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May 18 - 24, 2017

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Burton wants Maynooth DART line fast-tracked  MARK O’BRIEN

Keep reading, keep recycling – thank you

‘The case for electrifying the line is compelling’

JOAN Burton TD has called on Transport Minister Shane Ross to prioritise the building of the extended DART line to Maynooth.

The National Transport

Authority’s Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2016-2035 proposes the implementation of the DART Expansion Programme.

This includes the electrification of the Northern line as far as Drogheda, the

Kildare Line to Hazelhatch, the Sligo line to Maynooth in the west and to the M3 Parkway, and construction of the DART Underground tunnel.

However, it was later decided that the original proposal for the tunnel should

be redesigned due to the €4.5 billion cost of the original plan.

Deputy Burton said that she was disappointed that this had taken priority over the expansion to Maynooth.

Continues on Page 4

2 BLANCH GAZETTE 18 May 2017

SHOCK | ALL TEN STAFF MEMBERS ARE BEING MADE REDUNDANT

Drug support service to be wound up in July  MARK O’BRIEN STAFF at a community drug treatment project have been left shocked after being told that the service is to wind up in July.

Last month, The Gazette reported that staff at ADAPT in Coolmine Industrial Estate were told by the new Board of Management that the drug and alcohol treatment centre would be restructured, resulting in five voluntary redundancies.

However, a letter sent to staff in late April withdrew the redundancy proposals due to insufficient takeup of voluntary redundancy among staff.

This was followed last week by a letter confirming that the centre would be wound up on July 7, with all ten staff members being made redundant.

Former board member Cllr Paul Donnelly expressed his shock at the decision.

“I was shocked to hear that a task group of exclusively HSE employees has been put together to plan for the winding up of services in ADAPT and the transfer of service users to HSE and other unknown services with no attempt to include any community representatives in this strategy,” he said.

“I have spoken to the staff, community activists and residents and there is a huge concern that the

funding for drugs services for the communities of Huntstown, Hartstown, Blakestown and Mountview will be subsumed into the HSE addiction services that is methadone based and does not provide the range of holistic services provided for by ADAPT.” He added that he feared that services such as the five-day needle exchange offered by ADAPT would not be available from the HSE services.

“Many of the services currently in place could only go on because the community trust many of the activists involved and unfortunately, many in the community do not trust the HSE,” he said.

“I can assure the community, we will not take this lying down and are already mobilising for a public meeting in the coming weeks to ensure the community’s voice is heard.”

When contacted by The Gazette, the HSE confirmed that it provided funding to ADAPT under Section 39 of the Health Act but that the decision to wind up the facility was a matter for the Board of Management.

The HSE also confirmed that they were working on providing alternative services for ADAPT’s current clients.

The Board of Management of ADAPT had not responded to repeated requests for comment at the time of going to press.

FASTNews

Talk to tackle the false claims made about Irish THE Clonsilla Inn is hosting a talk this Friday on myths and misconceptions surrounding the Irish language. Titled “Alternative facts about the Irish language”, the talk tackles false claims made about Irish, according to organisers Conradh na Gaeilge.

“When the Irish language is being is discussed in the media or online you often hear claims about Irish that aren’t true” said Colm O Broin, a member of Conradh na Gaeilge from Clondalkin who will be giving the talk.

Among the topics to be covered are accusations that Gaelscoileanna are elitist, that Irish is a “dead language” or that the language has been “politicised”.

The talk is part of a nationwide campaign recently launched by Conradh na Gaeilge to tackle misconceptions about the Irish language. The campaign includes talks around the country and YouTube videos which look at the different myths. The talks are in English, as, according to Conradh na Gaeilge, Irish speakers don’t tend to believe the myths about the language. Further details on the campaign are available at www.cnag.ie/mythbusting, @cnag, @colmobroin, or Conradh na Gaeilge’s Facebook page.

Places filling up for three local summer camps

Glenda glows at a stylish launch party

CASTLEKNOCK’S very own Glenda Gilson brought a dash of style to the launch party of Bellamianta’s new collection additions at Number Twenty-Two on South Anne Street. Ireland’s golden glitterati were in attendance including former Made in Chelsea star and face of Bellamianta Ianthe Rose, Samantha Mumba, Pamela Flood, Roz Flanagan and Glenda as well as models Alannah Beirne and Rachel Wallace. Picture: Brian McEvoy

Mobile service to visit Connolly Hospital THE Alzheimer Society of Ireland’s Mobile Information Service will visit Connolly Hospital next month.

The bus will visit the hospital from 10am until 3.30pm on Tuesday, June 20.

T he ser vice allows people in the community to access information about dementia and speak to the Dublin Dementia Advisors.

All are welcome to attend.

CHILDREN’S nationwide performing arts network Starcamp is reminding parents that places are filling up for its three summer camps which take place in the Blanchardstown area during July and August next.

Dates and venues where the camps will be held are Scoil Bhride Cailini, Blanchardstown (July 17-21), Scoil Aine Naofa, Lucan (July 10-14 and August 14-18) and Ongar Community Centre (August 8-12).

Now in its 10th year and supported once again by Swords-based banana importers Fyffes, the weeklong camps for boys and girls aged 4-12 are designed to teach performance and build confidence amongst those taking part through song, dance, drama and games. Interested parents can obtain further information on their website starcamp.ie

Theatre group returns to capital for Dublin debut A THEATRE group from Dublin 15 will make their Dublin debut this week. Caca Dana are an allfemale company consisting of Blanchardstown and Castleknock ladies Niamh Ryan, Marie Hegarty, Dara O’Donnell and Katie Reid.

Although all originally from Dublin 15, the group met and formed in Galway. They have now returned to the capital and will make their Dublin debut at the Teacher’s Club on Parnell Square West with All the World is a Cage, which runs from Thursday, May 18 until Saturday, May 20.

Tickets costing €16 are on sale now.

Dublin Gazette Newspapers, Second Floor, Heritage House, Dundrum Office Park, Dublin 14 Tel: 01 - 6010240. Email: sales@dublingazette.com news@dublingazette.com web: www.dublingazette.com twitter: @DublinGazette Visit us on Facebook at DublinGazetteNewspapers

18 May 2017 BLANCH GAZETTE 3

JUNE BANK HOLIDAY | BORD BIA’S HUGELY POPULAR ANNUAL FESTIVAL AT THE PHOENIX PARK

It’ll be Blooming brilliant!

IT’S almost time to plant yourself in the heart of the Phoenix Park for the evergreen Bloom festival, which once again promises to be an absolutely fantastic festival and celebration of much, much more than ‘just’ gardening. Whether you’re a green-fingered garden guru or are looking to branch out into pastures new, Bloom’s stunning show gardens, dizzying range of experts and hands-on demonstrations, and acres and acres of plants, stalls, events, talks and attractions will make it an absolutely unmissable festival this June Bank Holiday Weekend. See you there!

Above: Some of last year’s terrific gardens; right: Sophie Bracken and Lauren Keane help to launch Bloom 2017.

Picture: Colm Mahady/Fennells

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WE HAVE TICKETS TO GIVE AWAY!

Thanks to our friends at Bloom 2017, we have TEN PAIRS OF TICKETS to give away to lucky readers! To win, just email your contact details to competitions@dublingazette.com, or visit the Bloom competition post on our Facebook page. Best of luck!

4 BLANCH GAZETTE 18 May 2017

COUNCIL | Fingal expected to formally request additional funding in coming weeks

Call to boost funding for autism support services  MARK O’BRIEN FINGAL County Council is to call on the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to increase funding for autism support services in Dublin 15.

Cllr Tania Doyle recently brought a motion to the full council meeting of Fingal County Council calling on Catherine Zappone to increase funding to autism services in the area, with the motion being passed unanimously.

Cllr Doyle told the Gazette that she felt compelled to act after being contacted by a number of staff and service users.

She said: “I have been contacted by those working within early intervention and they are extremely worried as time goes on due to the consistent lack of services and the knock-on effect it will have not only in the medium term but in the longer.

“It’s incumbent on us as members of Local Govern-

ment to demand those in Central Government, who seem to be isolated and ignorant of the realities on the ground, to, in straight forward simple terms, ring fence finance to look after the most vulnerable in our society.”

Support Cllr Doyle added that she felt that the service provided to those with autism in the UK was far superior to what is available in Ireland.

“In the UK, with a popula-

tion far greater than that of the Republic of Ireland, with significantly greater population densities than a majority of locations within the Republic of Ireland, the level of services being rolled out are far beyond those which our own support ser vice providers could ever aspire to have,” she said.

“There are schools in Dublin 15 with student populations of 800 which have the same number of multidisciplinary teams that

schools in the UK have for a student population of far less.”

Fingal County Council management are expected to formally request additional funding from the Minister in the coming weeks.

But Cllr Doyle said that regardless of the outcome of that request, she plans to push forward with calls to develop a National Autism Strategy to help families who live with autism on a daily basis.

Abdullah’s the real deal with first place at science fest

Mick Hagan, ITB Lecturer is pictured presenting Abdullah Saeed from Castleknock College who won 1st place in the Junior Individual Awards for Technology for his project The Real Hoverboard at Scifest@ITB 2017.

Around 150 post-primary students from 13 schools from Dublin and Kildare took science to the next level with over 70 projects. Picture: Andres Poveda

See full Gallery on Pages 10 & 11

FROM PAGE 1

‘Case for Maynooth Line is compelling’ She said: “The electrification of the Maynooth Line was prioritised under the last Government in 2015 and the progress to date has been disappointing. The case for prioritisation of the Maynooth Line is compelling and irrefutable.

“The Maynooth line runs through an area of major employment with employers such as Intel, NUI Maynooth and many suburbs in Dublin West.

“The Dublin 15 area adjoining the Maynooth line has residentially zoned lands for another 3,000 new homes.

“Given the growing population there is a need for additional capacity on the line and this can only be done by upgrading the existing diesel service to a DART system.”

She added that she felt that money from the proposed part sale of AIB should be put towards completing the project as the country’s debt level has now decreased.

In response to Deputy Burton’s comments, a spokesperson for the Department of Transport said: “Due to constraints on funding, not all of the elements of the DART Expansion Programme can be progressed during the lifetime of the Government’s Capital Plan ‘Building on Recovery Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016 - 2021’.

“Funding has been allocated for the extension of the DART to Balbriggan and for work on the redesign of the tunnel.”

T h e s p o ke s p e r s o n also said that a mid-term review of the Government’s Capital Plan is underway and the Minister will be seeking to improve the funding available for public transport in that context.

It is hoped that this will include increased funding to accelerate implementation of the DART Expansion Programme.

18 May 2017 BLANCH GAZETTE 5

6 BLANCH GAZETTE 18 May 2017

Out and About

Moly O’Connell

Sarah Joyce

The Great Debaters Megan O’Driscoll. Left: Dara Boyle, auditor of the competion.

Pictures: Picture: Niall O’Connell/@ KnockPhotos

C

ASTLEKNOCK Community College proved to be the great debaters as they won both individual and team titles in the 2017 Aoife Begley Memorial Senior Debating Final held in Maynooth University. Megan O’Driscoll won the individual title while Molly O’Connell and Sarah Joyce won the best team. They competed against other senior students from Loretto on the Green, Belvedere College and Maynooth Education Campus. The win was an amazing achievement for the school, the second year in a row in which CCC swept the board in the Maynooth University competition.

Castleknock Communty College students and family members celebrate

Students from Loretta College at the debating competion

18 May 2017 BLANCH GAZETTE 7

8 BLANCH GAZETTE 18 May 2017

BLAZE | FIRE CAUSES EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO BLANCHARDSTOWN APARTMENTS

Firefighters tackle the blaze as it takes hold at Verdemont apartments off Snugborough Road. Pictures: Dublin Fire Brigade Twitter

Tributes paid to DFB for quick response to Verdemont blaze  MARK O’BRIEN

TRIBUTES were paid to Dublin Fire Brigade and the council for their work in helping residents affected by the fire in the Verdemont apartment complex last week.

