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AUG 31 - SEP 6, 2017

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FRIDGE, TYRES AMONG RUBBISH LEFT AT MULHUDDART SITE

Shock, anger after waste dumped at graveyard  MARK O’BRIEN

ILLEGAL dumping at a Dublin 15 graveyard has shocked the local community, many of whom have family members buried there.

Cllr Paul Donnelly (SF) shared pictures on social media of rubbish that was dumped in Mulhuddart Cemetery.

He has called on the council to take action to prevent any further instances of illegal dumping.

Full Story on Page 9

2 BLANCH GAZETTE 31 August 2017

CHILDCARE SUBSIDY | CRECHES SET TO RAISE THEIR PRICES

FASTNews

Anger as childcare price increases set to negate new affordable grants Lady Luck makes a dream  MARK O’BRIEN

SOME childcare services in Dublin 15 are raising their prices, meaning that the new affordable childcare grants will be of no benefit to parents.

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs recently announced that parents could avail of a universal, non-means tested childcare subsidy of up to €1,040 for children aged between six and 36 months.

The Department also announced a means-tested grant of up to €7,500 for children up to 15-years-

old for families on lower incomes.

However, some creches have now announced that they will be raising their prices for the coming term.

One creche in Dublin 15 sent a notice to parents informing them that they would be increasing their fees by 8% from October.

It has also emerged that only 60% of creches and childcare facilities have signed up to the scheme.

Local TD Ruth Coppinger said that she has been contacted by a number of parents who are concerned about the rising costs of childcare.

“Parents in Dublin West are contacting me about increases in childcare fees that are absorbing the new subsidy scheme from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs,” she said.

“It appears that the subsidy is not resulting in reduced costs for parents, but is instead being absorbed into the balance sheets of the childcare providers.

“Minister Zappone has heralded the new scheme as being an indication of the Government’s commitment to assisting parents with the high cost of

childcare.

“The fact we have little real action from the Minister to stop profiteering by private operators brings into question what commitment the Government really has to reducing childcare costs for parents.

“One parent in my constituency wrote to the Department and was told that because the creche is a private enterprise “the Department of Children and Youth Affairs cannot regulate what the childcare service charges”.

“This light touch regulation approach is simply not acceptable to parents who are already struggling with the rising cost of living such as rocketing rents and high mortgage pay-

ments.”

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone said: “Up to 70,000 children are now benefiting for extra childcare supports. This represents the first big step towards accessible affordable quality childcare after decades of neglect and under-investment by successive governments.”

The Minister added that a survey conducted

by Early Childhood Ireland of it’s 3,500 members found that 79% did not intend to increase fees and of those one-in-five that did, the intended increase would be in the region of 5% and that her department would continue to closely monitor this

come true at Talbot Street

THERE was a whole Lotto luck for some lucky punter shopping in the city centre last weekend – €9,485,078-worth, to be exact, but who’s counting – when their winning ticket was traced to the Spar Talbot Street shop.

Staff member Federico Gonzalez and manager Ulrika Campbell were delighted by the news, with Ulrika sending the lucky sole winner their congratulations. The winning numbers drawn were 1, 16, 17, 32, 34, 35, with the bonus number of 5.

Gardai seize quantity of cannabis herb in D15 GARDAI have arrested two men and seized a quantity of cannabis herb in an operation in Dublin.

During this operation at a house on Blakestown Road, Blanchardstown, a package was seized by Customs, which contained approximately 9kgs of herbal cannabis, with an estimated value of €180,000.

Two men in their 50s were arrested at the scene, by Gardai.

Both are being detained at Finglas Garda Station under the provisions of Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking ) Act 1996.

Community groups being urged to apply for grants

Wheelie colourful branding rolled out THESE cyclists created a colourful sight as they made their way around the city centre recently, all to help promote the Just Eat branding that now adorns 1,500 Dublinbikes. Their colourful look matches the bright new Just Eat branding on the bikes, which was rolled out less than a week ago in a marketing move that was hailed by the company, JCDecaux and Dublin City Council. To help celebrate the rebranding, hundreds of €10 Just Eat gift cards were randomly placed in Dublinbike baskets on Monday morning, providing a bite-sized boost for several city cyclists. Picture: Naoise Culhane

COMMUNITY groups in Tyrrelstown are being urged to apply for grants under the Dublin Airport Community Fund.

The fund supports local projects that make a positive contribution to communities neighbouring the airport.

Applications aimed at developing initiatives around the environment and sustainability, health and wellbeing and social inclusion will all be considered. There are three types of grants available; minor grants of less than €5,000, major grants of more than €5,000 and capital grants for the purchase of construction assets.

The application period opens on Friday, September 1 and will remain open for six weeks.

Applications received after this time will not be considered. Further information can be found at www.dublinariport.com or by emailing communityfund@daa.ie

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

31 August 2017 BLANCH GAZETTE 3

PEOPLE | FAMILY OF DUBLINER BATTLING CANCER SEEK HELP TO KEEP TREATING TEEN IN THE US

Help give brave Robyn a fighting chance at life  EMMA NOLAN A DUBLIN teenager has reached a significant milestone after starting secondary school while battling serious illness.

Brave Robyn Smyth has neuroblastoma and has endured various forms of invasive and aggressive treatments including chemotherapy, surgery, stem-cell transplant and radiotherapy for years, so her starting school this week is a huge achievement.

Mum Bernadette said: “It’s a miracle to reach such a huge milestone.” Robyn,who has just turned 13, was diagnosed with stage

four neuroblastoma in 2007 at the age of three; she subsequently went through aggressive treatments and went into remission in 2009.

She remained cancer-free until July 2013when a tumourwas found

and more treatments were needed.

Robyn cleared most of the disease

and remained stable until April 2015, when a scan showed the disease had progressed again.

This left Robyn’s family with no treatment options left in Ireland, and they were given only a 5% chance of survival for Robyn.

In order to give Robyn options, and the best chance of saving her life, Robyn’s family decided they had to go abroad for treatment.

This has led them to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Michigan, where Robyn is taking part in trial treatment. Bernadette said: “It’s ongoing, we go over all the time.

“We’re back on September 25 and we’ve been going since 2015 when we were told there was nothing else they could do for her here.”

Robyn’s family receive no state

funding and rely solely on the kindness of others and donations to help her continue her fight.

“We really need help,” Bernadette said. “Anybody can do anything at all [to help out].”

Now, Robyn has started first year at Clonturk Community College in Whitehall – and while her mum said Robyn was very nervous starting school, she hopes she’ll make new friends there.

Donations can be made at robynslife.com, or alternatively at gofundme.com/robynslife

Despite her treatment, Robyn (13) does her best to keep her spirits up

4 BLANCH GAZETTE 31 August 2017

CRISIS | RECORD NUMBERS SEEK ADVICE

Rents in D15 soar  MARK O’BRIEN

RENTS in Dublin 15 continue to soar while record numbers of renters are seeking advice as they fear losing their home.

In the latest Daft.ie quarterly report, the average rent of a two-bed home was €1,292 while the average rent of a threebed home was €1,564.

But this has significantly increased since then, with the average price of a twobed home now standing at €1,626 while the average price of a three-bed now is €1,900.

The national housing charity Threshold, who run a outreach programme in council offices in Blanchardstown on

Tuesday afternoons say they have seen record numbers at the clinics.

Dublin Services Manager of Threshold, Stephen Large, told The Gazette: “We would have dealt with around 200 people a year at the clinic but so far this year, we’re nearly at 300 already.”

Stephen said that unsustainable rent increases, eviction due to a landlord selling or renovating a property and difficulty in finding accommodation were the main reasons why people were coming to the clinic.

He added that those in receipt of Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) were also having difficulty in getting landlords to

accept the payment.

“Private rented accommodation is covered by equality legislation and other equal status acts,” he said.

“From the beginning of last year, there’s an additional provision where landlords cannot discriminate against a person because they are in receipt of rent supplement or HAP or social payment, however it is happening.”

Stephen said that landlords were now using indirect methods of discriminating against HAP tenants, such as not responding to email queries, saying that the property has already been rented or requesting work references.

Anybody who is renting in the Dublin 15 and worried about losing their home can visit the Threshold Outreach Clinic on Tuesday afternoons or contact the Threshold helpline Monday to Friday 9am to 9pm on Freephone 1800 454454.

Specsavers’ Dee Ni Annrachain, Amy Kinlan and Shauna Byrne with semi-finalist Hozana

Blanch pair revel in the joy of specs TWO Blanchardstown residents are in the running to be crowned Irish Spectacle Wearer if the Year.

Aissatou Balde and Hozana Luyindula were chosen as semi-finalists in their respective 16-24 and 45-59 categories.

They will now compete to represent Ireland at the Grand Final in London.

Speaking at the prize-giving, Hozana said: “I am really proud to be a glasses wearer, especially today because I have been given the opportunity to win a sensational prize.”

Aissatou, left, said: “I’ve been wearing glasses for four years now. At first, I only wore them when I absolutely needed to but now I really enjoy wearing them.”

Dee Ní Annrachain, manager at Specsavers Blanchardstown, said she was delighted to have two customers through to the semi-finals, saying “they both wear their glasses with style and confidence.”

Now in its 22nd year, the competition raises valuable funds for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin with €1 donated for each eligible entry received.

Patients are missing out on rapid access to early cardiac intervention - Mater Private PATIENTS with private health insurance who present to a public hospital with cardiac symptoms may be missing out on rapid access to cardiac intervention because they are unaware they have the option to be transferred to a private hospital cath lab.

Emerging trends suggest this may be because patients are unwilling or reticent to declare their insurance because of recent misleading and confusing information in the media that exercising their insurance may increase their premium at renewal or prevent them returning to the public system for follow up care.

According to Mater Private, many patients admitted to public hospitals who need cardiac procedures are transferred to public hospital cath labs, despite having private health insurance.

As a consequence, a significant number are left waiting several days and often over a weekend because of demand on public waiting lists.

This further adds to already long public lists and deprives patients who have paid their health insurance the option of immediate access to often lifesaving care These patients could have been transferred to Mater Private for their procedure who offers rapid access to three state-of-the art cath labs and a team of over 20 cardiologists operating twentyfour hours a day, seven days a week.

This is really important considering patients with certain cardiac conditions benefit from rapid access to early intervention and are known to have better clinical outcomes then those who don’t.

Matt McManus, aged 79 from Lucan, was brought to the emergency department in Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown by his daughter Marion: “When he was told that he would have to wait until after the weekend for an angiogram I asked the duty nurse about my father’s health

insurance and enquired whether he was eligible for the Mater Private cardiac transfer service.” said Marion.

“Sure enough when dad was fit for the transfer he was sent to the Mater Private, the angiogram went well and he was returned to Connolly the same day.”

Caroline Whelan, chief operations officer said: “It’s frustrating for us to know that patients who are eligible for rapid access to cardiac intervention at the Mater Private, like Matt McManus are waiting on public lists.

“This is particularly concerning when we are talking about cardiac procedures that can often be life changing or lifesaving.

