GROWING RESISTANCE TO INCINERATOR CONTINUES
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Kevin McSharry
enewed efforts to monitor, object or oppose the Poolbeg incinerator have begun to spring to life on a number of fronts. Local groups and political parties have made various efforts to challenge the incinerator amidst fears about its emissions or health effects in general. During these processes, there have been accidents and problems at the incinerator that have revealed less than optimal operational procedures at best, and possible toxic releases at worst. In light that these were promised never to be at risk of happening during the planning process, it is quite concerning that these have occurred at such an early stage in operations so far. A number of months ago, the Social Democrats began an online petition on Change.Org attempting to put pressure on the Minister for the Environment, the EPA and Dublin City Council (DCC) to force Dublin Waste to Energy (DWE) to have independent monitoring of their emissions and to have all data used to calculate the emissions made publically available. On June 7th at 10:45pm there was an “uncontrolled release” of lime at the DWE facility in Ringsend, otherwise known as
the Poolbeg Incinerator. Eleven workers at the plant were affected and taken to hospital, in their own cars according to managing director John Daly. In response to this and other issues surrounding the DWE facility in Poolbeg, a number of groups have developed to oppose Covanta. They cite a concern for public health and a lack of faith in Covanta due to previous incidents in North America as well
P.10 Daring visions for Poolbeg Towers
as their perceived lack of transparency when issues do arise at their facilities. Three meeting were held over the past two months to voice these concerns, demand action and to gain support for protests against Covanta. People Before Profit held a meeting in Ringsend on June 19th in Clanna Gael, Ringsend, where they brought forward their proposals for dealing with what they saw as issues surrounding
the DWE facility. They proposed that a chemical engineer be tasked with examining the DWE facility. They asked that a “sample group of residents from the local area” be examined in an effort to see what effect the incinerator will come to have on the area. They advocated that there be independent monitoring and freely available data from Covanta available to the community at large through their web-
IN THIS ISSUE…
P.15 Dog patrol at Dublin Port
P.16 Riverfest review
site for greater transparency regarding emissions. Finally, they are calling for a Health Impact Assessment, as has been advocated previously by Professor of epidemiology, Anthony Staines. On June 20th, a group of concerned parents from Sandymount, known as Parents Against The Incinerator, gathered on Sandymount Strand to listen to Professor Paul Connett speak. Professor Connett is a retired Professor Emeritus in Environmental Chemistry at St. Lawrence University, New York, and a vocal critic of incinerators. Before turning the microphone over to Professor Connett, Laura Fano, a member of Parents Against The Incinerator explained why the meeting had been held. Fano explained that parents were “concerned about the potential health impact” on the area. A particular concern of the parents’ group was how near the incinerator would be to the new location for the Shellybanks Educate Together school, which will be beside the strand. Fano was disheartened by “the general attitude of resignation” and the fact that she felt “the community in Ringsend had been bought” through Covanta’s Community Gain Fund. She wanted to send out a message to DWE that “people were watching. They are alert
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P.35 Local boy meets the President
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NewsFour Editor Fergus Hayden Web Editor Paul O’Rourke Journalists Jennifer Reddin Paul Carton Kevin Mac Sharry Jessica Ellis Photographer Kevin O’Gorman Contributors Harry Bradley Gavan Bergin Felix O’Regan Crossword Gemma Byrne Design and Layout Stephen Whelan Ad Designer Stephen Whelan
Sandymount Community Services, 13A Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4. Telephone: (01)6673317 E-mail: newsfour@gmail.com Website: www.newsfour.ie Opinions expressed in NewsFour do not necessarily represent the views of Sandymount Community Services. Printed by Datascope Ltd, Wexford
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August / September 2017
The Editor’s Corner
H
appy summer days folks! I hope you’re all enjoying the summer and here’s wishing for some more great sunshine in coming weeks. This is where the time has come for me to say goodbye. The last few years have been a pleasure to be part of a team bringing you the stories that involve the Dublin 4 area and people. I have met many great characters and worked with great people along the way so I pay tribute to you all. My three years here have encompassed great change for the area. Ringsend, Irishtown and Sandymount are now being encroached by development that has brought challenges to the people who live here, while Ballsbridge changes are occurring within. Donnybrook remains the bastion of stability! Issues of note that stand out to me are the surrounding office developments affecting the cultural, commercial and economical aspect of the area; the potential housing regeneration in the IGB site; the unaccounted deaths at the Magdalene Laundries site which have yet to be uncovered; the positive Darkness Into Light movement taking shape here; and the highly concerning development of an incinerator built right on the cusp of a densely populated area. For those that are aware, you will know that I have covered the ever important issue of the incinerator as a journalist and an editor, unwilling to let the effects and implications of it be forgotten. It is heart-warming to see a certain resurgence in the movement of concerned and earnest people attempting to bring the management of it to account. There has been much resistance to the incinerator for over 20 years, from when it was first incepted and all the way through the planning process to where it is today. It was most disappointing to me to see so many people, many of which fervently opposed the incinerator, apply through their respective community groups to obtain funds from Covanta’s Community Gain Fund. In my opinion, when the umpteen health impacts of this become clear in the near future, the coming generation will look their parents in their eyes and ask: “Did you take money from this organisation knowing the risks?” Many warnings and issues of legitimate concern have been provided through this publication to forewarn people what will come of this industry. Many accidents have already happened within weeks of beginning operations. There is still a chance for people to take a moral stance and refrain from asking for funds in the next wave of offerings from Covanta. Rationales of various kinds were put forward by many to assuage any guilt about receiving money from Covanta but there can be no question that this is a massive mistake in my opinion. I would implore people instead to join with the concerned groups as there is going to be revelations in the coming years about how harmful this burning process will be on a vulnerable community living within its shadow. I stress that these are my personal opinions and others may differ but I wish to offer them to the community before I leave this position. I wish everybody in the area good luck and good health into the future. It has been a great experience to meet so many wonderful people here that I will continue my association with for many years to come. And on that note - Adieu!
Pictured: School photo of Rita White (nee Brennan)
To CYMWS - Women’s Group – Irishtown
My name is Rita White (nee Brennan) and my brother Peter who lives in Irishtown sent your paper to me and I found it so interesting. It brought back many happy memories. My mother, Mary Dugan, lived in 48 St Patrick’s Villas, then married and lived in Cabra West where I spent 14 years and moved to Whitehall before moving to the U.K when my parents parted. During the years in Cabra West, No 48 [St Patrick’s Villas] was a house where my aunt Lizzie lived (she never married). I have many happy memories of staying there and during school holidays we played in Ringsend Park, going to Sandymount and playing with Sadie Mooney and the Dent girls who lived across the road from the Barry family. Although our family lived in Cabra West, Ringsend was always home to me and still is. I loved the people, the fun we had playing cards, stones, and helping old people. We also loved knocking on doors and running away - it was all fun! When I visit Peter in Irishtown, I always have to walk down to St Patrick’s Villas. Peter has just lost his wife Una. Maybe you know her, lovely lady and is missed very much. I loved her as my sister-in-law. We were always welcomed to stay with them. When I saw Mary Dent in your paper – Feb/Mar 2017 issue I wondered if she is one of the Dent girls who we played with us in the 40s/50s, staying at no 48 St Patrick’s Villas. In writing this letter, I hope someone in your group may like to write back.
Keep up the good work. God bless you all Rita White, South Australia Address with the editor. Mother and Dad : Nee Brennan Grand Parents : Nee Deegan
NEWSFOUR AROUND THE WORLD NewsFour went to Quiberon in France in July with the help of our local children! Pictured are: Jack, Tristan, Charlie, Millie (reading the paper) and Lola. All children are pupils of City Quay and Haddington Road primary schools. Kindly supplied by Fiona Sunderland
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Great leaps forward recognised at the Spellman
Paul Carton round 200 people turned up for the End of Drug Awareness Annual Event held by the Ringsend & District Response to Drugs (RDRD) service on June 29th at Ringsend College. The event is a graduation ceremony for people in the community that the RDRD recognise to have made outstanding efforts in the battle against drug addiction. Everyone involved with the RDRD, including the network of community groups who have supported them, members of the community who have availed of their personal and family support services and well-wishers n
NEWS
August / September 2017
from the area, were present. Local Gardaí were also present along with members of the Red Rock Garda Station, Adam Weafer and David Crowley. In the RDRD’s Spellman Oscars the well known actors from Red Rock had the honour of presenting the outtakes of the Spellman Centre’s new short film, The Tunnel, to the service users involved. Manager of the RDRD, Teresa Weafer, Adam’s aunt, told NewsFour that the film sets out to highlight some of the cases of the service users and with the aid of local filmmaker and documentarian, Pat Larkin, filmed the service users journeys battling drug addiction. Teresa
explained: “When Pat showed me pieces that we didn’t put in (the film) and I thought it was hilarious so I said why don’t we do an Oscars.” The RDRD’s day programme, which is open to people who are struggling with a drugs issue and seek support, awarded its participants trophies of recognition, on their 3 year CE course, for their achievements in maintaining a drug-free status for a whole year. Recipients of these drug-free status awards, amongst thanking their family for support could not forget how much help the RDRD’s key-workers have been in their progression. Teresa told Newsfour about the team of key-workers RDRD have at present: “They carry
out specific work with all the clients, they do one-to-one key-work, one-to-one counselling, they facilitate groups and they take them away on intervention. Michelle, Paul, Tony, Lisa, Liza, every single one of them all do incredible work.” Members of the community who graduated from the sixweek Drug Awareness Progression were handed their certificates in front of family and friends, the participants on this course, members of the community, some staff of the Spellman, youth workers, local Gardaí, parents and teachers in the local schools. Appreciative of the turnout for the event was chairperson of RDRD, Tom Crilly, who made sure to recognise the partner-
ship approach of people in the area with the Spellman centre, the Ringsend Community Services Forum, groups that RDRD work with locally, HSE, DSP and staff of Ringsend College for giving up their time to allow them to use the venue. Much gratitude must go out for the great work done by Sinead and Liz from the D4 Deli who served food and beverages throughout the night, and musical performances by the public on the night which included a memorable performance by Young Adam, of ED Sheeran’s Castle On The Hill.
Superintendent Delmar and winners of schools drug awareness competition
Cllr Dermot Lacey presents trophy to winners of Spellman Cup football
Spellman awards Drug Awareness Course graduation presented by Bernie McDonald and Dublin Port Thomas Kavanagh and Lynette Harcourt
Family Support awards presented by Dublin Port Thomas Kavanagh and Lynette Harcourt
Graduate awards presented by Minister Eoghan Murphy and Miriam Conway D.S.P.
Spellman Oscars presented by Red Rock actors Adam Weafer and David Crowley
Adam Weafer and David Crowley of Red Rock with Senator Humphreys and Theresa Weafer
Ringsend and Irishtown Mayor, Deke McDonald with a gathering of staff and community members
Achievement awards for graduates
SCIENCE
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Jessica Ellis team at University College Dublin is to lead the launch of the satellite formally called Educational Research Satellite-1. The European Space Agency (ESA), has selected the cube shaped satellite to be developed under the ESA Education Office, Fly Your Satellite 2017 education programme. The satellite will be launched from the International Space Station to join a host of other technology orbiting our earth and will collect data on gamma-rays for 12 months. The Irish team will also collaborate with Queen’s University Belfast and five other Irish companies: Resonate Ltd, ENBIO, SensL, Parameter Space and MOOG Dublin. The aim of the project is to provide teaching and training opportunities for graduates and undergraduates in engineering, physics and space sciences. Hopefully it will also serve to inspire more students to think about studying STEM subjects and to develop
when we start new research projects where our ideas will take us – that is especially true in this case. Despite its small size, EIRSAT-1 will detect the biggest explosions since the Big Bang and pave the way for future space science missions.”
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UCD hit orbit growth in the Irish space sector by supplying highly skilled workers. Dr Ronan Wall of MOOG Dublin and team leader of the satellite project has said: “Irish Space exports are estimated at €80 million in 2016 - providing at least 4:1 return on State investment in
ESA – and we believe that this project will help us take that return to the next level.” Professor Lorraine Hanlon from UCD School of Physics is the overall project leader. If the satellite passes regulatory tests it will be managed from a ground station at UCD and Prof. Hanlon
expects it to have excellent training and research opportunities: “Although the UCD Space Science group works on fundamental research questions in astrophysics, the technology we have developed has wider applications in space, medicine and security. We can never really imagine
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Jennifer Reddin ewsFour is happy to report that local floral artist Lorraine O’Brien was once again amongst the prize-winners at this year’s Bloom Festival. This is Lorraine’s second time to have an entry at the festival and her second time to win a prestigious Bloom award. Cutting Edge, the vibrant and striking display that Lorraine and her team created for the event received lots of admiration from visitors to the Floral Pavilion, even before the results were announced. The piece combined creative thinking with contemporary design and Lorraine was happy to receive a silver gilt to add to her collection of awards. She told NewsFour: “Myself and the team were delighted with the Silver gilt medal. We put a huge effort into the exhibit and it looked really well. The flowers lasted for the show, in fact I still have a couple of orchids saved from the display nearly five weeks later.” Bloom 2017 was, as always, held in the Phoenix Park over the June bank holiday weekend. A record 120,000 people attended the festival this year. There they enjoyed 22 stunning show gardens, 13 postcard gardens and 33 nursery displays,
Pictured Top: Some of the team who will be working on the project. Courtesy of Lorraine Hanlon. Pictured Above: The cube shaped satellite may be small put will pack a large information payload. Courtesy of UCD News Archive. nity to engage with consumers, helping us to build insight, learn and share new ideas while celebrating and showcasing the best of Ireland’s horticulture, food and drink industry.”
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Local Florist Wins Second Bloom Award
as well as some of Ireland’s best home-produced food, drink, crafts and art. Bloom patron and President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, officially opened the event on June 1st and he was everything you would want in a president and more, chatting with the exhibitors and posing for selfies with some lucky visitors. With the festival site packed to capacity, this had his security detail somewhat on edge. They had no need to worry, he was more than warmly received as he made his way
around the exhibits spreading the love. The judging panel for Bloom 2017 comprised of 14 Irish and international horticultural experts. They awarded more than 100 awards to show garden designers, amateur postcard garden designers; nurseries and floral artists including 28 Gold, 18 Silver Gilt, 21 Silver and 21 Bronze medals. Business was brisk and plant sales were up 20% compared to last year, with over than 10,000 visitors leaving their purchases in
the Plant Crèche to be cared for while they enjoyed the festival. More than 4,000 people worked onsite over the five days, including 200 Bord Bia volunteers. Tara McCarthy, Chief Executive of Bord Bia commented, “We are proud that our Bloom event has developed into such an inspirational festival of creativity, a place where creators of food and drink, of gardens, craft and art get a platform to tell their story. Each year, Bloom provides Bord Bia, and our key stakeholders, with an invaluable opportu-
Pictured top L to R: Mary O’ Brien vice-chair of AOIFA, Brid Coonan President of AOIFA, Valerie Murphy, Mary Doyle, Therese Kilcullen, Lorraine O Brien, Kathleen Carr, Candy Holden Chair of AOIFA and Harumi Langford. Pictured above: The President and his Wife meet and greet.
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August / September 2017
Jessica Ellis oyle Butchers of Pearse Street recently held a reception to say goodbye to longstanding customers. Tea and coffee and sandwiches were served as locals reminisced about the role the butchers has played in all their lives. Generations of family have patroned the same shop on Pearse Street and John Doyle and his father before him have faithfully served them. Many changes have occurred on Pearse Street, the closing of another store isn’t new, but hopefully the memories of John and his butchers will remain the same in the minds of his customers as he finally gets to enjoy his retirement. John Doyle, 71, tells us a little of the history of the shop: “My father started the shop in 1938 and I took it over in 1972 so I’m here a long time. I was born in Sandymount, my mother and father lived on Tritonville Road. It wasn’t really a job, it was a way of life. I had four generations of the one family in the shop a fortnight ago, a great granny, granny, mammy and baby. The area is completely different, we used to have Hammond Lane,
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Doyle Brothers butchers closes after 79 years the Gasworks, the coal yards, ESB - they’re all gone. And we had a whole row of shops, there’s no shops left on Pearse Street. There’s ourselves, the chemist, the post office - that’s about it.” Dolores Wilson is a long time customer of the shop. She said: “I used to come here with my mother when I was a kid. When I was a baby she always came here, to
John’s father. John is going to be a big loss to this community, he’s not only the butchers, he’s been our friend and colleague for so many years.” Joan Hayden is also a regular and she added: “I’ll miss them terrible, they’re family. Everyone used to gather here and have a natter, and what have you, you know? Well he’s here 56 years,
he was only a boy when he started here. He knows everyone, and everyone’s grand-kids and babies, you name it. The right of it is that businesses are changing and when we don’t adhere to change there will never be progress in the area.” Betty Ashe also talks about change: “I’ve lived on this street all my life. We went through a
very bad 20 years or so, a very dark place but now we’re on the up. Unfortunately there’s casualties of that and John would be a casualty of that regeneration. Unfortunately there’s no one to carry on the mantle. He will be very badly missed because he’s been part of the area for so long, and his father before him.” Maureen McCabe, who has been working for John for many years, added: “I’ve been working here for 32 years, I’m part of the furniture. I’ve stayed so long because he’s wonderful to work with. When my children were smaller they were able to come into the office and do their homework. It’s a sad day for everyone, employees and the customers, but it comes. Hopefully what will be here next will be progression and better things, for it’s all par for the course.” Pictured: John Doyle with (from left) Ann Bourton, Maureen McCabe and daughter Ciara Doyle on the closing day of the butchers, which has been open since 1938 on Pearse Street.
