployment can lead to suicide, young people engaging in high-risk behaviour, and young people getting frustrated because their dreams were taken away from them. Dave Markham, 22, a recent college graduate can certainly relate to this aspect of stolen dreams. Out of work for more than a year, he has seen most of his immediate dreams, like getting a job, float away. “It’s been a bit of a tough time in my life personally and not working and being made to wait is just so frustrating,” says Dave. “Just sometimes it seems like there’s no prospects and no point,” he says. The future for Dave looks slightly better; since this interview he has obtained a part-time position that may lead to full-time work. Back in Starbucks, the conversation with Stephen moves from life without work to the glum experience of the dole office. “I keep looking for jobs; keep doing what I am doing. I’m trying to enjoy life as much as I can even though I haven’t got a job,” he concludes. www.headstrong.ie Photo by Heather Thompson

COLLEGE COMEBACK

The style was also incorporated into the muscle-toned halls of Abercrombie and Fitch, which is now located on College Green. The look is all about a mix of col-

ours, but due to your new start in college, you may want to tone down somewhat and introduce some colour when you become more accustomed to your fellow classmates. Chinos (Topman €49.99) and slip on shoes (Topman €19.99) will be a great way to start off and eventually build up your wardrobe. Secondly, think about what jackets may suit the look. Sports bags are out and plain bags (an inﬂuential part of the prep look) are very much in. Scarves will also play a serious part in this look. Wearing a scarf over a jumper that covers a pink or white shirt should help sustain your look. To conclude, mix and match your colours, don’t be afraid to look like a junior professor, but don’t look too serious. This October/November is all about reinventing who you are.

Naturopathic Nutrition By Nicky Flood The Sunshine Vitamin

itamin D, the new kid on the block, is getting a lot of press and research attention lately and after the… er… ‘Summer’ we’ve just had, maybe it’s time we took notice. In times past, it was known that Vitamin D deficiency caused a bone disease known as Rickets but it is now known that it is so much more than that. The latest research connects it to preventing heart disease, high cholesterol, chronic pain, arthritis, osteoporosis, osteomalacia, muscle weakness, birth defects, periodontal disease, psoriasis, weight gain, poor immunity, low energy and cancer… wow! There is also a lot of research showing a clear link between Vitamin D deficiency and mood disorders like depression and SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Research indicates that Vitamin D is important for the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, chemicals in the brain that influence and regulate mood and behaviour. SAD sufferers are often found to have particularly low levels of Vitamin D and supplementation has been shown to improve symptoms. Vitamin D also shields your brain cells from toxin damage and improves overall metabolic and cardiovascular health, which also contributes to brain health. Around 51% of the world is currently deficient and this is often exacerbated by Winter. Our body has the amazing ability to create Vitamin D from the UVB rays of direct sunshine, but unfortunately due to latitude, cloud cover, lack of time spent outdoors and overuse of sunscreen, we are left quite deficient. So while the world is protecting itself against skin cancer, we seem to be overcompensating by blocking our Vitamin D absorption – an SPF of just 8 blocks Vitamin D absorption by 95%. To create adequate amounts of Vitamin D, we need to spend approximately 20 minutes three to four times per week in direct sunlight with no SPF – is this possible in Ireland?! Considering 1 in 4 of us living in this latitude suffer from increased lethargy, anxiety, irritability, poor motivation and low mood during these months, it would be great to lighten the load – a daily dose of Vitamin D may be just what we need to get us through the Winter! Supplementation is probably a good idea in this country! I would recommend at least 1,000 IU daily, bearing in mind our ability to absorb Vitamin D from the sun is dramatically reduced when we are under the age of 20 and over the age of 60. So to ensure you get your appropriate levels of Vitamin D take your supplements, get outdoors, eat lots of fish, eggs, mushrooms and sprouted seeds and have a happy, happy Winter!

PAGE 12

By Liam Cahill he campaign to take the White House is in full swing, with President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney gearing up for the last few weeks of campaigning. Next week the candidates will partake in a series of debates that each team is hoping to use as a platform to hammer home their respective campaign themes. The debates will bring the two-year-old campaign to an immediate end when voters get their say on November 6th. With each team intensifying rhetoric ahead of polling day, both are hoping the up-coming debates, as well as the infamous 60-second commercial adverts, will have sealed the deal. “Barack Obama is going to win,” says Dennis Desmond the Chair of Democrats Abroad Ireland, an organisation afﬁliated with the Democratic Party in the US. “The election will be fairly close but the polls show Obama in the game, nearly tied, and I told anybody who would listen that Obama is going to win by a lot.” Gallop’s latest numbers

US ELECTION FEVER

show President Obama leading his challenger Mitt Romney slightly 47 – 46 percent. These numbers, as they generally do, will change as we get closer to Election Day. What has been consistent, however, is Obama’s slight but noticeable lead over Mitt Romney. In other polls taken, the President has bested his opponent with a one or two point lead. In Ohio, Florida, and Colorado the President has held a meagre if not important lead. “Obama looks forward, republicans look backward, it’s

real simple. President Obama is all about fairness and equality. Republicans are not interested (in equality), they’re all about restrictions,” says Desmond. The numbers reflect a consistent theme in this gruelling campaign, with polls remaining close and each team struggling to find a clear campaign narrative. For the Obama team, they painted Romney as out-of-touch with middle class Americans due to his financially secure background and reputation as a member of the one percent.

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012 Romney’s team painted Obama as out-of-touch with working class Americans and jostled the campaign by suggesting Obama was stealing from Medicare (a form of health care insurance) to pay for President Obama’s healthcare law commonly known as Obamacare. The Campaign This campaign has been filled with moments of hope and joy for both sides, but only one issue has nagged at the inner consciousness of the American public – the economy. A pivotal issue for President Obama and Mitt Romney, both campaigns have been trying relentlessly to seize on it. In the early summer, Romney’s attempts failed as the focus of the public (and the media) turned to Bain Capital. Romney was once CEO of the company that built up fledging enterprises and capitalised off the results. By tying Bain and taxes into one coherent nugget, the Obama team tried to divert attention away from a floundering economy and back to label-

ling its opponent before he got a chance to do it himself. The Romney team failed to ﬁnd its footing until they decided to pick Paul Ryan, a Congressman from Wisconsin as their running mate. The pick, and Ryan’s subsequent convention speech, spoke to a core of Americans who were hurting due to a slowly recovering economy and who were weary about Obama’s health care law. After months of campaigning, there are only two battles left, the debates and the ﬁght for 270 votes. In the next few days each campaign will paint the next as more experienced in order to give their candidate the upper hand heading into the debates. With millions watching, the debates will give each candidate a chance to win over the vital undecided voter who will ultimately decide the decision on November 6th. Above: Barack Obama in Fort Collins, August 28th. Photograph by Scout Tufankjian for Obama for America.

KATIE WINS MODELLING CONTRACT

By Liam Cahill local Ringsend girl has become Ireland’s next star model. Katie Chesher, left, was chosen as part of ‘Irish Tatler’ magazine’s Star Model Search, which took place in the RDS at the Ultimate Girls’ Day Out event. The competition was open to girls aged between 16 and 21 and offered them a chance to get the model life. Katie who’s just 15, and a student in third year at Ringsend College, always wanted to pursue the model life, so the competition was a perfect and unexpected ﬁt. “I was getting my eyebrows done, and someone said to me ‘you should go over to the model stand, they’re taking people on as part of a competition’”, said Katie. She was then brought into a room where her height was checked, pictures were taken and a preliminary interview was conducted. The next day Katie was a part of a competition ﬁlled with ambitious girls, all clamouring for the grand prize. “We were brought up onto the balcony, taught how to walk, and then hit the catwalk,” said Katie. After a period of competing, Katie had secured the top spot that included a three-year contract with 1st Option Models; a portfolio shoot with Barry McCall, a leading Irish fashion photographer whose work will feature in the glossy magazine ‘Irish Tatler’; a modelling workshop with model Angelica Salomao; and a one-year house model contract with Davey Davey. “By searching for the next catwalk queen among our Ultimate Girls we think we have found a true star in Katie,” said Jesse Collins, Editor of ‘Irish Tatler’. Although the competition started with a number of girls, it was whittled down to two, including Katie and a runner-up, Vanessa Deegan from Ballymun. The casting for the competition ran from August 24th-26th.

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

PAGE 13

OH, BABY, BABY…

By Joe McKenna s far back as records go, Irish women have had more children than their sisters across Europe and today is no different, with Ireland leading the population growth league by a considerable distance. While the number of inhabitants within Europe has only risen five per cent in the last 16 years, the increase in Ireland has been five times bigger. Now some will argue immigration is also a contributing factor to our population growth but as the Irish know, migration goes both ways, and statistically the birth and fertility rates in Ireland are Europe’s highest, sitting at 2.02 children per woman with the average age of women giving birth being between 27 and 29 years old and a third of all births being to single mothers; a statistic that has risen 30% in ten years. With a density of 65 peo-

ple per square kilometre and a growth rate of 0.39% our birth rate sits in and around 16.1 per 1,000 population while our death rate comes in at 6.34 per 1,000 population; two statistics that don’t meet each other evenly and when we consider that infant mortality is 3.85 per 1,000 population we have a firm growth rate that shows no sign of letting up. But as the last census showed, the age structure of Ireland shows the bulk of our population (67.3%) are between 15-64 years old with the ages of 0-14 coming in at 21.1% and over 65s making up the 11.6% difference. So how did Ireland become the portal from which the lions share of life springs? Is TV that bad? Are we that attracted to each other? Or is it just what we do? An argument can be made for the church and state’s role in our fertility rates. Without the forced rejection of birth control, which was

illegal from 1935 to 1980 and stemmed from the union of church and state, Ireland

may not have become such a baby-crazy place and as startling as the current facts

may be, they are considered respectable in Irish terms, given that the crude Irish birth rate in 1947 peaked at 22.3% and did not drop below the 20% mark until 1983 – three years after the legalisation of birth control. What’s strange is that even today with a clear understanding and essential use for birth control in Ireland, birth and fertility rates continue to rise faster than any other European country. This could be down to any number of factors. The cost of birth control, the increased sexualising of our culture through unlimited influences, alcohol or if you’re a mystical person perhaps you believe Áine – The Goddess of Love and Fertility has been working flat out for centuries. In truth, our birth rates have always been high and but for the Great Famine our population would sit in and around the 16 million mark; four times our current population. Pictured: Erin (left) a n d Va l .

PAGE 14

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

THEY CAME, THEY SCORED TOUCHDOWNS, THEY WON

By Joe McKenna ne or two of you may have noticed the swarms of American football fans who landed in Dublin on the weekend of September 1st. As NewsFour reported in our last issue, the college football brilliance of the Fighting Irish

of Notre Dame and the Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy went to war at the Aviva Stadium in the Emerald Isle Classic. I was lucky enough to be in attendance at the game on behalf of NewsFour and it was truly one of the ﬁnest sporting events I

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have ever witnessed. Everything in America is bigger, that’s why the world is so enamoured with it. But the Navy versus Notre Dame event proved that when it comes to sporting showcase, there is nothing to parallel the preparation, organisation and execution of something that no sporting ground in Ireland has ever seen. It was theatre from start to ﬁnish. Not content with just hosting a game of football on Irish soil against their famous rivals, the US Naval Academy docked the famed ‘USS Fort McHenry’ in Dublin Port days before the game. I’m sure there was many

a young colleen whose heart was set aflutter by the possibility of a real life Officer and a Gentleman situation taking place in Coppers, but I digress. What was most impressive, aside from the game, was the way both Notre Dame and Navy decided not only to arrive, play and entertain, but also went to great lengths to fill the entire week with all-inclusive events around the city, a mini festival of college football if you will. Events ranged from talks at Trinity with the leading scientists of Notre Dame and several parades within the city and a school football tournament at Donnybrook, to Saturday morning mass and a Temple Bar tailgating event that was akin to Arthur’s Day and St Patrick’s Day giving birth to a big party baby. It was 11am on Saturday morning, the game was hours away and there was a massive sea of people camped in every pub. I doubt the cobble stones have ever experienced such pressure. As a journalist I have attended several games at the Aviva and the press format is usual standard procedure. You get emails informing you where to go, what’s happening and with who. Then you go to the game and report. This was very different. With Navy’s press office and the coverage from CBS Sports all rolled into one event, I have never been more informed, updated or well-treated. Almost every day,

I would receive team updates, event updates, interviews, videos, teaser trailers and just plain who you can call and where you need to go for info. The game itself was nothing short of pageantry and I’m sure every Irish person there at some point looked around the packed stadium and thought “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear I was in America.” The organisation that must have gone into marching over six hundred naval ofﬁcers on to the ﬁeld before the game to sing both the Star Spangled Banner and Amhrán na bhFiann must have been monstrous and from that opening highlight it just did not stop. At every break in the game there was entertainment. Be it cheerleaders, dancing leprechauns, the Naval boxing team or just plain old Enda Kenny smiling like a clueless onlooker, it was all designed to not bore you for one second. Having experienced many sporting events, I can safely say that this one was the most hassle-free, fun to experience and one to remember. After the success of the event I have it on good authority that this isn’t the last we’ll see of football crazy Americans in Ballsbridge. The sea of smiling fourth generation Irish eyes that left the Aviva after Notre Dame crushed Navy 50-10 was enough to tell me that, but given the impact the event had on the city and local tourism it’s been suggested that more is to come. I say bring it on.

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

THE CULINARY CORNER

With the arrival of an Autumn chill in the air this classic Italian dish is a welcome warmer. It’s a simple, rustic meal but the rich sauce is packed with the ﬂavour of the wine, olives and tomatoes. (Picture by Louise Doyle)

Chicken Cacciatore By Gemma Byrne

SERVES 4 Olive Oil 1 large onion sliced 4 garlic cloves crushed/minced 4 skinless chicken thighs 4 skinless chicken drumsticks 500g carton of passata 400g can chopped tomatoes 2 tbsp tomato puree 125ml dry white wine 1 chicken stock cube 150ml boiling water half teaspoon sugar half teaspoon dried oregano 2 sprigs of fresh thyme (whole) 4 large sprigs of fresh parsley (whole) 200g mushrooms (halved) 1 medium courgette (chopped large dice) 20 black olives Salt and pepper Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Start the dish on the hob in a large casserole pot. Gently cook the onion in a splash of olive oil and a little salt for about 10 mins. Add the garlic and cook for a further 5 mins. Add the white wine and bring to a rapid boil until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the tomato puree, passata, chopped tomatoes, stock cube, boiling water, olives, sugar and herbs. Season with salt and pepper and bring the sauce to the boil. Add the chicken pieces. Transfer to the oven and cook uncovered for 30 mins, then add the mushrooms and courgettes and cook for a further 30 mins. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Remove the whole herb sprigs. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and crusty bread for mopping up the sauce, or pasta or potatoes if you want a more substantial meal.

Recommended Wine By Dominic O’Shaughnessy

The perfect wines for this dish are found in the region of Abruzzo where Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is produced. These are light to medium bodied, aromatic wines with a tangy acidity that appeal to most palates. One such example is the Gran Sasso 2011 (13%abv) – a true expression of the region with fresh, lively blackberry fruits on the nose and palate, with a hint of spice and soft tannins and a round and elegant finish. This wine will be a perfect match with this dish and represents superb value at €12.20 from The Wine Boutique in Ringsend. Readers of this article can avail of a 10% discount off this wine at The Wine Boutique. Just mention the article in-store! Offer available while stocks last.

