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castleknock • Blakestown • Hartstown • Tyrrelstown • Laurel Lodge • Corduff • Mulhuddart • Ongar

INSIDE: Bram Stoker weekend will give Dracula fans plenty of events to sink their teeth into See Page 17

style: We round up some of the latest on-trend looks for autumn/winter P18

Sporting chance: Sari scores with diverse event Football:

Castleknock moving on up in league again Page 31

asdfdasf: Soccer:

asdfdsa fdas St Mochta’s fdasf das see offdasf Glebe fdsa fdsa fds North in LSL Page 30 31

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ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES..................... 10 DUBLIN LIFE................... 13 OUT&ABOUT...................17 CLASSIFIEDS.................26 SPORT............................28

Pictured are Parvina Akter, Noor Nahar, Rasna Begum and Jamila Omme at the recent Sari Soccerfest held at the Garda sports grounds in the Phoenix Park. The Sport Against Racism Ireland event is the largest intercultural soccer tournament in Ireland, and is a celebration of cultural diversity, social inclusion and global development.

Participants were given advice on mainstreaming into other sports organisations.

Health centre to be given €1m revamp The Roselawn centre offers a range of primary care services

keith bellew

PLANNING permission has been granted for a major €1m upgrade of Roselawn Health Centre.

The expanded centre will

offer dental services, public health nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, nutrition and diet advice, psychology, a social work service and speech and language therapy.

A proposed two-way vehicular entrance-exit at the Roselawn Glade side of the centre, which caused concerns about traffic being directed into Roselawn Glade, has been abandoned

after local objections that this street already has heavy traffic from the daily school run at St Francis Xavier NS. Health Minister Leo Varadkar welcomed the news.

Full Story on Page 9

2 blanch Gazette 17 September 2015

Special ED No service if parents can’t afford private test

Coppinger targets ‘unfair’ SNA deal ONE resource hour is granted for every 10.9 children with special needs in Dublin 15 compared with an hour for every 5.3 children in more affluent areas, Deputy Ruth Coppinger (SP) has said.

Children in Dublin 15 have the lowest number of special needs assistants in Ireland despite having the youngest and largest population in the country, it has been revealed.

This is because many parents cannot afford to have them privately assessed, which must be done before an SNA can

 keith bellew kbellew@gazettegroup.com

be allocated, the National Council for Special Education said.

Deputy Coppinger said working class communities were being left behind while the wealthy can buy access to education.

“Wealthy parents are paying for the special needs help for their children while working class

children and schools have disgracefully low access.

“How can it be, with two high-profile ministers, Dublin 15 is at the very bottom for educational resources?

“This in an area with the highest number of under-fives in the country, the most ethnically diverse population and with huge areas of social disadvantage.”

Cllr David McGuinness (Ind) said it was “an absolute disgrace that you need to pay €500 to privately get your child assessed if you want that child to

get special needs assistance in school.

“If you’re reliant on the State like so many families in Dublin 15, your child will not be assessed, there will be no early intervention in their education, and they won’t get the services that they need.”

He added that Dublin 15 had the fewest supports along with having the youngest and largest population in the country, with Tyrrelstown and Blakestown having the highest number of under-25s ­— a shocking indictment of the Government.

A spokesperson from the Department of Education said there had been no reduction in the number of SNA posts available for allocation to schools.

Cuts were made by the previous government in 2009, but the current Government had increased the number

Deputy Ruth Coppinger (SP) said working class communities were being left behind

of supports from 10,575 posts in 2011 to 11,940 posts available for the 2015-16 school year.

“In total, the number of SNA posts available for schools has risen by almost 13% during the lifetime of this Government.”

T he spokesperson added that the total number of resource teaching posts had increased by 27% since 2012, from 5,265 posts to 6,705 posts.

N a t i o n a l l y, t h e number of SNA posts was increased by 610, this year.

Locally, St Brigid’s NS has been allocated one extra SNA post this year bringing the total to six.

Castleknock Educate Together NS supports have been brought up from nine to 11; Hansfield Educate Together NS from three to four; Colaiste Pobail Setanta from seven to eight; and R iversdale Commu-

nity College has got one bringing the number to three.

Last year the National Council for Special Education recommended a new method of allocating resources, which sought to eliminate the social divide.

Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan has instead set up a pilot project to explore the council’s proposals in 48 schools on a voluntary basis starting this month.

Rent supplement won’t be raised  keith bellew

THE Department of Social Protection said it would not increase the rent supplement as this could result in further rental inflation.

This follows calls from councillors in Dublin 15 for the rent supplement to be increased to keep people from becoming homeless and subsequently save money for local authorities that are spending vast sums

on hotels for emergency accommodation.

Cllr David McGuinness (Ind) said there were no places in Dublin 15 to rent for the €950 rent supplement, as most places cost about €1,300 per month. He said this was driving people into homelessness.

Many of these people ended up being accommodated in hotels at a cost of €150 to €200 a night.

There were families

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staying at the Castleknock Hotel for extended periods of time at a cost of €200 a night to the local authority.

“There are so many families in Dublin 15 living in hotels and hostels and waiting for the council to offer houses to them.

“My phone does not stop ringing these days with people living in hotels. They [the Department] have capped rent supplement at €950, and rather than pay people an extra €200 to €300 a month, they are paying €150 to €200 a night to put people up in hotels.

“What economic sense does that make?”

A spokesperson from

the Department said rent supplement played a vital role in housing families and individuals, with 24,700 recipients of the supplement in Dublin alone.

“Rather than providing for a blanket increase on rent limits, which will not increase availability, and could potentially add to further rental inflation in an already distressed market, the Department’s preventative policy allows for flexibility in assessing customers’ individual accommodation needs under the rent supplement scheme through the National Tenancy Sustainment Framework.”

17 September 2015 blanch Gazette 3

tourism

Film: information sessions and workshops feature prominently

Council to restore gardens

Movie about Syria heads festival bill FINGAL Film Festival has announced its full schedule for 2015, which take place from September 25 to 27 at Movies@ Swords, Pavilions Centre.

The final films have been selected and a host of workshops lined up.

One of the biggest films of this year’s festival is the documentary, 7 Days in Syria, which examines the ongoing war and the effect this has had on the social structure there.

At 2pm on September 26 there will be a question-and-answer session with the director and producer of the documentary.

“The films selected from the schedule are incredible, we had three

times the amount of films submitted last year and the shortlisting has been very tough.

“We are happy with the final selection and believe there is something for everyone in this year’s schedule.

“We are being quite specific in our 2015 schedule layout, making the festival more accessible for people who just want to see a good film,” says creative director Dave Byrne.

He said there had been huge interest in the festival from international filmmakers and the final selection of films was from all over the world. “The wealth of talent among Irish independents this

year has been inspiring, although this made our decision-making a lot more difficult.”

Workshops at the festival this year will be hosted by a team from Treehouse Republic. Company managing director Stephen Fagan will lead an animation workshop on September 25, from 10am to 1pm. On September 26, again from 10am to 1pm, sound supervisor Niall Brady from Screen Scene and Steve Flanagan from Ardmore Sound will run this year’s Sound Design workshop based on the case study Glassland, directed by Gerard Barrett .

For more information on the festival visit www. fingalfilmfestival.com

Stellar performance: Student has A very good reason to be cheerful pictured holding his Junior Certificate is Vishnu Pusarapu, who had 11 good reasons to smile when he examined his results. The Colaiste Pobail Setanta College, Clonee, student got a very impressive 11 As in the State examination. He was joined by his very proud father when he went to the school to collect his certificate recently. Close to 60,000 secondary school pupils sat the exam in 2015, and Vishnu was one of just 98 pupils who achieved the stunning 11 As result in the examination. Picture: Ronan O’Sullivan

FINGAL County Council will take control of Shackleton Gardens in an agreement with the landowner on the land transfer details.

It is now hoped that much needed restoration works on the gardens can begin soon as it is envisioned that the area will be used as a tourist attraction.

The council drew up plans for the restoration in 2013 and has been waiting to take control of the land since.

The works will cost €415,000, €213,000 of which will come from Failte Ireland.

The Shackleton Gardens were previously ranked as one of the premier walled gardens in Ireland, but fell into disrepair in recent years.

4 BLANCH Gazette 17 September 2015

club: set to run Hub 15 facility

council 15% levy reduction to hold for 2016

Youth cafe ‘a great place’  keith bellew

A NEW youth cafe based in Castleknock Community Centre, Laurel Lodge, was officially opened recently.

The Hub 15 cafe is run by the No Name Club, which has members aged 15 years and above.

They meet in a safe and lively environment with an emphasis of abstaining from drugs and alcohol.

T he local Foroige group and Order of Malta cadets will also avail of the club cafe.

The club is equipped with a pool table, table tennis table and a “chill zone”.

A community festival, with games and treats for the children along with displays by local scouts and exhibitions of Irish dancing were run to mark the official opening of the cafe by Tanaiste and Minister for Social ProtectionJoan Burton.

The Tanaiste said the club would offer young people from the local area a safe, alcoholand drugfree space for recreation, non-formal learning and youth activities.

“The youth cafe will be a great place for young people from Castleknock, Laurel Lodge, and further afield to come and have fun, relax, learn, meet their friends and make new friends.

“The volunteers who r un this youth cafe deser ve to be commended for their commitment.

“Ser vices like this could not operate without them.”

Council chief executive Paul Reid advised against cutting the tax, saying it would be a drain on funding that could be used to deal with homelessness

Warning set aside as vote to retain LPT cut passes  keith bellew

FINGAL County Council has voted to reduce the local property tax by 15% for the second year running.

Twenty-eight councillors voted in favour of the reduction, three voted against it and there were five abstenions.

The debate prior to the vote was impassioned with a number of councillors arguing that the reduction in the council’s revenue limited the amount of work it could do, while their opponents maintained that central government should be providing this funding.

Fingal chief execu-

tive Paul Reid advised against reducing the tax.

He said such a move would have a huge impact on the council’s budget.

“There is a total of €7.4m available for Fingal in terms of discretionary spend after the various allocations are made on it [the budget].

“The 15% reduction, which the members chose last year, was a €5.5m decision for one year.

“That is the impact; it would leave about €1.8m discretionar y spend.”

He said housing and homelessness costs the council a lot of money

and would continue to do so in the next year.

He said the homeless budget had risen from €450,000 to €2.1m in just a few years, and that reducing the property tax would be a drain on funding that could be used for housing and homeless services.

Cllr Paul Donnelly (SF) said tax was an unnecessar y burden on hard pressed families, and that there were a l t e r n a t i ve w ay s t o make up the shortfall in revenue.

He said one of these a l t e r n a t i ve s w a s t o increase commercial rates, as the rates in Fingal were the lowest in the greater Dublin area.

He went on to say that there had been spurious attempts by various people to present the option of no reduction as a solution to the housing crisis.

“The citizens of this

terms of privatisation of social housing.

“The complete abandonment of social housing goes back a number of years, when a decision was made to withdraw from the

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‘The housing crisis...lies at the door of the right-wing ethos of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour.’

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Cllr Paul Donnelly (SF)

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country know full well who is to blame for the housing crisis.

“It lies at the door of the right-wing ethos of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and, unfortunately, Labour, who have bought into this, in

d i r e c t p r ov i s i o n o f social housing thereby leaving it in the private market.”

Cllr Duncan Smith (Lab), who was advocating a 10% reduction that he said would allow the council to

retain funding for services while alleviating some of the burden on homeowners, hit back at Cllr Donnelly.

He said: “Every manager’s report we see more social housing planned. Is it enough?

“No, it’s not going to solve it [the housing crisis].

“No one is saying any of these things is going to solve it, but it will help, and we have a responsibility in our ow n modest way as councillors on a local authority to help.”

He said the 15% cut was being voted for by certain councillors so they could “walk down main street like the big man or woman”.