The fire broke out last Wednesday (May 10) evening, with up to 60 apartments being evacuated.

Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing but there has been speculation that it was caused by a lit barbeque falling over in one of the apartments.

DFB sent several units to the scene and eventually brought the fire under control.

Miraculously, no one was injured.

Cllr Tania Doyle attended the scene and later paid tribute saying: “I have recently stood with the firefighters at Coolmine Station, when the potential downgrading of DFB was highlighted in a protest outside the station and if we take one lesson from this unfortunate event this afternoon, it is that with local well-staffed and well equipped stations, major incidents can be turned around, saving lives.

“There are a lot of residents in our community at Verdemont with their families sleeping safe tonight.”

Cllr Lorna Nolan also expressed her gratitude to the DFB and praised the council for their work in housing all of the

residents who have been affected.

However, she noted that many tenants who were renting privately in the complex will be left severely out of pocket because they did not have contents insurance.

Cllr Nolan told the Gazette: “If there’s one clear message that I would be sending out, it would be for private renters to inform themselves about private insurance.”

Local TDs also praised the response of DFB and the council.

Deputy Joan Burton said: “My thoughts and sympathies are with the residents of Verdemont Coolmine, Blanchardstown who suffered a disastrous fire at their apartments.

Local TD and Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar also paid tribute to the council, DFB and local gardai for their response to the incident.

Minister Varadkar also confirmed that his Department has put emergency supports in place for those affected by the fire.

“I want to assure residents affected that the Department is on hand to discuss how it can best support those affected,” he said.

“The Department’s community welfare service has already held an emergency multi-agency clinic offering advice and support, in tandem with the council and Citizens Information.”

Plan to upgrade the sewer network IRISH Water is submitting a planning application to the council to upgrade the existing sewer network serving Blanchardstown and surrounding catchment areas in Kildare and in Mulhuddart and Castleknock in Dublin and Dunboyne, Clonee, Ashbourne and Ratoath in County Meath.

The proposed project will be located along the Tolka River Valley in Blanchardstown between Parslickstown and Mill Road and a new pumping station will be constructed at Waterville Close to Mill Road.

The project represents an investment of approximately €50m.

Irish Water say that the project will also benefit the environment as the increased sewer capacity will reduce the frequency and volume of overflows of untreated wastewater from the network into the River Tolka and will support the future economic and social development in Blanchardstown and surrounding areas in Meath and Kildare.

Paul Fallon, Wastewater Infrastructure manager at Irish Water said: “ The proposed project will expand the existing capacity of the wastewater network in the area to facilitate existing and future residential and commercial growth.

“Irish Water is committed to investing in the wastewater treatment infrastructure in Blanchardstown to support the needs of this fast growing population.”

18 May 2017 BLANCH GAZETTE 9

COURTS | GROUP ALLEGEDLY LINKED TO DRUGS TRADE

Men had €17,000 confiscated as they prepared to travel one-way to Malaga FOUR Dublin men allegedly linked to the drugs trade have had thousands in cash confiscated from them at Dublin Airport.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that a total of €17,600 was found on the four men as they prepared to travel to Malaga, Spain on one-way tickets.

Customs and Excise officials were screening outbound passengers and stopped the men in February 2016. The officials seized the cash after hearing contradictory explanations about its use.

Kieran Kelly BL, for the State, told Judge Karen O’Connor that it was the State’s case that the cash seized represented the proceeds of crime or was intended for use in criminal conduct.

Judge Karen O’Connor granted an order for the forfeiture of the cash under section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1994.

The Act states that a judge may order the forfeiture of cash seized if satisfied that the cash directly or indirectly represents the proceeds of crime or is intended by any per-

son for use in connection with any criminal conduct.

Mr Kelly told the court that when stopped with €12,000 cash, Gerard Claxton Jnr of Whitestown Walk, Blanchardstown, Dublin told customs officials it was to buy an apartment in Malaga. He said €6,000 belonged to his father Gerard Claxton Snr, of Whitestown Drive, Blanchardstown.

He later told officials that he operated a gym and had started a business in second hand cars and the money came from these legitimate sources. He said there was no documentary evidence because the money was accumulated in cash.

Claxton Snr was also travelling and stopped by customs officials.

He said he had around €8,000 in cash on him and said the cash was to be used to furnish a Spanish apartment they had already bought.

The court heard there were gaps in the employment and tax records of the two men.

Claxton Jnr has previous convictions for possession of firearms

and attempted robbery and in 2007 he received a partially suspended eight year prison sentence.

His father has a previous conviction for burglary from 1987.

Lee Boylan of Fortlawn Ave, Clonsilla, Dublin had €2,500 in cash on him and said it was to spend on his holidays. He said he was unemployed.

Michael Jones of Whitestown Drive, Blanchardstown had €1,500 cash with him and told officials he was self-employed.

Officials deemed the cash to have been pooled by the four men.

Later investigations found that gardai criminal intelligence linked the four men together and to the drugs trade in west Dublin, the court heard. Mr Boylan or Mr Jones have any criminal convictions, Mr Kelly said.

Mr Kelly said that the movement of cash in this manner was consistent with criminal activity.

He said the four men were aware of the State’s application and had declined to take part in the proceedings.

Getting ready to get All Shook Up

COOLMINE Musical Society wll be getting All Shook Up at Draiocht next November.

Rehearsals will be commencing after their summer break and they will be welcoming new members so watch the Blanch Gazette for more information.

The group are delighted to welcome back director Pat McElwain and choreographer Nicole McDonald and thrilled to welcome musical director and chorus master Dave McGuaran who’ll all be making sure people can’t help falling in love with this fantastic show.

10 GAZETTE 18 May 2017

CHARITY CD

Out and About St Dominics College, Cabra

Castleknock College

Big-hearted Dublin dad’s passing the inspiration for new Don Baker single BLUES legend Don Baker has recorded a special CD to raise much needed funds for the Fr Peter McVerry Foundation.

‘The Homeless’ is a joint collaboration between the famed harmonica ace and Helen McGrath, a Dublin mother of four who sadly lost her husband Tony on New Year’s Eve, 2015.

Helen told The Gazette she penned the song as a way to commemorate Tony, who had always given a lot to charity.

She said: “My husband was a very kind and generous man and contributed to a lot of charities.

“I really wanted to do something to commemo-

Taking sc

to the N

LEVEL

Helen McGrath with her late husband Tony

rate him so I tried to write a song about the homeless situation in Ireland.

“The song turned into a poem, so I went to Don Baker, and gave my words to him, he took them, worked his magic and wrote this beautiful song.”

Don enlisted the help of old pal Joe Jewell of Aslan fame, who produced what Helen hopes will be a fitting tribute to her beloved Tony, and raise money for those who need it most. The new single will be launched at a special benefit night for the Peter McVerry Trust at Don and his wife Maureen’s well-known pub, Brogan’s in Trim, Co Meath, this Saturday (May 20). Come along and show your support.

Wesley College

Liam Prior and Oscar Burke Mullaney from Blackrock Mick Hagan, ITB Lecturer pre College who won 2nd in the senting Joey ces Scien Life Ha ughan and Ben Ryan from Bla Junior Group ckrock College who won 3rd in the Jun Award for their project ior Group Life Sciences Award for their pro ‘Can Toilet Germs Reach ject Does Time ’ brush Per ception Change as You Get Old Your Tooth er

Darragh Clarke and Eibhilin O’Reardon fro Skerries Community College won 1st in the Junior Group Life Sciences Award for their project Bug Brains

18 May 2017 GAZETTE 11

Out and About

Mick Hagan, ITB Lecturer presenting Andrew McWeeney from Castleknock College who won 1st in the Junior Individual Award for Life Sciences for his project Just Eat It

Mary Mullaghy Irish Science Teachers (ISTA) presenting Eoghan Kavanagh and Dylan Vaughan, from Castleknock College with the Irish Science Teachers’s Association Award for their project Electromagnets

Blackrock College

cience

NEXT L

om e r

Mick Hagan presentin g Conor Slattery, Blackrock College wi th 1st in the Junior Individual Award for Physical Sciences for his project The Pr evention of Sodium Chloride Build-Up on Glass Windows

AS one of the 16 regional venues hosting a SciFest science fair, SciFest@ITB saw more than 150 students from schools all over the region exhibit almost 70 projects at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown and put their knowledge of science to the test.

SciFest is an all-inclusive, all-island science initiative, which fosters active, collaborative and inquiry-based learning among secondary-level students.

The winners from each regional science fair go on to compete at a national final in November 2017.

Picture: Andres Poveda Photography

Castleknock College Pobailscoil Iosolde, Palmerstown

Halima Usman and Precious Daramola from Pobailscoil Iosolde won 2nd in the Intermediate Group for Life Sciences for their project To Investigate if Your Testosterone Level Affect Your Athletic Ability

Sarah Sexton of Intel presenting Enya Nordon and Grainne Lawlor from Scoil Mhuire Community School with the Intel Award (Best Physical Science or Technology Project)

Kishoge Comm unity College Lu can

GAZETTE

12 GAZETTE 18 May 2017

DUBLINBUSINESS

SuperValu scoops award for innovation at Business Awards SUPERVALU has announced that its Food Academy programme has won a Ruban d’Honneur award for Innovation at the highly prestigious European Business Awards that took place in Dubrovnik.

There was stiff competition and out of 30,000 entries, ten companies across Europe were awarded a Ruban d’Honneur Award for Innovation including the SuperValu Food Academy programme which was commended by the panel of judges for being ‘the most socially innovative initiatives in the competition’ presenting strong community benefits.

Since 2007, the European Business Awards has been shining a light on the most innovative businesses on the continent by promoting success, innovation and ethics in the European business community.

This highly regarded international competition attracts participants from all over Europe and winners of the awards are congratulated by an audience compromising heads of state, leading industrialists, entrepreneurs, business leaders, media owners and academics from across 30 European nations.

SuperValu Food Academy entered an extensive 2,500-word submission for the European Award in June 2016 and in September 2016, the Food Academy programme was awarded the National Champion for Innovation.

This was followed by the next phase which required public voting and a video submission. After a very competitive competition, the SuperValu Food Academy advanced to the final stage which required a 15-minute presentation followed by 20 minutes of Q&A.

Networking events to growing your business TO mark the 16th National Enterprise Week, themed “Scaling Your Business”, Bank of Ireland will host over 40 networking events nationwide for SMEs with an interest in growing their business during National Enterprise Week from May 12 to 19.

Bank of Ireland’s National Enterprise Week aims to promote and drive business momentum for SMEs across a range of sectors including tourism, hospitality, agri, food, finance and export markets.

This years’ national initiative will give small and medium sized businesses across the country the opportunity to network with fellow entrepreneurs at events along the theme of “Scaling Your Business”.

Bank of Ireland branches in Dublin City Centre will host a “True Blue” event for SMEs in Dublin on May 19 from 8am to 10am in the Mansion House where attendees will discuss the leadership qualities and motivation required for success.

Guest speakers will include Dublin GAA senior football manager Jim Galvin, entrepreneur Nicola Byrne and Garvan Callan, Digital and Innovation at Bank of Ireland.

Musgrave Marketplace reveals new €2.5 million investment

PICTURED is Michelle Fennell, Musgrave MarketPlace marketing director and Matt Lee, general manager of Musgrave MarketPlace Robinhood at Musgrave MarketPlace ... wait for it ... Robinhood. Musgrave MarketPlace, one of Ireland’s leading

wholesale suppliers to retail, foodservice and SME businesses, announced a €2.5 million upgrade of its Robinhood store, located in Clondalkin and a €1m upgrade of its Duncrue store in Belfast. This follows the hugely successful relaunch of the

Musgrave MarketPlace Ballymun store in November 2016.

Features include new speciality areas and state-of-the art technology to offer retail and foodservice customers a best in class visitor experience.