MONGOLIA

By Caomhan Keane ast month NewsFour reported on three medical students who were undertaking an epic 10,000 mile pan-continental road trip for charity in a second hand ambulance. The journey started in London and ended in the ancient Mongol capital of Ulaanbaatar, where they donated their vehicle to a local hospital. We asked Robin McManus how it all went. “The scariest moment was crossing a river in Mongolia that was deep and the engine flooded. None of us were mechanically-minded so we thought it was all over. Luckily, the engine dried out overnight and we were on our way the next morning!” The trip took 28 days, quicker than the 35 expected and the vehicle held up much better than anticipated so they covered a lot of ground fast. “We rarely got lost. We had a GPS and good maps. Grant (Dalton who joined him on the trip) has an excellent sense of direction. We once took a very wrong turn as in Mongolia many roads go in the same direction, so Grant ended up sitting on the roof and redirected me using distant markers and his instinct while Tristan (Hill) and I navigated through a cactus field” Their medical backgrounds came in handy a couple of times. “Tristan had bad back pain so we helped him out. We then came upon other overland travellers with minor ailments due to the local cuisine.” The standout song was ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ by Guns n Roses. “We sang it every time we crossed a border. I have particular fondness for that song when we crossed into Moldova. That place was crazy. But our favourite country was a close

PAGE 15

FOLLOW UP

call between Russia and Mongolia. Russia was an incredible surprise; the people were so friendly and helpful. The roads were ok, the food was great and the girls were very pretty indeed! “Mongolia was everything we imagined it to be. Just an incredible place, the people made it for us. They were so happy to see us, and they all wanted to talk to us and look at the van. Every morning climbing out of the tent was like an issue of the

National Geographic.” They raised a total of €9,000. “We were just shy of our target of €10,000 but we are delighted with the response we received. Donations can still be made on our web page while our photos and videos can be viewed on Facebook, he said.” www.theomegathree.tumblr.com facebook.com/TheOmegaThree Below left and above: The van before and after the trip.

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NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

GLASNEVIN CEMETERY

By Caomhan Keane icture, if you will, 19th century Dublin. Death plays a hefty role in working class life. Parents deny their children a comfortable existence so they can bury them in style, inner city churchyards overﬂow, body snatching is rife and the shallow graves provide fresh meat for scavenging animals. Decaying matter increases the spread of disease as it enters the water supply, while rumours of cadavers being tossed into the newlybuilt sewage system gave Victorian Dubliners a genuine fear that they might end up in the sh*t while searching for the afterlife. Not to mention that it was outright banned for Catholics to have their own cemetery. This was not a good time to believe in the resurrection. Opened in 1832, Glasnevin Cemetery is now home to over one point one million corpses, of every and no religion, three quarters of which are buried in unmarked graves. Founded by Daniel O’Connell as a response to the repressive Penal Laws, which placed heavy restric-

tions on the public performance of Catholic services, it’s a stunning open public place, which in spite of its primary function, is a fun, informative, day out. The Victorians were morbidly obsessed with death and Glasnevin was their Disneyland, with people coming from near and far to admire the decorative graves, the architecture and the sculpture. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in France, Glasnevin is a garden cemetery, with a variety of trees found there, including Oak, Ash and Palm, as well as American Redwoods gifted by the Yanks (there are also thousands of grey squirrels). It was normal practice up until the turn of the 20th century to ‘stall it down’ for a picnic on a sunny day and while many of the graves have fallen into disarray the Glasnevin Trust have set themselves the target of 2016, the centenary of the Rising, for restoring this great necropolis to the pristine glory of the early 1900s. Could this ﬁnal resting place once more become the domain of the picnic basket? It’s with the Rising or at least one

of its precursors that the cemetery’s walking tour starts, with a recreation of Padraig Pearse’s oration at the funeral of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa which is said to have ‘struck the match’ for the events of April 1916. None of the Proclamation’s signatories are buried in Glasnevin, rather cased in lime in Arbour Hill, as the British didn’t want similar inﬂammatory speeches to spark the funeral pyre of their rule in Ireland. They would do that themselves by executing the leaders of the Rising, inspiring hundreds more to take their place, who would lead Ireland ﬁrst into a War of Independence, then a Civil War, the scars of which are seen in the geographic layout of

the cemetery. To this day, Fine Gaelers are buried near Michael Collins; his plot always covered in flowers and visited by women the world over. Fine Fáilers are interned near Dev’s grave, whose wife Sinéad sparked the present day popularity of the name (prior to that there was only two known Sinéad’s in the country). And Labour supporters, of course, are buried near big Jim Larkin. One of the saddest plots in the cemetery is the Republican Plot, where the true horror of a civil war lies. Brother killed brother, best man fired upon best man. It is spelled out for all to see. It was only in 2010, just short of 100 years after they had passed on, that the sacrifice of those who fought in the First World War was recognized when the Glasnevin Trust and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission began the project of marking the graves. There was much disdain for Charles Stewart Parnell in good old Catholic Ireland at the time of his death (for his adulterous affair with Kitty O’Shea). There was a genuine fear that his body would be dug up and desecrated. The year of his death, 1891, coincided with another outbreak of cholera in Dublin (a previous outbreak had led to the highest number of interments in Glasnevin in one year, 11,000 in 1849). By burying him close to the diseased, his body went untouched. His is now one of the most beautiful and scenic graves in Glasnevin, made of unhewn Wicklow granite, erected in 1940, with his family name in black paint. The most obvious tomb in the cemetery is that of its founder O’Connell, lying as it does beneath a 170-foot round tower. Take the guided tour to get up close and personal. You can even touch his coffin and make a wish. On the day I took the tour, fresh flowers had been left by Yoko Ono herself, although it was a little bit chilling to see the coffins of all his relatives stockpiled in a side room. In the 1970s, in response to the IRA’s destruction of Nelson’s Pillar, some Loyalists tried to retaliate by blowing up the tomb. They managed to blow out the stairwell which leads to the top of the tower (which has one of the most spectacular views in the country,) but plans are afoot to replace it in the coming years. The question is, what’s taking them so long? As well as all the icons of litera-

ture and politics, numerous heroes of less renown are interred at the cemetery, including Dr Thomas Addis Emmet, the pioneer of plastic surgery, who insisted his body be taken back to Ireland from America so he could be buried next to his ancestors. And be sure to check out the grave of the blind balladeer, Michael Moran (Zozimus) who, thanks to a lifelong fear of having his corpse stolen by robbers, was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery, which was guarded day and night, by armed watchmen, tall towers and Cuban bloodhounds. More can be found on this in the new museum recently opened in Glasnevin. Entrance to it and a spot on the walking tour costs just €5 on a Friday. You can also trace your genealogy and visit the semi-permanent exhibition to O’Connell. Later exhibitions are planned in aid of Parnell and other interred legends. Even in death, money makes the world go round. Your typical plot in Glasnevin will cost you €3,000. However, should you want a plot next to Arthur Grifﬁth, you’d want to have €30,000 set aside, €50,000 if you want to be near Mick Collins. Be sure to stop off and visit the ‘paupers’ plot, maintained by Alone, who ensure that older people who die with no family or friend to claim them, are buried with dignity, giving them a full funeral, headstone and ﬂowers. http://www.glasnevintrust.ie/ Above: The exiled Irish Fenian leader Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa, who died in New York aged 83, was buried in Glasnevin with an oration by Patrick Pearse in 1915. Below: The Round Tower.

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

PAGE 17

LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER

By Rupert Heather ith businesses keen to enhance their reputations and community and charitable organisations in dire need of resources, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has never been so vital. The ethos of CSR is no longer simply about companies ‘giving back’ to the community, it involves them forming strategic, mutually beneficial partnerships. CSR is a strategy that requires all stakeholders to gain from the experience. Key to the experience is finding the right ‘fit’ that matches shared vision and goals with mutual trust and understanding.

THE BANSHEE

By The Bogeyman Jason McDonnell

Business In the Community Ireland, founded in 2000, are a national non-proﬁt organisation whose vision is to promote responsible and sustainable business. Corporate Responsibility Consultant Ann Howgego says, “My brief is to work with charities, voluntary and community organisations to help them tap in to a company’s resources. I call myself a matchmaker, I bring them together and ensure there is a right ﬁt.” Just as companies must understand why they want to engage with the community, charities and community organisations must equally understand what is

required of them. CSR is about how companies and community organisations relate to their stakeholders to best tap into resources, people and services. It can be employee-driven. For example, O2 staff held focus groups to ﬁnd out what areas interested them. They ended up working with Headstrong, a youth Mental Health Charity, a great ﬁt with the theme of communication. Companies want to be seen as good neighbours, they may want to rebuild morale and motivation after change, attract talent or rebuild trust and their reputation. “BITC is all about inspiring companies to have a positive impact on society, it’s not just about nice things to do, it’s making CSR an essential feature of what a company is about,” Howgego adds. After engaging in charity and community projects, employees return to the workplace motivated, having enjoyed the experience of building relationships, investing time and giving their commitment and expertise to a project. CSR is not just about raising money, it’s about making a long

ightings of banshees in the Ballsbridge area, reported as recently as September of this year stirred me to write an article about it. The name banshee originates from the Irish word bean sí or woman of the fairy mounds. She’s not always seen, but her mourning call is heard, usually at night when someone is about to die. The banshee appears in different forms, sometimes she appears as an ugly, terrifying old hag, but sometimes as a very beautiful woman. She has been known to take the forms of a hooded crow, hare or weasel — animals that are often associated with witchcraft. Back in the olden days, when a person died a woman would caoin (cry) for them or wail at their funeral. These women were sometimes called ‘keeners’ and the best keeners would be in much demand. Legend has it that for certain great Gaelic families the lament would be sung by a fairy woman; they could predict the death of a

person who had died far away even before news of their death had come. The wailing of the banshee was the ﬁrst warning to the household that death was approaching. When lots of banshees appeared at once (besides that being particularly terrifying) it actually symbolised the death of someone great or holy. Seanchaís over the years have called the banshee a fairy, a ghost, a murdered woman, or a mother who died while giving birth. She dresses in white or grey and has long, pale hair which she brushes with a silver comb. Old wives’ tales will tell you that if you ever see a comb on the ground, NEVER pick it up or the banshee will come for you. The one seen recently in the Ballsbridge area was a younger woman reported to be dressed in white, with long pale hair and a silver comb. She was wearing a

grey cloak. Another NewsFour reader I spoke with said he was on his way home one night when he heard a loud screech of a banshee. He admitted it could have been a barn owl, which are well-known for their chilling screech, but as he said himself there have been no barns or grain stores in that area for over a century. Another ‘witness’ described how a picture of her father fell off her sitting room wall moments before she heard a deafening, piercing scream. Her father died the next day. Ba nshee was drawn Nadine Keegan.

term impact. In a recent survey by BITC 80% of CEOs polled said that responsible practices are essential to re-building trust. With 65 members of the BITC network, including partnerships like Glanbia and Barretstown Camp, O2/Headstrong, Special Olympics/Janssen, Voda-

fone Ireland Foundation and the World of Difference programme, Corporate Social Responsibility is here to stay. “Where there is a ﬁt between a company, its employees and the charity, everyone has a lot to gain,” Howgego concludes. http://www.bitc.ie

Tony (Rasher) Doyle R.I.P. The family of the late Tony (Rasher) Doyle wish to say a sincere Thank You to all those who helped us, sympathised with us, donated their time, sent condolences, called to the house with food, ﬂowers etc. and who were with us throughout our absolute nightmare. A special thanks to: The staff of St. Vincent’s Hospital, Fr. Ivan and Fr. Fergal, Seamus Flynn (Garda in Irishtown), Ann Massey’s in Cork Street, Pat Kavanagh, Amanda Blount, Dylan Clayton and Michael Larkin, Tony Roe, Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre, Brendan Wicks, Sinead (D4 Deli), Dyna Banable, Clanna Gael, Mark Brennan, Joanne (Bridge Cafe), Gay Murphy, John Hawkins, St. Patrick’s Rowing Club, Boy Murphy, Charlie Murphy, Cambridge Boys FC, Mary O’Brien, Ciaran Rossitor, RKD Architects, Arup, St. Patrick’s Girls National School, Derek McDonnell, Bob and Monica Prior and all our neighbours and large circle of friends. If we have left anyone out we apologise but it is not intentional. We are proud to be part of such a great community. Without your support we could not have given Tony a better tribute. Many thanks to you all from Margaret, Joseph, Jacqueline, Stephen, John, Christine, David, Liz, Jennifer, Nicole, Ashley, Alﬁe, Phil and all his brothers in law, sisters in law, nieces and nephews. Long may Tony’s memory live on.

PAGE 18

HORROR HOTSPOTS

By Liam Cahill ith Halloween just around the corner I decided to take a bike ride around the local area to ﬁnd out where our top horror

hotspots are. First stop Misery Hill, Grand Canal Quay. In the 1500s, Misery Hill was home to a set of gallows where thieves and pirates would meet a sudden end. A large sign

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012 displayed on a wall reads: ‘After a public execution, the corpses were left hanging in chains, often for a period of six to eight months as a warning to other criminals.’ Public executions in this area were a common practice well into the 1800s, and it is said two of Republican Robert Emmet’s men were hanged here. In David Wheatley’s book ‘Misery Hill’ (2000), the author uses poetry to encapsulate the area. ‘A name on a map but even at that / more solid than so many other ghosts / I have stalked in our snap-together capital / of forgetfulness.’ Wheatley’s poems bring life to the area that, even after the refurbishment, still reeks of ghostly occurrences. A close neighbour to Misery Hill is Blood Stoney Road which stands as a barrier between new Ireland and the one gone

by. Named after one of Dublin’s most famous civil engineers Bindon Blood Stoney, the street has become famous for its ghoulish sights and strange stories. It is said that the headless bodies of victims from Misery Hill would come back down through the Blood Stoney Road leaving a trail of blood behind. Creepy! The Malt House also at Grand Canal Quay is a far cry from where it was when it was used as a shipping dock. Now, media companies have taken over and helped banish its old roots, but not the ghosts apparently. Inside the Malt House a local radio station deals with a grey lady who haunts the halls. On a variety of occasions – and from ﬁrst hand experience – you would often get that feeling that there was something present or you were being

watched. It is said that ghostly sailors, who met a sudden end in the nearby docks, haunt the whole complex. The hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention so I hopped back on my bike and quickly moved on. Back down at the end of Thorncastle Street in Ringsend an old dog food factory used to introduce some delightful leftovers into the nearby water. One NewsFour reader regales me with this story from when he was a kid, “I would go for a swim in the nearby dock. On one occasion, I remember it was during summer, a good

friend of mine (I won’t mention his name!) got drenched in a flood of maggots and slime.” This was a result of sludge expelled from the factory during the food-making process. “Open-topped vans were a regular sight in the area carrying severed animal heads and other ghastly animal body parts. The smell was vile.” The area continues to have a number of ghostly stories that have become local folklore such as the haunting of the nearby Regal Cinema, although this particular NewsFour reader said, “There was more action on the seats than on the screen,” referring to their infestation by fleas! My final destination was the East Pier near the East Link Bridge. In ‘Ghosts of Old Dublin’ (1975) author Patrick F. Byrne describes in detail the story of Captain McNeill and the phantom dog. In 1861, McNeill’s ship was attempting to dock in the nearby harbour but ‘one of the worst gales ever reported sprung up in the Irish Sea,’ relates Byrne. The storm had swept one boat, ‘The Neptune’, into the nearby rocks of the East Pier. In an attempt to save the ship, Captain McNeill was killed by a large wave and his boat was destroyed. The captain’s dog joined the search for the body and lay next to the coffin as the body lay in state in the Cathedral, and later followed it to the gravesite. ‘When the grave was filled in it lay on top and refused to leave, eventually dying of hunger,’ continues Byrne. Since then a figure of a black dog has been seen at the gravesite. Well, needless to say I couldn’t pedal home quick enough after the day’s eerie events. Pictured top to bottom: Blood Stoney Road, The Malt House and Cardiff Lane near the Bord Gáis Theatre.

