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October 8-14, 2015

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INSIDE: Sink your teeth into our fun-packed Hotel Transylvania 2 pull-out P15

Handball:

Kennedy going for national title double Page 32

Football:

Castleknock add cup to league success Page 31

Hansfield demo to highlight housing  KEITH BELLEW

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ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES...................... 8 DUBLIN LIFE...................11 OUT&ABOUT ..................17 CLASSIFIEDS ................26 SPORT ...........................27

OPINION: Tanaiste Joan Burton on the Government’s Capital Plan Page 13

A SHOW house in Hansfield was recently occupied by homeless families and Dublin 15 Anti-Austerity Alliance members led by Deputy Ruth Coppinger (SP) to highlight the housing crisis.

This follows revelations that Fingal County Council turned down 270 units offered by Nama between 2011 and 2015.

The occupiers are calling for more Nama owned units to be made avail-

able for social housing. There are currently 117 families assessed as homeless from the Dublin 15 area.

Most are living in emergency accommodation. Up to 6,088 social housing applicants have expressed a preference for the Blanchardstown housing area, 3,500 of which are from Dublin 15 addresses.

Deputy Coppinger said that Nama has control of hundreds of properties.

“Why aren’t they being made available for social housing?” she asked.

Full Story on Page 3

Catching their breath: Boys in blue caught chillin’ in the sun PETER Geraghty and Jack Reid take a breather from all the action at the recent Castleknock Hurling and Football Club’s annual fun/open day which took place in Somerton. It was a great way for the club to show off its best features and to attract new

members. Attractions included games and entertainment throughout the day as well as tasty food and a cake sale offering buns, scones and tarts.

See full Gallery on Page 8 Picture: Stephen Fleming

2 BLANCH Gazette 8 October 2015

council Chairs set to lose top-up

planning Notice Fingal county council

Planning Permission sought for Proposed demolition of existing side single storey store shed. Proposed construction of side two storey detached dwelling house with dormer window to rear part of roof attic roof space conversion, using existing vehicular access, solar panels to rear part of roof- southwards facing, all associated site development works, provision of service connections, landscaping and boundary treatment. Proposed additional vehicular access to front garden of existing house with associated site development works at 27 Willow Wood Grove, Hartstown, Dublin 15 for Anton & Fanka Stamatov. The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of Fingal County Council, Planning Department during its public opening hours and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of a prescribed fee (20Euros) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

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Cllr Lorna Nolan (Ind): “In the last year I have attended three meetings [for] no longer than an hour and a half to two hours. I don’t see the justification in the salary and I am calling on the councillors to abolish it.”

Vote passes to scrap €6k pay for committees S T R AT E GIC P o l i c y Committee (SPC) chairs will no longer receive their €6,000 annual payment following a motion to abolish it tabled by Cllr Lorna Nolan (Ind), and passed with 19 votes in favour, four against and two abstentions at a recent Fingal County Council meeting.

There are six SPCs in total and prior to the motion, each chair received €6,000 (the maximum allowable) a year on top of their council salar y and expenses, which amounts to €36,000 a year.

There are four SPC meetings per year, and

 keith bellew kbellew@dublingazette.com

Cllr Nolan said that the meetings have never lasted longer than two hours, which amounts to the chairs being paid €750 an hour.

The argument that the chairs do a considerable amount of work outside the meetings was made by oppo nents of the motion, but Cllr Nolan said she has never once seen a chairman’s report on this work.

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

Addressing the chamber prior to the vote, she said: “I’m actually on two of those committees. In the last year I have attended three meetings [for] no longer than an hour and a half to two hours.

“I don’t see the justification in the salary and I am calling on the councillors to abolish it. I don’t think it’s justified, I don’t think it’s good value for the taxpayers’ money – it is tax-free for the councillors and it’s [like a] jobs for the boys [reward], so I would like to call for a vote to have this abolished.”

Supporting the m o t i o n , C l l r J i m my Guerin (Ind) questioned the manner in which these chairs are appointed, as Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Labour and a number of Independents with similar political leanings in Fin-

gal have a pact whereby they vote together on certain subjects.

He said: “What makes me suspect that its more of a party perk or an agreement between groupings is when you see the chair being split [between councillors] for [terms] between three years and two years. I think that puts a question mark over the justification of paying someone the €6,000.”

Concerns Cllr Adrian Henchy (FF) said that he had concerns about where these ty pes of cuts would end. He said it could end up as “a race to the bottom” for councillors to do away with all manner of payments.

The Mayor of Fingal, David O’Connor (Ind) went so far as to describe the motion as “kind of a cheap shot”.

He said: “The next thing you know, you’ll be looking to get rid of the expenses for the deputy mayor and cut out representational payment for councillors. There is an element of ‘race to the bottom’ [about it].”

He went on to say that he “detests” the idea of taking €36,000 from councillors’ personal allowance to put into the €200m council budget.

Cllr Nolan said the passing of the motion is evidence that the councillors elected in May 2014 are bringing change to local government.

She said she would like to see the €36,000 this will save invested in promoting mental health services for young people and the roll-out of the agefriendly town initiative throughout Fingal.

8 October 2015 BLANCH Gazette 3

occupation: protest over homelessness demands more action

Activists highlight crisis in housing  Keith Bellew

A SHOW house in the Hansfield development was recently occupied to highlight the housing crisis, according to Deputy Ruth Coppinger (SP) and the homeless families from Dublin 15 who took part in the occupation.

Last month, the same group took over a Nama property in Diswellstown.

There are currently 117 families assessed as homeless from the Dublin 15 area. Most are living in emergency accommodation. Up to 6,088 applicants have expressed a preference for the Blanchardstown housing area, 3,500 of which are from Dublin 15 addresses.

To date in 2015, 35 homeless or vulnerable households in Dublin 15 have been provided with permanent accommodation with council or approved housing bodies.

Deputy Coppinger has been calling for more Nama properties and lands to be made available for social housing.

Fingal was offered 270 units between 2011 and 2015 and accepted 105.

A council spokesperson said the council was committed to providing high quality social housing and could not simply accept units as they were presented.

The authority wants to build sustainable communities in line with key Government priorities, not just find quick-fix solutions to a complex

problem. In the case of most of the 165 units it rejected, the chief reasons were the unsuitability of the location.

They went on to outline a number of other reasons saying: “There were additional factors such as a number of units not meeting standards or construction regulations.

Some units had legal title and management issues.

Other units were withdrawn by Nama during the process. Or in some cases, the cost of acquisition and leasing did not offer value for money.

Additionally, some properties had complex planning issues and associated financial constraints.”

Deputy Coppinger said she would like to see the books opened on the units offered to see exactly what kind of units they were and whereabouts they were, because she doesn’t believe the council would refuse properties if they were fit for purpose.

She added that 270 units offered over a fouryear period was “an appalling track record.

That’s about 50 houses a year. That’s 270 properties when you’ve got 10,000 on the housing list. Nama has control of hundreds of properties right now, that’s why we had the occupation up in Diswellstown Manor, where they’ve got planning permission for 150plus homes. Why aren’t they being made available for social and affordable housing?” she asked.

sport Students in training as part of programme

Pupils to run last mile in Marathon Over 600 sixth class pupils from 22 Fingal schools will be joining the SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon for the last mile of the race on October 26.

The students will complete 25.2 miles over eight weeks, training four times a week in their school before com-

pleting the last mile at the Dublin Marathon.

This is part of KiDSMARATHON an athletic programme developed by New Zealand Olympian Rod Dixon to encourage children to embrace healthy, active lifestyles.

He has not only implemented the pro-

gramme in his native New Zealand but he has tens of thousands of children taking part across the United States. A chance meeting between Dixon and Neil Kennedy (Dublin Marathon) paved the way for the programme to come to Ireland.

This is the first time

Fingal County Council and Dublin Marathon have been involved in a programme of this type and it is the first programme of its kind in the countr y. T he pupils are supplied with a workbook which highlights the benefits of sport and is used as both a training guide

and learning tool for use in the classroom.

Speaking about the programme, Clodagh Kelly of Burrow National School, Sutton, said the KiDSMARATHON programme had shown to be a truly beneficial and enjoyable activity for both her and her class.

4 BLANCH Gazette 8 October 2015

people Roisin goes from Morrigan the temptress to teacher

Riverdance star opens dance school  keith bellew

Clonsilla woman Roisin Lyons has returned from five years of extensive world touring with a number of prestigious Irish Dance productions, to open her own dance school in the area.

Having begun dancing at age three, she spent over 10 years competing in every major championship, including the World and All Ireland championships. She is a multiple world championship medal holder.

In 2010, at the age of 20, she joined Lord of the Dance performing alongside Michael Flatley for his return tour. She toured

with Lord of the Dance for three years taking up the lead role Morrighan the temptress in 2012.

In June 2013, she joined a new production called Heartbeat Of Home created by the producers of Riverdance. This multicultural show toured for over 10 months beginning in Ireland and ending in the USA. It consisted of many different styles of dance including hip hop, salsa, and tango. She went on to join Riverdance in 2014 and was also chosen to represent Dublin in the 2014 Rose of Tralee International Festival.

Speaking to The Gazette, she said that working with Michael

Flatley on Lord of the Dance was very challenging as it was her first ever tour.

“I had come out of the competitive dancing world, so it was a whole new scene to me. Touring and dancing with someone like Michael Flatley was extremely scary. I was only 20 and I went straight into this show where there was girls who were much older than me and there was girls who were 23- 24 who had been dancing professionally for years, so it was hard to break into the routine, but it was a huge honour for me to dance with him [Flatley],” she said.

She toured all over the

world in the course of her career, performing in such far-away places as China, Japan and Taiwan.