Lidl invests €250k in Irish suppliers LIDL is calling out to Irish food and drink suppliers in Dublin to apply to their brand new Supplier Development Programme, Kick Start, a programme designed to give small suppliers the chance to supply Lidl with a guaranteed volume of their products for a limited edition “Best of Ireland” food promotion in September 2017.

Lidl will select up to 100 of Ireland’s best products which will be available in all 153 stores throughout the Republic of Ireland.

The programme which is run

by Lidl Ireland and supported

by Bord Bia, is designed to help small and medium Irish food and drink businesses that need support in growing their brand

John Paul Scally and Tara McCarthy. Picture: Robbie Reynolds

and building their supply network.

The final product selection will complement the portfolio of Irish products currently available in Lidl stores.

Some of Lidl’s current Irish suppliers started off as small

start-ups who with the help of Lidl have grown significantly and now supply products to all stores across Ireland on an ongoing basis.

Successful suppliers that are selected to be part of the Kick Start programme will attend a series of free, comprehensive seminars aimed at guiding them through the process and teaching them skills to help grow their business ahead of their products going on sale at Lidl.

The seminars will be carried out by panel of industry experts from Lidl Ireland and Bord Bia and will include topics around quality control, packaging, marketing and PR and brand building.

John Paul Scally, managing director at Lidl Ireland commented: “We are looking to build on our already strong Irish supply base and expand our network of over 200 Irish suppliers.

“We will be investing over €250,000 in the first year to support new suppliers who will be joining our programme.

This is a fantastic opportunity for small suppliers who will get to have their products in 153 stores throughout Ireland.

“In September, we want to showcase the very best of Irish food and drink so if you think your product fits the bill, we want to hear from you.”

See www.lidl.ie/en/kickstart. htm to register.

18 May 2017 GAZETTE 13

STYLE P20

DUBLINLIFE Let Dublin Gazette Newspapers take you on a tour of the news and events taking place across the city and county this week

Rock and Seoul

 JAMES HENDICOTT ONE of Korea’s most distinct cultural outputs, KPop is world renowned, and - led by the comic satire of Psy in recent years - has established a genuinely global audience, with the US in particular a huge market. Its stars, though, rarely appear in Ireland.

Rarer is a showing from a Korean rock act - in fact, it’s probably not even an annual event - and it’s a genre that two years living in Korea taught me is genuinely impressive.

The arrival of Seoul act Billy Carter on our shores this May, then, marks an unusual event for the Dublin music scene. We caught up with singer Kim Ji Won ahead of their Whelan’s show at the end of this month.

A lively bunch, Korean psychedelic psychobilly rockers Billy Carter find their spiritual home in the Seoul student district of Hongdae.

Continued on pages 16-17

CINEMA P24

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GAZETTE

DIARY P14

OH, ALFIE – HE’S A COOL COLLIE AND A CHARMER OUR Dog of the Week looking for their #SpecialSomeone* is Alfie, a delightful oneyear-old male collie.

Like most collies, Alfie is very clever and knows a few cool tricks such as Paw, Roll over, and High five. He also enjoys sunbathing and exciting walks in the woods and going to the beach where he can investigate lots of new sounds and smells.

Alfie likes his own space and is not a fan of being fussed over too much, so he is looking for a quiet, adult home.

He would especially like to live in an area with low traffic as he can struggle when he sees cars, but we are working on this and would be delighted to show you the training we are doing to help you continue it. *If you can be Alfie’s #SpecialSomeone, then 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, at www.facebook. com/dogstrustirelandonline, or on Twitter @DogsTrust_IE.

GAZETTE

14 GAZETTE 18 May 2017

DUBLINLIFE

DIARY

Hardly a skip and a jump away from Dublin, Killruddery House and Gardens have a week-long festival to entice families away from the city hustle and bustle to the beautiful house and gardens instead

SUMMER FUN: LOTS OF ACTIVITIES AHEAD AS THE CITY LOOKS FORWARD TO A BUSY FEW MONTHS

A groovy family festival THE Groove Family Festival is back again this summer at Killruddery House and Gardens.

Taking place across a week in August, guests can come and go as they please.

Children can enjoy a full schedule of free activities: puppet shows, magic and science shows, facepainting, giant games, balloon modelling and a petting zoo, while bigger children will have a dedicated area of fun activities including zorbing on the lake, kid’s yoga, archery and a climbing wall.

Musical highlights on the main stage include UB40, Primal Scream, Hudson Taylor, Hothouse Flowers, Cr y Before Dawn, Columbia Mills, Jerry Fish, Stomptown Brass, Spring Break and

Na Fianna.

Killruddery House and Gardens are only 40 minutes from Dublin – and less if you’re on the southside.

See www.groovefestival.ie for more information and ticket prices, with kids aged 12 and under going free when booked online before August 1.

DIP IN THE NIP AND HELP CANCER GROUP DO YOU dare to bare all and raise funds for cancer? ARC Cancer Support Centres are appealing to anyone who has been affected by cancer to join them for their annual ARC Dip in the Nip, which is taking place in Dublin on Sunday, June 18.

The exact location will be a closely guarded secret until the day of the event.

Speaking about the challenge, Mairead Mangan, head of fundraising said: “The ARC Dip in the Nip reconnects ‘dippers’ with their bodies – it’s as though they fall in love with their bodies yet again.

“It gives dippers something joyous, life-affirming, personal and unique. It is a real equaliser and truly puts everything into perspective.

“Most have never skinny-dipped before, and they do for a variety of reasons, whether that’s helping ARC as a charity close to their heart, doing something that pushes their own boundaries, giving themselves a challenge, or simply ticking something off their bucket list.”

This is the fourth year of the event, which is open to everyone aged over 18.

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‘Musical highlights on the main stage include UB40, Primal Scream, Hudson Taylor, Hothouse Flowers, Cry Before Dawn, Columbia Mills, Jerry Fish, Stomptown Brass, Spring Break and Na Fianna’

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To register, contact Jessica Sheehan at 085 731 1532, or 01 830 7333.

FIND THE CODE TO SUCCESS AT THE RDS CODERDOJO Coolest Projects has announced its sixth annual showcase will take place in the RDS on Saturday, June 17, with more than 15,000 people expected to attend.

CoderDojo is both a competition and an exhibition to showcase, inspire and enable innovation,

creativity, entrepreneurship and technology skills in youth innovators aged from six to 17.

T h e m e s f o r 2 017 include Smart City and the STEAM Experience, while a Games Arena will be a fun, educational and interactive arena for young people and adults interested in the videogames industry.

Tickets for the CoderDojo Coolest Projects Showcase in the RDS are now available – and

free of charge if booked in advance. Book now at tickets.coolestprojects.org.

PREPARE TO FACE THE BATTLE FOR THE BAY BATTLE for the Bay is back this weekend, may 20-21, and it promises to deliver the usual fun, entertainment and aerial acrobatics which has helped it become one of the best free family weekends in the summer calendar.

Battle of the Bay is an entertaining weekend for all the family, young and old, where audiences will be entertained and captivated by kite surfers from across the world as they weave across Dublin Bay. Entertainment on dry land will see live music all day from DJs and bands; a beach market selling every-

thing from vintage clothes and vinyl records to arts and crafts and jewellery; a farmers’ market food village; a Kids Zone with fairground rides, big wheel and beach volleyball, and a biodiversity village where people can explore the wildlife of Dublin Bay with some very friendly experts.

Other activities include the Global City Balance Challenge, where visitors to Dollymount will be encouraged to balance on a slackline for 10 seconds.

This global challenge will pit city against city to see which can gather the highest number of people who can stay 10 seconds on the slackline without falling off.

Taking place on Dollymount Strand, Dublin 3, the fun event has free entry from 10am to 6pm.

18 May 2017 GAZETTE 15

GAZETTE

FEATURE INTERVIEW: MUM ON HOW SHE, ROBBIE AND THE KIDS HAVE COPED SINCE LEAVING BEVERLY HILLS

Claudine’s on the ball when it comes to settling back into Irish life again

 EMMA NOLAN HAVING just returned from five years living in Beverly Hills, Claudine Keane says she is happy to be back where the craic is – Dublin!

“It’s lovely to be back, and on a sunny day like this, Ireland is the most beautiful place ever.”

Speaking to The Gazette at the launch of SPAR’s summer advertising campaign, the mum-of-two opened up about her supporting her husband Robbie Keane’s football career moves, and said she is up for the next adventure, wherever that may take them.

“I loved LA, but I love being back in Dublin, it’s a nice balance,” she said.

“It’s great to see my family, spend some time here and let the kids see what it’s like in Ireland.”

Claudine fronts SPAR’s Better Living campaign

The couple’s two children, Robert Jr and baby Hudson, have spent most of their lives in LA until now, but Claudine says she is “impressed” at Robert’s ability to adapt between the two countries.

She said: “He’s very adaptive – I’ve really realised that in the last few weeks and I’m very impressed by the fact that he can go between one and the other without too much stress or strain, which is fantastic because it was something I was worried about.”

Robert Jr went to school in LA until last December, but has had no problem slotting back in here.

As for herself, and for many other Dubliners adjusting to life back home after living abroad, settling in has largely gone okay for Claudine, though not without a few bumps.

She said: “Rob finished up with LA Galaxy in December and since then we’ve been travelling a lot, and back and forward between here and LA, so I haven’t really had a huge transition period yet – but it is a big deal to take your child out of school and send them to a new one.

“As a mam, you’re always worrying about them settling in, and making sure that it’s not traumatic in any way.

“The fact that I’ve been able to spend more than two weeks at a time here

has been really fantastic for me.”

One of the best parts about being back, said Claudine, is that her family have been able to spend time with Hudson and be a part of milestones, like seeing his first steps.

“All those little things, they get to see him and see his character – it’s not just me telling them over the phone, they get to be part of his little experiences.”

While she loved life in LA, the Malahide native said that nowhere compares to Dublin when it comes to socialising and having craic.

She said: “I have to say, Dublin is great craic, Ireland too! I did miss that a lot – people socialise very differently in America; you’d miss the sing-song and banter we have here.

“We have our own humour here, we’re very

light-hearted, and I missed that sense of Irishness.”

While abroad, Claudine also missed how Irish people love to dress up.

“I can honestly vouch for that – nobody gets dressed up [in America]!

“It was funny – when I came home, I had to readjust. I was asking my friends if people still wear dresses out, because everyone just wears jeans over there. I find it much more glam here,” she joked.

The thing she missed the least about Dublin, however, was the weather – of course.

“It’s insane the amount of outdoor and sporty activities you can do in LA,” she continued. “The beach life, eating outdoors, making plans and knowing that the weather is going to be good.

“We could even go to the beach around Christ-

Claudine with Robbie and their kids, Hudson and Robert Jr

mastime, so I will definitely miss that.”

At the moment, Claudine is the face of SPAR’s Better Choices campaign, and she praised the healthy options on offer in

stores at the moment.

She said: “It’s perfect for our family because we’re always on the go – they’ve made it so simple and easy to pick up something healthy.”

OPINION: TANAISTE FRANCES FITZGERALD ON A NEW STRATEGY TO SUPPORT WOMEN

We must continue campaigning for equality

The Tanaiste launching the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017-2020

WE LIVE in an age where nothing can be taken for granted. It is time to put aside the complacent notion that women’s equality has been achieved, that we can rest on our laurels, that feminism is a relic of a bygone age.

The courageous actions of women and men across Ireland over the past 50 years have secured key rights for women. I am proud to have been part of the campaign for women’s equality.

Women are making spectacular strides in the educational system, in the workplace, in active participation

in Irish society.

However, we have to recognise that inequalities still exist in key areas. We have a persistent gender pay gap.

Women still do much of the unpaid caring work for children and older people.

Women are not as visible as men in key areas of Irish life. Specific groups of women – such as lone parents, women with disabilities, and migrant women – can find the door to opportunity closed.

Now is the time for renewed action on women’s equality. We need to tackle both the structural

barriers which eat away at women’s potential, and the new equality issues that are emerging.