17 September 2015 BLANCH Gazette 5

6 BLANCH Gazette 17 September 2015

FastNews

Council Officials urged to share data

Fingal wins award as best local authority for business development FINGAL County Council recently scooped the Best Local Authority for Economic Development Services Award in the 2015 Public Sector Magazine Awards.

One of the deciding factors in Fingal’s favour was its local enterprise office (LEO), which is one of Ireland’s most successful LEOs. It provides a variety of training, advice and financial support services to small businesses in Fingal to encourage enterprise in the region.

Mayor of Fingal David O’Connor (Ind) paid tribute to the economic development team for the achievement He said: “I’m very proud of the team for their hard work over the last few years and welcome the acknowledgement from the Public Sector Magazine.”

Several large pharmaceutical companies announced major investment in Dublin 15 in the past 12 months.

The chief executive of Fingal County Council, Paul Reid, said the work in this area would continue, particularly in Damastown, Ballycoolin and Cherryhound.

Fingal County Council says it does not have a full list of all Nama-owned lands in Dublin 15

Call for Nama property to be used for housing  keith bellew kbellew@gazettegroup.com

FINGAL County Council has said it does not have a comprehensive list of all Nama-owned lands in Dublin 15, but is exploring options for acquiring lands from the national assets management agency to provide for social housing.

This follows calls from councillors for a list of all Nama-owned properties in the county to be made available to them so they can push for the land to be released for the development of social housing.

In its mission statement, Nama sets out a policy that aims to assist in the provision of social housing. It has provided Fingal County Council

with 60 units for social housing to date.

Senior council housing officials meet with the agency’s officials on an ongoing basis.

Councillors believe they are not being provided with all of the information on Nama properties that officials have.

Cllr Lorna Nolan (Ind) said councillors were treated like mushrooms, being “kept in the dark and fed manure every now and then”.

She said: “When it comes to Nama everything is cloak and dagger.

I don’t actually blame authorities, I blame the hierarchy.

“We should be looking for the disclosure from Nama of lands and property [within the council] and we should ask why

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‘It’s cloak and dagger ... councillors are kept in the dark and fed manure now and then’

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Cllr Lorna Nolan (Ind)

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Fingal only got 60 houses out of the batch from Nama.”

Cllr Roderic O’Gorman (GP) requested this information in July 2014 but was told the council did not have it.

He said Nama had control of land throughout the country through loans.

Councillors believe the agency has completed developments, half-completed developments or undeveloped land in Fingal.

“It’s the council offi-

cials and Nama who know about this information and they seem very reluctant to let it go out to the councillors.

“I presume that this is because if we see that Nama has a big bank of land somewhere we’re going to be pushing the council officials to see if that could be acquired for social housing.”

Cllr David McGuinness (Ind) said if there were Nama lands available it could save the country money in dealing with the current social

housing crisis.

He said the crisis would not go away unless social houses were built to cater for the citizens of Dublin 15.

He added that there were just four pockets of land in Dublin 15 that can be used for social housing and that acquiring Nama lands would help to solve this problem. He also pointed out that the councillors can rezone land that is zoned for other purposes so social housing can be developed there.

A spokesperson for Fingal County Council said: “Discussions have already taken place with Nama in relation to their properties and lands in the area and all suitable options are continuing to be explored.”

17 September 2015 BLANCH Gazette 7

don’sdublin Corsican battle exposed fortitude of Martello towers ALTHOUGH it is the most famous of them all, the Martello Tower in Sandycove that houses the James Joyce Museum, is one of about 50 which were built to repulse a possible invasion by Napoleon’s navy.

After the passage of the National Defence Act 1804, towers were erected along the east coast from Bray to Balbriggan, with others on the south coast and Cork harbour.

When war broke out between Britain and France in 1793 two British ships, the Fortitude and Juno, attacked a round tower at Cape Mortella in Corsica in February 1794. After hours of heavy bombardment by the two ships the tower was finally taken with little damage to the structure. However, the Fortitude had been set on fire and lost 62 men in the fight. Impressed by the strong defensive nature of the tower, engineers used the design when building the line of towers in 1804.

Around Dublin 28 towers were erected, with 16 stretching southwards from Sandymount to Bray, and 12 northwards from Red Rock, Sutton to Balbriggan. Seven of those to the south have been demolished while all to the north are standing.

Many are in private ownership with Howth tower, now the Ye Olde Hurdy Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio, the only one open to the public on the northside. Apart from Sandycove, Seapoint tower is the only other open to the public (during the summer) on the southside. There you can see the equipment used for loading the 18-pounder gun (there is a replica on the roof), and feel what it was like to have lived there. The towers were usually 40ft high with walls up to 8ft thick and housed an officer and 10-15 soldiers. Although built in time of war they, thankfully, never saw any action as the French invasion never materialised.

It is somewhat ironic that towers designed in Corsica, where Napoleon was born, were the blueprint for a defence against him!

Don Cameron

www.donsdublin.wordpress.com

Martello towers were erected along the east coast from Bray to Balbriggan, with others on the south coast and Cork harbour

Publication Phoenix Ink is now looking for submissions

Dublin 15 creative writers needed  keith bellew

BUDDING and seasoned writers in Dublin 15 are being urged to submit their work to the Phoenix Writers’ Group’s upcoming publication, Phoenix Ink 5.

The Phoenix Writers’ Group has been around for almost 20 years in

different guises, providing an outlet for creative writing in the Dublin 15 area.

Publications from the group began in 1996 with Shades of Scaldwood, followed by Whisperings in 2002 and Mongrel Scribe in 2006.

The Phoenix Ink series began in 2007 and this

next publication will be the fifth instalment.

There have been four Phoenix Ink volumes to date, presenting diverse collections of poetry, stories, non-fiction narratives, memoirs, and even extracts from fulllength works published by members of the group.

Pieces are typically

short, with the emphasis on variety in genre and style.

A maximum of three pieces per author may be submitted, there is no limit on word count per piece if the quality is good, but writers are asked to try and keep the piece under 3,000 words for prose pieces and 50

lines for poems.

Work must be submitted by post and e-mail by September 30 in Times Roman, size 12, double spaced, single-sided on A4 paper.

Work should be sent to Phoenixinfingal@ gmail.com and posted to 9 Abbeywood Park, The Oaks, Lucan, Co Dublin.

8 BLANCH Gazette 17 September 2015

opinion Sinn Fein MEP Lynn Boylan on an international fight

A victory for water campaigns over the EU ON SEPTEMBER 8, the R i g h t 2 Wa t e r campaign in Ireland and Europe scored a huge victory. The Boylan Right2Water report was passed by the European Parliament.

This report was a follow-up to the first successful European Citizens Initiative, which called for water to be enshrined as a human right.

In 2013, almost two million people across the EU signed a citizens’ petition calling on the EU Commission to enshrine water as a human right, and to ensure universal access to all. The petition also stressed that water was not a commodity, and should be excluded from market rules.

The repor t passed in parliament with the support of the United Left, Greens and Social Democrat groups, went far further, and has been warmly welcomed by water campaign groups from Ireland and across Europe.

Water is a very emotive issue, not just in Ireland but across the EU. Citizens in many EU countries have mobilised

to protect their right to water.

In Italy and Greece, they voted overwhelmingly in referendums to block the privatisation of water – a referendum the Fine Gael/Labour Government refuses to give the Irish people.

In Berlin, public pressure forced the authorities to buy back their water services after privatisation saw charges skyrocket and services deteriorate. In Spain, citizens are mobilising against water cut-offs.

Up to 80,000 families have lost their water supply there due to austerity.

I have spent my first year as an MEP meeting with the various water stakeholders, including campaign groups, unions, NGOs and both public and private water companies.

It became clear very quickly that the EU Commission has actively promoted privatisation and water charges in member-states, despite EU law stating that they have no right to do so.

The Boylan Right2Water report clearly instructs the Commission to respect its legal neutrality and to cease

interference. It stresses the contradictions between the actions of the Troika and the EU law on member-states’ right to choose how best to deliver water services.

It also states ver y clearly that privatisation should not be promoted.

Thankfully, a Fine Gaelsupported amendment to the report that tried to delete these paragraphs was defeated.

The repor t rejects austerity and seeks to address the growing affordability issue of water across the EU. Ireland’s method of funding water services through general taxation is the most progressive way of paying for water. It is based on the individual’s ability to pay.

Unfortunately, this is not the case in many EU countries.

The report calls for a study on water poverty to be carried out. I believe this would show that Ireland’s general taxation model is in fact best practice for dealing with the affordability of water.

This report calls for all revenues to be reinvested into water infrastructure rather than

Sinn Fein MEP Lynn Boylan: “Comparing water to other utilities such as electricity is nonsense – you cannot survive without water. This is why enshrining water as a human right in a legal framework is so important.”

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‘The EU Commission has actively promoted privatisation and water charges in member-states, despite EU law stating that they have no right to do so’

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profiting from water. It declares that water is a public good, and not a commodity.

It also rejects the use of water cut-offs. Water is essential for life, and cutting off someone’s supply because they cannot afford it is a violation of human rights.

Comparing water to other utilities such as electricity is nonsense

– you cannot survive without water. This is why enshrining water as a human right in a legal framework is so important.

Other important points included in this report is an exclusion of water services from the internal market, and from trade deals such as the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partner-

ship (TTIP).

It calls for greater public involvement in decision making, and greater transparency. It also calls on the EU to do more to help bring universal access of water and sanitation to the developing world.

Despite the attempts

by Fine Gael’s group to block this report at the Environment Committee in June, and to delete all the really progressive points from it when it came before the Parliament, the Right2Water report passed without the support of Fine Gael and their group.

This report delivers a serious blow to the pri-

vatisation agenda of the right-wing groups in the EU. It sends out a clear message to the Commission to stay out of member-states’ organisation of water services, and to respect the wishes of the people.

It is a massive victory for the Right2Water Campaign, and the 1.8m people who signed the citizens’ initiative calling for water to be a human right.

Tuesday, September 8 was a David and Goliath day for water campaigners everywhere!

Lynn Boylan Sinn Fein MEP

17 September 2015 BLANCH Gazette 9

primary care Parking concerns over Roselawn upgrade resolved litter Cameras keep area cleaner

€1m revamp for health centre  keith bellew news@gazettegroup.com

PLANNING permission has been granted for a major €1m upgrade of Roselawn Health Centre. The expanded centre will offer dental services, public health nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, nutrition and diet advice, psychology, a social work service and speech and language therapy.

Capital funding of €1m has been allocated for the project to upgrade and expand the existing building, and to landscape its surroundings.

Health Minister Leo Varadkar said the development was really positive news for the local community, which has been hoping for an upgrade for many years.

“I am very pleased that the council has granted planning permission for a major upgrade of the Roselawn Health Centre.

The job will go to tender as soon as possible and I hope works can commence before the end of the year.

“The new expanded and improved health centre will complement the newly-opened Navan Road and Blanchardstown primary care centres and the Corduff Primary Care Centre, which is now under construction.”

He said the expansion was the latest part of a healthcare investment programme in the area.

He outlined a number of developments, including the relocation of the Rotunda Maternity Hospital to Connolly Hospital.

“We have already provided for a new MRI scanner in Connolly Hospital, secured the full opening of St Francis Hospice, Blanchardstown and Navan Road primary care centres, and upgraded radiology and urology departments in Connolly. Work has also started on Corduff Primary Care Centre.

“Last month, a planning application was lodged for a satellite centre of the new children’s hospital on the Connolly Hospital campus. Subject to planning permission, construction will start in the new year.”

There had been some concern about an aspect of the plan that proposed a two-way vehicular entrance-exit at the Roselawn Glade side of the centre.

Health Minister Leo Varadkar said the development was good for the community

This would have meant a lot of traffic being directed into Roselawn Glade.

Residents of Roselawn Glade and Crescent were extremely worried about the proposal, as it would create

an entrance on a road with poor visibility and significant parking generated by school drop off and pick up each day at the nearby St Francis Xavier National School.

Fingal County Council

planners wrote to the proprietors of the health centre in April requesting that they remove that entrance from the plan.