She said the reception in these countries was hugely positive “They absolutely love it. You’d think they wouldn’t know about Irish dancing because the Government [in China} has banned social networking, but everybody knew who we were, they knew our names, everything.”

The Lyons Irish Dance Company will cater for all Irish dance levels, boys and girls, men and women from age fourplus. Classes commence this month in Blakestown, Clonsilla and Ongar. For fur ther information, contact lyonsirishdancecompany@gmail.com or 0874592810.

A White Christmas at Draiocht Coolmine Musical Society will present the Irish amateur premiere of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas on November 10-14 in Draiocht.

The story concerns two ex-army pals, who team up with two sisters, to save the Vermont Inn run by their former commanding officer.

Preparations have been ongoing for several months, with auditions for the leading roles taking place in June and rehearsals beginning in August.

A spokesperson for the group said this was the first time they had had the opportunity to present a premiere and they were very excited about it.

Tickets can be booked at Draiocht box office on (01) 8852622 or online at www.draiocht.ie.

Roisin Lyons has returned after five years of touring, including dancing with Michael Flatley (inset) in Riverdance, and is now opening her own dance school

8 October 2015 BLANCH Gazette 5

6 BLANCH GAZETTE 8 October 2015

RADIO

COUNCIL: QUESTIONS OVER FUNDING IF PROPOSAL PASSES IN UPCOMING PLAN

Getting to know Dublin 15

 KEITH BELLEW

THE Government has said the possibility of reducing or completely doing away with development levies in councils to facilitate the construction of housing is being considered in the context of Budget 2016.

A spokesperson from the Department of Environment said this was just one of a number of proposals being considered for the budget, which is to be announced on October 13, but stressed no decision had yet been made.

If approved, it is likely the Government would compensate local authorities for lost revenue.

Fingal County Council collected a total of €11m

Popular pupils: Pair honoured by fellow students at ceremony PICTURED are the students choice Students of the Year prize winners Juel Unto and Antoinette Rosillo from Coolmine Community School. The pair were honoured when the school held its annual Junior Certificate prize-giving ceremony at Westmanstown Golf Club recently.

in development levies in 2014, and €13.7m in the first nine months of 2015.

Cllr Roderic O’Gorman (GP) criticised the proposal, saying the income generated through development levies was integral to the provision of infrastructure around Fingal.

He said: “Fingal and the other local authorities use the money they receive from development levies to fund the provision of infrastructure around the county. If the Government stops us from claiming this money from developers, where are we going to make up the shortfall?

“Is the Government going to commit to supplying the missing income? If they don’t, then councils will be forced to increase

business rates or the local property tax.”

Cllr Justin Sinnott (Ind) also criticised the proposal, saying it could affect the maintenance of parks, playgrounds, roads and special works programmes.

He believes it is unfeasible for the council to do without this income, and questioned whether the Department of Environment has the funds to reimburse each local authority.

The Department of Environment declined to comment, saying: “Nothing has been decided in relation to this at the moment. It is one of a number of suggestions to be considered in the context of the budget.”

PLANNING NOTICE FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

I, Keith Conroy intend to apply for planning permission at 96 Sheephill Avenue, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15. The development will consist of the construction of a two storey extension to the east side of the dwelling, a single storey extension to the rear of the dwelling, minor alterations to the existing dwelling and associated site works. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours and a submission or observation may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (20Euros) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of this application.

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SUPPORT YOUR

COMMUNITY



LOCAL radio station 92.5 Phoenix FM has announced a new addition to its schedule, which will look at the lives of prominent Dublin 15 figures.

Getting to Know You will see hosts Chris Hitchcock and Tony Mayock attempt to get to know the person behind the public persona, through interviews about their favourite music, books, cinema and sports among other interests.

The series kicks off on Sunday, October 11 at 6pm with guest Deputy Mayor of Fingal, Jack Chambers.

Future confirmed guests include Tanaiste, Joan Burton and Minister for Health Leo Varadkar.

The show will be broadcast via 92.5 Phoenix FM and phoenixfm.ie.

Development levies facing Budget cut

CALL THE GAZETTE TO ADVERTISE IN YOUR LOCAL AREA.

60 10 240

8 October 2015 BLANCH Gazette 7

transport McGuinness questions upkeep and repairs

Hansfield station ‘not abandoned’  keith bellew kbellew@dublingazette.com

Irish Rail has said it has not abandoned Hansfield train station and engages cleaning and security contractors to visit the location on a regular basis.

This follows questions raised by Cllr David McGuinness (Ind) about the upkeep of the station as a number of repairs have been left undone for months including broken windows and a leaking roof. He also raised concerns about a lack of staff presence at the station.

He said that the station has had a leaking roof for a number of months now, rot has set in and there are huge puddles in the station on

rainy days.

He went on to say that despite the fact that the station was built at a cost of €10m he believes it was set up to fail, as it was left unused for three years after its completion. Another reason he believes it was set-up to fail is that Hansfield is effectively a spur station, so commuters alighting there have to get off at Clonsilla which is one stop away to get the Maynooth line train which brings them on to the city centre.

“Hansfield, as we always say is a Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) [an area of land that is proposed to contain developments of economic or social importance to the State], and is kind of the front

line of development for families in Dublin. The idea was that they’d have their station and could go straight to the city centre,” he said.

He went on to say that when the station was finally opened Irish Rail came up with “this bizarre scenario where you get a train from Hansfield to Clonsilla, and get off before going into town. They kind of set it up to fail in some respects in the early days, and now it’s in a state of disrepair with no-one looking after it. It kind of confirms my worst fear that they never had any intention of making it succeed.”

A spokesperson from Irish Rail rejected Cllr McGuinness’ statement, saying “We have

in no way abandoned Hansfield train station, we engage cleaning and security contractors to visit the location on a regular basis and there is a scheduled weekly visit to the station by the local manager.”

They went on to say that the local station manager is based in Maynooth and contact details for Maynooth will be provided at Hansfield station for customers who would like to make contact with a staff member.

This follows an incident at Clonsilla station in which a group of teenagers racially abused a number of commuters. Irish Rail said it is reviewing CCTV footage with a view to potential prosecution.

Road set for remedial work Heathfield residents can breathe a collective sigh of relief as remediation works on the main road outside their estate (Cappagh Road) which has been littered with building refuse for around 10 years, will begin before Christmas.

The original developer of the estate went bust and a condition of the site being sold to the current developer was that they must carry out drainage works and carry out remedial works on the road.

The road has been left strewn with building refuse following a previous development a number of years ago.

The developer has told the building control section of Fingal County Council that the drain-

age works are nearing completion.

Once these works are completed the remedial works on the Cappagh Road can begin. The council estimates that these works will begin in November/December if not sooner.

Cllr Mary McCamley (Lab) has welcomed this development as a “light at the end of a very dark tunnel”.

“I have been working for nearly two years to get an upgrade on this road.

“Now thankfully these drainage works are near completion and the developer can complete the remedial work on the road and make it safe both for pedestrians/motorists and wheel chair users,” she said.

Irish Rail has said that the Hansfield train station has not been abandoned and cleaning and security contractors visit the location regularly

8 BLANCH Gazette 8 October 2015

gazetteGALLERIES

Michael O’Neill with Lily and Anita Alwright pictured at the recent coffee morning at St Francis Hospice Blanch. Pictures: Simon Jeacle

St Francis Hospice: RAISing A CUP AND MAKing A DIFFERENCE

Trish Bohan, Cepta Igoe, Marie Wylie and Anna McGuinne pictured at Castleknock Hurling and Football Club’s annual fun/open day which took place in Somerton. The event was a great celebration for the community who came to enjoy games and entertainment throughout the day for all the family.

Pictures: Stephen Fleming

party: Castleknock GAA Club celebrates

Community gets a kick out of big day

Mike Soulsby and Colman Duggan

Robert Smith and Kevin Masterson

Pamela Mulcahy Cillian and James McCabe

Harry and Shaun Mealia

8 October 2015 BLANCH Gazette 9

Peter Gerathy and Jack Reid

Castleknock refs Robert Shaw, James Igoe, Oran O Brien and Sean Moran

Eimear Short with John and Eliza Laverty

Leia Ryan

Team spirit reigns supreme

10 Gazette 8 October 2015

gazetteGALLERY

Kirsten and Svea Killoran

Eileen Dunne, Mary O’Connor and Eileen Brophy. Pictures: Naoise Cuhane

Helping the council to help our immigrants

T

HE Shelbourne Hotel played host to the Immigrant Council of Ireland’s annual Mothers and Daughters fundraising lunch recently, with the aim of supporting frontline services for a variety of sex trafficking victims.

A cross-section of modern Ireland was at the launch, with the ladies

Niamh Farrell

drawn from all walks of life to share a common goal: that of helping the council to tackle sex trafficking gangs, whose actions affect women in criminal rings stretching from as far afield as Nigeria, Cameroon, Brazil and Eastern Europe to Ireland.

With the council pursuing a number

of cases on behalf of women and girls brought into Ireland to be sexually exploited, those attending the lunch were happy to help play their part for other women around the world. The lunch is just one of several ways in which men and women help the council to help immigrants in Ireland.

Robyn Ferris, Deputy Anne Ferris (Lab), Amber Ferris and Leonie Stewart

Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh

Mary Fogarty and Emma Ardill

Majella D’Arcy, Larissa Griffin and Vanessa Simons

8 October 2015 Gazette 11

travel P22

asdfsdaf health P27 P24

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

a day in the life: No two days are the same for Lorraine Keane

what’son

Not a second to spare for busy TV star  aisling kennedy

With her new show The Interview due to air over the coming weeks, two young daughters who keep her busy, award shows to present and the launch of her new website, Lorraine Keane is a busy woman.

No two days are the same for her but this week she took time out to talk the Gazette through a day in her life.

