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INSIDE: New deputy mayor vows to aid community P4

July 14, 2011

ROCKING ON: Local Foroige group travel to Mayo for festival: See Page 2

Hats off, girls: Performers shine at Helix MEMBERS of The Moore

Football: Dual star Lowndes adds minor title Page 32

School of the Performing Arts backstage at The Helix before their fantastic fundraising gala variety performance in aid of St Francis Hospice Raheny/Blanchardstown recently. This and many other events are the latest additions to gazettephotos. com, where you can order your favourite pictures from your local Gazette.

Picture: Conor O’Mearain

Full Gallery on Page 8-9

Soccer: Santos 15 hail their success in 2010/11 season Page 30

ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES ................8-10 MOTORS ........................18 BUSINESS .................... 21 TRAVEL......................... 22 ENTERTAINMENT ........ 24 CLASSIFIEDS ............... 26

Rail link road to be constructed at last Agreement on access to station hailed by locals

Q LAURA WEBB

A CAMPAIGN by local residents and commuters calling for the development of an access road to a multi-million euro train station, which has remained idle since it was completed last year, took a major leap forward this week

after it was confirmed that construction works on the road are set to get underway this November.

After months of deliberation between developers Manor Park Homes and Menolly Homes, Irish Rail and Fingal County Council, an agreement has been

reached with the station now expected to open next year.

Speaking to the Gazette, Fine Gael councillor Kieran Dennison said: “A lot of effort has gone into making this happen. Legal contracts are expected to be finalised by mid-August.”

Full Story on Page 5

2 BLANCH GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GOT A STORY?

MUSIC Safe, one-day festival for teens a big success

WE WANT TO KNOW! Call our NEWS TEAM on 60 10 240 or email news@gazettegroup.com

The massive fireworks made it a night to remember

The gig gave group members a chance to link with other Foroige groups from Entertainment was provided by youth bands

around the country

Teens let their hair down at the Band in the Strand Q LAURA WEBB

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BLANCHARDSTOWN teens let loose and enjoyed an alcohol and drugs-free outdoor gig in Mayo attended by over 1,800 fellow Foroige Group members recently.

The annual ‘Band in the Strand’ took place on June 24 at Lacken Strand bringing nearly 2,000 teens to the shores of Mayo.

This is the third year

that Foroige District Council in Mayo has organised the event. This year, even more Foroige groups from around the country attended the outdoor concert, including a group from Hartstown and Huntstown in Blanchardstown.

Although the weather wasn’t on their side, the rain failed to dampen the teens’ spirits as 1,800 party goers arrived in the youth event of the year.

The alcohol and drug-

free beach-front gig, which provides young people, aged between 12 and 18, with a chance to enjoy all the fun, without many of the drawbacks of other festivals, including high prices and the pressures of drinking and taking drugs.

The gig also gave group members a chance to link with other groups from around the country.

Entertainment at the event was provided by youth bands, including

local Blanchardstown band, Liquid Coma, UV5 from Cork, and Struck from Castlebar.

Entertainment However, the bands weren’t the only entertainment, in true festival style there was a display of food stalls, carnival games and massive fireworks making it a night to remember.

M i c h a e l L y n s ke y, chairperson of Mayo Foroige District Council,

who has been a leading force in bringing Band on the Strand to its current glory said: “I am so proud of the young people. There were no incidents, no one tried to sneak alcohol or anything in and everyone was in great spirits for the night.

“It just goes to show that when you give young people the respect they deserve, they appreciate it and give you that respect in return.”

14 July 2011 BLANCH GAZETTE 3

FITNESS New, mobile spinning company launched

Q LAURA WEBB

news@gazettegroup.com

A DUBLIN 15 woman is on a mission to bring spinning classes to the masses, and to prove that the exercise craze is not the gruelling regime it is made out to be with her new mobile spinning company.

Strongly focusing on beginner classes, Miriam Haskins, from Coolmine, launched her new mobile spinning company, Butterfly Spinning Dublin, last week in Laurel Lodge Community Centre.

The high-calorieburning cycling exercise regime usually has classes for different levels, but Miriam focuses on beginners, while allowing intermediate and advance participants to take part in the same class.

“The classes work on the resistance level on the bikes.

“If you imagine a brake pad on a bicycle, and when you are turning it tighter and tighter, that gives the effect of either going uphill, downhill or flat. That is how you get your workout.

“We are very much focused on the beginner element, introducing people to it and showing them that it is not just for high fitness levels, anybody can do it.

“You do sweat, and I think people nearly get afraid that they are sweat-

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‘We don’t scream at you to make it harder – you push yourself as much as you can’

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– you push yourself as much as you can.

“I would get off my bike, walk around and maybe push people a little more, but not to the extreme. We want people to enjoy it.

“We do it to modern music and chart music, and it pushes people along,” said Miriam.

Miriam Haskins

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Mobile Company

ing so much, but it shows it is working,” Miriam told the Gazette.

Butterfly classes are working with FitWest Bootcamp, and have a number of different venues, including Laurel Lodge Community Centre, Mulhuddart Community Centre.

Being a mobile company, they can come to any venue, including the comfort of your own home or office.

“Butterfly spinning is a mobile spinning company. We bring the bikes to local community centres, sports hall, local football teams, boot camps – we can bring them literally anywhere.

“We are thinking of going to one of the beaches, one of the nights, and bring the spinning classes outdoors – if we can bank on the weather,” said Miriam.

Further information can be found on the company’s Facebook page by searching for Butterfly Spinning Dublin; by telephoning 086 666 3612, or by emailing butterflyspinning@gmail.com.

Beginner focus

“Butterfly spinning is mainly beginner-focused and, once you have mastered that exercise equipment, and think you are ready to move up a stage, participants can easily move up to intermediate or advanced stages.

“We do things slightly different than a gym, in that you can come to our beginner class and do an advanced class, because all you do is up the resistance on the bike.

“We have three levels of resistance, so, in a gym, they tell you how many turns to do on the resistance – say, five turns for you may be ten turns for me to get the same level.

“We tell people to have easy level, intermediate level or hard level [to work from]. Whatever is hard for you, is hard for you.

“We don’t scream at you to make it harder

Best of BMW: Taking the top down on the BMW 118d

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Bringing spinning classes to you

Butterfly Spinning Dublin offers classes to cater for all fitness levels

MOTORING PAGE 18

4 BLANCH GAZETTE 14 July 2011

COURTS Local man sentenced for defrauding football club of €10,000

Youth team manager jailed for six years for cocaine dealings A YOUTH team manager with Bohemians Football Club has been jailed for six years for defrauding the club out of €10,000 and possessing cocaine worth €1 million.

Mark Touhey (28), who is a “borderline pathological” gambler, stole deposits paid by the youth team for a trip to Spain, money

raised by the teams by packing shopping bags and money raised for the club from a race night he organised.

He also stole the club subscription fees paid over by the team’s parents for their membership. The court heard he partly agreed to hold the cocaine to raise funds to

pay back the money stolen from Bohemians.

Touhey, of Cedar Grove, Clonsilla, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five counts of theft totalling €9,750 from Bohemians FC between August 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008.

He also pleaded guilty to possession of €949,550

worth of cocaine for sale or supply at Woodvale Drive, Clonsilla, on November 5, 2009.

Judge Martin Nolan noted it was Touhey’s gambling addiction that originally created “the thirst for money” that caused him to steal from the club. He noted the gardai accepted the

cocaine was not his and that he was holding it for someone else.

Garda Colin Ryan told prosecuting counsel, Mr Maurice Coffey BL, that Touhey was hired by the youth development officer as a youth team manager.

One of his responsibilities was collecting subscription fees from the players

for club membership and uniforms. Touhey stole €2,500 of these fees.

Later, he was helping organise a team trip to Marbella and €2,550 was paid over in deposits by the players. The trip was later cancelled and Touhey was given the deposits to return to the players. He stole this money.

Touhey organised a race night as a fundraiser for the club though Bohemians had not sanctioned it.

Sponsors were organised for the race programme and youth members were given fundraising cards to collect money. He raised €4,000 through this, none of which made it to the club.

Campaign for ‘age friendly’ county Q LAURA WEBB

FINGAL County Council has begun a campaign aimed at creating an age friendly county, where active and healthy aging is promoted.

The council also wants to ensure a greater quality of life for elderly people.

In collaboration with Fingal Development Board, the council aims to follow counties across Ireland, such as Louth, Kilkenny and Kildare and make Fingal an Age Friendly County.

The World Health Organisation defines Age Friendly Counties and Cities as being places where active and healthy

ageing is promoted and where the quality of life for older people matters.

According to Fingal County Manager, David O’Connor, the council, in collaboration with State and State-funded agencies and Community and Voluntary Organisations of the Fingal Development Board, will “champion the Age Friendly County initiative in Fingal”.

Anyone over the age of 55 who would like to have their say on what Fingal is like currently for older people, and how it should look in the future, should complete the Fingal Age Friendly County on-line questionnaire at www.fingalcoco.ie

Fingal Mayor Cllr Gerry McGuire and new Deputy Mayor, Labour Councillor Patrick Nulty

POLITICS: NULTY ‘DELIGHTED’ TO BE ELECTED

Deputy Mayor vows to serve community Q LAURA WEBB and MIMI MURRAY

F I N G A L’ S n e w e s t Deputy Mayor, Labour Councillor Patrick Nulty, has vowed to be a voice for the communities across Fingal and to fight for the protection and delivery of vitally needed services in the community.

Speaking to the Gazette, Councillor Nulty said he was delighted to be nominated and elected by his council colleagues as the Deputy Mayor of the council at the annual Meeting on Friday, June 24.

“My objective in my role for the year is, first

and foremost, to be a voice for communities across Fingal. I want to insure that different groups are working hard in local communities, tackling the many serious problems that local areas are facing, will have someone who will speak for them and represent them.

Working Closely

“That is what I want to use the role as Deputy Mayor for – I want to be a voice for the citizens. I will argue for the protection of vital local services and for delivery of projects in communities and, if I can do that over the next year, I will

be happy,” Cllr Nulty said.

Councillor Nulty went on to say he will be “working closely” with the new mayor and, in practical terms, if the mayor is unavailable to chair meetings or attend public meetings, he will step in.

Fingal continues to be open for business,” he said.

“As mayor of Ireland’s youngest and most business-friendly county, I will be sending out a clear message that Fingal is a PRO-business and PRO-jobs,” he added.

Efforts

Congratulated Handing over the mayoral chains, Cllr Ken Farrell, outgoing Mayor congratulated Cllr McGuire on his election and thanked his party colleagues, his family and friends and also paid tribute to county manager, David O’Connor and his staff.

Meanwhile, newly elected Mayor, Labour politician Gerry McGuire said: “Over the coming year Fingal County Council will be focusing our efforts to make ourselves the focus of Ireland’s recovery and we will work hard to make sure that

14 July 2011 BLANCH GAZETTE 5

6 BLANCH GAZETTE 14 July 2011

DEMAND Councillor calls for more stock to conserve water

Council needs to ‘set example’ on sale of water butts Q LAURA WEBB

FINGAL County Council needs to “set an example” by recommencing the sale of water butts that conserve rain water and encourage efficient use during the summer months.

That’s according to Dublin West’s Green Party representative Roderic O’Gorman.

Water butts previously sold by the council were able to

hold 190 litres of water and are ideal for watering the garden during the summer months.

Between September 2006 and February 2011, FCC sold approximately 1,000 water butts at a cost of €40, but the council has since stop selling them, something O’Gorman wants to change.

“At a time when the demands being put on our water supply are so pressing, Fingal County Council

should be setting an example by providing residents with low cost water butts. These devices allow householders store water collected during rain showers and use them to water gardens or wash cars.

This relieves pressure on mains water supplies, which can be saved for essential purposes,” he said.

“I was contacted in recent days by residents who stated that they could not buy any

water butts from the council.

When I raised the issue with officials in the Water Services Department, I was told that the council had stopped offering water butts after the initial stock were all sold.

“While I understand the council is under financial pressures, I believe it is essential that it is seen to play a leading role in attempting to protect reservoir levels over the summer months. One of the first

notices on the homepage of the Fingal website is a plea to conserve water. Surely, the council should be providing low cost water butts to enable residents to achieve this key goal? Dublin City Council continues to provide them.