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

M ARTIN MOORE A 1940 P POLICEMAN IN

By Joan Mitchell oo often personal stories get lost in history. When public commemorations happen, a parade will be planned or a dignitary will speak of the number of lives lost and progress

ALESTINE

we have made in the years gone past. But captivating, true personal stories are often lost and these are the stories which bring history to life. Last week I went to Bethany House in Sandymount and

LEAGUE LEGENDS RECALLED

By Jimmy Purdy n days gone by, League of Ireland often threw together some great local derbies, Shelbourne and Rovers would be a big one. In our young days in Whelan House (the first flats in Ringsend) we were divided as to who we followed, Shels or Rovers? We would always make our way to Milltown or Shelbourne Park (the present greyhound stadium) for these local derbies. This brings me to the game that took place recently, the final of the Leinster Senior Cup. It brought together St. Pat’s CY and Shamrock Rovers. St. Pat’s are from the heart of Ringsend and Rovers, although now based in Tallaght, will always be a Ringsend Team. This game was as local as it gets. St. Pat’s CY over the years have had some great success as a junior team but in this cup, on their way they eliminated two Airtricity teams Bray Wanderers and UCD to get to the final, a great achievement. When living and growing up in Whelan House two families living there at the time were the Floods

and Fulhams. The fathers were part of a famous Rovers team that had four forwards playing for them whose surnames started with the letter F – Flood, Fulham, Fagan and Farrell. Another great name who played for Rovers was Jimmy Dunne. Jimmy made his debut for Rovers around 1923 and played on Rovers reserves. Rovers had a great centre forward, Billy Farrell from Bray who kept Jimmy out of the ﬁrst team. Soon after, Jimmy was snapped up by English third divi-

PAGE 19 met an amazing man who had a unique and interesting story to tell. Martin Moore was born in Rathmines and educated in a boarding school in Cork. While the Second World War was going on, Martin felt he wanted to help in some way but at the time he wasn’t the age to join, and when he was the war was over. So, aged twenty, he decided to join the Palestinian Police. A few months later he watched the night lights from Nazareth on his 21st birthday. In 1946 Palestine was accepting 1,000 Jewish settlers a month. This was seen by Jews as a trickle as they wanted much greater numbers and when this met with resistance from Britain, Jewish terrorism was born. Two of Martin’s colleagues in the Palestinian Police were kidnapped. Sergeant Paddy Hackett, whose parents came from Tyrone and whose Dad was a doctor in Milwall in East London, joined the RAF straight after school and saw active service in Malta, Italy and North Africa, and when he was demobilised he straight away joined the Palestinian Police. Constable Paddy Ward was from 41, Stella Gardens in Ringsend. His father was an interpretsion side New Brighton. Here Jimmy was an instant success, scoring goals in league and cup and he soon moved to Sheffield United, playing in the reserves until he made his mark by scoring 36 goals in 39 games in the first division of the English football league. Most of us from Whelan House were Shelbourne supporters and nowadays I still follow League of Ireland football, now known as the Airtricity League. My favourite ground is Bray Wanderers and meeting up with some Bray fans; the two Annes, Sean, his daughter, and Dave his brother. One of the Annes is Noel Walsh’s wife. Noel is also a great Bray skiff club man whose health is holding him back at this time, so I wish Noel a speedy recovery. St. Pat’s CY played a tight game with Rovers, who clinched the win with a goal from Greene. Congrats to Shamrock Rovers for winning the Leinster Senior Cup for the first time since 1997. A statuette of Bob Fullam, pictured left, saying ‘Give it to Bob’ was presented to him back in the day. If there was a penalty, the crowd would shout ‘Give it to Bob’. If the statuette is still in Ringsend please let us know.

er in the Foreign Department of the Hospitals Trust. On a warm evening on June 11th 1947 in Palestine, Sergeant Hackett and Constable Ward were swimming at a local pool when there was a call for them to come to reception. At the reception they were met with armed men who bundled them into a wardrobe on the back of a lorry and drove off with them. The two men arrived bound and gagged at an unknown location. Their Jewish terrorist captors seemed nervous and agitated, which the two policemen took as a good sign that they were inexperienced. Their captors fed them well, even providing cigarettes, beer and magazines but they told them they were being held because ﬁve Jewish terrorists had tried to help some comrades escape from jail and were captured and sentenced to death by hanging by the British. They told Constable Ward and Sergeant Hackett that whatever happened to the their Jewish friends the same would happen to them and to reinforce the point they showed them the yards of rope with nooses they had brought with them. Understandably, the two men were extremely worried. They were kept awake all night but after 19 hours in captivity they managed to free themselves and ran into the local street where some Palestinian policemen were looking for them. Luckily, the getaway van was parked close to where they were being held. Their euphoria at escaping was not to last long, as a few days later three other Palestinian policemen were captured by the Jewish terrorists and found hanging from

an olive tree. When they were found, the ofﬁcer in charge went forward to cut down the bodies but one was booby trapped and the body exploded. A few months later, the United Nations were asked to help to solve the on-going terrorist activities by the Jews. They suggested partition, which was not a solution favoured by the British and so in a historic moment the UN became involved and the British withdrew from Palestine. The British and Irish working in the Palestinian police were interviewed for other positions. Martin Moore was interviewed for the Malay police and the Kenyan police, and was later accepted for both the Newcastle and Liverpool Police. He decided to come home for a few weeks to Dublin and while at a dance, met his future wife and stayed in Dublin. He worked at the Gas Board in D’Olier Street and later in Barrow Street. He retired in 1986 and after a few years moved into the wonderful Bethany House.

Top left: Martin Moore today and, above, as a policeman in Palestine in 1946.

PAGE 20

OLYMPIC

By Noel Twamley hat a great Olympic Games. London certainly came up trumps and our very own team Ireland were magniﬁcent. I ﬁrst became interested in the Olympics when my mother bought me The History of the 1948 Games in Craddock’s bookshop in Harcourt Road. It cost her ten shillings, a pretty big sum then as the Evening Herald and Evening Mail cost just a penny. In those far-off days, around 1950, my schoolboy pal Jim Bolger and I were drinking a pint of buttermilk in Josie Ward’s shop (in those days most Dublin dairies sold buttermilk, it was a

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

DAYS

penny a pint). Josie Ward had two shops then, one at Kelly’s Corner and another beside the Bleeding Horse Pub. She was a much older woman and was telling us about her two-week holiday in 1936 at the Berlin Olympics. She was twenty in 1936 and travelled by boat and a twoday train journey (no Ryanair back then, folks). Everything Josie told us was in colour. She described the thousands of Olympic ﬂags and the Nazi ﬂags, the big beautiful buildings, the clean streets, everything perfect, the lovely people – all the girls were gorgeous, of course, with their cool linen dresses, their

lightly perfumed hair and white teeth. As for the men, they were perfect in their lovely uniforms, shiny boots, tanned skin and, of course, pearly teeth. At this stage, three much older women were shopping and were hanging onto every word Josie said. When I asked Josie about Jesse Owens’ four medal wins one old dear said, “Don’t listen to Noel, Josie, tell us about the lovely men in their shiny boots and pearly teeth,” at this we knew the magic was gone so Jim and I made a hasty exit! The 1936 games were a great success for the despot Hitler and his gang. It was the ﬁrst but not the last Olympics to have intriguing scandalous politics, for example: the three medal winners in the Women’s 100 metres were all men posing as women. Some twenty years later, the sham ﬁnalists Helen Stephens and Kathe Krauss admitted they were men, however, Stella Walsh aka ‘Stella the Fella’ denied this. When Stella Walsh was shot dead in a bank robbery many years later the FBI autopsy showed that Stella was indeed a man! Another great scandal was US swimmer Eleanor Holm, who was caught every morning climbing out

of the tarpaulin-covered lifeboats with various male athletes. Chef De Mission Avery Brundage was informed and dismissed her from team USA. She was sent home on the next ship. On arriving home, Eleanor told the US media, “I love men, parties and champagne.” Eleanor Holm ended up in Hollywood, and made some ‘B’ movies, including Tarzan’s Revenge with a fellow swimmer, Glen Morris. They all bombed at the box office. Eleanor retained her flirtatiousness even into old age. As recently as 1999, at a White House reception she sidled up to Bill Clinton and said, “Hey Mr. President, you’re a really good-looking dude.” Aside from the above, the Berlin Games were a great success, with many records broken by super athletes, not forgetting the immortal Jesse Owens, who was voted the greatest athlete of the 20th century. I would like to dedicate this article to my boyhood friend Jim Bolger, who I have been told died recently. To add to my chagrin, I have also just learned that my grandson Conor Twamley and Jim’s grandson Paul Bolger play rugby with St. Mary’s R.F.C. in Templeogue and I never made the connection. I have great memories of Jim, our time spent in the Princess and Stella cinemas in Rathmines, the cricket practice in Leinster Cricket Club on Mount Pleasant Avenue and the many days we all played ‘Ice Hockey’ with hurleys on frozen Portobello Harbour in that horrific, bitter winter of 1947. I would like to close my eyes now and dream of those innocent and happy days when we were all young and that day around 1950 in Josie Ward’s shop listening to Josie’s tales of lost Berlin and those lovely Berlin belles with their cologne-scented hair and pearly teeth. Oh I forgot Josie, please give Jim and I two more pints of your cool buttermilk, ah yes, dream on Noel, dream on. Above and below: Memories of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

LEST WE FORGET

By Rupert Heather ovember is the month when the British wear a red poppy to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives during wars. The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month marks the signing of the Armistice on 11th November 1918, signalling the end of World War One. Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Ireland last year to honour the memory of the Irish men who fought and died for King and country in the Great War and, significantly, those who died in the struggle for Irish freedom was a landmark moment in Anglo-Irish relations. It put to rest, for many, any lingering doubt over Britain’s willingness to apologise for the occupation of Ireland. That gesture requires us to re-examine our relationship with Remembrance Day. It’s about honouring all those who have died in conflicts. That doesn’t preclude us here from entering into the spirit, symbolically at least. The Great War was supposed to be the last ever war and given what followed, the wearing of the poppy in November also signifies the question, ‘what lessons have we learned?’ An interesting local counterpoint is that by March 1916, 40 men from the Ringsend YMCA left to join the war effort. An archive entry (above) in the minutes of a YMCA meeting states, ‘The treasurer says we are doing well financially but when the boys come home we’ll have a grand praise supper.’ ‘The secretary was requested to write a letter of sympathy to Mrs. Glasgow on the death of her son in the war, a member of our association,’ it continues. Anchorage Project Manager Joe Donnelly says, “100 years ago, countries fought their wars on the battlefields. They sent their youngest and fittest to be slaughtered, where today many countries send their youngest and fittest to compete in the Olympics.” Parallelling the experience of young people today and back then shows that the spirit of youth is embodied by athletes like Katie Taylor, when 100 years ago they were used as cannon fodder. Traditional role models were often militaristic. These days sports people bring prestige and honour to their country through sport. That is why we come to a standstill for national sporting occasions. We all need to feel a sense of pride about our identity, that is so vitally important. We all benefitted from the freedoms afforded to us by the slaughter of so many during World War One and we are all affected by global conflicts that continue to this day. If Remembrance Day is a time to reflect quietly on that, then we should welcome it here too.

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

PAGE 21

AN AUTUMN APPROACH

By James O’Doherty here was an Autumnal feeling in the air as I walked up the recently restored Dodder walkway. The light of the sun was reflecting off the giant glass dome that is the Aviva Stadium. The water in the Dodder was at rest following the turbulence of the recent heavy rains. The trees around me stood silently with thousands of different green leaves soon to be full of intoxicating delight with the withdrawal of the green pigment Chlorophyll from the leaves. Nature stands at the sidelines preparing us for the falling leaves that herald Autumn. The trees it seemed to me were aptly playing out their own Olympic Games – an array of colour; copper, bronze and scarlet – a gold medal display in all its glory. So Autumn approaches and it is time to turn your attention to your gardens as it embraces another season. Complete the planting of spring bedding, Wallflowers, Pansies, Bellis, Polyanthus, Forget Me Not, Crocus, Snowdrops, Daffodils. Then at the end of November add your Tulips. Prepare ground well and apply a general fertiliser before planting.

After planting give all plants a good supply of water. Gladioli should be lifted in October. Dry them off and store them in a dry place to be planted again next March and April. Pot up bulbs of Narcissi, Hyacinths and Tulips for an early display. Plant Allsyum Saxatile along with Arabis and Iberis Sempervirens now for a spring display. Don’t forget Aubrietia and Saxifrages. Consider a selection of crocus in grass around trees and shrubs. This is a good time to plant roses, continue to cut the grass at a higher level and apply an Autumn feed. Give a light pruning to established roses and cut them back hard in February. Spray for greenfly if required. Roseclear is a name you can trust. From now until the end of November it is a good time to plant trees and shrubs. Avoid planting during December and January. Complete the trimming of established hedges and prune shrubs, if required. Plant window boxes and containers with heathers and winterflowering Pansies. Although expensive, a group of Cyclem planted now will flower late into spring. These can

WELL DONE TEAM IRELAND

By Jason McDonnell n Wednesday 15th August NewsFour got a special invite to meet Team Ireland’s Olympic medal winners in the Mansion House. Katie Taylor, John Joe Nevin, Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlon were overjoyed with the results they got in London 2012 and some were already making plans for Brazil 2016. I spoke with Katie Taylor and she would like to thank everyone for their support and prayers during her time in London. NewsFour would also like to say a huge congratulations to Team Ireland’s Paralympic winners who brought home an astonishing 16 medals, 8 of which were gold. All of our athletes have done us very proud. Left to Right: Olympic Medal winners Paddy Barns, Katie Taylor and John Joe Nevin

be replaced with Polyanthus later on. Some plants tolerant of drought include Hebes (a huge selection) Berberis, Acuba, Vinca and the beautiful Weigela. The lovely Agapanthus, a

South African plant member of the Lily family is at its best when grown in large pots. They will thrive for years and flower best when undisturbed. Take note of watering, particularly during Winter months.

You can also plant now for Summer flowering – Magnolia, Rhododendron, Azalea, Skimmia, Escallonia, Spirea, Viburnum Lanarth – these are but a selection. As always, prepare the ground well and apply a general fertiliser and water well after planting. Apply a thick mulch and this will keep down weeds and retain moisture. Make sure that fallen leaves are gathered up regularly. This will keep your garden tidy and will also ensure garden paths are safe. This has been a bad year for herbs with the exception of mint, a herb that thrived in the awful, wet Summer we just had. So replant your herb garden as soon as possible before the onset of Winter. Remember by September the strength of the sun and its rays diminishes day by day. Gladioli being natives of South Africa must have a sunny position, hence they have not been at their best these past few months. So, as the days of Summer slip away enjoy the crimson glory of the setting Autumn sun and the transient nature of the Autumn colour… and please do take a photo.

PAGE 22

P ICTURE

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

ROUNDUP

Pictured are Principals and pupils of Ringsend College with local representatives Kevin Humphries TD, Cllr. Maria Parodi and Cllr. Dermot Lacey at ‘Ireland’s Biggest Coffee Morning’ which was held on Friday 21st September in the college. All proceeds were donated to Our Lady’s Hospice.