Last week, I launched the National Strategy for Women and Girls 20172020 (left), which provides a comprehensive framework for action by the Government, public bodies, business and civil society for the next four years.

It includes actions that will benefit a wide range of women, young and old, urban and rural, homemakers, entrepreneurs, community leaders.

The strategy will drive

action to address the gender pay gap, to tackle precarious employment, to increase opportunities for lone parents, to promote rural female entrepreneurship.

The strategy’s key theme is visibility. Action will be taken to promote greater visibility for women across all areas of Irish life, from the workplace to community structures to sport.

It is time for their contribution to be recognised and for them to have an equal place at the decision-making table.

The strategy has actions for the different stages

of women’s lives, from increased investment in childcare for young parents to ensuring that future pension policy takes account of women’s distinct needs.

The Government is making a strong commitment to advancing women’s equality.

However, we cannot achieve women’s equality on our own.

For lasting change to happen, equality for women and girls needs to be a priority in families, workplaces and communities. Working together, women and men alike, we can create a society which is better for all.

18 May 2017 GAZETTE 17

DUBLINLIFE

Riotous Korean band drop in on Dublin

MUSIC

GAZETTE

GAZETTE

16 GAZETTE 18 May 2017

N O S ’ T A H W

E D I U G S T N EVE

with JAMES HENDICOTT

Morning Gloryville Weekender

Putting aside their usual ‘before work’ dates, Morning Gloryville brings clean-living raving to a Saturday, with music, yoga, massage, arts and crafts and a haiku station all coming to the Opium Rooms on the morning of May 20. Even kids are welcome.

May 20

Werner Herzog

The winner of more than 50 awards (including best director at Cannes) for his 70+ films as director, the German comes to Dublin to speak as part of International Literature Festival. May 21.

WERNER HERZOG

Africa Day

This fantastic annual celebration of African culture is one of the best freebies on the Dublin event calendar. The all-day event lets multinational Irish-resident Africans present their food, arts and cultures, alongside live music and family-themed fun.

Farmleigh House, Phoenix Park. May 21.

Yestival Mother Dublin and ThisIsPopBaby

Combining to present a huge celebration in honour of the two year anniversary of the gay marriage referendum. Yestival’s beat-heavy, lively late-night offering takes place at District 9.

May 19.

 FROM PAGE 13 That means they’re born out of Korea’s young rebellion: an escape from cultural conservatism, they developed amid an arts-focused drinking district, a party spot where the soju flows like water, and sweaty basement rock gigs are long the norm.

Breaking out is less common.

Speaking of the rarity of getting gigs around the world for Korean acts - and particularly for Korean acts that fall distinctly apart from the Kpop genre Billy Carter vocalist Kim Ji Won explains “Hongdae got extremely huge and full of tourists and local people who want to hang out.

Rents got very, very expensive, and so many live venues had to shut down or move. Still there are more venues in the Hongdae area than in any other part of Seoul, but we can find good venues in other areas too. Hongdae is our local but the atmosphere changed a lot. Maybe it’s time to move on to the bigger world.”

That bigger world has turned out to be quite welcoming: as well as Dublin, Billy Carter’s European trek will see them perform at Primavera, one of Europe’s biggest festivals.

Relatively newly formed, it’s quite a rise for the band, who are keen to talk through a few of the tracks that have got them where they are.

“I’d like to introduce two songs from our album ‘Here I Am’,” Kim tells us, mentioning their latest

Battle For The Bay

Dollymount Strand hosts what organisers say is the biggest watersports and beach festival in the world, with kitesurfing, beach volleyball, paddle boarding, land-yachting, and events for the family on offer all weekend. May 19-21.

Herstory

Ireland’s Lost Muses Speakers celebrate the concept of a muse, exploring the women behind Wilde, Yeats and Joyce with those in the know. Smock Alley Theatre. May 25.

Wicklow Mountains Cycle Challenge

record. “One is ‘The Dog’, written when I was drunk. In Korea, there is saying that goes ‘when people get drunk, they become a dog’ which is kind of negative meaning but I think dogs are better than people.”

“So the song says, ‘when you’re drunk, be a dog rather than a bad person and love others’.

Well... nah, I lied. The song ain’t nothing but a drinking song. Another one’s called ‘We Can Fight’.

“Everyone is fighting in some way to get something precious for themselves. Some will fight to get something material and some will

fight for their ideals or rights. The song is about the fight we all fight.”

Though her talk of fighting isn’t literal - rather it links with a common ‘Konglish’ cultural rallying call often shared socially, a motivation shout of ‘fighting’ - Kim certainly doesn’t shy away from on-stage drama, something Billy Carter call getting “emotionally naked.”

The band are particularly known for once playing a show dressed entirely as Ronald McDonald’s, and for Kim’s tendency to drop to the floor as she belts out their lyrics.

The three-piece are deliberately not what their

name would suggest. “We made an imaginary person who’s totally different from us (gender, race, nationality, looks and so on) to make people never imagine us when they hear the name for the first time. And we named him ‘Billy Carter’,” Kim explains, “which is a combination of a very common name and surname.”

Progress outside of Korea is a huge barrier to Billy Carter, as it proves for many Asian acts, and their presence in Dublin is unlikely to be a regular one, meaning the gig is a real ‘once off’ to check out.

Claiming Iggy Pop as a key inspiration, Kim

says “it’s definitely a challenge [to progress abroad]. But music is universal so if the music is good, I don’t think it’s impossible.

Of course we need money to book flights, and time to book good shows but it’s worth a try for many reasons.”

“It’s our first LP so we wanted to tell people about ourselves. Something more emotional and deep.

Each song shows our different inner selves in a different way. We started as an acoustic duo and since we became a three-piece, and the sound’s got totally different. Now we are more a

rocking and rolling kind of band enjoying crazy moments on the stage, but we still sometimes play acoustic sets with [drummer] Lee’s percussion”.

As for the night at Whelan’s?

“Irish people are crazy partiers, right?” Kim asks us.

“We want a lovely pint of Guinness and some Jameson, and if we have a chance to visit Cork, some Murphy’s. Because I love Murphy’s, too.

Let’s enjoy some music and booze, and let’s love each other.”

Billy Carter play Whelan’s on May 29th.

Explore Wicklow from the saddle of a bike, with 50km and 100km routes taking in the garden county’s scenery from Russborough House.

May 20.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

SNOOP DOGG

The Irish premiere of the Harry Potter concert series comes to the 3Arena, with the RTE Concert Orchestra performing alongside a super-sized cinematic showing. May 23.

New album of the week

Snoop Dogg - Neva Left. Snoop might be 15 albums deep at this point, but with the dubious Snoop Lion phase behind him and guest slots here for Method Man and Redman, this promises to be his best outing in a while.

18 GAZETTE 18 May 2017

GAZETTE

DUBLINLIFE MUSIC EXTRA

QUICK BREAK | MAGICAL CLONTARF CASTLE’S THE ULTIMATE CITY ESCAPE

Dublin-based electro legends Le Galaxie

Forget Fairytale of New York: there’s one just up the road!

Summer festival fever takes grip as Leixlip gets ready to take Rock the Yard to another Galaxie  MARK O’BRIEN

THE 28th annual Leixlip Festival is just around the corner and for music lovers that can only mean one thing – Rock the Yard.

The four-star Court Yard Hotel in the heart of Leixlip has a cracking line up of gigs including the Blizzards and the Luna Boys as the four-day festival rings in the month of June with a bang.

Dublin-based electronic sensation Le Galaxie kick things off, headlining Rock the Yard on Friday, June 2.

Their debut album “Laserdisc Nights II” released in 2011, and they have spent the past six years claiming their title as Ireland’s best live act.

The nation’s favourite dance-floor tear jerkers took their live shows to even greater heights last year when they supported Faithless on their Irish

Ro, Bee and TeddyC of Chasing Abbey

tour, sold out the Olympia Theatre, and as usual, had the audience of major European festivals like Lovebox, Benicassim and Electric Picnic on their feet and dancing.

In the past, Le Galaxie have played SXSW, CMJ, The Great Escape and Transmusicales.

The four-piece will be backed up by Tullamore trio Chasing Abbey, whose unique brand of pop dance and hi-hop sound has been making waves in recent months, with latest single That Good Thing getting a big thumbs up from none other than music bible Hot Press. n Built on the original site where Arthur Guinness created his brewing empire, the Court Yard Hotel offers old world charm, beautiful original stone work with contemporary design in a setting that is as picturesque as a pint settling.

For more information or to book tickets to Rock The Yard, visit www.courtyard.ie .

 ALISON O’HANLON IF you ever wanted to get away from it all and live like fairytale royalty for a night, the romantic setting of Clontarf Castle is the picture-perfect destination you’ve always dreamed of.

Though this unique hotel – Dublin’s only castle hotel – is just two DART stops from town, once you arrive, you’ll be transformed into a Disney-princess land of make-believe where the hustle and bustle of Dublin is but a distant dream.

The four-star Clontarf Castle offers the perfect blend of history and tradition with all the comfort and luxuries of the 21st century, including an art collection that’d have any Disney villain donning his black and white burglar suit and reaching for his swag bag.

The newly revamped hotel’s special Castle Collection package is the perfect way to experience the enchanting fusion of old and new, an experience that begins as soon as you arrive up the enchanting leafy driveway to the breathtaking 12th century facade and in through the dramatic, uber-modern atrium lobby.

The incredibly friendly staff are clearly proud to demonstrate how the old can enrich the new – and never is this more

evident than when taking in the ancient hotel’s contemporary gallery.

Follow their impressive art trail you uncover a series of intriguing pieces from celebrated artists including Ed Freeman, Ingrid Bugge and Marjorie Kaye, many of which have an element of mischief, humour and often a hidden layer of detail.

Once you’ve taken in the art trail, continue to indulge the senses over Fusion Tea, where contemporary meets traditional with sweet and savoury delights.

Step out for a stroll along Clontarf’s promenade or unwind in the splenid comfort of Knights Bar over a drink.

As the night draws in relax and take in the historic space, make your way to the awardwinning Fahrenheit restaurant for dinner where locally sourced ingredients take pride of place under executive head chef Stuart Heeney, who’s as talented as he is charming.

Speaking of which the only thing Clontarf Castle didn’t deliver was a Prince Charming, but then I wasn’t looking! nThe eclectic Castle Collection package is priced from €269 per night and includes the art trail, decadent afternoon tea experience ‘Fusion Tea’ and Artisan Castle breakfast the following morning for two. Visit clontarfcastle.ie or call 01 8332321 for more information on the Castle Collection package.

The plush Knights Bar is a great spot to unwind in

Comfort and luxury are guaranteed at the castle

Fusion Tea is an experience not to be missed

18 May 2017 GAZETTE 19

GAZETTE

TRAVEL

Exquisite Ecuador will take your breath away

 SYLVIA POWNALL PICTURE the scene: you are travelling by gondola 600 feet above the rain forest floor as the canopy of trees around you dissolves in a swirl of mist and birds of prey.

This is just one of the eye-opening experiences you can expect at the Mashpi Lodge in the Ecuadorian rain forest – a five-star retreat in the clouds.

The magical resort opened five years ago just 68 miles north west of Quito and lies within a 3,200acre nature reserve that is home to the Yumbo tribe.

Nature meets luxury at the Mashpi Lodge. Located deep in the cloud forests of Ecuador, it’s one of the planet’s most biodiverse hotspots.

As soon as you pass through the imposing bamboo gates and reach the modern steel and glass prefab structure on stilts you know you have entered another realm.

This chic hotel is like no other – you can sip coffee on the terrace as dawn breaks and witness the abundant wildlife stir below you, getting a close-up and personal experience with one of the most pristine forests in the world.

Mashpi lies at 3,100 feet above sea level on the gentle western slopes of the Andes with an average temperature in the low 20s.

Its 22 rooms are spread out down long, wide corridors with floor to ceiling glass walls bringing you ever closer to the forest right outside your window.