Traffic will now flow to and from the centre via Roselawn Road.

THERE were 354 litter fines issued in 2014 as a result of evidence gathered by two cameras in use by Fingal County Council to monitor dumping across Dublin 15.

Of these, 155 cases necessitated legal proceedings being taken, most of which were successful.

A spokesperson for the council said a budget of €35,000 had been allocated for this service in 2015 because the environment division viewed these cameras as a necessary tool for environmental enforcement.

The continued use of the cameras was also seen as a positive contribution towards the goal of delivering a litter free Fingal.

10 BLANCH Gazette 17 September 2015

gazetteGALLERIES

Staff member Michelle English with the McCabe family Pamela, Tom, Patrick and Mark. Pictures: Cathy Weatherston

playtime: arrival of iconic toy store brings out the inner child

P

ARENTS took their children, and inner child, for a look through the recent arrival at the Blanchardstown Centre, the country’s first Toys R Us store. In addition to the opening of the iconic toy store on September 5, Babies R Us is here to cater for baby’s entire toy needs!

There are 1,500 Toys R Us shops worldwide, which allows the store to access a range of toys that even Santa must envy. The new store has created 35 retail jobs for the Blanchardstown area, with the new staff been given weeks of training ahead of the opening, so customers can enjoy top class service at the store.

Sophia Byrne with mam Lauren, dad Kal and sister Mia. Pictures: Ronan O’Sullivan

Top class: LOTS OF SMILES ON FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL

Relaxed approach helps kids to settle in F

IRST day at school nerves were quickly allayed at St Benedict’s National School in Ongar recently with a warm welcome. The new junior infants greeted the experience with smiles for the most part though there were some tears when the adults who had accompanied them to school had to leave them to get on with their first day at primary school.

School principal Noreen Behan summed it up well: “St Benedict’s NS provides a place of high achievement... an environment where learning is fun, a school that is welcoming, inclusive, and friendly...a child-centred a place of excellence...a school that we can all be proud of.”

Joe Demsey and Ray Lawless

Staff member Karl Donnelly with Ken Shaw and his sons Logan, Caelum, Cian and Odhran

Katie Nolan Emily Kearney with mam Elaine and dad Philip

Alisha Mahon with mam Rose and dad Andrew

17 September 2015 blanch Gazette 11

Rukky Utobivwin and Ellie Hynes

Sarah Kelleher

Julita Chudy with daughter Lena

Janice Joseph with her mam Litty Thomas

12 Gazette 17 September 2015

gazetteGALLERIES

Cathy Belton, Paul Mercier and Eleanor Methven

Meghan Moynihan and Eimear Walsh

premiere: LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

In pursuit of fun I

Ireland’s leading actors gathered in Dublin for the premiere of new Irish action film, Pursuit, which is directed by Paul Mercier and sees Brendan Gleeson, Ruth Bradley and Liam Cunningham take centre-screen. Pictured on the red carpet ahead of the Dublin premiere were the stars of the film, including Bradley, Cunningham, Barry Ward, Dara Devaney, Owen Roe, Don Wycherley, David Pearse, Ciaran O’Brien, Emmet Kirwan and Donall O Healai.

Set between Connemara and the Spanish Costa del Sol, Pursuit is a modern take on the legend of Diarmuid and Grainne; a tale of love, betrayal, revenge and the pursuit of a life beyond crime, which features car chases galore, placing the Skoda Octavia RS firmly in the limelight.

Actor Liam Cunningham, Sabina Higgins, President Michael D Higgins, actress Ruth Bradley and director Anne Gately at the Skoda Dublin premiere of Pursuit at the IMC Cinema in Tallaght. Pictures Brian McEvoy

Sinead and Nell Mercier

Actor Dara Devaney

17 September 2015 Gazette 13

14 Gazette 17 September 2015

Gazette

dublinlife A celebration of cultural diversity EVERYONE in Dublin is being encouraged to come out and celebrate the city’s cultural diversity at the free BlueFire Street Fest on September 19 in Smithfield Square.

Last year’s BlueFire Street Fest drew 10,000 attendees and the organisers are anticipating a 12,000 crowd this year.

Smithfield Square is being decked out on the day with art installations, which include visual artist Ashleigh Downey’s Blooming Bunting project and artistic demonstrations by the Temple Bar art gallery, The Icon Factory.

This is the festival’s third birthday and the

highlights this year include live sets by eight Dublin-based bands, including members of Kila, Manden Express, Ajo Arkestra, Kiruu, Rhythm Africana, Ayodele, SuperTonic Orchestra and The Bionic Rats.

Street fest attendees have the opportunity to avail of up to 50 free

diary

expert-led workshops across a wide range of activities including yoga, capoeira and DJ-ing.

The all-day festival runs from noon until 10pm and admission is free. Visit www.bluefiredublin.ie for more information.

Future’s at home in dublin village Dublin2020 will create an exciting mini village on O’Connell Street for Culture Night on September 18.

From 5.30pm to 8.30pm, visitors to Dublin Village will meet an ideagenerating robot, who will literally eat people’s ideas about the future of their city.

Next, visitors will meet positive protesters, who will be shouting about the thoughtprovoking ideas that have been collected by Dublin2020 during their meetings and workshops with more than 3,000 citizens of Dublin.

At the Tea and Chats Tent, busybodies Ethel and Lillie will be entertaining visitors and asking what makes them tick. The comedic pair will also treat guests to tea and a very special Dublin2020 cake, all set to the sounds of old time music.

Guests with energy to burn can step into the Jungle of Games and play a special Dublin version of Snakes and Ladders, and huge versions of old school games such as Giant Jenga.

All ages are welcome to pitch in and paint a collective community street mural led by artist Jane Groves entitled, I’m Mad about Dublin.

Yoga with Marta is one of the workshops on offer during the BlueFire Street Festival

sleeptember loves bed-head selfies MONEY worries still cause 22% of people in Ireland to lose sleep occasionally, according to Ireland’s first National Sleep Survey, commissioned by bed and mattress provider King Koil to mark the month of Sleeptember.

The month of September has been dedicated Sleeptember, with a campaign backed by popular GP Nina Byrnes designed to provide advice on good sleep and its health benefits.

A charitable dimension to Sleeptember sees Temple Street Children’s Hospital benefit from a campaign asking people to share their not-alwaysflattering “bed-head selfies”.

The charity appeal,

supported by Irish rugby International Cian Healy, is asking people to be brave by tweeting their own “bed head selfie”, or to nominate a friend, and donate €4. Tweet your “bed head selfie”, with hashtags #Sleeptember, #BedHeadSelfie or nominate a friend, and text HOSPITAL to 50300 to donate €4 to Temple Street Children’s Hospital. For further information visit www.

Sleeptember.ie.

highlighting sexual assault WELL-known Dublin columnist Fiona Looney recently opened up about an incident in her 20s when she was sexually assaulted.

Talking on an episode of Midday on TV3, she discussed the incident during a panel discus-

sion about controversial remarks made by Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), who said she was at fault for a sexual assault at the age of 21.

On the programme, Looney said: “At the time, it was the worst thing that ever happened to me. But afterwards, the amount of people, and I hate to say this, mainly women, who said: ‘Yeah, but your skirt was really short and you were quite drunk’.

“I’m sorry – how is that my fault that a man forced me down and pulled my legs apart?

How is that my fault because of what I was wearing?” she said.

During the show, Ellen O’ Malley Dunlop from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre urged anyone who is a victim of an assault or rape to ring their helpline at 1800 77 8888.

17 September 2015 Gazette 15

FEATURE escape the mayhem: moments of calm are precious

Cheesy music in the car helps – no joke!  aisling kennedy

AS a stand-up comedian, an actress who makes appearances on Irish shows such as Republic of Telly, and a mother to three young children, Emma Doran from Rathfarnham is a woman who has a hectic schedule.

She spoke to the G a z e t t e t h i s we e k , explaining how she manages to escape the mayhem of her busy lifestyle.

“I find that I just have to take the moment of calm when it appears,

I don’t really set time aside,” she says.

“If I have a bit of time to myself, which can be something as simple as being in the car before a gig, I love to write or just listen to some music.

There’s no distractions or noises or anything like that. I just take that moment because I never know when it’s going to appear again. Quietness is a big luxury for me and I do enjoy it when I get the chance!”

Doran explains that she enjoys writing jokes

and sketches for her comedy show when she gets the chance and particularly loves listening to “bad music” during her quiet times.

She says: “I listen to awful, awful music! I love the pure cheese factor stuff like when you’re in the car on your own and you’re belting it out.

I always have to remember to quickly change the radio station off the cheesy stations when other people get into my car so I don’t look bad.”

Doran is currently

writing her comedy show about being a mother to her three children, Ella (12), Joe (two) and Tammy (seven months), and the challenges and laughs that ensue.

“It’s my first solo show and I just thought I’d give it a go because I couldn’t go to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year as my baby is still so young. I just thought I need to get all of this off my chest so this show is how I’m doing it.”

When asked if she has any advice for any

Actress and stand-up comedian Emma Doran

young mothers on how to escape the mayhem she laughs: “Yes, if your child or particularly your baby is sleeping and you’re thinking to yourself that they have been asleep for

a while, don’t worry. Just leave them asleep. Don’t question it, just take that time. Any little windows of time that you get, just take them.”

Doran will appear in

her solo show, Mammy Wants a Drink, at the Mill Theatre in Dundrum on September 18 and 19, 2015.

Tickets are available at www.milltheatre.ie

Gazette

16 Gazette 17 September 2015

dublinlife

feature

When choice makes it impossible to choose CONSUMERS have never had so much choice. When described like that, this sounds like a good thing. Consumers have also never had to make so many difficult decisions. Put this way, the same idea is a bit less enticing.

This increase in choice, and decisions has partly come about because of changes in technology, but also because of the opening up of many markets to greater competition.

These include the markets for gas, electricity, telecommunications, health insurance and various financial services, like banking, credit cards and pensions.

When buying these products, the available choices and the number of features of the product we must consider can feel overwhelming.

Some experts in decision-making believe that making good decisions in these markets has become almost impossible. It can be very difficult to decide which product is most suitable for us.

Decisions are difficult also when we must predict the future, as when buying a house.

As well as weighing up the many different features of each property, we have to consider what might happen to prices, the direction of interest rates and how confident we are that we can earn enough in future to meet mortgage repayments.

The ESRI (Economic and Social Research Institute), the State-run think tank, is now con-

ducting a research programme in behavioural economics. Behavioural economists study the psychological factors behind our economic decisions – why we choose what we do, how we go about it, whether we make accurate and consistent decisions, and so on.

Behavioural economics has developed rapidly in recent years. It uses experiments to study our decisions scientifically.

The results are changing the way economists around the world think about how markets work.

In Ireland, the ESRI now has a behavioural economics laboratory, PRICE Lab. It is funded by four of the main economic regulators: the Central Bank, the Communications Regulator (ComReg), the Commission for Energy Regulation and the recently formed Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

Consumers in the Dublin area can come to PRICE Lab to take part in these experiments. The ESRI pays them a small fee and the experiments take around one hour of people’s time.

They involve sitting in front of a computer screen and making lots of choices between different products at different prices. The participants who perform the best at the tasks win vouchers.

The findings are already proving interesting. It turns out that most of us find it difficult to weigh up more than two or three features of a product at

Dr Peter Lunn, Senior Research Officer at the ESRI which now has a behavioural economics laboratory, PRICE Lab

-------------------------------------------------------

When choosing between houses, mortgages or health insurance, which can differ in dozens of ways, consumers are likely to struggle -------------------------------------------------------

Dr Peter Lunn

-------------------------------------------------------

the same time.

That’s not a problem in markets where there are only a few things that need careful consideration, but when choosing between houses, mortgages or health insurance plans, which can differ from each other in

dozens of different ways, it suggests that consumers are likely to struggle.

Many may fail to choose the best option or end up paying more than they should.