The men are from left to right: Terry Donnelly, Billy O’Brien, Vincent ‘Hearse’ Quinn and Peter ‘Bottler’ Hannigan. The picture is from Mr. Hannigan’s son Ben, who is a current member of Stella Maris Rowing Club.

Congratulations to Christopher Kelly on receipt of his Special Merit Award for the maintenance and upkeep of the beautiful gardens at Shelbourne Park Apartments.

Brian O’Brien of Books on the Green in Sandymount is pictured here with his Special Merit Award which he received from the South East Area City Neighbourhoods Competition. Brian had no idea that locals had nominated his shop front for the award and he would like to thank everyone involved.

Pictured are some of the girls who took part in The Little Miss Clanna Gael Summer Camp in July run by Kim Flood. The ‘Girls Only’ Football Camp saw over 90 girls aged 4 to 14 get the chance to practice their football skills, have a ‘hair and nails day’ and they even got a close-up look at the Leinster trophy brought to them by Dublin Goalkeeper Cliodhna O’Connor.

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

PAGE 23

Pictured above is the Street Feast which was held at Grand Canal Dock. We have no idea why the man in the foreground has a bucket on his head!

ECOCEM and An Taisce’s Clean Coasts Programme On 21 September, the coastline of Sandymount saw a team of willing volunteers from a Ringsend-based company, ECOCEM, setting to work sprucing up their local coastal area. ECOCEM are producers of sustainable building products and worked with the An Taisce Clean Coasts programme to undertake a litter-pick on Sandymount beach. The 16 volunteers managed to collect a total of 19 bags of litter on the day and even found a Christmas tree. Dublin City Council also assisted by removing the litter bags on the day. www.cleancoastsireland.org, Facebook: www.facebook.com/CleanCoasts Emma Byrne, 32, a senior infants teacher at St. Patrick’s Boys National School in Ringsend won the Woman of the Year 2012 and will now represent Ireland in the UK on 7th Oct. Emma lost an amazing 6.5 stone with the help of her local Slimming World group Ringsend/Irishtown with sheer determination and commitment. She has a fantastic story that is inspirational to us all. We are living in a climate with intense scrutiny on child obesity and healthy liv-

ing. Emma is promoting weight loss in a fast, healthy and achievable way. It’s a healthy lifestyle change. By Pamela Malone of Slimming World

Leading Teams

Left to right: James Fennelly, Ireland’s strongest man and Adrian O’Dwyer, Olympic high jumper cheering on Dave Hedges at Irishtown Stadium during a charity event held on Saturday 1st September in aid of Rehab Care’s mental health service on Pearse Street. Dave, head coach of Wild Geese Martial Arts and Fitness, walked a mile while swinging a 24kg Kettlebell, completing the challenge in just 58 minutes. €4,210 has been raised so far. Donations: www.mycharity.ie/event/dave_hedgess_event/

To-day the Under Twenty-one League enters on its fourth series of matches. So far Shamrock Rovers “C ” and Grosvenor Celtic appear to be the outstanding teams, both being undefeated. I have not seen the latter in action, but was very much impressed by the Rovers’ colts, particularly their inside forward, Purdy, who has been scoring each week. This youth strikes me as a star in the making. Another team that impressed me very much was Larkhill, but they have not had the best of luck. I can readily understand why the Second Division English League side, Brentford, were

so anxious to secure the services of John Quinn their inside right. Quinn, a Postal official, refused their tempting offer. The idea that Messrs. Giffney and Halpin had when they formed the League was that too many young players were being lost to football because on reaching the age limit of eighteen years for Minors, they were entering higher grades before being properly matured and in many instances disappeared altogether from football. It is hoped that the extra three years will save these young players for the game.

A little birdie dropped the newspaper excerpt above from the Sunday Independent of September 23rd 1951 into the NewsFour ofﬁce. It features our very own Jimmy Purdy when he was just a wee lad……

PAGE 24

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

DCC News • DCC News • DCC News

DCC NOTES COMPILED BY LIAM CAHILL

and the introduction of wi-ﬁ in public areas. To date, the enactment of the plan has yet to be decided.

Decision on Poolbeg delayed Dublin City Council has reviewed a report that highlighted the need for a Waste to Energy centre at Poolbeg. “The Poolbeg plant will be needed as long as waste available in the market continues to be land-filled. There are no alternatives to Poolbeg available; private waste infrastructure is diminishing,” says Seamus Lyons, Assistant City Manager, DCC. The project received planning approval from An Bord Pleanála in November 2007 but has been delayed due to securing financing for the construction. Local community groups gain The allocation of the East Link Fund got underway. The funds were made available through the Community Development Fund, which receives financial dividends allocated through East Link Ltd. Close to €130,000 was received for 2012 by the organisation; the funds were then divided up amongst community groups north and south of the bridge. Ringsend Trust, Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club, and Irishtown Stage School were just some of the groups to receive funds. Road improvement consultancy continues Public consultation is still continuing in relation to road improvements in the Ringsend/ Irishtown area. Initial consultation took place in Ringsend Library in July, with a map outlining the proposed road changes on public display. Representatives were present to take suggestions, and provide information to members of the public. The proposed improvements include changes to both sides of the western end of Dermot O’Hurley Avenue at the junction with Fitzwilliam Quay. The council also wants to remove the islands on Irishtown Road and reconstruct two new islands. Following the consultation process, and a meeting of the South East Area Committee, final drawings will be sent to the NTA (National Transportation Authority) for their approval.

New exhibition aims to rebel against the norm A new multi-media exhibition aims to highlight four centuries of portraits containing disabled people. ‘Re-Framing Disability: an historic and contemporary perspective’ is set to open in the Civic Ofﬁces on Wood Quay after an initial run in the Dublin City Library and Archive on Pearse Street. “This exhibition provides a perspective over society’s engagement with disability during the past four hundred years,” said Fine Gael Cllr Kieran Binchy. The exhibition, which is on loan from London’s Royal College of Physicians, takes place from 2nd October to 12th October 2012. Admission is free. Irishtown Stadium taking part in fundraising drive Irishtown Stadium is amongst the groups to join the Cappagh Hospital’s Fitness and Fundraising campaign. Twenty-ﬁve local businesses, including leisure centres from Dun Laoghaire, Rathfarnham, and Aungier Street are also taking part. The fundraising effort is being organised by the Cappagh Hospital Foundation, the fundraising arm of Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital, in its latest national fundraising initiative called TriFitness to raise funds to develop a sports rehabilitation gym. The campaign runs for ten gruelling weeks, and kicked off

in mid-September. “With Cappagh’s strong sporting therapy and reputation, we felt that this type of initiative was the perfect vehicle to help raise funds and awareness for the hospital,” said John Dennehy, Executive Director of the Cappagh Hospital Foundation. The TriFitness initiative is being billed by the promoters as a ‘fun and unique way to improve your fitness, health, mobility, and wellbeing’. It’s basically a team event in which groups of three will compete in a series of interactive distance trials set at ten minutes a piece – either on the treadmill, rowing machine, or a bike. Semifinals and finals are due to be held in DCU this December. Marriage Equality In a significant move towards full marriage rights, DCC endorsed marriage equality. The issue was brought up as part of an emergency motion tabled by a number of Labour and Sinn Féin councillors including Labour’s Jane Horgan Jones, who gave a feisty speech about the role of equality in marriage. “It’s not the state’s right to say you have fewer rights than your neighbour, marriage is strengthened by equality,” she said. The endorsement of equal marriage by Dublin City Council was not without its critics, with Fine Gael’s Bill Tormey making a generic comparison between LGBT people and evolution. The final vote was 38 for and 4 against.

Property Tax DCC held an interesting debate about the Government’s proposed property tax. It is understood the new tax may be collected by the Revenue Commissioners office – in order to avoid any intransigence by the public. The topic got the annual City Council meeting off to a fiery start, with Pat Dunne of People Before Profit saying the new tax was “dishonest” while other members debated the new tax’s logistics, including the rate of taxation. More clarity on the proposed tax should be given with the launch of the Government’s budget in December. City Council Considers New City Strategy DCC is currently considering a new public realm strategy for the city. The ‘Your City, Your Space; Dublin City Realm Strategy’ draft form, details ways the city can deliver and maintain services, preserve amenities, and protect public spaces. The document prioritises walking, cycling and public transportation, providing a vision for the improvement of such services. In recent weeks the reliability of public transportation in the Ringsend/Irishtown area has come under scrutiny. The plan, complete with 15 long-term actions, and a two-year work plan aims to improve on the quality of public art, cultural programmes

Docklands Area to get new designation Parts of Dublin’s Docklands are to be designated as a Strategic Development Zone (SDZ). The proposals come in the aftermath of the winding down of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) that included a clause to continue with the regeneration of the Docklands area. The new plan will allow for a continuation of the Docklands regeneration programme, with the new development zones fast tracking planning procedures. According to Dublin City Council, the new SDZ area is to be in place by November 2013 and includes plans to revitalize the North Lotts and Grand Canal Quay. Grafton Street to get makeover The makeover of Grafton Street, pictured above and below, is due to commence in the new year. This makeover will include a re-pavement of the entire street which is estimated to cost €2.5million. Independent Cllr Mannix Flynn and People Before Proﬁt’s Brid Smith debated the cost of the project, ways to reduce those costs on the taxpayer, and if other parts of the city could be included in the re-pavement plan. A majority of the City Council suggested the plan would help a city centre that has been hit hard by the downturn.

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

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RINGSEND AND IRISHTOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE NEWS

NEW EXCITING DEVELOPMENT OF SERVICES AT RINGSEND & IRISHTOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE By Lorraine Barry RICC RADIO RICC communicating with our Community Following a number of consultation meetings with community groups and stakeholders, it was clearly identified that the development of a local radio station would be hugely

beneficial for the community of Ringsend and Irishtown. This project will be a great asset primarily to the youth of the area. The aim is to: * Enhance communication skills and build confidence/self esteem through the medium of radio. * Provide a range of youth educational programmes that

N EIGHBOUR

OF THE

will be put in place with opportunities to learn a wide range of skills including radio presentation and DJ skills. * Create a unique opportunity for young people to publicly express and communicate their views/opinions on issues that affect them, in a positive and constructive manner. * Provide structured training in communications and IT skills and radio technology. * To secure the continued support of local third-level educational institutions which provide communications/media courses by accessing their student placement programme.

YEAR A WARD

A community radio station really can make a difference to the community as a whole. The additional beneﬁts will: * Act as a vital source of information to local people. * Reduce isolation. * Share knowledge and experience on the airwaves and online. * Promote community development and community expression. * Facilitate integration. * Value diversity in culture. * Support businesses in the community. We aim to develop programmes to suit all members of the community. Current topics on the agenda are: RICC Community News and Current Affairs, NewsFour Updates, CDYSB Youth Programme, School of Rock, Primary Health

advice, Calender of events in the community, Local Debates, History and Heritage of Ringsend and Irishtown and many, many more… A special thanks to Sandymount Community Services and NewsFour for providing staff to aid in the development of RICC Radio. Also, members of the Active Retirement team (pictured) who were part of the ‘Storytelling in Ringsend’ during the Tall Ships festival which will form part of our ﬁrst podcast. Current RICC Radio Production Team are: Lorraine, Brendan, Rupert, Liam, Barbara, Jennifer, Terry, Feidhlim, Peter, Maurice, Dylan and Mary. If you would like to get involved, please contact the Centre Manager on 6604 789 or email lbarryricc@gmail.com Further details to follow.

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

By Jason McDonnell roadcaster Ryan Tubridy and Eileen Colgan, who plays Esther Roche in Fair City’s Carrigstown, joined the residents of St. Brendan’s Cottages in Irishtown, Dublin 4, to launch the ‘Neighbour of the Year’ Award, as part of the 2012 People of the Year Awards, organised by Rehab. The award, in partnership with RTÉ2fm’s Tubridy Show, was this year’s special category and people were being encouraged to nominate an inspirational neighbour

who has made a real difference in their community. The awards were presented by Gráinne Seoige and televised live on RTÉ One on Saturday 15th September. The awards celebrated the extraordinary achievements of ordinary people. Maeve Flaherty from Ballinteer was recognised for her fantastic neighbourly spirit, willingness to turn her home into a place of refuge for people in difﬁculty, and unwaivering support as a friend and neighbour. Photo: Corporate PR Photography.

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

A Friendly & Professional Service

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SIKH HERITAGE THRIVES ON S ERPENTINE AVENUE

By Jason McDonnell went to Serpentine Avenue in Ballsbridge to visit the Dublin Gurdwara (gateway to the Guru) which is the central religious and cultural institution for the people of

Sikh heritage living in Ireland. Every Sunday afternoon, up to 300 people come to participate in the religious service and communal meal offered at the Gurdwara. It is an important meeting place for recent Sikh immigrants in Ireland. Before entering, you must take off your shoes and socks and

Remembering Anthony (Flyer) Flood First Birthday Away From Home Born 8th October 1941

Birthday wishes we send today, To the Stars in the sky not far away, Let the Stars be your candles, Keep them burning bright, So when we look up to the sky, We will know that you are alright, Time slips by, Memories stay, But from our hearts you will never stray, We know your gentle Spirit is with us always, Love from ALL YOUR FAMILY

keep your head covered at all times. If you don’t have a head cover you can borrow a scarf from the Gurdwara when you are there. Sikhs welcome everyone to their Gurdwara. In December 1986, when Sikhs first bought the abandoned Oscar Theatre building to house the Gurdwara, less than one hundred Sikhs lived in Ireland. Since there were only a few families up until 2000, the work of renovating the building took many years to complete. The number of Sikhs in Ireland grew past

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

2,000, which resulted in a marked increase in the number of people who regularly attend the Gurdwara. Sikh men use Singh (lion) as their middle or last name, while females use the name Kaur (princess or lioness). Besides the positive experience of Sikhs living in Ireland, they have suffered instances of racial abuse especially after 9/11 and 7/7 London bombings. Many people confused turban wearing Sikhs as followers of Osama Bin Laden. Sikhism is the world’s youngest and the fifth largest religion. Sikhism traces its origins to its founder, Guru Nanak Dev, the first of ten Sikh gurus, who was born in 1469 in a part of the Punjab in India. The word ‘Sikh’ has its origin from the Sanskrit word ‘sisya’ meaning ‘disciple’ or ‘learner ’. Guru Nanak Dev laid down the basic precepts of the Sikh way of life: a fusion of Kirat Karo (doing honest work), Naam Japo (remembering the Lord’s name in meditation), Vand chhako (sharing what

you have with others). The Guru Granth Sahib contains the writings of Sikh Gurus and of holy saints from other faith traditions and serves as the ultimate source of spiritual guidance for Sikhs. When Sikhs enter the Diwan Hall of the Gurdwara they walk up to the Guru Granth Sahib and bow in front of it as a mark of respect. Its 1,430 pages contain poetry and prose revolving around the aspects and concepts of divinity, equality, worship and love for his entire creation. It is believed to contain the eternal truth. Sikhism encourages its followers to remember God, work and live an honest, truthful living while helping and sharing with the needy. Sikhism espouses equality between men and women, among different races. Clockwise from top left: Sikh Bhai Jasvir Singh (priest) attending to Guru Granth Sahib; Sikh Congregation having a communal meal (langar) in Gurdwara and Sikh Visitors from Longford Women’s Link after visiting Gurdwara.