“Our advice to patients is to be proactive and declare your health insurance. More importantly if you are told you need a cardiac procedure be aware that you can request transfer to a private hospital cath lab. This will in turn alleviate demand on the public waiting lists.”

31 August 2017 BLANCH GAZETTE 5

CLONSILLA | MOVE HOPED TO BE A BOOST FOR AREA

Call for name stones to ‘help solidify that sense of community’  MARK O’BRIEN CLLR Tania Doyle has called on Fingal County Council to consider erecting name stones in Clonsilla.

Cllr Doyle said that she believes that the name stones would help foster a sense of community in the area.

“The 1844 Ordnance Survey Map gives mention to land ‘to the West of Clonsilla Village’ therefore I would argue that it is selfevident that Clonsilla has been regarded as a village for quite some time,” she said.

“There are three main node points in the village - the railway station and bridge, the junction of Clonsilla Road and Shelerin Road and the roundabout at the eastern extremity of the village.”

Cllr Doyle said that she would like to see name stones erected at the three node points and plans to bring a motion calling for the stones before Fingal County Council.

“I will be calling for the erection of name stones at a number of strategic locations on the approaches to Clonsilla Village,

and underpinning this initiative I have laid down a motion for local council calling on Fingal County Council to undertake the placement of these name stones at the earliest opportunity,” she said.

“I am convinced that a clear naming within the village will further solidify that sense of community in Clonsilla that has been eroded over the years by years of austerity and oversight by the establishment parties during their tenures as Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Fingal over the past 20 years.”

Walk, jog or run against cancer RONAN and Storm Keating have launched the upcoming Pigsback. com 5k/10k run in association with the Marie Keating Foundation, which takes place on October 15 in

There will be medals for all finthe Phoenix Park. The event will be ishers. The event will also be a fun chip timed, making it the perfect family day out with entertainment, challenge for a seasoned runner goodies and lots of prizes. seeking a new personal best, for Picture: AISHLING CONWAY joggers and walkers alike.

6 BLANCH GAZETTE 31 August 2017

Out and About

The craic was mighty at Erin Go Bragh’s summer camp

Super skills on show at summer camp

I

t was another successful summer camp at Erin Go Bragh last week as Dublin players Dotsy O’Callaghan, Ciaran Kilkenny, Niamh McEvoy, Shane Barrett, Donal Burke and Evan Comerford attended and passed on their skill and knowledge to the players.

31 August 2017 BLANCH GAZETTE 7

8 BLANCH GAZETTE 31 August 2017

APPEAL | HEARTBROKEN BLANCH LADY LOST BAND WHILE OUT WITH GRANDSON

Gran’s plea for help to find engagement ring  MARK O’BRIEN

A HEARTBROKEN Blanchardstown grandmother is appealing to the public for help in finding her lost engagement ring.

Wendy McCarthy Hughes lost the ring after taking her grandson out for his birthday on Saturday, August 19.

An emotional Wendy said she only noticed that the ring was missing after returning home from her grandson’s birthday treat at the Blanchardstown Leisureplex.

She said: “We went from the Leisureplex into TGI Fridays for something to eat and then we came home. I only noticed (the ring was missing) when I got home.

“I was putting my grandchild down and running him a bath. I normally take the ring off when I’m washing him and I noticed it was gone.”

Wendy contacted staff in the Leisureplex and TGI Fridays but they were not able to find the ring and it remains missing almost two weeks later.

She said that she was desperate to get the ring back if possible as it had great sentimental value and it would take a long time to replace it.

“We’d be waiting a couple of years to afford another one at this stage,” she said.

Wendy said that ring has such sentimental value as it was the first thing that her partner had ever bought for her.

“I couldn’t believe he had spent that much money on me because I wouldn’t be in to any material goods or anything like that,” she said.

“I never wear jewellery and when he did get it for me I was just over the moon with it and I never took it off my finger.”

Wendy said that she would be happy to offer a reward to anyone who found the ring.

If anyone finds the ring (pictured below) they can contact The Gazette or contact Wendy directly on 085 2465363.

FASTNews Brickx Club is a chance to build kids’ confidence A NEW term of The Brickx Club begins at Tyrrelstown Community Centre on Monday, September 4.

The Brickx Club is a Lego building club open to children of all abilities aged 4 to 12 and aims to enhance social skills and spark creativity and imagination in children.

Children are given a list of themes, challenges and games which they can choose for themselves to build.

Teamwork is encouraged through group projects, with each finished work then put on display on the creation table.

The five-week term costs €35.

For further information or to register a child, please contact Linda on 0877791966 or email thebrickxclublinda@ gmail.com

Taekwondo kids classes in Ongar

Lily’sOnegreatlil’reader

L

ITTLE Lily Farrell has only just turned one but she’s already reading – her favourite local paper!

Mum Therese and dad Paul sent in this shot of the gorgeous little Castleknock girl, who just celebrated her first birthday last week with a yummy cake with mammy and daddy (inset and right). Happy birthday from everyone here at the Gazette Lily!

Taekwondo classes for children will take place every Monday in Ongar Community Centre.

Classes for 5 to 6-year-olds take place at 4pm, classes for 7 to 9-year-olds take place at 5pm and classes for 10 to 15-year-olds take place at 6pm.

Beginners are welcome but children must have started school to be able to take part in the classes.

Further information can be found by texting 0863355560 or by visiting www.taekwondo.ie

31 August 2017 BLANCH GAZETTE 9

MULHUDDART | ‘I’M AT A LOSS TO DESCRIBE THE PERSON WHO FLY TIPS AT A GRAVEYARD’

Fly-tipping at D15 cemetery shocks locals  MARK O’BRIEN

Cllr Paul Donnelly shared this image of the dumping on his Facebook page

AN incident of illegal dumping in a Dublin 15 graveyard has shocked locals whose families are buried there.

Cllr Paul Donnelly shared pictures on social media over the weekend of rubbish that was illegally dumped in a Mulhuddart Cemetery.

Items including a fridge, tyres and electrical equipment were dumped in the car park of the cemetery.

Cllr Donnelly has called on Fingal County Council to take action to prevent any further instances of illegal dumping.

“I’m at a loss to describe the person who fly tips at a graveyard,” he said.

“How distressing this must be for families who visit their loved ones who have died.

“I’ll be putting forward a motion for a proper plan for the cemetery.

“I have spoken to Fingal County Council before about this and have been told that a plan to redesign the car park and front of the cemetery is being undertaken. We need it done as soon as possible.”

Local residents who have family buried in the cemetery also expressed their disgust at the dumping.

Taking to Facebook, one user wrote: My mother is buried there and the family are so hurt and stressed over this, something has to be done.”

Another user added: I was there yesterday with my family and saw this.

“Also saw a big rat crawling through the rubbish, it obviously took someone in a van to dump this so why they couldn’t drive to the recycle centre in Coolmine is beyond me.”

“This is shocking,” wrote another local. “I visit my mam and brothers grave every week. Not nice to look at, hopefully the cameras catch who ever this was.”

When contacted by The Gazette, a council spokersperon confirmed they were aware of the dumping, but had made no further comment by the time of going to press.

10 GAZETTE 31 August 2017

Out and About

Steve O Reilly, Conor McGrath and Aran Johnson

Red-hot launch party for Suzanne

James Patrice Butler, Suzanne Jackson and Mark Rogers. Pictures: BRIAN McEVOY

Samantha Gibbons

Lena Morkuniene

S

UZANNE Jackson celebrated the launch of her new SOSU eyeshadow palette Hot Fire at Fire Restaurant at The Mansion House last week. Guests on the night included her husband Dylan O’Connor, parents Damien and Susan, sisters Carla and Katie, Lauren Pope of The Only Way is Essex, James Patrice Butler and Mark Rogers as well as models Michele McGrath, Jodie Wood, Terrie McEvoy, Louise O Reilly and Lena Morkuniene.

Dominique Nugent

Niamh Cullen

AJ Fitsimons and Mark Rogers

Fiona McNamara

31 August 2017 GAZETTE 11

Sinead Murphy

TOWIE star Lauren Pope

GAZETTE

12 GAZETTE 31 August 2017

DUBLINBUSINESS

Free masterclass for businesses on a range of topics BUSINESS membership organisation Guaranteed Irish is holding a free workshop for businesses on best practice in employment law and how to safeguard your business.

The workshop, Safeguarding your Business, is being run in partnership with Guaranteed Irish member Peninsula and will take place at the Guaranteed Irish offices at 1 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2 at 8.30am on Tuesday, September 12.

The workshop will explore topics including the latest updates in employment law, how to increase staff performance and what the correct procedures for redundancy issues are, and will be delivered by an employment law expert.

Speaking in advance of the workshop, Brid O’Connell, chief executive of Guaranteed Irish, said: “Every company, no matter what size it is, will face employment law, HR and health and safety issues at some stage over its lifetime, and how they handle these issues will determine their success as a business.

“Our workshop will equip businesses with the tools they need to safeguard against these issues, and it’s not just for Guaranteed Irish members – all businesses are welcome to attend; they simply need to register in advance.”

Further information on the free event can be found at Eventbrite.com; just search for ‘Guaranteed Irish Masterclass’.

ENTERPRISE | NEW INCENTIVES INCREASINGLY TEMPTING PEOPLE BACK

Enticing emigrants to return to new chances ALMOST a quarter of a million Irish people are thought to have emigrated since 2008.

Those returning home face challenges, but many companies are putting in place enticing incentives to tempt talent back to our shores.

Osborne, one of Ireland’s leading recruitment consultancies, is focused on placing returning emigrants in top positions in Ireland across various sectors.

H e r e a r e f i ve o f Osborne’s insights into what’s enticing emigrants back home...

Innovation – Ireland is demonstrating agility and innovation with top market salaries, pensions, career development opportunities, healthcare cover and competing strongly against its European counterparts.

Software Hubs – international conglomerates and new start-up software

Returning emigrants and workers are finding ever more job opportunities to stay in Ireland, suggest Osborne

companies, that deliver gaming, animation, and software development, are making Dublin their home.

Freelancing Internationally – it’s estimated that some 40% of workers will be freelance by 2020.

Professionals in design, journalism and web development can now freelance internationally from Ire-

land, and this flexibility and freedom is tempting Irish emigrants back to literally work from home.

Gaps in the market – there are clear skill gaps in areas such as IT and engineering, so there are strong job opportunities for returning emigrants in these sectors. Accountancy and finance, cyber security and human resources

continue to show signs of a positive incline too.

A great place to work – Ireland has some of the best workplaces in Europe, many of which are getting recognised by the Great Places to Work organisation. An increasing number of firms are offering extremely competitive salaries, employee benefits and a focus on

employee career development.

To find out more about Osborne, visit w w w.

Osborne.ie, see www. facebook.com/osbornerecruitment or follow Osborne on Twitter @ OsborneRecruits and hear what the Osborne team has to say on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin. com/company/1809059)

North Korean missile sends the euro’s worth rocketing to $1.20 NORTH Korean military manoeuvres with missiles have seen the euro’s value rocket to its strongest level in more than two years, in a move which is expected to impact on European and Irish trade, at least temporarily.