“I am calling on the council to reconsider its decision to stop selling water butts as a matter of urgency. Everyone needs to play their part to conserve water,” he said.

Support: Age Action gets new grant

PRE-FABS

Works start on Blanch school REFURBISHMENT work is being carried out at temporary accommodation for a new Educate Together National School for Blanchardstown West due to open this September.

Blanchardstown West ETNS is starting as a new school on September 1, beside Mary Mother of Hope NS in Littlepace.

The school will be running out of the highgrade pre-fabs for the first few years, before moving to a permanent location in the West Blanchardstown area.

Exciting

School principal Fergal Collins said: “It’s great to see that the refurbishment work has started on this school, so that students will enjoy better facilities when the school opens in September. It is a very exciting time for all concerned.”

For further information, or information on enrolment at the new school, log onto www. bwetns.ie

Blanchardstown West ETNS

In response, a spokeswoman for Fingal County Council said the council is not stocking any “at present” but may “consider stocking these items for sale in the future”.

“Members of the public who are interested in purchasing a water butt at this time should check DIY and hardware stores, as water butts are generally available through these,” the spokeswoman added.

AGE Action Ireland has received a new €7,500 grant from IBM. The grant – known as a Catalyst Grant – is part of IBM’s Centennial Celebration of Service. As part of its Centennial celebration, IBM will deliver hundreds of new service grants, valued at more than $12 million, which support employees’ volunteer activities to build a smarter planet.

The service grants include cash and equipment awards that support employees’ volunteer activities.

LATEST FIGURES: 9,040 PEOPLE ARE NOW SIGNING ON THE LIVE REGISTER

Jobless figures soaring in Blanchardstown Q LAURA WEBB

SOARING jobless figures have revealed a massive 9,040 people are now signing on the live register in Blanchardstown.

T h a t ’s a c c o r d i n g to the latest figures released by the Central Statistics Office, which show that 179 more people were forced to sign on in June.

In the first six months of 2011, a total of 441 signed on at the Blanchardstown Social Welfare Office.

At the end of December 2010, 8,599 people were shown to be on the live register for that area. By the end of January, 8,772 people were

signing on, an increase of 173. In February, a further 65 people signed on, and 38 more in March.

By the end of April, figures stood at 8,960 after 85 more people were added to the live register. May was the first month to see a decrease in figures with 99 signing off.

But, by the end of June, a further 179 signed on, bringing the latest unemployment figure to 9,040 people signing on in Blanchardstown.

Commenting on the figures, Dublin West TD Joe Higgins (SP) said: “The persistent upward trend in unemployment figures in Dublin 15

demonstrates that the austerity policies began by the Fianna Fail-led Government when the crisis began, and which have continued under Fine Gael and Labour, are making the situation worse.

Robbing

“Further cuts and robbing people of what remains of their disposable income through unjust local taxes will worsen the situation even further.

“I say that an emergency programme of public works and an expansion of wealthcreating State enterprises offers the only hope of putting tens

and hundreds of thousands back to work and reflating the economy.

Exports will not fundamentally improve the situation, we need to address domestic demand which is instead being killed by the cuts,” Deputy Higgins added.

According to a spokesperson from the Department of Social Protection, the national live register figure has increased by 17,000, or 4%, to 457,948 which is “mainly due to people re-signing on the register after their Back to Education Allowance payment finishes at the end of the academic year”. Adding the June

increase for Blanchardstown is in line with the national results.

Back to work

“In response to our economic difficulties and the increased Live Register, the Government announced a Jobs Initiative in May to target resources at key sectors of the economy that can assist in getting people back to work, provide opportunities for those who have lost their jobs to re-skill, and build the confidence that will encourage consumers to spend,” the spokesperson said.

T he spokesperson went on to outline the key measures in the Jobs

Initiative programme including JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme; another similar scheme, which may be of interest to those seeking employment is the FAS Work Placement Programme.

The Department of Social Protection also operates the Tús scheme, which focuses on those people who are long-term unemployed, while the Department also operates a range of employment support measures designed to encourage and support social welfare recipients of working age to reduce their dependency on welfare payments.

14 July 2011 BLANCH GAZETTE 7

TRANSPORT Locals rejoice at vital link news

Train station may open in ’12 Q LAURA WEBB

A CAMPAIGN by local residents and commuters, calling for the development of an access road to a multimillion euro train station, which has remained idle since it was completed last year, took a major leap forward this week after it was confirmed that construction works on the road are set to get under way in November.

Many residents in Hansfield and Barnswell, Ongar, bought properties in the area, believing a modern train station would be up and running at their doorstep.

However, the multi-

million euro station, which is complete but has been lying idle since last year, has remained closed because an access road to the station hasn’t been built.

This week, after months of deliberation between developers, Manor Park Homes and Menolly Homes, Irish Rail and Fingal County Council, an agreement has been reached, and the station is likely to open next year.

Irish Rail is said to be progressing the tender process to complete the road, and a contractor is expected to begin work at the site by early November, with a view to completion by June, 2012.

According to an FCC spokesperson, the construction of the road was the responsibility of the developer of the Strategic Development Zone (SDZ).

“The road was to be built before the first 1,000 houses were finished or occupied, but, as this has not happened, the road was not built.”

‘Good news’ The spokesperson went on to say the latest news “is good news for all rail users in Dublin 15”.

Dublin West FG TD, and Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar was “happy to confirm” there is now an “outline plan”

to get the station opened, next year.

Meanwhile, FG councillor Kieran Dennison said: “A lot of effort has gone into making this happen. Legal contracts are expected to be finalised by mid-August.

“Credit for this must go to our Minister of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar, who made €1.4 million available to build the road when he was appointed in March.

“However, constructing the road was complicated, because access had to be gained through private lands owned by two developers, and involved a number of banks, as well as NAMA.”

FCC: THREE-YEAR COST FOR ‘PUBLIC LIABILITY’

Council paid out €4m in claims Q LAURA WEBB, DAWN

LOVE and PAUL HOSFORD news@gazettegroup.com

MORE than €4 million has been paid out by Fingal County Council (FCC) in public liability claims over the past three years.

Figures obtained

by The Gazette have revealed that, from 2008 until 2010, the local authority paid out approximately €4.1 million in claim payments.

In 2008, €1.35 million was paid out in public liability claims. In 2009, this figure increased to €1.9 million, but dropped dramatically to just €0.85 million in 2010.

According to an FCC spokeswoman, specific details of the regions where claims are made “are not available”.

The most predominant type of claim made against FCC was “lowvalue claims, mainly involving damage to motor vehicles as a result of impact with potholes”.

“Most of these claims fall under the category of

non-feasance, for which the council has no liability,” said the FCC spokeswoman.

The figures obtained are less than those paid out by Dun LaoghaireRathdow n County Council (DLRCC) during the same period, which paid out in the region of €6.5 million in respect of public liability claims between 2008 and 2010.

According to a DLRCC spokesperson, in 2008, €2,079,494 was paid out in public liability claims.

However, between 2009 and 2010, the figures show a massive drop in payments, with the figures dropping

from €2,678,946 to €1,681,698.

Meanwhile, South Dublin County Council (SDCC) paid €5.9 million in respect of public liability claims in the three-year period from 2008 to 2010.

The breakdown for each year shows that, in 2008, SDCC paid out €2.01 million. This

increased in 2009 to €2.22 million, and decreased last year to €1.66 million.

The total paid out by FCC over the three-year period is slightly down on the previous three years, as revealed by The Gazette in 2007.

In 2007, The Gazette revealed that the total amount paid out by FCC in public liability claims and personal injur y claims amounted to €4,696,900. The figures were based on the period between 2004 and 2006.

At the time, FCC said the average pay-out between 2004 and 2006 was €6,254.35, and, of the claims paid out, 37% related to personal injury claims, while 63% related to property damage.

8 BLANCH GAZETTE 14 July 2011

PICTURES Gazettephotos.com is packed full of local pictures;

Hats off to a great show MEMBERS of The Moore School of the Performing Arts backstage at The Helix Elana Fitzgerald, James Dempsey, Aisling Shanahan, Peter

before their performance in

Darroch and Sharon McDaid

a fantastic fundraisng gala variety performance in aid of St Francis Hospice Raheny/ Blanchardstown.

Picture: Conor O’Mearain

James Dempsey and Niamh Alice Pollard and Naoise Koppel

Kelsey Lakes and Emma Dillon

McCann

Lisa Brady, Lindsay Kutner, Eanna Walsh and Michelle Molloy from radio station, Q102

Taking it to the Maxx TAFF at TK Maxx in Blanchardstown were only too happy to put on their yellow t-shirts and get their collection buckets out to play their part in raising some funds for Enable Ireland.

The store had plenty of fun activities, like face-painting and clowns,

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to keep shoppers entertained while at the same time helping out the charity.

Enable Ireland provides free services to children and adults with disabilities and their families from 40 locations in 14 counties.

Covering childhood to adulthood,

the group’s expert teams work with the individual and their family on a plan for each life stage, and their services for children and their families cover all aspects of a child’s physical, educational, and social development, from early infancy through adolescence.

We are adding more and more pictures to our site,

www.gazette

14 July 2011 BLANCH GAZETTE 9

can you spot anyone you know here? Log on to see even more!

1 HIS year, Coolmine Musical Society is celebrating 30 years of bringing musical theatre to Dublin 15. The Gazette caught up with them as they were rehearsing for a special performance of Oklahoma as part of a variety show at Draiocht. The group planned to transport the audience

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from cockney London to czarist Russia, from imperial Japan to the Wild West via Penzance, Vienna and New York. Guests to the performance would be able to enjoy favourites from shows, such as Oklahoma, Oliver, My Fair Lady, Mack & Mabel, Sweeney Todd, Hello Dolly and many more.

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GETTING IT PERFECT 1. Dermot Gallagher, Jimmy O’Sullivan, Eoin Caffrey, Pat Curran and Cyril Greene

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2. Cyril Greene, Ann-Marie Keeley and Bernie Walsh 3. Laura Aspil, Kate Furlong and Louise Dodrill

4. Eoin Caffrey 5. Members of the Society pose for a group shot

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log on to have yours delivered direct to your door

photos.com

10 BLANCH GAZETTE 14 July 2011

TAKE TWO Another look at St Benedict’s National School opening

Principal Noreen Behan and the Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin at the opening. Pictures: Peter Doyle

A grand opening for St Benedict’s

HE former mayor of Fingal, Councillor Ken Farrell, and the Most Reverend Dr Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, officially opened St Benedict’s National School and Ongar Community Centre recently. They were greeted with a guard of honour by the pupils of the school and there were 300 invited guests from various State bodies and the local community at the event.

St Benedict’s NS is a Catholic co-educational school which was opened on August 30, 2006, with an enrolment of 58 pupils.

It is now a 24-classroom school catering for classes from junior infants to sixth class. At present, St Benedict’s has an enrolment of 373 up to 3rd class and will reach a pupil population of 700 at full capacity.

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Principal Noreen Behan accepts a gift

14 July 2011 GAZETTE 11

ADVICE Taking steps to dealing with credit problems on your own terms

Roadmap to recovery: The safe journey This week, Tara O’Grady brings the third and final part of her Roadmap to Recovery from Debt Despair.

TO WRAP up our process of recovery from debt despair, the focus is on the “Life” file, the “Courage under Fire” file and the “Action Plan” file.

The matters contained within these files need to be dealt with in a practical and deliberate manner. Start the process as follows:

1

Don’t make the mistake of ignoring demand letters.

2

If phone calls are distressing or harassing, you are entitled to change your number and to write to the banks to say that all communication needs to be in writing. Request an email address if you do not have one, to save postage funds.

3

Write to all unsecured creditors

(with or without the help of a Debt Management Organisation), explaining your situation, based on your income and expenditure form.

Once you have established your exact financial position, if there are no funds available after basic living means are met, then these unsecured creditors cannot be paid (until and unless you become in a position to be able to do so).

4

In the case of your Secured Creditors, suggest every conceivable option to allow you to pay the minimum amount possible, based on your income and expenditure.

Over the coming months, a variety of participants of the Phoenix Process will bring further advice and information on

5

If there are NO funds available for a certain amount of time, inform them.

6

Ask them to temporarily freeze the interest and late repayment charges.

7

Ask them not to issue any legal proceedings until every available option is looked into.