But the breathtaking and unspoiled setting doesn’t mean you have to compromise on creature comforts. The lodge is very much all mod cons with full-length electronic shades to block out the sunlight if you fancy some shut-eye.

The lodge offers a multitude of activities from guided hikes and waterfall swims to wildlife spotting and the amazing canopy sky bike.

Hiking along the steep and at times muddy trails your guide will point out flora and fauna from grasshoppers to huge millipedes and iguanas – and even fresh puma tracks.

Catering is buffet-style but the dishes on offer would not look out of place in a Michelin-starred restaurant, and there are countless ways to unwind after a day’s exploring whether you fancy a spa treatment, an evening lecture, or a wander around the Life Centre atrium which is filled with butterflies.

This really is bucket list stuff and it’s a considered purchase, but it’s an experience that will stay with you.

As if the lodge itself wasn’t enough you’ll also get to explore the beautiful colonial cities of Quito and Cuenca on a private tour.

THE DEAL Nine nights at the 3-star Mashpi Lodge from €3,995 per person. Includes: All flights, transfers, tours, accommodation in all-inclusive Mashpi Lodge. For more information or to book visit www.

NuevoMundo.ie or call the South American expert, Michael Harrington, at 01 241 2360.

The Mashpi Torrenteer

The vibrant cock of the rock is just one of hundreds of bird species around Mashpi Lodge

GAZETTE

20 GAZETTE 18 May 2017

DUBLINLIFE

Logo earrings €79; blue leather wrap bracelet €49 (with summer charms starting from €39); blue radiant hearts bangle €79; radiant hearts rings €59

Summer time Sparkles Radiant hearts rings €59; Hearts band ring €79

 EMMA NOLAN

BRIGHT colours and hints of sparkle – if that doesn’t make you feel summery, I don’t know what will..

Affordable jewellery brand PANDORA is just about to launch its summer collection, and it is a delight of colour and summer vibes.

Sweetly coloured ice cream-

tinged pastels, bright whites and coloured gemstones combine with sterling silver for a fresh approach to accessorising for warm weather.

The collection is elegant and timeless and pieces bought now will still look great next summer and the one after.

In store from June 1, prices range from €22 to €99.

Pearlescent hearts band ring €79; Pave drops earrings €99

Light blue radiant hearts ring €59; light blue radiant hearts bangle €79; droplet rings starting from €45; summer charms starting from €39; tropical paradise petites €29; floating locket €99

White orchids earrings €39; orchid dangle €45 worn on sterling silver necklace from €29; leather wrap bracelet €49 with charms starting from €39; pearlescent hearts band ring €79

18 May 2017 GAZETTE 21

Mint Velvet Clossome tencel bralet €85; blossom tencel belted tapered trouser €109

Mint Velvet Clean wide leg trouser €165; double-breasted minimal blazer €219; penny buckle sandal €125

Mint Velvet Blossom tencel bralet €185; blossom tencel belted tapered trouser €109; penny buckle sandal €125

 EMMA NOLAN Style Editor

PLANNING holiday outfits is one of life’s nicest pleasures: you’ve got a holiday coming up, time off work and some new clothes to debut.

As a long-time lover of jumpsuits and playsuits, I can’t recommend co-ords enough when it comes to summer/holiday dressing.

As separates, allow

yourself the ease of an all-in-one outfit but the freedom to mix and match, thus allowing for more variety in your holiday wardrobe (especially if you’re only bringing hand luggage).

So, with a set containing a top and bottoms, you essentially have three outfits – wearing it all together, wearing the top with different bottoms and wearing the bottoms with a different

Mint Velvet Stripe bralet €85; stripe trouser €125; penny buckle sandal €125

Penneys Embroidered co-ord top €9; embroidered co-ord shorts €9

Co-ord, mix & Match

top – capsule dressing at its simplest!

The usual suspects like Asos, Missguided and Pretty Little Thing always have an abundance of co-ords available online, but Penneys has some great ones in stock at the moment and Mint Velvet (which is in Dundrum Town Centre and in BT2 in Blanchardstown) currently has a gorgeous range.

GAZETTE

STYLE

Mint Velvet Stripe bralet €85; stripe trouser €125

Mint Velvet Lace shell top €125; lace skirt €179; penny buckle sandal €125

GAZETTE

22 GAZETTE 18 May 2017

DUBLINLIFE

FASTNews

The new Peugeot 308 is due here in autumn

Peugeot brings new style and technology to 308 PEUGEOT’S new 308 model boasts new styling, advanced driver assistance systems, the latestgeneration Peugeot engines and a new eight-speed automatic gearbox. The new car will be available to view in Dublin dealer showrooms this autumn, ahead of the 181-registration period. The car will be available in six trim versions: Access, Active, Allure, GT Line, GT and GTi. The new exterior design styling features a redesigned bonnet and vertical grille with new LED lighting. On the inside Peugeot uses its latest i-Cockpit touch-screen system combined with some new advanced driver assistance systems and 3D sat nav.

Depending on trim, features can include Active Safety Brake, Active Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, Visiopark with 180 degree rear camera and Park Assist function, which measures the parking space available and actually steers the car in.

For the new 308, Peugeot claims that the PureTech petrol engine has undergone a major upgrade to deliver low fuel consumption and more efficient pollution reduction. For the PureTech 130 S&S petrol engine the exhaust gases go through a catalytic converter, then a passive-regeneration gasoline particle filter. This is matched to a new six-speed manual gearbox.

LDV adds minibus to range IRELAND’S revived LDV van range has added the Mini B van to the range as a mini bus for long road trips, airport transfers and city driving.

Mini B van is based on the LDV V80 van and come with electronic brake force distribution and anti-lock braking system plus park assist, which is very helpful when parking a larger vehicle in tight spaces.

The Mini B comes with a digital dashboard. The Mini B is powered by a 136bhp engine and is teamed with a six-speed manual gearbox. Safety features include driver and passenger airbags, remote central locking and reverse parking sensors together with LED parking lamps, emergency roof hatch and fire exit.

The Mini B is a 14+1 seat vehicle and a 5+1 version will soon be available. They both come with an eight-way adjustable driver’s seat and three seat cabin.

Audi gets sporty with the new A5

Audi have long been renowned for the sporty feel of their car designs and performance. That reputation is especially obvious in the Audi A5 Sportback, which Michael Moroney found both economical and great to drive.

THE world of coupe cars has changed and expanded so that it’s now possible to indulge in the sporty ambiance that these cars offer while still having some family car values.

That message comes clearly into focus when you drive the new Audi A5 – a car that blends modern coupe styling with space.

Audi has upgraded the A5, sharpening its lines and adding some impressive new technology features. The A5 coupe look is strongly retained while the styling is more crisp and modern, so that you know that the car is new.

Under the skin Audi engineers have worked hard to shave 85kg from the car’s weight and that adds to the improved fuel economy. After some days behind the wheel you can appreciate the level of engineering and technology that has underpinned the car’s comfort and

road manners.

That appreciation comes in the form of ease of driving, smooth power flow, good economy and just an all-round great car to drive. The 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine is a perfect match for the seven speed automatic gearbox that was a feature of the S-Line version that I drove. You get the option of experiencing a more exciting drive when you opt for the Sport mode in the gearbox and its does deliver an obvious difference in driving pace.

The gearbox also allows a low engine rev cruising speed so on longer runs it is possible to drive at 120km/hr on the motorway at just 1,750rpm engine speed. This makes for smooth and quiet motorway cruising that’s truly economical.

Compared with the previous model, Audi claims to have reduced the A5 fuel consumption

by as much as 22% while increasing power output by up to 17%. All engines comply with the limits of the Euro 6 emission standard. The standard, updated start-stop system includes changes that reduce fuel consumption and lowers average CO2 to 109g/km. The system deactivates the engine when coasting up to traffic signals at less than seven km/h.

I found that the Audi A5 Sportback was able to achieve a range of over 900km and that impressed me. The official economy figure is 23.8km/litre (4.2/100km or 67mpg) and I almost achieved that over the full 1304km that I drove the car. That was a unique economy figure even if much of my driving was on motorways of national primary roads.

On the inside this A5 Sportback blends comfort with great design.

The new Audi A5 is an impressive car to look at and to drive. The engine performance coupled with a smooth driveline makes this car an ultimate pleasure to drive. Entry prices start at €49,600 and there are some impressive PCP finance offers available.

Audi A5 Sportback 2.0 TD

SPECIFICATIONS Engine Engine power Engine Torque 0 – 100km/hr Economy Fuel Tank Capacity CO2 emissions Road Tax Band Main Service Euro NCAP Rating Warranty Entry Price

2.0 litre 190hp 400Nm 7.9 seconds 23.8km/litre (4.2/100km or 67mpg) 40 litres 109g/km A3 €190 20,000km/12 mon 5 star (2015) 3 years (100,000km) €49,600

The dash layout has been modernised for the new Audi A5

The seating has easy adjustment and I was in a comfortable position with my phone Bluetooth connected within minutes.

Audi claims that there is slightly more legroom in the rear and the seat design means that other than the tallest people, your rear passengers will

never complain.

The four doors mean that this is an accessible car with Iso-fix couplings on the two outer rear seats. The centre seat position is a little tight, meaning that this is in reality a very comfortable four seat car that has impressive style.

18 May 2017 GAZETTE 23

GAZETTE

MOTORING

Birthday deal for iconic 500

The car comes equipped with an impressive array of equipment as standard. These include Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights and LED rear lights to give impressive visibility on the road in all conditions. The interior LED lights illuminate key features.

This new A5 Sportback has Audi’s latest infotainment features. These include the Audi MMI navigation system with seven-inch colour display, Bluetooth and USB charging functionality, a dedicated smartphone interface for iOS and Android devices and a three-month free trial of Audi Connect. The fact that these systems were easy to engage with in a logical manner makes that attractive and very driver friendly.

The range of Audi connect services is impressive, from navigation with Google Earth and Google Street View to travel information, traffic information online and searching for a parking space

or even Twitter. Audi has developed a purposedesigned interface for the social network.

The A5 comes with some new driver assistance systems, like Audi pre-sense city, and front and rear parking sensors.

Spending some time with the latest Audi drive select dynamic handling system allows the driver to select specific profiles ideally suited to their preferences and driving conditions.

The test car was the Audi A5 Sportback S-Line version and that comes with some additional premium features, such as LED headlights, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, leather-upholstered seats, 18-inch alloys running on Pirelli Centurauto P7 245/40 R18 tyres and the sports suspension.

Audi cars come with a premium and the likes of the A5 Sportback will be viewed against the BMW and Mercedes-Benz competition. While I have yet to drive BMW’s 4 Grand Coupe, it will have to cross a high bar if it is to

TO MARK the 60th anniversary of the launch of the Fiat 500 back in 1957, Fiat in Ireland is offering new Fiat 500 buyers the choice of 0% APR finance (PCP or HP) or three years’ free servicing when they purchase a Fiat 500 registered by July 16.

The deal allows customers to buy a Fiat 500 Pop 1.2 69hp for just €151 a month (RRP €13,600 with a deposit of €4,080 and optional final payment of €4,080).

Since its launch on July 4, 1957, the Fiat 500 has proved itself to be

a much-loved global success. The popular city car sets trends with its iconic chic style, advanced technologies and range of powerful, yet efficient engines.

Paul Hunt, managing director of FCA Group Ireland, said: “The Fiat 500 is a popular option for customers thanks to the large amount of choice it offers.

“From its range of eye-catching colours to the never-ending amount of personalisation options, each 500 can be made unique to the buyer.”

AA says more motorists are opting for comprehensive car insurance One of the more impressive features of the new Audi A5 is the electronic dial system that’s great to use and clear with lots of functionality

The centre console with the Audi MMi controller is very comfortable to use with great functionality and you quickly get at ease with the controls

surpass Audi’s combination of style, performance, economy and great driving comfort.

Entry prices for the Audi A5 range start from €49,600 and the options choices are tempting and equally expensive. Few

if any A5 buyers will opt for the basic package, so the true buying price will rise significantly so make your options choices with care and some thought.