CHARITY
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Charity Begins in Dublin 4
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Jennifer Reddin oon it will be time to pack away the summer clothes for another year and start putting together our autumn and winter wardrobes. As good a time as any for a style overhaul. If the idea of updating your look appeals to you but you are low on funds, or you would just like to find something a bit different to the usual high street fare, a visit to the charity shops is the way to go. In Dublin 4, the NCBI shops n
in Ringsend are well established, having been in the area for about 15 years. Shop manager, Corina Merrigan, told NewsFour: “Dublin 4 is a great area for donations so there’s always lots of new stock in store. The people in the area are very generous and we’re very lucky and very grateful for the donations we receive.” There are two shops, an adult shop and NCBI Kids. Both are renowned in the area for great value, variety and quality high street to high-end clothing, as well as
Pictured: NCBI Staff member Corina Merrigan.
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August / September 2017
run regular gardening and craft workshops and demonstrations throughout the year. There’s always someone on hand to help with gardening advice. The garden centre was a Silver Medal winner at Bloom this year, with a garden designed by Joan Mallon, a good friend of the charity. Manager Laura Curry Cloney told NewsFour: “We are well supported by the local community in Sandymount but we’d love to create awareness for our store throughout Dublin. We wish to educate people on the benefits of using plants as medicines - for example, wheatgrass and its many benefits - and to inform people on how and what plants work best to cure different ailments. We would love to create a new customer base and ultimately inspire people Some of the items available in Enable Ireland gift shop. to work together, help one anPic by Jennifer Reddin other and take good care of our beautiful planet in every way books, jewellery, bags and bric-a- one up for as little as €10. they can. We are working for brac. Most of the clothes cost less You’ll be helping support a the good of all and 100% of the than a tenner. great cause too. NCBI is the na- profits go straight back into the If you are on the lookout for a tional sight loss organisation. Enable Ireland services.” perfect party outfit and you don’t The charity has 95 shops in IreIn the Enable Ireland gift shop want to break the bank, look no land, including a furniture store you can buy some really gorfurther than the designer rail at in Dublin 2 - NCBI Home. A geous gifts and unusual garden the rear of the adult shop. You’ll hundred percent of donations accessories. The prices are good be blown away by the bargains go to the charity as the shops too. They stock a great range you can find there. For exam- are staffed by volunteers. If you of scented candles and the fraple, it’s not unknown to stumble would like to become a volunteer, grance drifts into the Circle of across items by Vera Wang, Jean get in touch with the shop. It’s a Life outdoor seating area where Paul Gaultier, Tommy Hilfiger or great way to get retail experience you can sit, have a coffee, and Karen Millen. On the day News- and a great way to socialise and enjoy nature in the relaxed atFour paid a visit, there was a meet new people. mosphere; guaranteed to raise brand new Louise Kennedy jackyour mood and soothe your et on the rail, reduced from €850 NCBI Charity Shop & NCBI Kids senses, even on the greyest day. to €100. But the average cost Address: Bridge Street, The Brennan brothers came to of the designer clothes on offer Ringsend, Dublin 4. visit the store a couple of years is much lower. You can well af- Phone: 087 1394348 ago and sprinkled their magic ford to accessorise too, the shop Opening Hours: Monday - Sat- dust. Since then the centre has carries a great selection of shoes, urday: 9.30am - 5.30pm gone from strength to strength. jewellery, bags and even perEnable Ireland have created a fumes. Most of us associate charity space where the customer wants Every month the NCBI shops shops with clothing, books, and to linger, an accomplishment have a half-price sale to clear bric-a-brac, but in Sandymount that every retailer would like to stock, so there’s never anything there’s something a bit special, achieve. on the rails for more than 4 weeks. the Enable Ireland Garden CenAs well as providing a sanctuThe NCBI volunteers are tre. ary in the heart of Dublin 4, the friendly and approachable and The project began in 1996 when centre provides jobs and trainthe shops are well organised, so some of the Enable Ireland ser- ing for Enable Ireland service it’s easy to scan the rails to find to vice users decided they would users. All of this and you are that hidden gem. like to grow a few plants. It doing your bit for a great cause. So get down to the Ringsend quickly flourished and has since What more could you ask for! Road and grab yourself a bar- become a fully functioning gargain. With such amazing prices den centre with a wide variety of Enable Ireland Garden Centre you can always afford to revamp plants, shrubs, trees, herbs and & Gift Shop your wardrobe and dress to your climbers on offer, at very com- Address: Sandymount Aveheart’s content. petitive prices. They also stock nue, Dublin 4 Next door in NCBI Kids you lovely garden pots and contain- Telephone: 01-2615928 can buy good quality children’s ers, as well as compost, tools and Email: gardencentre@enclothing, toys, games, baby everything else you might need to ableireland.ie equipment, walkers, buggies and create your own little Garden of Opening Hours: Monday books, for a fraction of their retail Eden. Saturday: 10am - 5.30pm price. A good quality buggy will The centre’s team of horticultur- Sundays and Bank Holidays: cost you €30 but you can pick ists work full and part-time and 12am - 5.30pm
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PROPERTY
August / September 2017
Paul Carton town in the Dublin 4 area that was built in the eighties, 100% state owned, has the most predictable climate known to man and its inhabitants known throughout the country for both good and evil deeds, is set to be demolished. The town, which is not listed on google maps, and has a dialect and accent incongruous to its surroundings will be literally moved a few hundred metres to the right due to the State selling the land off to a private real estate company. The town is of course Carrigstown, the set of Fair City, and the land it is currently on is now owned by Cairns Homes PLC who paid €107.5 million and who are planning on building 500 apartments and nine houses on the 8.64 acre Donnybrook site. According to the Acting Corporate Communications Manager at RTE, Neil O’Gorman, the Fair City site won’t be moved until sometime in 2018 and the proceeds from the sale, as stated publicly by Director-General of RTE, Dee Forbes, will be
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Fair City Leave Site
“invested in capital projects, including much-needed technology upgrades and key digital infrastructure, and in making important changes to our organisational structure, essential workplace
improvements and reducing debt levels.” One of these investments, Forbes declared, is to have Fair City in high definition. In addition, to reduce debts, Forbes pro-
posed increasing the tv license fee but then added in a further statement that this idea was nonsense. Whether these new residents will have suspenseful lives such
as the original dwellers had in that same spot is yet to be seen. However, one thing for certain is that the Carrigstown gang will take the weather with them.
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Dodder Action inspire change on waste reduction
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Jessica Ellis lastic pollution is choking our seas and riverways. Local volunteer group Dodder Action know this fact all too well. On their river clean-up days the main litter
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that is collected is drinks containers. Last April, Donnybrook Scouts along with Dodder Action fished out almost 700 plastic bottles from an area between Donnybrook bridge and Clonskeagh bridge, a tally that Dublin City
Council took note of. Victoria White, Chairperson of Dodder Action says: “Our work collecting litter and our petition to introduce a deposit refund scheme for drinks containers has directly inspired the new Waste Reduction
Bath Avenue residents enjoy busy summer
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Kevin McSharry ath Avenue and District Residents Association (BADRA) has had a busy July with the task of landscaping their local area.
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They have put down a number of ‘planters’ around Bath Avenue and Sandymount to lift the appeal of the visual aesthetics in the local area. Planters are sets of flowers in pots and placed on streets
with design in mind. BADRA have undertaken these activities for a number of years as part of their efforts to win the Dublin Southeast Area gardening awards. They have done so on a
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August / September 2017
Bill that was presented in the Dáil by the Green Party.” The Bill seeks to give the consumer 10c back on their purchase of drinks bottles if they return them to the store. This 10c charge would be levied on the cost of manufacture so the consumer should not bear this cost. Eventually it will also seek to ban single use plastics and utensils such as the non-biodegradable takeaway coffee cup by 2020. There will also be a requirement to replace them with compostable alternatives. The Bill has achieved cross party support with the Green Party and Labour co-sponsoring the Bill. Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has said Fianna Fáil will support the Bill, ensuring it will pass into the second stage in the Dáil. “With a financial incentive, you get a much higher recycling rate. It’s all about being less wasteful and more careful with your use of resources,” he said. Hopefully this Bill will help to number of occasions, although not this year. Indeed they have also gone on to compete in the larger competition for the Dublin area. This year, the plant varieties which have been used are geraniums, petunia and sophinia. They are planted in such a way that local people, as well as BADRA, are able to maintain them. They appear at the entrances to various parts of Sandymount in an effort to preserve the natural beauty of the area according to Joe McCann of BADRA. It made a “noticeable difference to the aesthetic quality of the area,” according to McCann. In addition to this, BADRA are running a number of summer camps for the local children in the area. These include activities such as gaelic football and hurling, activities with Sportsco, a local fitness centre, as well as more artistic pursuits such as an art school and creative hair studio. BADRA hosts a number of events throughout the year. They are aided in these efforts by support from the Aviva stadium. According to McCann, BADRA’s reasons for having diversity in their camps became clear. “We cater for a different dynamic, namely social inclusion.” It was important to offer children a chance to play sports, however giving them a chance to partake in “something creative” was also key in order to motivate them. It was also central to BARDA’s efforts to involve local people, of
reverse the concerning statistic of 80% of surveyed coastal sites in Ireland having some form of plastic litter, as reported by Coastwatch Ireland.
Pictured Left: River Dodder by William Murphy Pictured Above: Evidence of our plastic problem. Some of the cans and plastic collected on last cleanup. Courtesy of of Dodder Action
all ages, in their endeavours and activities to help foster a sense of a local community in Sandymount. McCann explained it was to “get people involved, even just once a week, to stimulate them to get involved in the community,” which is a strong passion of McCann’s and of BADRA’s in general. Pictured left: One of the local children enjoy the art classes in the summer camp Above: one of the art pieces created at the art classes Courtesy of Triona Sweeney
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August / September 2017
Paul Carton chool reunions are usually decennial and even then numbers attending are scarce, but on the Merrion Road every year, past pupils of the all-girl Merrion School for the visually impaired, get together on the grounds of St. Mary’s Centre nursing home and say mass, eat dinner and have a hooley. In order for the Sisters of Charity to give the proper facilities of learning that pupils needed to get the best start in life, a school was built on the grounds in 1966 by the Department of Education. It has since closed its doors in 2003 due to the integration of disabled students into mainstream schools. The nursing home now has 80 residents and cares for any female who wishes to be in the care of the staff of St. Mary’s, whether they are visually impaired or not, although the centre still gives preference to applicants with a visual impairment. Amongst these residents are retired nuns of the Sisters of Charity and past pupils from the school. The nursing unit caters for low, medium, high and maximum dependency levels and has approximately 100 members of staff and 20 volunteers, and according to former CEO Maura Masterson a large number of these staff members and volunteers come from Ringsend, with some having worked there while putting themselves through college and returning there when finished and working their way up to management roles. Masterson, originally from Achill, Co Mayo, retired from St. Marys in January of this year after nearly 12 years working for the Sisters of Charity and has applied to return as a volunteer. She had time to give NewsFour the chance to step into the history of the place, its remarkable layout and its current ethos. Notably, the halls are adorned with gifts and paintings brought back from staff while abroad, or back home in some cases, are at the same time uncluttered to allow for the visually impaired to walk through trouble free. A lot of the rooms are painted in vibrant colours such as bright pink, which Maura explains is chosen by a particular resident and a challenging task for the staff at St. Mary’s is choosing the right activities for each resident.
COMMUNITY
Page 9 careful on Merrion Road because of the blind people in the area. One of these signs is up on Whitworth Road at the National Council For The Blind. St. Mary’s is hoping to put up more signs in locations where drivers will take heed to.
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Merrion Road’s Mothers, Daughters and Sisters “You have to have a programme of activities from morning to night and you can’t just do stuff like, ‘we will have bingo today’, the person has to be assessed and you have to have a care plan and this is particularly important for people with dementia,” said Masterson. She recalls a time when one of the blind ladies wanted to go to the ballet: “You’d think why? She is blind. But she went to the ballet and I suppose the care staff describe whatever is going on. They go to the theatre a lot because they can hear and it works, and music concerts, and they do watch Coronation Street and know what’s going on so it’s not like they are entirely different to the rest of us. When you meet them they say, ‘oh god I didn’t see you for a long time,’ and they can’t see you and they know it’s you, it’s amazing the sense these people have,” said Masterson. The Sisters of Charity still own the centre, which is now an incorporated company called St. Mary’s Centre (Telford) Ltd,
but have only one Sister left on the board of directors. In the mid-nineties the Sisters sold off their headquarters in Milltown to developers and put the money into St. Mary’s. “Despite what you hear in the news of them being ‘money grabbers’ they put all the money into here to build new nursing home units, refurbished the whole place and renovated everywhere,” said Masterson. “And they built houses and apartments for the blind ladies and they hired occupational therapists to train them and house them to move out into houses and apartments. Most of the women moved out that were living in the dormitories here but then there were some women that would be too old and frail and they went to the nursing home,” she added. For the visually impaired women that wish to be more independent and mobile, the first road they encounter out of St. Mary’s is the busy Merrion road, and Masterson stated that there have been so many near misses with
cars going through red lights and especially white vans under pressure with deliveries. St Mary’s have been in consultation with Dublin City Council regarding road signs to be put up in the area reminding drivers to be extra
Pictured left: Maura Masterson at St Mary’s Centre Bottom pic: Some of the gifts brought back from abroad that adorn the walls. Pictured above: Road sign at Whitworth Road, Drumcondra that St Mary’s Centre hope will be put in place on Merrion Road.
DEVELOPMENT
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Paula Boden
or most Dubliners the Poolbeg chimneys are a familiar and well-loved feature of the city’s landscape. The chimneys have knitted their way into the historical and cultural fabric of urban Dublin and most would agree that any photograph or painting of the ever-changing Dublin skyline would be incomplete without the presence of these two iconic red and white striped chimney stacks . Although the demolition of the two chimneys was once feared, the people of Dublin can now rest assured that the much loved skyline staples are here to stay. But while the chimneys may not be going anywhere anytime soon, the question of how or even if they will be repurposed still remains. Urban Agency is an award-winning international architectural firm with offices based in Dublin’s Grand Canal area. The agency aims to create innovative architectural solutions to address the contemporary challenges of city living. The firm have created a proposal which sets out their plans for the Poolbeg chimneys. The plans include twin observation towers with a 180-metre-high observation deck and a 160-metre-high restaurant, a venue for fundraising, conferences and corporate events, a publically accessible energy museum, education centre, shop, café and toilet facilities. The co-founder of Urban Agency, Maxime Laroussi, believes the re-design would regenerate not only the building itself but also the surrounding areas by influencing tourism and economic growth. “This is a perfect example of how you can regenerate an area which has been neglected, like the (Dublin) docks and make it into a public destination,” says Laroussi. “It’s an important project for the people of this city as it has meaning to them,” says Laroussi. “It’s an important piece of infrastructure and the public should be benefiting from it. Things need to be sustainable financially and if something doesn’t stand up financially, we need to give it another meaning in order to be able to give it a longer life.” As anyone who has seen the recent drone videos taken from the top of the chimneys will know, the view from the top
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August / September 2017
Daring plans for iconic towers
of the chimneys is by far their biggest asset. “No other structure has its height, especially in a place like Dublin, where there are mostly low-rise buildings,” says Laroussi. “It already has the height asset so most of the work has already been done by accident in a sense.” “The idea is to propose two viewing towers - one at 180 metres from the ground and the other at 160 metres. The lower one would have the panoramic restaurant a bit like the rotating restaurant they have in Toronto, and the highest tower could be more like a viewing platform where people can pay to go up and see the view. “In the bottom there would be a cultural centre and museum about energy and power as it used to be an ESB chimney. These kind of features are great for educating and creating awareness,” says Laroussi. The company estimates that the cost of the project would be be-
tween 8-10 million euro. According to Laroussi, potential funding for the project could come from a number of different places including the government, Dublin Port or private investors. When considering a potential demolition of the chimneys, the structural integrity of the buildings was one of the main concerns voiced by the ESB. It’s unknown whether building upon these aging structures would even be possible, however this is not a concern that Urban Agency shares. “We haven’t looked into that detail yet,” says Laroussi, “but structurally, nothing is impossible, engineers can do amazing things.” Urban Agency have listed Dublin City Councillor and historian, Dermot Lacey, as an imagined potential client for their proposal, due to his involvement in the campaign which fought to prevent the chimneys demolition.
However, Cllr Lacey is by no means jumping to support the Urban Agency proposal. “There are lots of imaginative proposals. My own view is that there should be some form of architectural competition,” says Lacey, whose primary aim is to see the chimneys restored as a piece of urban heritage. “You couldn’t jump to support one proposal without inviting many others to submit. However doing something positive with them would be welcome. I don’t think the chimneys are hugely strong structures though, so I think they would need a lot of reinforcement.” He added: “I see the chimneys becoming a focal point for that part of Dublin. Together with a restoration of the old Red Brick Power Station and the proper use of the Pigeon House Hotel we could create a great new destination area linking the sea, the arts and industrial heritage.”
Given the aging exterior, questionable structure and obsolete nature of the chimneys, you could say that the people of Dublin have no business loving the Poolbeg chimneys as much as they seem to. Perhaps one day in the near or distant future we’ll be able to climb to the top of the Poolbeg chimneys and be wined and dined as we take in the best views that the city of Dublin has to offer. In the meantime there remains a strong desire to see the chimneys given new life, or at the very least, maintained.
Pictured: Artist’s reconstructions of the poolbeg towers as a future development plan by the Urban Agency.