8

Request that all correspondence is sent by email so that you have records. If this is not possible, keep a copy and a record of every letter sent and received.

9

Remember to enter each event into the “Life after Debt” diary.

10

Be supported or support when

post is being opened.

NB

Inform your family GP of your mood, sleep patterns etc.

If the stress has reached the point of despair, or suicidal thoughts, ask this GP to make an appointment with a specialist to help with this.

If there are no funds for

dealing with the problems of modern life and also tips on activities that can help us all enjoy life a little more.

this help, a GP can make an appointment with a HSEfunded service.

Remain focused on positives; keep strong supports in place and remember to put things in perspective.

Those in debt need to remember that debt is a massive national problem that has sadly manifested

itself in people’s lives in a highly-distressful way.

Correspondence No one individual is to blame, and to be in debt is not a criminal act, contrary to what is repeatedly intimated on legal correspondence that may be received.

For the moment, our

court process is limited.

However, as stated above, this is a legal issue, and not a criminal issue. The paperwork process outlined above in a court situation would be more than enough in a case of inability to pay, which now means, in fact, that the worst-case scenario has already been dealt with.

12 GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GazetteFITNESS FITNESS

Brought to you by Derry Temple personal trainer and pilates instructor

THE FACTS: YOUR NORMAL WORKOUT MAY NOT BE AS EFFECTIVE AS YOU THOUGHT IT WAS

How to lose those few extra pounds by using the right kind of workout OST gymgoers spend endless hours performing steady state cardio and have probably been doing the same sort of exercise for years without ever achieving the results they are looking for.

There is a common misconception that, in order to lose fat, you must spend hours pounding on the treadmill when, in fact, the opposite is true.

Aerobic means “with oxygen”, and refers to the use of oxygen in the body’s metabolic or energy–generating process.

By definition aerobic exercise is performed at moderate levels of intensity for extended periods of time. Long-duration aerobic work has a host of valuable health benefits, including increasing blood flow, making the heart stronger, decreasing the resting heart rate and improving energy production.

However, there is a downside to steady-state aerobic work, in that it is easy for your body to recover from and adapt to. Also when you train

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The use of anaerobic exercise is more suitable to help you lose the extra pounds

LOCAL MATTERS SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS

aerobically you may burn calories, but this ends shortly after you finish your workout.

How can you shift bodyweight without spending hours in the gym?

The answer is through a combination of Resistance Training and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

more calories for up to 72 hours after training.

The other great news is that you can increase the intensity of this training in a number of ways as your body begins to adapt.

HIIT training can be any form of aerobic training that is performed at high intensity

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‘There is a common misconception that in order to lose fat you must spend hours pounding on the treadmill when in fact the opposite is true’ --------------------------------------------------------

Both these anaerobic forms of training (anaerobic meaning without oxygen) create shifts in your metabolism causing you to burn more calories even after you have finished training.

“The optimal approach to fat loss is Resistance and H.I.I.T. training.”

With anaerobic exercise, you do not only raise your metabolism, burning calories while you train, but you also burn

followed by a period of rest or low activity. HIIT causes increased excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) keeping your metabolism high for up to 72 hours after training.

Ageing causes a drop in muscle mass, and so a lowering of the metabolism. The optimal approach to address this metabolic drop is resistance training – for every pound of muscle you gain, you burn an

extra 50 calories per day.

Your goal should be to make your body more anabolic (to promote muscle growth) to help you burn fat.

The other benefits of resistance training are plentiful and include improved posture and appearance, reduced body fat, increased strength, power, endurance, metabolism and bone density.

Before embarking on any training programme, you should ensure you have guidance and help from a qualified fitness professional.

Derry Temple runs DT Fitness in Artane, Dublin 5, and specialises in helping people achieve their health and fitness goals.

He is holding a free presentation on Training and Eating For Fat Loss on Saturday, July 23.

Places are limited so to confirm your attendance please e-mail Derry Temple at derry@ dtfitness.ie. Make sure to mention the Gazette Newspaper in the title to receive your free EBook on Training and Eating For Fat Loss.

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All of your latest local news, sport, features and pictures are now just a click away

14 July 2011 GAZETTE 13

14 GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GazetteMUSIC MUSIC Welch delivers a harvest full of earthy delights Q ROB HEIGH

GILLIAN Welch is renowned for two things — being one of the best singer-songwriters in music, and not being nearly prolific enough.

Eight years since their last release, Soul Journey, which had the Bob Dylan-esque audacity to feature an electric guitar in their previously all-acoustic sound, comes The Harrow and The Harvest, a return to Welch and David Rawlings’ darker, melodic roots.

As the title suggests, there’s a pastoral gothic at work here, and the instruments used, that include banjo, hands and feet show they have stripped the music back to it’s almost barest bones.

There is an indescribable familiarity about Gillian Welch’s music. It’s like nothing you’ve heard before, and everything you know.

Rooted in bluegrass and Appalachian styles, there is something fascinating and beguiling about The Harrow and The Harvest.

It’s shot through with a folk memory of songs long forgotten but that are still in your ears, and their shapes come into focus quickly after only a few bars.

It’s not even country music, it’s something more than that. It’s soul music, in the purest sense of that phrase.

The songs speak of scarlet and daggers, and, within the shadows of the music, there’s the feeling that there is something ready to reap what has been sown in the lives and loves of the characters in the songs.

This isn’t a great record, it’s an essential one. There’s the essential force of life and death within, and there’s very few records you can say that about.

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings

The One: Prince set to be crowned at the Castle THE time is nigh. Prince, still the best live act in the world, comes to Malahide Castle on July 30.

Fresh from the stage of the Hop Farm festival in Kent, where he stole the weekend with a hitpacked and super funky two-hourplus set, Prince will hit the stage at the Castle to enthral his Irish fans for the first time since 2002, when he owned the Point, and went on to an awesome aftershow at Spirit.

Tickets from €89.50 are available at www.ticketmaster.ie.

INTERVIEW: A FRESH START FOR FORMER REPUBLIC STARS

Cars Love Girls love their new direction Q ROB HEIGH

CARS Love GIrls sounds like the blueprint for every great song of the last few decades, but it’s also the name of the new band from former Republic of Loose members Cormac and Orla Breslin.

The band came about when the brother and sister duo, who had always talked about working together, were looking for the next stage to their musical careers after leaving the Loose around two years ago.

“I had a good few songs left over that I had written for the band,” said Bres. “Usually, I would bring along an instrumentals and we would then put lyrics and vocals to them. So, I was left wondering what I would do next with them, and so I decided to finish them myself.

“Orla and I always said we would do something together, and the timing was right, so it happened pretty naturally.”

That natural progression has seen the band put together an album, Skip School, which con-

Bres and Orla of Cars Love GIrls, who play at Crawdaddy on July 20

tains ten highly polished and accomplished songs that stand out from the current crop of sounds emerging from the capital city.

Imagine the chromeplated production sound of Steely Dan, the loose funk of early Prince and the warm embrace of Prefab Sprout, and you’re getting close to the sound of Cars Love Girls.

“I’m not really affiliated with the Irish music scene, I’ve been in one band since college, and I don’t play with anyone

else. The scene wasn’t an inf luence, what influenced it was me going back to my record collection and thinking about the artists that I loved and what did I want us to sound like.

“Things like Prince and Prefab Sprout, b a n d s t h a t I n e ve r stopped listening to, something that had a groove, and was really polished. It’s almost easy listening - clean, well-produced stuff.

“That was what we were going for and, hopefully, I’ve ended up

somewhere in that ballpark.”

The band will play their first official gig at Crawdaddy on July 20, and their live sound is something that Bres and Orla have been working hard on perfecting.

“We’re looking forward to the first show, we’ve been rehearsing for the last couple of months, and it’s sounding good. It’s pretty much exactly the same as the record.

“It’ll take time to grow, and settle down on stage. We have a sup-

port slot in September; we’re planning on doing the Hard Working Class Heroes and EuroSonic festivals, as well as the IMRO showcase tour.

“We’re starting from scratch, really doing everything we can. I can’t wait to get the album out there, so we’re looking at the best way of doing that.”

When the album drops, don’t expect Cars Love Girls to remain in the shadows for long. It sounds like the first step on the road to international success.

14 July 2011 GAZETTE 15

GazetteBEAUTY BEAUTY Smoothtastic, summer legs F you want to get smoothtastic pins, but you’re fed up with shaving and waxing, then why not follow the celebrities’ lead and epilate your way to smoother skin this summer.

Lifes2good’s latest Wet and Dry Emjoi Dolphin Epilator has been specifically designed to remove even the shortest of hair, its 18 sets of tweezeraction discs ensures rapid, non-irritating and virtually pain-free hair removal - literally! Its special water-resistant design enables it to remove even the shortest of hair on the legs, bikini line and under arms, with perfect precision giving results which last up to six weeks!

And to help you along the way, Emjoi has come up with its five top tips to achieving those perfectly

I

sleek pins using your epilator.

hours after hair removal.

Tip 1

Tip 4

Have a nice hot bath or shower before removing unwanted hair. This will open up your pores, making epilating quick and more comfortable!

And you can use the Wet and Dry Dolphin Epilator whilst in the bath!

Maintain silky-smooth legs by exfoliating and moisturising at least three times a week.

Exfoliation prevents unsightly ingrow n hairs by removing dead skin, ensuring new hair can surface. Moisturising will also help to sooth your skin.

Tip 2

Ensure your skin is clean and dry before epilating. Hold the skin in the surrounding area taut, then gently glide your epilator along your skin in the direction of hair growth.

Tip 5

Keep it up! One of the great benefits of removing hair from the roots is that regrowth becomes far finer and sparser over time.

The latest Wet and Dry Emjoi Dolphin Epilator has been specifically designed to remove even the shortest of hair

Tip3

Prevent skin irritation and ingrown hairs after epilating by avoiding exfoliating and wearing tight clothes for 24

The Wet and Dry Dolphin Epilator by Lifes2Good is priced €39.95 and is available at leading pharmacies and

health stores nationwide or by visiting www.lifes 2good.ie

Ahhhh ... Aveeno is here THEY’VE achieved a cult following in the US, and now the new Aveeno Positively Radiant range is available for the first time in Ireland!

The skincare range utilises the benefits of soy, a new naturally active ingredient for the Aveeno brand in Ireland, and has been clinically proven to even out skin tone and texture to boost skin’s natural radiance.

Included in the range is the Positively Radiant Daily Skin-Brightening Moisturiser SPF 15, which contains SPF 15 to help protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays, while its light diffusers will instantly boost your skin’s natural radiance. Shea Butter, squalane and glycerine help to ensure skin is left

hydrated and smooth.

Meanwhile, the Positively Radiant Triple Boost Serum contains a blend of vitamins and antioxidants, which are known to help fight free radicals and help keep skin looking younger.

The unique formula reveals the skin’s natural radiance and visibly diminishes the appearance of skin discoloration and brown spots.

And for those dark circles and lines around the eyes, Positively Radiant Eye Brightening Cream is sure to be a hit. This eye-brightening cream, with naturally active soy, is fast-absorbing with a light texture and is clinically proven to visibly improve the appearance of dark circles and puffiness.

Edited by Dawn Love

Light diffusers instantly boost skin’s natural radiance and revitalise the area around the eyes.

The new Aveeno Positively Radiant range is available from July in pharmacies nationwide.

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16 GAZETTE 14 July 2011

SNAPSHOT Some fun stories of the week around the capital

On your bike!

RTE’s Jacqui Hurley launches the annual Tomas Mulligan Cycle in aid of Pieta House, the suicide crisis centre, along with Dublin footballers Éamon Fennell and Eoghan O’Gara. The fun cycle, which is in its fourth year, is held in memory of Dublin footballer Tomas Mulligan who died by suicide in 2007. The cycle, organised by the Mulligan family, takes place on Saturday, August 13, and Sunday 14, and this year’s destination is Athlone. The cycle aims to raise awareness of the work carried out by Pieta House and to celebrate the lives of those lost to suicide.