“I get up at 7am and get the girls organised for school. My husband Peter leaves at about 8am and usually cycles into work or gets the Dart and then I bring the girls to school.

“They have to be in school for about 8.25am so I drop them off and then head onto my pilates class.”

Keane says that she doesn’t always have time to eat breakfast in the morning but if she has time she’ll usually have a slice of brown toast with a cup of tea.

Keane explains that she enjoys her pilates classes that she usually does from 9am to 9.45am in Eva Berg’s The Secret Pilates in Rathmichael.

“After pilates, I fly home to the house, have a quick shower and then I get into UTV for 11am.

“The show I’m working on is called

Calling all INK aficionados...

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

‘Myself and Peter try to use this time to catch up so we’ll either have a chat and watch a movie or box set’

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

Lorraine Keane

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The Interview where I will be travelling to do a one-on-one interview with various people.

“While I’m in UTV I set things up, research and prep, make phone calls, send a lot of emails, and attend meetings about the show.”

After Keane is finished in UTV, she heads home to work on her new website.

“I usually meet the website guys for a while and also Canon as they are sponsoring me and showing me how to upload video blogs. I want to upload the videos the best way I can so it looks well.”

During this time, her husband’s parents pick her daughters up from school so once she has finished working on the website she collects them



Gazette

opinion P13

Presenter Lorraine Keane is busy with her career, but home and family life with her husband and children are always very important to her. Picture: Barry McCall

from their grandparent’s house and then prepares dinner.

“We usually have dinner at about 6pm and then afterwards I’ll drop the girls to their Gaelic football training with Fox Cabs.

“While the girls are training I’ll go around the corner and do the weekly shop.”

Keane then picks her girls up from training, heads home and helps the

girls with their homework.

“Peter usually comes home from work at about 8pm and then the girls go to bed at about 9pm.

“Myself and Peter try to use this time to catch up so we’ll either have a chat and watch a movie or box set or sometimes we’ll have a bit of work to catch up on so we’ll use that time to work on our laptops from 9pm to 11pm.”

THE Dublin International Tattoo Convention returns for its 13th instalment this Halloween from Friday, October 30 to Sunday, November 1 at the Red Cow Hotel.

The convention is the biggest event of its kind in Ireland and will see ink aficionados from across the world flocking to Dublin to exhibit their designs.

There will be tattoo companies from Japan, Switzerland, the USA, Bulgaria, Germany and a huge contingent from Italy.

Along with the foreign guests, native tattoo artists will also be exhibiting en masse.

These artists will also be plying their trade throughout the convention, so patrons will have the chance to avail of the skills of renowned artists from around the world.

Apart from the exhibitions and demonstrations, there will also be a Halloween Ball on Saturday, October 31, complete with music and drinks.

For further information on the convention, see www. dublintattooconvention.com.

Gazette

12 Gazette 8 October 2015

dublinlife

Despite being traditionally part of American celebrations, pumpkins – and fun pumpkin carving – are an increasingly common sight on our shores at Halloween

diary

P-p-pick up a pumpkin this Halloween N ow t h a t a u t u m n has officially arrived, it’s almost time to don your ghoulish robes and dunk apples.

Picking a pumpkin may be a very American concept but it’s something that Irish folk are doing more.

Kennedy’s Pumpkin patch in Meath will be open this year from October 24 to 27 from 11am to 5pm each day so you can pick your own.

They also offer tea/ coffee and cupcakes, pumpkin carving sets, face painting and other Halloween treats, which are all individually priced For more information, visit Kenny’s Pumpkin Patch Facebook page.

All little ghosts, witches and goblins welcome!

What on earth?

Spuds for a year K&K Produce donated a year’s supply of potatoes to Focus Ireland to mark National Potato Day, on Friday, October 2.

Focus Ireland works to prevent people becoming, remaining or returning to homelessness through the provision of quality services, supported housing and advocacy.

Lisa Kennedy of K&K Produce said: “To celebrate this year’s National Potato Day, we want to help shine a light on the homeless

crisis. We are hoping to set an example for other food producers to give back to communities and charities.”

She went on to say that K&K is delighted to donate a year’s supply of potatoes to Focus Ireland to help support their food services.

National Potato Day is organised by the Irish Potato Federation and Bord Bia, and this year’s celebration of the spud will focus on highlighting all the benefits that potatoes provide in the daily diet.

Potatoes are the leading vegetable purchased by households throughout the country.

The boy is out of town again Phil Lynott, the Thin Lizzy frontman and accident-prone statue of Harry Street, has been carted off for repairs again.

The Rocker will be out of commission for four to five weeks nursing a broken bass after he was struck by a motorist.

Thankfully it was not a case of hit-and-run, and the guilty par ty notif ied the proper authorities and took responsibility.

This is not the first time such an accident has befallen the statue, in May of 2013, two men (possibly acting on the orders of a jealous Bono), pushed him over

and laid him up for over two months.

On that occasion, a sign was erected which read: “The boy is out of town. Philo is gone on holidays with his mum.

Back soon.”

Some conscientious individual who recognised that Philo was a Dubliner crossed out the word mum and replaced it with Ma. We can’t wait to have you back in town!

Palermo set for new dublin visit After fans of Olivia Palermo were recently left disappointed with the cancellation of her visit to Brown Thomas in Dublin, fashionista’s spirits were lifted with the announcement that she has set a new date to visit Irish shores.

Palermo, a style icon and creative director of Ciate London, is set to make an appearance in Brown Thomas on Grafton Street on Saturday, October 10, to officially launch her Olivia Palermo X Ciate London Make Up collection.

As Palermo is currently recuperating from a minor surgery on her back, everyone hopes that all will go to plan this second time around.

If not, Irish fashionistas will just have to make do with watching re-runs of The Hills and wishing that they too

could own her wardrobe.

tributes paid to late brian friel RENOWNED playwright Brien Friel has passed away at the age of 86.

One of Ireland’s most prolific playwrights, the Tyrone man wrote 30 plays over the course of his celebrated career and also served as a senator from 1987 to 1989.

He is best know n for his plays Philadelphia Here I Come! and Dancing at Lughnasa, the latter of which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

The play, which Dublin T heatre Festival director Willie White describes as a masterpiece, won three Tony awards and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Play in 1992.

The Lyric Theatre Belfast’s 25th anniversary production of Dancing at Lughnasa continues at the Gaiety Theatre until October 11, and will no doubt be viewed with a deeper and more poignant appreciation

by Friel’s fans.

Tanaiste Joan Burton is among the many fans of the prolific playwright to pay tribute and offer their condolences to his family.

She said he “brought Irish theatre and arts community to the international stage”.

8 October 2015 Gazette 13

opinion

Building on Recovery for a better Dublin Tanaiste Joan Burton on the Government’s six-year €27bn Capital Plan to foster positive changes for all THE Government’s Capital Plan announced last week – Building on Recovery – will bring major new investment in roads, rail links, schools, health facilities and broadband, benefiting all parts of Dublin.

It’s great news, for example, that the new Metro connection, linking the city centre to Dublin Airport and Swords, has been included in the six-year €27bn plan.

Dublin will benefit significantly from this and a series of other major projects being funded under the plan. These include: – Work on the Phoenix Park tunnel is under way and is set to open in 2016.

– The Connolly to Maynooth line will now become a Dart service, as part of a series of expansions to the Dart network.

– The Cross City Luas line will involve the extension of the Green line from St Stephen’s Green to Broombridge in Cabra, and the Broombridge station will be fully refurbished to become a critically important hub point. That project should be completed in 2017.

– The revised Metro connection from St Stephen’s Green to the airport and on to Swords will mean a journey time of just 19 minutes from O’Connell Street to the airport.

– There will be signifi-

cant funding for new and replacement buses, further upgrading of quality bus corridors, and road maintenance.

These improvements will mean a faster and better transport service in Dublin and in the greater Dublin area, both for commuters and for visitors, but transport is not the only area included in the plan, further details of which will be published in the weeks ahead.

In health, we are making an additional €100m available to fund the relocation of the remaining two Dublin maternity hospitals, which will see the Rotunda moving to Blanchardstown, and the Coombe to St James’s.

Improvements The Capital Plan will also provide €450m funding for improvements to nursing homes, and for the provision of more primary care centres.

Better health services mean better facilities for vital treatments for those who need them most. Again, details of these projects will be announced in the coming weeks.

To improve crime prevention and make communities safer, the Capital Plan is investing in new IT systems for Garda stations, and an extensive modernisation and refurbishment of facilities and buildings.

T he Capital Plan includes an additional €500m for social housing projects, to boost

our €4bn housing plan.

There will also be a major investment in flood relief schemes to protect homes at risk from flooding.

We have also earmarked €3.8bn in direct funding for primary, secondary, and third-level facilities. This will mean more places for children, better and more modern school buildings for them to learn in, and better funding for research at third level.

The plan will fund an additional 19,000 primary school places by 2018, and 43,000 additional post-primar y places nationally by 2022.

I’m also delighted to say that, as well as upgrading ICT in our schools, the plan will ensure any remaining pre-fabs are replaced with permanent buildings.

Better broadband is vital to the development of local communities throughout Ireland. Better connectivity brings better quality of life and better opportunities for jobs and growth, and that is why the Capital Plan is investing significantly to deliver better broadband services.

Commemorative The plan will also make an additional €31m available for heritage and commemoration projects as part of the Government’s 2016 commemorative programme.

I’m on the record as stating that culture and the arts require ongoing support and investment,

and this is a major first step in that process.

This sector was not exempt from the difficult adjustments of recent years, but our artists showed remarkable resilience through that period in turning out work that continued to sustain – and, indeed, enhance – Ireland’s cultural reputation internationally. Fresh investment in culture and the arts will be returned many times over.