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HEALTH
August / September 2017
Page 11
Bath Avenue Medical Centre Health Check
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www.bathavenuemedicalcentre.ie
Bath Avenue Medical Centre Open Day June 2017
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Denise Brannick
ath Avenue Medical Centre Open Day was held on Tuesday June 13th. It included free BMI Assessments, Blood Sugar Levels testing, Physiotherapy Assessments with Z10 Physiotherapy, Heart Rhythm Check, and Skin Assessments with Renew Aes-
thetic Clinic. Thank you to everyone who visited us on our Open Day. We would also like to thank our neighbours Juniors , O’Connor’s Pharmacy, Slattery’s, Lotts&co, Paceprint, Liam Behan, Ballsbridge Gallery, The Food Game, the Scout’s Den and Spar. A special thank you to Joe McCann
from Bath Avenue & District Residents Association . Winners of our draw for €200 Vouchers for Renew Aesthetic Clinic, Z10 Physiotherapy and a Comprehensive Health Screen are announced on their Facebook page. Pictures courtesy of Brendan Mc Coy
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Jennifer Reddin eavy rain did not dampen the spirits of the 120 crews who competed in the St Patrick’s Rowing Club annual regatta, which took place on July 30th. For the many supporters who came to savour the atmosphere and enjoy the spectacle, there was plenty of room to take shelter in Paddy’s clubhouse, which was packed all day. The competing clubs were well-prepared and brought their own tents where the rowers could relax while waiting for their races to start. Sadly, the many kids who were there didn’t get to enjoy the two bouncy castles as much as they might have liked, but they did make the most of the sunshine between the showers and were clearly having a ball. The event was very well run, as always, with Richie Saunders and Eimear McCormack on the river in the Bradogue, judging the racing, checking the turns and co-ordinating with Dublin Port. Irene Montgomery was busy organising things back at the clubhouse and Tony, Chris-
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Paddy’s Day
tine and Jacqueline were full of activity on the BBQ, making sure that everyone was well fed. John Hawkins took charge of the marker buoys, for what he swears is the last time, although his
friends at the club told NewsFour that, “he says that every year!” Philip Murphy was MC for the day and his dulcet tones could be heard above the clamour, keeping everyone entertained and telling
the crews what to do. When the rain came, it came down in buckets but the racing continued throughout, so there were few delays. There were a couple of breaks to facilitate shipping, but these
were carefully timed to cause minimum disruption to the racing schedule. The Dublin Port Company is a great supporter of the local clubs and smooths the progress of their regattas as far as it can. One of St Patrick’s oldest members, Paddy Orr, is happy to see his beloved club doing so well this season. He said: “It went very well for us today; we won a lot of races nine races. I think that’s a record. The crews did very well. The weather was against us, but we have to make the best of it. I think we did great to get through the day as quick as we did. Even though there was a lot of shipping involved. We had to pull the marks out a few times to let the ships in because we can’t disrupt the shipping, the port comes first. But the races went well. All the crews did very well and I’m delighted for them all.” Later, Paddy’s went on to win two more races, bringing their total number of firsts on the day to 11, surpassing all previous records. They also had two crews take second place and two crews come third.
Pictured are various crews from St Patrick’s Rowing Club in action at the regatta.
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August / September 2017
Jennifer Reddin tella Maris Rowing Club hosted their annual regatta on July 16th. This year, the event was sponsored by Dublin Port Company in recognition of the club’s 80th anniversary. After a slight delay at the start, a great day’s racing was enjoyed by crews and supporters from the ten rowing clubs who compete for the East Coast Shield. ‘The Stella’ is one of the most successful rowing clubs on the East coast. They have been East Coast overall champions for the past 4 years and hope to make it a 5th for this, their anniversary year. The Stella crews and supporters were out in force on the day, wearing their distinctive blue kits and enthusiastically cheering the rowers as they took to the water. The winning athletes received special commemorative medals engraved, Stella Maris 80th, something to treasure, especially for the five home crews who took first place: the Under 18 Girls, the Under 12 Boys, and Under 12 Girls, the Under 14 Boys and Under 14 Girls and the Junior Men, with plenty of second and third places too, keeping the club high in the rankings this season. This year, the recently esn
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Stella Maris’ regatta celebrates 80 years
tablished Fingal Rowing Club competed for the first time. Dalkey Rowing Club and their hosts,Stella Maris, loaned them skiffs to race in, and a cox, with Mick Curry doing the honours. They did well, taking first in the Novice Men’s and third in the Inter Ladies. Fingal’s Alice Board-
man said: “Stella Maris have provided their skiff on loan weekly to our crews. We would be truly lost without this support! We have an amazing coxswain, Mick Curry who spurs on our crews and encourages us each and every week.” Stella Maris Rowing Club was
established in 1936 by a group of local people who were part of the Cambridge Sports Club. They named the club after the first skiff that the club owned. The old Stella Maris clubhouse was based at the current Cambridge Football Club headquarters. When the East Link toll bridge
was built, they moved to their current clubhouse, based at Pigeon House Road. Deke McDonald, the new Mayor of Ringsend, who was on hand to present the trophies to the winning crews at the regatta told NewsFour: “I was asked here today to do this presentation and hopefully it goes well for all the people involved. It is absolutely a great honour to be asked to officiate at the 80th anniversary of the Stella Maris Rowing Club, which has come on in leaps and bounds over the years. Credit has to go to the older members who kept the place going when times were very very hard. It’s a wonderful tradition.” Mick Curry said: “It was a great regatta. It went on a bit late because we had a few problems at the start with the marker buoys but once we got going we had a great day. We had the weather and the place was packed for our 80th anniversary. All the Stella crews and supporters were here and everyone enjoyed the celebrations.” When the racing was done, the Stella’s members and supporters retreated to the clubhouse to celebrate their special birthday and according to NewsFour sources a very good night was had by all.
STELLA MARIS DID U KNOW BULLET POINTS
IF TIME
Pictured are participants from the Stella Maris rowing Club at the Regatta.
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Paul Carton he community of people living on their boats and barges at Grand Canal Dock are expecting a huge increase in their rent if the new Waterways Ireland Heritage Bill goes through but it’s residents aren’t sure that these new prices will bring any new improvements. Currently, there is no specific permit for houseboats and those that are living at Grand Canal dock are being charged the extended mooring permit rate of €152 which is to be paid annually to Waterways Ireland (WI). This new Heritage Bill was passed by Seanad Éireann on April 13th, 2017 and is now at the committee stage. The Bill proposes to make amendments to the Canals Act of 1986 and its bye-laws which have been in place for over 30 years. It will allow Waterways Ireland to make new bye-laws to regulate boating on the canals and to manage the use of the canals, and according to Katrina McGirr of Waterways Ireland, “it will also enable them to provide a permit for houseboats.” However, the voluntary organisation, Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI), who represent a substantial number of boat owners on the canals, don’t believe the provisions contained in the Bill are necessarily going to benefit either the canals or the users who would avail of the canals. NewsFour spoke with the CEO of IWAI, Alan Kelly, on the situation at present: “People have lived on boats for a great many years and it’s only now that authorities are shining a light on it and saying ‘ok well we need to regulate this’. We do support that as an association but the danger is if you over-regulate the canals, as they are already a challenging series of waterways to use due to lack of facilities.” An example of this recent attention focused on liveaboards by Waterways Ireland was the change in the permit system in 2012 which allowed year long mooring permits on the Grand Canal and Royal Canal and at the Grand Canal Dock at the Waterways Ireland Visitor Centre. The latter is a community availing of this permit. Although residents at this spot are happy to pay this fee, one resident who has been travelling the canals for years, who wishes to remain anonymous, doesn’t see the value in the price Wa-
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Issues in the dock at Grand Canal
terways Ireland are planning on introducing The Grand Canal in Ringsend runs all the way to the Shannon Harbour, which is one of the stretches of water that the all-Ireland body Waterways Ireland is
responsible for. According to this resident, Grand Canal Docks are in a terrible condition because of the weeds: “The ducks can walk across from one side of the canal to the other without getting their feet wet. There’s nothing done up
here - there’s nothing but weeds. Go up to Northern Ireland - all you see is blue water and they aren’t doing it here.” This resident recalled a heavy handed approach by Waterways Ireland when residents at the
Lowtown Marina in Kildare, some having lived there for 20 years, were given eviction notices due to a private Marina operating at the site without permission from Waterways Ireland. “The first time they went to an occupied boat, the man told them: ‘Get your hands off my moorings this is my home and that’s it!’ So they walked away from him and tried another one. They tried three boats and they eventually walked away, and the next day they came back with 11 men and a supervisor and they moved one boat and they didn’t get involved when the people objected, they walked away from it.” The eviction notice given by Waterways Ireland explained: “Following a recent inspection...remedial works are required to repair the undermined canal banks, the water edge of the towpath… and the jetties which have been deemed to be unsafe.” P Waterways Ireland attempts to remove these residents were met with strong opposition which included TD Claire Daly and at present many of those residents have stayed on at the Lowtown marina but no longer have the facilities like they had when the private marina was operating there. Another complication on the horizon is Brexit, as Waterways Ireland is a cross-border organisation. A recent report carried out by the Houses of the Oireachtas on the implications of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement concluded that ‘it would mean a hollowing out of the Good Friday Agreement. Day to day operations of all such bodies will be significantly complicated with staff and business on both sides of the border’. Due to the period of instability that Brexit has caused, it remains to be seen if the Waterways Ireland Action Plan of 2013 will be fully implemented fully although Minister Heather Humphreys has insisted ‘that both the Grand Canal Dock and Spencer Dock are developed to their full potential for both the city of Dublin, and the wider canal network’. Pictures of scenes at the Grand Canal Docks. Pics by Paul Carton
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August / September 2017
Deputy Dawgs
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Paul Carton n the front line safeguarding this nation’s fiscal, social and economic welfare at Dublin Port is a team of canines and handlers who work as a team hired to detect the illicit importation of drugs, cash and tobacco. The detector-dog team in the face of the ‘shadow economy’ is Alfie, Bill, Casey, Defor, Elvis, Frankie, Grace, Harvey, Hollie, Josie, Lottie, Marley, Meg, Ollie, Ralph, Scooby and Stella who are made up of Springer, Springer Cross, Labradors and Labrador cross breeds. This team are based at different locations around the country, including ports, airports and mail centres. Detection dogs begin their working life at around eighteen months and their careers normally last between six to eight years. Depending on its breed, its scenting ability can range from a thousand to ten-thousand times greater than that of a human. These canines may be single, dual or multi scented and so therefore can detect cash, drugs or tobacco or all three. A spokesperson for the Revenue Commission told Newsn
Four about how they are trained to detect: “All Revenue dogs are trained to be multi-purpose. That is, they are trained to screen both people and freight. Our dogs are trained to have a ‘passive response’ meaning that they will ‘sit and stare’ when they find contraband. Each dog is different, and each job is different, so a working day in the life of a detector dog and handler will always be varied and challenging. For example, each dog’s capacity for continuous searching varies. The minimum intensity at which they will detect a scent can also vary, and can be affected by climate and internal or external environment. The handler knows his or her dog well, is sensitive to the effect of the particular job and the working conditions on the dog, and makes the decision on how to deal with each task that comes their way. “The dogs must be allowed to acclimatise as they move to different environments in the course of a day, and the handler is responsible for ensuring the wellbeing of the dog in all circumstances, including, of course, ensuring that the dog is rewarded for positive results, usually with some play time
PORT
with a tennis ball, their favourite, after a challenging task.” Unfortunately, NewsFour are unable to find out the performance statistics for each canine at Dublin Port. This is a security and protection measure as successful dogs have become targets from criminals involved in the drug trade and the Revenue Commission do not want individual dogs identified. According to a source who wants to remain anonymous, a dog who went by the name of ‘Donny’ was so good at his job of detection and hindering illicit drugs trade, that the criminals who were out of pocket due to his snooping put a ‘hit’ out on the dogs head. The dog is now happily retired running after tennis balls thrown by his handler and probably unbeknownst to how close he came to the dark underworld. The unit operates on a relatively frugal budget. Figures retrieved from the Revenue Commissioners show an expenditure of €430k in a four year period between 2013 and 2016 for the detector dog programme which provided for training, food and boarding, vet fees and ancillary equipment required to allow the department to run efficiently. In that period, Revenue detector teams were involved in operations leading to seizures of smuggled tobacco products, drugs and cash to a combined value of over €79m. Although it is also to be noted that assisting this canine unit are the mobile x-ray scanners and Ireland recently acquired its third scanner in June of this year at a cost of €1.668m, which was part funded by OLAF, the European anti-fraud agency.
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Clockwise from top left: Frankie’ keeping a lookout on a trip around the port. Marley’ sits to attention. Meg on the scent from Riverfest. Bill waits for instructions. Pictures courtesy of the Revenue commissioners.
MARITIME
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ublin Riverfest 2017 is already a fading but beautiful memory for the many visitors who made their way to what has become a major celebration of sailing and maritime activities in the city. Once again the festival, now in its sixth year, saw the River Liffey come alive with activity from the Samuel Beckett Bridge, along the North Wall Quay and right through to Dublin Port and into Dublin Bay. The incredible Thundercats UK headlined the event this year. They treated the thousands of thrill-seekers who came to see them in action to some serious display racing, as each twoman crew rocketed their inflatable catamarans - powered by a 50hp motor – along the river. A specially built grandstand in front of the CHQ Building gave the best views of the action and needless to say it was packed for every performance to view these fearless sportsmen. When they weren’t wowing the spectators with their boatmanship, the ThunderCats and their team could be found relaxing at Base Camp, which for the duration of the festival was the Poolbeg Yacht Club. Thundercat Racing has be-
come of the most thrilling water sports of the twenty-first century and Dublin fans will be happy to hear that plans are afoot to bring the sport to Ireland in the near future. Also present at Riverfest were eight tall-ships which berthed along North Wall Quay. These were open to the public free of charge for the duration of the festival and saw a steady stream of visitors who were treated to tours of the ships by their international crews. Other highlights of the weekend included jet-pack displays, sailing races, powerboat displays and lifesaving demonstration. There were plenty of ways for members of the public to get on the water too, including river ferry trips and cruises, boat tours of Dublin Port and Dublin Bay, ‘Try Sailing’ sessions on both sailing dinghies and keelboats, stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) sessions and kayaking trips with City Kayaking, which were discounted for the weekend and much in demand. For those who prefer to keep their feet dry - thank you very much – there was lots to enjoy along the banks of the river, including multiple Family Zones with free activities such as zip
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August / September 2017
Riverfest Success Continues
lines, rock climbing, street performers, music, fun fair attractions, face painting, pirate re-enactments and children’s art & circus workshops. And of course there was plenty of delicious, and surprisingly af- n Jennifer Reddin fordable, international street food available from the open-air food and craft market, delivered by Irish Village Markets. All in all it was a fantastic celebration of the river and it was good to see Dublin become a maritime city once again. We need more of that!
Main Pic: Thousands of visitors enjoyed Riverfest over the June Bank Holiday weekend. Pictures Conor McCabe Photography. Bottom Left: ThunderCats in their natural habitat (L-R) Martin Pullen, Marc Newton, Tris Carpenter, James Tapp. Photo by Jennifer Reddin
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August / September 2017
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Jessica Ellis
verage water usage figures have been released by the Central Statistics Office and show some interesting trends in Dublin’s districts. Southsiders have a higher annual consumption of water than those living on the northside. The figures also show how many water meters were installed across the capital. By January 2015, 519,781 water meters had been installed in Dublin and by December the same year the number rose to 764,319. The new data is supplied by these meters. Those homeowners who live in the more affluent suburbs of Dublin 4, Dublin 6 and Dublin 13 consume vastly more water than the average home owner in Ireland. In fact just 10% of consumers account for 43% of the water used in the country. Dublin 6 has the highest domestic water use with 488 litres consumed per day. Dublin 4 is not far behind with 459 litres consumed per household per day. The Central Statistics Office suggests that larger family homes in Donnybrook, Sandymount and Ballsbridge which have more ensuites and larger
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Jennifer Reddin
he Dublin Dockworkers Preservation Society (DDWPS) was formed in 2011 when a small group of former dockworkers, prompted by Jimmy Carthy, met in the KCCP building and decided that more should be done to preserve the industrial history of Dublin Docks and the rich history of the dockland communities such as East Wall, North Wall, Sherriff Street, Ringsend and Pearse Street. Alan Martin, one of the men, had already set up a Facebook page (Dublin Dockers) to publish his collection of photographs and it had generated a lot of interest in the history of the docks and the men and women who had worked in the Port of Dublin and in ancillary dockland industries. Today the DDWPS has 300 members and countless supporters, including former dockworkers, local historians and archivists, and people with a passion for the local communities and the industrial heritage of Dublin. Over 3,000 photographs have been donated to the Facebook page, which now has more than 5,000 followers.
WATER
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Water usage in Dublin 4 one of the highest in country
gardens could account for these high figures.This is in comparison to just 297 litres used on average in Dublin 1 and 283 litres average in Dublin 2 where households are smaller and live in apartment accommodation. So how can you begin to con-
serve water in your home and garden? You may think that there is plenty of water to go around with all the rain we get in Ireland but this water still needs to be treated. Water treatment facilities can only process a certain amount of water a day so we all need to make small
Reduce the time you spend in the shower - a regular shower will use about 35 litres of water in 5 mins. However, a power shower will use over 125 litres in the same time. Use a bucket of water, not a hose. A hose uses more water in one hour than the average family uses in a day. The car will be just as clean using a bucket of water. Keep a jug of water in the fridge - instead of letting the tap run when waiting for cold water, fill a jug of water and keep it in the fridge. Use a basin in your sink - instead of letting the tap run, use a basin to rinse and clean your fruit and vegetables. And you can use the leftover water to give your potted plants a drink. Rainwater is excellent for your garden - collect it in a water tank fed from your gutters but always make sure to securely cover large containers for safety. For more information and tips changes in our daily lives to not waste this precious resource. you can visit www.water.ie. Dublin City Council list helpful You can also visit www.taptips. tips on their website: Ensure your home is leak free ie for kid friendly facts about - check for running overflows the importance of water conand fix any dripping taps, cis- servation. Source: Commons. wikimedia.org terns or pipes.