Gazette Contacts Block 3A, Mill Bank Business Park, Lucan Tel: 01 6010240 Fax: 01 6010251

Managing Director: Liam Holland email: lholland@gazettegroup.com General Manager: Michael McGovern email: mmcgovern@gazettegroup.com Editor: Cormac Curtis email: ccurtis@gazettegroup.com News Editor: Dawn Love email: dlove@gazettegroup.com Production Editor: Jessica Maile email: jmaile@gazettegroup.com Sports Editor: Rob Heigh email: sport@gazettegroup.com Financial Controller: Carly Lynch email: clynch@gazettegroup.com Advertising Production: Anita Ward email: ads@gazettegroup.com Advertising Sales: 01 6010240 email: sales@gazettegroup.com

Gazette Group Newspapers Ltd. Terms and Conditions for acceptance of advertisements Reserve the right to omit or suspend or alter any advertisement(s) in any of its publications. We also decline any responsibility in the event of one or more of a series of advertisements being omitted for any reason whatever, nor do we accept liability for any loss or damage caused by an error or inaccuracy in the printing of any advertisement. If your advertisement appears incorrectly, contact the Advertising Department immediately, as responsibility cannot be accepted for more than one week’s incorrect insertion. Responsibility cannot be accepted if the complaint is made more than two weeks after insertion. If one places an advertisement for more than one week and then cancels it after the first week, no refund or credit will be given for weeks cancelled. The advertiser undertakes to indemnify the Proprietors against any liability for any civil action arising out of the publication of the advertisement or any other matter printed or published in the Blanchardstown Gazette, Castleknock Gazette, Clondalkin Gazette, Dundrum Gazette, Dun Laoghaire Gazette, Lucan Gazette, Malahide Gazette and Swords Gazette. The placing of an order or contract will be deemed an acceptance of these conditions.

Mingin? Dail’s fashion sense just might be...

“IF I HAD a handbag, I’d have clobbered him with it.”

So said Mar y Mitchell O’Connor, showing that the schoolyard whispers of Deputies Wallace, Flanagan and Ross had not dampened her sense of humour.

But if she did have a handbag, what would have been in it? A driver’s licence?

A spare “garish” outfit? A brick heavy enough to knock the pink off Wallace’s shirt?

The Diary was heartened to see that such taunts exist in other workplaces, not just our own newsroom, but we are not being paid 90 grand a year to represent thousands of people.

Aside from the rights and the wrongs of the incident, one is forced to question how three deputies such as Wallace, a man so woefully dressed that legis-

lation will soon be passed to correct him, “Ming” Flanagan, whose namesake was feared for his sinister looks as much as his ability to torture Flash Gordon (and don’t even get me started on the beard!) and Ross, he of the strange tuft of hair, just sitting limp atop his head, can, with sincerity, question the sartorial choices of another?

DIARY One-hundred invited Muggles of all ages will dress up and gather in the party room from 3 to 5pm to learn wizardry tricks and play Harry Potter-themed games. Frangos World Cuisine will also have a full Harry Potter-themed menu with lots of mouth-watering treats to choose from.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 is released in cinemas this Friday, July 15.

Hamleys cast Photography a spell showcase HAMLEYS in Dundrum Town Centre will be cast under a spell this Saturday. The store’s party room on the third floor will be bursting with magic as it is transformed into a School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in aid of Unicef.

A GROUP of recent photography graduates of Griffith College have come together to form a photography collective, entitled Arcadia, and will host their debut exhibition as a group, entitled Grey Area, in Gallery

53, Capel Street, Dublin 1 until July 30.

The exhibition, which is part of the PhotoIreland Festival 2011, seeks to examine some of life’s grey areas and is an exploration and personal interpretation by the diverse group of photographers.

Sinead Murphy, Head of Photography at Griffith College, said: “I am delighted to see these talented photographers showcasing their work and commend them for the formation of the Arcadia group.

“I would like to wish them the best of luck with their debut show.”

Students of Griffith College Dublin, both past and present, have also had their photography work selected for the Four Floors exhibition in the Mad Art Gallery on 56, Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin 1, and will run until July 30.

For more information on Griffith College photography courses go to www.gcd.ie.

14 July 2011 GAZETTE 17

GazettePETS PETS

Brought to you by Miriam Kerins of the DSPCA

THE FACTS: LOOKING AT THE FISH IN A FISH TANK CAN HAVE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS

Our popular finned friends OLDFISH are one of the most popular household pets in Ireland. It’s very simple to take care of one, and, although they don’t require that much space, as beautiful, living creatures, they certainly require love, care, attention and a healthy living environment.

This week I want to make my readers aware of the specific needs of the goldfish because, last week, I was forced to intervene when I witnessed a group of teens at a jumble fair kicking around a clear plastic bag containing a small amount of water and a goldfish they said they’d “just won at a stall”.

I also want to take this

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opportunity to remind stall-holders/fair-organisers that they have a duty of care to any animal in their possession, and should not give them out as prizes. Let me state quite clearly for the record that it is a crime to intentionally abuse, injure, illtreat or cause unnecessary suffering to an animal and those who do so may be prosecuted.

That said, goldfish are wonderful, educational, finned friends to introduce their owners to the responsibilities of caring for a living creature and, if taken care of properly, can live for ten years or more. Some have been documented to live up to 30 years. It’s worth remembering that every

Goldfish might be the right pet for you

goldfish, just like every human, is an individual and can possess its own characteristics. For example, did you know that a pet goldfish will actually recognise its owner and will rise to the surface to be hand fed by them?

If you’re reading this and thinking about giving a goldfish a home, here’s a

few tips to help you out.

First of all, there are two categories of goldfish, single-tailed and twin-tailed.

An example of singletailed gold fish would be the Comets: This variety has an exceptionally long tail fin; in fact often the fin is the length of the fish’s body, allowing him to swim pretty fast. You’ll

need a large tank for this variety, which are usually yellow but sometimes have a white body with red on their backs.

An example of twintailed is the Black Moor: This variety has telescopic eyes that appear to stick out from the fish’s head.

As the name suggests, they are always black in colour.

Goldfish should be kept with their own kind, i.e. twin-tailed with twintailed, single-tailed with single-tailed and not mixed together.

So, you’ve decided on the variety, now how do you choose your supplier?

W hen visiting the aquarium/pet-store, take a look at the condition of

the fish in the tank. Is the tank over-crowded? Are there any dead fish in the tank? Is the water clear or cloudy? Do the fish have fungal growths on their scales? Are the fins erect and moving (but not moving too quickly, as this could be a sign of a lack of oxygen).

Healthy fish should swim effortlessly through water, with long-finned ones swimming a bit slower than the others.

There are many factors to consider when buying the fish tank and, while a fish aquarium can make a unique decorative addition to any room, placement is a key issue.

The tank must be placed against an inside wall, away from direct sunlight,

open windows and doors.

Remember, the warmer the room, the less oxygen there will be for the fish so keep this in mind and don’t over-crowd the tank.

Fish grow, so do your research on your particular variety to find out how large your pet will get before you buy your tank.

There’s a lot to consider before you join the fishkeeping fraternity, including who will look after Nemo and friends. But it is a therapeutic experience – did you know that gazing into a fish tank can slow down your heart rate and calm your nerves?

For a more information, visit www.dspca.ie, or email miriam.kerins@ dspca.ie

18 GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GazetteMOTORS MOTORS

The BMW 1 Series convertible is the car for summer driving. This car blends sports styling with practical driving economics, even if the buy-in price is relatively high at €36,450 for the diesel powered entry model.

Converted by BMW’s 1 Series MICHAEL MORONEY took the top down on the BMW 118d WE HAVE 146,000* READERS EACH WEEK *based on standard industry measurements

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS TO OUR READERS CALL 60 10 240

and loved every moment of its thrilling performance ONVERTIBLE time is summer time and that’s when ownership of a car like the BMW 118d convertible comes into its own. This is a car in which to plan a trip to a big event like the Galway Races. So get ready for the road in car that makes a statement while being thrifty on the road. The BMW 118d convertible mixes bling with brains in a car that’s super in terms of style and performance and even better when it comes to efficiency.

If you are one for motoring style, this is a car that makes a modest statement. Modest in terms of running costs while a shade bling in terms of the message that it gives to all others on the road. Just roll down the roof and see the reaction.

I covered the roads in the BMW 118d and it is

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SPECS: BMW 118D CONVERTIBLE Top speed: 208 km/hr 0 – 100km/hr: 9.5 secs Economy: 20.8 km/litre (4.8 l/100km) CO2 emissions: 127g/ km Road Tax Band: B (€156) Euro NCAP Rating: 5 Star (2004) Warranty: 3 years Entry Price: €36,450

impressive. There’s plenty of power from the 2.0 litre turbo-diesel engine that has all of the BMW EfficientDynamics systems included.

This latest edition car differs from the previous versions as it has a new front bumper with redesigned fog lights and redesigned halogen headlights with an “eyebrow” element. If you specify the optional Xenon head-

lights, this “eyebrow” element features an LEDilluminated light bar.

The rear lights and the headlights have also been changed and now give a new, and more detailed, appearance.

The biggest change for the BMW 1 Series is that the cars now come fitted with what BMW calls an Aero Curtain. This new feature channels the airflow around the front of the car to reduce aerodynamic drag, with the aim of further improving efficiency.

BMW engineers have lots of convertible experience and they say that wheel arches are one of the main areas of aerodynamic drag. They believe that the newAero Curtain is the solution to reduce this inefficiency.

The system is developed from racing car technology. The air is routed into

two ducts in the front of the car, which then flows out of a narrow opening at high speed in the wheel arch. BMW claims that this jet of air effectively covers the side of the front wheels like a curtain and reduces turbulence.

The good news from this bit of engineering is that the CO2 emissions have been lowered throughout the range. The test BMW 118d I drove is now rated at only 118g/ km, while all 2.0-litre petrol versions have CO2 emissions of 154g/km or below.

The six-speed manual gearbox car came with an optimum shift indicator to let you know when to change up or down the gears. I don’t tend to use this feature in many of the cars that I drive, I find that it’s always more interesting if you listen to how the engine performs and keep

a weather eye on the rev counter.

Like other BMW models, the 1 Series coupé and convertible also come with other EfficientDynamics measures.

The test car 118d model was fitted with Auto Start-Stop, a diesel particulate filter for a cleaner exhaust, brake energy regeneration that lowers the drag on the engine. It also has what BMW call “intelligent alternator control” for more efficient electricity generation in the car for a multiple of functions The car has a responsive electric-power steering that was a dream to use. It corners with a positive feel and has good road feedback, making the car a treat to drive.

The test car was an M Sport version, that’s a little special, but with a special price to match. All M

Sport models come with 17-inch light doublespoke-style alloy wheels, door sill finishers with M designation, chrome front exterior trim, highgloss Shadowline window surrounds, M aerodynamic bodystyling, M Sport suspension, runflat tyres, Sport seats and M Sport multi-function leather steering wheel.

The shock is that this M Sport is about €4,000 more than the entry model and I am just not sure about the value of that. The look is enhanced, the features make for a more comfortable drive, but then the basic car basically only has smaller wheels and less opulence when it comes to chrome trims.

I’m not sure if I would need those extras in what is a super compact sports car, to make a bold summer statement.

Volkswagen’s planned takeover of MAN suffers setback Volkswagen Group suffered a setback in its efforts to create Europe’s biggest truck maker as a European regulator pushed it to drop plans to take control of MAN trucks.

Volkswagen has made a €13.8 billion takeover offer for MAN. The move

is part of a Volkswagen Group plan to create Europe’s biggest truck maker by combining MAN and Sweden’s Scania to take on world market leader Mercedes Benz and its next biggest rival, Volvo Trucks.

The European Commission said

Volkswagen’s overly hasty grasp for control would breach merger rules. The Commission told Europe’s biggest carmaker to wait for regulatory approval of closer cooperation of VW, MAN and Scania.

Volkswagen Group aims to over-

take Toyota as the world’s biggest car maker by 2018. It has been trying to incorporate sports car maker Porsche into its business as a tenth brand, and its chairman has publicly said that he has also set his sights on taking over Alfa Romeo.

14 July 2011 GAZETTE 19

20 GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GazetteMOTORS MOTORS Fifty years a Mercedez-Benz man RoadSigns Road Signs NEW PLASTICS FOR MOTORING: SCIENTISTS in Brazil have developed a way to use nano-fibres from lemons and other fruit plants for a new generation of car plastics.

Scientists have demonstrated that superstrong fibres can be harvested from delicate fruits, including pineapples and bananas.