This plan will create 45,000 construction jobs

alone over its duration, as well as supporting hundreds of thousands of existing jobs throughout the economy.

Better roads, rail links, schools, health facilities and broadband – all of these make our communities better and our economy stronger. It’s a plan to build on recovery and make life better for our people.

Joan Burton Tanaiste and leader of the Labour Party

“This plan will create 45,000 construction jobs over its duration, as well as supporting hundreds of thousands of existing jobs,” says the Tanaiste

Gazette

14 Gazette 8 October 2015

dublinlife

FEATURES

Despite nearly drowning some time ago, actress Tina Kellegher loves to go swimming to relax

escape the mayhem: actress Tina Kellegher

A swim holds the key to beating stress  ian begley

Best known for her role in the BBC television series Ballykissangel and also as Sharon Curley in the 1993 film The Snapper, Tina Kellegher is still busy as ever performing in a vast range of theatre productions.

This week The Gazette caught up with Kellegher to see what she does to unwind and escape from her busy schedule.

“What I really love to do to unwind is go swimming. I’ve spent years bringing my son to swimming lessons and it wasn’t until about two years ago when I properly learned how to swim myself.

“It’s a really great way to shake off any stress and also a good endorsement to get fit.

“It’s a great form of exercise and it isn’t bad on the joints. I usually go at about 6.30am in the morning and try and do about 50 lengths.

It’s become my great love when it comes to relaxing.

“I grew up in Cavan and my mother was always nervous of the water so we were never really introduced to swimming lessons as children. I think I’m the only one in the family who swims now.”

Kellegher added that a number of years ago she had a near drowning experience with her husband while on holiday in Crete, but didn’t let the unfortunate incident stop her from enjoying swimming at her local pool.

“We were in the sea and the wind and currents changed suddenly and we were nearly swept away - It was a very close call.

“It seems just so typical that tragedies happen the day before you’re supposed to return home, but thank god it wasn’t our time.”

Tina Kellegher is performing in the Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire on in the production Hooked! as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival on October 8 to 9 at 8pm.

Tickets are priced at €18/ €14 and can be purchased at www.paviliontheatre.ie

An upcoming cocktail gestival will help to highlight the diversity of a wide range of Irish spirits or liqueurs

festival: an imaginative way to showcase irish spirits or liqueurs

Bartenders set to pour creativity into cocktails  keith bellew

THE second instalment of Great Irish Beverages Dublin Cocktail Fest will take place in 36 venues across the city from October 12 to 17 this year.

This year’s festival will have a uniquely Irish twist, as all of the city venue’s specially made drinks will contain an Irish spirit or liqueur as their leading ingredient.

Each of the venues involved is requested to create a specific cocktail to sell for the week at a 30% discount to anyone who has a festival wristband.

The wristbands cost €5 and will be available at each of the venues. They can be used throughout the week at

all of the venues.

TheTaste.ie have come on board for the festival and will have details of special rates and food pairings which are being offered by each venue.

Many of the brands involved will also be hosting tastings, workshops and masterclasses centred around cocktails.

Speaking to The Gazette, festival organiser Oisin Davis, of Great Irish Beverages, said the aim of the festival is to highlight and showcase all of the great Irish spirits out there and encourage their use in pubs in the way that Irish food is used in restaurants.

He said: “This year, we’re highlighting Irish spirits and liqueur.

There’s cocktail festivals

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

‘There’s cocktail festivals all around the world, and I wanted our festival to be different’

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

Oisin Davis, Great Irish Beverages

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

all around the world, and I wanted our festival to be different.

“I figured the best way to do that would be to highlight and showcase the Irish spirit element in cocktails.

“Often, you can find Irish spirits and liqueurs being mixed really well in cocktails in bars all around the world, so I wanted to see if we could challenge the Dublin venues to do something on par with what I see when I go abroad.”

He added that there is

also the added bonus of supporting Irish jobs by buying Irish products.

Each of the cocktails must contain an Irish spirit or liqueur as their primary ingredient, ie a martini with Irish gin or vodka or an Old Fashioned with Irish whiskey.

Each participating venue will be striving to provide the highest quality cocktail as festival goers will be Tweeting or voting on Facebook for their favourite cocktail of the festival from

October 12 to 18.

The winning venue will receive a handmade plaque and will hold the honour of having the best Irish-made cocktail in Dublin.

A wide range of indigenous drinks will feature in these cocktails, from single pot still whiskies, to premium gins and vodkas, old-skool poitins and liqueurs infused with wild Irish berries.

People can vote for their favourite cocktail by tweeting it with the hashtag #BestIrishCocktail on Twitter, or by visiting the Great Irish Beverages Facebook page.

For further information on the festival, see www.greatirishbeverages.com.

8 October 2015 GAZETTE 19

MUSIC

GAZETTE

OUT&ABOUT

ALBUM: LANA DEL REY’S HONEYMOON, THE FOLLOW-UP TO 2014’S ULTRAVIOLENCE

Consistent voice but cringeworthy lines  COLM MURRAY

HONEYMOON, Lana Del Rey’s follow-up to her 2014 album Ultraviolence, is at both compelling and occasionally boring, a record that moves and morphs, taunts and mystifies in equal parts.

Strings swell on the opening track and then Del Rey’s voice, dark and deep fills in.

But there are limitations to the complexity of Honeymoon’s music.

Many of the songs share repetitive orchestral arrangements, which makes the 14 tracks feel bloated and spans the history of Hollywood

and 20th century cinema (every song making some reference, big and small, to pop culture), and centres on some sort of tormented love affair The album’s standouttrack High By the Beach, is the most interesting song sonically. As the album progresses, it’s also apparent her development has made her confident to mix up her signature sounds as she starts to work with heavier beats, intricate soundscapes and sounds far removed from the album Born to Die. What is consistent throughout Honeymoon, though, is Del Rey’s vocals.

Her ethereal voice

floats from a sultry whisper to soaring croon effortlessly, transforming and bringing to life songs like The Blackest Day through her sensual and smoky delivery.

But repeated listens reveal some of the lurking absurdity: “You’re so art deco / out on the floor […] Baby you’re so ghetto / you’re looking to score” is a prime example of one of many eyebrowraising examples of the cringe-worthy lines.

From day one she has been dogged with authenticity jibes but finally she has created a world of her own and on this record she seems to have floated deeply into it.

Honey moon is a romantic obsession drowning in darkness.

Spanning over an hour, if the ghost town film soundtrack strings of Honeymoon and Terrence Loves You don’t leave a trace, the funereal The Blackest Day and Swan Song do the trick.

Everything is exact, (“Nothing gold can stay, like love or lemonade or sun or summer days”, “Come to California, be a freak like me, too”) to the last breath gasps of Religion’s dusky chorus.

Wrapping things up with a cover of Nina Simones’s Don’t Let Me Be Understood provides

a fitting footnote to her latest offering – equal parts melancholy, reflective and soothing.

If last year’s Ultraviolence felt like it shunned the singles-first pop approach, Honeymoon takes that approach and runs into the distance.

With the exception of High By The Beach’s, no song gets to the chorus

Honeymoon (above left), Lana Del Rey’s follow-up to her 2014 album Ultraviolence, is at both compelling and occasionally boring

before the minute mark.

This isn’t an album stripped of hooks - far from it - but everything’s

approached with a strung-out vibe.

Verdict: 6/10

Gazette

20 Gazette 8 October 2015

OUT&ABOUT

Jewellery designer Blaithin Ennis (front) and models wearing some of her jewellery, available available to purchase at Brown Thomas Dublin and Brown Thomas Galway. Picture: Photocall Ireland

Brown Thomas to continue showcasing Whisker, Ennis design FOLLOWING the success of this year’s CREATE 2015 installation, Brown Thomas will continue to showcase the work from talented Irish designers Mariad Whisker and Blaithin Ennis.

The Grafton Street store welcomes readyto-wear designer Mariad Whisker to Level 1 of The Designer Rooms, whilst jewellery designer Blaithin Ennis will continue to present her work in The Accessories Hall, sitting alongside some of the world’s most prestigious international brands.

Whisker’s collection features a clean, architectural silhouette in a palette of charcoal, black and ivory. The designs drape beautifully; exquisitely achieved with fabulous fabrics.

Ennis’s striking line of jewellery is beautifully hand-made, incorporating simple, craft-driven techniques, which is also available at Brown Thomas Galway.

The designer sources, manipulates and combines unusual materials from around the world to create striking pieces.

Ennis said: “Being accepted to participate in the CREATE project initially was a huge stepping stone for me. It gave me the opportunity to showcase my work in a wonderful environment, alongside amazing designers.

“I’m thrilled to have been asked to continue stocking here – it’s every designer’s dream.

I am so appreciative of the loyalty, helpfulness and encouragement I have received from the team and I am looking forward to continue working with them.”

Inspiring Whisker said: “It was inspiring to be a part of CREATE alongside the vibrant, eclectic group of designers and makers Brown Thomas put together for the showcase. It has been a wonderful success for me and such a pleasure to meet the Brown Thomas customers.”

Whisker’s collection is available at Brown Thomas Dublin, with Ennis’s jewellery available to purchase at Brown Thomas Dublin and Brown Thomas Galway.

Coat €219, fur waistcoat €149, sweater €109, skirt €199, scarf €55 – all available from Mint Velvet

Hugo Boss Outer coat €730; Laurel Inner coat €545; M&S Polo neck €32

Mango Jacket €79.95, top €34.95, trousers €49.95 – all available from House of Fraser; Hobbs Fur scarf €70

Sisley Coat €139, skirt €47.95, shirt €59.95, sweater €47.95

dundrum DELIGHTS  mimi murray

Abby Harris wears Topshop Coat €125, dress €38, poloneck €38; Ursula Kelly wears Pinko Coat €516, sweater €157, shirt €278, skirt €193 – all available from Harvey Nichols

DUNDRUM Town Centre presented its AW15 ladieswear and menswear collections last week, and it was a showcase of the season’s key trends, handpicked from high-street stores to high-end designers throughout the centre.