The pariah state’s latest show of force – firing a ballistic missile right across the northern end of Japan – earlier this week saw the euro rise above $1.20, marking a strong rally for the currency in what some traders described as a vote of confidence in the currency’s stability.

The modest gain – some 0.4%, to

$1.2023 – marks the euro’s strongest point since January 2015, with the North Korean missile launch rattling markets, spurring the euro upwards. It has also been reported that next week’s monetary policy review by the ECB is also likely

to have briefly impacted on the euro’s worth.

The market jitters prompted by the unexpected missile launch saw nervous global markets shift to new levels, with the dollar hitting a four-month low against the yen, set against the euro’s rise.

The geopolitical tensions in the region are likely to have an impact on the leading currencies for some time to come, with Irish business leaders also keeping an eye on any mid-term economic impact arising from any instability connected to North Korea’s decisions.

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

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GAZETTE

DUBLINLIFE

31 August 2017 GAZETTE 13

BUSTER IS A BRILLIANT LITTLE DOG OUR Dog of the Week looking for their #SpecialSomeone* is Buster, a very cute, six-year-old Terrier crossbreed. Little Buster would love a home which would be nice and quiet for him so he can settle in at a gentle pace. Buster won’t take long to wrap his paws around your heart and you will become firm friends. A game of fetch and a treat will be a great way to build a bond with this character!

Buster is a very clean dog and perfectly housetrained too. He enjoys his home comforts, and is a real creature of habit. If you are looking for a fun-loving, sparky little dog to join your quiet home, he could be just for you!

If you can be Buster’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.

Punk Lives!!!

PARANOID VISIONS KEEPS IT REAL P16-17

GAZETTE

14 GAZETTE 31 August 2017

DUBLINLIFE

DIARY

CHARITY: WHACK THE KETTLE ON AS PART OF A NATION-WIDE FUNDRAISING COFFEE MORNING

Brew up, buddies, to help support all our hospices YOU never need an excuse for a cuppa – and Keith Duffy is calling on everyone to whack the kettle on and help support Ireland’s Biggest Coffee Morning For Hospice on Thursday, September 14.

The annual event, supported by Bewleys, invites everyone to have a coffee morning in aid of the country’s hospices, with hopes to raise €2 million to support the incredible

work hospices provide all around the country.

From homes to hospitals, colleges to convents, Keith is calling on everyone to brew up and dig deep to help the great cause.

You can register at www.hospicecoffeemorning.ie, or call 1890 998 995, to get a coffee morning pack containing Bewley’s coffee, posters and invitations free of charge.

You can also text COFFEE to 50300 and donate €4 (a minimum of €3.25 will go to the cause)to support your local hospice and homecare services, and help to give patients the best quality of life during their illness.

HELP YOUR TAKEAWAY CURRY SOME GLORY LOVE your chipper?

Want to help it take a bite at some fame? Now’s your

chance to help sing its praises, thanks to the Just Eat National Takeaway Awards 2017.

A tasty angle on nominations is that everyone who votes also has the chance to win free takeaway grub for a year.

The Just Eat awards, now in their fourth year, are a way to recognise the quality of food and service consistently delivered by this sector of the food services industry.

Voting at eat.ie/takeawayawards2017 is open for all takeaway restaurants in Ireland, with a deadline of September 25,

before an awards night to be held on October 17.

IT’S ULYSSES – BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT THEATRE fans are in for a treat with a special version of James Joyce’s classic, Ulysses, as part of the upcoming Dublin Theatre Festival.

Running at The Abbey from October 2-14 as part of the festival, and then on to October 28, Dermot Bolger’s vibrant version of Ulysses has been described as a fun pandemonium of live music, puppets, dancing, clowning, bowler hats

and kazoos, all adding a fresh, fun feel to the quintessentially Dublin story. For tickets, see abbeytheatre.ie.

DROP BY THIS GREAT ABSEILING EVENT T H E M a k e - A -W i s h Foundation are hoping to rope in as much support as possible for an unusual fundraiser tomorrow, (Friday, September 1) when abseilers go down the side of one of the city’s tallest buildings.

Head over to the State Street building at Sir John Rogerson Quay, Dublin

2, where the plucky souls will abseil 115 feet down its side at 1.30pm in the Rope For Hope event.

O r g a n i s e r s a r e n ’t stringing anyone along – the popular event is a key fundraiser for the charity, and will help it to continue its terrific work with sick children and their families.

Watch the abseilers do their thing all day on Friday, from about 10am until 6pm, and drop the organisers a euro or two to help support the great cause. For further information, see https:// makeawish.ie.

Pictured launching Ireland’s Biggest Coffee Morning for Hospice are Eleanor Flew, Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services; Nuala Drennan; Mark Saunders, Bewleys and Keith Duffy. Picture: Lensmen

31 August 2017 GAZETTE 15

GAZETTE

FEATURE

FAMILIES: CLOSING DATE ALMOST HERE FOR FIRST KIDS SPECTACLE WEARER OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Last chance to let the whole world see how cool your kid looks with glasses IRISH international and Connacht rugby player Kieran Marmion has put out a last call for entries for Specsavers’ first ever Kids Spectacle Wearer of the Year awards.

The competition looks to celebrate children in Ireland who wear glasses with pride, to help remove any stigma to needing specs.

Urging people to enter, competition ambassador Kieran – who needed to wear glasses since he was nine years old – said: “From my own experience, I know children can feel embarrassed when they first put on a pair of frames, worry-

ing about what people might say or think.”

Aside from honouring young glasses wearers, the competition will also help to raise vital funds for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin, with Specsavers donating €1 to the charity for every entry received.

The winner will receive a trip for two adults and two children to Legoland Windsor, staying for two nights in the Legoland Hotel.

Today, Kieran wears contact lenses on the rugby pitch, and glasses when he’s enjoying any downtime.

Nina Mullins McShea and Trysten Bruen help Kieran find the right frames at the launch ofn the awards search. Picture: Dan Sheridan

He said: “I’m delighted to team up with Specsavers as we look to encourage children to wear their glasses with pride.

It’s great to be a part of something that celebrates such a positive message, whilst also raising money for a great chil-

dren’s charity.”

The competition is open to children aged four to 15 and Specsavers’ Dublin stores are appealing for last entries. All that is needed is an image of the child in their specs and a brief description of why they are happy to wear them.

Peter McGrath, Spescsavers, said: “We are encouraging all those interested to enter the first ever Kids Spectacle Wearer of the Year awards. It’s a fantastic platform for younger children as it recognises that kids should wear their glasses with pride and not be embarrassed when an optician pre-

scribes you with a pair.

“In our Specsavers Dublin stores, we have hundreds of child-friendly glasses that they will be more than happy to wear, such as our newly launched Minions range, our JCB range and a Disney collection.”

The closing date to enter the competition is midnight on Sunday, September 10, with the finalist to be chosen by a judging panel before the overall winner is announced later in the month.

For further information and to enter online, see https:// www.specsavers.ie/kids-swoty

31 August 2017 GAZETTE 17

DUBLINLIFE

N O S ’ T A H W

E D I U G S T N E EV with JAMES HENDICOTT

Electric Picnic

Okay, you need to leave the city for this one (and already have a ticket), but we could hardly leave out Ireland’s essential music festival, could we? The XX, A Tribe Called Quest, Duran Duran, Run the Jewels and Pete Tong star. 5ive are playing, too. September 1-3.

MUSIC

DUBLIN’S ORIGINAL PUNKS POWER ON The fusion of Paranoid Visions with their hero Steve Ignorant from Crass has the Dubliners fired up Steve Ignorant with Paranoid Visions

Ireland v Serbia

A key World Cup qualifier for Martin O’Neill’s side against the side above them on goal difference at the peak of Group D at the Aviva. While second place is likely to produce another player off, a win here will see Ireland in line for an automatic berth in 2018. September 5.

DURAN DURAN

What’s The Story?

Lives in Direct Provision Learn about the many challenges faced by those arriving into Ireland’s asylum-seeking direct provision system, as Christchurch Cathedral hosts a series of speakers including those who have directly experienced the set up.

September 4.

The All Ireland Hurling Final

The Dubs might be some way short of hurling glory these days (and for far too long), but a final between Waterford and Galway is enticing if only because it feels like a 2017 changing of the guard. Croker, September 3.

An Introduction to Zero Waste

A little education on how to reduce your impact on the world is always worth exploring, right? Zero waste is a movement towards reducing and ultimately eliminating packaging. Get a taste of its philosophy and methods at Smallchanges, Drumcondra, on September 4.

Clothes Swap at the Dublin Food Co-Op

Get rid of those nice clothes you don’t wear/ fit into/ ever dig from the back of your wardrobe, and trade them in at Dublin’s coolest market venue for something you’ll actually wear outside the house. You’d be mad not to. September 7.

Words on the Street

A literature festival takes to the streets of Dublin, specifically Parnell Square, on which six different venues will host a collection of broadcasters. Rick O’Shea and Katherine Lynch are amongst those involved. September 7

Pet Shop Boys

The London duo fresh from the eighties have sold over 50 million records worldwide for a very simple reason: they’re music is catchy as hell. Expect hits like ‘West End Girls’, ‘It’s A Sin’, and ‘Always On My Mind’ on display on September 6.

New album of the week

LCD soundsystem - American Dream. The disco punks return - having officially quit as a band a few years ago, creating an emotional farewell concert movie - with surprisingly new music ahead of a long since sold out Dublin date.

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16 GAZETTE 31 August 2017

 JAMES HENDICOTT PARANOID Visions were punks almost before the concept even existed in Ireland.

Breaking through in the early 80s, their early gigs were chaotic in nature; often descending into riots at stage front, with the band spat on, demonised and in many cases banned from appearing in venues.

“We ended up playing ‘Battle of the Bands’ gigs just for somewhere to play,” guitarist Peter Jones recalls.

“We’d be on between these acoustic guitar acts, and there’d be 80 punks there waiting for us to come on stage. All hell would break loose for the four songs we got to play, and then all our fans, who would be most of the audience, would just leave.

Usually we’d come second, as they had to admit

we’d had a lot of impact, but didn’t want to give the prize to us after we’d unleashed that kind of chaos.

“I vividly remember a complaint going in at one of those competitions saying that we only rehearsed once a week, and shouldn’t be allowed to win. The man who said that is still involved in the Dublin music scene. He was right about the rehearsing to be honest.”

There’s plenty of water under the bridge since those days: Paranoid Visions broke up for a decade, reformed, went through an extended campaign of Bono-criticism (including the release of punk parody ‘I Will Wallow’), courted controversy by promoting an album with an image of Brian Cowen’s head aligned in gun sites, and wrote an entire album slamming what they saw as a parochial, Catholic church-led rot in the country.