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

CURSÍOLTA: SOW SEEDS, GROW MUSIC

“I

By Joe McKenna don’t think opportunities happen to you, I believe you make your own opportunities and those opportunities lead to things happening for you,” says Emma O’Reilly, proprietor of Cursíolta, the newest and most vibrant musical initiative in Irish music. After completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and English at Trinity College in 2010, Emma O’Reilly (pictured right) took the decision to not be involved in music for a while and give herself time to relax. That lasted less than a month as her drive and passion for music had her organising shows and realising a concept that had grown legs back in 2008. “I wanted to put on a concert in the National Concert Hall. When I came across their application form it asked for an organisation name and I thought it just made sense, that if I was going to be putting on gigs and making things happen I might as well be building on a name rather than just doing a series of disconnected events and that’s really were

Cursíolta came into it.” As a musician in her own right Emma is a classically trained singer and pianist as well as an accomplished guitarist, songwriter and all-round musical rubik’s cube. But it is her relentless ambition, selﬂessness, inclusive attitude and ‘outside the box’ thinking that will surely see Cursíolta make rapid strides in the coming years. “With Cursíolta we try to put on as many events as we can. I say ‘we’ because I see everything outside of my own music as being Cursíolta business. We’ve had one choral concert,

The Edge of Autumn Rowan berries cluster orange ripening an August morning. Tart apples crisp knotted branches, fallen, scarred fruit soften wasp warm soil. Blackcurrants burst sweet bowing boisterous bushes. Spent raspberry canes rust birthing ﬂeshy new shoots, prickly with prospect. The rambling rose laughs sprinting the garden wall. Thorny veins throb purple under a waning sun. A cloudy sea races under a stirring breeze. Trembling trees shudder the call to Autumn, their shadows darken the deck. I stretch, brushing off the creeping dread of dark days to come. By Marie Morrissey-Cummins

B AG

we organised a ﬂashmob for International Women’s Day, a gig in Twisted Pepper and two in Wall and Keogh Tea Rooms recently which we’re hoping to make regular events. I also help a few artists with PR for free, getting their events up online and it’s all done under the Cursíolta banner. I think that by getting musicians out to gig more you create the networks that you’d like to be part of and through that Cursíolta will hopefully become stronger and create opportunities all on its own.” In an ever changing musical world that is saturated with ce-

PAGE 27 lebrity and nostalgia, today’s emerging musicians find that well-beaten paths to recognition may not be the avenues best suited for them. A lot of younger artists struggle to find live settings to suit their music and for the most part open mic nights and pub appearances are far from inspiring, which leaves today’s artists solely in charge of where they play and, as many will tell you, finding gigs can be difficult. But with the seeds currently being sown by Emma O’Reilly through Cursíolta, and many other grassroots collectives around the city, that is set to change. “I don’t know if a lot of people know how to search for gigs, especially ones that suit them. Pub culture is heavily associated with gigging, but it’s not always the best environment for certain types of music. I think that’s why a lot of artists would be interested in the gigs we put on, because I like to keep them intimate, low key and in smaller venues. “I believe there is a huge amount of room for these kinds of gigs. With Wall and Keogh they gave us the space for free and asked that admission be free. That really opens it up to

the public: some people brought their kids, and being under age wasn’t an issue, it costs nothing and it’s a quieter setting. The pub can be an intimidating place for musicians. It can also be a lot of fun, but for lower key songwriters it’s often a nightmare because no one there is obligated to listen. With us, the artists really enjoy the setting; we video them playing a really chilled acoustic performance and they can then use that to promote their music, which I hope is an extra incentive for them to come on board with Cursíolta.” With an ethos built around enhancing the artist as opposed to selling tickets, Cursíolta is setting a concrete precedent for burgeoning musicians wanting to develop artistically in a setting that will allow them to ﬂourish. And with a driven 24 year old at the helm with the musical bit between her teeth there is little that can get in the way of this fresh approach to new live music. “As an artist you can really gain from these types of gigs and it can spur you on to keep creating music. With Cursíolta that’s what I want to do; I want to give artists that experience and see them grow from that to realise their potential.”

THE POO , ANY BIN WILL DO !

By Cllr Maria Parodi ack in August, Dublin City Council’s Anti-Dog Fouling Campaign for our local area was launched. I welcomed this initiative as I have continuously called for measures to be taken to address the on-going issue of dog fouling across the South East Area which has become a huge issue for many local residents. This awareness campaign seeks to tackle the increase of dog fouling on our streets and highlights the need for responsible behaviour when it comes to cleaning up after our pets in order to ensure that our streets and parks are safe and clean for everyone. As part of the campaign the following measures are being taken: • A Dog Fouling Removal Machine will be made available in the local area • Biodegradable bags will be available in Libraries and should be available shortly • Anti dog fouling signs will be erected in the local area • Anti dog fouling signs will be distributed to Residents/Community/Environmental groups for erection at locations to be agreed by them

• Posters giving information on where to dispose of dog faeces will be placed on public litter bins • Litter Wardens will patrol area to enforce Litter Pollution Acts following campaign. Once again I am happy to see that this programme has been established as it is another step in the right direction to deal with the problem of dog fouling in our local communities. If you would like to report a dog fouling complaint please call the litter hotline on 1 800 251 500. Above: Maria Parodi and local Litter Wardens.

Fundraising Gig at Clanna Gael By Jason McDonnell I am proud to announce an upcoming fundraising gig which will be held upstairs in the Clanna Gael Fonteny GAA Club on November 2nd. The aim is to raise money to send a local man to attend The McGuire Programme, a speech therapy programme for people who stutter. The gig has been organised by Paul Lewis, a guitarist from Sandymount and he promises a great line-up of musicians for the night. Cameo, a duo consisting of Peter and Tommy from Ballinteer will play a mix of everything from jazz to ballads. Julian Pusca, a teacher of the pan pipes from Moldova, Noel Milner, a trumpet player from the Cadets, Johnny Fagan, a great banjo player from Dublin and Ronnie Reed will all entertain on the night. It should be a great night and all are welcome. Tickets cost €5 at the door.

PAGE 28

FINGER ON THE PULSE AT WINDMILL LANE

By Joe McKenna ave you ever been walking along Ringsend Road and popped into the garage for a chicken sandwich only to spy Lady Gaga over by the jumbo Wotsits reading the Evening Herald? Or have you ever popped into Ferrari’s on a Friday afternoon and had to stand in line behind the Kings of Leon while they wait for a cod and a large chips? The answer is probably no, but you’d be surprised at how possible those situations have been in the past and might surely be in the future. That’s what can happen when one of the most famous recording studios on earth sets up just up the road. Windmill Lane Studios is a name that will get the heart beating in most music fans. The famous recording facility has a continuing history of attracting some of the biggest artists in the world. Everyone from U2, The Rolling Stones, Snoop Dogg, David Bowie, Kylie Minogue, The Script and Metallica have made use of Windmill Lane and the list of stars keeps on growing. Set up in 1978 by James Morris and Brian Masterson as Windmill Lane Studios, due to the location being Windmill Lane at the time, it was primarily used for recording traditional Irish music until U2 began to use the facility, which encouraged other Irish rock artists to record there. But in

the late 80s a decision was taken to move everything to Ringsend Road, which was sold to a highly respected Irish artist who must remain nameless (think Belfast, black hats, sunglasses and saxophones and you’re there) and only three years ago was bought over by the current owners and has been

Windmill Lane who wanted to sell and we’ve been here about three years now.” Starting off by delivering City and Guilds courses, Pulse College now offers a whole host of qualifications from FETAC level 5/6 to BA Hons in Music Production and although being known primarily as a place syn-

entertaining rock royalty right under our noses ever since. And as if that wasn’t good enough, it’s also home to Pulse College, Ireland’s leader in Creative Media Education which consistently produces skilled individuals with the ability to push Irish creativity forward within the mediums of music, film, animation and video gaming. “Myself, Aidan Alcock and Tony Perry set up Pulse College and Pulse Studios on Camden Street about twenty years ago,” CEO, Naomi Moore told NewsFour. “We had 50 Cent recording with us, Bryan Adams and people like that and the business started to grow as did the college, so we needed somewhere bigger. We were approached by someone at

onymous with rock music, Windmill Lane and Pulse College have managed to encompass film and gaming within the vast Tardis-like building next to Dublin Bus Depot. “We’ve expanded over the last number of years into video game production and film because as

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012 everything becomes more interconnected in technology things need to get better. Your sound needs to get better, your graphics need to be better and we saw the explosion of gaming coming about three years ago, so we started to implement courses and now that the industry is so big our courses are really successful, with an employment rate of about ninety percent,” Naomi explains. What sets Pulse College apart is that with a commercial brand like Windmill Lane attached, students get the chance to see the inner workings of the industry and gain experience with some of the biggest names in entertainment. “We are unique in that the students get to work in the top studios in the country and if there are bands in they get to work with them. When we had The Script in, we had two guys working with them. When we had Lady Gaga in, we had two people working with her so it’s real industry training, and by the time their course is finished they’re well-rounded practically and academically, but also in a network sense because they’ve worked with professional clients. “You can’t really get much higher training than that and I suppose that’s why most of our students do so well when they leave. We have two students working with U2 right now and people with Kylie Minogue, Van Morrison and so on.” To walk past Windmill Lane is nothing really special, but taking a tour of the building is something quite memorable. From the plush Studio 1 with a 74-channel Neve desk and a live room capable of accommodating an 80-piece orchestra to the

smaller Studios 2/3, which are just as stunning on a smaller scale, all the way to the Engine Room and the abundance of incredibly well-equipped class rooms. Windmill Lane and Pulse College have fashioned a cornucopia of creative thinking and practical experience that keeps the world’s biggest artists coming back. “We had loads of old twoinch master tapes which last year I decided to put up on the walls because I think it’s really nice for people to see all those original recordings that were made here. You can walk down the hall and see old AC/DC recordings, The Commitments and Elvis Costello, which I think lends to the history of the place. A creative space needs creativity within it to help it breathe and that’s what we’ve succeeded in doing here,” she concludes.

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

OUT FOR COFFEE… WITH ANN INGLE

By Liam Cahill nn Ingle’s idea of a coffee consists of lunch, and so we meet in Dublin’s Bewleys Café on Grafton Street. As we enter the hall, it looks like a lustrous scene straight from the movie ‘Titanic’ – with its old wooden staircases, stained glass windows, and quaint atmosphere – it makes the outside street seem tame. Ann, who is the Chairperson of the Sponsoring Committee of Sandymount Community Services, sat directly across from me wearing a long cream jacket, which she took off as she sat. Brought up in Hackney in East London, she marvels at how big the place is compared to her home here in Dublin. “London was a great place to be, but not a great place to bring up a family because it’s so spread out. You could live in London, and it’d still take you an hour to get to the West End where a play might be on,” she says. It was in Cornwall, in the early 1960s, where Ann, and her husband, would become avid fans of the beat generation – generally associated with popular bands of the time that emerged in the gritty towns of Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham. “I thought it was a band,” I said unknowingly. “How would you know what it is?” she replied. “Think of Jack Kerouac and ‘On The Road’ we were pretenders really, both hanging around living in tents,” she ﬁnishes to have a taste of her tomato and basil soup which

€2.25

smelled pretty nice. The couple would make several trips back and forth to Ireland, eventually settling here to raise a family. “What did you make of Ireland when you ﬁrst came here?” I asked. “Oh, I thought it was a crazy place, so backwards, it’s not anymore of course, Dublin is a very cosmopolitan city now,” she said. The lunch had now progressed – although Ann was still relishing the soup – she shifted gears to talk about her working life. “I was a secretary in the University of London. I went to work for one of the lecturers, John Burrows,” she said. I probe about the teacher. “what did he teach in?” “He used to say to me ‘you’re too old for toys and too young for boys.’ He was a lecturer in sociology, and gave me loads of books to read, he was a great inspiration,” she said. “That kind of environment was good for me because I was into reading but needed a mentor and that’s what he was like

to me,” she says as we engage in a meaningful conversation about the type of books John gave her. “He would have introduced me to D.H. Lawrence, Arnold Bennett, and John Steinbeck,” she said. Reading played a pivotal role in shaping the kind of woman Ann is now. She has a calm and polite demeanor whose intellectual capacity to inform and relate are second to none. The feeling you get when you sit next to her is that on the inside there’s a novelist or academic just yearning to get out. “I say, I did want a life as an academic, but with bringing up children that all went out the window. I was born to be a mother,” she said. Ann did embark on a journey to spark the inner academic by studying English and History at Trinity College. “My two favourite subjects,” I remark. “It took me three years to get into Trinity,” she said. After a brief stint in Ringsend College where she took the Leaving Certiﬁcate, Ann went on to Pearse College in Crumlin before applying and getting accepted to Trinity. “I loved it, I adored going into the whole place, I loved being with the younger people. It’s a great life. The four years were hard, I loved the challenge of it,” she said. Trinity came into Ann’s life after she had spent six years as Editor of NewsFour, which ﬁlled her intellectual capacity enormously. “How was your lunch?” I remark. “The soup was lovely, I’d recommend this place to others,” she says as we conclude our lunch.

BILLION STIMULUS

By Liam Cahill n a bid to bolster the sluggish Irish economy, the Government announced a new stimulus package that provides €2.25 billion of capital investment. The plan aims to inject money into a variety of areas in a bid to improve the nation’s infrastructure and create jobs. Speaking during the announcement, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Mr. Brendan Howlin said, “This announcement is the culmination of intensive efforts to identify projects that are realistic, credible and deliverable. The Government is committed to getting people back to work and securing real, domestic growth.” The plan contains proposals to invest €280m in education, providing or replacing 12 new schools around the country. Dublin Institute of Tech-

nology is also to gain from the plan, with its 39 sites being relocated to Grangegorman. In health, the plan will invest €115m for 20 primary care centres around the country with no planned investments in overall healthcare. The package also calls for the allocation of €850m in upgrading the national motorways that could improve the traffic flow in Dublin city and Dublin 4. Improvements in courthouses and the creation of a new Garda regional headquarters will also get the go-ahead. “We are confident that we will be able to put the correct funding structure in place to ensure delivery of these important projects. This additional €2.25 billion multi-annual plan of infrastructure investment will be used to facilitate the delivery of Phase One of the programme and to

support further labour-intensive capital projects,” said the Minister. According to the Government, the plan will create up to 13,000 new jobs. Welcome news in an economy which has felt the brunt of cutbacks and job losses. Some of the projects within the scheme will commence in the next few years. For some projects the investment will be available right away. According to the Government, the European Investment Bank, The Council of Europe Bank, and a variety of other sources funded the stimulus. Above, from left: Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

PAGE 29

A home defects and improvement column by Anthony Brabazon B.Arch. MRIAI. Q. What should I look for in buying a house? A. Assuming the house is in the right location, you should ideally employ a competent independent person to inspect and report. This would be an Architect, Engineer or Building Surveyor. While the Help My House service is designed to respond to specific concerns, the Architects are competent and experienced in carrying out fuller inspections and you should expect to pay around €300 to €500 + VAT for this type of service, which includes a full written report. However, before you get too interested you could have a preliminary look under the headings listed below. * The structure should be sound and if any walls have a noticeable lean on them, be careful and definitely get advice. All things are fixable but here is where costs can escalate. A cracking pattern will also tell about settlement issues (i.e soft ground). * The bathroom and toilet provision is probably substandard if the house is old. Broken and smelly drains cannot be ignored and any new bathrooms, toilets or shower rooms need to be carefully and efficiently planned so that daylight is not stolen from bedrooms and living areas. * Insulation levels need examination. Any property over 30 years old would probably have poor insulation unless upgrade works were done. Better building insulation simply means more comfort and less bills. Draughty doors and windows might also need repair or replacement. * The central heating system will need examination. Older systems might work but are inefficient and upgrade works normally pay off soon. Replacement of pipework can be disruptive but if other works are being done also, it’ll be worth it. Contact Help My House to arrange a visit to your home for €150. Ring Anthony Brabazon on 01-6683519 or visit helpmyhouse.ie on the web. Questions for this column can be sent to anthony@helpmyhouse.ie

