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DECEMBER 7-13, 2017

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SEE PAGE 22

ARIZONA HOSPITAL CLAIMS OWNERSHIP OF ’PHOENIX’ IN TITLE

Children’s Hospital faces legal pressure to change name  MARK O’BRIEN THE new National Children’s Hospital may be forced to change its name following a legal threat from a US hospital with the same name.

The new Children’s Hospital, which will be based at St James’s Hospital was to be called Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Continues on Page 4

2 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 7 December 2017

AGE FRIENDLY CITY | MAYOR LAUNCHES COLD WEATHER CAMPAIGN

ALONE asks Dubliners to check in on elderly  MARK O’BRIEN LORD Mayor of Dublin Micheal Mac Donncha launched Dublin City Council and ALONE’s cold weather campaign on Grafton Street on Friday.

The council’s community development section, ALONE, the Gardai and Dublin Fire Brigade are urging the public to check in on older people this winter.

The campaign is part of the council’s commitment to become an Age Friendly City. At the launch, Mac Donncha said: “The winter months can be a difficult time for many people who are vulnerable, alone and isolated.

Mayor Micheal Mac Donncha, Joan McArthur of Dublin City Older Persons Council, ALONE resident Mick Carty, ALONE CEO Sean Moynihan. Picture: Chris Bellow/Fennell

“It can be a very frightening experience to be without shelter, warmth, food or essential items such as medication.

“We are appealing to all Dubliners to look out for

the older people in your community who may live alone, have no family, or may be at risk of suffering from fuel poverty, illness or loneliness.”

ALONE is also encour-

aging older people to prioritise heating expenses during winter months, and have urged those struggling to keep up with bills to contact their utilities company to set up a payment plan. Volunteers and staff at ALONE are ready to advise on issues relating to food, heat, or medication.

Sean Moynihan, CEO of ALONE said: “Cold temperatures can have a serious effect on many older people, in particular those living alone, those with health issues, and those with limited mobility.

“Five per cent of Irish people aged over 65 who lived alone were unable

to keep their homes adequately warm in 2012.

This figure jumped to 9.8% in 2013.

“Given that 50% of excess winter deaths experienced in Ireland can be linked to poor thermal efficiency in the dwellings, ALONE is urging older people to take extra care and encouraging those who are concerned about their own wellbeing during the cold weather to call for assistance and help if needed.”

For those with concerns about their wellbeing, or that of an older person in their community, ALONE can be contacted on 01-6791032 or at www. alone.ie.

FASTNews

Four generations toast grandma Mary’s birthday ARTANE woman Mary Redmond celebrated her 94th birthday with four generations of her family, at Parke House nursing home in Kilcock. Holding her six-week-old great-great grandchild Chloe Alex Mason, Mary is pictured with her daughter Joan Redmond, granddaughter Barbara Davidson and great-granddaughter Amy Davidson, who is mum to Chloe Alex.

Carols by Candlelight for Merchants Quay THE annual Carols by Candlelight service will take place on Saturday 16 December at 4pm in the beautiful surroundings of the Church of St John the Evangelist, on Park Avenue in Sandymount.

The programme will feature seasonal music and readings.

There is no entrance charge for the concert, and a voluntary collection will take place in aid of Merchants Quay Ireland’s work with the homeless.

Sydney Parade is the nearest DART Station, and buses 1 and 47 stop at the church. Buses 4, 7, and 7A stop nearby at Ailesbury Road stop.

Dublin teacher takes award for French classes

Rock star Sting sails into town

INTERNATIONALLY renowned musician STING is pictured at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre as he announced details of his acclaimed musical The Ship which will run at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre from June 4th–9th 2018.

The production, which will star Jimmy Nail, has a TONY-nominated original score and lyrics composed by Sting.

Picture: Brian McEvoy

FRENCH teacher Yveline Feval has won the muchaccalimed La Jolie Ronde Licensee of the Year Award for the whole of Ireland.

Yveline teaches extra-curricular French classes for nursery and primary school children in the Dublin 12 area through La Jolie Ronde’s programmes.

“I am absolutely overwhelmed to have been presented with this award, it was a complete shock,” she said. “It’s a real honour and great to be recognised. My pupils are brilliant and the sessions are lots of fun, and it’s so satisfying to see all the children making such great progress.”

Yveline was presented with her award by La Jolie Ronde’s General Manager, Steve Baker, at La Jolie Ronde’s AGM in Dublin.