They are, in short, not afraid to go hard against

the political status quo in true punk fashion, with vocalist Declan Dachau famed for both the bluntness of his vocals, and harsh quips in which he espouses staunchly anti-nationalist, inclusive principles.

Most recently, Paranoid Visions have been heavily involved with a real hero of theirs, inviting Steve Ignorant of British punks icons Crass into the fold at regular intervals. The unlikely combo has led to shows before thousands, and boisterous records that have exploded on the punk scene.

“We put on the Last Summer tour in Dublin, and kind of got along. Steve’s very shy, but very personable,” Jones explains.

“He found that when he came over here, there’s none of that tongue-tied stuff, he just got slagged by people like us. He really liked that, really connected with it.

“We played with him again in Manchester and were supposed to play New York, but it got cancelled. We ended up doing the final wrap-up gig in Shepherd’s Bush Empire instead. Afterwards we had this amazing after-show party and really got to know him. Later, we told him we had this song, and we were having problems getting the vocal right; that we basically wanted it to sound like him. And he said ‘I’ll do it’. So he came over and did it, and ended up doing the verse on another one, too.

“So there were two tracks, two lots of vocals done in two hours, and that included a tea break, a chat and a play with the dog. Afterwards we went out down the Foggy Dew, and he said ‘this reminds me of the first two Crass albums. There was no time for messing around, we just got in and did it.

We got studios cheap in the middle of the night.

That’s what I love doing, and that’s where I came

from. I’ve really enjoyed this, if you ever want to do anymore give me a shout.”

Paranoid Visions and Steve Ignorant agreed to make an EP, which later became an album, with the label later insisting that live shows were included, too. Things haven’t really looked back.

“Initially speaking [the two versions of the band, with or without Steve] were two radically different things,” Jones recalls.

“The way he sees it is that there is only one band, that has his name in it when he’s with us, and we change the set list to accommodate him - we don’t have quite as much stuff to choose from. But we have stuff that we only ever do with Steve, and then three or four just random tracks from our stuff that he doesn’t take part in.”

The band have played in both forms at some festivals, the double appearances a chance to experi-

ment with the two sides of the band.

As well as the addition of Steve Ignorant as a potent vocalist, the reason for Paranoid Visions success today is simple: politics. Jones isn’t afraid to delve into his views, in which he broadly condemns the present-day political class, slams Brexit and Donald Trump, and rallies against selfinvolved nationalism.

His band do much the same, delivering a visceral, creative swipe at political convention in the time of populism, and expressing an affection for the developing fringes of hip-hop that are doing the same. Right now, with populism on top, a vocal dissenting voice like Paranoid Visions could hardly be more relevant.

New album ‘Rebellion’ - which does what it says on the tin - is out now.

18 GAZETTE 31 August 2017

GAZETTE

DUBLINLIFE Go amblin’ along Antrim’s stunning coast

NORTHERN IRELAND: LEAVE CITY STRESSES BEHIND WITH A LEISURELY BREAK IN FERMANAGH,

From spacious, sandy beaches to dramatic cliffs and crystal-clear waters, there are plenty of relaxing spots and great views to take in along the coast

 SHANE DILLON DE S PI T E b e i n g a n Ulsterman hailing from beautiful (if rain-blasted) Donegal, I probably have about as much – or as little – experience of the rest of Ulster as most of our readers.

That’s doing Ulster a disservice, particularly her topmost counties, as the northern province is home to some of the island of Ireland’s most stunning scenery and historic sites, with the Causeway Coastal Route along the north Antrim coast seeing travellers and tourists alike threading one spectacular location after another together into a trip to remember.

I hit the road a few weeks ago to explore the route for myself, noting that many of the names scattered along the way and about the coast evoke the region’s rugged

The Giant’s Causeway can seem to have more tourists than rocks, but the whole area is breathtaking

past (such as Greysteel, Castlerock, Waterfoot, and Windyhill), as well as more familiar names like, um, Ringsend, or my quirky favourite, Blagh, which some might say at

the thought of heading all the way up to the top of our island – but how wrong they’d be, given the sights that await.

Many of these old names sound a bit mythi-

cal, but they suit the ancient spots that they typically adorn, with several of these rugged places proving perfect for Game of Thrones’s well-publicised use as Westeros locations in the hit show.

Despite this auspicious link to such a well-known show, the well-signposted Causeway Coastal Route is more than worth the trip in its own right, without the need to detour to any Thrones location.

Loosely speaking, it’s an arc that loops up and around the headland from Derry over towards Larne, with the western side sending you on to the delights of Donegal through the nearby gateway town of Letterkenny, while to the east, you’re just a skip away from bustling Belfast.

However, city life will be the last thing on your mind as you drift along the relaxing route, which has several gems laid out

along the way to spur you along to the next memorable destination.

The journey takes you through well-tended farmland, up and across rolling hills, alongside quiet shores lapped by the Atlantic Ocean, and across flat plains with rising walls of distant blue hills framing the views perfectly, reminding you that, with a little lick of sun, our island can be very beautiful indeed.

The landscape here is dotted with pretty towns and villages, such as Castlerock, which has the luck to face onto a long, long golden strand (top), where some of the coast’s many dark cliffs dip their feet into the cool ocean.

Further along, past busy Coleraine and back on track along the northern coast near Portrush, the scenery starts to become ever more rugged, with the dramatic silhouette of ruined Dunluce Castle

perched precariously on a crumbling cliff edge hinting that you’re drawing near to the ancient heart of the route – The Giant’s Causeway (left).

As Northern Ireland’s sole UNESCO World Heritage site, it’s a place that’s absolutely swarming with visitors, all year round.

It’s here that you’ll start to think of all the battleinspired names you’ve passed as you fight hordes of other tourists for a parking space – you may even need to park in nearby Bushmills, home to the famous distillery, and avail of the free shuttle bus up to the causeway.

However, the world-

famous site is worth any initial aggravation (but heed the boxout below), as you’ll be happy to tick it off the bucket list once you’ve surveyed its unique columns, and the equally striking hills and ridges which sweep around it.

Last but not least, the steady of foot and brave of heart can also step lively across the nearby Carricka-Rede Rope Bridge, just a few kilometres away up the coast, and another tourist magnet.

These are just some of the many treasures along the route, but whether you travel east-west, or west-east, just be sure to head north for a terrific trip.

A GIANT TIP TO REMEMBER Visiting The Giant’s Causeway with some friends, we all queued up to pay admission at the visitor centre – only to then see afterwards that you can just walk straight through a wide-open side entrance!

(They were absolutely fuming, once they spotted this, echoing many irate complaints online which highlight the same maddening point.)

So, if you’re visiting, be aware that you can just walk up and across the centre’s sloped roof, which is covered in grass, and then down the stairs at the other side to access The Giant’s Causeway, free.

31 August 2017 GAZETTE 19

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TRAVEL

WHILE FURTHER NORTH, A CAUSEWAY ROUTE DELIGHTS WITH ONE TREASURE AFTER ANOTHER

With its spectacular views, luxurious suites, spa and famous golf course – and of course fishing lessons for kids – Lough Erne Resort truly is a treat for all the family.

Lough Erne, which dominates Co Fermanagh and surrounds Enniskillen, is the perfect getaway for a short break in one of Ireland’s most beautiful, unspoiled settings. Picture: Xxxxx Zzzzzz

 ALISON O’HANLON NESTLED between the lower and upper sections of beautiful Lough Erne, the historic island town of Enniskillen is the perfect base to discover the Lakelands of Co Fermanagh.

And what a county it is.

Stunning scenery, incredibly friendly welcomes and of course, water – water absolutely everywhere.

We took the kids up to explore the Erne County for a few days before they headed back to school – and it was an experience none of us will ever forget.

Though just a couple of hours up the road from Dublin, Fermanagh feels a world away from the hustle and bustle of Dublin, boasting beautiful ancient forests, grand stately homes, ancient castles, and stunning rural scenery that, when the sun is shining, you could easily mistake for the south of France.

Enniskillen itself is a unique spot, sitting on a tiny, milelong island, guarded by the 600-year-old Enniskillen Castle,which itself houses two fascinating museums that even managed to hold the attention of an iPad obsessed six year old and her nine-year-old sister – no easy feat.

The recently renovated Fermanagh County Museum explores the county – and castle’s – rich history since it was built by the Maguire chieftains through to the plantation of Ulster, while the castle’s other museum explores the military exploits of the Inniskillings regiments as far back as the 1700s.

Just a short drive away from Enniskillen, not far from the splendour of the 18th century Florence Court House, is the magnificent Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark, a miracle of nature beneath the foothills of spectacular Cuilcagh Mountain.

A WELL ERNED BREAK Clockwise from above: Enniskillen Castle, fun at the Fermanagh County Museum, exploring Marble Arch Caves by boat & Devenish Island (x2)

This was probably the highlight of the trip for the little ones, who were intrigued as we were guided through a fascinating natural netherland of rivers, waterfalls, winding passages and lofty chambers.

From the wonders of the underworld, we went back to the luxurious surrounds of the five-star Lough Erne resort for a swim in their infinity pool, before heading into town for a wonderful meal at Saddlers Restaurant on Belmore St,where the friendly staff spoiled us with steaks to die for.

The following morning we took a quick ferry ride over to Devenish Island, where St Molaise established a monastery in the 6th century.

The most important of Lough Erne’s plethora of ancient island church settlements, Devenish Monastic Site is a must for history buffs, while the kids will love exploring the ruins of a 12th century round tower and 15th century priory that dominate the site.

Before heading home to Dublin, we stopped in at lovely Enniskillen one more time, where we had a bite to eat at Blakes on the Hollow, which has to be one of Ireland’s friendliest tradional pubs. The hubby said the Guinness was great, while the food was right up there with Saddlers – and that’s some compliment!

One thing I can say for sure as we headed home: Enniskillen, rest assured – Isle be back!  For further information on Northern Ireland go to www.discovernorthernireland.com

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20 GAZETTE 31 August 2017

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Seasonal delights LAMB RUMP WITH BLACK PUDDING AND FIG MASH For 6 lamb rumps of 300grms - 400ml red wine 10-12 sprigs of thyme 2 large chopped carrots 2 bay leaves 6 cloves of garlic 1 litre chicken stock 1 large chopped onion Salt and pepper to season Handful of chopped parsley

THIS week the new Woodlock Brasserie at Citywest Hotel is sharing one of its fantastic recipes with us.

With a menu that reflects finest seasonal ingredients, it offers innovative cuisine that can be described as artwork on a plate.

With a location convenient to Dublin City

Method: Marinate lamb in all ingredients in a deep oven tray for at least one hour.

Then cover in tinfoil, place in oven at 150 for 2 to 2 ½ hours until lamb is tender.

For plating: Grill two rings of black pudding and place on plate. Mix one fig which has been warmed in oven through mash potato.

Place quenelle of mash next to pudding, place sliced rump on top and coat in reduced red wine jus.

centre, the Woodlock Brasserie (above) enjoys stunning views of the Wicklow mountains and beyond.