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NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

Entertainment •Entertainment •Entertainment •Entertainment •Entertainment •Entertainment

ART CLASH

By Caomhan Keane rt Clash is back. A meeting of night class and nightlife, where people who are curious about being creative but lack the confidence to face the competitive environment and attitude that comes with most art classes meet every Friday, from 8pm at various locations throughout Dublin’s City Centre. Each week a different guest artist will give a class in their

chosen field, from film to street art, make up and fashion, trash, life-painting, illustration, photography and cupcake making. Participants can enjoy specific play lists and DJs chosen by the tutor in either a BYOB or pub environment in Dublin city and previous locations have included basements of bars, empty gallery spaces, and even a disused convent. “The seed was planted in my head when so many of my friends, with a few drinks on them, would confide in me that they wished they were

more creative,” Aine Macken says. She’s a curator and in her own words, D-Joke who has been a figurehead in the art and clubbing worlds in Dublin for the past eight years. “Their level of humility had gotten to a point where they wouldn’t even try. The idea behind this was to try and make people feel more comfortable about the actual experience of creativity. I wanted to share the experience of making art over a few drinks on a Friday night without anxiety or competition.” It’s open to and attracts all ages, with many people turning up on their tod and staying around for a toddy with their new-made compadres. And it’s not just novices who watch and learn. “It’s a really good opportunity for other artists to get an insight into an artist that they would respect and see how they would actually make something, not only listening to someone talk but attempting the method for themselves.” Season One of Art Clash ended with an exhibition in The Copper House Gallery. “Art Clash participants, many of whom were complete beginners, were given the opportunity to exhibit the work they had made over the last ten weeks to the public, following a workshop in putting together an art exhibition and displaying their work naturally.” Interested parties can visit Art Clash’s website www. artclash.net to sign up to the weekly newsletter. This newsletter will direct attendees as to what they need to bring, what time and where, however some details will be kept secret to surprise and titillate. Spaces will be limited and so booking a place online will be essential, with a charge of €15 per session or 10 sessions for €120. Some of the names involved include illustrators Colm Mac Athlaoich, Mick Minogue, and Steve McCarthy, film groups Morb and Trashfest, make-up artist Ruth Hirsch, street artists Will St Leger (amongst other extremely exciting graffiti artists – to be announced), plus curator and photographer Aoife Giles. Photo by Aine McDermott of Steve McCarthy’s class, the first in the series.

Dublin Theatre Festival

By Caomhan Keane

here are only ten days left to enjoy the Dublin Theatre Festival which runs at various venues throughout the city until the 14th of October. Already we have had Corn Exchange’s commedia dell’arte take on James Joyce’s Dubliners at the Gaiety Theatre. The company’s biggest production to date starring Mark O’Halloran and Derbhla Crotty, and The Select, Elevator Repair Service’s staging of The Sun Also Rises which ran in The O’Reilly Theatre. DruidMurphy, is a trio of plays by the country’s greatest living playwright, Tom Murphy. Conversations on a Homecoming, A Whistle in the Dark and Famine, are currently running at the former venue and can be viewed individually or all in one day. If you have to pick between them I’d go with ‘Whistle in the Dark’, where the performances, particularly from Marty Rea and Aaron Monaghan, have an almost intolerable authenticity.

The Talk of the Town, by multi award-winning Emma Donoghue, author of the worldwide bestseller Room, is at Project Arts with Catherine Walker as the writer Maeve Brennan, a literary icon who fascinated the world, including the brilliant and volatile men in her life at The New Yorker magazine. It’s directed by Annabelle Comyn, the woman behind two of the ﬁnest productions The Abbey has produced in recent years, Pygmalion and The House.

You won’t want to miss ANU Productions, who continue their Monto Cycle with The Boys of Foley Street, an immersive instillation bound to leave the audience both shaken and stirred if their Irish Times Award winning Laundry is anything to go by.

Meanwhile, Forced Entertainment, who so brilliantly set the template for so many emerging Irish artists to start from, bring their latest, The Coming Storm, to the Samuel Beckett Theatre, where six performers create, collaborate, ambush and disrupt an epic saga that is resolutely too big for the stage, incorporating live music, wrongheaded theatrical tricks and broken dances.

Perhaps the most exciting addition to the festival is Public Face III, a giant neon smiley visible at night on the Dublin skyline. Using sophisticated software developed by the Fraunhofer Institute to read facial expressions of passers-by, this interactive installation will capture the humour of Dublin and Dubliners in real time, displaying a smile, a frown or an indifferent grimace. For those with a taste for the traditional, The Abbey will be mounting Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, a disturbing tale of a young man’s uncanny ability to remain both young and beautiful while descending into a life of heartless debauchery, while the Gate have scored the return of the brilliant Declan Hughes, whose new play The Last Summer stars the always-brilliant Peter Hanley and often-brilliant Cathy Belton.

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

FILMS

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BOOKS The Takeaway Secret By Joe McKenna

n today’s culture of celebrity chefs and non-stop cooking shows, it would be safe to say that a lot of kitchen generals want the world to marvel at their culinary genius. But how does a person with a passion for cooking go about getting to that stage? Well, if you’re Kenny McGovern, you don’t leave the house for the best part of 10 years, eat nothing but takeaways, write a book about it (The Takeaway Secret) and bingo, you’re the number three selling cook book on Amazon.com in 2011. “To be honest, I wasn’t really into cooking until I was about eighteen,” Kenny told NewsFour. “I’d hardly ever cooked a thing until then and when I was diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder things started to change.” At the age of 19 Kenny was found to suffer from the disorder which for years had been making life incredibly tough for the young man from Glasgow. “Towards the end of secondary school I started having panic attacks and I started to notice that if I was late for school and everyone was already there I couldn’t go in. Just the idea of walking in front of a full class was enough to set me off.” While cautiously making his

ARTIST IN PROFILE SARAH ROSSNEY

By Rupert Heather ublin-based artist Sarah Rossney began working in stained glass and her style has evolved into the more intricate design of her contemporary paintings. Her works are a backdrop to people’s everyday lives and often capture the buildings and memories of city centre Dublin. She explains, “I’ve had nothing but positive feedback. People seem to love how the paintings have such brilliant blue skies and how the people in them wear such bright

way in the world after finishing school with the disorder undiscovered, Kenny went on to fulltime employment. A decision that (bizarrely) would lead to the catalyst for his success. “I left school and worked for four years, and one place I worked in was near a Gregg’s bakery. My boss would go out on a Friday and get lunch for all of us and I got used to this chicken sandwich that I just thought was amazing. After I stopped working I kept thinking about that sandwich, but I couldn’t go and get one because I was house-bound. So I just decided to figure out the recipe and after a few weeks of tinkering about I finally cracked it. Once I’d done that it sort of became ‘What else can I recreate at home?’ It just kept rolling clothes.” A major career highlight was being invited to New York to paint her 12 most iconic buildings, an experience which served as a great introduction to the city. “It was such an honour to be asked to do the commission but also to be given the artistic licence to make the choice myself. It was a great way to discover the city, as I had never been there before,” she says. The artist’s most popular commissions are for wedding presents, usually by people who met their partners at a particular location, like a man who met his now wife at Grogan’s Pub three years ago and com-

forward then. When one thing had been worked out it was on to the next thing.” Now you’re probably wondering how one guy was able to recreate exact recipes for all popular takeaway foods when you and I can only get the real deal from an actual takeaway. Is Kenny McGovern’s palate that strong? “It was a bit of trial and error mixed in with a few other things like ﬁnding product information. Big chains like McDonalds have to give allergy information and ingredients on their website but they don’t necessarily tell you how much they put in it. For instance, they tell you that there’s mustard in the Big Mac sauce but they don’t say which mustard and how much. So I had to go through trial and error, but I would get help from local takeaways and delivery men that I knew and they would check the packaging on certain things for me when they delivered to takeaways.” So, if you ever wanted a Big Mac, Chow Mein, Vindaloo, KFC or any type of fast food in the luxury of your own home without paying through the nose for it, your prayers have been answered.

The Children’s Book Festival

The Takeaway Secret can be bought from Amazon.com and most good bookshops.

By Joe McKenna ctober 2012 sees the second annual Children’s Book Festival kick into gear and with the work and effort put in by those at Children’s Books Ireland (CBI) a whole host of exciting events are planned for youngsters across the country who love nothing more than burying their head in a book and escaping to another place. This year’s programme sees international authors voyage to Ireland with Cressida Cowell (the How to Train your Dragon series), Alexander Gordon Smith (the Furnace series) and Che Golden (The Feral Child), sharing their writing experiences at events nationwide. Ever popular, Irish authors Celine Kiernan (Into the Grey), Maeve Friel (Tiger Lily) and Oisin McGann (The Wisdom of Dead Men) will wow audiences at theatres, arts venues and libraries nationwide. Festival organisers CBI are also delighted to announce that literary superstar Derek Landy will be making a one-off visit to Glór Theatre, Ennis to celebrate the latest title in his Skulduggery Pleasant series, Kingdom of the Wicked. “We set out to hold an event at every local library in the country and try to make sure everyone can access these literary events,” CBI Programme Ofﬁcer Aoife Murray told NewsFour. “We’re especially focused on bringing children closer to reading, illustration and creative thought.” With a host of excellent events along with several fantastic competitions for those trying to make a mark in the world of books, the Children’s Book Festival could probably become a never-ending story in itself, but somehow they managed to squeeze it into one month so all young bookworms out there get a packed programme of events and opportunities. Details can be found at www.childrensbooksireland.ie

missioned Sarah to paint it. Now her works are a burgeoning collection of images of the capital’s favourite landmarks, all of which will be familiar to the viewer but with a style that combines the bold black outline of a stained glass panel with a contemporary pop art feel. The move from stained glass

and mosaic to paint was dictated by circumstance. Sarah says, “I was working in glass and my two year old was crawling around the floor with shards of glass everywhere. It was at that point that I decided to move away from stained glass mosaics to a safer medium.” Sarah’s work resonates with those who have a connection

with Dublin and its buildings. These cityscape compositions whose imagery transcends place have a living, breathing quality and an energy that makes them vibrant and original. Sarah has a studio in Dublin city centre and can be contacted via www.facebook. com/sarahrossneyart and www.sarahrossney.com

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DARKLIGHT, CAMERA, ACTION

By Joe McKenna ollywood is big business. High-powered people sitting around throwing large sums of money at ideas they think might pay off when droves of people pile into their local multiplex cinemas to view the latest big budget offering from tinseltown. Their success rate these days is probably 5 out of 10 and with the ever-increasing regurgitation of old ideas spun into blockbusters it can be difﬁcult for the average movie enthusiast to feel like they have found something new. But

that’s where Darklight comes in. Set up in 1999, the Darklight Film Festival was launched to give Irish independent artists within creative media a place to showcase their work and has run every year since. Based in The Factory on Barrow Street, Darklight are a local collective with a worldwide appeal. “At the beginning of the ‘digital revolution’ as it was called, people in creative media suddenly had much more access and what we saw coming out of that in terms of ﬁlm, animation, music and art was inspiring,” Festival Director,

The Perks of Being a Wallﬂower Reviewed by Liam Cahill

he Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999, Pocket Books €9.99) is Stephen Chbosky’s first novel, which sheds a light on the life of 15 year old Charlie as he embarks on the long, gruelling, and at times adventurous trip to adulthood. In the opening chapters Charlie clearly wants the reader to understand the complexities of his life. He is also a character who yearns for more but has failed to get it. He is after all a wallflower, and as such, is destined to stand at the back of a room and merely observe the creations in front of him. The core of Charlie’s problems lie in his own inabilities to communicate effectively – unless he’s writing in his diary or sharing it with his English teacher Bill. He has suffered a number of losses that have had adverse effects upon the youngster’s life. This has led to Charlie overanalysing situations, to the point where conversations about a trip to the dentist or a typical observation are more annoying than entertaining. This could be down to how he was brought up. Charlie’s family structure was such that his parents cried at the last episode of MASH (his Dad went

BOOKS into the kitchen to cry in isolation but was soon found out due to Charlie’s inquisitive nature). It’s this inquisitive instrument that has gifted Charlie and introduces us to a new addition to his life – friends. When Charlie decides to break the fold and go to a High School football game he meets Patrick and Sam – both step brother and sister – and both in the same mind-frame as Charlie. Patrick and Sam introduce us to a cast of characters who are both unique and independent, and give

Nicky Gogan told NewsFour. “Around that same time, the internet started to come into its own as a self-publishing mechanism, where as before, the channels for getting your work shown were TV, galleries, cinema and overall there were a lot more gate keepers for creative outlets.” With the .com boom, Darklight saw itself advance quickly, and as the festival programme became thicker there was inevitable commercial interest. But it is testament to the ethos of Darklight that a decision was made to remain on the edge rather than get sucked up by a corporate model. “We do show mainstream films from time to time because we think some are fabulous, but the festival is curated and there can be many different themes running through it. For instance last year was all DIY films. Nothing was branded and every film was self-funded or just not funded at all in some cases, just people making films with their mates.” With an excellent facility like the Factory at its disposal, Darklight is placed in a fervent hub of creative thinking and collaboration. With a brief walk around the building, the narrative a new sense of purpose and flair. Sam is the more reserved character of the two, in a relationship with a guy and finishing up her last year at school to head off to University. Patrick, meanwhile, comes from a more complicated background where his sexuality plays a pivotal role in his daily chores as a student. Charlie finds himself a sensible fit for his new-found friends, not as flamboyant as Patrick or Sam, but uniquely placed in the friendship. What we see on display is Charlie’s eventual willingness to partake in such friendships and deal with the problems and perks that it involves. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a book that is all about a teenage boy’s quest for a secure structure in his life. Charlie’s world changes as soon as he is introduced to this new world where everything isn’t as simple as the works of fiction he has become accustomed to. Throughout the text echoes of another teenage novel – J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye – are on display, with Holden Caulfield substituting for Charlie. Both characters express a level of disconnection from the world, and both are unsure as where their lives may lead. Chbosky delivers a heartfelt narrative on teenage life in America that will live with us for a long time yet.

in and out of studios, screening rooms and rehearsal spaces, one can’t help but get the feeling that not only is Darklight contributing to the melting pot of ideas and innovation but is also drawing on the strengths of everyone there. A perfect setting for a company determined on seeking out the best new work they can find. “We share a lot of ideas. We chat about things we’ve seen and people we know who aren’t part of The Factory and we visit different film festivals. I’ve been to Rotterdam, Galway, Sheffield etc. and I’ve been blown away by the quality of work from independent artists all across the mediums we represent. “What we try to do is give artists a platform and bring their work to people’s attention. Part of this year’s festival focused on the creative relationships within a project and how each person’s discipline

may have similarities, be it technical, creative or whatever and what we get is a lot of creative people in one place and ideas just bounce around. For instance, we started a production company in 2006 with some of the people we work with on Darklight and as an all-yearround company we do our best to help ﬁlmmakers ﬁnd ways to get their projects made, apply for funding, point them in the right direction, letting them use our equipment, and the community of the festival can tap into that.” With the access to creative digital tools increasing vastly and new creative ideas ever on the rise, Darklight clearly stands as a beacon of possibility for those with a passion for creativity. Left: Nicky Gogan and Jane Gogan were at the Darklight Festival Opening Party. Picture by Rui Durao.