With more than 2,000 brands housed under one roof, there’s plenty to choose

from at the centre. There is also plenty for men, with brands such as Linea, Nicole Farhi, McQueen and GANT Rugger, to name but a few.

Showcasing oversized outerwear, delicate brocade styles that will take you into the depths of winter, and sleek, tailored separates to see you through the winter months, there is lots to choose from Dundrum Town Centre this autumn.

8 October 2015 Gazette 21

BT2 Victoria Beckham dress €825; Sisley Boots €155

Topshop Sleeveless belted jacket €65, striped plunge cami top €32, crop trousers €55; Clarks Shoes €95

Sandro Coat €325; Mint Velvet Denim jacket €149; M&S Skirt €70; Pinko Poloneck €130, shoes €221 – available from Harvey Nichols

Sportmax Coat €1,015, Missoni Top €255, Alice and Olivia Dress €505 – all available from Harvey Nichols

LK Bennett Coat €1,195, dress €350; Sisley Boots €155

Gazette

STYLE

Gazette

22 Gazette 8 October 2015

OUT&ABOUT

ReelReviews

the intern

A decent De Niro film BRIEFLY overshadowed by co-star Robert De Niro getting huffy over some less than stellar reviews, The Intern (Cert 12A, 121 mins) is actually an amiable enough film. Teaming up with Anne Hathaway, the likeable stars strike up an unlikely friendship as an older, bored widower takes up an intern job at an online company – and whaddya know, the old timer has life lessons for everyone!

The Martian

Stuck on a Damon planet MATT Damon is a stranded astronaut (yes, again, following his recent role in Interstellar). Here, in The Martian (Cert 12A, 141 mins), he’s presumed dead but very much alive on the red planet, and determined to survive until a rescue team arrives ... Director Ridley Scott has crafted a film full of plenty of good and bad science alike, but it’s one that’s undeniably a treat for the eyes.

life

A tribute to Jimmy Dean DONKEYS years after his death, and James Dean continues to exert a strange hold over pop culture. In Life (Cert 15A, 111 mins), the story of the iconic, troubled young actor’s friendship with a photographer is played out, with Dane DeHaan creating a striking Dean, while Robert Pattinson, as photographer Dennis Stock, creates a sympathetic character who took iconic shots of the star.

CINEMA

the walk: a dumbed-down plot can’t dilute its astonishing centrepiece

Delicately retreads an incredible feat of skill IN 1974, just as the second of the World Trade Centre towers was due to open for business in Manhattan, French acrobat Phillipe Petit flew across the Atlantic with a motley crew of his hippy friends and conducted an exquisitely daring wire walk between the peaks of the twin towers.

Presented here in The Walk (Cert PG, 123 mins), this is a rollercoaster of a story that immediately grips us, due to the sheer grandeur of it, which is bolstered by the fact that not only was Petit’s wire walk incredibly magnificent, it was also incredibly illegal.

It involved years of meticulous preparation, folders crammed with fake IDs and delivery dockets, pockets overflowing with dodgy moustaches, and buckets brimming with bravado to pull off.

It may be the stuff of fairytales, but it was a story that many of us were ignorant of up until a few years ago.

Back in those hazy days when Petit stepped out over an abyss, documentary equipment was

 Dave phillips

heavy and scarce, but some stuttering footage and stunning photographs exist to complement the colourful accounts of the morning commuters who were standing 1,364ft below.

This rich material was tapped expertly in 2008 for James Marsh’s documentary, Man on Wire, which also had Petit and his accomplices revisit their coup through indepth interviews with Marsh.

It was no doubt this deep blend of exhilarating action and characterdriven story that piqued the interest of writer and director Robert Zemeckis, who has treated us over 30 years to a plethora of family-friendly, blockbusting adventures.

In The Walk, Zemeckis attempts to capture the epic scale of Petit’s tale with a tried and tested Hollywood recipe: trim the more intricate edges

and discard. Bring to a boil and then add stock characters. Liberally apply Joseph GordonLevitt. Garnish with a flourish of computer graphics, and serve.

The result is a visual feast, but whether it will leave you satisfied really depends on your appetite.

The Walk is a colourful, vivacious, and over-thetop romp that will either float your boat or sink it entirely.

Gordon-Levitt’s French accent is nowhere near as steady as his wire-walking skills, but he makes up for it with an array of continental frowns and hand gestures.

It’s best not to dwell too long on Ben Kingsley’s manic performance as Petit’s Franco-Polish mentor.

The drama is played out with such extravagance that it becomes cartoonish – just imagine a French Scooby Doo cast in a heist flick, and you’ll be most of the way there.

And, while there may be nothing wrong with that, per se, at least Scoo-

Steady, steady ... Although the 1974 feat of French acrobat Phillipe Petit’s daredevil (and highly illegal) walk between the near-complete World Trade Centre towers has been presented before, despite The Walk’s flaws, the actual tightrope sequence is expertly handled and executed

by Doo left a bit of mystery as to how things may unfold.

Here, we are led unrelentingly by the hand – it feels like in between almost every scene “the fourth wall” breaks as Gordon-Levitt speaks again to us, while perched atop the flame of the Statue of Liberty, to tell us exactly what is on his mind.

It is an attempt, one must guess, to replicate

the sense of an enthralling yarn unfolding that made Man on Wire such a success, but here it feels unnecessary, over-used, and – consequently – annoying.

If this is a rollercoaster of a story, it is one with a very long cue. But there is no denying that when it counts, The Walk is spectacular. The climactic scenes are equally tense and beautiful to look at, and feature some seri-

ously impressive computer graphics and 3D. Zemeckis may have nailed an engrossing 15 minutes, but with cardboard characters and the more nuanced elements of the true-life story blotted out, the main feeling running through this film is disconnection, rather than immersion.

It is a great view but step out at your own risk.

Verdict: 5/10

8 October 2015 Gazette 23

Gazette

24 Gazette 8 October 2015

OUT&ABOUT

HEALTH

This sugar-free granola works really well with natural yoghurt and fresh berries for breakfast

You’ll be nutty about a sugar-free granola THIS recipe for Genuinely Sugar-Free Granola, which makes 12 servings, is taken from the Goodbye Sugar book by Elsa Jones, who says: “It is virtually impossible to find a tasty granola that is genuinely sugar-free. Most brands you’ll find on supermarket shelves contain the equivalent of three teaspoons of sugar per serving, which is a lot. The protein, fibre and essential fats in this granola will stave off sugar cravings and supercharge your energy levels at any time of the day.”

Ingredients Quarter cup coconut oil 1 cup oats 1 cup sunflower seeds 1 cup pumpkin seeds 1 cup chopped almonds (you can chop them in a food processor or use a knife) Half cup ground flaxseed 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp almond extract or vanilla extract (I use both) Pinch of sea salt Preparation • Preheat the oven to 190°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper or grease lightly with coconut oil.

• Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan and set aside.

• Place all of the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Make a well in the middle and add the melted coconut oil. Mix thoroughly until everything is lightly coated with the oil.

• Divide the granola evenly between the two trays and spread out in a thin layer. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until lightly toasted and golden.

Stir half way through to avoid burning.

• Allow to cool, then store in an airtight container for up to one month.

• Serve with milk of choice or natural yoghurt. Delicious served with fresh berries, grated apple or sliced pear.

Tip Take care not to overcook as these ingredients burn easily and will taste bitter if cooked for too long.

I find that the baking tray that’s placed on the lower shelf of the oven cooks a little quicker than the one on the upper shelf, so I take it out a few minutes earlier. You might need to do the same.

Given the choice between what’s good for us – or not – too often we’re tempted to go for the sugary option instead

energy: cut down your sugar and reap the benefits

Sweet advice to heed ARE you in control of your sugar intake, or is your sugar intake in control of you? With sugar consumption levels increasingly a matter to be concerned about, especially with obesity levels on the rise, we all need to be aware of how to cut back on our sweet tooth’s cravings. This week, Gazette Health has some great advice on cutting back, courtesy of Elsa Jones.

Start as you mean to go on What you choose to eat for breakfast can set the stage for controlling blood sugar for the rest of the day, so make sure to eat a balanced breakfast.

Porridge oats topped with berries and a sprinkle of nuts/seeds, or eggs with rye toast, will keep blood sugars stable, whereas concentrated fruit juices, highly-processed cereals or those high in dried fruit will have the opposite effect.

Choose slow-release carbs versus fastrelease carbs Carbohydrates can be classed as fast- or slowreleasing. Fast-release carbohydrates (eg white bread, white pasta, corn

flakes, pizza) break down into glucose very rapidly, which can lead to blood sugar highs and lows.

Essentially, eating too many throws our blood sugar levels off balance, leading to energy dips and further cravings for sweet or starchy foods – it’s a vicious cycle.

C o nve r s e l y, s l owrelease carbohydrates (brown rice, oats, quinoa) break down into glucose at a slower rate, which helps to maintain stable blood sugar and energy levels.

Stop feeding your sugar monster In a nutshell, the more sugary foods you consume, the more your body will crave them. The less you consume, the less

you’ll crave them.

Once you stop fuelling your cravings, limiting your sugar intake becomes a lot easier.

So, I recommend you start by identifying and reducing the biggest sources of sugar in your diet.

For most, the obvious culprits are chocolate, biscuits, sweets, scones, soft drinks, etc. Within a week, you will notice a dramatic reduction in your cravings for sweet foods.

Include a portion of protein with every meal As well as being filling, protein helps to stabilise blood sugar levels, which keeps sweet cravings at bay. Protein also provides the building blocks for brain chemicals, which influence appetite and satiety.