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

7 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 3

NEW YEAR’S FESTIVAL DUBLIN: CITY-CENTRE EXTRAVAGANZA PROMISED FOR EVERYONE

Help count down to 2018!

HAVE you started planning your New Year’s Eve yet? Why not ring in 2018 with the New Year’s Festival Dublin!

Dublin City will light up over two days with four spectacular events from December 31 into January 1.

The Custom House – an iconic Dublin landmark – will be the centre for NYF Dublin’s countdown and New Year’s Day celebrations this year.

For the first time ever, two spectacular “midnight moment” events will count down to 2018 in style - Liffey Lights Midnight Moment, and the family-friendly Liffey Lights Midnight Moment – Matinee, starting at the earlier time of 6.30pm.

Onlookers can watch some amazing aerial and aquatic displays as acrobatic performers take to the sky and to the River Liffey.

Both world-class, high-flying spectacles will be performed against the backdrop of the iconic Custom House, with the River Liffey taking centre stage.

These are free, ticketed events (however, advance booking is required).

Tickets are available right now for advance booking from www.ticketmaster.ie, with would-be onlookers urged to book early to avoid disappointment.

NYF Dublin is an initiative by Failte Ireland in partnership with Dublin City Council and produced and promoted by MCD Productions.

Keelin Fagan, head of Dublin for Failte Ireland, said: “This year’s festival has an action-packed programme with spectacular, welcoming and fun events planned over the two days with something for everyone.”

For further information on all other NYF Dublin events, see www.

NYFDublin.com.

Keep up to date with news about all upcoming events by using the hashtag #NYFDublin and following @NYFDublin on Twitter and Instagram.

4 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 7 December 2017

FROM PAGE 1 |

Children’s Hospital may be forced to change its name The name was chosen following a nine-month naming process which involved seven roadshows in children’s hospitals and paediatric units across Ireland, involving staff and service users.

But a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona – also called Phoenix Children’s Hospital –has written to Minister for Health, Simon Harris advising the Minister that if the new Children’s Hospital here proceeds with the name Phoenix, they will be “compelled to pursue all available legal remedies”.

The letter, written by Executive Vice President David Higginson and seen by Dublin Gazette,

adds that the American hospital has already been confused with the new Irish hospital.

Mr Higginson says: “Despite the fact that our hospitals may be located on different continents, the pediatric healthcare world is small and, indeed, made smaller by the internet.

“The New Children’s Group’s use of our name inevitably will result in confusion, with serious ramifications for both of our organisations and their patients.

“In the global healthcare environment of tomorrow, it will become very easy for the public and consumers to confuse

the institutions.

“Even over the last few weeks we have received media inquiries and other troubling feedback regarding the Group’s proposed use of our name.

“It has already become apparent that patients and the public are confusing our two organisations.”

Mr Higginson added that while he congratulated Ireland on an exciting and important project, Phoenix Children’s Hospital in Arizona would “take whatever steps necessary to protect its name, goodwill and integrity”.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Micheal Mac Donncha

An artist’s impression of the new National Children’s Hospital

had previously written to the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board requesting that the new hospital be named after Dr Kathleen Lynn.

The letter was signed by 57 of 63 Dublin City councillors, but the request was rejected by the Children’s Hospital Group, who cited the extensive naming process and noted that Dr Lynn had a hospital ward named after her in Tallaght Hospital.

Mayor Mac Donncha said in a letter to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Arizona: “Dr Lynn was a pioneering medical doctor who worked tirelessly

for decades for the health and well-being of the children of Dublin.

“She was a patriot and based in City Hall as Chief Medical Officer of the Irish Citizen Army during the Easter 1916 Rising.We feel that naming the Hospital after Dr Kathleen Lynn would send out a signal that the new Hospital is in the best traditions of Irish medical and social care.”

The Department of Health said: ‘The Minister for Health and the Government’s priority is getting this very important project built and open.

The Minister will care-

fully consider the name put forward by the Children’s Hospital Group, along with the issues raised and varied views expressed, and will finalise his thinking in the context of bringing this legislation through the Oireachtas in the New Year. The Minister has received correspondence from the Executive Vice President of Phoenix Children’s Hospital in Arizona in relation to the naming of the new children’s hospital.

The Department will be responding directly to Phoenix Children’s Hospital Arizona.’