Award winning executive head chef Ciaran Cunningham brings an international creative flare to the menus which explore rare culinary techniques to enhance your experience.

A slice of New York style in Dublin DUBLIN’S newest food market has opened its doors on Wellington Quay.

Dollard & Co is a New York-style food hall with a deli-style menu and more formal dining options.

Set on the ground floor of the historic Dollard Printworks, the building itself is the oldest steel frame structure in Ireland.

Reminiscent of New York’s Dean and Deluca, this new Dublin version has been meticulously restored to create a gorgeous food hall and market filled with the best in Irish and international fare.

Stepping in to Dollard & Co from either Wellington Quay or the entrance on East Essex St, visitors will be greeted with displays of seasonal produce, artisan breads, deli treats, meats, freshly caught seafood, a fantastic assortment of local and international cheeses, charcuterie and innovative and take-home meals.

At the very heart of Dollard & Co is The Grill.

This casual dining centrepiece seats 40 people.

Sit around our open plan kitchen, watch the chefs hard at work cooking up a storm.

Open till 10pm each night (with a late night pizza hatch which stays open till 4:30am on weekends) Dollard & Co is open for Dubliners to enjoy.

FOOD FOOD&DRINK Be shellfish & treat yourself at Shel’ fest IT’S that time of the year again when there’s an ‘r’ in the month, and The Shelbourne Hotel focuses on all things oyster with their annual Oyster Festival.

Running at the hotel from September 1 to 17, the The Shelbourne Oyster Festival will give oyster-lovers of all levels the opportunity to enjoy the country’s finest at their peak of perfection.

A six-course oyster tasting menu by Chef Garry Hughes and his team is available in The Saddle Room at The Shelbourne every evening throughout the festival for €69 per person, or with wine pairings for €95, selected by sommelier Nisea Doddy.

Along with the more elaborate tasting menus a selection of oysters simply iced and on the half shell will be available.

All are Irish oysters from Carlingford, Sligo and Dungarvan, and Galway Natives – served over crushed ice with the traditional accompaniments of shallot vinaigrette and Tabasco.

There’s also an interesting choice of hot oyster dishes, ranging from the classic Oysters Rockefeller to the signature Oysters Shelbourne, a half dozen freshly shucked oysters, Liscannor crab meat and lobster glazed with Hollandaise and Gruyère, or smoked oysters with creamed, truffled Lusk leeks.

For further details on oyster menus available at The Shelbourne, see Notes to Editors, below. The 2017 Oyster Festival at The Shelbourne runs from September 1st to 17.

For more details or to make a booking please call + 353 1 6634500. www.shelbournedining.ie

New healthy treat ticks all the boxes HB Ice Cream has introduced a healthy sweet treat in association with Irish vitamin and protein bar, Fulfil.

Available for a limited time only, The HB Happyful Yoghurt offers a tasty combination of natural yoghurt layered with freshly cut fruit, creamy softserved ice cream and topped with pieces of Fulfil’s best-selling flavour, Peanut and Caramel.

Now in selected HB Happiness Stations nationwide, the Happyful Yoghurt (RRP €3.50) provides the ultimate solution for snacking on-the-go, ensuring those with a sweet tooth stay fulfilled whatever time of day.

For all the latest information on HB, visit www. facebook.com/hbicecream/ or search @HBIreland on Twitter and Instagram. To find out more about the Fulfil range, visit http://fulfilnutrition.com or search @Fulfil_nutrition on Facebook and Instagram.

31 August 2017 GAZETTE 21

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STYLE

Too cool 4 school @ Mango  EMMA NOLAN Style Editor

BACK to school season is upon us, and you’ll find plenty of inspiration at Mango. September is a time for some new gear to keep the kids going all term long, and the brand have plenty of great looks to help give some lessons in style, whether he or she is in a dress-down day or relaxing at home – after all their homework’s done, of course!

See in-store for all prices

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In the FASTLANE The new smaller, compact Karoq adds to Skoda SUV attack SKODA’S SUV attack is continuing as the company has revealed that the new smaller and compact Karoq model will be available in Ireland from December of this year. The new Skoda Karoq claims to offer exceptional space and functionality for five people. The new technologies features for the Karoq include a digital information display and a new 1.5 TSI petrol engine.

With the new Karoq, Skoda is offer two specification levels rather than the usual three. The range will start with the mid-level Ambition and there will be a higher specification Style version. Skoda plans to expand the Karoq range further in 2019 with the launch of the SportLine and luxury Laurin & Klement derivatives.

While the new Skoda Karoq will be unveiled to the public at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September, the first models will arrive at Irish Skoda dealers in early December.

The new Skoda Karoq is the latest compact SUV offer which will be due in Ireland in December of this year

Iceland warms to Mercedes-Benz vans SUPERMARKET chain Iceland has taken delivery of four additional new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans that have entered their fleet alongside their original purchase of five units last year.

All four 314/36 medium wheelbase vans have been converted by Paneltex and are fitted with Alex Original fridges. Other features include high roof, automatic gearbox, reverse camera and PARKTRONIC parking and manoeuvring aid.

These latest units will be used for Home Deliveries and will be deployed to new Iceland stores opening up across the country at Gorey, Shannon, Limerick (Watch House Cross) and Cork (Ballincollig). These new store openings will bring the total number of stores Iceland operates across Ireland to 20.

Volvo’s stylish new SUV proves a safe bet Volvo has a new generation XC60 on the market with fresh design changes to the Swedish brand’s best-selling mid-range SUV. MICHAEL MORONEY took the XC60 to the roads where its performance, safety and comfort impressed.

VOLVO aims to build on its enviable safety reputation with the launch of the new XC60 mid-size SUV that brings together new levels of safety coupled with style.

Volvo claims this new XC60 is one of the safest cars ever made because of the level of safety technology that’s standard on many of the models.

The XC60 does the SUV thing with a level of style and comfort that makes this car less intrusive, more acceptable and now with its new platform, also more comfortable.

While the Volvo headline story for the new XC60 is about safety, for me the car excels in terms of driving performance and comfort.

On the safety front, the new XC60 Volvo now adds Steer Assist to their ground-breaking City Safety system to every XC60 version. This car is also available with the new Oncoming Lane Mitigation which uses the Steer Assist to help prevent head-on collisions.

And now Volvo’s Blind Spot Indication System (BLIS) uses Steer Assist in reducing the risk of lanechanging collisions.

Volvo’s City Safety system is fitted to every XC60. This includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist and large animal detection, and the world-first application of SteerAssist.

This feature helps to avoid or limit the severity of collisions at low speeds by assisting with the steering in an emergency, such as

The new-look Volvo XC60 comes with subtle styling changes that include new headlights and styling lines

Volvo XC60 D4 2.0 D4

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

when swerving to miss an obstacle.

For new XC60 buyers the attraction of the car revolves around the optional impressive safety package that’s not offered by the competition. The Volvo Pilot Assist is a good example, which is Volvo’s semi-autonomous drive feature.

Volvo Pilot Assist assists

2.0 litre 190hp 8.1 seconds 21km/litre (5.2/100km or 60mpg) 60 litres 136g/km B2 €280 20,000km/12 months 5 star (2009) 3 years (100,000km) €53,950 with the steering (up to 130km/hr) and takes care of the acceleration and braking required to keep the car within lane markings and at the desired cruising speed or distance from any vehicle in front. Pilot Assist is a step towards fully autonomous driving.

I drove the new 2.0-litre turbo-diesel version of the

XC60 with an enhanced engine feel that shows little change in actual performance and economy features over the engine used in the previous model.

All new version XC60’s come with an eight speed automatic gearbox that allowed ver y smooth acceleration and gave the car a pace that was impressive. This car gives an impressive feeling of being well balanced in every respect, power, performance safety and comfort, a true all-round offer at the higher end of the market.

Over a 1,100km test route that brought me on a mix of longer country drives with some city collections, this new XC60 made driving a total pleasure. The standard allwheel-drive system was rarely engaged as summer road conditions were good.

Volvo’s new Sensus infotainment system is also standard. This is operated through a 9” portraitstyle touch screen that’s easy to get used to. The package includes satellite navigation with lifetime annual map updates and Real-Time Traffic Information (RTTI) and an intuitive voice-activation system. It also provides access to the internet and a range of cloud-based apps.

The Volvo XC60 is in the luxury end of the mid-size SUV market and it deserves to be. Entry prices start at €53,950 but you’ll soon drift up the specification trail with the range of optional safety features offered on this car.

For me, the car is hugely balanced as an impressive and comfortable driving machine that sets new standards in safety. The others will follow.

31 August 2017 GAZETTE 23

Mercedes-Benz offers new eco-friendly bonus MERCEDES-BENZ in Ireland is

GAZETTE

MOTORING

Car technology is a must for Irish drivers

now offering a €2,000 change-

A NEW survey shows that over two thirds (69%) of Irish

over bonus to encourage car

drivers claim that car technology plays an important

owners to switch to new more

role in their purchasing decision, while 44% said that they

eco-friendly models from

would not be comfortable being a passenger in a self-driv-

their Mercedes-Benz range.

ing car. The latest Carzone Motoring Report has examined

The offer applies to owners of

trends in the Irish motoring industry and found that Irish

EU1 to EU4 emissions-stand-

drivers are now placing more emphasis on in-car technol-

ard diesels.

ogy and have become reliant on it to get them from A to B.

The discount, which is

The Carzone Motoring Report is compiled by analysing

offered irrespective of the

data from the 67 million searches carried out on Carzone

make or model the customer

in the first five months of 2017, as well as an in-depth

currently owns, is available

survey of 2,647 Irish motorists and a cross section of car

on orders of new Mercedes-

retailers in Ireland.

Benz diesel cars powered

The report finds that 65% of drivers claim that technol-

with EU6 emission-standard

ogy has made them a better driver and 70% say that tech

engines, as well as new

makes the driving experience all the more enjoyable. When

Mercedes-Benz plug-in

it comes to how we are using tech in the car, it appears

hybrids. The incentive can be

that drivers prefer technology that makes driving easier

combined with government

rather than simply for entertainment purposes. Almost

subsidies applicable to plugin hybrid vehicles.

half of those polled (47%) say they can’t live without their Mercedes-Benz is offering a €2,000 changeover bonus for new car buyers of more eco-friendly models

Owners of diesel cars with

trusty GPS. The survey found that most Irish motorists believe that autonomous driving will happen in their

Certain conditions apply, the vehicle

emissions standards EU1 to EU3 will

purchase of a new car. Owners of diesel

receive additional financial compensation

cars with emissions standards EU4 will

must have been registered in the cus-

that they would embrace the experience of being a

for the disposal of their used vehicle. This

receive the trade-in price agreed with

tomer’s name for at least six months and

passenger in a self-driving car, however, there remain

is determined by an independent body,

the dealership in addition to the €2,000

the new vehicle must be registered before

concerns about lack of control and the threat of the car

which must, in turn, be set against the

changeover bonus.