Companies can also exploit this limit in the amount of information

that consumers can handle. They can promote the one or two product features that make the product look good and successfully hide the features on which it is inferior to competitors.

They can also list prices as discounts from a “standard” price. This looks attractive, but PRICE Lab’s findings show that it makes life harder for consumers, who must process two pieces of information instead of one.

Another result to emerge from PRICE Lab is that we find it easier

to choose when product features are straightforwardly good or bad.

Examples are the speed of broadband or the price per unit of gas, where more of the good thing or less of the bad thing is always better.

We str uggle more when a feature can be both too little or too great, so that we need to find the level that is just right, like with the number of minutes of talk-time or the duration of a mortgage.

PRICE Lab’s aim is to discover what kinds of products and prod-

uct descriptions make it easier or harder for us to make good decisions.

In some cases it may be possible for regulators to promote marketing practices that help consumers, or to prevent companies from using pricing methods likely to cause them to make errors. If you would like to contribute to this research by participating in the experiments, you can sign up at www. esri.ie/be.

Dr Peter Lunn Senior Research Officer at the ESRI

17 September 2015 Gazette 17

travel P20

asdfsdaf P27 gaming P25

OUT&ABOUT Never be out of the loop on what’s happening in Dublin! Let Out&About be your guide to all that is stylish, cultural and essential across the city and beyond this week



Gazette

style P18

Pets A husky full of love and beans

Vampires Camille Ross and Robert McDermott were not happy to be caught veggie shopping on Moore Street ahead of the Bram Stoker Festival. Picture: Andres Poveda

Bram Stoker: weekend invites you to get in touch with your dark side

A ‘bloody great craic’ fest

 keith bellew kbellew@dublingazette.com

THE Bram Stoker Festival returns in 2015, with a programme full of gloriously Gothic events for the October Bank Holiday Weekend.

Each year the festival is organised by a different team with an entirely different programme of events.

This week The Gazette spoke to this year’s festival organiser, Tom Lawlor, about the festival highlights.

He says the goal of this year’s team is to give Dublin four days of stories and deadly adventures. This year’s programme aims to open out the festival to Dubliners and international visitors.

“Largely, we’re looking at the city centre as somewhere that has a very

Gothic history and we’re opening that history up to people in the city across four days of the October bank holiday weekend.

“We’ve programmed the entire festival so you can experience it by day and by night; so there are day events and night events. The daytime events are what we’re calling Living Stories, so it’s a chance to delve a little bit deeper into Dublin’s dark past.”

He added that a number of the daytime events are geared towards families and children.

One of these is Stokerland, a Victorian-themed pop-up park, which will be located at Wolfe Tone Square on October 25.

Stokerland will provide a range of activities including tents where fami-

lies can have a tin plate Victorian portrait taken, receive Gothic makeovers, and Victorian goodies. Fancy dress is encouraged.

One of the biggest highlights of this year’s festival will be the return to Dublin of world-renowned street artist Maser, who will create an interactive installation in Smithfield Square.

“He’s going to be building an interactive installation, which will look like a utopian city that people can wander through and that’s going to be on display throughout the festival.

“Also,we have a Twilight procession by the Galway company, Macnas, who were here last year. They’re coming back with their citywide parade from 5pm on bank holiday Monday.

“They will parade along three dif-

ferent routes that people can join, and which will culminate in Wolfe Tone Square with some pyrotechnics.”

The main theme of the procession will be Angels and Demons.

Working with the Lighthouse cinemas in Smithfield, the festival will host a night of 1990s-era vampire flicks, including Blade I and II, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula and Quentin Tarantino’s From Dusk til Dawn.

The festival’s flagship late-night gala party, New Blood, will be held at the Project Arts Theatre on October 25 and 26, with bespoke cocktails, local and international live acts and DJs and loads of bloody craic.

For a full list of programme events visit www.bramstkerfestival.com

The Dublin Gazette Newspaper Group have teamed up with Dogs Trust to help find homes for lost and abandoned dogs.

Our Dog of the Week this week is Beans, a two-yearold female husky cross. If you’re looking for a super smart, cheeky monkey to share your life with then Beans could be the girl for you. Beans by name and beans by nature!

Beans needs to live in a calm, adult environment just to prevent her getting too giddy, as she is currently recovering from an old hip injury. Beans is very selective about the dogs she likes, so would do best as an only dog in the home. If you think you could offer Beans her forever home, please contact Dogs Trust on 01 879 1000.

They are based in Finglas, just off exit 5 on the M50. Map and directions can be found on their website www.dogstrust.ie.

You can also find them on Facebook www.facebook. com/dogstrustirelandonline or Twitter @DogsTrust_IE. Don’t forget that you can also support Dogs Trust by checking out their online shop www.dogstrustshop.ie

action using the new brush for a long-lasting, chip-free colour.

Suzanne’s top tips for great application are to follow a few simple steps: “Make sure the nails are shaped, filed and buffed before applying any polish.

“T hen, apply one thin layer of SOSU base coat, two thin layers of a SOSU colour of your choice, followed by a thin layer of SOSU top coat, allowing each coat to dry before applying the next.”

The new autumn/ winter collection colours range is available from pharmacies nationwide, Penneys stores, and selected nail salons.

All polishes are priced with a RRP of €7.99.

Feel ultimate comfort with latest Clarins eye palette THE new eye make-up palette from Clarins has 10 gorgeous, on-trend eye colours with a variety of matte and satin finishes.

Plant and mineral extracts such as musk rose oil and white meadowfoam guarantee a feeling of ultimate comfort on the lid.

The palette has a RRP of €43.

Fake brows with the best thanks to Urban Decay  mimi murray

I MAY not have been born with brows like Cara Delevingne, but with Urban Decay’s Brow Beater Microfine Brow Pencil and Brush (above), I can now fake it.

And, really, this product (with a RRP of €18.50) does the business. I have been using this product for a couple of weeks and have had numerous comments on my amazing arches. It’s simple to use, with a variety of colours on offer, and will become a constant in my make-up bag.

Tuck stitch jumper €15.97 Contrast stripe dress €25

Cardigan with zip €12.99; Grey jodhpurs €5.99; (Both available late November.)

 mimi murray

A NEW season can mean lots of new trends, and for those of us who like to remain fashionconscious, it can be a right pain for the cashstrapped!

So, Gazette Style has had a look at some ways you can stay bang on trend without breaking the bank.

The 70s are a massive theme throughout autumn-winter that has carried forward from the summer, so pull out a pair of flares from Heatons, and team with a simple roll-neck from Littlewoods. Easy peasy.

Have a look at some other key items to keep you snug and sartorially sound this winter.

Tube skirt €20

LIDL

AFTER great success launching her 25-colour gel nail polish collection, Suzanne Jackson has added eight new colours to her SOSU by Suzanne Jackson range for the autumn/winter season.

Warming greys, bold reds and glistening golds are some new colours you can expect to see in stores by the end of August.

As well as adding eight new colours to the range, all polishes will include a new brush for a simple and quick application.

SOSU Nail Polish is an innovative gel nail polish that requires no UV lamp and results in long-lasting, salon quality nails. The polish can easily be applied in one

Khaki parka €15.99

Faux leather leggings €6.99

L ITT L E W O O D S

Brighten up autumn nails with new SOSU

H EAT O N S

OUT&ABOUT

SO70SSTYLE

Gazette

18 Gazette 17 September 2015

Roll neck top €22

Embellished jeans €47

Patchwork poncho €53

17 September 2015 Gazette 19

Gazette

STYLE

Stars inspire Juvi’s glittering bracelets

Black and white tea dress €20; Snake back boots €25; Bag €15

Knit roll neck €20 True denim flare €25

True denim skinny €22.50

Tan biker jacket €19.99 Khaki waterfall top €12.99

Grey jumper dress €9.99

Lidl items mostly available from midto late-November

AWARD-winning Irish beauty. jewellery company, Juvi “Out walking one Designs, has unveiled moonless night, I was its Shooting Star collec- overwhelmed looking tion for autumn-winter, up; I can only describe introducing delicate it as magical beauty. stars in sparkling gold, “There were more rose gold and shining stars than I had ever silver, paired with beau- seen, along with gortiful precious gems. geous star clusters and From the cute Lucky the beautiful band of Star stud earrings to the Milky Way.” the elegant You Are My Juvi’s carefully crafted Shining Star bracelet Shooting Star collection and Star Clusis made by Julie and Vinter necklace, cent at their studio these lightin Dublin. weight J u l i e pieces said: “Stars are percan mean fect for a lot to Gold vermeil €59, l ay e rpeople, Silver €55 ing and symwill add bolisa sparkly ing anytwinkle to thing any look. f r o m Husband a new and wife duo beginning to a Julie Danz and Vincent turning point in Tynan began casting a person’s life. They tiny stars in sterling remind us of distant lovsilver, and plating with ers, adventures, friends, layers of 24-carat gold family, past dreams and and rose gold, follow- future hopes. I think ing a trip to a famous stars are magical, and stargazing spot in Ball- that’s what this collecinskelligs, County Kerry tion represents.” earlier this year.

With prices starting J u l i e s ay s : “ T h e from €45, Juvi’s Shootr e s e r ve i s n e s t l e d ing Star collection is beneath the moun- available at House of tains and overlooks Fraser, Arnotts, Kilkenthe Atlantic Ocean. ny, independent retailIf you’ve ever visited ers throughout Ireland, Kerry, you will know of or at www.juvidesigns. its outstanding natural com.

Luxury Body Shop oils  mimi murray

Loop knit jumper €74 Rochelle Humes high waist jeans €39

Rip and repair skinny jeans €43

South Mongolian coat €240; Definitions orange suede shirt €35; TFNC black polo €25; Carvella black boots €240

THE Oils of Life range is a new daily life-infusing skincare range from the Body Shop that revitalises, replenishes and revives skin, as well as visibly reducing the signs of ageing.

What makes this range so special is the three precious and potent natural seed oils that are used to make this range – black cumin seed oil, camellia seed oil and rosehip seed oil.

I loved these products – such as the facial oil (right), €48 – as they feel beautifully decadent and the packaging will look great in any bathroom.

Gazette

20 Gazette 17 September 2015

OUT&ABOUT

fast

TRAVEL NEWS

TRAVEL

tranquil: Keeping rural luxury real with woodland forage

Sunny alternative to those winter blues WE all look forward to a break at Christmas time, but it seems the stress of the holiday season can make us even more tired when we come back to work in January.

What’s the solution? Take a sun holiday!

Abbey Travel has come up with its top three Christmas sun destinations for those looking to escape from the winter cold.

First on the list is Puerto Rico in Gran Canaria.

Puerto Rico is perfectly positioned on the southern side of the island, which means it is warm and sunny all year round.

Puerto Del Carmen in Lanzarote takes second place on the list of Abbey Travel’s top destinations to spend the Christmas period in.

Finally, Corralejo in Fuerteventura comes in third, and is ideal for those interested in a much more peaceful time than many of the other resorts on the Canary Islands.

To book your Christmas holiday visit www. abbeytravel.ie.

Abbey Travel kicks off season packages

THE Premier League is back for the 2015-16 season.

With Abbey Travel you can be there in the flash to support your favourite team without the hassle of haggling for match tickets or trying to find a nearby hotel.

Abbey Travel is offering hotel-and-matchticket packages for Liverpool matches from €239, for Man United matches from €129, for Arsenal from €279 and Chelsea from €329.

Prices are per person and based on two sharing. Included is one night in a three-star city centre hotel, breakfast and guaranteed match ticket.

For more information on available packages, contact Abbey Travel on 01 8047102 or visit www.abbeytravel.ie.

Dainty old-world design and calm, neutral creams and greens are the hallmark of the Step House Hotel bedroom

A step above the rest for charm and fine food

 Aishling Phelan

THE drive into the picturesque village of Borris, County Carlow, as the sun sliced through the clouds and beamed on glorious Mount Leinster, was a treat in itself.

Sitting in the fertile valley of the river Barrow, the Step House Hotel faces the main gate to this Tudor-style ancestral home of the former Irish Kings of Leinster.