Micheál entertains at Royal Dublin GC lunch LEGENDARY GAA commentator Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh was the guest speaker at a lunch at Royal Dublin Golf Club last Friday. He entertained the guests, mainly GAA aficionados and former greats with some wonderful stories from his years as a commentator.

Micheál is pictured here with Captain of Royal Dublin GC Peter Finnegan, former All-Ireland winning Dublin star and club member, Jim Crowley and former Monaghan player and 3-time All-Star winner, Nudie Hughes

FASTNews

Simon House of Light returns THE Simon House of Light is back for its 6th year and will light up Dublin city centre at the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre on South William Street.

Dublin Simon Community will generate a festive spirit for all by illuminating the front of the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in a magical animated, music and light projection show.

The festival, which highlights the issue of homelessness, will continue on Friday and Saturday, with live music on the steps of the centre from 5pm10pm each evening.

Spectators will also be entertained by a whole array of musical talent with acts such as The Lucan Gospel Choir, The U-Band, Penrose and The LineUp Choir performing throughout the festival.

Tackling cellar safety in bars CELLAR safety in bars is being tackled ahead of Christmas trade.

The Irish Brewers Association and the Health & Safety Authority have colaunched a programme designed for publicans and bar managers to enhance basic safety practices in cellars, cold rooms and across all areas of bars, restaurants, hotels and pubs around the country.

The programme is the first of its kind in Ireland and aims to improve safety in the workplace environment for thousands of workers/service providers and for customers of the hospitality sector.

This new programme was designed to address safety issues arising from serious accidents in bar cellars across Europe in recent years.

7 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 5

6 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 7 December 2017

Out and About

Georgia McCann, Maurice Conway and Lauren Farrell. Pictures: Ailbhe O’Donnell

Sparkling launch of a new premium range

Shane Phelan and Sharon McEneaney

S

CHWEPPES unveiled its new range of mixers, 1783, at a sparkling launch party in Dublin Bar Academy last week. Cocktail king, Tony Conigliaro, who has been a pioneer of Michelin star standard mixology with his Drink Factory in London, flew into Dublin for the event. Tony talked guests through the art and alchemy of cocktail design and created a bespoke 1783 Sparkling Rose cocktail for the occasion, which guests were invited to try mixing themselves at the bar.

Kate Hickey

Camille Fovelle and Manuela Nicola McDonnell

Donal Quinn

Aifric Darcy

Guerresi

Deirdre Mahon and Sylvia McCann

7 December 2017 CITY ď‚ˆď‚ˆ DUBLIN GAZETTE 7

Claire Kearns and Elaine Ross

Adrian Collins and Leanne Kemp

Thalia Heffernan and January Russell

Santry celebrates as Marks & Spencer arrives H

UNDREDS of local residents gathered in Santry last week for the opening of the new Marks & Spencer Foodhall. Store manager Richie Fahey celebrated the opening with 55 new M&S colleagues - many recruited from the local area - by cutting the ribbon at 10am and welcoming the first customers into store.

He was joined by two long-serving M&S staff members Alison Moore and Brian Conlon. Alison and Brian have worked for M&S for 31 years and 27 years respectively, and both live locally so were delighted to have the opportunity to become part of the new store team.

The 9,000 sq ft store, located in Omni Park Shopping Centre offers a 42-seat Cafe for shoppers to enjoy a coffee and cake in.

Pictured cutting the ribbon is Richie Fahey, M&S Omni Park Store Manager, Alison Moore, Brian Conlon and the rest of the M&S Omni team. Pictures: Kieran Harnett

Pictured is first customer Lucy Clifford with members of the Marks & Spencer Omni Team

8 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 7 DECEMBER 2017

BEST OF THE WORLD | IRELAND’S ‘INTIMATE CAPITAL’ AMONG 21 DESTINATIONS TO VISIT

National Geographic names Dublin as top place to see in 2018 DUBLIN has been named one of the world’s top cities by National Geographic Travel Magazine.

The publication has revealed its ‘Best of the World’ for 2018, the annual list of the 21 ‘must-see’ destinations to visit in the year ahead, and Dublin is among their top picks for best cities.

The selection process included nominations from the publication’s worldwide network of writers, editors and explorers. The full results feature in the December/January issue of National Geographic Traveler which hits newsstands last week. The magazine boasts more than 9.6 million readers.