These nanocellulose fibres – also known as micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC) – are comprised of 5-20 nanometre fibrils, and are nearly as stiff as Kevlar, found in armour and bulletproof vests.

One day, these new plastics may be used in car manufacturing – not just to replace current plastics, but to replace the steel parts, too.

ONNIE Moloney, co-founder and managing director of TR Motors, this year celebrates his 50-year career in Mercedes-Benz service.

His company, which is situated in the Dublin suburb of Harold’s Cross, is a main authorised service dealer for Mercedes-Benz.

From Clonmel, Ronnie began working at the age of 16, taking up an apprenticeship with the then local Mercedes-Benz main dealer in Tipperary, King Keating.

From King Keating, he emigrated to Canada, where he worked for the German-owned Mercedes-Benz of North America organisation.

Returning to Dublin, he continued to work

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with Mercedes-Benz through their Modern Motors, Rialto and B a l l s b r i d g e Mo t o r s dealerships.

In 1975, Ronnie cofounded TR Motors Limited, since when the dealership has operated as an exclusive service outlet for MercedesBenz passenger cars.

Prominent location Situated in a prominent location on Harold’s Cross Road, next to the greyhound stadium, TR Motors has enjoyed a distinguished histor y, listing many prominent MercedesBenz owners amongst its client base, including numerous foreign diplomats and embassies.

In 1992, the company suffered a major setback when fire destroyed their original premises.

Heartened by the support of all concerned, the company undertook a complete redevelopment to create the modern showrooms and extensive workshop and spare parts facility from which it now operates.

Today, Ronnie is supported in the business by his daughter, Louise, son, Gavin, and a staff of 14.

Commenting on the milestone and the c o m p a ny ’s a c h i e ve ments over the five decades being celebrated, Mercedes-Benz chief executive in Ireland, Stephen Byrne, praised Ronnie and his team at TR Motors for their “immense technical knowledge, expertise and skill that they bring to the service of Mercedes-Benz customers in Dublin city”.

Ronnie Moloney is celebrating 50 years of service to Mercedes-Benz

14 July 2011 GAZETTE 21

GazetteBUSINESS BUSINESS Interview: Edno Cooley, owner of a successful healthcare equipment company

Started his own company at 25 EDNO Cooley, from Cooley Healthcare Ltd, grew up in Wexford and moved to Dublin to go to Dublin City University where he studied biotechnology. He then went into the brewing business, working for a short time for Guinness and then for one of the pioneering microbrewing companies making lager. He now lives in Palmerstown and runs a successful healthcare equipment company in Lucan, supplying equipment to hospitals, nursing homes and private customers.

Edno started his own company at the age of 25 in 2000, when, as he says himself “it was easy”. He recently started a new business, Cooley Healthcare Ltd, when it wasn’t quite so easy. Edno says: “It has been really difficult, but we have concentrated on the end users’ needs and found that, by really caring for the patient or client, we earn the respect and trust of the professionals and families involved.

“Our business slogan is Quality, Reliability and Care. I believe that this simple traditional code has a very important role in our business and, indeed, in all aspects of life.

We treat all of our customers as if they were our own families. We see this as what makes us different.”

Cooley Healthcare is a modern, vibrant, caring and professional Irish-owned company that provides a wide range of products. Edno says: “We are trying be as positive as is possible in this difficult time; we just launched a new website, www.cooleyhealthcare.ie and invested substantially in our branding and advertising. I always compare starting a new business to lifting yourself up by your shoe laces; it seems like an impossible feat, but it can be done.

“The Irish Healthcare market is expanding simply because people are living a lot longer, although it is now fiercely competitive. Entering into a new business area at a competitive time has it’s advantages – overheads are lower and customers are more open to changing supplier in search of better deals.”

to buy my own place . I don’t know much about loans etc, so I need your help. I’d love to buy an apartment in the city, but don’t know a lot about how the loans work. Do I just pay back the loan in full or do I have to pay extra for getting it? Any help greatly appreciated. Mark – Dublin 9.

A - All lending is based on the ability to repay.

Whether you are looking for a car loan, a mortgage to buy a home or even a credit union loan, you have to prove that you can pay back what you borrow. The “extra” is the interest you pay to the lender and their reward for giving you the loan and their interest rate can vary.

Home loans are the cheapest type of loan available and, inversely, short-term “unsecured” loans - i.e. no underlying asset that the lender can repossess in the event you fail to pay back - carry a higher rate of interest and, therefore, greater monthly repayments.

Buying property has a whole set of rules and regulations, from the method lenders use to calculate your repayment ability; there are two methods – 4.5 times your annual income or the total of all your monthly financial commitments, including the proposed mortgage repayment should not exceed 35% of your net disposable Income – or what you have left in your pay packet after all the taxes, universal social charges and other deductions are made.

Remember also, virtually ALL lenders are members of the Irish Credit Bureau and their

Q: What was your first job?

A: Farm labourer at 10-yearsold.

Q: And your first pay cheque?

A: £5. I used to iron my money and keep it in a small suitcase.

Q: When did you start your present job?

A: 1999.

Q: What is the best thing about your job?

A: I enjoy the risk and return aspect of running my own business. When it goes wrong, it’s terrible, but when it goes right, it’s fantastic.

Q: What part of your work-

first port of call is to check your credit history.

Any missed repayments or judgments and you

Q&A fighter pilot, President of US, veterinarian.

MY FIRST PROPERTY PURCHASE Q – Hi, I’m a guy in my late 20s and would love

Edno Cooley at his company, Cooley Healthcare

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be?

A: It changed every day –

ANSWERS TO YOUR PERSONAL FINANCE QUESTIONS

have little chance of progressing.

So, once you have passed this first test – being

ing day do you ‘delegate’?

A: Everyone has their strengths, so I do the bits I’m good at and delegate everything else to people who will do it better.

Q: What sport do you follow?

A: Football, hurling and rugby.

Q: What sport can you play?

A: Football and hurling.

Q: What is your guilty music/TV or movie pleasure?

A: Pirates of the Caribbean.

Q: Who best represents modern Ireland – David Norris or Jedward?

A: Hopefully David Norris. I love Jedward but...

Q: What music/pictures/ movies do you have on your iPod/iPad?

eligible to borrow – you will also need life cover

A: Not a lot. I have two companies, a wife, two kids and I’m involved in everything around me.

Q: Where do you enjoy spending money frivolously?

Q: Who do you follow on Twitter/Facebook?

Q: How many pairs of shoes do you own?

A: Four.

mally included in the apartment annual service

Q: What was your worst holiday experience?

A: I always enjoy my holi-

ing, you should first complete a FULL budget

A: Friends.

Q: What habits would you like to lose?

A: Staying up too late watching television.

Q: Describe your dream meal?

A: A BBQ with the wife and

A: On my family.

days. When you are under pressure through business, a wet week in a tent in Longford is fantastic.

Q: Describe your dream holiday?

A: To sail all around the

kids on a sunny day down the country.

Mediterranean for a month.

Q: Who would you rather have dinner with – Enda Kenny or Dame Edna?

Q: What would be your dream job?

A: I have it.

A: Enda Kenny. He has a big

Q: What do you plan to do when you retire?

job on his hands and I think he might benefit from my advice.

A: I don’t want to retire.

on that mortgage (compulsory on home loans) and at least buildings insurance on the property in case of fire, etc. With apartments, this is norcharge.

Before you finally go down the road of buyof expected and estimated costs in buying the property. These include stamp duty (1% of the purchase price under € 1m) and your solicitor’s legal costs (c. 0.5% of the purchase price plus VAT and outlay) not to mention basic furniture, etc.

You should also do an annual household budget, so work out the ongoing costs of maintaining a property and living. Good luck.

Contact John with your money questions at jlowe@moneydoctor.ie or visit his website at www.moneydoctor.ie. John Lowe, Fellow of the Institute of Bankers, is founder and managing director of Money Doctor

22 GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GazetteTTRAVEL FastTravel

The Maldives offers a holiday close to nature with white beaches and clear blue seas FAMED for its fragile beauty, the Maldives has long been a top destination for those wanting to get closer to nature, offering sugar-white beaches and clear blue seas. However, this tiny cluster of stunning atolls and islands is also one of the most delicate environmentally. Located in South Nilandhe Atoll, Vilu Reef Beach and Spa Resort is a green and fertile resort, which actively protects the local environment through tending to its underwater ecosystem, using locally-grown produce in its restaurants and regularly planting palm trees – promising guests the ultimate in idyllic natural beauty.

Vilu Reef is known locally as the “Garden Of Eden” for its lush tropical vegetation and countless coconut palms. In fact, honeymooners staying at this small island retreat are invited to plant a tree during their stay, leaving a small legacy of their stay. As well as boasting over 800 palm trees, one side of this 122-room resort boasts a protected lagoon and the other has a beautiful reef, with a greater variety of corals and reef fish than in any other atoll. Even the accommodation at Vilu Reef is inspired by nature, offering understated laid-back luxury and traditional thatched roofs.

As 99% of the Maldives’ low-lying coral islands are covered by sea water, climate change and rising sea levels are of great concern for its people. Vilu Reef’s sister resort, Olhuveli Beach and Spa Resort, has, therefore, set up a number of initiatives to protect its abundant coral reefs and wealth of endangered sea creatures – from manta rays to turtles.

To stay in this stunning eco-friendly resort, Trailfinders is offering seven nights at Vilu Reef Beach and Spa Resort from €1,619 per person (saving over €140 per person), based on two sharing. Available for selected departures in October, the price includes return flights from Dublin, Cork or Shannon via Heathrow and Doha with Qatar Airways, accommodation in a garden villa on a full-board basis, resort seaplane transfers, taxes and surcharges. For more details go to www.trailfinders.ie / 01 677 7888 / 021 464 8800.

A little slice of designer heaven waits for you in Galway city ANITA WARD

SINCE it opened, the g Hotel in Galway has received a fairly healthy list of awards to its name, everything from topping hot lists, receiving design awards, to their best chef and prestigious top Irish destination awards – fair enough, but I was hoping this didn’t mean they thought they didn’t have to try anymore.

That certainly wasn’t the case.

To say the g doesn’t disappoint is an understatement; the large neon sign in the black marble reception area that reads, “This must be the place” rings true.

I couldn’t wait to see the famous decor by Philip Treacy – oh, the glamour! I even brought three pairs of shoes for one night to make sure I was keeping up with the style.

Taking your city break in Ireland affords that convenience of hopping in the car, filling the boot with your wardrobe and hitting the motorway and in no time you are at your destination.

Galway is only a mere two hours from Kildare, motorway all the way, and the g Hotel just lies on the edge of Galway city. Just a few short miles, but right beside the Lough Atalia, giving you a wonderful sense of being away from it all.

Our room was breath-

taking, with one whole seems to have lost over contemporary fine-dining portion sizes and side entirely of glass that the years.

We headed back to hoped he wasn’t going overlooks the stunning lake. Luxury oozes from the g to relax in one to leave hungry which ever ything, even the of the many reception in turn, means grumpy.

Luckily, there was a bedside lamps resemble rooms – cue a change of delicious sounding fila Philip Treacy glamor- shoes.

There are three vary- let of beef dish with a ous hat creation.

The decadent style of ing styles of room to duck ravioli which he this place doesn’t com- choose from – the ambi- instantly eyed up, and promise on comfort, the ent gold Grand Salon, he also chose a smoked room just embraces you the quirky Pink Room or t u n a s t a r t e r w h i c h in every way and the the eclectic Blue Room. comes with an almond bathroom, with its free- I made myself comfort- quiche. I also chose a standing Villeroy and able in the Pink Room fish starter of sea trout Boch bath, just calls to much to OH’s joy. The with a fennel broth and you to relax and enjoy atmosphere is great, a chicken main with with people enjoying a gratin of apple and yourself.

While I was oohing pre-going out cocktails potatoes.

I love that each dish and ahhing at the decor, and it seems to be the comes with a recomthe other half (OH) was place to be seen.

A f ter some lovely mendation of wine and impressed with the flatscreen ambient light TV spiked (alcoholic) cof- I opted for the wine and the fact there was a fees, we headed back that accompanied my flatscreen TV intergrat- to the room for another main. OH ordered a ed into the wall in the change of shoes, and pint of Bulmers – pure --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘The decadent style of this place doesn’t compromise on comfort, the room just embraces you in every way and the bathroom, with its free-standing Villeroy and Boch bath, just calls to you to relax and enjoy yourself’ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------bathroom – he was one happy man.