The end result will be an impressive car, of that you can be in doubt.

MORE than eight-in-10 motorists are now opting for comprehensive motor insurance over a third party policy, a year on year increase of over 5%, according to AA Ireland. An analysis of AA Ireland’s car insurance books found that 81.86% of motorists are now opting for a comprehensive policy, up from 76.25% in 2016.

The analysis found that just 18.11% of AA customers are now opting to take a third-party, fire and theft policy compared to 23.74% in 2016.

“While 2016 saw a drop of about 2% in terms of those opting for comprehensive cover, likely as a result of rising premiums, it appears that more and more motorists are now opting for this higher level of cover as the current rate of those opting for a comprehensive policy is the highest seen in the last four years,” Conor Faughnan, AA director of consumer affairs stated.

“While we have no way of knowing what the future holds when it comes to

insurance prices, it does appear on the back of this analysis that people feel a little more economically secure than they have in previous years and are, as a result, opting to take out additional cover at a higher rate than seen in the past.”

Despite the rise in demand for comprehensive car insurance cover, the AA is advising motorists who may be trying to lower their premium costs to ensure they are purchasing the correct level of cover to meet their needs.

“In recent months we’ve seen a reduction in the number of young people applying for provisional licenses and a big factor in this is the cost of learning to drive and insurance,” Faughnan added.

“While getting on the road has always been a front loaded cost, with average premiums reducing as you get older and more experienced, for first time drivers a third-party policy is likely to be more affordable and suitable to what they require.”

GAZETTE

24 BLANCH GAZETTE 18 May 2017

DUBLINLIFE

ReelReviews GUARDIANS 2

Volumes of character ANYTHING with Kurt Russell is worth watching, and his enjoyably hammy turn here is just one highlight of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (Cert 12A, 120 mins), the neon-soaked sequel to the popular first film. It’s more of the same, as the cast build up their characters a little more, delivering a frantic sci-fi that’s full of violence, vulgarity and fun, making it a welcome addition to the usually dour genre.

KING ARTHUR

What goes around ...

DIRECTOR Guy Richie has turned out a fairly gritty but underwhelming take on the whole King Arthur legend, with Charlie Hunnam gamely stepping up to star in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (Cert 12A, 126 mins). It looks okay, but just doesn’t bring anything new to the legend, despite some nice visuals in parts.

Hunnam is decent in the a-beefcake-with-destiny role, but it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.

GHOST IN THE SHELL A flawed reinvention

SCARLETT Johansson’s time as the Major at the heart of Ghost in The Shell (Cert 15A, 107 mins) is nearly up, as it edges towards the exit at cinema complexes. In a future world where cybernetically modified or augmented humans are commonplace, she’s one herself, on the trail of dangerous hackers.

It often looks absolutely spectacular, but doesn’t live up to the source material.

CINEMA

SUMMER PREVIEW: SOME MORE OF THE BLOCKBUSTERS COMING TO CINEMAS

It’s another selection of sizzlers to look out for  SHANE DILLON

WITH the great weather we had recently, you could be forgiven for thinking that summer has arrived.

Well, not quite – as we all know, summer in Ireland usually seems to be ‘the good two weeks’ that land around the Leaving Cert exams, as well as going to the cinema much more often to catch the latest summer sizzler (or occasional turkey).

Speaking of which ...

Colossal (May 19) Fusing Anne Hathaway with Pacific Rift, Colossal takes the standard monsterattacks-city trope to deliver a comedy (with added dashes of alcoholism).

The kaiju (giant monsters) at the heart of 2013’s Pacific Rim were that film’s biggest feature – pun intended – and, here, director Nacho Vigalondo has put his own twist on their appeal, casting Hathaway as a troubled woman who starts manifesting highly-destructive kaiju in downtown Seoul.

A f t e r 2 014 ’s d o u r

Godzilla (a film which audiences still haven’t forgiven for killing off Bryan Cranston in the first act, after bigging him up in the trailers), there’s a definite gap in the market for big, stompy monsters to make their mark on cinema screens.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (May 25) With Johnny Depp’s recent career seemingly cast adrift in one cinema shipwreck after another (the less said about SS Mortdecai, the better), it’s unsurprising that he’s returned to don the boots, hat and eyeliner of Captain Jack Sparrow.

While the franchise was in danger of hitting the rocks during its last outing, the addition of the charismatic Javier Bardem as a new nemesis – the eponymous Captain Salazar – may be enough of a jolt to get the series back on course, with early indications that the film is ticking all the right boxes to leave timbers well and truly shivered again.

The Mummy (June 09) Tom Cruise stars as Universal attempts to reboot the faded franchise that many cinemagoers still associate with Brendan Fraser (remember him?)

Updated to modern times, and now with an ancient princess as its Big Bad, you can expect a decent blockbuster that’s deftly delivered on Cruise control, with some heavily CG-led setpieces.

If nothing else, it could work as a welcome alternative to the superheroheavy release schedule, as well as the latest in stale sequels. Which leads to ...

Transformers: The Last Knight (June 23) Director Michael Bay’s latest film looks set to be a thoughtful, introspective piece that gradually explores the complex psychological and emotional impact of being a bloody big robot smashing and shooting things in slow motion* while the American flag flutters a lot in front of giant explosions and sunsets.

You’re either a fan of

2

1

3

5

4

6

From top-left: 1 Colossal; 2 Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge; 3 The Mummy; 4 Transformers: The Last Knight; 5 The Dark Tower, and 6 Atomic Blonde

the truly atrocious Transformers films, or you’re not – fans know exactly what they’ll be getting here, while everyone else knows what to avoid. (*Now with added King Arthur and Knights of the Round Table flashbacks, for extra cheese!)

The Dark Tower (July 28) With Stephen King’s It reboot on TV soon to make a whole new generation terrified of clowns,

King fans can also take in the long-awaited film based on his Dark Tower series.

The formidable Idris Elba leads opposite Matthew McConaughey as his nemesis, with high expectations for the film to do justice to the themes and complexity of the books.

Atomic Blonde (August 11) With her bravura turn in 2015’s Mad Max showing an unexpected flair

for an action-heavy role, Charlize Theron goes even further with Atomic Blonde, delving into Cold War-era cat and mouse games in divided Berlin.

With its uber-stylish, energetic, violent trailers seeing the film already dubbed ‘Jane Wick’ by some wags, the talented actress could be on the cusp of creating an impressive new franchise to leave action fans shaken and stirred.

18 May 2017 BLANCH GAZETTE 25

GAZETTE

TECH

TECH ATTACK: RANSOMWARE WORM CHEWED THROUGH WORLDWIDE IT DEFENCES “It’s the pirate’s life for me”

Disney’s ‘Pirates’ hijacked?

WITH hackers and global tech piracy taking centre-stage around the world this week, some other pirates have reportedly been busy attacking the landlubber execs at Disney, arrrr.

While they haven’t been waving cutlasses about, they’ve nonetheless been engaged in pretty modern piracy – demanding a king’s ransom to prevent a hacked big budget blockbuster from being released online, bit by bit, until the ransom is paid.

With the film widely reported to be the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (above), the choppedup release threat poses an unwanted irritant to ‘The Mouse House’, not least as the film is slated for release very soon.

Hackers However, with the hackers demanding a healthy haul of Bitcoins – otherwise, increasingly large segments will be posted online – time is running out while the pressure is rising to resolve the issue, although Disney are also reported as refusing to pay the demand.

It’s not an empty threat – similar hijacking issues have arisen before, with a slew of Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black episodes posted online last yeat after a similar bit of attempted piracy.

The best way to see Disney’s ‘Pirates’ is at the cinema, of course, but it’s possible they’ll be making an illegal landfall sooner than expected, or wanted ...

While the criminal hackers behind WannaCry are demanding Bitcoins (right) rather than conventional money, the principle is the same – having hijacked/encrypted data, they demand a ransom be paid to release it

WannaCry’s rampage creates a global mess THE world has been gripped by a single tech story this week like never before, as malicious ‘ransomware’ wreaked havoc across the globe, leading to a domino chain of disaster in one sector after another – a chain which still hasn’t finished its tumbling yet.

Literally hundreds of thousands of companies all around the world were affected by the ransomware virus commonly known as WannaCry (and a WannaCry2 variant), which certainly left plenty of people ready to cry – with rage, given the mess it created for many.

While ransomware is a common enough IT threat to look out for – indeed, even Gazette Towers fell prey to one pesky worm

 SHANE DILLON sdillon@dublingazette.com

some time back (which, true to form, blocked access to a huge amount of files by encrypting them, then demanded payment to unlock the files, just as WannaCry has been doing) – the scale and speed of WannaCry’s path to global mayhem was unprecedented.

From entire healthcare systems to banking networks, right down to several Mom-n-Pop local businesses, the ransomeware worm hijacked

individual computers and entire networks at a global level with startling speed and ease, effectively shouting “Stick ’em up – now hand over the loot!” at its victims.

Here at home, the Government was as quick to react as its peers around the world, putting out warnings and advising industry/the public about the threat posed by WannaCry, although by that stage, the damage was done.

Echoing the warnings of international experts, the National Cyber Security Centre in the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment pointed out how WannaCry exploited a particular Microsoft Win-

dows vulnerability.

This allowed it to easily self-replicate and spread – alarmingly, it didn’t need to be triggered by a user – with experts all around the world rushing to try to fix the issue and stop WannaCry in its tracks, but even this global effort was just a little too late.

W hile WannaCr y’s impact in Ireland (at the time of writing) was pretty limted compared to several other countries, reports suggested that Russian and Chinese computers had been particularly badly impacted.

From ATMs to hospitals, colleges to telephone networks, a very dievrse amount of systems everywhere were hijacked and held to ransom.

Furious accusations have already been thrown about in several countries about who was to blame for the scale of the crisis, while governments and political parties alike have bickered about their defences in the face of the attacks.

It’s a story that’s still unfolding at the time of going to print, with the alarming incident underscoring the surprisingly wobbly state of global IT systems despite literally decades of research, training and expensive tech already in place to stop such an attack – all of which utterly failed in the face of an attack by a sneaky but not especially sophisticated virus.

Governments, corpora-

tions, tech and national security agencies, and Joe Public alike have all been asking the same question: who was behind the attack?

Analysts have started to point the finger at North Korea, with initial reports emerging of similarities between the ransomware and previous antics linked to well-known NK hackers.

However, while it’s still too early to know the full story and impact of WannaCry’s rampage, it has perhaps served as a harsh reminder that IT threats are very real, with even one ‘simple’ attack having had the ability to impact on hundreds of millions of people, while governments stood by helplessly.

26 BLANCH GAZETTE 18 May 2017

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28 BLANCH GAZETTE 18 May 2017

SPORT

FastSport IRISH WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SQUAD NAMED: METEORS’ Aoife Whelan, DCU Mercy’s Sarah Woods, Pyrobel Killester’s Emma Sherwood and Michelle Clarke and Courtyard Liffey Celtics’ Aine O’Connor and Sorcha Tiernan were all part of an initial Irish women’s basketball panel of 18 players.

It follows a successful trial held in Cork recently with the players subsequently lining out in a trial game against the Irish Under-18 women’s team in the Mardyke.

From there, a reduced selection will travel to Luxembourg this weekend fo three friendly games against the hosts.

Speaking about the news, coach Mark Scannell said: “It gave us vital court time before we head to Luxembourg next weekend and will be good preparation for the Mardyke Series which will take place in Ireland in June and will see the squad face off against Iceland in two friendly games on June 9 and 10.”

SOCCER: RODDY COLLINS TAKES ON THE CHALLENGE AT CONTROVERSY-HIT CLUB

Cabra’s finest believes he can change Athlone’s world

 KARL GRAHAM sport@dublingazette.com

RODDY Collins is back in the League of Ireland with Athlone Town and, in true Roddy style, he walks into a club who have had their fair share of controversy lately.