At meal times, aim to fill one quarter of your plate with protein-rich

food/s, such as eggs, fish, poultry, nuts/seeds, beans or lentils.

Keep healthy snacks close to hand You’re much more likely to over-eat and/or choose the wrong type of foods when you are overly hungry and have a low blood sugar. Eating little and often counteracts this.

So, always make sure to have healthy snacks close to hand so you have no excuse when temptation strikes.

Healthy snack options that will help to curb sugar cravings and stave off an afternoon slump include a handful of nuts with a piece of fruit, natural yogurt with cinnamon and berries, nut butter spread on sliced apple, or an oat cake topped with hummus.

Know your emotional triggers If you’re like most peo-

ple who struggle with a sugar habit, much of your eating behaviour is probably driven by emotions.

In other words, you don’t choose to eat sugary foods just because you are physically hungry, you choose to eat sugary foods because you want to change or enhance the way you feel.

This is known as “emotional eating”. Take a moment to think about what feelings make you reach for comfort food?

Is it stress, tiredness, boredom ... perhaps there are certain times, people or places that trigger these feelings?

Once you know, you’ll be in a stronger position to overcome them.  elsa jones

Author of bestselling book Goodbye Sugar, available to purchase in book shops and online, Elsa Jones is a qualified nutritional therapist.

For further information, see www.elsajonesnutrition.ie.

8 October 2015 Gazette 25

Gazette

FOOD&DRINK BITESIZEDNEWS

Top chefs and cuisines are just some of the features of Taste City Fusion. Picture: Jason Clarke Photography

Take5

Beshoffs (O’Connell Street) Fresh cod €5.95; Chips €2.95

 mimi murray

SOMETIMES nothing will do but a good old-fashioned fish and chips. Chipper chips, as my mates and I say.

As an island, we are blessed with the best the sea and the ocean has to offer, and sometimes it’s okay to batter fish up and deep-fry it with lots of tartare sauce and chips with salt and vinegar on the side.

This week, we look at the old-style chippers around Dublin, as well as some new offerings – posh fish and chips, if you like – as well as an old favourite of mine, the Oarhouse in Howth.

So, here are our Top 5 fish and chips in Dublin. Next month, we will look at the Top 5 places for afternoon tea in Dublin.

Fish Shop (Smithfield) Beerbattered catch of day €12.50

Romayo’s (Chain) Fish and chips meal with drink €8.60 (daily; €7.50 Wednesdays)

Leo Burdocks (Werburgh Street) Fresh cod and chips €9.25

The Oar House (Howth) Deep fried fish in light crispy batter with pureed pea and tartare sauce €17

Tuck into a tasty new foodie festival in Dublin TASTE City Fusion, supported by CityJet, is a brand-new food and drink festival from the team behind Taste of Dublin.

Taking place from Thursday, October 22 to Monday, October 26, Taste City Fusion will see the capital transformed into the ultimate gourmet destination, across a range of venues.

With Christ Church Cathedral as the festival’s central hub, visitors will enjoy bespoke dining experiences, master classes and workshops, a street food fair, and more than 50 food and drink experiences – all dedicated to celebrating Dublin’s world-class food scene.

Culinary greats include Paul Kelly, Kevin Thornton, Sunil Ghai, Mark Moriarty and Gavin McDonagh, while visitors can look forward to unique dining opportunities in some of Ireland’s leading eateries, as well as engaging workshops and informative master classes.

Highlights One of the many festival highlights is the opportunity to enjoy a banquet prepared by the best young chef in the world.

Mark Moriarty, the San Pellegrino Young Chef 2015, will create a four-course medieval banquet, combining fine dining with “peasant chic” in the atmospheric twelfth century crypt of Christchurch Cathedral.

Irish airline CityJet, which recently unveiled stylish new branding, is supporting the take-off of the new city-based food festival.

Guests can enjoy more than 50 food and drink experiences all across the city, with venues including Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Thorntons, Pichet, Klaw, FX Buckley, SODER + KO, Brioche, and many more.

Not to be forgotten is the street food fair, on the grounds of Christ Church Cathedral, with free entry to all. The Pig’s Tale, Jack Rabbit, and a host of the most irresistible street food in the country will provide a smorgasbord of Irish and international culinary delights.

All festival detail is updated regularly on the website, where tickets priced from €10 are on sale now (booking fees apply). For further information, see www.tasteofdublin.ie.

26 blanch gazette 8 October 2015

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planning Notice Fingal county council

We Alan and Sinead Dixon intend to apply for Planning Permission for Construction of New Two Storey extension comprising of Kitchen/Dining Room downstairs and 2no. bedrooms and en-suite bathroom upstairs to the rear of existing dwelling at 55 Castleknock Way, Laurel Lodge, Castleknock, Dublin 15 The Planning Application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority during its public opening hours and a submission or observation may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by Fingal County Council of the Application.

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Planning permission is sought to retain on a temporary bases for 5 years the previously approved (under Planning Ref. N o . F 0 4 A / 152 6 & FW09A/0157) 216sqmt. single storey prefabricated building accommodating 4 no. changing rooms, communal area, associated toilets and plant room to the South East of the existing club house at Grove Road, Coolmine, Dublin 15 for Verona Sports and Leisure Club.The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours and a submission or observation may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (€20) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of this application.

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8 October 2015 BLANCH GAZETTE 27

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28 gazette 8 October 2015

SPORT

FastSport O’Gorman trio propels waves to shield win: AINE O’Gorman bagged a hat-trick as UCD Waves ran in six goals in their victory over Kilkenny United in Buckley Park in the Women’s National League Shield group stages.

O’Gorman and Julie-Ann Russell both found the net in the opening 25 minutes for Eileen Gleeson’s side before Jenny O’Keefe grabbed Kilkenny’s first goal since joining the WNL. O’Gorman restored UCD’s two-goal advantage four minutes before half-time with Orla Nolan extending their lead on 78 minutes. Ciara Grant made it 5-1 before O’Gorman finished things off.

On Saturday night, Peamount United came back from a three-goal deficit to claim a 4-4 draw in gripping battle with Galway at Eamonn Deacy Park.

Shelbourne Ladies’ game with Castlebar Celtic was called off.

canoeing: annual liffey marathon draws over 600 entrants

Records tumble at Descent  sport@dublingazette.com

THE 56th international Liffey Descent took place last week with over 600 competitors taking part in the annual 30km race that runs from the K Club, Straffan, and finished at the Garda Boat Club, Islandbridge.

With a big international entr y hailing from the USA, South Africa, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Great Britain and Ireland, the ESB released extra water from Poolaphuca dam, to make for great conditions for racing.

The Senior K2 Doubles Class had some very strong crews and the anticipation of very

competitive race was on the cards.

The spectators were not to be disappointed.

The K2 Doubles were the first starters and the crews of Neil Fleming, Celbridge Paddlers, Robin Koenders, Netherlands, and last year’s winners Gary Mawer and Barry Watkins both from Salmon’s Leap were the first to Straffan Weir followed closely

by Tom Daniels/Andy Daniels of Great Britain, Peter Egan/Mathias Hamars (Salmon Leap/ Norway), the Van Reit brothers from South Africa and the mixed doubles crew of Jenny Egan and Jon Simmons all negotiated Straffan Weir safely.

Fleming and Koend-

ers were setting the pace down through the area known as the “Jungle” where boats have to go in single file due to the low overhanging trees.

The river is also very narrow in this area for four miles, especially so with these six boats so close together.

T he next weir on the course was Temple Mills and all the crews got safely over it with the exception of Egan/ Hamars who unfortunately damaged the boat badly thus ending their race.

Fleming/Koenders now had the bit between their teeth and were pulling away from the rest of the field as they reached Leixlip Dam where competitors have

Jenny Egan and Jon Simmons broke the mixed K2 doubles record

to exit their boats and run 500m and re-enter the river just above Leixlip Bridge.

At Lucan, there was a two-minute gap with Fleming/Koenders still in the lead. Mawer/ Watkins, the Van Reit brothers, Daniels/Daniels and Egan/Simmons were not making any inroads on the leading boat.

And so it was for the rest of the race with Fleming/Koenders winning impressively having extended their lead to three minutes in

a time of 1.48.32.

Mawer /Barry were some three minutes adrift in second place in a time of 1.51.00 and the South African crew finished in third in 1.51.42.

The mixed doubles crew of Jenny Egan / John Simmons had a superb race, finishing in fifth position overall, winning the class in a new course record timer of 1.53.26, beating their previous time of 1.56.20.

The men’s senior K1 race saw Tom Brennan

lead from pillar to post, racing very impressively to win his first Senior K1 title. John Boyton from Great Britain finished second and Mick Brennan of TPCC took the bronze medal.

The junior men’s K1 was won by Eamon Forrestal TPCC, Ronan Foley of KCC second and Brian O’Neill SLCC third.

In the Masters K1, SLCC’s Malcolm Banks won gold as did Gerry Collins/Brian Gallagher both SCCC won the Masters K2 class.

Four wins from four for Dublin side in EY league  sport@dublingazette.com

Nikki Evans and Anna O’Flanagan celebrate during the Hermes win over Ards. Picture: Deryck Vincent

DUBLIN clubs completed a clean sweep in the women’s EY Hockey League with Hermes, Railway Union, Pembroke and UCD all winning last Saturday afternoon on day two of the competition.

Indeed, Hermes and Railway retained their 100% records with emphatic victories Railway Union recorded their second successive win against Cork-based opposition and are yet to concede a goal in two games to date in the league. They

beat UCC 4-0 with alumni Julia O’Halloran on the mark twice in the victory at the Mardyke.