We headed into Galway city, which was just buzzing; it really felt like it has survived the recession – and was in fact having a party to celebrate.

The streets are filled with independent shops, busy with customers and tourists, while the big name high-street brands are still there, Galway seems to have retained a sense of self that Dublin

outfit this time, and strolled down to the Matz Restaurant for dinner.

The restaurant was also buzzing; there were families celebrating alongside groups of Itgirls sipping champagne in the latest fashions, and couples enjoying an intimate date. The compact menu has a great variety of choice – OH is a purely meat-andtwo-veg man and I worryingly thought about

fine dining darling, the staff didn’t bat an eyelid and it was brought straight away, ice cold – they were in his good books.

T he star ters were light and packed with f lavour, the fish was cooked to perfection and, best of all, the food came out piping hot, nothing worse than warm-going-cold fish.

The presentation of the food was like the hotel itself, every last detail was

The g hotel offers the

accounted for and created an impact. The beef came perfectly cooked to a request of medium rare, and, I was told, melted in the mouth. My chicken was succulent and juicy, the potato and apple gratin was complemented with a sprinkling of creamy goat’s cheese – divine. The wine was light and fresh like the dish and I was told the Bulmers hit the spot as well.

Desserts are equally impressive; I was also treated to a sample of a new dessert wine to accompany my star anise dessert and OH stuck to the Bulmers while he demolished a stunning chocolate fondant creation. OH announced he was actually stuffed – result, fine dining doesn’t have to mean mini-food on a giant plate. We retired to the Pink Room again for some bespoke g

14 July 2011 BLANCH GAZETTE 23

Edited by Mimi Murray

TravelBriefs Royal wedding fever hits Edinburgh as Zara Philips to wed rugby player, Mark Tindall ROYAL wedding fever is set to start all over again when Zara Philips, daughter of Princess Anne, marries rugby player Mike Tindall in Edinburgh on July 30. Edinburgh might seem like a surprising location for a royal couple to tie the knot, but the low-key princess is actually following in her mum’s footsteps when she married her second husband Cmdr Timothy JH Laurence, a British naval officer in the Scottish capital in 1992.

While the wedding won’t have the pomp and pageantry that accompanied Kate and William’s big day in April, the majestic surroundings of Scotland’s royal city are sure to provide a dramatic and romantic setting for the couple’s big day.

To celebrate the first royal wedding in Scotland for nearly two decades, VisitScotland has put together its top royal hot spots across the city.

Log on to www.visitscotland.com/surprise for further information and the best value deals on accommodation and visitor attractions in Scotland this summer.

Visit Orlando – The perfect fun family destination HOME to the world’s top amusement parks and attractions, Orlando, in Florida, is the perfect destination for a family. Explore what Orlando has to offer and enjoy everything from Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Studios Orlando to SeaWorld Orlando and Legoland Florida.

GoHop has some great family offers at the moment. Stay for seven nights at the three-star Champions World resort from €2,589, or at the three-star + Radisson International Drive from €2,729. Alternatively, stay at the four-star Doubletree by Hilton from €2,789 The package includes return flights from Dublin, airline taxes, accommodation for seven nights based on two adults and two children (under 12). Offers are based on two adults and two children and are valid for travel August 2011.

Visit www.gohop.ie for information on the ideal holiday for you and your family.

ultimate in a city break in one of Ireland’s vibrant hotspots, Galway city

A new baby owl has arived at Trabolgan Holiday Village

cocktails and then called it a night.

We managed to pull ourselves out of the bed to a quiet self-service breakfast (full service option also available) before I sampled the delights of their world-

class ESPA. This spa understands the meaning of relaxation and opulence. I was treated to a rejuvenating full body massage with infused oils to add to your sensory delight. I wanted to marry the girl by the

time she finished working on my tired muscles – I left feeling brand new and smelling heavenly.

Ultimate

The g hotel offers the ultimate in a city break in one of Ireland’s vibrant

hotspots – ditch the baggage restrictions and enjoy these truly unique surroundings.

For more information, phone +353 091 865200, email info@theg.ie or check out their website at www.theghotel.ie

TRABOLGAN Holiday Village in Cork has welcomed the latest edition to their Holiday Park, “Fudge” the beautiful new baby Tawny Owl. Fudge is now six weeks old and can be seen by the public at the Birds of Prey Educational Centre, located in the main centre at Trabolgan.

Fudge will join a host of other birds at Trabolgan this season, including Brendan, the native peregrine falcon, Sundari, the stunning Black Shakeen; Morgan, the native kestrel, and Oscar, the European Eagle Owl. The new Birds of Prey Educational Centre opened at Trabolgan earlier in the season and offers families the chance to learn about birds of prey and to raise awareness of the indigenous species and environmental issues involved in their protection and conservation.

The Birds of Prey Centre is open daily to resident guests and day visitors. Visitors also have the opportunity to “Fly Your Own Hawk” during the visit.

24 BLANCH GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GazetteENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT 1

GoingOUT GoingOUT MILL THEATRE 01 296 9340 Port Authority

Leading Irish dramatist, Conor McPherson, brings his hit play Port Authority to the Mill Theatre for two nights on July 15 and July 16, directed by Peter Reid. First staged in 2001, Port Authority became a resounding success with its story of three interwoven lives and the challenge of relationships in modern day Ireland.

Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16 at 8pm. Admission: €18/€15

PAVILION THEATRE 01 231 2929 Plaza Suite Rough Magic Theatre Company Theatre’s Plaza Suite is one of Neil Simon’s most poular and celebrated plays.

The play focuses on the misadventures of three very different couples as they face important moments in their lives, all in the same hotel room in the world famous Plaza Hotel. Laughter is guaranteed with this witty, funny and clever play.

Wednesday July 13 - Saturday July 30 [excl. Sundays], please note that Thursday, July 14 is a preview preformance. Mon-Fri: 8pm and Sat: 3 pm and 8pm.

Admission: €17.60/€18/€20/€22/€25.00

THE HELIX 01 700 7000 The blonde, brunette and the vengeful redhead Seen as a cross between Desperate Housewives and CSI Miami the play – set in Anytown, Ireland – tells the story of Rhonda Russell. After a call from her husband for 20 years telling her that he’s leaving her, the story unfolds in a quiet suburban neighbourhood where friends and strangers are drawn together and relationships fall apart.

Friday, July 15 and Saturday, July 16 at 8.30pm.

Admission: €16/€14

DRAIOCHT 01 885 2622

Desmond Kenny - Past and Present Dublin 15 based artist Desmond Kenny is showing both old and new work at Draiocht this summer as he is welcomed to both the ground floor and first floor. The artist has had an active relationship with the centre for the 10 years it has been open, holding a solo show there in June 2001. This will be the first big exhibition of Kenny’s new venture into abstract painting. Kenny’s new work tries to tap into the childlike creativity that breaks free from art history by removing all figuration from the work.

His earlier figurative work will be exhibited in the First Floor Gallery at the same time.

Until Saturday August 27. Admission: Free

CIVIC THEATRE 01 4627477

Ballet Workshop - The Jays on Treasure Island Ballet Ireland’s Annual Summer School launches a new voyage of excitement and discovery embarking on their 11th expedition, The Jays on Treasure Island. It promises a fun-filled week with workshops which will develop into the highlight of the week; a performance held onstage for family and friends.

Monday, July 18 – Friday July 23. Admission: €165 per child or €300 for 2 children from the same family.

SEAMUS ENNIS CULTURAL CENTRE 01 802 0898 John Spillane

John Spillane, twice winner of the Meteor Award in the Best Folk/Trad category, will be playing at the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre. His music spreads joy with entertaining stories, poetic tunes and melodic lyrics. With several albums under his belt, his platinum-selling album ‘Irish Songs we Learned at school’ being just one of many, and another to be released later this year, John seems to embody the meaning of real, traditional Irish music. John Spillane promises to bring you along on a journey with his emotive songs and make it an evening to remember.

Friday, July 15 at 7.30 pm. Admission: €18.

Mr O’Brien (Bradd Pitt) tries to impress upon his sons the importance of being civilised, upstanding citizens, as well as being dutiful and obedient sons, in The Tree of Life. However, tragedy, and the struggles of family life, are themes that will return to haunt his adult son’s life.

Full of leafy, lofty ideas No, we don’t mean our reviewer, Kate, who is back from her holidays without a tan, but with a review of The Tree of Life Q KATE CROWLEY

READERS! I’m back!

Back from my early summer sojourn, which was largely spent watching a red-faced Mr Crowley enthusiastically attempting to erect a familysized tent in one rainsoaked spot after another, while Crowleyetta and I checked into any nearby B&B instead for some TLC (and a change into warm, dry clothes away from awash Wicklow campsites).

Did you miss me, dear readers? Well, I missed you both, too, almost as much as I missed my official review and/or family trips to the cinema or screenings, all in a bid to tell you what’s on.

And, as I’m still in a holiday mood, with a few grains from the golden sands of Fundoran still caught between my dainty toes, here’s a quick aside on an interesting cinema trend.

FILM OF THE WEEK: The Tree of Life ++++ (12A) 138 mins Director: Terrence Malick Starring: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Sean Penn, and lots of strikingly memorable shots

OUR VERDICT: MAVERICK director, Terrence Malick has returned with another rare, and rarefied, film, which has received boos from some audiences, and standing ovations from others. On one hand, the film is about a decent family growing up in a long-gone 1950s’ Americana setting; on the other, it muses on the meaning and evolution of life itself. Many superb shots certainly make it a film to remember, says Kate.

Has anyone been to see 3D films recently?

Anyone?

It seems that Hollywood big-wigs are beginning to question the financial returns on this fad, with audiences beginning to fall away, following an initially enthusiastic takeup of this new tech. Heavens knows why.

After all, who doesn’t enjoy paying up to a fiver – or more – extra per 3D cinema ticket to wear uncomfortable glasses for upwards of two hours, staring at a darkened, slightly-defocused image in the hopes of possibly,

maybe, perhaps seeing one or two shots that seem ever-so-slightly three-dimensional? Oh. Hmmm. I seem to have answered my own rhetorical question there.

And, judging by the halfdeserted 3D films I’ve watched recently, it’s possible that The Gazette won’t be featuring many more in issues to come.

And now, my review.

(Some may be expecting it to be on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, but a scheduling malfunction in the postholiday Crowley household is seeing my review

kicked back to next week instead, folks.)

This week, in my shortest ever review, I’m recommending a slightly artsy film, and – Wait!

Come back!

The Tree of Life is not exactly a popcorn-pusher, seeing as it’s a film that asks lots of questions, poses some interesting points for the viewer, and then, umm ... well, that’s about it.

Unconventional points are raised, and cinematic questions are posed, but, like a hazily-remembered dream, a clear reality is never quite to hand.

It’s a hard film to sum up, being one that, at its heart, follows an ordinary family growing up in a long-lost 1950s’ Americana; as alien a landscape to modern audiences as, well, some of the other desolate landscapes that are visited in this film.

At its simplest, The Tree of Life tells of a stern father, Mr O’Brien (Brad

Pitt), who is doing his best to raise three children, with Mrs O’Brien (Jessica Chastain) adding a softer touch to his upright, uptight parenting.

In later life, a son, Jack (Sean Penn) seeks some familial reconciliation and a personal understanding of his almost idyllic, yet edgy, childhood, seeking to understand himself, his father, and the O’Brien family’s place in the universe.

However, The Tree of Life also jumps far beyond its 1950s and modern-day settings – in fact, it also jumps back millions of years, interested in not just the highly personal tale of a family’s evolution but – perhaps – in the evolution of life itself.

Full of outstanding cinematography, yet coupled with subject matter that is likely to confound, confuse, irritate and delight in equal measures, The Tree of Life could be a real grower for many ...

14 July 2011 BLANCH GAZETTE 25

Google steps up battle with Facebook ADAM MAGUIRE

OVER the last few years Google has been trying everything to out-fox Facebook. It created the confusing Google Wave, the uninspiring Google Buzz and is even rumoured to have tried to simply buy out the massively popular social network.

N ow G o o g l e h a s unveiled its latest - and arguably most significant - step against Facebook. Google+ is a social network that marks a massive change in the way the search giant works.