Since the turn of the year, a Portuguese consortium has invested in the club while R icardo Monsanto was appointed manager before mutually agreeing to leave the club after failing to win for eight games in succession.

Worst of all, an investigation has been opened into matchfixing allegations aimed at the team.

Now former Bohemians, Dublin City, and Shamrock Rovers manager Collins is back at the helm he occupied for one season in 2013.

In doing so, the Cabra man is taking his first job in management since parting ways with Waterford United in 2016. He was present at Tolka Park for Athlone’s 2-1 defeat to Shelbourne last Friday night and claimed afterwards that meeting the club’s mysterious investor is not some-

Roddy Collins is looking forward to the challenge at Athlone Town

thing he is bothered about.

“No, I don’t care. I only want to meet him if he doesn’t pay us,” Collins joked. “Why would I want to meet him?

It’s nothing to do with me,” he said afte the result that leaves the side seventh in the eight team league.

“I met Marc [Fourmeaux],

who is running the show. I understand football and he understands football, so it is business. We spoke football.”

No reservations Collins also has no reservations over taking charge of a team in the midst of an investigation into three of their

games this season. “Sure, it had nothing to do with me but I’m used to investigations!”

Another aspect of controversy that has engulfed the club is how many foreign players have been brought in since the new investors took over but Collins believes if you are good enough to play

then it shouldn’t matter where you come from.

“We’ll get whoever the best players are. Honestly now, it doesn’t bother me. If a player can play, he can play. The keeper [Igor Labuts] took some stick during the week but I thought he was brilliant tonight. It doesn’t matter where they are from, and there will be options to bring players in from abroad. That’s good.

“The beauty is if you are getting someone from outside, you’re not competing with other clubs because they don’t know who he is.”

Many football men might have run a mile if approached

by Athlone to take over the team but, as Collins attests to, his own self-believe can often be to his detriment.

“I knew the potential of the club was there before and the investors coming in have assured me there is plenty of revenue there to get it going, and plenty of players out there to bring in.

“I believe I can change the world – that’s my problem,” Collins concluded with a wry smile.

Castle Father and Son all set for 50th anniversary  sport@dublingazette.com

Lee Healion, Dawson Jewellers’ Ken McDonagh, and Barry McConville (captain, Castle GC). Picture: Pat Cashman

CASTLE Golf Club have confirmed Dawson Jewellers will be the sponsors of the 57th year of the All Ireland Father & Son Foursomes competition which will be held at the club in July.

This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the year when Joe Carr won this event along with his son Jody.

Captain Barry McConville said of the event: “This is one of those great tournaments in Ireland that builds and nourishes future talent, relation-

ships and values which are all important to our club and to golf in general.”

Qualifying will take place on an 18-hole strokes format on Saturday, July 1 and Sunday, July 2. The cost of entry is €70 per pair.

Castle welcome It is expected that this year’s event will once again attract over 500 hopefuls on the two qualif ying days, representing over 100 different clubs who will all experience the renowned Castle welcome.

Sixty-four pairs will qualify for the match-play stages of the event, which will run from Monday, July 3 until the final on Sunday, July 9.

Last season saw former Walker Cup player Jody Fanagan reach his first All-Ireland Father and Son final along with his son Harry.

Peter and Graham O’Connor of Foxrock had the best gross score in the qualifiers and their fine golf continued all the way through the matchplay stages to the final.

Both pairs treated spectators

to fine golf right throughout the week and a large crowd were treated to a fantastic final played in the spirit that this competition is renowned for.

In the final, the Fanagans (Milltown) defeated the O’Connors (Foxrock) 4&3 in a hard fought final.

For more information and for updates throughout the week of the tournament, visit the club website at www.castlegc. ie. Entries can be made through the website from May 16 or by calling Castle Golf Club on (01) 4904207.

18 May 2017 BLANCH GAZETTE 29

GAZETTE

FASTSport

Liffey and Sheriff at the heart of inner-city life

Pearse Street club win the battle of the Wanderers to land FAI Intermediate Cup title, making for an epic day out for innercity Dublin clubs at the Aviva Stadium in the national finals FAI INTER CUP FINAL

Murphy boys lead way in fourth win in six seasons

Liffey Wanderers 2 Cobh Wanderers 2 Liffey won 5-4 on penalties  sport@dublingazette.com

SHERIFF YC lifted their fourth Aviva/Umbro sponsored FAI Junior Cup in six years as a goal in each half earned them victory against Evergreen in Saturday’s final at the Aviva Stadium.

At the end of a first half they dominated, the holders forged ahead through Stephen Murphy’s free-kick and, despite the Kilkenny side mounting a comeback after the break, another of the four Murphy brothers, Paul, sealed the triumph with a second goal.

It looked to be a frustrating afternoon for the Dublin side when their constant pressure failed to deliver the breakthrough until the final moments of the half.

When John Rock had been denied from close-range by a superb Packie Holden save, the ball broke and Evergreen conceded a free on the edge of their box.

Up stepped Stephen Murphy to curl his low shot around the wall and past Holden despite the goalkeeper getting a hand on the effort.

By that stage, Sheriff had missed a litany of chances mainly through Sean and Stephen Murphy but Evergreen, contesting their first final since 1984, enjoyed their moments too.

A surge by Mikey Drennan to the end-line on the half hour resulted in a left-wing cross which Daryl Walshe was prevented from getting a touch to by the advancing Lee Murphy The Sheriff goalkeeper was also at his best in batting away a thunderous shot from Chris Whearty after the winger cut in from the left.

Still, once Sheriff edged into the lead, they held control. Apart from Whearty’s shot with 20 minutes left which flew over the crossbar and another effort late on by substitute Lee Delaney, Evergreen couldn’t convert their superiority of possession into clearcut chances.

As they gambled in pursuit of an equaliser late on, gaps appeared at the back and the clinical Sheriff profited. Darren Dunne teed up the overlapping Paul Murphy with a superb pass and the rampaging right-back beat Holden with a crisp shot.

L I F F E Y Wa n d e r e r s emerged victorious in the FAI Umbro Intermediate Cup Final after a hardfought victory against Cobh Wanderers which was decided after a penalty shootout following a 2-2 draw.

It ensured an inner-city double in the national cup finals, adding to Sheriff YC’s success in the Junior Cup, their near neighbours from just across the river joining them for memorable celebrations later on Saturday evening.

Cobh started the better of the two sides at the Aviva Stadium, registering the first shot on target

when danger man Ian Stapleton was played into the box before firing towards the near post only for his shot to be saved.

Stapleton thought he had scored the first goal of the game after 15 minutes. A 25-yard shot from Eoin Hastings produced a good save from Philip O’Connor and Stapleton was the quickest to react, firing in from close range only to be ruled offside.

Liffey managed their first effort on target with 33 minutes on the clock.

Cobh cleared multiple crosses before one finally found its intended target. Lee Roche’s header proved to be a fairly routine save for Michael Devine.

In what was an even first 45 minutes, the sides went in level. Cobh had

the better chances and seemed the more likely side to break the deadlock but Liffey were holding up to their challenge well.

The second half kicked off in a lively fashion with both sides eager to capitalise on their half-time break. Liffey striker Aidan Roche was troubling the Cobh defence with his pace and he looked a constant threat.

Liffey were having the better of the opening second-half exchanges but Cobh still looked dangerous going forward.

They almost took the lead before the 60-minute mark when David Andrews went close with a header.

Aidan Roche was continuing to cause the Cobh defence problems, controlling excellently inside

the box and forcing a good save from Devine.

Minutes later he repeated the same feat, but once again he was denied by Devine.

Liffey opened the scoring after 71 minutes with a headed goal from 19-yearold Clay ton Maher.

The youngster first rattled the crossbar with a header, and he was first to react, capitalising on the rebound to head Liffey in front.

Liffey almost made it two shortly afterwards, this time Lee Roche failing to get the ball into the Cobh net after a threaded through ball.

Cobh pressed for an equaliser and they were rewarded with 85 minutes gone. A flicked effort by substitute Stephen Griffin was saved by O’Connor,

Players and fans from Liffey Wanderers and Sheriff YC celebrate together on Pearse Street with their respective FAI Intermediate and Junior Cup titles.

but Conor Meade was on hand at the back post to level the game with five minutes to play.

The tie finished level and extra-time was required to separate the sides.

Liffey took the lead after just four minutes. Aidan Roche drove at the Cobh defence, turning two defenders before slotting passed the Cobh keeper to give Liffey a precious lead.

Cobh almost got an equaliser just before halftime. Substitute Alan O’Flynn half-volleyed from outside the crowded Liffey penalty area, but Liffey keeper O’Connor saved and then showed good reflexes and claimed the rebound.

Liffey almost ensured victory with a minute left to play. Cobh had committed bodies forward in search of an equaliser, and a counter attack saw Lee Roche’s through on goal but his curled effort was denied by Devine.

In the dying seconds of extra-time, Cobh found a precious equaliser. Committing large numbers in to the box proved fruitful, and Conor Meade finished in to the roof of the net with virtually the last kick of the game following a set-piece. The FAI Intermediate Cup final would be decided on penalties.

It was Liffey Wanderers who showed the most nerve in the deciding penalties, edging out their rivals 5-4 in what was a tense shootout to go on and lift the cup.

GAZETTE

30 BLANCH GAZETTE 18 May 2017

SPORT

FASTSport

St Ciaran’s show Harts of gold in Leinster win EIGHT students from St Ciaran’s National School in Hartstown are celebrating after they landed the opportunity to represent their county at the Aviva Stadium by becoming Leinster champions in the SPAR FAI Primary Schools 5s finals.

Jake Brady, Adam Kavanagh, Callum Jameson, Josh Clarke, Alex Jones, Sean Molloy, Eric Marku and Belguy Manzambi started their journey to the Aviva alongside over 28,000 other kids from 1,500 schools across Ireland.

They had reached the Leinster final after winning the Dublin section, and came up against schools from Carlow, Kildare and Meath in the fight to make the nationals.

Gaelscoil Eoghain Ui Thuairisc from Carlow were first up for St Ciaran’s with the latter winning 2-0. A 3-1 defeat of St Stephen’s NS then sent them into a decider with Kildare’s Scoil Ui Riada, who had also won their first two games. Only one team could progress, however, and it was St Ciaran’s who landed another trophy with a 4-1 win.

Jake will now grace the same pitch as his namesake Robbie Brady on May 31 when he joins his teammates in attempting to go all the way and win the national finals.

“I am blown away with what they achieved because with there being so many schools in Dublin. I think it was probably harder to get out of the Dublin section than the Leinster one,” Jake’s father Peter Brady told GazetteSport.

“For a little community like St Ciaran’s to have eight players left in the competition, I thought was just exceptional.

“I’m led to believe that one of the FAI guys told the lads that it has been six years since a Dublin team represented Leinster in the AllIreland final.

“It might be a once in a lifetime opportunity. There are loads of kids who will never get the chance to do it so they’re chuffed. Really, really excited,” Brady added.

SOCCER: SAINTS TURN FORM AROUND TO PUT PRESSURE ON BLUEBELL

No quarter given by either side when St Mochta’s hosted Bluebell United last weekend. Picture: Martin Doherty

Mochta’s stay in LSL hunt LSL SUNDAY SENIOR St Mochta’s Bluebell United  sport@dublingazette.com

1 2

ST MOCHTA’S fought back from a goal down against Bluebell United to deny their opponents the title and take the LSL Sunday Senior fight down to the wire.

Bluebell went into the game on top and knowing that victory away to main rivals Mochta’s would guarantee them their third title in a row.

There was understandably a lot of tension around the game, evident among both sets of

supporters at Porterstown Road.

The home side looked to be running away with the league at one stage but a run of just one win in five games looked to have dashed their hopes.

Bluebell had won five and drawn one of their last six league games to surge past the faltering Mochta’s. However, following up victory over Greystones United AFC with the win against B l u e b e l l , t h e y h ave recovered to draw level on points with just one game remaining.