March 31, 2018.

being hacked.

lifetime. Just over half (56%) of Irish drivers also revealed

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24 BLANCH GAZETTE 31 August 2017

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CINEMA

DETROIT: HISTORIC DIVIDE RESONATES SHARPLY IN FILM BASED ON 1967 RIOT

ReelReviews

Disunited states of America in timely tale “IT’S hard to believe that this could happen in America,” laments a radio reporter in a short snippet of archive audio in Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit (Cert 15A, 142 mins).

Recounting true-life events steeped in racial hatred and police brutality, the above quote seems particularly timely.

Following the tragedy of the recent events in Charlottesville and a certain world leader’s less-thandamning response to the actions of the ultra-Right, a film that teaches us a lesson in the facts of America’s all too recent history of racial imbalance and injustice is deeply necessary.

The above quote refers

 MARTIN MACNAMARA

to the violence of the riots in Detroit in the late Sixties, rather than the state’s brutal, prejudiced response.

Bigelow crafts a balanced view of the events; she damns the violence itself but targets the institutionalised racism that led to it in the first place.

Set in the summer of 1967, the city of Detroit is caught up in a whirlwind of unrest with black protesters calling for civil rights, unrest that

explodes into chaos as the state response becomes more and more unjust.

When a report of gunshots at a motel prompt the police department, the state police and the National Guard to send in forces to “investigate”, naturally, they come in guns blazing.

A series of tragic events unfold, spurred on by police br utality and vicious interrogation tactics, while a lone security guard (John Boyega) attempts to stop things from boiling over at the scene.

The intense, pressurec o o ke r a t m o s p h e r e here makes for an often uncomfortable watch and the sense of forebod-

With Donald Trump’s recent jaw-dropping comments on US neo-Nazis, the ugly, historic tensions at the heart of the film continue to echo in modern-day America

ATOMIC BLONDE

A radiant new series DESPITE a bit too much advertising, Atomic Blonde (Cert 16, 115 mins) turned out to be pretty decent.

Charlize Theron shows off some serious acting (and possibly karate) chops as a spy getting caught up in some pretty murky stuff in Cold War-era East Berlin. The end result is a very stylish spy film, with Carlize at the heart of some brutal, terrific action sequences.

A GHOST STORY

Worth getting in a flap

America’s troubled divisions come to the fore in Detroit, with stars John Boyega (above) impressing in the powerful film based on the riot in the eponymous city

ing is often crushing, and unbearable.

Bigelow rarely holds back from capturing violence, yet her approach is never sensationalised.

Detroit maintains a rich, documentary-like texture, helped on by the occasional punctuation of still archive photography.

The director adopts a newsreel-style shaky-cam approach, which is effective in the chaos of the riots and shootouts, but for the film’s more tender moments, like a scene in which a young singer (Algee Smith) performs to an empty, evacuated auditorium, the tactic is often quite jarring, occasionally clumsy.

The invasive camera eye allows for complete immersion within the events and evokes the

director’s previous war films, but often denies us identification with the characters.

Still, the unifying aesthetic does give the film a consistency throughout – a not-so-simple feat for a film with a 140-minute run time and a huge cast of characters.

Indeed, this is an expertly assembled film – terrifically paced, featuring razor-sharp editing in the film’s fast-moving shootout sequences and the excellently placed splicing in of archive footage to add an extra layer of realism.

However, while the social aesthetic is deftly crafted, the point at its core is often laboured, particularly in the early stages of the narrative.

Detroit could main-

tain its chaotic, traumatic depiction of institutionalised brutality and racism while following a slightly subtler line of delivery.

An expository animated sequence that begins the film feels oddly placed and out of step with the rest of the aesthetic.

However, given the rate at which people seem to be forgetting the horrors of the past, perhaps this history lesson is a necessary one.

This isn’t a perfect film, but in troubled times, it’s a fine response to rising tensions. Perhaps Detroit would benefit from a little more subtlety, but the message is one that clearly needs to be heard loud and clear – perhaps subtlety isn’t the most efficient route at this point in time?

Verdict: 7/10

WE’VE seen a lot of evil ghost films recently – so why not go to a thoughtful one instead? A Ghost Story (Cert 12A, 92 mins) sees Casey Affleck star as the titular ghost (above), and yes, that’s what he looks like. Casey returns to quietly haunt his grieving partner after his sudden death, in a film in which nothing very much happens but remains quietly watchable all the same.

THE EMOJI MOVIE (:-/

:-(

)):-(

UNIVERSALLY hailed as one of the worst films of the year (and possibly ever), The Emoji Movie (Cert G, 86 mins) has at least crawled away from its 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Ripping off much, much better films, the tale of a ‘Meh’ emoji seeking to change his lot in life has seen particularly savage critic and audience reviews. Sad faces – and gross poop emojis – all round for this awful stinker.

31 August 2017 BLANCH GAZETTE 25

GAZETTE

GAMING

Screenshot fans will love tinkering with the in-game camera – an increasingly popular feature of many triple-A titles – repositioning the sun and camera to get the perfect shot

UNCHARTED: THE LOST LEGACY HIT SERIES MAKES A WELCOME RETURN

Tomb raiders find Indian adventure IF IT ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The popular mantra can spring to mind when facing franchise sequels or spin-offs, which usually tend to offer more of the fan-pleasing same rather than taking things in a creative new direction.

Still, when that spin-off comes from the juggernaut that’s the PlayStation’s Uncharted series – and comes directly linked to Uncharted 4, still one of the very best benchmarks in console gaming, why ‘fix’ things, indeed?

Gamers have been following Uncharted’s fortune-hunting rogue Nathan Drake for many years now, but with developer Naughty Dog saying that Nate’s tale has been satisfactorily concluded, there’s now room for

 SHANE DILLON sdillon@dublingazette.com

ancillary globe-trotting, tomb-raiding characters to step into the charming thief’s shoes.

So we arrive at Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (PS4, Cert 16,

c. €40), where we meet again sharp-witted, impulsive thief Chloe Frazer, this time teamed up with cool-headed mercenary Nadine Ross, with the pair having to set aside their mutual dislike to team up to find another shiny McGuffin.

They’re on the trail of

the Tusk of Ganesh, a relic in a long-lost Indian city – as are a group of bad guys, whose intentions are much worse than ‘just’ being thieving treasure hunters – with the scene set for a game that feels very similar to Uncharted 4, but one that forges its own identity by refining that game’s brilliantly successful formula, rather than reinventing it.

Although it’s a direct spin-off – presumably the first of several, given the well-developed characters the long-running series has fleshed out – The Lost Legacy forges its own beats and identity from the off.

While several of the game’s mechanics will be instantly familiar, they all combine to create a fun

tale of derring-do adventure, occasional puzzles and stealth, and regular guns-blazing action sections showing that Chloe and Nadine are a very, very capable pair of characters.

Their frequent bickering, occasional quips and chit-chat create a pair of believable characters in unbelievable situations, and the unlikely pair soon establish a strong dynamic.

It’s also worth pointing out that with strong, believable female leads still in short supply in gaming, Chloe and Nadine are especially welcome to see here.

Once again, Naughty Dog have delivered a toptier title, with a game that’s packed to the brim with

graphical bells and whistles, again pushing at the top end of console power.

Given that much of the donkey work had been done with the tools it developed for the previous game in the series, that should come as no surprise, so The Lost Legacy may not have quite the same impact and wowfactor that Uncharted 4 so memorably did.

Still, given its spectacular settings and a general air of dilapidated beauty – from some shabby slum streets to crumbling, overgrown temple ruins – it’s a game that’s an absolute looker in many parts, with some simply stunning vistas to discover.

One thing that bats against the game is its length – it was originally

The Lost Legacy isn’t a very long game, but it’s stuffed to the brim with stunning locations, gorgeous graphics and classic Uncharted gameplay. Screengrabs: Shane Dillon

developed as DLC (downloadable content) before getting spun out into a longer tale, leaving it with a relatively short play time of about 7-8 hours, if you trot through at a brisk pace.

However, that’s just

about the only criticism to make, as The Lost Legacy is very much a gamer’s game – its sumptuous graphics, fun gameplay and strong, likeable characters all combine to create a title that’s well worth finding.

26 BLANCH GAZETTE 31 August 2017

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28 BLANCH GAZETTE 31 August 2017

SPORT

FastSport SUPER WALSHE: IRELAND’S women finished the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Women’s European Championship in 10th place after they lost out to Israel 54-66 in the 9-10th classification game in Skopje.

In what has been a rollercoaster of a ride for the squad, a third quarter run by Israel saw Ireland on the back foot going into the last and the mountain was just too much to climb for them.

A superb display from Katie Walshe saw her bag 21 points in the game, continuing her impressive form in the tournament, but Israel’s Lior Garzon and Daniel Karsh – who finished on 20 and 14 points respectively – had just too much fire power for the Irish.

Head Coach Andy Gill said afterwards: “We set ourselves some goals when we began the programme and we’ve definitely achieved higher than we thought. To finish in the top 10 and maintain our seeding, we’ve over-achieved and the girls have performed well.”

ICE HOCKEY: DUBLIN SIDE SEE FOUR PLAYERS CALLED UP FOR IRISH SQUAD

More than just luck for Clovers, who train using roller blades  JAMES HENDICOTT sport@dublingazette.com

DUBLIN-based ice hockey team Celtic Clovers have seen four of their star players picked for the Irish national side.

The players - who impressed in trials back in June and July - are to appear at an international Development Cup hosted in Andorra.

Peter McGivern, Aaron Collins, Conor Fleming and Romans Piskurevs all came through the trial, an achievement for Clovers as they battle on in what they believe to be the only country in the European Union without a year-round ice hockey rink.

“Technically we travel to the UK for our games,” Clovers man Derek O’Neill told GazetteSport of the club. “We usually play late on Sunday nights in Belfast. We do a lot of our training on roller blades, which always comes as a shock to players who get involved after moving from playing hockey elsewhere into Ireland.

“Our games take place at the same venue as the only professional team on the island, the Belfast Giants, play.

They’re usually late on Sunday night as that’s when we can get the time. It’s important to us as a principle that we’re an ice hockey club, not a roller hockey club, so we compete on ice.”

Clovers formed on a temporary, warehouse rink in Castleknock in 2012 - a spot that’s since closed down - but have grown quickly in those five years, even attracting international visitors to the side [Piskurevs, for example, is a Latvianborn naturalised Irishman].

“Clovers play in Strasbourg every year against French and Austrian teams, and very much hold our own against teams that contain ex-pros so it’s at a good level,” O’Neill explains, “but we also have our own development team. That’s becoming more common, a lot of clubs have two teams competing now.

“The main aim of the trip out to Andorra is to play at a higher level and get experience. Obviously there are stronger teams all over Europe than Ireland, and nobody wants to be the whipping boys, though the other side of that is you can get better by playing strong opposition.

“The teams in Andorra are at a simi-

Some of the Celtic Clovers team

lar level to us, though.

We’ll be playing Andorra, Morocco and Portugal.”