Hermes, meanwhile, scored an emphatic 5-1 win over Ulster league and cup champions Ards with Anna O’Flanagan boosting her goalscoring tally to five in two games.

She opened the scoring only for Chloe Brown – back in the Ards line-up having missed the first round – to equalise in a lively first phase.

Nikki Evans added her first goal for the club since returning from UCD to restore the two-goal

advantage before teenagerAmber Curran, with her first senior goal for the club, built a 3-1 lead for Hermes.

O’Flanagan and international team mate Evans added an extra flourish to the final score.

Pembroke produced comeback of the round when they struck twice in the last 12 minutes to beat Pegasus 2-1 having trailed to Hannah Grieve’s third quarter strike.

Sarah Clarke’s second goal in successive weeks levelled matters before Eanna Horan nabbed a dramatic winner with less than

three minutes to go.

UCD, meanwhile, were comfortable 4-0 victors over Greenfields with Galway native Elaine Carey scoring twice against the side from her home town. She scored the first and third goals, sandwiching Millie O’Donnell’s powerful sweep shot. Katie Mullan completed the victory in the third quarter.

On the men’s side, Pembroke beat Cookstown 3-1 in Co Tyrone while Monkstown were 5-2 winners at Lisnagarvey. TRR drew 1-1 at Annadale to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

8 October 2015 gazette 29

Gazette

Ger ends Dub career sufficiently satisfied St Vincent’s club man brings down the curtain on a glittering spell with the Dublin senior footballers after two All-Ireland titles and five Leinster crowns, writes NATHAN KELLY WITH five Leinster, two All-Ireland and one National Football League medal safely hanging in the cabinet, former All-Star Ger B r e n n a n t h i s we e k announced his retirement from intercounty football.

The St Vincent’s man confirmed he was stepping away from the panel on Monday following a frustrating couple of years due to an Achilles injury.

T he defender had been hampered by the injury since the 2013 AllIreland final, in which he played a crucial part, but returned to competitive action on Saturday in St Vincent’s Dublin senior football championship second round tie against Ballymun.

His statement read: “It is with both satisfaction and sadness that I

announce my retirement from inter-county football. I am sufficiently satisfied that I have fulfilled my boyhood dreams to wear the Dublin senior football team jersey and to achieve success on and off the field of play.

“I also feel sadness that a particular journey of my life is coming to a close, and I will miss everything that is associated with representing my county,” said the 30-year-old who made his championship debut when coming off the bench in the 2007 Leinster Final.

“W hile the public might measure a team’s success by the trophies raised, I feel I have won far more through the lifelong bonds and friendships I have developed with so many players and management throughout my career; and for these

I am truly grateful.

“I have been fortunate to have played for Dublin every year since I was 13 years of age and it has immeasurable enhanced the quality of my life.

“I would like to thank the many people who have inf luenced my personal, spiritual and sporting development to date.

“Thanks to Jim Gavin, Pat Gilroy and Pillar Caffrey for placing their faith in me to wear the senior jersey.

“To my club, St Vincent’s and the many coaches and volunteers who dedicated themselves to my advancement, thank you. A particular thanks to Mickey Whelan, a close friend and a mentor, whose blueprint permeates the person I am today.

“To the Gaelic Players Association for their

Ger Brennan has announced his retirement from intercounty football

continued interest in my wellbeing and development, thank you. And to the Dublin County Board and the Dublin supporters, a sincere thank you for all of the support throughout the years.

“Finally, I would like to thank the Dublin

als and a national league title.

“An outstanding leader both on and off the field of play Ger inspired those around him by his actions of self-determination, self-sacrifice and dedication to his sport – all focused on the team being the best it could

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

‘Playing for Dublin every year since I was 13 years of age has immeasurably enhanced my life’ - Ger Brennan --------------------------------------------------------

players, my friends, my family and especially my parents, Mary and PJ, for always been there for me through good times and in bad.”

Dublin boss Jim Gavin was quick to voice his praise for Brennan, paying tribute to the tenacious defender by saying: “On behalf of the Dublin Gaelic Athletic Association and the Dublin senior football team, I would like to wish Ger the very best wishes as he announces his retirement from inter-county football.

“Ger had a long and distinguished career representing the county of Dublin from a young age and through minor, Under-21 and senior grades.

“A two-time All-Ireland winner, Ger also won five Leinster med-

be.

“An exemplary individual and gentleman; Ger’s humility, poise and grace are a credit to his family, friends and club St Vincent’s and Dublin GAA wish Ger the very best on his new journey.”

Gavin’s tributes were shortly followed by plenty in Dublin GAA circles, with Brennan’s clubmate Eamon Fennell taking to Twitter to say: “Congrats on an amazing inter-county career.

A real leader both on and off the pitch. Dublin’s loss is Vincent’s gain.”

Current Dublin star Kevin McManamon also took to Twitter to praise Brennan. “Best of luck to Dublin legend Ger Brennan on his retirement.

“First man to welcome me at my first training in 2005 for the 21s, sadly missed.”

FastSport

The hosts dream is over as Aussies ooze class For the duration of the Rugby World Cup, ex-Edinburgh and Marlboro player and IRANZ Level 5 rugby coach Dennis Bowes will give his thoughts on the key battles in the RWC15.

WHAT a big weekend of rugby!

We saw Japan’s second win in the World Cup, Eddie Jones’ plan coming to fruition and doing something they have never done before in any edition of the competition – something truly great for Asian rugby.

Then Argentina looked strong with a big win over Tonga. Along the way, it seems they have recruited a new mascot in none other than Diego Maradona - will they have the hand of god on their side come the quarters?

Scotland faced the under pressure South Africa who, after being slated for their earlier loss to Japan, came out and simply bullied Scotland out of the game.

They now look like a real handful and maybe serious contenders for the World Cup. The big game came on Saturday night with the host England needing a win to keep their dream alive and this turned into a nightmare for them.

In a one-sided game against an Australian team who just oozed class, they showed serious intent to open this World Cup wide open.

The Aussies beat England at the set piece and their scrum tore the hosts to shreds while their attacking flair and shape was just so much better than anything seen this world cup so far.

Goodbye England – look out the rest of the challengers, Australia are here!

For Ireland, this was the first time that questions have been asked of them and they were worked very hard by an Italian team with not much form but loads of heart and bags of pride.

Ireland sneaked this one and now need to show that they have the big game to win this group and beat a French team under the same pressure.

Will we see the real Ireland win this group and show that they are the real deal?

Next Sunday evening we will have our quarter finalists - will we have a surprise or two?

Gazette

30 BLANCH gazette 8 October 2015

SPORT

FastSport

soccer: castleknock under-18 sides record strong victories

Unique rugby day out for Castleknock first years CASTLEKNOCK Community College’s rugby team will get the chance to represent Dublin 15 at the Aviva Stadium next weekend.

The school will be taking first year students to the home of Irish rugby to participate in a blitz tournament, organised by the IRFU. Taking place on Sunday, October 11, the same day Ireland face France at the World Cup, the school are guaranteed games against a school from Tuam in Co Galway and one from Knock, Co Mayo.

Not only will the school be flying the flag for Dublin 15, they are only one of three other Dublin schools a chance to play the sport in Lansdowne Road.

In a further twist to the day, as if playing in the stadium wasn’t already good enough, players, coaches will get a stadium tour, take photos with the Six Nations trophy and the icing on the cake, watch Ireland face France from the comfort of the President’s suite.

CCC Rugby head coach, Daniel Pitcher is relishing the opportunity.

“This is a fantastic initiative by the the IRFU, and we are honoured to be taking part.”

It will be a sweet bonus for Pitcher who runs a six week Introduction to Rugby programme for first year students wanting to take up the sport.

He, along with the help of Leinster development coaches, teaches everything from safe tackling, to safe falling, rucking and everything else involved with the sport, before integrating those students to the schools Junior squad.

He hopes this blitz will be a turning point to get people interested.

“We work very hard to enrich kids with the love of rugby that we have; I have been luck to acquire the services of David Barnes, operating out of Coolmine, and David Hurley from Westmanstown to provide professional coaching.

“Year by year interest is growing and hopefully this blitz will provide memories the kids will have forever.”

“My thanks to our CRO, Gerry McCleery from Leinster Rugby and Justin Deegan from the IRFU for affording is this wonderful opportunity to further improve rugby as a sport of choice at Castleknock Community College.”

Castleknock Celtic’s DDSL Under-15 Elite Division side score in a 2-2 draw with Stella Maris last weekend

Celtic edge out Navan Road ndsl under-18b Castleknock Celtic Navan Road United  sport@dublingazette.com

1 0

CASTLEKNOCK Celtic’s NDSL Under-18B league got off to an early start against local rivals Navan Road United but there was nothing sluggish about the teams such was the intensity of this game.

From the off, Navan Road broke and nearly punished Celtic with only seconds on the clock.

The first half was a cagey affair and while Celtic enjoyed more

possession, it was Navan Road who came closest to a goal when they broke swiftly following a Castleknock corner and forced keeper Alex Regan into a wonderful save following a oneon-one with the striker.

Not for the first time this season, Celtic were t h a n k f u l t o h ave a keeper of Regan’s class in their team, leaving it scoreless at half-time.

After a first half dominated by quality defences, Celtic moved Narcis Catre into midfield in an attempt to add a bit of creativity to the proceedings.

coerver coaching Verona set to host high performance academy coerver coaching, working alongside Verona, opened a performance academy this week which will run each Wednesday from 7-8pm in Coolmine astro pitches.

Coerver is used in clubs such as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid and is a personal coaching programme that runs alongside team training. The academy is for players aged seven and 14-years. To register, contact info@coerverleinster.ie or 083 171 8812.

The tone of the half was set when a stunning Daniel Hughes shot from 30 yards out dipped over the keeper but not enough to hit the net.