Dublin Dockers Preservation Piece
Since its formation, they have amassed a valuable collection of artefacts which includes over 3,500 photographs, as well as documents, recorded stories, and other dock related material such as dockers’ buttons and employment records. These are shared with the public at regular exhibitions, talks and musical nights. That there is a real interest in what the DDWPS is trying to achieve was confirmed right at
the beginning, when they held their first exhibition of photographs in the Dublin Port Centre in March 2012. The exhibition exceeded all their expectations. More than 200 guests, including the Lord Mayor, turned up on the night. A further 200 visited the exhibition during the following week. This was followed by exhibitions in the CHQ Building, Liberty Hall, St Patrick’s Rowing Club, Ringsend, East Wall, Cabra, and
the Five Lamps Arts Festival. All were well received and generated a renewed interest in this significant part of Ireland’s industrial past. The DDWPS is supported by public figures such as Jack O’Connor, General President of SIPTU; Lucinda Creighton, who was Minister for European Affairs when she opened the society’s 4th exhibition; the current Lord Mayor, Mícheál
MacDonncha, and by political representatives from all sides who serve the dockland communities. “We’d love to do more, like have an ecumenical service for the dockworkers who’ve passed away and put on more exhibitions and cultural events, but we don’t have the money. The level of funding we were promised hasn’t materialised,” spokesperson for the group, Declan Byrne, told NewsFour. The valuable archive collated by DDWPS is currently being stored in the homes of the members. They say: “We believe that our stories deserve to be told, our history preserved and it is for these reasons we have been campaigning for a Docklands Heritage Centre” - a dedicated space where the collection can be put on permanent display. Keep up to date with the Dublin Dock Workers Preservation Society on their Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/ Dublindockers/ You can view the photographs in the collection and download them for free at: www.bluemelon.com/alanmartin
YOUTH
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Jennifer Reddin
n Saturday June 17th, more than 1,000 CoderDojo ninjas from all over the world descended on the RDS to showcase their creative projects at the CoderDojo Coolest Projects expo, which is now the largest kids’ tech event in Europe. CoderDojo Coolest Projects is both an exhibition and a competition. It was started six years ago to inspire and encourage creativity, innovation, technology skills and entrepreneurship in young people aged from 7 and 17, who are part of the CoderDojo movement. Amongst the winners at this year’s event was a local boy, Ed Nicell, who attends the Star of the Sea CoderDojo in Sandymount, Dublin 4. Ed won first place in the aged 10 Scratch category for his project “Geometry Dash 2 (Fanmade)”, an unofficial sequel to the popular Geometry Dash game. Despite his love for technology and his aptitude for coding, 10-year-old Ed was surprised to hear that his project had won first prize. “I actually thought I was dreaming so I pinched myself on the way up,” he says modestly. He happily shares the credit for his success with his “awesome” mentors and his peers at the Sandymount club,
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August / September 2017
The Coolest Coder where the kids learn how to teach themselves coding by having ideas, trying things on the computer, using online resources and by helping each other. At the Star of the Sea Primary School in Sandymount, Ed’s favourite subject is “definitely computing.” When he started going to CoderDojo about three years ago he already had some computer skills; he started playing games on his dad Michael’s Nintendo DS when he was only three years old. Already, he is considering a future in games development and together with a group of friends has formed a group called Nitro which he says “is not exactly a company yet because you can’t have a company until you are 18…so it’s a group. We make games and basically we treat it as if it were a company.” Apart from coding, Ed likes swimming and hanging out with his brothers Arthur and Saul, his cousin Tadgh and his friends. Arthur and Tadgh are also members of the CoderDojo and computing is a common interest. Celie, Ed’s mum, makes sure that they keep up with other interests and limits the time they spend on computers to “about half-an-hour a day and a bit longer at weekends” which she says “is not a huge amount of time but it’s amazing what they can learn in a short time.” Celie believes that the kids experience at CoderDojo has been “absolutely brilliant”
and would recommend it to other parents saying, “if your children are interested in computers then it’s a great thing to send them to.” CoderDojos have been teaching kids to code since 2011. The movement was started by Corkman, James Whelton, who set up a computer club in his school when he was just 18, to teach his fellow students basic HTML and CSS. Later that year, entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Liao expressed an interest in growing the project. Together they founded the CoderDojo movement with a mission to provide “every child worldwide with the opportunity to learn code
and to be creative with technology in a safe and social environment.” To achieve this they decided to open-source the model, making it easier to share. Making the movement open-source allowed thousands of mentors to set up CoderDojos and today at as many as 1,300 dojos in 70 countries, children are learning to code for free and availing of the opportunity to move beyond the role of passive tech-consumers to become creators and tech-contributors in their own right. The clubs vary in size and style. Some are structured and some are more free form. All of them encourage the young participants to develop coding and tech skills at their own pace. Most dojos cater
for both complete beginners as well as for children who already know a lot about coding. The CoderDojo movement is now a global phenomenon with clubs from Dublin to London to Cork and even in places like Uzbekistan, Madagascar and Istanbul. Since the first CoderDojo was set up, over 100,000 young people have participated in the venture and more than one-million hours have been volunteered by around 9,000 individual mentors. Here in Sandymount, Ed is already tinkering around with other game engines such as Unreal engine and Unity, in preparation for his next project, although he has no definite plans yet. He’s moved on from Scratch to MIT App Inventor and has started work on his own web browser which “is still in the development stage.” Speaking to NewsFour he comes across as a cool, articulate, curious and focused young person. No matter what he chooses to do in the future, there is little doubt that he will do it well. Pictured Top: CoderDojo ninja Ed Nicell checks out the computers in NewsFour. Picture Jennifer Reddin Pictured Left: Ed with mum Celie and his little brother Saul. Picture Jennifer Reddin.
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Kevin McSharry
August / September 2017
quash Link is an initiative to involve young girls and boys from Ringsend and further afield in sport. This is done through the sport of squash. They play in the Sportsco facility, which is located in South Lotts Road, Ringsend. Mark Kelly, who instigated the program emphasised how the key idea was “youth enrichment” which involves personalised expert training tailored to “each committed participant.” There is no exclusion and Kelly was keen to emphasise that it was an individualised approach. Currently they have students from Ringsend College as well as St. Patrick’s Girls and Boys National Schools, though they are seeking to expand into the wider area of Dublin 4. They are supported by organisations such as Squash Matters, Leinster Squash as well as Dublin City Council and Sport Wellbeing Partnership among others. They are currently seeking more funding to allow further development of their non-profit organisation. The idea of Squash Link grew out of a Trinity College initia-
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Local Racquet Has Strong Aims Image: Courtesy of Kevin O’Gorman
tive for nearby schools where students played squash during a number of four week initiatives. The following year the same program was held for students with intellectual disabilities. This inspired Kelly to set-up Irish Squash and Education Association with the flagship program, Squash Link, to motivate and
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inspire local children in the community through the medium of squash. As part of this endeavour, Squash Link will assist students in academic and career pursuits such as helping one of their participants get a job in a local radio station. Kelly also coaches the children who take part. He was previous-
ly a rugby coach with Leinster and took up squash later in life. He has great enthusiasm for the sport explaining that it requires good timing, concentration and aim, as well as dedication. These qualities, he felt, had a broad effect on a child’s development and even on their ability to succeed academically.
Another coach working at Squash Link, Debbie Brown, had previously worked in a similar environment in Santa Barbara, California in the U.S. She was passionate about the initiatives in Santa Barbara working with children from lower-income backgrounds and dedicated herself to the task. She stated she still gets cards and letters from the children whom she coached. Brown also emphasised that a large number of the Fortune 500 CEOs were athletes stressing a connection between success in sport and success professionally. However they were clear that though they were happy to support children who showed strong ability in the sport, the goal of Squash Link was to cater to every level and to encourage an enjoyment and passion in participating in squash. Currently Squash Link is hosting a summer camp initiative during July and August from 9am-1pm for children to get involved in. The website is called www.squashlink.org. They are also on Facebook.com/SquashLinkIreland, and Twitter at @ SquashLink.
NEWS
Page 20 Continued from page 1. and ready to do something if accidents happen.” Professor Connett then proceeded to deliver an impassioned lecture on the problematic nature of incinerators. He detailed how a major concern for him was the effect the toxins coming from the Poolbeg Incinerator would have on food grown in the surrounding area. He emphasised that ingesting such food could prove even more significant than breathing in dioxins from the incinerator. Connett is a staunch critic of poor waste management in general. He is famous for advocating a zero waste policy, which many would consider unachievable. He explained that many European countries as well as Canada and the United States have reduced their dependency on incinerators due to their known health effects. To give strength to his thesis, he spoke of the city San Francisco in California, which was able to avoid landfill and incinerators for up to 80% of its waste through reuse and recycling. He also referred to Navona, near Turin in Italy, which recycled 70% waste, as a strong argument for this novel approach. Connett made the dramatic statement that before 1985 dioxins had only been found in the infamous Agent Orange used as a biological weapon during the Vietnam war. He emphasised that a local or community based approach was essential to be successful and that it needed to be a united one with academic backing in order to succeed, as one could not trust government to implement the prudent policy. He was staunchly critical of the Irish Government, whom he stated he advised back in 2005 not to build an incinerator. He stated he “pleaded with and begged them not to build an incinerator,” as Ireland had such good air quality at the time. Following these two protest meetings in opposition to DWE, People Before Profit’s Annette Mooney, chaired a subsequent meeting on July 12th, in an effort to bring these and other groups together. Many people who attended these events had expressed concern that division had been an issue in the original efforts to prevent the incinerator construction. At this meeting of what is now known as the Poolbeg Incinerator Monitoring Action Group, the Social Democrats, Parents Against the Incinerator and Combined Residents Against the Incinerator were all present,
as well as long-time critics such as Joe Whelan and the leader of the Green Party, Eamon Ryan, T.D. Although Ryan only attended the meeting for a short period, he expressed his “serious concern” with what has happened as well as emphasising that it was a “very complicated issue.” Many people in attendance were angry and frustrated with the incinerator and what they felt was a lack of progress in dealing with it as well as newer issues such as the fly infestation in Ringsend, which was said to originate at the incinerator due to garbage accumulation at the site. References were made to the
controversy surrounding the Bioburn medical waste incinerator and the successful campaign of protest by Marie Connolly and Mary Lawless. among others, in shutting it down through “civil disobedience.” It was also a chance to coordinate a response to the incinerator. Cllr Mooney of PBP took notes of additional suggestions and organised the attendees into two groups for dealing with the incinerator. One group to monitor the traffic volume coming and going from the incinerator and the other to push for monitoring of air pollution. The Social Democrats have par-
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August / September 2017
ticipated in follow up meetings and have developed further proposals for monitoring the Poolbeg site. Local Social Democrat candidate, Rory Trainor, has put forward proposals. He is asking “people on a local level to get in touch with their waste management provider” and ask them if they are involved with DWE, and if so to make clear to them that they will not be using them any longer unless they change. He is also seeking monitoring of the number of lorries and trucks serving the Poolbeg site, and where they are coming from, in an effort to gauge any effect they would have on local air quality.
Trainor is also calling for strengthening of the EPA through changes in law that would give the EPA power to designate sites as “high risk sites,” such as DWE. He elaborated that “the EPA be authorised to pre-designate sites or activities as ‘high risk’ and where that designation applies the operator would be obliged to apply higher levels of safety and transparency procedures. Where there are issues arising with such a site or activities there will be a presumption that it is the fault of the operator until they prove otherwise.” Finally they are calling for a Health Impact Assessment in line with People Before Profit. Joe McCarthy of An Taisce has been a long-standing critic of Covanta. He sits on the DCC’s Special Committee for the Environment. In its most recent meeting, the committee was chaired by Naoise O’Múiri of Fine Gael and was attended by Mr. Dick Brady, Assistant CEO of DCC. Referring to the most recent reports of uncontrolled release of lime, McCarthy claimed that Covanta’s statement that lime alone was leaked is false. McCarthy asserts that there were three incidents at the site, rather than just one reported. His basis for this is official reports that have been submitted to the EPA by DWE. McCarthy further states that on June 1st they fired up waste burning for the first time. They ran low on water during this time. They suffered a further issue during which “the baghouse pressure dropped and the plant was shut down.” The baghouse contains the “activated carbon”, which absorbs much of the toxins produced during incineration. On June 5th and 6th, according to McCarthy, waste was fired during the night. The baghouse pressure dropped again. McCarthy states at this time that “there was lime on the ground in the vicinity of the baghouse.” The temperature also dropped below 850 degrees twice due to adjusting pressure and removing bottom ash. The temperature must not drop below 850 when burning waste according to the EPA license issued to Covanta. McCarthy asserts that these prior incidents culminated in the bag house filter bursting, which lead to the employees coming in contact with toxic waste products such as florans and dioxins, as well as lime. All of these incidents were contrary to the EPA licence and
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August / September 2017
as such they were issued with three non-compliance notices for failing to report what had occurred on time. In addition, the EPA have begun legal proceedings against Dublin Waste to Energy Ltd., though what form that is to take is yet to be seen. The Health Safety Authority (HSA) is investigating the lime incident. According to their press officer, Mark Ryan, there was an “uncontrolled release of lime,” leading to a “prohibition notice to cease activity and operation.” However after action by DWE, the HSA are now satisfied that “there is no further issue with the combustion process,” and operations have been allowed to resume. It is “the only incident” with the site that they are “aware of,” according to Mr Ryan. When asked about whether Covanta were being penalised for such actions, Mr Ryan stated that he would not “speculate on fines.” As part of his research, McCarthy has asked for three figures from DWE - what is the percentage of the flue gas residue being recirculated; how much activated carbon are they using, per tonne or per day; and how much activated carbon has been used to date. For McCarthy these were “matters of fact.” However, there were protestations from others, notably Mr Brady, that he was concluding and that these matters were to be decided on by the EPA and HSA in their investigations in due course. At the Special Committee for the Environment, exchanges between Mr Brady and Mr McCarthy became heated at times. It was agreed that the figures which McCarthy sought would be provided. In addition McCarthy himself would circulate his sources for his claims about further incidents during
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Page 21 helped minimise opposition and buy silence. However the interest in challenging the incinerator has emerged in a number of new groups and individuals who are still willing to challenge the incinerator, especially given recent incidents. The issue has now changed from one of prevention to minimisation of the perceived risk to health, by attempting to closely monitor the facility and to ensure there are not excessive toxic emissions released from the plant.
the meetings, as well as questions surrounding whether proper procedure was followed in relation to the lime release. The full consequences for Covanta following on from these controversies and concerns are still to be determined. However local and expert opposition remains against the Poolbeg Incinerator. Historically, objections to the incinerator were made on largely on grounds of health impacts in Ringsend, Irishtown, Sandymount and the larger Dublin area. There were concerns over whether the contract agreed between Covanta and Dublin City Council allowed for proper oversight by the EPA. In the last number of years further issues have risen regarding the management of DWE’s parent company, Covanta. Fines had been issued in both Miami, America and Durham-York, Canada due to inade-
quate levels of “activated carbon” used to contain dioxins and other hazardous emissions and excessive emissions, respectively. An additional concern raised is that the current head of the EPA worked for a number of years for an incinerator company. Laura Burke, head of the EPA since 2004, worked for Indaver Ireland, which tried to establish an incinerator in Ringaskiddy, Cork. It was ultimately objected to by An Bord Pleanala after local opposition and concerns for health. The plan by Covanta to construct an incinerator in Poolbeg, Dublin has been fought for over 20 years including objections from mostly all Dublin councillors. Despite this, Dublin City Council Chief Executive, Eoin Keegan, pushed it through, using a relatively recent change in law that allowed him to make executive decisions involving waste management without councillors
say. Much of the protests and opposition to the incinerator built by Covanta under a subsidiary company, Dublin Waste to Energy Ltd, had subsided. The exact reason is a matter of controversy involving a fund set aside by Covanta for local investment that local groups could apply to, which
Front page Image: Children on beach From left to right: Ronja Hajduk, Luna Morissey, Jan Hajduk and Maya Morissey. Pic by Conor Morrissey Top left: Laura Fano, Parents Against The Incinerator. Bottom left: Professor Paul Connett, he is a retired Professor of Chemistry. Bottom right: Attendees listen at the meeting organised by Parents Against The Incinerator. Top right: Duncan Steward, the Eco Eye presenter and noted environmentalist, standing with Laura Fano and Professor Paul Connett.