Punk’s not dead By Jason McDonnell AGNOSTIC FRONT, an American punk band who began playing hardcore punk on the New York scene in the mid-80s, were spectacular on August 6th in the Pint on Eden Quay, pure energy from start to finish. It was their 30th anniversary tour and you could tell they had heaps of experience playing live when they got everyone in the crowd to take a step forward, come closer to the stage and chant “go, go, go” with fists in the air before lead singer Roger Miret shouted, “Go psycho.” The crowd went wild as the band kicked into some of the best hardcore punk songs ever written. Within minutes the crowd was stage diving into a circle pit to songs like Gotto Go, For My Family and Crucified. I must have lost about a stone and a half in perspiration as air conditioning was nonexistent and most of the crowd ended up topless. In true punk style, I got a couple of elbows to the face and punches to my back as I fought my way up to the front of the stage to be beside the lead singer. Local man Gary Pullen of the Ringsend punk band Morph Incorporated was there and has been a big Agnostic Front fan for around 26 years. Roger Miret handed him the mike and Gary sang a verse or two of one of the songs. Agnostic Front wrote most of their songs about the streets of New York and the dangerous lives they’ve had. Miret said, “We did what we had to do to survive, by any means necessary. It was like a war or a battlefield and we stood our ground and you can hear it in our music.” Fancy a head-bang for old time’s sake? Check them out on YouTube playing CBGB’s in New York. http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Q9P9J4bFb1g Above: Diehard fans Dave King (left) and Valero (right) enjoying a pint with band member Vinny Stigma after the gig.

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KIDS’ MOVIES

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Reviewed by Caomhan Keane he problem with The Dark Knight Rises is not that it’s a bad movie, nor is it a lazy one, rather it is overly ambitious, which in trying to tick so many boxes at once, confuses itself, and us. So instead of fusing a crime drama with a comic book caper it tries to do both concurrently, with overlaps that jar uncomfortably. At almost three hours in length, it is a literal pain in the arse. Set eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Harvey Dent is dead and sanctiﬁed, The Bat-

man is gone and viliﬁed and Gotham is swept clean. The former’s saint-like image is used to create legislation to impound criminals without the hope of parole. But as the jewel thief Selina Kyle purrs there is a storm coming and when the mercenary Bane (the new leader of the League of Shadows who taught Bruce Wayne to kick ass) shows up he must shake off his reclusive ways and don the cape and cowl to save his beloved city. But, has he met his match in the masked psychopath, a fellow disciple of Ra’s al Ghul, who has designs to turn Gotham in on itself before annihilating it? In trying to intellectualise the genre, director Christopher Nolan has turned his characters into mouthpieces for half-baked ideology who occasionally lapse into comic book speak yet never capture the humanity (be it damaged or deranged) of the ﬁrst two movies. Worse, having set up an intriguing dystopian world, where the 99% rise and revolt, Nolan doesn’t utilise it. As Gotham is once again plunged into an anarchic hell, it is

Reviewed by Joan Mitchell he Lorax is a book written by Dr Seuss. It is set in the future where everything is plastic, even the trees, and everyone lives a clean, boring life in ‘Thneeds ville’. Ted is a young boy smitten with Audrey, and when she asks for a real-life tree, he leaves the scary town limits and ventures into a dark, contaminated world. He meets The Onceler who, motivated by greed and commerce, cut down all the wonderful Truffula trees. As he recalls his story to Ted in flashback, we see the Utopian world of amazing colours and wonderful animals. We see The Onceler start to cut down trees to make ‘Thneed’. As he cuts down the first tree, he meets The Lorax who is the protector of trees. The iSense theatre in The Odeon is amazing. The colours of the trees, the pastelcoloured countryside are all breath-taking on such a large screen. It is not Toy Story or

FILMS done so with little or no tension, using montage interspersed with rabid talk about civic duty, fear mongering, corruption, cowardice and collusion, instead of really exploring the parallel made between the French Revolution and the Occupy Movement. Its major ﬂaw is its relentless pacing. Nothing is left to settle. Nolan overwhelms us with ﬂashbacks and painfully predictable twists in the tale, dragging characters new and old through convoluted plotting so that it sinks under the awareness of its own conclusiveness. None of this is helped by Hans Zimmer’s everpresent death dirge, which drones beneath every scene before rising to a Wagnerian crescendo before starting over. When asked to compare the dancing of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, Cyd Charise, the only woman to dance with them both remarked, “Like apples and oranges. Both delicious.” The same can be said of the Cat women portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer and Anne Hathaway, the one newbie to survive Jonathan and Christopher Nolan’s dire penning. Drawing more on Julie Newmar, her Selina Kyle is playful, perturbed

Shrek but it is a very aesthetic film, especially on the iSense. However, in the USA where Dr Seuss is a national institution the movie has been huge, one of the biggest kids’ movies ever. I think if you are a Dr Seuss book fan then you will absolutely love The Lorax. If like my family you are relatively new to Dr Seuss it will grow on you and you will love it on DVD. Brave is the new animation by Pixar and Disney. It tells the story of Merida, a Scottish Princess who is more interested in archery and horse riding than meeting her future husband. Her mother (Emma Thompson) arranges a gathering of the clan where Merida will choose one of three men to be her husband – think wimp meets nerd. She runs away and discovers a witch who will change her destiny, but with untold consequences. It takes all of Merida’s courage to reverse the curse and realise that her old life was kind of okay. The story is rather weak and there is very little tension or

excitement. The adventure itself is more like a camping trip and there are very few laugh-out-loud moments. I think it’s an okay movie, but being made by the geniuses who made Toy Story, Up, Nemo and WALLe, it could have been called Weak rather than Brave. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. I’ve got to admit with a nine year-old son in my house I have been lovingly submerged in The Wimpy Kid for years. School’s out for summer and Greg wants to play video games and chillax but his Dad has other plans. Greg gets into a few hilarious scraps with his wannabe girlfriend Holly Hunter and his best friend Rowley. Books written for boys are difficult to find and Jeff Kinney has managed to get a generation of boys into reading and ultimately into his funny, light-hearted movies. More please.

and a tiny bit Sapphic, displaying comic timing and depth, with a grace lacking in any of her modern day contemporaries. Elsewhere Hardy is a menacing presence as Bane, even if all he gets to do is storm about like Patrick Stewart in need of a Strepsil. Joseph Gordon Levitt is Commissioner Gordon’s sidekick, a seemingly psychic detective who survived a boys’ home and is so sickly sweet you wonder why the ‘anger in his bones’ is never on his face. Meanwhile, dilettante totty, Miranda Tate, as devised by the Nolans and performed by Marion Cotillard, is utterly useless. For all its intriguing ideas, The Dark Knight Rises is undermined

by its poor execution. Most of the admittedly impressive action set pieces were revealed in the trailer. You’re generally ten steps ahead of the game (and that’s not just because Nolan stops to stamp on every rose along the way) and it contains perhaps the worst final moments of any action movie ever, where the writers channel Nora Ephron and all you want to do is vomit. It’s better than most movies of its type, in terms of acting and ardour. And it could be argued that it is still one of the finest trilogies ever made. But it is still a major disappointment, which continues the trend of having directors blow it on the final entry.

Pictured above: Aoife Mitchell and the Lorax.

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NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

MICHAEL’S MAD ABOUT MEAT

FR. EDDIE LOVES MEXICO CITY

By Jason McDonnell

ichael Byrne of Michael Byrne & Sons butchers at 92

Sandymount Road, gave me a tour of the new facilities in the shop when I met him recently. Michael started

work at a butchers and dairy in Sandymount called Hayden’s on

Claremount Road, where the Tax Ofﬁce is now. He began as a delivery boy when he was only 12 years of age. When he turned 14 he

began working with a well-known Butcher called Jack Shaw, a nice man and a great character from Co. Meath, who used to own the

shop that Michael owns now. Michael managed the shop for three

years after Jack Shaw died and then took over the shop 32 years ago. Next March Michael will be 52 years working in the shop.

Michael got placed on an apprenticeship in what is now known as

the DIT in Mountjoy Square. The course included all the butchering

skills but he also had to learn to slaughter the animals. The days of Dublin butchers killing their own animals are well gone. Michael

showed me the laneway where they used to bring in the cattle and

the lambs to the slaughterhouse at the back of the shop. You can

still see the marks where he would slam the captive bolt pistol on the wall to knock out the cartridge so they could reload it.

Some of you may remember seeing Michael bringing three or

four cattle and 12 to 15 lambs a day into the back of his shop up

until around 15 to 20 years ago. Today, all the slaughtering is done

in the country and Michael gets all his best meat brought up from Co. Carlow. Michael says that butchering has really changed over the years.

Around seven years ago, Michael and his two sons did a big job

developing the whole shop and they decided to put in a fresh ﬁsh

counter. Over the last eight years they have been developing a new range of dry-cured ham in the shop with less than 2% salt, no added

water, no preservatives and very little sugar. At present, it is the only one of its kind on the market. It takes around two weeks to go from start to ﬁnish, making it an excellent homemade product.

Michael said that the ham is very popular with parents who want

to reduce salt in their children’s diet. I also met up with Raymond who is Michael’s son who was in charge of making the new range of sausages.

Opening hours for the shop are Monday - Thursday 7:30 am -

7:00 pm; Friday 7:30 am - 8:00 pm; Saturday 7:30 am - 6:00 pm. Telephone: 6602827.

Above: Michael is pictured displaying some of his latest range

of sausages.

By Jason McDonnell ecently home on a short break to his native Ringsend, I met up with Fr. Eddie Elliot, a Divine Word missionary who has been working in Mexico City for the past 29 years. His father, a shipbuilder, owned the Murphy shipyard on Thorncastle St. What he loves most about coming home every three years is the hospitality of nearly everyone he meets and he tries to pack in as much as he can. The Divine Word are the biggest order in the world with more than 6,000 missionaries working in over 75 countries. Fr. Eddie says that although the church in his parish, St Mark’s, is not as beautiful a building as St. Patrick’s in Ringsend, the faith of the people is just as strong. With a population of 80,000 and 45% of its inhabitants living below the poverty line, his area faces many social problems, such as cramped housing conditions, water shortages, drug abuse, corruption and a lack of security on the streets. Taxis refuse to enter the area at night and even during the day locals are constantly on their guard. Despite all this, Fr. Eddie is truly happy in St. Mark’s and enjoys the challenge of being a priest in this parish. “The people have a strong faith. There are a huge number of people involved in catechism classes, night prayer groups, pastoral school, charismatic groups, retreats and manual crafts for women. As drug abuse is a big problem ‘The Lions of St Mark’ was set up where the young people involved can learn to play the guitar or paint and get funds to help their studies. The

bishop wants a reflection group on every street. Our goal is that Christ is the centre of people’s lives here in the community.” In his experience, most of the people in Mexico are beautiful people, just like here in Ireland. “The actual number of people involved in crime in Mexico is very small when you consider that there are 112 million people living here. The percentage of people who are bad is really small.” When I asked Fr. Eddie about his life in Ringsend before he became a missionary, he admits he was a bit of a demon. People he meets on visits home tell him they remember when he was young with his mother Mary Murphy. They describe him as a little ‘divil’ and cannot believe he has become a priest. Fr. Eddie says it took a lot of soul-searching to find out what he wanted to be. He joined the British army at one stage at Aldershot in Hampshire, but it wasn’t what he wanted. His mother was very religious and he got his love of religion from her. One day he picked up a book on the Divine Word missionaries and thought what they were doing was just fabulous and that he would love to do that type of work. Soon afterwards he went along to a seminar, unsure if he was cut out for it. The next few years were some of the happiest of his life. There were 40 in his class but only seven finished the course and only four are still working as missionaries today. I then asked him how he ended up in Mexico. “My favourite film as a child

was ‘The Magniﬁcent Seven’. The ﬁlm showed what a beautiful, simple life the Mexican people lived. I got a taste of the atmosphere of Mexico from that movie. I still love Mexico to this day and I love working for the church. We stand up for the poor and the needy. We try to give medicine to the sick, food to the hungry or even get a bus ticket for someone who is far from home. There is no place in the world I would rather be living and working.” Fr. Eddie still relishes his ties to Ringsend. “I read NewsFour online. I enjoy it and it keeps me in touch with Dublin 4. The Ringsend priests keep in regular contact with me, and have given me the run of the Parish when I’m back, like celebrating masses etc. The people of Ringsend have been super towards me every time I visit. It is a great parish and I am always made to feel so at home here.” Above: Father Eddie with a cathecism group in Mexico City. Below: At home in Ringsend.

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

TEMPLE BAR CULTURAL TRUST

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THE NEWSFOUR CROSSWORD COMPILED BY GEMMA BYRNE

By Joe McKenna or anyone who took advantage of the plethora of events that took place on Culture Night on 21st September and are wondering why things like that don’t happen more often, we have good news. Culture Night was started by the Temple Bar Cultural Trust in 2006 and grew from the idea that people perhaps weren’t aware of how many exciting and interesting places and venues might be located close to them. Set up in 1991, the Temple Bar Cultural Trust is a not-for-proﬁt organisation which strives to bring the best in local culture to the attention of the masses. Culture Night is their yearly showpiece, shining a light across the country and enticing people out of their homes and ofﬁces to experience what it is they might be missing about their area. From free concerts to gallery showings, church events, historic houses, artist’s studios and cultural centres, the entire Culture Night programme goes from strength to strength with each passing year. But that’s not where it stops. “Culture Night is one night of the year, but the message is that these venues and spaces are there all year round and we hope that we encourage people to take advantage of them regularly,” Lorraine Maye of the Temple Bar Cultural Trust told NewsFour. “We’ve had other events grow out of Culture Night and that’s really what we hoped for in the be-

ginning; that it would grow and expand in other areas. We now have a regular event called First Thursdays where on the ﬁrst Thursday of every month venues and galleries around Dublin stay open late so people who wouldn’t normally get the time to experience these places get the chance.” With initiatives such as the No Grants Gallery (where artists at any stage of their career can ﬁnd space to display their work) and accessible programmes for both

young and old in The Ark, Temple Bar Cultural Trust endeavour to provide something for everyone. More info can be found at: www.templebar.ie Above: Looking into Dublin Bay by Shane Johnson was on display in the Doorway Gallery Below: Katie Flood enjoys her winning cupcake at Dr. Sketchy’s Anti Art School, part of the culture night celebrations on South Frederick Street.