Celtic were on top but just could not break down the well organised Navan Road defence.

T h e h a r d wo r k i n g Luke Mulcahy’s pace was added up front to assist Liam O’Neill and despite some defence splitting passes Celtic were too often guilty of drifting offside 11 times in all. Surely a record for this side.

As the game wore

on, it became clear that a goal could seal the points and with 20 minutes to go, Celtic forced the decisive winner.

Hughes found himself out right and swung in an inch-perfect cross into the middle.

The quality of the cross was exceeded only by the left footed volley from eight yards out into the back of the net by the gifted Narcis Catre.

A close encounter indeed and this 1-0 victory keeps Celtic at the top of the league table.

Elsewhere, for the second week in-a-row,

Castleknock Celtic’s U n d e r -1 8 P r e m i e r team were on cup duty but they showed no ill effects from their busy schedule as they ran out winners in the Leinster FA Youth Cup hot on the heels of the FAI Youth Cup. Celtic were in dominant form and ran out comfortable 5-1 winners away to Grange Woodbine.

Goals from Darren Doyle, Tom Fitsimons, Aidan Sampson and C i a r a n B u g g y g ave them a place in the second round of the competition.

8 October 2015 BLANCH gazette 31

Gazette

title ambitions St Brigid’s inters keep AHL promotion hope alive

Club Noticeboard st brigid’s BEST of luck to Eoin Kennedy who

st brigid’s inter hurlers kept their AHL4

promotion hopes alive with a battling 1-13 to 0-14 win over St Jude’s in Russell Park last Saturday.

The crucial score of the game came a minute into the second half when a longrange Colm Hawkes effort came back off the upright and full-forward Keith Morris was fastest to react blasting the sliotar to the net. Picture: Justin Farrelly

There was no lotto jackpot winner

ball 60x30 senior singles final next

on Thursday. Next week’s draw is in

Saturday at 2pm in Abbeylara HC.

Russell Park on Thursday, October

Eoin is now through to both singles and doubles senior finals as

8 with our €15,000 jackpot still in place. Our reserve is now €9,800.

he and Carl Browne defeated the

Make sure to have your enve-

very strong Mayo pairing of Dessie

lopes in the draw. Thank you to all

Keegan and Joe McCann in the All-

our club lotto participants for their

Ireland senior doubles semi-final.

support and to our wonderful lotto

The St Brigid’s Nursery runs

football: poignant cup title added to league glory

port.

competes in the All-Ireland Hand-

committee.

every Saturday in Russell Park from

St Brigid’s/Spleodar Irish Club

9.30 to 11am. We welcome all four- to

runs on Thursdays in the club hall

seven-year-olds in the Castleknock

from 7-9pm. Open for all teenagers

and Blanchardstown area and new

aged 12 to 18 and the cost is €3 per

members and families are always

week. A great opportunity to prac-

welcome. For further information

tise Irish for important exams and

and queries, contact David on 085

for enjoyment. More information is

8340169.

available on the club website.

The St Brigid’s GAA 1 to 2,500

The full range of St Brigid’s GAA

fundraising initiative continues –

gear is available on our online shop

see the club website for further

on the club website. For up-to-date

details. This fundraiser will require

St Brigid’s GAA fixtures and results,

each section of the club to put in a

visit our website www.stbrigids-

big effort; thank you for your sup-

gaa.com.

castleknock CONGRATULATIONS to our adult

We l l d o n e t o a l l o u r t e a m s

ladies footballers who completed

involved in the business end of the

an amazing double-double achieve-

season and sincere thanks for all

ment with a cup final win over West-

the efforts.

manstown.

The Castleknock side that won the league and cup double

Double delight for the queens of the Castle

division 3 cup final Castleknock 4-16 Garda/Westmanstown 0-9  sport@dublingazette.com

IT WAS a poignant night for Castleknock’s ladies senior team when they added the cup to their league title against Garda/Westmanstown in Somerton.

Having won the double last year and moving up to Division 3, little was expected from them in the line of silverware.

They also suffered the tragic loss of their manager Lynsey Flood shortly after winning the double last year. Her legacy

was there to be seen last Friday in another memorable display.

It was evident from the throw-in that Garda/ Westmanstown were looking for revenge for two earlier defeats this season. They were three points up after four minutes and looked very lively.

A f ter the ner vous start, Castleknock got a point back via Hannah Hanlon only for Garda/ Westmanstown to reply with two more points and they duly moved 0-7 to 0-2 ahead.

But four points in succession from Hanlon,

Aisling O’Donnell, Laura Carolan and Laura Burke quickly regained a foothold for Castleknock in the match to trail by the minimum.

And they carried that momentum into the second half. Burke, O’Donnell and Debra Geraghty quickly swapped the lead before a Carolan goal gave them a healthy advantage.

Further goals from O’Donnell rattled Garda/Westmanstown to the core as they won ever y ball and each individual battle. It was soon over as a contest as further points from

Geraghty, Lisa Quinn, Hanlon, Lauren O’Neill, Bronagh Quinn and a lovely lob from Julie Rogers for a fourth goal left the final score 4-16 to 0-9 points.

It was a fantastic turnaround from the Castleknock ladies who now move up to Division 2 next season for the first time in the history of the club.

It came during a busy week for the club in which their men’s team made their debut at senior championship level but ultimately saw Lucan Sarsfields win 1-9 to 0-10.

Strictly Castleknock launch night

Well done to all involved and many

takes place this Friday, October 8 in

thanks to The Bell for their subse-

the Carpenter. Dancers will find out

quent hospitality.

their partners.

Congrats to our AFL10 football

Great night promised – all leading

champions who received their tro-

up to the big night on November 21

phy on Sunday.

in Westmanstown.

Hard luck to our adult B foot-

See details on the website of the

ballers who went down by the bare

Ultimate Ladies’ Night Out fund-

minimum in their championship

raiser, happening in the Castle-

final against Ballinteer.

knock Hotel on October 22.

Good solid win by our adult A

The club nursery is up and running

footballers over Olaf’s in the sen-

at Tir na nOg (beside Castleknock

ior B championship and this sets

Community College) every Satur-

up a quarter final against Thomas

day morning from 10-11.30am.

Davis.

All new players (aged four and

Great win for our U-16 camogie

upwards) and families welcome -

girls in their championship semi-

for further info contact Jason (086

final against Ballinteer.

3459089) or Louise (085 1534270).

Naomh Peregrine SOME great wins over the weekend;

minor hurlers also came out on top

the U-14 girls had a great win out in

in their championship game against

Raheny. Well done to Tony Higgins and

Round Tower.

the U-16 boys on their win.

Our senior ladies footballers are

The senior footballers had a great

rebuilding for 2016; training every

win over Whitehall in the champion-

Monday in the hall at 7.40pm; new play-

ship and, on Sunday, a late Joe Clinch

ers are very welcome.

goal put the junior A footballers on the verge of the AFL6 title.

Thanks to all who helped out at the car boot sale, another great day was

The senior camogie team made it

had. The club lotto was not won; num-

two out of two in the championship

bers drawn were 3, 15, 16 and 27. Next

with a big win over St Jude’s and our

week’s jackpot is €3,200.

GazetteSPORT all of your blanch sports coverage from page 28-31

october 8-14, 2015

cup dreams: Castleknock Celtic Under-18s advance Brennan steps away: Ger retires from Dubs after on two fronts after successful weekend in D15 P31 glittering career in blue P29

Eoin Kennedy, second from right, pictured with Billy Love, Joe McCann and Willie Roche

Kennedy eyes double St Brigid’s legend sets up handball final date in both singles and doubles with impressive semi-final victory as club continues to excel on all fronts  nathan kelly

sport@dublingazette.com

ST BRIGID’S enjoyed handball happiness this past weekend with two of their clubmen reaching All-Ireland finals.

The handball icon that is Eoin Kennedy booked his spot in the doubles final and over35s player Johnny Westlake progressed to his singles final.

Starting with Kennedy and, after a two and a half-hour marathon match at the Longford Abbeylara venue, he and his Dublin teammate Carl Browne defeated the strong Mayo pairing of Dessie Keegan and Joe McCann 21-14, 18-21, and 21-11.

The All-Ireland senior doubles semi-final was extremely tight at the start with both pairings exchanging aces and tying the score several times. Keegan and McCann then pulled away to lead 14-9 but Kennedy and Browne used all their experience to draw level before driving ahead to win 21-14.

The second game saw some excellent handball from the start and the team’s were level at six points as well as nine. The Dubs went 11-9 ahead but Mayo swung the game their way to get to 19-13 in front.

Kennedy is known for comebacks and along with Browne, managed to get this one back to 19-18 but Keegan and McCann showed their class to nick it 21-19.

The third game was the decider and despite falling 4-1 behind early on, Kennedy and Browne got back to 4-4, then 6-6 before taking an 8-6 lead.

That was extended to a 14-9 lead with Kennedy covering every inch of court and Browne showing fantastic anticipation in front.

But the four-time finalists from Mayo weren’t going down without a fight. The lead was cut to 15-11 but Kennedy and Browne could taste victory and began to wear down the opposition. Through a lung-busting effort the lead margin was stretched to 21-11 and the Dublin duo booked their spot in the final next weekend.

The win means Kennedy is now through to both the singles and doubles senior finals, a feat not achieved since he did it himself in 2010. He contests the singles final this Saturday at the Abbeylara at 2pm against his longtime rival Robbie McCarthy. They pair have contested the past six finals and the score stands at 3-3, with the Blanch man winning last year’s epic encounter.

Meanwhile, in the over-35s semi-final, Westlake enjoyed a convincing win over Meath’s Brian Reilly.

The first game finished 21-1 with the Brigid’s man in devastating form, while the match was sealed in the next game, which was much closer, but finished 21-15 to Westlake.