Bluebell started the game well and believed

DOUBLE TOPS Paddocks hit the bull with fundraising night THE PADDOCKS darts team recently ran a fundraising night for St Francis Hospice Blanchardstown where they raised over €6,000.

The night saw them play against former world champion Bob Anderson for a super night of darts.

The team has been running for three years and have produced a WPFG gold medallist, a Dublin singles champion, a Meath singles champion and have a doubles team in the Dublin final later this month.

they should have been awarded a penalty after 12 minutes. However, the referee had a good view of the incident and waved play on.

The visitors did eventually take the lead on 25 minutes through Gareth Cooney.

The former Mochta’s man scored his third goal in two games with a finish into the roof of the net from a corner that was headed on into the box.

The Saints responded well and went close to equalising shortly afterwards with a header from David Somers.

The score stayed at 1-0 until the 49th minute when the Dublin 15 side drew level with a strike from Denis Moran.

Andy McNulty kept out a David Lacey strike but he couldn’t do anything to prevent Moran from rounding him and slotting home from the follow up. Not for the first time this season, Lacey was putting in a fine performance.

Mochta’s took the lead seven minutes later when Somers picked up a weak clearance and fired past McNulty from 25 yards.

Bluebell were shaken

into life but they struggled to create much until late in the game when Morgan Cranley produced an excellent finger tip save to deny them an equaliser.

Bluebell can win the title on Saturday evening if they equal the result of Mochta’s while the latter need to better the result of Bluebell by a couple of goals if they are to be victorious.

However, Bluebell have a tricky final fixture against Crumlin United FC, who are also still in with a shout of finishing top for the first time since the 2013-14 season.

18 May 2017 BLANCH GAZETTE 31

GAZETTE

FOOTBALL: DUBLIN 15 DUO THROUGH TO QUARTER-FINALS

CLUB NOTICEBOARD

ST BRIGID’S CONGRATULATIONS to the senior and

camps, email eventsbrigids@gmail.com

junior C football teams who won their

to book your place. The club camp is July

championship rounds over the week-

24-28 (age 4 to 12), Kellogg’s Cul Camp is

end. The junior A team are due to play the

August 14-18 (age 6-12) and the nursery

winners of St Oliver Plunkett’s and Man O

camp is August 21-25 (age 4-6).

War in Round 2.

The nursery takes place each Saturday from 9.30 to 11am, all 4 to 7 year olds

There was no winner of the lotto jack-

director. St Brigid’s need an experi-

pot on May 11th so the jackpot of €15,000

enced, knowledgeable and inspirational

is carried forward. Many thanks to our

figure to nurture and develop our nurs-

great committee and to everyone who

ery squad. Please contact Paddy Davey

supports our Club Lotto. Next week’s

on 086 822 9312 if you can take this on.

draw is in on Thursday, May 18 in The

ing and hot snacks available.

Knock and St Brigid’s light up Parnell Park DUBLIN SFC 2ND ROUND Castleknock 2-18 St Oliver Plunkett’s/ER 2-15  PADDY HEWSON sport@dublingazette.com

CASTLEKNOCK and St Brigid’s big wins in the Dublin senior football championship means Dublin 15 will have a major representation in the quarter-finals draw following back-to-back wins at Parnell Park last weekend.

Topping the bill was the mouth-watering encounter between Castleknock and St Oliver Plunkett/ Eoghan Ruadh. Having impressed in the first round, Plunkett’s were seeking to avenge last year’s defeat whilst Castleknock sought to confirm their senior championship credentials.

Boasting top class fire power in the shape of Gareth “Nesty” Smith and Bernard Brogan, the Navan Road outfit were soon out of the blocks with Nesty scoring the first of four first half points with Brogan contributing a further two.

C a s t l e k n o c k we r e unlucky to twice rattle the

crossbar, and their supporter’s nerves, in the first half. Despite some good first half scores, including a nice long range effort from Matthew Griffin, Ciaran Kilkenny’s side trailed 0-7 to 0-3 at the break.

A well-taken goal and point from Niall Walsh put Plunkett’s six points ahead in the early stages of the second half. Partially cancelled out by a goal from Kilkenny, a disciplined Castleknock side, remained patient and soon the Somerton side profited from Plunkett’s infringements that included a penalty chance which Limerick native Seamus O’Carroll converted.

Castleknock’s tactics briefly caused high drama when the Knock restart came unstuck with an intercepted short kick out which allowed Alan Brogan to goal.

At 2-11 apiece after 60 minutes, Knock talisman Kilkenny started extra time with two points whilst marksman O’Carroll continued to point with confidence. Plunkett’s Smith and Brogan registered further scores but Seamus O’Carroll had the final say

to give him a personal tally of 1-10 and Castleknock a win on a score line of 2-18 to 2-15.

St Brigid’s Thomas Davis

0-14 1-8

ST BRIGID’s sent Thomas Davis out of the championship on a 0-14 to 1-8 scoreline. With just a Niall Davey score for Brigid’s after five minutes and a Paul Hudson score for Thomas Davis after seven minutes, this game was slow to ignite.

A 13th minute goal from Ciaran Farrelly finally brought the game to life and with the Tallaght side leading 1-2 to 0-2 half way

through the first half. Brigid’s were forced the make use of all their chances.

They set about their work with some fine points from open play and a 45’ from Lorcan McCarthy.

Guilty of some untidy passing, Thomas Davis gave up their lead despite some good passages of play. Ahead by two points at the break, Brigid’s shot ahead with the opening three scores of the second period.

With John O’Loughlin up front and a tenacious Paddy Andrews working tirelessly, the Russell Park side simply had too much for the southsiders.

come.

are welcome. We are seeking a nursery

Our coffee shop has great home bakCastleknock’s Kevin Kindlon breaks from a crowded midfield against Plunkett’s. Picture: Niall O’Connell

Mini-leagues are planned for the second week of June, more information to

Don’t miss out on St Brigid’s summer

CASTLEKNOCK

Vineyard.

Keep up with all our news on www. stbrigidsgaa.com.

OUR nursery, with thanks to Tigers

Dublin U-16 Leinster football final team

Childcare, continues next Saturday at

who beat Meath.

Tir na nOg. New members always wel-

Congratulations to both and well done

come. Nursery enquiries to lisakier-

to Ollie Coffey, a key part of the Dublin

nan1@gmail.com.

U-16 management Team.

Massive win for the senior footballers

Big congratulations to the Castle-

against St Oliver Plunkett’s in the first

knock girls who won the U-14 Leinster

round of the senior championship in an

camogie shield with Dublin – Lucy Quinn,

epic contest which saw the Castleknock

Hannah Bourke, Emma Diamond, Aoife

men prevail with 2-18 to 2-15 after extra-

Bergin and Aisling O’Neil.

time.

Please sign up to Topaz “Play or Park”

Congrats also to the ladies first team

online or at a Topaz garage and pick

who beat Man O War 2-16 to 2-8 and to

Castleknock Hurling and Football club

the U-14 ladies footballers who won Divi-

as your club.

sion 2 League with one match remaining.

Scan your loyalty card when you

It was a great weekend for club mem-

buy fuel in Topaz and the club could be

bers representing Dublin with Caitlin

entered into a cash draw with up to

Coffey and Eimear Griffin part of the

€200,000 up for grabs.

NAOMH PEREGRINE

ACADEMY kids off to a great start! Huge

met for a crucial game that neither side

congratulations to our 34 CNP academy

wanted to lose.

kids who participated in the Castleknock

At half time, the sides were separated

football blitz on Saturday in Tir na nOg.

by just three points as Cuala sat nar-

Great performances all round for the

rowly in front 1-7 to 1-4. Peregrine’s kept

first games of the year. Well done to all

their cool as they restarted and scored

involved. St. Peregrines are looking for-

a goal fairly sharpish to set them level

ward to hosting Erin go Bragh.

with the Cuala girls.

It was an unlucky result for our sen-

Despite a great display of team work,

ior camogie team on Thursday as they

athleticism and skill by the CNP side

played away from home against Cuala.

Cuala took a three point win. Super

It was always going to be a battling game

effort from this Senior team with an

from both sides as the top two teams

unfortunate result, 1-12 to 2-6.

ERIN GO BRAGH

THERE was no winner of our jackpot.

Numbers drawn were 1, 2, 10 and 26.

Don’t miss out on our summer camps.

Kellogg’s Cul Camp is July 17-21. Bookings

Congratulations to both Jack Carroll

can be made online. Erin Go Bragh’s sum-

and Conor Mcleod who were part of the

mer camp nursery for U-11s is August 14

U-15 Dublin football development squad

to 18 and our advance camp for U-12s

who defeated Westmeath at the week-

plus is August 15-17. Early booking is

end.

required to avoid any disappointment.

Congratulations to Aoife O’Sullivan

There was plenty of juvenile activity

who took part in the All-Ireland U-14

this week. Our nursery, aka The Little

football blitz on Saturday and also was

Green Machine, took part in a football

part of the U-14 Dublin camogie develop-

blitz in Castleknock and did us proud. Not

St Brigids Mark Cahil tracks Cian Murphy of Thomas

ment squad who won the division A shield

to be outdone our U-8 girls competed

Davis. Picture: Niall O’Connell

at the Lenister blitz on Sunday.

against Naomh Barrog.

GAZETTESPORT

ALL OF YOUR BLANCH SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 28-31

CHAMPIONSHIP MATTERS: Both Castleknock and St Brigid’s advance to senior championship last eight P30

MAY 18 - 24, 2017

INNER-CITY LIFE: Liffey Wanderers and Sheriff sweep to FAI Cup titles P29

Corry back on track Shamrock Rovers’ Paul Corry leads a coaching session in Bluebell Community Centre at the AIG Heroes event on Tuesday. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Castleknock native finally getting back to playing football with Shamrock Rovers after a tough spell on the sidelines for the guts of three seasons

 DAVE DONNELLY

sport@dublingazette.com

AFTER a year-and-a-half sidelined with a potentially career-ending knee injury, Paul Corry is enjoying once again living the life of a professional footballer with Shamrock Rovers.

The 26-year-old Castleknock native made his first competitive start in 19 months earlier this month in the Hoops’ EA Sports Cup tie against Longford Town, completing 75 minutes in a 1-0 win.

The former UCD midfielder left Ireland in 2012 for English Championship side Sheffield Wednesday after securing a degree in commerce under the university’s soccer scholarship pro-

gram.

And while he went to England, aged 22, mature and prepared for the world that confronted him, little could have prepared him for the injury nightmare that threatened to ruin his dream.

“I was only talking to the manager there the other day and telling him I had two frustrating years at Sheffield Wednesday,” Corry told GazetteSport at the AIG Heroes event in Bluebell last week.

“At the end of my contract at Sheffield Wednesday I was contemplating coming back [to Ireland] and playing.

“When I didn’t, I decided to go to Northampton and I was only getting a taste for it again

when I did my knee.

“I’ve not played consistently in the guts of three years. To get that buzz – any sportsperson will tell you it’s when you get out on the pitch that you get that adrenaline buzz from playing.

“When you’re injured you do miss it, so just being able to be out on the pitch and express myself, and have my family and friends to watch me, it’s nice to have it back.”

After being released from his Northampton contract last year, Corry had an offer from Dundalk ahead of their Europa League campaign but turned it down in order to complete his rehab.

“I had a call from Stephen McPhail [Rovers sporting director] asking me did I want to come in and finish my rehabilitation with Shamrock

Rovers, use their physios and doctors and train with them at the same time.

“I knew Stephen from playing at Sheffield Wednesday – we were part of the same squad – and I knew Stephen Bradley [Rovers manager] from playing against him and I knew Glen Cronin.

“It just felt right, so I trained with them at the end of last season, sat down with them to see where the club was going and thought it was the right fit for me.

“Although I haven’t been fit for the majority of the season, I’ve seen what they’re doing and what they’re trying to do.

“It just seems to be going in the right direction, so it feels like a justified decision.”