If it succeeds it will restore Google as the king of everything online; if it fails it could ultimately drag the whole company down with it.

So, here is everything

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you need to know about it before you dive in.

How it works Any user of Facebook will see a lot of similarities when they log onto Google+ first (which might be hard to do for now as it is invite-only at the moment). You can link up with friends, post status updates and pictures and share things in an instant.

How it differs from Facebook Google seems to have spotted a lot of the things that are wrong with Face-

book and put their solutions at the heart of the Google+ design.

For example it allows you to differentiate between people you connect to, so rather than tagging them all as friends you can put them into “Circles” according to your relationship.

So you can have one person as a friend and another as an acquaintance. You can also put people in multiple groups if they happen to be, say, a friend and a work colleague.

From that you can easily decide what circle you share what piece of information with. So your rant about your job can be seen by your family but not your boss.

Users can also video chat easier with people they connect to, some-

thing Facebook does not yet offer, and is more transparent when it comes to privacy.

Why it might succeed Google has put a lot of effort in to getting this right. They have clearly learned from past mistakes and some of the features of Google+ are really compelling.

While the company is absent from social networking it still has a lot of clout generally and, if anyone is going to take on Facebook, they certainly have the resources and skills to do so.

Why it might fail The best-designed social network is only as good as its user-base. Google has millions of people logging on every day but there is no guarantee that they

will jump to Google+.

The one thing people will ask is: “Why join this when I’m already on Facebook?” and they need a good answer to that. Likewise, the last thing they want is someone signing up, finding no one to interact with and leaving straight away.

avoiding the mistakes of the far-too-small-to-use netbooks of the past and giving the user plenty of screen and keyboard real estate while still being portable.

T h a t said it is still very

Samsung NF210 netbook

NETBOOKS have been somewhat overshadowed by tablets lately but Samsung’s NF210 does its best to catch the user’s eye once more.

With a striking curved shape and a striking gloss body (in this case a bright white), the Samsung NF210 certainly looks the part. It is a nice size too,

much a netbook, for better or for worse.

It has no CD/DVD drive and is relatively low-powered. Indeed, it still has much the same specification as the netbooks that were around a few years ago, bar perhaps the Windows 7 install.

It is still a nice, wall e t- f r i e n d l y c h o i c e ,

especially for students and young users, however. It does the trick for most basic tasks like checking e-mail and typing documents, while its near 11-hour battery will keep users online for more than enough time.

It is a bit of a shame that netbooks have not advanced all that much in the last two years. However, it is questionable whether they need to. The NF210 does a good job of arguing that they do not.

The Samsung NF210 is available from elara.ie €330 before P&P Visit teic.ie for the latest tech news, reviews and views.

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26 BLANCH GAZETTE 14 July 2011

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GazetteSPORT

LEARNING PROCESS: Martin Russell on UCD’s unique soccer approach: Page 29

HOCKEY: IRELAND’S UNDERAGE STARS REGISTER IMPRESSIVE INTERNATIONAL WINS

Young hockey representatives claim victories sport@gazettegroup.com

IRELAND’S young hockey stars enjoyed a fine week last week when the U-18 girls and both U-16 groups had successful international series against Celtic rivals.

The U-16 boys claimed an intense three-nation series in Paris, playing four games in quick succession against France and Wales, eventually taking the laurels on goal difference.

They began the compe-

tition with back-to-back wins over Wales, starting off with a 3-1 success, one which could have been won by a greater margin.

That was proved in the second tie as they stormed past Wales on day two by a half-dozen scores, in which there were first international goals for Mark Loughrey, Lee Cole, and Jack Ryan, all from St Andrew’s.

That win came on day two of their trip, giving them just a few hours to

rest before playing against the tournament hosts, France.

The strain of two games in a day proved too much for the lads but there was enough in their 3-2 loss in a more physical match to suggest they could turn the tide on day three.

Luke Madeley of Three Rock Rovers and Wesley were on the mark.

With the tournament decider again against France, Ireland saved their best for last, with an

The Ireland underage hockey sides were victorious against French and Welsh opposition

emphatic 7-2 victory.

The U-16 girls, meanwhile, hosted Wales and notched up three consecutive wins. Thirteen year-old Kathryn Edgar, Elaine Carey and Alex’s Millie O’Donnell were to the fore, with a couple of goals over the course of

the Belfield games, which provided valuable match practise for the young side as they make tentative steps toward the 2012 Europeans.

The Irish U-18s ran up three big wins over France in Belfield. In game one, they came from a goal

down to win the first of their three games with France.

Emily Beatty from Old Alex made the game level in the first half before an excellent Rebecca Barry touch gave the girls in green the lead.

Joanne Orr and Katie

Mullan also weighed in to secure a 4-0 success, all the goals coming from open play.

And the series ended as it had started, a 5-1 success with Leinster youngsters Beatty, Erika Hinkson and Lisa McCarthy scoring four of the goals.

28 BLANCH GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GazetteSport Sport

Niamh Forristal, from team Mother Ruckers

Tag Rugby Close at the top as round two of Tag League starts HE initial three-week grading process is now over in tag rugby and all the teams have been placed into appropriate divisions to suit their skill and ability.

This second phase, round robin, is taking place over five weeks, and after only two weeks completed, the divisions are all tight at the top.

The elite teams are in Division One, with ‘Odd Shaped Balls’ sharing eight points with ‘3 Girls 1 tag’, but leading in point difference. There are similar situations to be found in all the other divisions as the games continue.

Hells Angel’s look like firm favourites to win their division 3A as they have had a number of comfortable victories, including a 56-1 win over Applegreen. It’s all to play for in the next three weeks with all teams pressing for the final slots on finals days.

The annual Coolmine charity quiz night was also held by ITRA in conjunction with the tag league as a social event and fundraiser. This year’s charity was the Special Olympics and the event was a great success with 32 teams taking part and €660 raised on the night, making the Coolmine quiz the most successful ITRA table quiz in Ireland.

T

Team Cnock Raiders enjoying the nice weather as the tag league heads into it’s second phase. Picture: Voicu Duma

Graham Hunt, from team Ragtaggers

Tag! You’re it: A member of the Beliebers tries to dodge a tag First place quiz team, My Team - Johnathon Carroll, Declan Murphy, Catherine Henderson, Lorraine McCarthy, Michael Doyle and Elaine Devaney

Lorraine Clarke

Thirty-two teams joined the charity quiz night, raising €660 for Special Olympics

Siobhra McDonagh

A member from team Tryads gets the ball

14 July 2011 BLANCH GAZETTE 29

in association with

Students get an education in LoI

FastSport

Martin Russell, manager of League of Ireland side UCD, is giving back to his young stars the lessons of his footballing life, ROB HEIGH discovers Grange pair take 2011 A LOT of players travel a long way in their soccer careers, and eventually return to their roots when it comes to the next phase of their careers when their playing days come to an end.

Someone who did just that, and who is making a difference to the culture and results at UCD is Lucan resident, Martin Russell, the former Manchester United apprentice who has worked, at various times, under the stewardship of Ron Atkinson, Sir Alex Ferguson, David Pleat and reknowned Irish coach, Noel O’Reilly.

“Most footballers who go through their playing career and end up on the coaching side of things will take things on board that they’ve experienced.

At all the clubs, I’ve tried to take on board everything I’ve found useful, and I’m trying to implement them now at UCD. “From grassroots up, from having Noel O’Reilly, to Eric Harrison at Manchester United, and learning from the likes of David Pleat and Ryan Hamilton at Leicester, all gave me lots of good teachings and good philosophies on the game.”

From those esteemed guardians, Russell has learned a great deal and brings that wealth of experience to the young players at UCD, where he started coaching in 2005, before being offered the manager’s role in 2009.

That first season proved a baptism of fire for the former Belvedere player,

UCD in action against St Johnstone

as the side had just been relegated from the top flight of the league of Ireland, but he performed what many considered was a miracle when the

ers as a back-up plan if their soccer career doesn’t work out, which is vital.”

That grounding for young players is coming earlier and earlier, by vir-

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‘UCD is different. Players get an education, as well as first-team experience. I think that’s an ideal vehicle for their future career.’

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team bounced back up immediately, and have remained in the top flight since then.

“In 2009, we had a very young squad, and they were not expected to come back up, and it was great to achieve that. To go on and stay in the top flight last, and this season, is great credit to the group of players we have.”

UCD have a quite unique ethos in League of Ireland soccer, as their player base is made up of players involved in its highly-regarded scholarship scheme, which gives players the chance to combine senior football with the opportunity to earn a college degree.

“UCD is such a good club for young players.

When I went to Manchester, at the time, there were very few full-time set-ups in Ireland.

“What we’ve tried to establish at UCD is a fulltime outfit, and providing an education for the play-

tue of the fact the team needed to field an Under19 team last season.

“What’s happening at the moment, we have players on scholarship, who come in when they’ve done their Leaving Cert.

But, this season, with the need to put together an Under-19 team, we needed to be signing players who were still in school, and creating pre-scholarship agreements for the Under-19 squad.

“For the players who sign at that young age, they have access to the high-performance unit, for strength and conditioning, and they get to see what life at the club is like.

“The UCD structure means that we don’t pay players, the remuneration is the scholarship. After that, we would like to keep some of the good players to help the younger players as they come in.

“When we got the team up from the first division

and stayed up, they all acquitted themselves well, and the really good ones were offered contracts elsewhere.

“We lost a lot of players last year, and we would like to be able to produce some strength and depth at the club, keeping players involved.”

With that in mind, Russell is clear about the team’s short-term goals and the benefits of forthcoming matches against top-flight opposition.

“Our whole goal is to remain in the premier league next year, and the friendlies against St Johnstone and Villarreal are great experiences for the players, lining out against seasoned professionals from these clubs.”

UCD, for Russell, is a great place for new players to develop their future careers, as he did, under the watchful eye of a seasoned professional.

“There are so man strengths in Dublin football that I see when I go around the city and look at players. However, as Dublin is filled with only so many clubs, teams will go after the same players.

“What we think is that we at UCD are different.

UCD can fulfil a player’s needs, that they get an education, as well as firstteam experience.

“For the young player, I think that’s the ideal vehicle for their future career,” said Russell.

Father & Son title at Castle Golf Club

MICHAEL and Michael Cronin, from Grange Golf Club, were the victorious familial pairing who won the 2011 All Ireland Father and Son classic at Castle Golf Club last week.

Over 500 golfers, representing more than 100 different golf clubs, participated in the qualifying rounds of the tournament, the biggest open event on the Irish golfing calendar.

Sixty-four pairs qualified for the matchplay stages of the event, which commenced last Monday and ran every evening during the week.

In the final, held on Sunday, the Michaels defeated Brian and Gavin Whittaker, of Elm Park/Milltown on the 18th green.

30 BLANCH GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GazetteSport Sport FastSport

Scully takes Berlin: NAC swimmer registers PB NAC’S James Scully produced a series of fine swims at last week’s IPC Swimming European Championships in Berlin, producing a personal best in the S5 50m freestyle final. He also came close to a medal on the weekend when he finished fourth in the S5 200m freestyle in 2.56.88 while he was fifth in 100m freestyle in a time of 1.24.31. Over 440 swimmers from 36 different countries are set to compete in what will be one of the last major gatherings of international swimmers ahead of next summer’s Olympic Games.

Huntstown-Hartstown SANTOS 15: D15 SIDE’S UNDERAGE TEAMS SUCCESSFUL YEAR twin with Holland’s Ajax THE newly-amalgamated Huntstown Villa and Hartstown United side, Hartstown Huntstown Football club, have announced a tie-in with the giants of Dutch football, Ajax.

Dave Byrne, Chairman of Hartstown Huntstown Football Club, told GazetteSport of the huge step the club has taken.

“We’ve worked very hard to create this association. This will allow Ajax coaches to come over to us and train our teams and staff, and our coaches will also be able to go over to Amsterdam and learn at the Ajax Academy. It’s a huge achievement for the club.”

Kennedy set for an early return Jack Kennedy, the Blanchardstown motorsport rider, is eyeing an August return after his crash at Thruxton in May, which was originally set to keep him out until September.

The Dublin 15 native has proved to be an immense talent throughout his career, bagging the 2004 SS 600 Clubman’s Championship, the 2005 SS 600 National Championship and the 2006 British Superbike Championship so far, as well as countless Mini-Moto titles.