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ort Perspectives, an exhibition of artworks by Community Drawing Clubs and City Schools in Dublin, was launched by Lord Mayor of Dublin Mícheál Mac Donncha at the Hugh Lane Gallery on July 4th. The exhibition was supported by Dublin Port Company, as part of its ongoing Port Perspectives arts commissioning series. As part of the project, a number of drawing clubs were set up in community groups from the Ringsend Irishtown Community Centre; St Andrew’s Resource Centre, Pearse Street; Seán O’Casey Community Centre East Wall; and East Wall Youth Centre. As well as the drawing clubs, ten city schools also participated in this project. In all, more than 30 gifted amateur artists, ranging from 11 to almost 80 years old, saw their artwork displayed in the Dublin City Gallery Hugh Lane, one of Ireland’s principle galleries. The exhibiting artists included many well-known Ringsend and Irishtown names such as Betts and Whelan. The theme of the exhibition was Port Life. The sketches, watercolours, pastels and collages included both contemporary images of Dublin Port and its environs and historical reflections of what it was like in years gone by, as seen or imagined by the artists who drew their inspiration from the environment around the docks, the Dodder and the Liffey, and their own family histories. Earlier this year, each Drawing Club visited the gallery’s exhibition of the works of acclaimed Belgian artist Eugeen Van Mieghem in search of inspiration. Van Mieghem grew up close to the Port of Antwerp, and left a captivating visual record of port life there at the turn of the 20th century. His work captures the lives of ordinary people as they went about their lives and explores themes of migration, globalisation, and the working port community. All themes that resonate with Dublin Port and the docklands communities. The exhibition was curated by Declan McGonagle, Curator of Port Perspectives Engagement Programme. It continues the Hugh Lane’s collaboration with the Port Perspectives initiative, which is designed to promote Dublin Port’s increasing support for the arts. In recent years
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Port Life Exhibition
a series of commissioned art projects have been commissioned to tell the story of Dublin Port and to help renew the historical link between the port and the city. Eamonn O’Reilly, Dublin Port Company Chief Executive, said: “For decades, Dublin Port touched almost every family living in the vicinity of the north and south quays. Now they have brought those memories back to life through drawing and painting. “Dublin has always been well known as a port city, but up to now we’ve had no pictorial representation of that. This is the start of that process. This has been a very special project. Not only are we bringing the arts into the port communities, but we are bringing their works created to the Dublin City Gallery - The Hugh Lane. It is amazing to have this exhibition in such a prestigious gallery.” Top: Tall Ship on the Liffey by artist Dympna O’Halloran. Middle: Dick Nugent viewing his art work hung in Dublin City Gallery. Right: Mairead Cullen - Scenes from Dublin Port Incinerator - untitled by Anne Marie Newman Photos Conor McCabe Photography.
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Jessica Ellis
obin Booth, now the former Principal of St. Patrick’s Boys National School, was honoured at the last school assembly before the summer break for his lengthy service to the community and school. The parent’s association and pupils presented him with gifts of a hamper and a book filled with well wishes from the children he has taught over 44 years at St.Pats. One parent said on behalf of the association: “A special thank you to Mr Booth for his support and knowledge and we wish you success in the next part of your life.” Another added: “You put the ‘pal’ into principal!” Monsignor Dan O’Connor, chairperson of the school board gave him a blessing for his future and said: “He has been the rock all of us has depended on through the good times and hard times.” Prayers were also led by some students, “We pray for Mr Booth so he won’t miss us too much and we pray for his wife who will have to get used to him being at home a lot more!” After the assembly, NewsFour sat down with Mr Booth and asked him why he spent so long in one school - 44 years is quite a long time. He replied: “I’d sooner be in a tough situation with good colleagues than in a nice situation with bad colleagues. There were a
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hellybanks’ Educate Together National School held their end of year assembly on the morning of June 23rd outside the main entrance to the school. This growing school is based in Sandymount and is currently located near the RDS grounds, though there are plans to move it in the near future to the site formerly owned by Rehab, near the beach in Sandymount. Parents gathered to hear about the school activities and events that had taken place during the year. Principal, Johanne O’Sullivan, began by thanking the teachers and staff, the parents and committees as well as the children themselves, who had “worked hard at school and with their songs” during the year. The end of year assembly was also an opportunity to unveil the school’s mission statement. Parents and guardians had contributed to this during the year
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Former Principal given fond farewell
alike and all the good work Mr Booth has put in over the years. Yet Ringsenders don’t have to worry about his retirement too much as Mr Booth assures us of this: “I’m not going to just disappear!”
few brilliant teachers here such as Cathal Fleming and John Tyrrell. I developed a loyalty to the parents, they place so much trust in you. They had such hope for their children that you couldn’t let them down.” Highlights of his teaching career have been hurling and hiking. “To many Ringsenders my name is synonymous with hurling. In 1977, James Gleeson and I began reviving hurling and eventually won a final in Croke Park in 1979. More victories followed -ten in all. The trips to Croker did wonders for the boys. When coming home with the cup the bus would go silent until it reached the crest of Ringsend
Bridge when a huge cheer would go up from all onboard. Rivalry with the Star and ‘Haddier’ was always intense and before a local derby the hurlers were like angels in class lest we might not select them. It was something we’d never do but it was nice to get a few days of peace and quiet. Outstanding footballers were always ten-a-penny in Ringsend, but to have been an outstanding hurler is something else. I am not going to say who the best ever hurler was lest some past-pupils never speak to me again. It’s that serious.” Mr Booth was also nominated by his pupils for a ‘Thank you Teacher’ One4All gift voucher
in an online competition. He received enough votes to ensure he won the prize of a 1,000 euro voucher! A testament to his popularity with parents and pupils
Shellybanks school mark end of year
and it was finalised and completed by the the Mission Statement Committee, which was selected from among some of the parents. In addition, to encourage par-
ents involvement in the process of drafting the mission statement, several meetings were held during the year and an online survey was sent out.
Shellybanks’ had a “vision statement” at the start of the year in which they organised different committees for the year such as the Intercultural Committee, the
Pictured Top: Robin Booth: Star of the School. Above Right: A younger Robin Booth Pictured Below: Mr Booth with Bertie Ahern in 1997 when he presented medals to those who won the double senior and junior hurling titles that year.
Funding Committee and the Mission Statement Committee all of which were thanked by O’Sullivan for their role. During the assembly a number of songs were sung including What I Am and This Little Light of Mine, which the children and parents sang enthusiastically. The mission statement was then read out by Billy Donohue, accompanied by students Remy McInerney, Ollie Diez Corry, Zoe Crotty, Aeris Natangcop, Elijah Kenny, Jun Tong Song and Sam Sommerauer. The mission statement emphasised the role of diversity, acceptance and striving to be one’s best. The event was a pleasant acknowledgment of a year accomplished and signified a bright and hopeful future going forward. Pictured above: Children gather for milestone assembly. Courtesy of Shellybanks Educate Together
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Jennifer Reddin
s part of the Five Lamps Arts Festival this year, a group of former dockworkers from the Dublin Dockworkers Preservation Society (DDPS) got together with playwright Niamh Gleeson to stage a series of performances in which they recounted their working days. The initiative was sponsored by the unions as part of Mayfest 2017. The performances were recorded by the Connolly Media Group and are available to view on the DDPS website. In one of the videos, The Struggle to Find Work, Paddy Daly, who worked as a docker and later as a foreman, tells of the practice known as The Reads, the system used to allocate work before “de-casualisation” was introduced. During the 1940’s and 1950’s a docker worker’s life was a hard life. In all, about 3,000 men depended on Dublin Port for their income. The majority of them came from dockland communities such as Ringsend and Pearse Street, East and North Wall and the North Inner City. Work was allocated on a daily basis by the foremen at The Reads. The men would gather in front of four to six raised platforms on the quayside waiting for their name to be called and their duties assigned if they were lucky. Dockworkers followed The Reads day in day out and in all sorts of weather. There were no shelters and none of the conveniences that we take for granted in today’s workplace. Nevertheless, the system was a more acceptable way of allocating labour than the dangerous practice of hobbling, where rowing crews competed to reach an incoming ship or trade vessel first as they made their way into Dublin Bay. The crew that got a line on board first would get the job of guiding the vessel into the port, and could assign the unloading and loading and any ancillary work that went with it. The Reads system was not as random as it appears. Things were more or less organised the night before, usually in the pubs where the dockworkers would gather to collect their pay. It was common for the work crews to be paid by the foremen in the pubs around the docks when the working day was done. This had predictable results and many of their families suffered poverty as a result.
Dockworker: The Struggle to Find Work In addition to the insecure nature of the work, the dockers had to tolerate low level corrupt practices such as ‘matchboxing’, handing the foreman a box of matches to light his cigarette with ‘something’ in it if they wanted to stay in favour and get the work. Such practices were commonplace. Nepotism and favouritism played a part too. The all-powerful foremen could assign the work to whoever they wanted, so naturally family members and their friends were chosen first. It was an imperfect system. As Paddy explains, “It wasn’t just that was wrong. It was the graft attached to that and the whole system that was wrong. It was degrading.” But at the end of the day it was the foremen who ran the place. They decided how many gangs were needed to do the work and they could choose who would be placed in the gangs.
At the start of WWII the shipping companies and cargo owners decided that it was no longer feasible to leave the work of handling their valuable assets - the ships and cargos - to casual labour, especially with ships being lost to the water at an alarming rate. Calls for changed working practices came mainly from the English side. It was decided that order should be introduced and that regular guys should be offered the work. In 1947-48 a Register of dockworkers was introduced, designed to satisfy the needs of not only the ship and cargo owners but the demands of the insurance companies too. The men were now required to register if they wanted to get work. They had to be recognised by the unions and approved by the foremen first. Registered men were issued with a button badge which helped the foremen quickly and easily
identify the registered “buttonmen” even if they didn’t know them personally. The reason the dockworkers had to comply with the button system was because the shipping companies and the unions together, agreed to implement it. The foremen were obliged to pick the men with the identifying buttons over the men who didn’t have them. They were to be allocated work first. In theory this should have improved things but in practice the foremen found ways to subvert the system and continued to allocate the most lucrative work to family members and friends, often over the registered men. One common practice was to assign work to men who had a fondness for drink on the evening before the job started, knowing that they were unlikely to turn up, especially at weekends. They could then be replaced with men of the foremen’s own choosing.
August / September 2017 After WWII the shipping companies continued to introduce more regular work practices and to eliminate the casual nature of the job. One improvement was to introduce weekly rather than daily payments. The cross-channel section was the first to introduce regular working practices and a weekly wage. The authorities at the port made every effort to enforce the changes. The new system was introduced to the cross-channel work first. It didn’t happen until 1946 for the deep sea workers because the ever-powerful foremen resisted the changes which meant that they had to choose button men over their own, whether they wanted to or not. Former docker Declan Byrne told NewsFour: “Companies came and went, and like the bankers today they could make massive profits. They didn’t keep records. It was always a dangerous working environment; that was a constant. The unions and the companies looked for ways to regularise the system but only about 50% of the dockers supported the changes. The other 50% still saw it as an exploitative system. You had to follow the work for years and to join a union to get the button. The problem was when men got too old to work or died their button could be passed on, usually to a son. There was a cap on the number of buttons issued. So you could get 16 year olds getting work ahead of men who had been following The Read for years.” Today, the traditional dockworker has been displaced by containerisation and roll onroll-off facilities. Work on the docks is now highly specialised and working conditions at Dublin Port have improved immeasurably. Pictured Top: The Dock Read Foremen allocate work to the men who gather and wait to hear their name called. Image courtesy of Dublin Dockworkers Preservation Society Pictured Left: Outside gang moving crates of glass. Bunty Fullam at rear of bogie. Names from left to right; Johnnie Dunne; Tommy (Thumbs) Murphy; Joe Malone?; Tom (Bunty) Fullam; Anthony Fullam and Georgie Tilley. All Button men from Ringsend. Donated by Colm Fullam.
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IN PROFILE
August / September 2017
Jessica Ellis
ort Walks is an art project by Sheelagh Broderick and commissioned by Dublin Port. Sheelagh is a former journalist and town planner. The aim of Port Walks is to bring together the people who use the area recreationally and those who work there. NewsFour asked Sheelagh about her time creating the project. Tell us about your background and how you became involved in the project? I am an artist. My artwork is developed through processes of social engagement using the materials, practices and spaces of everyday life. When Dublin Port advertised the Port Perspectives Commission, my mind immediately turned to the seafarers who enter and leave Dublin Port and to the people who walk on the Great South Wall. Their paths seem so close and yet so distant. Ships entering and leaving Dublin Port can pass within 50 metres of the Poolbeg lighthouse, yet the walkers on the wall have little understanding of a seafarer’s life. I decided to submit a proposal that would address this apparent proximity and this distance by producing podcasts about shipping and seafarer lives. Walking the Great South Wall is in a way like going to sea, the wall arches out 2km from shore as far as Poolbeg lighthouse and is almost equidistant between Howth and Dun Laoghaire. What can the average person learn from the Port Walks series? The first podcast details how containers changed everything for seafarers and how globalisation has changed the crewing of ships. It takes a particular interest in the Philippines which supplies almost one quarter of
all seafarers worldwide. The second podcast explores Flags of Convenience and consequent measures taken to address standards. It also considers life at
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Interviewing the interviewer
Port Walks
sea in the age of the internet. The third podcast turns to the walkers on the Great South Wall for their views on contemporary shipping and then is followed by speculation about the future, about autonomous vessels that will undertake long sea voyages without having any crew onboard. In a way you could say that the podcasts deal with the past, present and future of seafaring, but you can listen to them in any order. So far I have yet to meet someone who has not learned something from listening to the podcasts. What kind of people did you meet while creating the podcasts? I set about meeting seafarers by setting up a recording studio at the seafarer centre on Alexandra Road in Dublin Port. I met mostly Filipino, Ukrainian and Indian seafarers.They had roles
as diverse as being a captain to being a dancer on a cruise ship. The Flying Angel Mission to Seafarers were an anchor partner. Rev. Willie Black, Noeleen
Hogan, Dermot Desmond and a great team of volunteers provide a great service there seven days and nights a week. I was also greatly assisted by Rose Kearney of Stella Maris Apostleship to the Sea who also is a volunteer at the seafarer centre and Michael Whelan of the International Transport Federation, who works in Dublin Port as an ITF inspector. The staff in Dublin Port were wonderful too and were so helpful in responding to my many requests. The two other commissioned artists Silvia Loeffler and Cliona Harmey were a great support, as was Declan McGonagle who manages the parallel programme of public engagements and Margarita Vasquez Cardenas of Business to Arts who acted as project managers. I was very fortunate to make contact with musicians and composers. Linda Buckley, Chumbawamba, Susan Stenger and Andria Degens, Cliona Harmey, Ewa Gigon, and Raymond Deane were very generous in allowing me to use their work. Dan Guiney was sound engineer for all the podcasts and did a great mix. How important do you think the port is to the local community? During a tour of Dublin Port organised on International Seafarers Day, Jerry Sheehan of SIPTU described the port as the beating heart of the city. I would add to
that and say that Dublin Port is the beating heart of the country. Without Dublin Port and the seafarers that bring ships carrying over 90% of tradeable goods,
we might starve or freeze. To walkers on the Great South Wall they are a key attraction for walking on the wall. People watch ships and know their movements in and out of the port. They take a great interest in the cruise liners that stand so high above sea level, dominating all around them. One cruise ship had to turn out in the bay and enter the port astern (that’s in reverse). Now that must have been quite a sight. And finally! What is the best way to experience your podcasts? You can listen from anywhere by downloading Port Walks podcasts from iTunes, Soundcloud and on any of the Android podcast apps like Podcasts Addict or Stitcher. I recommend you listen as you take a walk on the Great South Wall. Instructions on how to get there are on the website: www.portwalks. ie. If you can’t manage Podcast technology you can listen from the audio player on the website portwalks.ie/podcasts in the comfort of your own home on your laptop or desktop computer. So whether you are technologically adept or not there is a way to listen in.
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HISTORY & LITERATURE
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JOYCE SANDYMOUNT TOUR
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Kevin McSharry he James Joyce Sandymount Tour took place on the 13th and 15th of June. It started from the James Joyce Centre on North Great George’s Street, Near the Rotunda at 11am. The tour consisted of visiting the various real life locations associated with the fictional masterpiece, Ulysses and with James Joyce’s own life. Bloom’s day takes place on 16th June every year - the date during which Ulysses is set. It was inspired by the day on which James Joyce met his great love and later wife, Nora Barnacle. The tour ostensibly visits Sandymount. James Joyce was born in the relatively posh suburb of Rathgar, yet due to the family’s poor finances they were forced to move to various locations on the Northside, often living in “squalid” locations according to our tour guide, James Quinn. The first house we visited was 60 Shelbourne Road. It was owned by Gretta Cousins, who was very tolerant of a pauperis Joyce. However, her son was not and Joyce moved in and out
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of the house several times as he struggled to pay the rent. During this period of his life, Joyce was not ‘Joyce the writer.’ He wished to be a concert singer. On John McCormack’s advice he entered the Féis Ceoil in the year 1904, and came second. It was also here that Joyce first met Nora Barnacle and they began a frequent correspondence of “four letters a day”, according to Quinn. James Joyce relied on Thom’s Official Directory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland for the Year 1904 for the biographical references in his books. However, despite Joyce’s famed attention-to-detail he made some notable errors in using Thom’s Directory. An amusing mistake is that the character, Paddy Dignam, whose funeral procession and ceremony takes place in the Hades episode of Ulysses, supposedly lived in no. 9 Newbridge Ave, Dublin 4. However, no. 10 is not next door to this house due to the unusual layout of the street. This meant that when Bloom enters the carriage headed to Dignam’s Glasnevin funeral ceremony he gets in on the wrong side due to Joyce’s er-
ror. The tour also called on Talbot Street on the northside of the Liffey, a once famous red light district which Joyce called ‘nightown’ and visited regularly during his life. He visited from the age of 15 and in his honour, an abutting street was named James Joyce Street. The tour concluded in Sean Moore Park beside Sandymount beach at Beach Road, where passages from Proteus and Nausicaa were read out to the delight of the group gathered.