Ruby red roses and delicate baby’s breath were dotted around the boutique hotel, while inside the spacious bedroom was the prettiest hotel room I have ever stayed in, with its dainty oldworld design.

Its neutral cream decor with gold accents in every piece of furniture and sweeping powdery

green curtains made for the perfect atmosphere of tranquillity.

But the best was yet to come. As I stepped onto the large private balcony, the magnificent view, with small clouds floating across the expanse of Mount Leinster, took my breath away.

The luxury and character of the hotel made for an extra special weekend trip away.

First, it was time for a hands-on bread making workshop in the ballroom with head chef Alan Foley and his team.

We got to work on a brown bread recipe and the chefs also showed us how to make the range of white bread baked in the Step House kitchen.

Curry bread? No, I hadn’t heard of it either but I would later experi-

ence that culinary sensation at dinner.

After an afternoon of kicking back in our cosy room, it was off to the opulent surroundings of the private cocktail lounge for some bubbly treats.

The restaurant is a small, cosy and intimate space. After scanning the menu, which relies on an array of local produce, I began with a starter of tasty organic herb risotto. For the main event, I chose succulent roast plaice with artichoke, ravioli and mushroom juices. I passed on the luscious dessert offerings opting for the more humble sounding ice cream selection.

Sound boring? Not at the Step House Hotel.

I was presented with a divine combination of

coconut, caramel and passion fruit flavours.

The following morning, we delved into the woodlands on the outskirts of the Georgian village – after a delicious breakfast, of course.

We visited the 16-acre Blackstairs Ecotrails facility to take part in a Find It, Pick It, Cook It, Eat It workshop. The foraging walks are run by former Green Party TD and minister Mary White and husband Robert. They have been keeping records of the area’s diverse ecosystem since 1975.

Channelling my inner c­­­hild, I abandoned my smartphone and took just a small notepad and pen as we set off to explore the rich land.

We ducked under swinging branches, crossed wooden ­­­­­planks

guiding us across the streams and tip-toed over mossy carpets.

The couple spoke passionately about the land’s ecological community and I couldn’t help but envy their peaceful lifestyle. We discussed the Celtic history of the towering trees and picked wild garlic, enjoying its tangy aroma. Later, we returned to the workshop to make mouth-watering wild garlic pesto and sweet sloe gin.

Then it was time to go home but not before enjoying a wholesome serving of pumpkin soup, sandwiches and their signature bread selection.

I collected my brown bread made the previous day and left feeling like a master chef after my culinary weekend at Step House Hotel.

17 September 2015 Gazette 21

Gazette

FOOD&DRINK BITESIZEDNEWS

Donegal rapeseed oil wins as healthy option

Hophouse/Kimchi Korean/Japanese fare

60 Parnell St Hophouse/Kimchi’s impressive menu is extensive, with the traditional Korean side dish, kimchi, a spicy mix variety of seasoning, to set your tastebuds humming

The Picky Eater SOMETIMES you don’t want the Italian. Or the French. Or the burger. It’s Friday and after a hectic week, the smartphone makes a fusion takeaway too complicated. Go out?

Yes. But what to eat?

Nil desperandum.

Picky Eater is here to save you from this gastronomic indecision and send you downtown – to Parnell Street, and a little gem right beside the Shakespeare Pub, near the Gate Theatre, the Rotunda Hospital and the Gresham Hotel. Vintage Dublin, in other words.

The modern Hophouse/Kimchi slots in well, cosying up to the hostelry and offering sanctuary to the indecisive Friday-nighter.

Korean and Japanese food aplenty is on offer, with an ethnic or a domestic beverage to help you on your way. Green tea, plum wine, sake, Asahi, Kirin and Guinness to mention but a few are all on offer as accompaniments or pre-

prandial tipples to your sushi or bibimbap choice.

Once inside, there’s a busy-ness that makes you feel like a tourist in your own city. You couldn’t give the interior or exterior decor ten out of ten, but the food is excellent, fairly priced and the staff are cheerful – what more could you want, really?

The menu is extensive, with kimchi to set your tastebuds humming. This traditional Korean side dish is made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings. There are hundreds of varieties made from napa cabbage, radish, scallion, or cucumber as a main ingredient. So do have a dollop so you can say you tried it. Otherwise, it’s like eating “an Irish” without the spuds.

The menu is massive, but Picky was undaunted: for starters, we had vegetarian mandu (dumplings) and endamame beans (boiled and salted). The dumplings were piping hot and hopping with flavour.

Sweet chilli and soy dips kept the tastes alive. The beans we gobbled down with our Korean beer.

For mains, Picky’s companion had almost gone native, reminiscing about youthful trips to Korea and salivating over the upcoming bulgogi bibimbap. This signature Korean dish, which literally means “mixed rice”, was set before him and he breathed in deeply.

The steaming bowl of white rice was topped with namul (sauteed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste) had a raw egg and sliced beef on top. He stirred the hot dish together thoroughly just before eating, and disappeared into seventh heaven.

Picky opted for a veg-

etarian bento box big enough for two: several chunks of silky tofu with contrasting crispy coat; two vegetable tempura – deliciously crunchy; a satisfying deep-fried slice of sweet potato rounded off with three pieces of sushi, and two little spring rolls.

Wasabi, pickled ginger, soy and sweet chilli sauces set it all off nicely.

The meal for two without dessert but with two beers and a green tea came to just over €50. The food had that “just cooked” air about it as it hit the table and our stomachs.

Hophouse/K imchi demands a return visit.

If you haven’t been, then get yourself down there ASAP. And, as Koreans say when raising a glass, Gun Bae!

Conclusion SET A stone’s throw from the city centre, Hophouse/Kimchi (at 60 Parnell St, Dublin 1; tel 01 872 8318) serves tasty, authentic Korean/Japanese staples at fair prices.

of vegetables with a

THE Donegal Rapeseed Oil Company has won awards for taste, and health benefits, for four consecutive years as it is fast becoming one of the world’s best producers of rapeseed oil.

What makes the county’s oil so special is the way, and where, the rapeseed is grown. Situated in Raphoe in the fertile Laggan district of east Donegal, the rapeseed oil company only uses rapeseed grown in soil along the Wild Atlantic Way by local farmers, which creates a delicious and unique taste experience.

As just some of its benefits, Donegal Cold Pressed Virgin Rapeseed Oil Donegal Cold Pressed Virgin Rapeseed Oil has 10 times more omega 3 than olive and coconut and some fish oils, and 10 times more omega 6 than coconut and olive oils. It is also very high in monounsaturated fats, which are beneficial for a healthy heart, is a good source of vitamin E, and contains no artificial preservatives and is GM free.

The French have been using rapeseed oil for years in all areas of cuisine. Irish cold-pressed virgin rapeseed oil is available in 250ml (RRP €3.99) and 500ml (RRP €5.99) sizes.

Gazette

22 Gazette 17 September 2015

OUT&ABOUT

CINEMA

ReelReviews

no escape

A sidestep for Wilson ANOTHER week on, and Owen Wilson still hasn’t found a way to get his family to safety in the middle of a violent coup in No Escape (Cert 15A, 103 mins). Drawing criticism in some quarters for its tone, the film marks an unusual sidestep for Wilson, setting aside his usual bromance comedies and feel-good films for this actioner, with Pierce Brosnan in a supporting role.

the visit

Creepy, yet amusing, too IN M Night Shyamalan’s latest, The Visit (Cert 15A, 94 mins), two kids are sent to their estranged country grandparents for a catch-up holiday – their first, with the old couple. However, events soon turn stranger and stranger at the farmhouse ... The two young leads turn in great, naturalistic performances, but Deanna Dunagan totally steals the show as the increasingly kooky, creepy grandma.

irrational man

Makes plenty of sense WOODY Allen’s latest, Irrational Man (Cert 15A, 95 mins) proves a talkily entertaining chance to waste 90 minutes at the cinema. A college professor with a less than perfect life is a great base to build a typically Woodyesque film on, with Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone crossing paths and words in several ways. Its messed-up characters provide plenty to sympathise with.

While the film won’t change the world, Robert Redford and Nick Nolte breathe plenty of life into their roles, turning in anything but wooden performances

a walk in the woods: takes an aimless but diverting journey

Tale stumbles along amiably

SPANNING more than 3,500km, the Appalachian Trail runs along the eastern length of the United States, cutting through a dozen national forests from Georgia up to Maine, and is one of the longest waymarked walks in the world.

With severe weather, bears, venomous snakes, and minimal infrastructure along the way – it is the kind of walk that madmen and fools tend to start – perfect cinematic fodder for A Walk in The Woods.

Bryson (Robert Redford) is an accomplished writer, who realises that most of his social life now revolves around attending funerals.

Reflecting on a life of travel and adventure, and

 Dave phillips

uncomfortable with facing into old-age, he becomes captivated with the idea of walking the Appalachian Trail as his last great hurrah, much to the dismay of his wife, Catherine (Emma Thompson).

Catherine’s infatuation with the multitude of risks facing Bryson on the trail lead to her insisting that he can only go on his adventure if he has company, and the only one of Bryson’s old crew willing to take the journey with him is his long-estranged

college friend, Katz (Nick Nolte).

The film is based on Bill Bryson’s best-selling memoir of the same name, and while some elements of the story have significantly changed in its transition to film (the real life Bryson and Katz were in their 40s when they walked the trail), the odd-couple pairing has remained.

Bryson is scholarly, stoical, and a little stiff in himself. He has a happy relationship with his wife, his kids have grown up successfully, and his grandchildren love him.

His books sell well, and the walls of his study are decorated with awards and honorary positions.

Katz, in contrast, maintained the wild-man

lifestyle; he never settled down, he has a history of struggling with booze, and he seems happiest when he is laying down playing harmonica to himself.

Accepting the age shift from the book, this is some spot-on casting.

Redford’s great at capturing that prim and proper veneer, but with a peek of something else just beneath the surface.

You can tell the tale is driven by a sense of jealousy and rage, rallying against the urge to go quietly into the good night.

Nolte channels his inner Bukowski; a whiskey-shone nose and a gravelly, broken voice bring decades of suffering to life in Katz, who hobbles painfully up and down the trail.

However, despite some great performances from the two leads, A Walk in the Woods does feel a little flat, possibly because it has the potential to go a lot deeper than it ever does. There is no doubt that Bryson and Katz’s misadventures are entertaining, but there is a larger, existential layer to the journey that seems frequently alluded to but never explored.

Perhaps director Ken Kwapis’s long history in TV comedy keeps the focus on the lighter, superficial elements of the story, and in fairness they are what he can make work.

Late night encounters with bears, altercations with local rednecks, and ditching awkward travelling companions (there’s

a fun cameo from Flight of the Conchord’s Kristen Schaal) are all handled expertly.

Elements such as Bryson’s sense of righteousness, or his relationship with his wife, or Katz’s problems with alcohol are explored much more clumsily and frivolously.

While the rigid Bryson and the unruly Katz eventually find a common understanding, the film’s attempt to marry its comedic and dramatic parts doesn’t end as well.

It still maintains that Sunday afternoon kind of vibe where you can watch two ageing greats have fun together, but you can’t shake the feeling that somewhere along the trail we took a wrong turn.

Verdict: 5/10

17 September 2015 Gazette 23

Gazette

MUSIC festival: electric picnic 2015, Stradbally

Sparks fly as the stars create electrifying gigs  colm murray

THIS week Gazette Music reviews Electric Picnic 2015, which provided plenty of flavour for music fans to tuck in to at this year’s festival.

Friday The addition of a few thousand more punters – to the official capacity of 51,000 – did little to dampen the boutique vibe. The absence of rain this year in the lead up to, and right through the weekend, was the icing on the cake.

Kicking off the main stage, festival favourites Ham Sandwich provided the first of many encroachments by band members to the crowd.

The Coronas followed suit, and got the job done to a rapturous welcome, and a no less powerful set.