“I want to get back as quickly as possible to retain and hopefully improve on my current 3rd

place in the Championship but I’m realistic and have to look, not just at this season, but the future as a whole,” said Kennedy.

Spartan hold grading event SPARTAN Martial Arts of Coolmine had a belt grading last Sunday, when 50 of their team members were put forward for belts and tips.

Overseen by head coach and kickboxing world champion, Robert McMenemy, along with a team of other black belts, the juniors of the club showed the skills to bring them to the next level.

Michael Avetisian, claimed a brown tip for his blue belt on the day, and has been touted as “one of the best in the country” by McMenemy.

Santos 15’s underage teams had a fine season across the board and are looking to build on that in 2011/12

Ongar’s 15 hail season PETER CARROLL sport@gazettegroup.com

SANTOS 15 have established themselves as the dominant club in Ongar after a very successful season, fielding six teams from Under-7 to Under-18.

T he Under-7s had their first competitive season under the guidance of manager Paul McFeeley. The enthusiastic coach brought his team to second in the table after a short time spent training the youngsters in the club’s nursery.

“Paul has a great manner with the children that will no doubt lead him to success in the

future. He really has the kids playing as a team, which is no mean feat at their age and their talent will speak for itself in the years to come,” said secretary Jimmy Kelly.

The Under-8s of Santos 15 found it hard to stake their claim in the NDSL C league. Manager Paul Doyle will look to capitalise on the team’s relegation, and look to a more competitive season for his side next year.

“We believe them to be a very skilful group of players and under Paul Doyle we’ll look forward to a better season next year,” said Kelly.

Showing great promise, the Under-10s just

fell short of league and cup double, losing out to the NDSL 1A league by just one point.

Manager John Brady also took the side to the cup final where they, unfortunately, lost on the day.

“John Brady’s Under10 s h a v e a m a z i n g potential, we’re ver y proud of them here at the club. They will come back stronger next year,” said Kelly.

The Under-11s were taken out of division C by the NDSL after racking up plenty of silverware in the D division the year before. Three games in the team were moved to the A division and did very well to keep

themselves afloat in a very difficult league.

“The talent in this side is no secret. Derek Devlin and Wayne Daly are doing a great job, and we look forward to further success with this side,” said Kelly.

The Santos Under12s finished the league in fifth position in the NDSL C league, establishing themselves as a tough side under Martin Lynch.

“The Under-12s were very good last season, and proved to be a very determined side,” said Kelly.

The Under-18s just got piped to the NDSL Premier crown, losing out to Insaka by a point.

The side also made it to the quarter finals of the cup, losing out to Swords Celtic.

“Under-18 is always a hard age group to coach, but these lads fought up until the finish – a very competitive side,” concluded the secretary.

Santos 15 are having a fundraiser soon in which the winner will walk away with two premier tickets for the Aviva Stadium.

T he club are also looking for a volunteer to manage their website.

To compete for the prize, volunteer or to find out about joining a team, contact Jimmy Kelly on 087 662 6694.

14 July 2011 BLANCH GAZETTE 31

in association with

LADIES’ FOOTBALL: SAINTS KEEP UP WINNING WAY .

CLUB NOTICEBOARD ST BRIGID’S SUMMER camp dates are as follows: July 18 to 22, August 15 to 19 and August 22 to 25 (four days).

Get your application form from www.stbrigidsgaa.com.

Junior B footballers face Na Fianna on Thursday at 7.30pm in Russell

triumph over Wexford.

Park.

Best of luck to Daire and the Dub-

Senior footballers face Ballymun

lin U-21 hurlers in their Leinster final

in league on Saturday at 6.30pm in

vs Wexford.

Pairc Ciceam.

Club night at the dogs will take

Inters face St Pat’s (D) away on Saturday. Many more fixtures on

Harold’s Cross. Well done to our

website.

U-13A footballers who turned in a

Thanks to everyone who support-

great performance on Saturday to

ed the senior footballers fundraiser

beat Clontarf in their Div 1 top of the

night.

Senior footballers had a good

Naomh Barrog St Peregrine’s

4-4 3-10

sport@gazettegroup.com

BLANCHARDSTOWN’S St Peregrine’s ladies lined out at Kilbarrack last week against Naomh Barog in a challange match after their scheduled league fixture against Skerries fell through at the last minute.

Both sides were missing a few players for this fixture, how but ever none of the intensity or will to win were absent.

St Peregrine’s started the brighter of the two sides and dominated the early exchanges, establishing an early lead after 20 minutes, thanks to points from Jennifer Judge, Helena Reddy, Emma O’Reilly and Fiona Connell.

Naomh Barrog upped the ante when they began to cause havoc up front and found the back of the St Peregrine’s net in the 22nd minute.

From here until half time they made their dominance count, adding a further goal and three points.

St Peregrine’s captain and centre back, Lorraine Kitt, worked the ball up the wing and kicked a fine point from the wing forward position.

In the half ’s final piece of action, a great move by Helena Reddy found her one-on-one with the Barrog goalkeeper, and she duly dispatched the ball to the net to leave just three points between the sides at the break in favour of the Naomh Barrog ladies.

Second half The second half saw St Peregrine’s stand-in keeper Orla Cawley go to midfield.

Cawley won the restart throw and, in a great piece of play, started and several moves later finished when she was picked out in front of the posts.

She kicked a fine point to put two points between the sides.

The game opened up in the early stages of the second half, with both sides playing some fine football.

Amy Kavanagh and Annette Redican for St Pergrine’s were involved in everything, and Lorraine Kitt bossed the game from her centre back position.

K av a n a g h w a s t o score a fine point from midfeld to tie the scores with 15 minutes to go, and set up a thrilling closing quarter to the game.

Shor tly thereaf ter, Annette Redican’s diagonal ball to Jennifer Judge put her in possession inside the Barrog back-line and she found the net with a ferociously struck shot.

Barrog fought back instantly, though, with a great goal and also tagged on a point to go ahead by the minimium of margins.

However, there was

league win over TSS.

to be one last piece of drama, as Amy Kane, in her debut for the ladies’ team and fresh from completing her Junior Cert was slipped inside

by Fiona Connell and she found the net.

Indeed Kane wasn’t finsihed yet and got out in front and won a free in front of the posts, which Reddy duly converted.

Solid defending in the last five minutes from Grainne Hughes and Alison Kidd at the back kept the Peregrine’s ladies noses in front at the final whistle to give the Clonsilla ladies the victory on the night on a scoreline of 3-10 to 4-04.

St Peregrine’s: Orla Cawley (0-01), Grainne Hughes, Alison Kidd, Gail Smith, Lorrainne Kitt (0-01), Alison Kershaw, Annette Redican (0-01), Amy Kavanagh (0-01), Emma O’Reilly (0-01), Helena Reddy (1-02) 0-01 free, Tracey O’Brien, Fiona Connell (0-01), Jennifer Judge (1-02), Amy Kane (1-00)

Senior 2s face Erin’s Isle away on Saturday.

place on Frida y, October 2 1 in

table clash.

LADIES’ FRIENDLY

Junior A footballers face Lucan in 12th Lock this week.

Congratulations to to Barry, Sean

on TG4.

Peregrine’s stay sharp in friendly

Our inter footballers’ JFC A game vs Craobh has been postponed.

and Declan on their Leinster final

If you can’t make it down, it’s live

St Peregrine’s travelled to Kilbarrack to play a friendly game against Naomh Barrog

U-16 hurlers drew with Lucan.

Club Lotto takes place in The Vineyard this Thursday with a jackpot of €15,000.

ST PEREGRINE’S WELL done to our own Eric Lowndes and the Dublin minor footballers on their Leinster final win last Sunday over Meath: Two Leinster final wins in a week, well done, Eric!

Great win for our U-13 boys over Templeogue.

Senior and junior hurlers were unlucky in league games last week.

All adult football teams have crucial league games this week.

Club lotto was not won; numbers drawn were 18, 23, 26 and 28.

Next week’s jackpot is €2,800.

on the club website.

Entertainment in clubhouse this Saturday from Blindside.

Club will be running a fundraising initiative Take Me Out based on the popular TV series, please see club for details.

Club shop is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 6 to 7pm, and on Saturdays from 10am to 12pm.

Bingo is on Wednesday nights at 8:30pm.

If anybody within the club would

Any member not buying lotto tick-

like to make a difference and join a

ets visit CNP.ie and support your

committee please see club website

club for only €2 a week. Lotto is also

at www.cnp.ie for details and con-

available to play online using the link

tacts.

ERIN GO BRAGH CONGRATULATIONS to the senior and

bers who organised and helped out

minor Dublin footballers on their

on the night, in particular John Kin-

Leinster football final success at

sella and Sean Flood.

the weekend.

Also a big well done to our Under-

Our next fundraising event will be the Golf Classic on August 26.

9 football team who reached the

Completed application forms and

Division 2 final of the Ger Canavan

full/part payment for the Erin Go

Football Tournament in O’Tooles in

Bragh summer camps can be given

Blunden Drive earlier in the week.

to any mentor or our GPO David

Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be the

Needham.

lad’s day with Conor McLeod and

The football camp runs from July 18

Conor Gorman putting in great dis-

to 22 (10am to 2.30pm each day). The

plays.

hurling camp will run from August 8

Many thanks to those who bought a camel, sponsored a race and supported our Fundraising Camel Race Night on Friday, upstairs in the Paddocks.

A big thanks also to all club mem-

to 11 (10am to 2pm each day).

Surprise trip on a double decker bus is planned for the Thursday.

For more information you can contact David Needham GPO on 086 310 1034.

ALL OF YOUR BLANCHARDSTOWN SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 27-31

LONDON CALLING: NAC swimmer shows promise at pre-Olympic event P30

JULY 14, 2011

HIGHER LEARNING: Russell extols UCD’s football virtues P29

History made by superb Lowndes

GazetteSPORT

St Peregrine’s Eric Lowndes added to his Leinster minor hurling winners medal with the footballing equivalent in Croke Park last Sunday

Peregrine’s dual star adds to growing list of highprofile club medallists to wear the sky-blue jersey STEPHEN FINDLATER blanchardstownsport@gazettegroup.com

ST PEREGRINE’S Eric Lowndes has created a piece of local club history when he became the first player to win both Leinster hurling and Gaelic football titles in the same year.

He was part of the Dublin minor side who followed up last week’s hurling success with victory over Meath in Croke Park on a 2-18 to 1-11 scoreline.

For the Blakestown club, Lowndes follows in the recent footsteps of elder brother Stuart as well as Ciaran McGuinness and Robbie McCarthy, who have all donned the sky-blue with distinction.

But Lowndes’ dual medals is a unique achievement, shining in the half-backs last Sunday in the comprehensive win, and club PRO Robert Keogh said it is a memorable moment for the player and his community.

“It is very big for the club. It’s a booming time, with the ladies winning bits and pieces as well,

and Robbie McCarthy winning the All-Ireland last year. We’ve always been there, or thereabouts, but people would not know as much about it as they never won anything major.”

Indeed, Lowndes was straight back into club action, helping the side to close in on the MFL division four title with a 3-14 to 2-6 victory over Kilmacud Crokes on Monday night.

His presence might have been a large contributing factor to an increased crowd, a positive sign for Keogh.

“Even last night, a lot of people and kids were at the match which you might not always see at the games hoping Eric would actually play. It was really good for people who were there out of interest to see him play.

“He’s a very subtle lad, very modest and wouldn’t be going around boasting or anything like that, and he did actually play for the club which, in fairness, will tell all you need to know about him.

“Other lads, you may not see for weeks but he played full forward and did very well.

“It’s good for the community because you’ll have kids saying, ‘I’d like to be doing what Eric’s done there’.”

The club will now certainly have a presentation for his achievements, similar to the one for McCarthy (U-21 football), along with Emma Travers and Louise Kidd (ladies’ senior footballers) but the date remains to be confirmed, with two All-Ireland competitions in the offing.

And the hope is that these continued successes will help inspire more players to filter through into the senior ranks as they push on for respective AFL2 and AHL2 league campaigns and in the senior championships.

“It is a boost because you only really get two or three players coming through who will stay and play football, but the way it has gone with Eric’s minor team, there might be four, five or six staying on.

“Although the first team is very young and doing very well, they do need the injection of players to keep going up to the next level.”