One aspect that that grates with O’Neill is the link of a proper rink in the south of Ireland.

“It’s scandalous that there’s not a rink in Ireland. Ironically, when Ireland was a far poorer place with far less facilities in the 70s and 80s, we did have one,” O’Neill says, citing a refused planning application as an extension to the shop-

ping centre in Liffey Valley as the latest barrier to regular ice hockey in the Republic.

“There’s never less than a hundred people at a public skate in Belfast when we go up. It seems obvious the demand would be there in Dublin too. Our games are free to watch in Belfast, so anyone can check us out.”

Technically, the team that travels to the Development Cup in Canillo in late September are not

‘Team Ireland’, though they are sanctioned by the Irish Ice Hockey Association. They exist in a kind of administrative gray area, in the shadows, much like the sport itself in the Republic.

Development of the national team - as well as the surprising existence of competitive league teams here [albeit facing each other up north] - is reason for optimism when it comes to the future.

Mohan picks nine Dubs for Czech friendlies  KARL GRAHAM sport@dublingazette.com

Ireland Under-19 football manager Tom Mohan

NINE Dubliners have been named in Tom Mohan’s Ireland squad for the friendly doubleheader against the Czech Republic in September.

Four of the players named still ply their trade in the capital, namely Brian Maher of St Patrick’s Athletic, Aaron Bolger from Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians’ Warren O’Hora and Ryan Graydon.

Bournemouth’s Lucan keeper Mark Travers is also in the side,

alongside former St Kevin’s Boys star Dara O’Shea, Tyreke Wilson of Manchester City, Southampton’s Jonathan Afolabi, and former Belvedere FC man Dan McKenna.

The team will play the Czechs in the first of the two games – set up as preparation for the UEFA Under-19 Championship qualifiers in October - on Saturday at the RSC, Waterford at 7.45pm, with the second taken place in the same venue at 1.00pm two days later.

“They’re good opponents,” Mohan said. “The Czechs are

always physically strong, athletic, good technically, and have played a lot of games at Under-18 level.

“I feel this will be a really good test for us ahead of the qualifying games in Waterford.

“Waterford is always great to play in - the pitch is always in good condition and the crowd loves their football. It’s also good that we have players from the South East involved in this squad.”

Mohan is happy that players in this age group are making progress at club level - both at home and abroad. “We’ve a number of

players out with injuries and have several players involved in at first team level in England and Ireland so they’ll come in after the first game.

“It’s been a good couple of months for numerous players.

Several have played first team in pre-season and have made their debuts at first team level competitively.”

“We had a three-day training camp and a number of homebased trials over the summer to try and look at as many players as we could. We are constantly monitoring the players.”

31 August 2017 BLANCH GAZETTE 29

GAZETTE

FASTSport

Kickboxing star looks to kick on after switch O’Donovan hopes to become world number one in her

Dubs hammer Kerry to reach fourth final in a row DUBLIN Ladies’ football team reached another All-Ireland final with a comprehensive hammering of Kerry on Saturday, a fourth consecutive finale that’s likely to see the Jackies face off against arch nemesis Cork.

The goal-hungry Dubs hit a scoreline of 5-10 to Kerry’s 0-11 at Semple Stadium to ease into the final, with Sinead Aherne again the key woman as she hit 2-7.

It was Dublin’s efficiency in front of the posts compared to that of their opponents - who hit more wides than points - that ultimately did much of the damage.

The first goal came midway through the first half, followed by a second just before half time. Aherne grabbed both, the first a clinical finish placed just inside the Kerry post, and the latter a well-taken penalty bashed home when Niamh McEvoy was brought down after breaking through on the Kingdom’s goal.

That gave the Dubs a fairly comfortable 2-6 to 0-4 lead going into the break, and license to cut loose in a second half in which Kerry also upped their attacking game - primarily by grabbing their points more efficiently.

Dublin had far more cutting edge, though, as the experienced Sinead Finnegan martialled a Jackies’ defence that’s been revamped somewhat for the 2017 season. Nicole Owens effectively put the game to bed a minute after half-time, as a swift attacking maneuver ended with her slotting into the Kerry net.

From then on, the Dubs took advantage of their comfortable lead to ring the changes, and Noelle Healy put a gloss on the final scoreline, adding a fourth with twenty minutes to go, and a fifth in the dying seconds as the girls in blue ran riot. The 5-10 to 0-11 final score is a great confidence builder going into another decider.

The Dubs have only a single ladies’ All-Ireland title, having lost the final six times. The last four defeats came against Cork, including the past three years on the trot. Heartbreakingly, none of the last three contests saw the Jackies defeated by more than two points.

Mayo stand in the way of the Munster ladies ahead of the September finale, and the Rebelettes have had a less inspired season than usual. The Dubs will be giving everything to overcome the disappointment ‘nearlies’ of recent years.

primary sport, after successfull move sees her win National Karate Championships and make Irish squad  JAMES HENDICOTT sport@dublingazette.com

TERENURE martial artist Caradh O’Donovan is expanding her horizons, with the champion kickboxer spreading her wings into a dual-sport attack on competitive karate in recent months.

O’Donovan is currently ranked number two in the world in her -55kg weight category in primary sport kickboxing, having missed a number of key tournaments over the course of the last six months. She hopes the two further competitions she’s likely to compete in over the coming couple of months might propel

her ahead of Britain’s Shannon Ryan to top the rankings.

T hat second place ranking is all the more astonishing, though, when you take into account her new found competitiveness in the world of karate.

Explaining the crossover between the sports, O’Donovan told GazetteSport “not every style of kickboxing is similar to karate, but some are. I complete mainly in point fighting, which is a version of the sport where the main aim is to get the first hit in - be the first to score. In some ways karate is quite similar to that, although the different

length of fights is something I have to get used to.

“I’ve been lucky, I’ve been doing my karate in Santry, which is where the national coaches are based, and it’s a great place to get good quickly.

I started doing it really for fun, and I have a long way to go, but it’s a great place to be.

“I’ll never compete in an Olympics in kickboxing, because while it looks likely to be added to the Olympics in the future, it’ll be too late for me.

In karate, it’s a long way off but if things are going well I have to think about competing in Tokyo.”

Most recently, as a result of her new passion,

Caradh O’Donovan standing on the top podium after coming first in the World Cup in Italy

O’Donovan’s technical training has leant far more towards her karate ambitions.

“My strength and conditioning hasn’t really changed,” she tells us.

“The technical side of the karate is a bit of a priority as I have far more to learn there. I feel like with the kickboxing, as long as I get some sparring in ahead of competitions I’ll be okay, but I do tailor my training to what’s coming up in terms of competitions at the time.

“I think the sport of kickboxing is hugely under-appreciated in Ireland,” O’Donovan continues. “Ireland is in the top three in the world as a team at most competitions, usually behind Russia and Hungary, but we get very little recognition for that. Currently, to compete for Ireland you have to pay to take part, but there are huge numbers of people involved.”

O’Donovan, in fact, is well placed to comment in the funding issues around sport in Ireland, having previously worked within the government sports departments connected with the funding of both triathlon and boxing. Having departed to mentor young Irish sportspeople as a profession she found it challenging to train and work civil service hours - she’s less than positive about the funding aspect of sports.

“We’re one of the most successful Irish teams in any sport, and it’s well-

known that there’s a difficulty there with funding,” she explains of the kickboxing in particular.

“There’s some income for the association, but they can’t afford to support athletes. Last year we hosted the junior worlds, and the year before that the world senior championships were here in Ireland.

“I know from my experience that there’s a lot of money wasted, though.

It really frustrates me.

It’s not even that these organisations don’t have enough funding. They don’t need more money, they just need to be managed better.”

It’s fair to say as a fighter in her early 30s who already travels the world to compete, O’Donovan is not really talking about herself, but more about the sports broadly: she will struggle by and compete regardless of money coming in, not even limiting herself to just a single sport in doing so.

O’Donovan’s kickboxing, funding issues or not, is undeniably world class, with that world number one spot a realistic possibility in the -55kg weight category for later this year. The karate is new, but a real ‘watch this space’.

O’Donovan will be competing in both sports during October - at the kickboxing British Open and the Karate 1 series A in Austria. She will then head for the karate Belgian Open in November.

GAZETTE

30 BLANCH GAZETTE 31 August 2017

FASTSport

SOCCER: BLANCH SIDE GET LIFE IN LSL OFF TO WINNING START

Young guns show future

is bright for Leinster LEINSTER emptied their bench to secure victory as their young side secured a 25-17 victory over Bath in their second pre-season friendly at Donnybrook.

McCarthy scored a late try to seal the win for his side after a stellar second half performance from Ireland star Joey Carberry.

Leinster started a string of youngsters including Blackrock man Caelan Doris, whose first involvement was taking down 2017 Lion Taulupe Faletau during the opening stages.

Leinster kicked the first score through a lovely pass from Jamison Gibson-Park that put Ross Byrne outside the first defender to eventually force a penalty that Byrne put between the posts in the 25th minute.

15 minutes later, Leinster got their second score of the game when 21-year-old Max Deegan crossed the line on the left-hand side. It all came from good footwork by Conor O’Brien and great positioning by Ed Byrne.

It was the final score of the half but the home side got off to a great start in the second half and Dave Kearney crossed the line after beating full-back Darren Atkins to Carbery’s kick upfield. Carbery then converted to give Leinster a 15-0 lead.

However, Kearney soon went from hero to villain when his attempted clearance only went as far as Bath centre Ben Tapuai, who took advantage to beat Sean Cronin on the outside and strike back.

The visitors didn’t let up there and pulled themselves within three points when a maul was allowed to gain ground and Fotuali’i slipped through to score, with Freddie Burns converting for the extra two points.

Leinster responded in excellent fashion, however, and stretched their lead to six through a Carbery penalty.

With three minutes remaining, 22-year-old substitute Nick McCarthy, pictured, looked to have ensured victory for Leinster when the scrum-half touched over and Carbery converted.

Bath lost a Matt Banahan offload at the Leinster line but Fotuali’i was alert to pounce on the loose ball and cross the line for his second try.

Castleknock Celtic side who defeated Valeview.

Knock hit Valeview for 5 sport@dublingazette.com

CASTLEKNOCK Celtic got their first ever Leinster Senior League campaign off to a winning start with a 5-2 defeat of Valeview Shankill in the LSL Major 1B at ITB Blanchardstow n last weekend.

Sylviu Aghinita scored a hat-trick and Cillian Daly netted a brace as Celtic cruised past the Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown side to take top position on goal difference at the end of the first round of games.

Celtic are competing in the league for the first time since they became

one of eight sides to controversially jump ship from the AUL at the end of last season.

Having joined forces with Hibernian, but kept their own name, Ray Bowe’s side were assigned to the second tier of the LSL’s junior division.

Celtic arrived into the game in a confident mood following some impressive pre-season wins, but they were rocked by the concession of an early goal due to an error at the back.