With the majority of the stages not opening until the following day, a scheduling clash offered 90s shoegazers Ride their set a day early.

The opening chimes of Leave Them All Behind got the crowd going as they blazed through a blistering set of distortion-drenched classics.

Grace Jones and Underworld are no strangers to Stradbally. With the former still as eccentric and spellbinding as ever, she kept a hula hoop spinning in high heels for the duration of Slave To The Rhythm.

Under world, af ter the tingling Spoonman, and Dark & Long et al, finished up the evening with the obligatory Born Slippy, leaving the crowd to float off to wherever the evening took them.

Saturday The sun came out and remained for the duration of the day, adding a psychedelic hue to the by now completed site.

it was on to the main stage.

Hot Chip brought a little samba to the main stage, reworking Ready for the Floor with a wash of percussion. With a back catalogue of hits, they’ve grown into bonafide party starters, with a quirky take on Dancing In The Dark as the sun started to set.

It’s a shame that the sound system let them down in the volume department.

Chvrches were a huge draw at The Electric Arena, thanks to their blend of electro-lite pop.

-------------------------------------------------------

‘A quick 360-degree look-around took in weird art installations, a distant fairground and a lot of trees, all soundtracked by genuinely unique psychedelica’

--------------------------------------------------------

Battles were on top form, with drummer John Stanier’s rhythmic assault at the heart of everything.

The War on Drugs, over in the Electric arena, melted their epic American rock with sprinklings of Mike Scott’s Waterboys to produce a sound that stretched beyond the loyal throngs within.

A quick dash to hear the last few verses of Horse Outside from the Rubberbandits over in the comedy tent, and

But we were happy to make do with Yasiin Bey, arriving just in time for a seemingly spontaneous Biggie Smalls cover.

For such a genuine music icon, it was a relatively under-attended show, most likely because the average punter may only know this man by his former stage name, Mos Def. Dublin’s Meltybrains? were perfect for Body & Soul. A quick 360-degree look-around took in weird art installations, a

distant fairground and a lot of trees, all soundtracked by the band’s genuinely unique brand of beautiful, trippy rockpsychedelica.

Even a moment spent watching Meltybrains? defined this festival in a nutshell.

Just next door, and things were equally wild and wacky at the Jerry Fish Electric Sideshow.

Fight Like Apes were dealing with stage invasions and general chaos, with more people outside the tent impatiently peering in than could actually see the band. Push It, by Salt ‘n’ Peppa, was a carcrash cover.

As for Saturday’s headliners, Blur, they were arguably the biggest band to have played Electric Picnic.

With all interpersonal issues put to bed and energised with a new album, Blur were clearly enjoying themselves and the pressure is off.

Damon had the crowd in the palm of his hand from early on. Every song was gold, from There’s No Other Way through Badhead, Beetlebum and This is a Low. A muted greeting for the likes of For Tomorrow and even To the End suggested the average audience age was lower than we thought, however.

On the other hand, timeless classics such

Nice to see you too, Damon Albarn. Blur’s blistering set didn’t disappoint, with older classics to catch alongside contemporary tracks. Picture: Conor McCabe Photography.

as Song 2 and Parklife (performed with 11 fans plucked from the crowd – apparently one for each percentage of Irishness in Damon’s DNA) provided the greatest response from the crowd.

Sunday Jurassic 5 were the early afternoon crowd pleaser, with Cut Chemist and Dj Numark in tow. Concrete Schoolyard provided the biggest cheers of the afternoon, with heads bobbing in unison to a classic.

With the all-Ireland hurling final shown on a big screen next to the Mindfield, there was plenty to keep punters busy.

Heritage act Boomtown Rats gave it socks, with Geldof in great form, prowling the stage in his fake snakeskin suit,

Taking in the atmosphere at the Heineken Sound Atlas Tokyo area were Carmel Desmond and Karen Kenny

with killer tunes in tow.

Later, Manic Street Preachers launched into Motorcycle Emptiness, and their energy spread throughout the crowd. A perfect slot to have them in, and they wasted none of the opportunity.

It began here, six years ago for headliner Flor-

ence and the Machine.

Now a festival headliner, her set was reminiscent of the Glastonbury headliner set back in June.

As the closing echoes of a manic Dog Days are Over waved over us, it was time to see what we could salvage from the remainder of the evening.

GAZETTE

24 GAZETTE 17 September 2015

OUT&ABOUT

FastHEALTH Men, don’t delay – make Blue September the time to check up on cancer BLUE September has returned this year to raise awareness of, and start a dialogue on, male-specific cancers.

This year, the campaign – which is sponsored by VHI Healthcare – aims to highlight men’s attitudes to their health and to encourage men to be more proactive about checking themselves for signs of cancer.

To start this year’s campaign, the Men’s Cancer Alliance, in collaboration with Behaviour and Attitudes Research, conducted a survey of more than 900 Irish men of all ages and backgrounds and their knowledge of male-specific cancers, as well as their habits and attitudes towards their health.

The findings showed a marked lack of knowledge of cancer among men. Examples of this included that almost half of men researched in the risk/age category for testicular cancer would not be confident in recognising the common symptoms of the illness.

Some 80% of the men researched in the risk/age category for testicular cancer did not know that the best way to check for testicular cancer symptoms is a regular self-check.

In addition, 81% of men aged 16 and over in Ireland have neither checked themselves or been checked by a doctor for a prostate or testes-related problem.

Finally, 44% believed the reason for men being slower to visit their doctor compared to women is because they are afraid of finding out what the problem is, with 41% of respondents saying they would hope the symptoms would simply go away.

Micheal Sheridan, of the Men’s Cancer Alliance, and chief executive of Mercy Hospital Foundation, said the group has produced a series of pocketsized fold-out leaflets, with each dedicated to specific cancers.

He said: “These easy to read leaflets are available from Men’s Cancer Alliance website, at menscancer.ie.

“We are asking the public to support this campaign by organising a fundraising event, or by making a donation via www.blueseptember.ie.”

Launching Blue September 2015 were Mary Moorehead, Men’s Cancer Alliance (MCA), Micheal Sheridan, MCA; Dr Bernadette Carr, medical director, VHI Healthcare; ex-Ireland Rugby International Tony Ward and Richard Flaherty, MCA

MUSIC HEALTH

ON CALL PT: EXERCISING AT HOME COULD BE PERFECT FOR YOU

The personal touch to push your training

 SUZANNE SHEEHY

WITH the impending winter coming, there’re so many things to think about.

Inevitably, you will get carried away with school runs, taking on a new routine for the winter months ahead.

Plus, you will probably feel less energetic and getting in shape, so keeping your exercise routine going is less likely to be at the forefront of your mind as you just can’t find the time.

If this sounds like you, On Call PT is the solution. This is a home training service where dedicated trainers come to you so you can train in your own living room or at home, making it easier than ever to get in shape.

Once you contact On Call PT, you receive a free consultation. Your assigned trainer will come to your home. Body fat measurements, weight and blood pressure will be taken, and your trainer will also discuss your goals and your budget.

What people don’t realise is that you don’t need a huge space – an average size front room is sufficient to get a great quality workout, while a big back garden will also suffice.

I decided to try out On Call PT, and I found it very convenient. I was guided by my personal trainer, Dave Kenny, with a customised workout plan.

All the equipment that I needed in my training session was provided, from resistant bands, kettlebells, power bag, body

Whether for one-to-one training or to work out with your friends, On Call PT could be the perfect answer. Personal trainer Dave Kenny (main) provided a comprehensive set of exercises to maximise results.

pump barbell and boxing gloves.

My workout had great variety, with a mix up of mobility/flexibility and activation stretches, high-intensity exercise with short rest periods between sets.

Working both the upper and lower body, I finished up with some core exercises, consisting of sit-ups, Russian twists, plank holds and plank side touches, and I certainly felt those muscles working!

There was great structure and focus around my goals, and I found that there was no slacking

off during my workout, especially when things got tough.

Kenny encouraged me, and challenged me to do more than I would have done on my own. You just have to dig a little deeper to push yourself.

I would be keen on continuing monthly sessions to keep me focused and interested in my training.

Reasons Here are some words from On Call PT on the reasons to hire a personal trainer: 1. Motivation – training alone and motivat-

ing yourself can be hard.

Pushing yourself to do that last rep when you are at the end of your session can be even harder.

Our trainers are there to encourage, support and motivate you to ensure you get the best possible results from every workout.

2. Education – Our trainers take time with every client to go through the basics, ie correct form, lifting technique, stretches, etc. Knowing the basics will ensure that you execute your exercises correctly and will also help you to avoid any unnecessary injuries.

3. Support – Even when our trainers have left your home and your session is over, they are still there to support you. They offer online support for all clients.

Whether it’s questions about your diet – or a pep talk to help you on the tough days – they can be contacted.

Also, if you and your partner, or a group of friends, fancy getting together and training, then On Call PT can train you as a group.

For further information, call 085 7704302, email oncallpt@mail.com, or see www.oncallpt.net.

17 September 2015 Gazette 25

GAMING interview: composer jessica curry

WEEBYTES

Noteworthy insights into how music can affect gaming READERS may recall my recent look at the beautiful, enigmatic PlayStation 4 title, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, and my focus on its haunting soundtrack by Baftanominated composer Jessica Curry.

I caught up with Jessica last weekend, to learn first-hand a little more about her work and creative process. I began by asking her how she ended up composing computer game soundtracks, given that there aren’t many award-winning, critically acclaimed composers working in this field.

“I was dragged into the games industry kicking and screaming! Dan Pinchbeck [creative director/studio head at games studio The Chinese Room] was writing his PhD on first-person shooters, and asked me to write some music for one of the experiments that was linked to his doctorate.

“That game was Dear Esther [an award-winning, critically acclaimed and heavily narrative-driven title set on an unnamed island in the Hebrides], and the rest is history!”

While every composer has their own unique voice, who would be your main inspirations – whether classic composers or any contemporary

 shane dillon sdillon@dublingazette.com

bands and artists?

“I have a really wide range of people who inspire me – Bach, The Cardiacs, Joni Mitchell, Thomas Newman, Durufle, Wim Mertens and the Nashville soundtrack are currently on my playlist.

Told you it was eclectic!”

Your most recent, and critically lauded, soundtrack for Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is a beautiful and perhaps quintessentially Englishsounding score, mixing pastoral melodies with occasionally sombre yet uplifting choral segments. Have you ever felt pressured to create more generic scores?

“The incredible part of the story is that I am also joint studio head at our company, The Chinese Room. This means that I can shape the titles that we make and there is never any pressure to conform to the norms of the games industry.

“We make games that are very different to the usual fare that is presented, so that means I have free rein with the music –

it’s a joy.”

When composing for a specific project such as Rapture, is there a principal hook that guides your work? What defines or guides your overall focus on a project?

“As always in our games, the music goes much further than just providing the emotional core of the game, although that’s vital, too. We use music as a storytelling device – often using lyrics to give the player backstory and additional context for understanding the game or a specific character.

“Rapture has been the most complicated score yet. Each of the six main characters has their own theme. The game is nonlinear and open-world, so the music had to act as a guide to the player.

“Creating distinct themes for each main character was one way of helping the player to locate who they were listening to. Remember, there are no character visualisations in the game. “ The choir also form a really important part of the musical story in the game; in a way, taking on the role of a Greek chorus, commenting on the action as it unfolds.

“They are also symbolic as, for me, the human voice represents so much of what this game is trying

Would-be American president, John McAfee

McAfee joins political race

Jessica Curry, an award-winning Bafta-nominated composer and joint studio head at games studio, The Chinese Room. Her most recent score accompanies Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture (below); a PlayStation 4 title set in a very pretty, deserted English village immediately after the apocalypse.

to say – we are here for such a short time, but it’s the connections that we form while we are here that matter.”

Yo u ’ v e a l r e a d y notched up some very impressive credentials, with collaboration work taking in such diverse institutions as the Royal Opera House and Great Ormond Street Hospital. Do you ever find that your video game composing is seen as less worthy of your talents, or are you happy that fans and critics alike judge your work on its own merits?