Pictured: James Joyce statue on North Earl Street near its junction with O’Connell Street in Dublin, by Marjorie FitzGibbon
Ringsend - a history
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oe Curtis, a retired surveyor, has written a number of books about local areas on the Southside, such as Dundrum and Blackrock. His latest book is a historical book about Ringsend focusing on the history of industry and local activity in the area - what Curtis calls, “industrial archaeology.” The book, Ringsend, contains a great many pictures as well as paintings showing various buildings and factories such as the Pigeon House Fort in the early 1890s or the Poolbeg Lighthouse in the 18th and 20th centuries. Curtis has been passionate about photography, both in his work and as a hobby. Interestingly, the two iconic Poolbeg Chimneys were built separately. The first was built in 1971 and the second in 1978. The station was decommissioned in 2010, at which point it was ‘capped-off’ and made a protected structure by Dublin
City Council, according to the author. Talking to Curtis, it became clear that he was passionate about the older industries that Ringsend, and Ireland generally, had lost. He described how in the past, “useful work was needed, you worked for everything and if you needed something you went out and made it.” He contrasted this with today’s world where “everything’s on tap.” Indeed, his book talks about Boland’s Mill on Ringsend Road and Barrow Street. Pims Flour Mill was taken over by Patrick Boland in 1873. An example of Curtis commitment to detail is clear here, when he explains: “The mill was built for Pims, utilising twenty-two pairs of grinding stones, and when Bolands acquired it in 1873, they added eighteen more pairs in a new extension.” The section of the mill at Ringsend Road is not the famous Mill where De Valera was stationed during the Easter
Rising, which is often mixed up with Boland’s Bakery on Grand Canal St. However, rebels were stationed in both. Ringsend has a large tradition of glass bottle making. According to Curtis it was the centre for Irish glass bottle production. Glass was produced in Fitzwilliam Quay, Charlotte Quay, Thorncastle Street and Cambridge Place. Unfortunately, as with many other industries in Ringsend, these have closed down. Curtis’ book is well worth reading for anyone interested in the industries and activities of the local area and indeed in the photographic record of Ringsend. The book is available for purchase at Books on the Green, Sandymount and in all good bookstores. Joe Curtis, author, pictured by Bolands Mill. Image: By Kevin O’Gorman
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August / September 2017
Paul Carton familiar moment for many out there I’m sure…It’s a Monday morning in Dublin 4 and the rain is lashing down and your mode of transport to work was in a worse state than you were when you tried to operate it. Now you’re late and wet and just when your stress levels are beginning to rise a loud cheer from a ‘Yellow Bus-Marine’ breaks up the gloom and brings your body’s hormones back to normal levels and you say to yourself who or what was that? The Viking Splash tour vehicles are a common site around Beggars Bush, the Grand Canal Dock and the South Dock Road aboard with people of all ages in Viking headwear being entertained with stories on Dublin’s history by their amplified driver. Unsure of how long the good weather was to last in July, I booked a place for myself, my brother and his three kids (his wife was pregnant with their fourth at the time) with Viking Splash tours to finally get the chance to shout at unsuspecting members of the public and a spin around the grand canal. One thing for certain with this ride is that it is definitely one way to find amusement at all
ON THE WATER
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Making a big Splash! the city’s Luas works and construction that normally drive you round the bend. The driver did his best to rouse his passengers from their Sunday stupor with funny tidbits about how the Dublin City Council chose some landmarks over Viking ones along with spontaneous requests to cheer at pedestrians and tour buses alike. Although the kids felt a lot like they were in school on a Sunday for some of the journey, as soon
as we reached the water’s edge on the South Dock Road and the lifejackets were given out all was forgiven. The ride has its ups and downs (and even get-downs), and has as much enjoyment for adults as for kids, and as true Vikings they have only just begun to conquer. Founded in 1998 by an Irish American couple who were inspired by the Boston-Duck tours, Viking Splash Tours began with
Casting of the Spear in Dublin Bay
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Jennifer Reddin
he new Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mícheál Mac Donncha, took part in the annual Casting Of The Spear ceremony on July 18th, a tradition dating back 529 years and the first official duty for the Lord Mayor as Honorary Admiral of Dublin Port. The title of Honorary Admiral of Dublin Port has been bestowed on the Lord Mayor of Dublin for over 20 years.
The tradition of the Casting the Spear dates back to 1488 when Thomas Mayler, who was then Lord Mayor of Dublin, rode out on horseback and cast a spear as far as he could into the sea. This was to mark the city’s boundaries eastwards. The re-enactment ceremony reminds us of Dublin’s role as a port city in medieval times and highlights Dublin Port’s remarkable history. The newly invested Honorary Admiral of Dublin Port, Mícheál
Mac Donncha said: “It is an honour to perform the Casting Of The Spear ceremony which has become a highlight in the calendar for the Lord Mayor of Dublin. I look forward to an exciting year ahead as Honorary Admiral of Dublin Port and working with the Port and its communities to create new traditions and memories. It is important that we keep alive the customs and traditions that define us as a port city.” There to witness the Casting Of
just one DUKW vehicle and a fire truck, but now run seven of these World War II restored amphibious vehicles which altogether have catered for 114,550 passengers in 2016. A spokesperson from Viking Splash Tours, Natalie Marr, tells us that these vehicles are one by one being decommissioned again but Viking Splash Tours has its own in-house manufacturer, Salamander AV, who are in the process of building and designing new veThe Spear ceremony were members of the local port community enjoying the launch of the 30th annual South Docks Festival, now in its 30th year. The South Docks Festival is run by the St. Andrew’s Resource Centre of Pearse Street in collaboration with a number of local clubs and groups, including Pearse Area Recreational Centre. It celebrates the community and heritage, taking pride in the maritime identity inherent in the South Dublin Docklands area. Betty Ashe, from St Andrew’s Centre, Pearse Street, told those who gathered to witness this year’s ceremony that the communities around the South Docks “have survived hard times in the past, and in the recent past too but have never lost the spirit of community and the confidence in their ability not just to survive but to thrive.” This is Betty’s 30th and final year in her role as titular head, MC, and cheerleader-in-chief of the Festival. She said that she is happy to relinquish the position at this point and she expressed confidence in the new talent coming through at the St Andrew’s Centre who will continue her good work. Dublin Port Chairperson, Lucy
hicles - the first, Sally 1, being rolled out at the end of this year upon licensing and testing approval. These vehicles, which are being designed to abide by EU exhaust emission regulations, will allow them to expand into other countries. However, the cities they are expanding into will not have the Viking history like Dublin has, and will be called City Splash Tours. Due to this expansion, the staff at Viking Splash Tours havebeen offered share options at vastly reduced rate than their value. Marr explained: “The company was set up 18 years ago, and we have a number of staff who have worked here for almost as long. Many other staff members have been here for between 5 - 10 years, and we generally have a very low staff turnover rate. We’re like a little family, to be honest!” During the busy summer season they run up to 35 tours a day. That’s a lot of Vikings going through the city cheering and laughing and probably not such a strange sight to when they actually did run the city. Pictured: Ander, Naiara, and Hannah Carton. By Andy Carton. McCaffrey, who performed the investiture, thanked the new Lord Mayor and the organisers of the festival. She said: “Today’s re-enactment celebrates that tradition and is symbolic of Dublin Port’s continued commitment to preserving, for the city and its people, an understanding of the history that binds the port and the city. It is great to celebrate the 30th South Docks Festival, which brings together the communities of our docks and our nearest neighbours. I would like to congratulate the organisers of the festival on a tremendous programme of events and to encourage everyone to come along and enjoy the festivities.” Pictured: At the annual Casting of the Spear re-enactment was Lord Mayor of Dublin and newly invested Honorary Admiral of Dublin Port, Mícheál Mac Donncha with Dublin Port Chairperson Lucy McCaffrey. Conor McCabe Photography.
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National Gallery Historic Wings Reopen Pictures courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland
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Jennifer Reddin ans of the National Gallery of Ireland will be happy to see that the extensive refurbishment of the gallery’s Historic Wings has finally been completed. The newly renovated areas of the gallery reopened to the public on June 15th, and it was well worth the wait. The Dargan and Milltown Wings have been transformed, with original nineteenth-century architectural features and spaces revealed in all their former glory. Impressive windows now open onto a spacious lightfilled courtyard, which was created by architects Heneghan Peng to fill the space between the wings of the gallery. The n
new courtyard houses a dramatic sculpture, Magnus Modus, a large scale, seven metre tall, freeform sculpture by Irish designer, Joseph Walsh, commissioned by the Office of Public Works on behalf of the National Gallery of Ireland under the Per Cent for Art Scheme. The gallery re-opened with an entirely new presentation of the permanent collection, featuring paintings by Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Ruisdael, Vermeer, Gainsborough, Goya, Monet, Gris and Picasso. The Gallery will also display its prestigious collection of Irish art with works by Daniel Maclise, Roderic O’Conor, John Lavery, William Orpen, Seán Keating, Gerard Dillon, Evie Hone, Norah Mc-
Guinness, Jack B. Yeats, Louis le Brocquy and William Scott. One of the country’s most important and popular paintings has been restored and returned to
and electrical plant required for the Gallery, is now concealed under a new front lawn of the Gallery’s Merrion Square entrance. This removes most of the major
permanent display. The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife by Corkman Daniel Maclise (1806-1870) returns to the Shaw Room after a seven-year hiatus. The refurbishment was carried out by the Office of Public Works’ Project Management Services, with architects Heneghan Peng as the Design Team Leaders. The multi-million euro project began in March 2011, with the replacement of the Dargan wing roof. Work on the Milltown wing started during 2014. Up-todate heating, fire suppression, lighting and audio systems have been installed and an energy centre, housing the mechanical
systems from the interior and allows for improved environmental control throughout the building. The gallery, which was established in 1854, houses over 16,300 works of Irish and European Fine Art. During the renovations an extensive survey of the Gallery’s permanent collection was carried out. Over 150 works of art have been acquired by the gallery since it closed, and 1446 works were surveyed by the Conservation Department. Michael Cush, Chair, Board of Governors and Guardians, National Gallery of Ireland says: “The refurbishment project has been a great success. We kept
our doors open to the public throughout the lifetime of this project, and, remarkably, with over 80% of its galleries closed during that period, we attracted attendances of over 700,000 annually. We are indebted to our visitors for their patience and support throughout, to the Office of Public Works and design team, led by Heneghan Peng, and our parent Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. This project begins a vibrant new chapter in the Gallery’s future. We anticipate many visitors from Ireland and abroad to view our new presentation of the permanent collection and attend our exciting programme of exhibitions and public events.” The National Gallery of Ireland is open 361 days a year, closing only on Good Friday, and from 24-26 December. Opening hours are subject to change, and entry to the galleries ceases 15 minutes before the Gallery closes. Admission to the permanent collection is free. Some temporary exhibitions carry a charge, and tickets can be purchased at the Information Desks at the Millennium Wing and Merrion Square entrances. Exhibitions are free for members.
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Vermeer Exhibition opens
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Jennifer Reddin asterpieces of a lauded Dutch painter are currently on exhibition within walking distance of Dublin 4. Vermeer And The Masters Of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry is currently being held in the National Gallery of Ireland, Merrion Square West. It showcases many paintings of Johannes Vermeer as well as many of his contemporaries such as Gerard ter Borch, Frans van Mieris and Gabriel Metsu. As was common during the Renaissance, the paintings depict various family scenes, particularly around ‘private moments’ of young maidens. The exhibition is very much designed to tell the story of the culture of Dutch painting at the time and its impassioned, though fierce, competition, hence the subheading: Inspiration And Rivalry. Johannes Vermeer was born in the city of Delft in the Netherlands, where he spent most of his life. It is unknown under whom Vermeer studied, though it is speculated to have been Leonard Bramer, a master painter of the day, also from Delft. Vermeer initially painted aln
legorical works of a religious nature, such as Diana and Her Nymphs (c. 1653–54). However, in line with growing trends in Dutch art, Vermeer turned toward depicting domestic scenes. Art on the theme of the home was particularly popular in Delft. According to the exhibition, Vermeer’s paintings were frequently ‘in reply’ to earlier works by other Dutch paintings. For example, Vermeer’s Woman With A Pearl Necklace (c. 1662-1665) is based on Frans Van Mieris’ Woman Before A Mirror (1662), itself based on Gerard ter Borch’s Young Woman At Her Toilet With A Maid (c. 1650-1651) illustrating the complex relationships and interconnectivity of Dutch art during the 17th C. Specifically, Ter Borch’s decision to depict “full-length figures in an elegant domestic interior played a pioneering role in the popularisation of ‘highlife’ genre scenes”, scenes of upper-class domestic figures in their homes, according to the NGI’s pamphlet for the Exhibit. Vermeer frequently took a painting of one of his contemporaries and made it his own. With Woman With A Pearl Necklace, Vermeer made the painting his own through his use of artificial
Images provided by National Gallery of ireland. light. In general, light was an important device for Vermeer when painting. It allowed him to make his paintings more abstract. His works offer a meaningful and compelling insight into aristocratic life in Delft and showcase the innovation of Dutch painting in the era. Curiously, Vermeer was not widely known in the Netherlands, though popular in Delft, and died leaving his wife with a considerable debt. It was not until 1866 when the French painter and critic, Étiene-Joseph-Théophile Thoré, published his own views on Vermeer that the Dutch painter was realised as the master he was. The exhibit will run until September 17th and is well worth attending to see the beauty and delicacy of the Dutch painters, especially the great Vermeer. It is a paid exhibit with tickets ranging from €10, with discounts for students. It is recommended to obtain an audioguide to enjoy the exhibition fully.
P age 30 WWW.NEWSFOUR.IE AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2017
DCC TOWNS DCC & & TIDY TIDY TOWNS
DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL SOUTH EAST AREA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
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August / September 2017 PAGE 1
e are delighted to see great work and improvements to villages in Dublin 4, especially by Tidy Towns Groups along with public domain works. Attached are some photos of the work and events in Donnybrook and Sandymount: Images courtesy of Dublin City Council.
Donnybrook
From left: The Buzz Shelter Storyboard; Donnybrook Youth Club upcycle; flowers at the junction of Ailesbury Road and Anglesea Road; a welcome to Donnybrook with flowers; New Dublin Canvas traffic box art: A new robin in Donnybrook by local artist Fiona Aryan and Donnybrook horse trough with new artwork.
Sandymount
Clockwise from top left: Sandymount Green flower bed; SAMRA Fun Day Sandymount 2017; New Biodiversity Wall by artist Fiona Aryan in Sandymount Green; Bloomsday on Sandymount Green June 16th 2017; Yeats Day on Sandymount Green: Anthony Jordan with Her Excellency Ambassador Vijay Thakur Singh, the Indian Ambassador to Ireland and all the speakers on Yeats Day on the Green (Photo by Patrick Hugh Lynch).
South East Area Community Development Team. Email: friendsofthesoutheast@dublincity.ie • Phone: 01 222 2243 • Website: www.dublincity.ie • Facebook: Dublin City Council
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CITIZENS INFORMATION
Citizens Information Report
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A Window Into the Most Pressing Concerns of People in Dublin
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ne in six adults living in the country contacted one of the country’s 42 Citizens Information Services (CIS) last year, including Dublin 2,4 and 6 Citizens Information Services, according to a new report launched this week. A total of 607,913 people contacted CISs in 2016 with a total of 1.01 queries overall, an increase of 2% on the previous year. Remarkably, the vast majority of callers to the services were supported by CIS staff face to face. Four out of five people (80%) contacted their local CIS in person, nearly 20% by telephone, with just 1% contacting the service by email. This is in contrast to the move by many other services to use internet and automated responses to answer people’s queries, CIS Irishtown said.
Over 46% of all queries (462,738) were in relation to social welfare. Over one in six of these related to payments for families and children, including family income supplement, one-parent family allowance, child benefit or back to school clothing or footwear for example. The statistics are contained in Making An Impact – The Public Value of Citizens Information Services. Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy, who was guest speaker at the launch said that the huge numbers of enquiries highlighted how inaccessible and impenetrable many public services are. “What stands out in this report is just how impenetrable our structures and systems are,” Sr. Stan said. “This impenetrability is causing daily anguish to people who are simply trying to deal with everyday life events – accessing a public service like
healthcare or adult education, dealing with bereavement or managing their finances. “We all know life is difficult enough without adding unnecessary layers of complexity. I would urge all policy and law makers to use the wealth of knowledge gathered by the CIS service to inform their own work and remove all unnecessary red tape.” The number of housing related queries rose significantly in 2016, increasing by over 27%. Citizens Information Services dealt with over 95,000 queries related to housing issues, or an average of 260 housing queries every day of the year. Mary Murtagh, Development Manager, said that Citizens Information Services were dealing with more complex queries: “We are consistently dealing with more complex issues and more difficult situations for families and individuals,” she
said. “One of the great advantages of the CISs is that we are located where people are living, like here in Ringsend Irishtown Community Centre, at 7 Wynnefield Road Rathmines or in the Carmelite Community Centre on Aungier Street.” She added: “One of the valuable pieces of evidence that this report shows is that people who visit CISs prefer to talk to other people about their difficulties and concerns. Our community connection as a drop-in service is our greatest strength.” There were over 82,000 health queries with medical cards representing two thirds (67% or 54,928) of them. Other recur-
ring trends saw migrants continued reliance on face to face information services; 22% of callers whose country of origin was recorded, came from other EU or non EU countries. The Citizens Information Board provides independent information, advice and advocacy on public and social services through citizensinformation.ie and funds and supports the Citizens Information Phone Services 0761 07 4000 and the nationwide network of Citizens Information Services. For more information contact: Dublin 2,4, 6 Citizens Information Service. Telephone 076-1077110
Scouting Update for Newsfour Donnybrook Scouts:
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By Kevin McSharry he Orion Beavers went to a summer camp at Portlick Scout Camp in County Westmeath. It was attended by 20 beavers from the group. They participated in events such as “obstacle courses, climbing walls, water slides and zip lines,” all of which they did with “gusto” according to leader Dennis Markey. The last event of the year was a barbeque, at which achievement badges were presented. The presentation was given by the Group Leader of Donnybrook scouts, Andrew Bishop. Beavers, Orion Scouters and parents were all present at the event. The group is now taking a break over the summer and will start their new year in September. The Donnybrook Scouts were highly successful in fundraising in the mini-marathon, “doing the mini-marathon water station,” according to scout leader Eleanor Costello. The scouts are currently preparing for the Annual Camp in Denmark and
also took part in Camp Five, earlier in July. Two of the Donnybrook Rover Scouts volunteered in a Refugee Centre in Greece to work with refugee children and to teach them “scout skills and about european/western cultures,” according to Costello. The Celt Cubs spent a week in Wales. They swam in Llandudno as well as enjoying gorge walking and a visit to Conwy Castle. The Viking Cubs were in Northern Ireland where they enjoyed rock climbing, archery, a swimming obstacle course while they were touring Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway. The Rover Scouts won two awards at the National Rover Scouts Ceiliuradh weekend. “Trudie Mitchell won for leadership and we won as a group for photography,” said Costello. A Viking Cub scout designed a new group flag, which was voted on to be the new flag. There will be a Birthday Group Camp in September. Finally, tickets are now on sale for the 90th Anniversary Gala Dinner, which will take place in November. Costello wished to make clear that the group is “flat out with work” and active in every section.