Celtic’s slow start was compounded by a defensive lapse from a corner that let Valeview striker Kieran Conway in to stab

MAJOR 1B Mochtas get off to a win after promotion ST MOCHTAS got their season off to a great start with a 4–2 home win over St. James’s Gate in the LSL Major 1B. Adam Layton opened the scoring in the first half but the visitors equalised shortly after half time. The visitors then took the lead from the penalty spot before Dylan Sweeney hit back immediately for the Saints.

Mark Sheridan then made it 3-2 from the penalty spot before Glen O’ Donnell sealed the win in the dying minutes of the game.

Picture: Martin Doherty

the ball past the dive of Celtic goalkeeper Paddy Leonard.

The hosts gradually gained a foothold in the game and they weren’t behind for long as Conor Mullen teed up Aghinita and he rifled home from close range.

Daly gave Celtic the lead for the first time just six minutes later as he struck home from ten yards following a perfect set-up from veteran midfielder Kevin Keane, and they took that lead into the break.

Five minutes after half time, it was 3-1 to the home side as Aghinita grabbed his second goal

of the game, putting the finishing touch on a wonderful team move.

John Byrne set the ball in motion as he picked the ball up in his own half and found Jamie Traynor, who in turn laid it off to Cillian Daly.

He sent an incisive pass through for Aghinita who put the icing on the cake as he shot past the Shankill keeper, Chris Mason, from eight yards.

Just before the hour mark, Celtic ended the tie as a contest and Daly was again the provider as he set up Aghinita, who slotted the ball home to wrap up his hat-trick.

Before he could take

home the match ball, however, Aghinita was substituted for Niall Conron, who attempted to emulate his teammate with a shot that came within inches of making it 5-1.

Daly did notch a fifth 12 minutes from time when he headed into the far corner of the net from a super ball into the box

by Sean McGarrity to complete his brace.

Shankill notched a consolation goal in the dying minutes of the game through Keith McNamee, but the match ended in a comfortable 5-2 win for the side from Blanchardstown.

31 August 2017 BLANCH GAZETTE 31

GAZETTE

HURLATHON

CLUB NOTICEBOARD

Knock seniors teach juveniles some skills

ST BRIGID’S

CASTLEKNOCK’S senior hurlers ran a fundraising event at Somerton Park last weekend to promote the skills of hurling, while also heping to raise funds for the team’s new clubhouse The team members were the driving force behind the hurlathon day, and took over the mentoring of all juvenile boys teams from Under-7’s to Under-16’s, before finishing the day with the legends game of hurling.

FOOTBALL: MINORS FALL SHORT AGAINST DERRY

JUNIOR C champions: Great win for all

There was a good win for the AFL3

on Saturday with St Brigids winning the

against Ballyboden St Endas at the

championship with a score line of 2-17 to

weekend.

2-15 [AET].The teams were tied 1-13 [St

There is a club coaches night on 1st

Brigids] to 2-10 (Lucan Sarsfields) at the

September as part of the 2020 project

end of normal time. Brigids came from

and it is a vital forum. The club wants

behind in extra time with four scores in

to develop and support our coaches. If

a row - a goal from Alan Nolan and points

you are coaching at any age be sure to

from Colm Doyle, Warren Finnegan and

attend. Our club gala dinner 2017 will

John Dunning to seal the victory. Epic

take place in the Hogan Suite of Croke

altogether.

Park on October 14th. A brilliant club

Best of luck to Eoin Kennedy who will

The St Brigids 5k is set for 17th Sep-

September in the Croke Park Handball

tember at 10am. It takes place on All-

Centre.

Ireland football Sunday. Individual or

Well done to St Brigids ladies football players Noelle Healy, Ciara Trant and

Nursery resumes on Saturday 2nd September from 9.30am to 11.00am, with

winners of Cork v Mayo in the All-Ireland

all four to seven year olds welcome.

The club would like to extend its sym-

next weekend. Make sure to support the

pathy to the Whitty family following the

lads.

passing of Paul’s father, John Whitty.

OUR nursery with thanks to Tigers

you buy fuel in Topaz and the club could

Childcare returned last Saturday to Tir

be entered into a cash draw with up to

na nOg. New members always welcome.

€200,000 up for grabs.

The senior hurlers hurlathon was a

DUBLIN’s minor AllIreland football dream came to a painful end on Sunday when they lost by three points to a Derry side that finished stronger down the home stretch to progress.

The young Dubs gave their all and were left to rue a number of missed scoring opportunities in both halves – with the boys in blue also enjoying several goal-scoring chances throughout the game.

The absence of James Madden through injury was keenly felt as his athleticism and goal-scoring threat could have been key on this occasion.

Dublin kicked the first point of the game in the first minute from the boot of Ross McGarry but Derry responded with a brace of points from Patrick Quigg.

David Lacey levelled matters in the eighth minute, but Dublin were struggling to gain a foothold in the early stages and fell three points behind by the 11th minute.

Dublin gradually began

to play with a greater degree of cohesion and successive points by Lacey and the outstanding James Doran reflected their increasing comfort.

Derry regained their two-point buffer by the 21st minute but with Doran increasingly influential from centreforward, gaps began to appear down the heart of the Derry defence.

Dublin managed to take the lead after Doran’s second point of the half was followed up

by Lacey and McGarry to take a narrow 0-8 to 0-7 lead going into break.

Dublin dominated the

match upon the restart but should have had more to show for it than the points tallied by Seán Hawkshaw and Doran.

Derry took advantage to level with a point from Oisin McWilliams, while Dublin replied through Doran and Lacey. The momentum swung back towards Derry with Lorcan McWilliams and Richie Mullan bringing the sides level once again.

With the game still close going into the final stages, it was Derry who managed to finish strongest with scores from McWilliams and substitute Jon Paul Devlin.

Well done to Ciarán and the Dubs on reaching the All-Ireland Final. Hard luck

nan1@gmail.com.

Dublin 0-14 Derry 0-17  sport@dublingazette.com

Lotto: Next Draw on 7TH September.

Junior A hurlers have a semi-final

Send any nursery enquiries to lisakier-

ALL-IRELAND SEMI FINAL

hoping for a huge club occasion.

Emma Sherwood as Dublin now face the

CASTLEKNOCK

Young Dubs miss out to northern rivals

“Team of 4” entry is possible and we are

Deirdre Murphy, and commiserations to

final on the 24th September.

Daniel Brennan in action for Dublin.

night is in store for all.

meet Robbie McCarthy in the final on 2nd

to the Dublin minor footballers.

great day of fun at Somerton Park on

Good luck to all our own minors who

Saturday with lots of kids and some

are gearing up for championship which

“legends” displaying their skills on the

starts next weekend.

day. Thanks to all organisers and par-

Congrats to James Sherry of Somerton Physiotherapy Clinic on opening his

ticipants.

Please sign up to Topaz “Play or Park”

new premises at Valleymount House,

online or at a Topaz garage and pick

Main Street, Blanchardstown Village

Castleknock Hurling & Football club as

Dublin 15. You can contact James on 085

your club. Scan your loyalty card when

2455600 or info@somertonphysio.ie.

NAOMH PEREGRINE

DUBLIN are through to the All-Ireland

The nursery/academy will return

final and we have tickets. If you fancy

on Saturday 2nd September: Nursery

getting your hands on them and support

[born 2012-2013] at 9:30am and academy

your club enter the draw. 1st Prize - 2

[born 2010-2011] at 10:30am.

Hogan Stand Tickets for the All-Ireland

Midweek training for both groups

final, 2nd Prize - 2 Hill 16 Tickets for All-

returns Thursday 7th September at

Ireland final, 3rd Prize - Signed Dublin

5pm. All newcomers welcome, contact

Jersey, 4th Prize - €100, 5th Prize - €50.

Niall Burns 086 607 3190 or Amanda Scal-

Tickets €5 available from Paul Harte and

lan 086 200 7418.

various teams, with draw taking place

No winner of this week’s lotto. Num-

in the clubhouse on 16th September. Live

bers drawn: 4, 7, 13 and 26. Next week’s

Band and Drink Promotions.

jackpot is €7400.



GOT A STORY? WE WANT TO KNOW!

Call our SPORT TEAM on 60 10 240 and SELECT OPTION 3

or email sport@dublingazette.com

GAZETTESPORT

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Delightful Dubs make light work of Tyrone Three in a row still on track for the Boys in Blue as Jim Gavin’s side barely need to leave third gear to get past disappointing challenge of Red Hand, as O’Callaghan and McCaffrey put in standout performances  DAVE DONNELLY

sport@dublingazette.com

DUBLIN set up yet another All-Ireland senior football final showdown with Mayo after brushing aside Tyrone by 2-17 to 0-11 at Croke Park on Sunday afternoon.

Con O’Callaghan and Dean Rock topscored with five points apiece as Dublin dismantled their Ulster opponents to win the semi-final by a 12-point margin.

The result, and Mayo’s comprehensive win over Kerry on Saturday, sets up a repeat of last year’s final, which required a replay before the Boys in Blue could get their hands on the trophy.

Diarmuid Connolly made his return from a 12-week suspension as a late sub, while Dublin were so comfortable they could afford to

leave Bernard Brogan and Michael Darragh MacAuley riding pine.

The Dubs had Tyrone on the backfoot from the first whistle and they struck a decisive blow as early as the fifth minute as O’Callaghan scored a magnificent solo goal.

The Cuala clubman sold an outrageous dummy to Tyrone defender Ronan McNamee before showing the poise and confidence to hammer home a shot from 13 yards.

It was a devastating early blow for the Red Hand, who had set up to defend and frustrate Dublin’s all-star attacking unit and left them chasing the game from the very beginning.

Not that they modified their approach to any significant degree, as Dublin continued to wear down their opponents with nine further points in the first half, including a double from O’Callaghan.

Tyrone did manage five points of their own in reply, including two from frees, but the scoreboard reflected the abiding sense that Dublin were always pulling away.

Paul Flynn impressed off the bench with three points while he also saw a good effort on goal saved by Niall Morgan.

Kevin McManamon came close to a goal of his own only to see his well-struck effort cannon off the bar, while the rampaging Jack McCaffrey broke through before skewing his shot wastefully wide.

Another substitute, O’Gara, did manage to breach the net for the second time with three minutes remaining as he batted the ball home at the end of a tremendous flowing move.

The biggest cheer of the night was reserved for Connolly, however, as the St Vincents man replaced O’Callaghan in the final min-

ute of normal time.

Connolly didn’t touch the ball during his brief cameo on the pitch but the effect his return, after being disciplined for laying his hands on a linesman in June, was clear for all to see.

Tyrone had their own chance in injury time to grab a consolation goal from the spot and put some respectability on the scoreline, but Stephen Cluxton dived to his right to save Peter Harte’s disappointing penalty.

“We got an early goal,” a less than delighted Dublin manager Jim Gavin said after the match.

“It was an opportunity and we took it. In the second half we had more chances and we weren’t clinical enough.”

The Round Towers man added: “We know that the next day that won’t be good enough.”