“I absolutely hate snobbery in any form, I just can’t abide it! Video games are as much a valid cultural form as anything else out there, and I will bare-knuckle fight anyone who says different!”

Given such success, to date, can you see yourself setting aside gaming scores to focus on more ‘purist’ compositional work, or are you happy to just keep working on projects that you find engaging, regardless of their origin?

“As in the past, I will continue accepting commissions that inspire and

JOHN McAfee – he of McAfee Antivirus software fame – has announced that he, too, is also running to be the next American president, as an Independent candidate.

Famously described

by Dean Barrow, the president of Belize, as being “extremely paranoid, even bonkers”, McAfee briefly went on the run in late 2012 in Belize after a neighbour of his was found dead of a gunshot wound, with McAfee blogging about his experiences of life on the lam and evading authorities.

Turning up in Guatemala City, and eventually being deported to America, Belizean authorities went on to drop any charges against McAfee.

Jedi scrapes at Skelligs

excite me. The medium that the music plays in has always been the least interesting aspect of the work I undertake, and I can’t see that changing.”

And, finally – what next for Jessica Curry?

“I am about to embark on a wonderful commission that hasn’t been announced yet. It’s in

collaboration with a very famous contemporary poet, and the work will premiere at Durham Cathedral next year. I can’t wait!”

The Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture soundtrack is available to buy on Amazon.com, priced £10.99/£6.99 digital download.

IT HAS just been revealed that Luke Skywalker (AKA actor, Star Wars icon and highly-popular gaming voiceover artist Mark Hamill) almost met an ignominious end at our own Skellig Michael last year.

Hamill joined a long list of people who’ve slipped climbing steep steps at the monastic rocky outcrop, and almost fell to his death.

Luckily, faster than a Jedi’s reflexes, a guide grabbed him, saving everyone’s favourite farm boy from Tatooine.

26 BLANCH GAZETTE 17 September 2015

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17 September 2015 blanch gazette 27

blanchCLASSIFIEDS planning Notice

planning Notice

McArdle Skeath, intend to apply for planning permission for the construction of a storage and distribution warehouse complex with a total floor area of 25,914 M2 on a site measuring 7.0396 hectares located partially in the townlands of Bay/ Hollywoodrath / Goddamendy, Dublin 15. The development includes the following: Dry goods Warehouse measuring 22,498 M2 with an overall height of 23.5M, Central Marshalling area measuring 1830M2 with a mezzanine floor measuring 698M2 with an overall height of 13.15M, Two-storey office block measuring 500m2, Truck Maintenance workshop and truck washing facility building measuring 388m2 with an overall height of 10.20M, 1 no ESB substation, external truck fuelling area, 1 no free standing floodlit LED sign at the proposed site entrance, 45 no. surface car parking spaces and 20 bicycle spaces, new vehicular access off the N3-M2 Link Road with boundary treatment and attenuation areas and all other associated site development and landscaping works. The Planning Application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority during the public opening hours of 9.30 - 16.30 Monday – Friday at Fingal County Council, Grove Road, Blanchardstown, Fingal, Dublin 15 (to inspect planning application on all lands west of the N2). A submission or observation in relation to the Application may be made in writing to the Planning Authority on payment of a fee (€20) within the period of 5 weeks, beginning on the date of receipt by Fingal County Council of the Application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the Planning Authority in making a decision on the application. The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

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28 gazette 17 September 2015

SPORT

FastSport Sandyford man makes switch to rotterdam: MITCH Darling made a stunning start to life with Rotterdam hockey club in the Netherlands after a last-ditch move to take up a professional contract last week.

He scored on debut for the Dutch giants in a 4-2 win over Pinkoke in the first round of the Dutch season having only moved to the club three days earlier. The Sandyford native was part of the Irish side that finished in third place at the European Championships in London in late August and was initially due to play for Three Rock Rovers in Dublin in the upcoming season before the Dutch club came calling.

Darling has previously played for SCHC and Den Bosch in the Netherlands and with KHC Leuven in Belgium.

He joins a sizeable Irish contingent in European leagues with former TRR club mates Phelie Maguire (Voordaan) and Andy McConnell (Hurley) also in situ.

golf: royal dublin man renews us rivalries after six year break

Kearney teams up for PGA  sport@dublingazette.com

NIALL Kearney’s last taste of team golf came in the Walker Cup on America’s east coast at Merion Golf Club,

Pennsylvania in 2009.

Six years later, the Royal Dublin pro will again be representing Great Britain and Ireland on US soil but this time in the PGA Cup on

Kearney with the PGA Cup

the west coast at CordeValle, California, from September 18-20.

Among his opponents in the Walker Cup was world top 10 player Rickie Fowler who helped the hosts win and America’s PGA pros will pose a similarly tough test as they bid to maintain their vice-like grip on the PGA Cup. Kearney is set to be a key part of Jon Bevan’s 10-man team which is aiming to create history by winning on US turf for the first time since the club pros’ equivalent of the Ryder Cup was first contested in 1973.

Kearney, who secured his place in the team by winning the PGA Play-

Royal Dublin’s Niall Kearney

Offs last November, is relishing the challenge.

“It is a trip I am really looking for ward to,” he said. “We had a get together at The Belfry where I met all the guys on the team that I didn’t know before and they’re are a great bunch.

“The captain Jon Bevan is a great guy – they laid out the itinerary – it is simply unbelievable – five-star treatment – and we are so motivated to beat the US team.”

The PGA Cup wasn’t on Kearney’s list of priorities when he teed up in last year’s PGA PlayOffs but it is filling his thoughts ever more as the date nears.

“The PGA Cup was always in the back-

ground a bit, then gradually the paper work started to come through – getting the itinerary and then finally the gettogether at The Belfry – it is all building up now – it’s going to be something special “ T h e Wa l ke r C u p was back in 2009 – so that’s a long time ago.

I enjoyed the team environment and the different formats. The Irish teams were great – really good times, we gelled really well and had some successful periods as well.”

With GB&I having won just once since 1984, the pressure is on Kearney and his teammates to regain the magnificent Llandudno Trophy and Bevan has

been stoking the fires among his players. “ J o n ’s m o t i v a t i o n is that America don’t want to play it any longer simply because they don’t see it as a contest.

That’s our motivation – that’s all we needed.

“GB&I have been working really hard – they have a great team together, they are giving us the best chance of overturning the Americans.

“The standard of the players competing on the GB&I team is really good, there are some very strong competitors.

“They are golf guys – comfortable in the environment. I really think we can do well and win it.”

McCrystal and Boylan best of the Irish at Ras na mBan  sport@dublingazette.com

Garda cycling club’s Eve McCrystal celebrates winning the best Irish rider category. Picture: Lorraine O’Sullivan

DUBLINER Lydia Boylan and Garda cycling club’s Eve McCrystal both finished in the top 10 on general classification following a fine performance at last week’s Ras na mBan. Boylan finished in sixth place overall, riding in the Team WNT bib, just 26 seconds off the pace set by eventual winner Stephanie Pohl from Germany.

Boylan previously rode for Orwell Wheelers before moving across to Nottingham in England and, as such, was riding in

the British category.

As such, despite finished 10 seconds further back, McCrystal was the top finisher in the Irish category with a ninth place finish overall after 390km of racing across six stages around Ireland at an average speed of 36.979km/h.

Indeed, both riders did make a burst for glory on last weekend’s final stage when they raced clear in the closing kilometres, opening up an advantage of 15 seconds as the charged towards the line.

But they were both caught

inside the final kilometre setting up the group sprint to the line taken in emphatic style by Scotland’s Eileen Roe in Ennis to deny them a huge victory.

The former British Circuit Race champion powered up the finishing straight ahead of double stage winner Grace Garner (Team RST) from England and Germany’s Stephanie Pohl (South Netherlands-Energy HR).

Pohl’s third place thus protected the seven-second advantage she held over Roe to secure overall honours in the tenth edition

of An Post Ras na mBan. Pohl is the second German winner of the event following Stephanie Gronow’s victory in the first event in 2006.

Clare County Council Best Irish Rider was the preserve of McCrystal throughout the week and, after an early bike change, she was soon back in the pack ready to contend for stage honours.

Best Irish team award went to the Richie’s Garda CC squad of McCrystal, Catherine McAteer, Orla Montague, Karen Robinson and Claire McIlwaine.

17 September 2015 gazette 29

Gazette

Iconic Fenway Park to host Dub hurlers Boston will play host to a unique contest in November when Dublin meet Galway in the new Super 11s format, the first time the city will host a game of this magnitude since 1954  nathan kelly

sport@dublingazette.com

ONE of the world’s most iconic sporting stadiums will host our own iconic sport this November after it was announced the Dublin Senior Hurlers will face Galway in Fenway Park.

The home of the Boston Red Sox will host the AIG Fenway Hurling Classic on Sunday November 22.

The announcement was made by AIG Insurance in Ireland, the GAA, the Gaelic Players’ Association (GPA), and Fenway Spor ts Management (FSM) on Tuesday in Croke Park.

Launch events also took place in the famous Boston stadium after Boston Mayor Marty Walsh made the announce-

ment stateside.

Director general of the GAA Paraic Duffy praised the importance of such an event. “It is encouraging to see the interest and impact our national game can have overseas and we’re delighted to be involved in this project for that reason,” he said.

“Our overseas network is extremely important to us and bringing hurling to what is widely recognised as an Irish city outside Ireland is massively important to us. It will be an occasion to remember on November 22 as two excellent teams from Dublin and Galway demonstrate the best skills of our games.”

The game will form part of an Irish Festival at Fenway Park on

the weekend where all aspects of Irish culture and music will be celebrated. It will be played the day after Boston College take on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame at Fenway.

The Dublin vs Galway clash will be a fresh experience for the intercounty stars as it will be played in the Super 11s format. Super 11s, which is the brainchild of the GPA, is an 11-a-side format of traditional hurling.

It allows hurling to be played in stadiums and venues across the globe where the pitch size or playing area is smaller than that of a traditional pitch here in Ireland.

Only goals can be scored in the format which may take some getting used to for the

Dublin senior hurler Dotsy O’Callaghan at the launch. Picture: Ramsey Cardy / Sportsfile

Dublin and Galway stars but specific training sessions will be organised by the GAA to ensure both sides are accustomed to the rules ahead of the match.

Donal Og Cusack, chairman of the GPA, was also on hand to praise the idea at the

General manager of Dublin GA A’s sponsor AIG Ireland Declan O’Rourke, stated that the links between Boston and Ireland should make this a truly momentous occasion.

“We are absolutely delighted and hugely proud to be able to bring

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‘I don’t need to explain the close ties Boston has to Ireland and why Fenway is a fitting venue’ - Declan O’Rourke

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Croke Park launch. “The AIG Fenway Hurling Classic is a truly wonderful opportunity for us to exhibit hurling at a high profile US sporting venue, and there is none more iconic than the home of the Red Sox,” he said.

“We believe that hurling ranks alongside the best sports in the world and the staging of this game in Fenway is part of our commitment to convey that message to a new and influential audience.”

It will be the first time since November 1954 that hurling will be played at the home of the Red Sox. It was back 61 years ago that the then All-Ireland champions Cork took on and defeated an American hurling selection.

hurling to the iconic Fenway Park in Boston.

I don’t need to explain the close ties the city of Boston has to Ireland and that is why it is a fitting venue to play host to one of our national games.”

Finally, Sam Kennedy, president of Fenway Sports Group, which is the parent company of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC, was confident the Dublin and Galway hurlers can entertain his hometown fans.

“Hurling is one of the most electrifying sports in the world and we think fans are going to enjoy watching all the fastpaced action as two of the most accomplished and talented counties compete on the pitch at Fenway Park.”

expertView

Top coach Bowes casts his eye over Rugby World Cup For the duration of the Rugby World Cup, former Edinburgh and Marlborough player Dennis Bowes, now a highly decorated coach working primarily with Barnhall, will give his thoughts on the key battlegrounds in the competition.