She stated that the Donnybrook Scouting Group “are in dire need of adult members to support us in any way they can.” If people are interested they can contact the group by emailing Andrew at nzirishbishop@outlook.ie.
4th Port Dodder Scouts News By Geraldine Smith
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embers of 4th Port Dodder have many fond memories of scouting in the summer of 2017. Camping in glorious warm weather and sunshine, lots of boating, crab fishing, swanboreeing in the Dodder, sailing, cooking on an open fire, raft making and paddling, rowing, swimming, trip to Powerscourt, sleeping in a bivouac. For our younger members, and for some, the very first
time away from home, our Beaver Scouts had a slumber night. The week previous they spent the day at the lifeboat station with the RNYI volunteers. The new bivouac, which was built with assistance from the Aviva Community Fund provided such a fantastic resource to the group. Many evenings were spent cooking marshmallows on the firepit, telling stories and having campfires. But the real highlight occurred when some of the Cub Scouts and the Sea Scouts slept in it, a new way of experiencing outdoor living in Dublin 4. Another fine resource of the group is the organic garden. As part of the menu planning in advance of activities and camping, members check what’s growing and pick fresh vegetables and salads to cook and eat. Youth members are now eating a lot more salads and vegetables. The group took part in other initiatives including Green Ribbon Awareness programme and Darkness into Light. Each summer the scout group host a Water Activities Day for the past pupils of St. Augustine’s School for students with mild intellectual dis-
abilities. Fun activities on the river included a river-trip and canoeing. The day ended with a marvellous barbeque. As we look forward to a new season in scouting, we thank those who support us, the South East Area office of Dublin City Council, Aviva Stadium, Local Drugs Task Force, Dublin Waste to Energy and City of Dublin Youth Service Board. You too play a part in making memories possible for our Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts and Sea Scouts.
Pictured Middle: Sea Scouts from 4th Port Dodder Scouts at the Poolbeg Boat & Yacht Club. Pictured Above: 4th Port Cub Scouts experience sleeping in the bivouac
COUNCIL NEWS
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DCC Notes Compiled by Kevin Mac Sharry
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he Dublin City Council South East Area committee held meetings in June and July. Councillor Mannix Flynn requested that something be done about the rat infestation along the Dodder, specifically at the Milltown Car-Park Bring Centre. The manager replied that a “deep clean” of the bottle banks has been asked for by the end of May. In addition, Waste Management Services - Maintenance Section is investigating and is using a pest service company, who will be laying bait. Councillor Kieran Binchy inquired as to whether any action would be taken with regard to issues of illegal parking and cars idling at St. Mary’s and St. Brigid’s national schools, and the Dylan Hotel,” whether directly through clamping, or through the Gardaí”. He further suggested that it could be done through “liaison with the identified school and hotel premises”. It was clarified that “the council’s parking enforcement contractor” was, though limited in what they could do, visiting the locations and may “take enforcement action wherever possible”. In addition, it has been referred to the com-
munity Garda, who may issue fines if deemed appropriate, as well as the council’s Road Safety Officer, who will liaise with the school to highlight safety issues around parents parking near the school. Additionally, Cllr Binchy requested that the continuing issue of “speeding on the Strand Road, Sandymount be addressed.” He stated that, while the speeding cameras were helping, many drivers were slowing down, then speeding, then once more “slamming on their brakes as they approach the roundabout half-way along the Beach Road, Strand Road stretch.” He requested that additional measures be taken to reduce speeding. The area manager replied that the cameras, both of which were installed in 2015, indicated that “the 85 percentile speed has been reduced to 50 kph” meaning that a majority were reducing their speed according to the camera data, while “”violations are down to below 12%.” Councillor Chris Andrews asked who was responsible for the water quality in the Grand Canal Dock area. The area manager replied that Waterways Ireland was responsible. Furthering
on from this, Councillor Dermot Lacey brought forward a motion from the councillors requesting the council discuss “the apparent disregard for the planners on Dublin City Council and the local residents along the Grand Canal by Waterways Ireland,” and seek a meeting with Waterways Ireland to discuss concerns. The area manager responded that if the councillors were in agreement on having such a meeting, Waterways Ireland would be contacted and requested to attend. During the July session of Dublin City Council, councillor Dermot Lacey asked the council to “outline the reasons for the low water pressure in Canon Mooney Gardens.” He added that this had resulted in “low water pressure intermittently with no explanation for the residents”. Cllr Lacey requested a full report on the matter was made “as to the cause and the steps that are being taken to ensure that residents have a safe reliable water source in their homes”. He was informed that the matter had been referred to Irish Water and that Cllr Lacey would receive a reply from them in due course. Cllr Lacey stated that the DCC Committee had agreed to “re-
quest the Traffic Engineer to develop a comprehensive traffic plan for Lansdowne Park, Ballsbridge.” The previous report on the matter stated that the traffic signs and Pay and Display signs were all correct in the area. In addition, “there are no outstanding traffic service requests for Lansdowne Park.” It concluded that if “any additional measures are required” they can be referred to traffic@dublincity.ie for assessment”. Cllr Claire Byrne put forward the motion that the area committee supported “the residents of Ringsend and Irishtown in their efforts to erect a ‘Welcome To Ringsend’ sign in the area,” and that it should be included as part of the Ringsend and Irishtown Local Environment Improvement Plan (LEIP). The proposed locations are around Ringsend Bridge and just after the Garda Station on Irishtown Road. According to the report, the LEIP plan for Ringsend and Irishtown was adapted at the June meeting of the local area committee. There will be additional consultations with regard to phase 8 of the Plan under Part 8 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 in autumn
2017. According to the report, “the location and wording of appropriate village signs” would be best agreed at this time “as part of these detailed consultations.” Cllr Claire Byrne delivered the area committee’s motion that “John Sweeney be retained in his role as sports development officer in Irishtown Stadium.” The area manager explained that “it would not be appropriate to comment on deployment of individual staff members.” The manager then outlined the background to the issue. The Dublin City Sport And Wellbeing Partnership was created in November 2015. It was created by Dublin City Council in partnership with “partners and stakeholders and guided by a high level board of leaders in sport, business, health and city council.” Its aim was to improve sports and wellbeing for local people and to become a leader in this. As a result of ongoing developments within the organisation of this partnership, sports officers have been necessarily reassigned to new locations, effective from June 6th 2017.
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August / September 2017
NUTRITION for you. What can you start doing right now to prevent yourself from fad dieting and turning instead towards a path of lasting change? Read below for my top tips. Look for Swaps
T he C ulinary C orner
Personalized Nutrition
When it comes to ‘diets’ or ‘dieting’ that people so often partake in, there are a myriad of forms: 10 day, 15 day, or 30 day diet challenges. Most people are successful in losing weight when on these types of diets, only to gain the weight back. Research shows that 95% of people who lose weight by going on a diet regain it back. So basically 5% of people maintain the weight-loss they achieve through a diet.
It’s a pretty harsh statistic but often heard. Anyone can go on a diet, not eat carbs for 30 days and lose weight. But are people really focusing on why they want to make a change or why they wanted to lose weight in the first place? Unfortunately, with losing weight, there is no black and white approach, even when we’re told there is. Every single person is unique, and no one diet fits all. If you want to make a life lasting change, you need to treat losing weight as a unique process
The NewsFour Crossword Compiled by Gemma Byrne
Name:…………………………… Telephone:………………… Address:…………………………………………………………
Prize of €25 book token. Post entries to NewsFour, 13A Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend, D4 (Above Clyne’s Butchers) by 20th Sept 2017. The winner of our June/July 2017 crossword competition is Kayla & Domhnall, 11 Fitzwilliam Quay, Ringsend.
Part of the reason why people gain all the weight back after dieting is because they miss their comfort foods. Have you ever been in the position where you have just started your 30-day low-carb diet and your family or friends are sitting down to pizza and beers on a Friday night and you are sitting pretty with your chopped salad and grilled chicken? Well, I definitely have. All you can think about the entire time is how good that pizza smells or how amazing that beer looks. Instead of feeling like you are totally missing out, swap for a cauliflower crust pizza or a spelt crust pizza topped with loads of veg. I know it’s not the same, but it will leave you feeling better and won’t lead to a binge later on. Are you really hungry or are you filling a void? So often we mistake real hunger for something else. Eating when
Page 33 we’re not hungry can often mask boredom or avoidance. If you are feeling bored throughout the day, try getting some fresh air and going for a walk. If you are at work and can’t leave your desk, try reading an article, log into the news, or grab a tea and have a catch up with a co-worker. You would be amazed when you start to acknowledge the difference between hunger and boredom. Research I can’t stress this one enough! There are so many social media outlets, adverts, Facebook ads and documentaries talking about the next fad diet. If your friend has decided to ditch gluten and dairy and you think it sounds like a good idea, grab any book on the Paleo diet and learn why people do this. My favourite book I read when I started getting into health and nutrition was, It Starts With Food, by Melissa Hartwig and Dallas Hartwig. It goes into detail about what processed foods do to our digestive system and the benefits of a whole foods diet. Getting in touch with a health coach Defining your vision of a healthier lifestyle can be chal-
lenging. A health coach will guide you through different diet plans and lifestyle changes you can start making. You are held accountable for your actions and there is someone with you every step of the way. You can begin to take the guesswork out of what foods work best for you and your body and start to focus on your new healthy lifestyle. Enjoy the process, you have one body, so treat it well. If you want to make lasting change you need to take the time to figure out your body and what works for you. If you require any help or assistance in your lifestyle journey, please do not hesitate to get in touch with myself for one-on-one coaching. Jaclyn Doyle is a certified nutritional therapist and helps clients change their diets and lifestyle with personalised nutrition plans. She realises that everyone is different and individuals need a specific and personalized nutrition plan to achieve their goals. Please contact Jaclyn Doyle at: info@healthistic.com or visit her blog at www. healthistic.com
ACROSS: 1) Song title used by Jennifer Rush & Frankie Goes to Hollywood (3, 5, 2, 4) 8) In a bittersweet or wistful way (13) 10) Snakelike fish (3) 11) Useful for traffic or ice cream? (4) 12) Muscular tube that connects throat to stomach (10) 16) This girl always arrives the day before? (3) 17) Not alkaline (6) 19) Uncommon (4) 21 & 26 Down) Faux Pas, unacceptable behaviour (2-2) 22) Male salutation (3) 23) A praising speech, usually about the recently deceased (6) 24) Small piece of land surrounded by water (5) 25) Small, hardworking insect (3) 27) Freeing (10) 30) Toilet (informal) (3) 32) Music, Literature, Dance (3) 33) Large bird (3) 34) Tests (11) 38) Me, en Francais (3) 39) Policeman (informal) (3) 40) Unimportant (15)
Solutions for June/July crossword
DOWN: 1) Mixer served with gin (5, 5) 2) Concentrated distillations from plants (9, 4) 3) Pearly gemstone (4) 4) Bird which can be bald or golden (5) 5) Rebellious woman of the 1920s (7) 6) Those on a journey (8) 7) In a colluding or secretive manner (14) 9) Tiny pedestal for a golf ball (3) 13) Napkin (9) 14) Eggs (3) 15) Home of Fungi the Dolphin (6) 18) Bashful (3) 20) Comes out (7) 25) Past pupils (6) 26) See 20 across 28) Grating noises from these tools? (5) 29) Furnish with weapons (3) 31) Popular Indonesian holiday destination for Australians (4) 35) Prefix meaning environmentally friendly (3) 36) Male offspring (3) 37) Digit of the foot (3)
DOWN: (1) Apprenticeship (2) Cranberries (3) Moonlighter (4) Mused (5) Noodles (6) Sanctimoniously (8) Knights (11) Hone (16) Revamps (17) Corkage (18) Oracle (20) Wig (22) Key
Across: (1) Accomplishments (7) Peacock (9) Bassoon (10) Embellished (12) Lot (13) Epsom (14) Hatter (15) Clint (19) Screwdriver (21) Inkling (23) Cymbals (24) Skyscrapers
HISTORY
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August / September 2017
Murder mysteries at the South Wall
T
Paula Boden he Pigeon House and its accompanying buildings are a well-known part of Ringsend’s sailing and industrial history, but perhaps lesser known is the story of the tumultuous Pidgeon House murders of 1761 and the Ringsend family at the centre of the scandal. The story of the murders begins with John Pidgeon, his wife, his son Ned and his daughters, Mary and Rachel Pidgeon (the ‘d’ in their name was later dropped). During the building of the great south wall, John Pidgeon worked as the caretaker of a storehouse used by the builders and lived with his family in a timber house where the ESB power station now stands. Soon, Dubliners began making their way out to the wall on Sundays and holidays to watch the works and Pidgeon began selling refreshments and operating a pleasure boat, capitalising on the walls popularity. A 19th century Ringsend native recalled: “During the times the works were going on, the word was of a Sunday - ‘Where shall we go?’ ‘To the Pile-ends and take our dinner in the Pidgeon’s house.’” One summer’s evening the Pidgeons heard cries of distress coming from a boat of four men below their window. The Pidgeons admitted the four men and gave them food and drink and a place to rest. One of the
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men took off his hat and on his head was a large wen, which the Pidgeon’s later had rueful reasons for remembering. Suddenly the four men drew sabres and threatened the aging Mr and Mrs Pidgeon as they tied them up and began pillaging the house. In an attempt to save his sisters from a swiping knife, the courageous Ned Pidgeon caught the descending blade, ripping his hand apart and maiming him for life. Leaving his sisters to fend off the attackers, Ned ran to raise the alarm with neighbours. Upon returning with his hastily dressed hand and two other men armed with pistols, Ned found that the intruders had already fled and so the three men gave chase. Upon arriving at the dock, Ned found that the attackers had stolen one of their boats and the rest had been attacked with a boat hook, rendering them useless. The marauders had escaped into the night unscathed, or so it would seem. News of the robbery spread through Dublin the next morning and upon realising the absence of the Pidgeon’s pleasure boat from its usual spot, the Sunday excursionists flocked to the Piles-End to console the family. A collection was made which was big enough to compensate the Pidgeons for their losses. A new boat was organised for the family to resume business. Within a few days, Ned and his father were back out in their boat. But unbeknownst to Mr Pidgeon
and his son, there was more than just fish lurking beneath the surface of the water. Ned was now only able to steer the boat on account of his maimed hand. It was on this excursion that Mr Pidgeon hooked a heavy object on his line. Presuming it to be a piece of heavy rope he drew his line in to discover he had hooked a corpse. Worse still, he recognised the corpse as one of the men who had just attacked his home the previous Saturday night. Just when the Pidgeons thought that their ordeal was over, the appearance of this corpse posed a host of new questions. How had this man met his end and what had happened to the other three assailants? The mystery continued to unfold as yet another body was mysteriously washed ashore - the body of the second robber. There were four men the night of the robbery, two of them were dead but where were the other two? It would be the following summer before the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together. The following winter old Mr Pidgeon passed away. Mrs Pidgeon was already helpless and so too was Ned, whose hand had almost rotted away. Now being incapacitated, Ned hired two men to row the Pidgeon’s pleasure boat while Ned steered and collected the money. One day while the two hired men ate lunch on the shore, Ned became transfixed by a jack-knife lying on a seat in the boat. He immediately recognised it as his late
father’s knife which had been stolen the night of the robbery. Yielding the knife at one of the men, Ned accused him of robbery, causing the thief to jump overboard, losing his hat in the process. As the man resurfaced, his bare head revealed the same wen that Ned had seen on the attackers head the night his family’s home was robbed. The one man who could piece together the story of the two resurfacing corpses was now desperately swimming away from Ned. Throwing a rope around his wrist, Ned and the other man pulled the robber aboard the boat and sailed him to the military port where he was charged with armed robbery and sentenced to death by hanging. Realising he was coming to his end and had nothing left to lose the man confessed to the murder by stabbing of all three of his accomplices in a squabble over the division of their loot. The murderer stated that after falling overboard on his own boat he was then picked up by a smuggler on a ship where he worked until he was injured and eventually dropped ashore. Being unable to work at sea anymore he began rowing a ferryboat until he was hired by the Pidgeons. After the triple murderer was hanged, Ned Pidgeon died on the operating table and was followed to the grave by Mrs Pidgeon six weeks later leaving Mary and Rachel with the tough fate of keeping the family business going.