Name:…………………………… Telephone:………………… Address:………………………………………………………… Prize of a €25 book token. Post entries to NewsFour, RICC, Thorncastle Street, Ringsend, D.4 by 23th November 2012. Winner of our August/September crossword competition was Marie MacSweeney of Five Oaks, Drogheda. ACROSS: 1) Paralysed with fear or turned to stone 5) An evil spirit or phantom 8) A werewolf might howl at this 9) This guy is the usual (abbreviation) 10) Fitting 11) Put an end to, murder 12) Hard white cooking fat 15) _ _ _ _ _ or treat 17) The time from sunset to sunrise 20) A ﬂop is described as a damp one of these 22) Beef from Aberdeen? 23) This alien just wants to phone home 24) Not clear enough to read 27) Keep safe from harm 28) A Spanish cheer 29) Flat paddles used to row a boat 32) A small quantity 33) Stiff drinks or supernatural beings 34) Medical condition that affects breathing DOWN: 1) Orange fruit to carve or make into soup 2) Ugly character often found under a bridge 3) Pointy vampire teeth 4) Strange and frightening 5) Terrible, causing horror or fear 6) Large ﬂightless African bird 7) A rule to govern peoples actions 13) Appearing everywhere 14) Michael Jackson’s spookiest song 16) Curly cabbage eaten at Halloween 18) Stupid or uninformed person 19) Visited by ghosts 21) Thin high heel 23) A person’s sense of self 25) Exist 26) Magazine or newspaper boss 30) Devices to make music or sound louder (abbreviation) 31) Certain

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NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

DOMESTIC ABUSE

By Caomhan Keane omestic abuse is not speciﬁc to any one group or gender. That is the message Amen, the voluntary group who provide information to male victims, want you to remember this Domestic Violence Awareness Month. “It affects men, women and children,” says Eugene Wogan, the services spokesperson. “When you look at the ﬁgures, it’s pretty even. 29% of women and 26% of men will have suffered some form of domestic abuse when severe and minor incidents are combined. This evens out at 13% each when minor physical incidents are taken into account.” While the severity of attacks made against women tends to be far worse, it must also be noted that only 5% of men ever report to Gardaí in comparison to 29% of women. “The problem stems from men’s role in society,”

Wogan says. “The Irish constitution put in a protection for the family, which has been deﬁned through years of legal precedent, as mother and child. Men are now viewed as separate from it. So when there is a problem in a family, the ﬁrst thing society tries to do is get rid of the father. Even when he is the one to have called the police, they often take the man from the house. We hear that sort of story over and over again through our helpline.” He says this outcome can leave the male partner out of home and, more worryingly, leave the children exposed to violence. “Often the father is the one protecting the children in this situation and with him removed the children are left at the mercy of the violent partner.” He encourages men who believe they are being assaulted to keep a diary recording any and all assaults made on their person

JENNIFER HOLDS A COFFEE MORNING

and to be open about the abuse. “It’s easier said than done,” he admits. “There is still a stigma attached to men being abused. People say ‘well, sure he’s six foot whatever and she’s only ﬁve foot dot, how could she be assaulting him?’ That kind of thinking suggests that the male should respond violently. Most other times there is a belief that the partner deserved to be attacked, ‘there’s no smoke without ﬁre’, ‘she must have been defending herself’. General so-

RAINY

N Jennifer Betts held a coffee morning/cake sale in Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre on September 9th 2012 in aid of Pieta House, the centre for the prevention of self-harm and suicide. The day was a great success, raising over €600 and highlighting Suicide Awareness Week. Jennifer would like to thank everyone who baked and donated and to RICC for the use of the centre. Above: Vicki Whitworth, on left, with Jennifer Betts

cietal attitudes cling onto this idea that the only victim of domestic abuse is a woman.” He makes the point that violence takes on many forms. Amen gets numerous reports of partners stabbed in their sleep or warned not to go to sleep, leading to severe psychological distress. It’s important, he believes, to report abuse to the Gardaí and to medical professionals and to ensure that they keep a record of your injuries and all details

DAY RETHINK

By Rupert Heather ew statistics from Met Eireann will show that this year we’ve had one of the wettest summers on record. Total monthly rainfall statistics already reveal an increase over the summer months of 187.4 millimetres of rain since last year in Dublin. All schools are closed in July and August for the Irish Summer holidays. The dates are standardised. Given that the last ﬁve

summers have all been ‘wet’, can a case be made for re-examining the school term? Should the current crop of school kids be able to take advantage of better weather at the beginning of September when their activities are so dependant on reasonable climactic conditions? For parents who juggle their other commitments over the summer with looking after children, sunny afternoons are a welcome opportunity for chil-

of the assault, to create a paper trail. “This way there is more chance of them believing you if you apply for a protection order which is a court order requiring respondents to desist from that kind of behaviour. A failure to be believed is one of the biggest problems faced by men.” It’s also important to partake in counselling, both one-on-one and as part of a group. “Domestic abuse being a ‘woman’s problem’ is so ingrained in societal attitudes that victims themselves are genuinely shocked and ﬁnd it difﬁcult to accept that it is happening to them. It’s a form of bullying and bullying happens to everybody.” Amen offer a helpline and a number of support groups which aim to help men’s self-esteem and general health as well as with legal issues. “We want to give guys the tools to cope, recognition that they are not the only person to go through this nor are they a failure as a man, a dad or a husband. We try to teach them assertiveness, to recognise themselves, their own emotions and notice when someone is pushing them. We even look at physical health as well as emotional health.” www.amen.ie dren to get involved in outdoor activities. While long-term statistics show the so-called summer months are sunnier and dryer, our experience over the last few years indicates otherwise. A spokesperson from Met Éireann said, “In Ireland we are subject to natural variability. There is no dry month in Ireland due to natural variability. There is a constant interplay between polar air and tropical air. The polar front is where rain comes from. Our climate is a natural result of our geography, our positioning with the Jet Stream.” It may be emotive to suggest that recent climate changes are part of a worsening trend in extreme global weather conditions. The point is, surely, that as we are experiencing unprecedented levels of rainfall, regardless of how emotive the debate may be, it’s really beginning to matter. Surely we should be able to react to our climate and not just be at its mercy. Is it time to rethink the school term? We spend enough time talking about the weather here. We do so for the simple reason that in some way it affects us all.

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

OLD WESLEY RFC

By Avril Poff ow that Katie Taylor has helped put women’s boxing on the map, Old Wesley RFC are planning the same for the oval ball game by launching Women’s and Girl’s Rugby! It is our goal to cater for both experienced players and those who are new to the game. This is why we have put together a strong Management and Coaching setup. Players who have played the game before will have their skills developed and those that are playing the game for the first time will be taught the basic skills of the game. The initial emphasis will be very much on getting fit, having fun and learning and developing the skills necessary to play and enjoy the game. The club held a Club Open Day recently on Wednesday 5th September and it was a huge success. The infamous Donnybrook Stadium welcomed women and under-age girl players for the first time. Mixed tag matches were played and a great social night followed. Women and girl’s rugby is a great way to get fit, meet new people and have the craic. Women’s rugby train-

ing takes place Monday evenings at 7pm in Donnybrook. We are also setting up U16 and U18 girls’ teams which will initially be based up in our Ballycorus grounds, where training takes place every Sunday at 12pm. An exciting season ahead for Old Wesley with the launch of these women’s and

girls’ teams. We look forward to welcoming players across all ages. For further details, contact Director of Women’s Rugby, Old Wesley RFC, Avril Poff. Tel: 083 1423851 Email: avril.poff@oldwesley.ie Above: Recent Club Open Day with the Heineken Cup.

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‘DIVO’-TION TO THE GAME

By Rupert Heather iaran Divney from Sandymount is one of the most promising local all-round sportsmen. On the Gaelic football pitch he is one of Clanna Gael Fontenoy’s most consistent performers in their quest for senior status, but not by his own admission. He’s also a wicket keeper batsman with Railway Union and last season got to the Leinster Schools Senior Cup Final with CUS, playing full back. His current goal is to make the Dublin under-21 Gaelic Football team. ‘Divo’ is by no means claiming that he’s achieved anything yet. “I have priorities, Gaelic comes first but I try and find a balance between all sports. I would be prepared to drop everything else for Gaelic but I hope it doesn’t come to that,” he says. “It’s a team sport. Without the other 14 lads on the field I wouldn’t be able to operate. I think that’s an unfair comment,” he says, referring to his ‘starring role’ with Clanna Gael Fontenoy. The Schools Rugby Senior Cup jaunt was the result of what he describes as a good draw and an elite year of players who were prepared to work for each other. With seeming insider knowledge, he tells me that Terenure are this year’s favourites because they have “kept most of last year’s team together.” His advice to others, particularly youngsters in the area: “Don’t give up, keep trying, keep training and try to optimise the experience by working hard and understanding it’s a team sport.” His foremost influence is his father, who played Gaelic Football in Mayo for Breaffy. ‘Divo’ started playing for Clanna Gael at the age of four. His cricket mentors are two familiar local achievers, development officer Brian O’Rourke, who brought Kwik Cricket to Star of the Sea Primary and Cricket Ireland’s Niall O’Brien. It would be fair to say that pursuing one sport to any kind of level is hard enough, never mind three. Pressed on the subject and responding to a well-worn line of questioning he says, “I would prefer to be an amateur Dublin Gaelic player than a professional rugby player or cricketer, but I think those guys (Gaelic footballers) deserve to be paid.” A few quickfire questions got the following response: Q. Favourite rugby player? A. Rob Kearney because I play the same position. He played Gaelic and uses those skills on a rugby field. Q. Favourite Dublin player of all time? A. Ciaran Whelan, the best player never to win an All Ireland Medal. Q. Is community Important? A. This community nurtures the talent within, it’s very supportive. We wish him well. Photo by Barry Cregg courtesy of Sportsfile.com

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NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

ST PATRICK’S CYFC UPDATE

By David Nolan elcome to our first update for the 2012/13 season. I’d like to start by congratulating everyone involved with the club on last season’s achievements. While it wasn’t a trophy-laden campaign we still had relative success with it being the club’s first season in the Senior Intermediate division. A fifth place finish in the league was complimented by some outstanding cup runs in the FAI Intermediate and challenge cups and of course our run to the final of the LFA Senior cup (more about that final later). Our second team won the Saturday 1A league title (only losing once all year long) compli-

W INNING

mented by a solid run in the FAI Junior cup, reaching the fifth round and even more impressively reaching the semi-final of the LFA Junior cup, losing by a 3-2 score line to eventual winners and competition favourites St Kevin’s Boys. Finally, our third team had a relatively quiet campaign, finishing mid-table in the league. As we move into the new campaign I can report some minor changes to the management set up within the three senior teams. Our third team, who will compete in division two Sunday will now be managed by Ed Saul. Ed has had to retire from playing due to a bad injury he sustained in action eighteen months

ago. He’ll be assisted by Paul Andrews. We wish the two lads well as they look to develop players to keep the club on a stable footing and as we go to print they have made a fantastic start to the league season, winning five games from five. The second team will continue to be managed by the threesome of Derek Bowden, Wayne Byrne and Ray Doyle, while our first team have a new assistant, with Tony Roe taking up that position after Mark Benson stepped down for personal reasons. On the player front, the club retained all of last season’s squad and have added Brian Mooney to the midfield options, along with the return of goalkeeper Sean Brasil.

WAYS WITH HORSES

Congratulations to our Horse Show Competition winners Sophie McDonnell (14) from Sandymount (picture on left) and Saoirse Ward (10) from Ringsend. As you can see for yourselves the tickets were well deserved.

On September 3rd 2012 our senior team took on the might of Shamrock Rovers in the LFA Senior cup ﬁnal at Tallaght Stadium (a welcome distraction from regular league activities). This ﬁnale was long-awaited, with CY having gone through six previous rounds during the 2011/12 season, beating amongst others Bray Wanderers and UCD en route to the decider. Rovers themselves had beaten Bohemians, Pats and Shels on their way to Tallaght. In what was a memorable night for all involved and in front of an attendance of around 1800, CY went down to an 83rd minute strike from Arron Green, a brave effort all round and a night that the players, club and Ringsend

can be very proud of. Thanks to all those who lent their support along the way. Finally, the club would like to wish Treasurer Patrick Healy a speedy recovery after a recent health scare. Padser has been instrumental in almost everything the club has achieved in recent years and we hope to see him back to full health soon. Pictured above: St Patrick’s CYFC players and committee after the ‘battle of Ringsend’ LFA Senior cup ﬁnal against Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium. Below: The club wish to thank M.D of P-Mac Ltd Peter MacNamara (right) for his continued and generous support.

NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

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FAIRYTALE STARTS FOR RAILWAY’S NEWEST TEAMS

By Kirstin Smith f Carlsberg did season openers, they might just look to Railway Union’s newly-fledged Under 21s and Women’s teams for inspiration. The U21s side travelled to Clane for their first ever lineup in a 10-a-side tournament. Although the weather wasn’t ideal, Railway were successful throughout the day, heading unbeaten into the final against NUIM Barnhall. An early try put Railway in the lead but strong retaliation from Barnhall allowed them to take the lead at half-time. An impressive Railway pack dominated the second half and turned the game around. Two tries from ‘Player of the Tournament’ Ringsend local Josh Fallon saw Railway take the title, with 24-12 the final score. Meanwhile, the Women’s team announced their arrival

LOCAL

on the Leinster Rugby scene with a debut win at the Leinster Blitz in Old Belvedere. Against teams such as Kilkenny, Old Belvedere, Enniscorthy, and St Mary’s, Railway went unbeaten all day, winning the final 29-0 and conceded no scores in any game. The girls were so impressive that six of them received call-ups to participate in Leinster Senior trials. Congratulations to Ringsend/Irishtown locals Eimear Flannery, Jess O’Mahony, Kim Flood and Vikki Redmond, Sandymount’s Claire Ryan, and Dundrum’s Eimear Máirtin. In keeping with the goals of promoting women in sport, and rugby in particular, the club has also launched an underage rugby programme for girls. The initial focus will be primarily on girls aged between 13 and 17, with the club working closely with secondary schools

in the locality. With Women’s Rugby 7s in the Olympics, there are huge opportunities for girls in our community to represent Ireland in Rio in 2016. Any girls or parents interested in playing or getting involved in supporting girl’s underage rugby at Railway should email: womensrugby@ railwayunionrfc.com or contact Shirley (086 604 9416) or Melissa (086 348 9321) directly.

launch of the Legends Programme for the 2012/2013 season. The success of the inaugural Legends match last February against a touring French side has encouraged the committee to run a packed programme this year to ensure that the Legends section is a vibrant part of the club. Beyond the two fixtures that are currently being planned, one for November and one for February, there are many other events and plans. One of the most exciting developments is the Business Network that has been established which is open to all club members and will serve to maximise the business generating opportunities within the club and between club members. From tradesmen to professionals, there is the opportunity to generate real business opportunities. There is a fantastic mix of businesses within the club, all of whom

can benefit from this. The Business Network will meet on the last Friday of every month from 7.30am – 9.30am in the Sandymount Hotel. If you or someone you know has played for Railway in the past and is interested in reliving all those old memories and getting involved again, the Legends Committee would love to hear from you. We are always looking for old members who would like to put on a jersey again and we welcome any photos for our archives. Please contact: info@railwayunionrfc.com For more information visit www.railwayunionrfc.com or find us on facebook: www.facebook.com/railwayunionrfc Left: Railway Union RFC Women’s Team who won the Leinster Blitz. Below: Ringsend local Josh Fallon who won Player of the Tournament at the Clane 10’s tournament. Railway Under 21s won the tournament.

DID YOU EVER PLAY FOR RAILWAY UNION RFC? Railway Union RFC, founded in 1905, is one of Ireland’s oldest rugby clubs. With thousands of players passing through the club throughout the years, the Legends Committee was established to ensure that retired players continued to stay involved in the club. September saw the official

RUGBY RUN SENSATION

By Rupert Heather embers and supporters of Monkstown Rubgy Football Club (MRFC) got together and hit Sandymount Strand to raise much-needed funds for charity. Through the generosity of the local community, the event was an amazing success. Sunday 19th August saw a 55-strong field of players, pavilion members, local residents and families run or walk seven kilometres at Sandymount Strand in aid of MRFC and the Irish Cancer Society. Monkstown Communications Director Christian Kinnear said, “We are always trying to fundraise during the season but this time we wanted to spread it over the calendar year.” Raising €1,700, the first annual Sandymount 7K was a resounding success and another sign of the club’s willingness to embrace its community, in aid of a worthy cause. “There are people who have been affected directly by cancer but it touches everyone,” Kinnear adds. The route took in the promenade and the arc of the bay to Irishtown Wildlife Park. The only moment of controversy was when two dogs began fighting at the start line. Once a bottle of water had separated the mauling canines, the race got underway. The gallant fella who sacrificed his water was no doubt left to rue the decision later as temperatures soared. Everyone who completed the course was presented with a certificate and celebrated after the race with a sunny afternoon’s refreshments back at headquarters.

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NEWSFOUR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012