It’s nearly here, four years in the waiting.

As a teenager back in 1987 I set my alarm clock for 1.30am to wake up and watch France play Scotland in a thrilling 22 all draw in the first ever rugby world cup competing for the now famous William Webb Ellis Cup. And now we are here again for the eighth World Cup and what a fantastic spectacle it will be.

This may prove to be the biggest and best so far with 20 teams playing in 13 venues in 48 games and, at 6pm on October 31, we will have our winner.

Will we have a new name on the Webb Ellis?

Or will the mighty All Blacks retain it This Friday, we get off to a flying start with the host nation and former winners playing the flying Fijian.

Being a total romantic, I would love to see the upset of upset here and I do think this could prove to be one of the games of the tournament.

This, I feel, could be a fascinating encounter with real physicality, pace and flare coming from the south sea islanders they are a real threat with ball in hand and if their set piece can hold they could do well here.

One of the main areas to keep an eye on will be around the match officials and theriedecision making and the speed of the those decisions; how many times will we go to the TMO for simple decisions that could be made without the arm chair viewer losing the will to live; and how many reset scrums and penalty tries will we see?

On the home front, a strong Ireland team go into battle on Saturday against a tough Canadian team.

I see them coming through this in the last 20 minutes by 20+ points and building nicely into there pool, let’s hope injury free ,as their depth will count later in the group against French team that are very dangerous and unpredictable come World Cup time.

Gazette

30 BLANCH gazette 17 September 2015

SPORT

FastSport

soccer: porterstown club record second successive victory

Ragtaggers brilliant in orange for suicide charity DUBLIN 15 tag rugby team The Ragtaggers exchanged their regular jerseys for the colour orange this week in support of Events Against Suicide to coincide with International Suicide Awareness Day. The Cycle Against Suicide charity organised multiple events including fun runs, sailing and coffee mornings to highlight the day. Cycle Against Suicide was formed by Jim Breen after appearing on the television programme Secret Millionaire.

During filming he visited the Dublin 15 Suicide Awareness group based in Blanchardstown. He decided there and then to try and reverse the increase of people taking their own lives by mainly cycling throughout the country spreading a very simple message in schools and communities.

The message is “It’s okay not to feel okay, and it’s absolutely okay to ask for help”. Many buildings throughout the country lit up in orange on that evening. For more information check out www.cycleagainstsuicide.ie.

Reilly on the triple for Celtic on league return HAT TRICK hero Leigh Reilly proved a key component for Castleknock Celtic as the newly-promoted DDSL Under-14 Major division side got their league campaign under way with a 4-0 win over Cabinteely.

After a strong start from Cabo, Castleknock countered with a long clearance from Donatus Nweke finding Reilly who used pace, power and skill to find a route to goal from a narrow angle.

He duly beat a number

of players en route to number two and he completed his treble from the penalty spot on the stroke of halftime.

With 15 minutes of the half remaining the points were secured when Mark Hughes, a six-year veteran on the team, got the goal his performance deserved with a wonderful free kick from 30 yards out.

Elsewhere, in NDSL Under-17A, Castleknock snuck a 1-0 win over Hartstown Huntstown FC with Ciaran Buggy blasting home the only goal after good play between Aidan Sampson and Matthew Mullen.

Alan McDermott celebrates his winning goal. Pictures: stmochtasfc.com

Saints soar in LSL Senior

lsl sunday senior St Mochta’s Glebe North sport@dublingazette.com

3 2

AFTER four games on the road, St Mochta’s finally got to play in their Porterstown Park home on Sunday morning and picked up their second win of the season in a cracking game against Glebe North.

Brian McCarthy’s men went into this one on the back of their first win of the season against Tolka Rovers last weekend and went ahead first here against Glebe. The goal came after 25 minutes after the opening quarter

of an hour offered little in the way of quality due to the wet conditions in the lead up to the game.

When the goal came it was David Somers who got it when he applied the finish to a wonderful ball from John Reilly.

Somers almost doubled the lead just moments later after some wonderful link play with Rory O’Connor but the finish failed to match the build-up.

Mochta’s looked to be controlling the game and had a series of decent attempts over the next 10 minutes but it was the visitors who scored next when Alan O’Connor

huge turnout Varadkar and Treacy lead Dublin Bike Ride THE IRISH Sports Council, in conjunction with Cycling Ireland, teamed up with the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Dublin City Council and Healthy Ireland for the Great Dublin Bike Ride which involved over 3,000 participants of all abilities from novice to expert ride 60km or 100km routes.

Health Minister Leo Varadkar and Irish Sports Council chief executive John Treacy were among the dignitaries at the event.

Picture: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

headed home after the Balbriggan team broke quickly and clinically.

The equaliser meant the sides went in level at the break which was probably fair on the balance of play.

It wasn’t level for long however as Glebe went ahead just 25 seconds into the second half when Noel Barrett broke through the Mochta’s backline and finished past Murphy to fire his side ahead.

Despite going behind, Mochta’s continued to play well and the game remained a real contest, with Somers having a number of chances but

failing to double his tally.

On 60 minutes, however, they did pull level and it came from the penalty spot. Rory O’Connor was fouled just inside the area and Niall O’Reilly stepped up to send the keeper the wrong way and swing the momentum fully back in the hosts favour.

Their chances of completing the comeback were boosted moments later when Glebe were reduced to 10.

After his side won a free-kick in their own half, defender Reece McEnteer was booked for dissent towards the

referee.

The first card failed to quieten down the Glebe man and he was soon given a second yellow and marching orders for the same offence moments later.

Chance after chance came for Mochta’s but it took until the very last one until they bagged that vital winner.

A f ter some lovely build-up, Somers played the ball towards frontman Ian Crof t who managed to steer the ball through for Alan McDermott and he buried an effort in from close range and secure all three points.

17 September 2015 BLANCH gazette 31

Gazette

Championship victory

Brigid’s get off to flyer in senior 5 camogie

Club Noticeboard st brigid’s

st brigid’s senior 5 camogie team started

their championship campaign in fine fashion as they overpowered Kilmacud Crokes with half a dozen goals to their name.

The scores came from Siobhan Phelan 3-0, Orla Teeling 1-4, Hannah Connolly 1-2, Ellen Bolger 1-1 and Niamh McCarthy 0-2. The midfield of Rachel Boyle and Niamh McCarthy worked really hard while the back lines were rarely troubled.

BEST of luck to Paddy Andrews, Philip

Thank you to all our club lotto partici-

Ryan and the Dublin senior football

pants for their support. Thanks, too,

team in the All-Ireland football final

to our wonderful lotto committee.

this Sunday in Croke Park.

Thursday’s draw numbers were 17,

Congratulations to our junior hurlers on winning the championship final vs O’Toole’s on Saturday evening.

football: castleknock crowned champions

25, 26 and 29.

There was no jackpot winner so the jackpot continues at €15,000 for our

The St Brigid’s nursery runs every

next draw on September 17 in Rus-

Saturday in Russell Park from 9.30am

sell Park. The reserve jackpot is now

to 11am. We welcome all four- to sev-

€9,200.

en-year-olds in the Castleknock and

St Brigid’s/Spleodar Irish club runs

Blanchardstown area and new mem-

on Thursdays in the club hall from

bers and families are always welcome.

7pm to 9pm. Open for all teenagers

For further information and queries,

aged between 12- and 18-years-old

contact David on 0858340169.

and the cost is €3 per week; a great

St Brigid’s GAA “1 to 2,500” fund-

opportunity to practice Irish for

raising initiative continues – see the

important exams and for enjoyment.

club website for further details. This

More information is available on the

fundraiser will require each section of

club website.

the club to put in a big effort – thank you for your support.

The Cube will take place in St Brigid’s on Saturday, October 17.

The ticket draw for the All-Ireland

Each section of the club will be rep-

football final will take place in the club

resented with a fantastic prize up for

bar on Thursday, September 17. See the

grabs. If you wish to take part, con-

club website for further information.

tact Billy Quane.

castleknock VERY successful week for the club with

schedule of activities including the

both our ladies footballers and our

draw for All-Ireland final ticket.

second men’s hurlers winning their leagues and gaining promotion.

The Castleknock ladies footballers. Picture: Shay Hogan

Division 3 swept aside

by Somerton stars

dlgfa division 3  sport@dublingazette.com

CASTLEKNOCK’S ladies footballers celebrated another milestone with the capture of the Division 3 league title and the prize of intermediate football next year.

Following on from a league and cup double last year, the Somerton club were in their maiden year at this level but still managed to come through the league unbeaten.

Guided by Philip Burke and Graham Curtin they soon got to grips with life in the third tier with a dominant performance

against Croi Ro Naofa on a score line of 4-15 to 1-4.

S i g n i f i c a n t l y, t h e ’Knock ladies notched up a total of 20 goals in the league campaign with the majority coming from the boot of Aishling O’Donnell. Castleknock’s next league game saw a feast of goals as the Somerton-based club ran out clear winners against neighbours St Peregrine’s on a scoreline of 6-13 to 1-9.

Further decisive wins against Ballyboden and St Margaret’s set up a tantalising encounter with league rivals Garda.

Castleknock made the short journey to Westmanstown for what was the most significant game of the season. Good team play and ruthless finishing combined to give the visitors a 1-11 to 1-3 win and a chance for league glory.

W i t h a n ave r a g e winning margin of 12 points, Castleknock then accounted for Lucan by that gap in their last fixture to ensure a top of the table finish.

Among those who impressed throughout the league were the defensive trio of Grainne O’Brien, Sinead Comerford and

Nicola Fagan with net minder Amy Mahony standing out for a number of dramatic penalty saves.

The midfield partnership of captain Denise Convery and Lisa Quinn gave good account of themselves with Laura Carolan also in good form.

Speaking to GazetteSport, banisteoir Philip Burke was full of praise for his charges.

“The level of commitment from the entire panel both on and off the pitch was great,” he said.

He went on to stress how much of a team effort it was to produce yet another league title.

Please check your house for any old Castleknock gear lying around as

Congrats to all involved and sincere

we will have a bring-and-buy stand

thanks to all the work that went into

for gear, hurls and helmets. Our cake

obtaining these achievements.

stand will also need your baking skills

Our senior adult footballers have a big league game just up the road against Peregrine’s on Saturday at 6pm. All support would be welcome.

Very best wishes to Ciaran and the Dublin footballers this weekend in the All-Ireland final. Dubs Abu!

to help keep all fed. Dubs v Culchies football match will be tasty!

See details on the website of the Ultimate Ladies’ Night Out fundraiser, happening in the Castleknock Hotel on October 22.

The club are delighted to be host-

Our annual Family Day takes place

ing Strictly Dancing Part 2 in West-

this Saturday in Somerton; every-

manstown on Saturday, November

one is welcome to enjoy a great day

21. Dancers wanted – send an email to

of activities and fun. Don’t forget to

castleknockgaaevents@gmail.com or

bring a friend. The fun starts at 10am

call Breda on 086 8416431 for further

with our nursery for four- to seven-

info.

year-olds.

Please see the website for a full

The autumn newsletter is now available for download for the web.

Naomh Peregrine WELL done to our minor footballers

who play Castleknock this Saturday

who came from three points down at

on the club pitch at 6pm; all support

half time to beat Fingal Ravens 1-12 to

needed.

1-10 in the championship.

The U-14 boys had a great win over St Sylvester’s which now puts them

The draw for All-Ireland tickets will be held this Thursday from 9pm (fully paid up members only).

top of the league. Well done also to the

Players and mentors night this Sat-

Gaelic for Mams who won their blitz

urday night from 8pm where the fund-

the weekend.

raising draw also takes place.

Hard look to the senior hurlers and

Fundraising tickets are now due

the U-16 boys footballers who lost nar-

back to the club; some great prizes

rowly in league action.

to be had so all members, please sell

Big game for our senior footballers

what you can.

32 blanch gazette 17 September 2015