One stormy evening the sisters heard the sound of distress signals coming from the entrance of the harbour. Placing candles in every window they hoped to guide the storm trapped vessel to safety. The next morning the two sisters sailed their boat out to the wreckage of two ships and found three survivors - two American men and a young boy. Taking the three in, the sisters nursed them back to health, with Mary building a rapport over time with the young boy and his widowed father. The boy’s father and Mary fell in love and soon married in Dublin. Her new husband took Mary and her sister Rachel to live in New York. Soon Rachel was also married and the Pidgeon’s began their new life in New York leaving life on the Piles-End behind them. And so ends the tumultuous tale of the Pidgeon family and the mysterious Pidgeon house murders. Although the ‘d’ was later dropped from the name, we shouldn’t forget the family or their tale. As Hynes puts it in his 1953 article, “Spell it Pidgeon – with the ‘d.’ They earned that much from this Dublin of ours. God rest them.” Special thanks to Jim Cooke who brought this amazing tale to NewsFour’s attention. Photo © Oliver Dixon (cc-bysa/2.0)
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August / September 2017
Local boy meets a hero!
Pictured: Oisin Corrigan with his friend Dan Moran presenting his piece of art to the President and getting a large hug in while in the moment!. Photo courtesy of Ann Lane
Remembering our Special Brother Billy Langan on his birthday
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ight year old Oisin Corrigan wrote to the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, one year ago to tell him that his ambition (when he grows up) is to be the President of Ireland and his best friend, Dan Moran, will be the Army Chief of Staff. Oisin’s father Derek helped him send the letter. Initially they heard nothing, until Oisin’s birthday this year. when they received an invitation to the Garden Party at Aras an Uachtarain! Oisin got on so well with President Higgins when they met, that he was even able to give him a big hug. Oisin and family live in Bremen Avenue, Ringsend. Oisin and his friend Dan Moran both attend Star of the Sea National School. Oisin’s father Derek said: “It was a fantastic family day to remember. President Higgins and his wife Sabina were most welcoming to everyone. The boys enjoyed every moment there.”
Poetry Corner Instrument
by Kevin Mac Sharry
A String pulled to a fine point drives the hammer. Beating and starting the organ playing to itself. Pushing out with effort It breathes and vibrates in the world. It unfurls itself through harmony and balance: A stem of colour blooms as notes. A key as a garden that grows in the hard-pressed air Tendrils seeking purchase in a swamp of oozing atoms that react and convulse In ears: a latticework of meaning.
Sunrise 3rd August 1954 Sunset 20th June 2016 Thinking of you on your birthday With sadness in our hearts For a very special brother From whom we had to part. Loved and missed so much by your sisters Siobhan, Audrey, Jacinta, Brother David and good friends Peter and Danny also Stephen and Clare.
The humming seed in the spectrum of the mind Flowing like life slowly ebbing out A thousand deaths and rebirths An instant ringing throughout time Past the sounds and rhythm of thoughts Of memory and of place The meaning carries. Even in pretty words I cannot fully find its trace It ends on a sad note, As the song goes on and on. And that is one of the ironies That the beauty in your head you can place in the world As little vines to grow on sturdier plants But this vision is blown in Its truth you cannot plant it But merely give it the appearance of well-timed planting Through many generations of failure. As the song dies on your lips.
SPORT
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Active in the Afternoon
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Paul Carton t the back of the CYWMS in Ringsend, is a room perfectly sized for the sport, where the Ringsend Active Retirement (RAR) Indoor Short Mat bowling team practice. It is here that on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, the squad, who are crying out for new members, have trained and played their home n
matches, in what has proven to be the highest standard in Dublin. On May 27th at the Afternoon Presentation Dance event held at the Regency Hotel, in front of a guest list of 265 players, the RAR bowling team were awarded their third First Division league title trophy in the Dublin Afternoon Indoor Bowling League. The league which takes in players from the age of 50 and up-
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August / September 2017
teams and this year saw the loss of their B team with only the First Division squad remaining. The Dublin Afternoon Bowling League originally had seven leagues but the numbers have gone down to four with each having eight teams competing for that leagues title. The RAR bowling team began their club history at the CYWMS placed in the seventh division and over a 27 year period have promoted themselves up to the First Division and won that title for the third time this year. In preparation for next season, Murphy is appealing to people in the area over 50 to get in touch with him if they are interested in joining this long standing club
of the community. If you wish to find out more information please contact Derek Murphy on 087-9779335 Back Row Left to right: Derek Murphy, Sean Caulfield, Marie Connelly, Pat Micheau, Tom Boylan, John Wilson Front Row Left to right: Dolores Timmons, Kay Flood, Marie Montgomery, Rose Donnelly, Rose Behan, Alice Weafer, Betty Downey, Noleen Dunwoody, Bernard Flood Team member missing from the photo – Tommy Hulgraine. Below: Trophies awarded to CYWMS for their First Division win - Photos by Susan Daly.
wards incorporates 27 teams from the North, East, West and South of Dublin. There is no age limit in the league and RARs Bowling Chairman Derek Murphy told NewsFour that when they travel out to play St Luke’s team, they have a player who is ninety-four and one of their best. As the squad numbers have dwindled over the years, RARs bowling team have had to let go some of their club’s
Youths & Minis Rugby in Sandymount
at Monkstown Rugby Club, Park Avenue From 13 years down to 5 years .................. Join your local club for expert coaching, matches and great fun!
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Every Sunday Starting 3rd of September @ 11.30am No experience necessary!
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SPORT
August / September 2017
Philip Orr Elected President of the IRFU
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Ken Browne t the Annual Council Meeting of the Irish Rugby Football Union on July 14th, Philip Orr was elected President for the forthcoming season. This is a great honour not just for Philip but for Old Wesley as he follows in the footsteps of Billy Hinton, George Hamlet and Henry Anderson in becoming the fourth Old Wesley member to gain the honour. Philip joined Old Wesley in the early 1970s from Dublin University. He won his first International Cap against France in 1976 and n
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went on to earn 58 caps culminating in the inaugural World Cup in 1987. He played on the Irish team that won the Triple Crown in 1982 and 1985. He toured with the British and Irish Lions to New Zealand in 1977 and South Africa in 1980. He was a regular first choice player for Old Wesley and amongst many achievements captained the club to win the Leinster Senior Cup in 1985. He was President of Old Wesley in Centenary Year 1991-92. Philip was elected the Old Wesley representative on the Leinster
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Paul Carton n agreement has been made between the Irish Greyhound Board (IGB) and the Dublin Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association (DGOBA) to allow racing to recommence at Shelbourne Park. The DGOBA had been protesting at the gates of Shelbourne Park since February, against the IGBs decision to close and sell off the Harold’s Cross greyhound track in order to reduce its large debts. The offer from IGB to give the Harold’s Cross crowd two nights at the Shelbourne track, which would include the racing of that grade of dogs only, has been put to the DGOBA since their picketing began and they had refused it. But as of June 14th, when both sides got together in Crumlin, DGOBA Chairman James O’Hanlon and the rest of the committee abstained from casting a vote and allowed only the members to vote. The resulting vote was 45 to 40 in favour of the two nights at Shelbourne. n
Release The Hounds NewsFour asked O’Hanlon about what had changed in the offer of the two nights that the DGOBA had refused for so long? He replied: “They offered us a 50% increase in prize money for eight weeks, the Dublin Cup went from €5000 to €10000
and we got the stakes increased from €750 to €3000 for the first twelve months.” Now that the pickets have gone from Shelbourne Park, and the Harold’s Cross fixtures transferred as of June 20th, NewsFour asked O’Hanlon if it had been
a smooth change over. “Anything but,” said O’Hanlon. “John O’Sullivan from Dublin Coach laid on a bus free of charge with free entry if you arrived at Harold’s Cross, Tuesday or Friday, at a quarter past seven for him to drive you to and from Shelbourne
Branch in 2000 and was elected to the IRFU committee in 2009. Old Wesley club wish Philip well for his year in office. We hope he has many highlights including, hopefully, the announcement to award the 2023 World Cup to Ireland which is due in November this year. Left: Philip lifts the Leinster Senior Cup in 1985. Below: Philip Orr - newly elected President of the IRFU in the Aviva Stadium. Photos courtesy of Old Wesley.
Park, and nobody appeared. Fourteen people on the first night, including me for support, but since then nobody, they won’t travel down even though they are getting in for free. It takes three-quarters of an hour to get there and same on the way back, it’s time consuming.” IGB refused to give out an estimate of the amount of revenue lost at Shelbourne Park while the boycott was in place as they consider it to be of a commercial nature and according to new IGB CEO, Dr. Sean Brady, a “bright future free from crippling debt is within sight for our industry. For the first time in years, we can consider increasing prize money, investing in more marketing and upgrading our stadiums. The IGB are to hold a National Greyhound Forum this month to seek feedback and engagement as to how this industry can move forward together.”
SPORTING HISTORY
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August / September 2017
JJ Ledwidge: The Calm Quiet Champion
J
Gavan Bergin J Ledwidge was born in 1877 and grew up at Arran Quay in Dublin. He won two All-Ireland Gaelic Football Championships, representing Dublin with the Geraldines club in 1898, when he scored two goals in the final, and again in 1899. He then embarked on a long and extremely successful career playing soccer. Ledwidge joined Shelbourne in 1899, and set about making his mark in the ‘Garrison Game’. He was in the Leinster team for their pioneering international matches during the spring of 1899, when they beat London Wanderers 5-2 in Sandymount and again in Leinster’s first game on English soil when they drew 2-2 with Millwall in South London on Easter Monday. Ledwidge was a rocksteady presence in other big games for Leinster, particularly the regular interprovincial contests with Ulster. These were some of the fiercest fixtures in the early days of Irish football. Then, as now, only the most talented and toughest footballers played in the tear-ups between North and South. JJ was certainly one of the tough ones, and he never let his team down in their battles against Ulster.
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For Leinster and Shelbourne, JJ played in the deep midfield position of wing-half. He was sure and capable in defence and attack and photos of the time show a man of intensity and determination, staring with quiet calm into the camera lens. A look like that on the field would surely be enough to make any opponent think twice before trying to come the heavy with him. In JJ’s early years with Shelbourne, the club was consistently successful, winning the Leinster Senior Cup in 1900, 1901 and 1904. Shelbourne turned professional in 1905 and were accepted into the Irish League, the premier level of football in Ireland. Playing against the biggest clubs in the country began to change Shelbourne into the side that would soon be one of Ireland’s best. One of the first signs of Shels’ improvement came in the Irish Cup competition, which had always been dominated by the Northern clubs. With JJ on board, Shelbourne beat Belfast’s Glentoran 3-1 in the 1905 semi-final, to reach the Irish Cup final for the first time. Shelbourne lost the final, but the experience gained stood the team in good stead. During the next season Shels beat all-comers, on the way to the cup final again.
At Dalymount Park, on April 28th, 1906, Shels lined out against the legendary Belfast Celtic. The final took place in wild weather conditions of snow, hail, sleet and rain, while the sun shone with blinding brilliance through heavy parting clouds, and a strong north wind buffeted the players as they stepped onto the pitch. Shelbourne were playing from the start against that wind and used a fast, physical and direct style of football to quickly knock the Belfast men off their game. According to the Irish Times, the lack of finesse in Shelbourne’s play was “a deliberate and predetermined tactic wherein they adopted the rushed style which has so often worked against the Northerner.” And the tactics worked again against Celtic. With JJ marshalling the midfield, Shels attacked relentlessly and, after 25 minutes, their forward Owens got clear to score the opening goal. The crowd went wild, surging joyfully against the perimeter fence which gave way and supporters spilled onto the pitch, throwing their hats and sticks high into the air in celebration. When the spectators were at length corralled back into the
stands, the entire scene of delighted mayhem happened all over again, when Owens scored another goal towards the end of the first half to give Shelbourne a 2-0 lead. In the second half, JJ and his teammates closed ranks and stood against the Belfast pressure until, at long last, the final whistle sounded, and Shelbourne could celebrate having wrested the cup from northern hands. No one who saw it would ever forget that day in 1906 nor the night that followed, when the victorious scarlet-shirted Shelbourne players raised the cup and brought it home, south for the first time ever. They paraded with it through the streets of Ringsend and Sandymount, where the night was brightened by bonfires and burning tar barrels, lit along the way to celebrate the great victory. The flames glinted in the curved silver of the cup as it was borne along the route, leaving all who saw it with indelible memories to be passed down and down throughout the years from one generation of Shelbourne supporters to the next. Shortly after lifting the cup, JJ won his first international caps for Ireland, against Scotland and Wales in March and
April of 1906. Undoubtedly he should have been picked in the Irish side long before then, but selection for the Irish team had always been heavily biased in favour of Northern players. He was ignored during the prime years of his career and won no more than the two caps JJ continued as an important player for Shelbourne as the team made it back to the Irish Cup final in 1907, and 1908, which was the fourth appearance in a final by the midfield ace. He was 32 years old, and nearing the end by then. JJ helped the Reds win two more Leinster Senior Cups, in 1908 and 1909, before moving to play St James’ Gate for a season. After JJ retired from football, he worked with the Ordnance Survey and Land Commission office. Of course he never could completely shook off his sporting fever, and for years he played for Clontarf Cricket Club as left-arm quick bowler and fielder in the slip cordon. Although more than a century has passed since JJ’s defining deeds on the football field, he is still revered and remembered for the great player he was. Here in Shelbourne country, JJ the quiet champion will always live on.
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August / September 2017
W nFelix
O’Regan hile the club’s juvenile and adult teams have been as active as ever, activity off the field of play has been every bit as exciting over recent weeks. As reported in the last edition of News Four the club was delighted and honoured to be the start and finishing location for the Darkness into Light walk/run in support of Pieta House. It’s been even more heartening to since learn that this event alone generated close on €90,000 for this deserving charity. Hearty congratulations and well done to all involved in any way in delivering such a brilliant result. Dublin Football Manager visit Large numbers of coaches, players and parents gathered at the club to hear words of wisdom from Jim Gavin, Dublin Football Manager – and they certainly were not disappointed. He frequently referred to the importance of hard work and the need for people to challenge themselves at all times in order to get the best out of themselves. As far as he’s concerned, “you have only failed if you’ve given up”. He singled out three particular individuals whom he regards as role models: John Wooden, former American basketball player and coach, for his preparation and attention to detail, Kevin Heffernan, former Dublin player and manager, for his diligence; and Dermot Earley Snr, former Roscommon footballer and Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces, for his courage and ethics Among the many helpful tips he had for coaches, particularly for those working with younger age groups, was that skill development is central to a team’s success and should always take priority over competition. And he stressed how important it is to “always remember that you are a role model for the players”. It was notable that, when asked after his presentation as to which other sports managers he most admired, he singled out Mickey Whelan – former Dublin football manager and Clanns club man! Clanns men receive Community Awards It was standing room only in the club hall for the annual Sean Moore Community Awards. Established in honour of the for-
GAA
Clanna Gael Fontenoy Activity Galore at Clanna Gael Fontenoy
mer local Fianna Fáil TD, Sean Moore, the awards recognise special contributions which people make to their communities. Councillor Dermot Lacey helpfully provided background and context for the proceedings while
gratulate the recipients and present them with their awards. Two Clanns men featured in the awards: Paddy Troy for the 20-plus years service he has given to Clanna Gael Fontenoy and, through the club, to the wider
Troy was particularly poignant. “We come back to Ringsend again and to this very club for our next winner. He is actually originally from Tipperary but we won’t hold that against him. Our next recipient is a man who has
Page 39 club was never an issue for this person. He was a coach, a mentor, a facilities supervisor, an office administrator. Currently recovering from recent surgery, he is anxious to return to the club and the activities about which he is so passionate and knowledgeable.” “There is a sadness to this winner’s story which is that in 1993 he suffered the loss of his 17-year-old son, PJ, who was tragically killed when knocked from his bicycle on the way home. PJ had a deep association with the GAA and there is now a Dublin GAA U-13 Hurling competition in his honour every year.” “Our next winner has given over 22 years to this club and there is enormous gratitude due to him from so many past and current club players, members and all who use the club’s facilities from the wider Ringsend, Irishtown and Sandymount community. Will you please put your hands together for another very worthy winner, Paddy Troy.” Clanns ladies competing at highest level Ladies football continues on an upward curve with our senior team now playing at the highest level in the county. Senior Division 1 championship football has seen some of the top players in Dublin playing in Sean Moore Park - and the Clanns team has not been found wanting either. Our league and cup positions are very healthy and we will be contesting the latter stages of each competition. With such success at club level it’s no surprise that Kate McKenna and Rebecca McDonnell are an integral part of the Dublin senior team that recently won the Leinster championship. With lots of young players coming through from juvenile ranks the future looks bright for Ladies football at the club.
journalist Roisin Ingle told, with empathy, the stories that marked out each of the award recipients. Dublin’s Lord Mayor, Brendan Carr, was also on hand to con-
community; and Robin Booth, Principal of St Patricks Primary School and club activist on and off the playing field over many years. The citation for Paddy
been involved with Clanna Gael for over 20 years – as a full time club coach and then in various activities and roles.” “Whatever was needed by the
Pictured Above: Declan Darcy, Clanns coach and Dublin selector presents Jim Gavin with a momento of his visit to the club Pictured Left: Clanns and Dublin player, Kate McKenna, goes highest in the match against St. Sylvesters. Photos courtesy of: Roger McGrath and GAA Pics