Dublin is described as “Ireland’s intimate capital” which “exudes a friendly, village vibe” and readers are urged to “stroll around to discover Dublin’s historic Georgian squares and cozy

pubs and high-tech treasures, like the new Irish Emigration Museum and revamped National Gallery of Ireland”.

It is expected that Tourism Ireland will take every opportunity to maximise this accolade

‘It will surely help inspire travellers everywhere to put Dublin and Ireland on their holiday wish-list’ for Dublin over the coming weeks and months.

“I am delighted to see Dublin feature in the prestigious National Geographic Traveler ‘Best of the World’ list for 2018,” said Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland.

“It is wonderful news and will

surely help inspire travellers everywhere to put Dublin and Ireland on their holiday wish-list for next year. It provides Tourism Ireland with another great hook to continue to promote Dublin as a ‘must see’ destination.”

The 2018 ‘Best of the World’ destinations, which are not ranked by the magazine, in alphabetical order are: Albania; Cleveland, Ohio; Dublin, Ireland; Friesland, the Netherlands; Harar, Ethiopia; Jordan Trail, Jordan; Jujuy Province, Argentina; Labrador, Canada; Madagascar; Malmo, Sweden; Oahu, Hawaii; Oaxaca, Mexico; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Ruaha National Park, Tanzania; San Antonio, Texas; Santiago, Chile; Seoraksan National Park, South Korea; Sydney, Australia; Tbilisi, Georgia; Tetouan, Morocco, and Vienna, Austria.

National Geographic Traveler’s December/January edition lists Dublin as one of the best places to visit in 2018, along with Vienna, Sydney, and Oaxaca in Mexico

Driver in Christmas Eve car chase jailed for two years A DUBLIN man who led gardai on a scene on foot and entered a house Christmas Eve car chase through the where a large group of young males city centre has been jailed for two had gathered. Gardai decided not to years. pursue the men, Garda Hunt said.

Nathan Coakley (24) of Buckingham A knife, two containers of petrol and St Upr pleaded guilty at Dublin Cir- a strip of paper were found in the car. cuit Criminal Court to unlawful use of The DNA on the knife matched that of a stolen motor vehicle and unlawful the defendant, the court heard. possession of a knife as a weapon at An arrest warrant was issued and Ringsend, Dublin on 24 December, 2015.

Garda Bryan Hunt told Geraldine Small BL, prosecuting, that he saw Coakley and another male driving a stolen Hyundai i30 in the Ballsbridge area on 24 December, 2015.

Garda Hunt recognised the defendant and signalled for him to pull over.

The court heard a high speed chase followed, during which the stolen car broke several red lights and narrowly avoided collision with another vehicle.

“The chase ended with the Hyundai flipping over and landing upright on four Nathan Coakley was sentenced after pleading guilty at the Dublin Circuit wheels,” Garda Hunt said.

Coakley and another man fled the Criminal Court.

Coakley, a father of one, was conveyed back to Ireland from the UK some months later.

Keith Spencer BL, defending, told the court Coakley had “never really recovered” from the death of his father, Derek Hutch, on his 16th birthday.

“His brother Alex then died in a car crash three years ago, and he is still reeling emotionally from these losses,” he said.

Spencer said Coakley had a “substantial cocaine addiction” and carried out these offences while under the influence.

He said the defendant had taken steps in custody to address his addiction and regretted his actions.

Sentencing Coakley to two years in jail, Judge Martin Nolan said it was clear that Coakley was someone who had “a healthy contempt” for road traffic legislation.

Judge Nolan further ordered that Coakley be disqualified from driving for ten years.

7 November 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 9

IRISH WATER REFUNDS | THE REFUND PROJECT AIMS TO HELP IRELAND’S 8,500 HOMELESS

Homeless charities appeal for water refund donations  MARK O’BRIEN THREE of Ireland’s best-known charities have come together to launch the Refund Project, a national campaign asking people to donate their Irish Water charge refunds to help tackle the homelessness crisis.

The Refund Project consists of the Simon Community, Peter McVerry Trust and Focus Ireland who will be the beneficiaries of the initiative.

Almost 8,500 people are now homeless in Ireland, including more than 3,000 children.

The Irish Water repayment scheme will see €173m repaid to account holders in the coming weeks and the three charities are hoping that some of the refunds will be donated to deal with the homelessness crisis.

A special oversight group has been set up, chaired by the former head of the Workplace Relations Commission, Kieran Mulvey. He said the initial public response to the campaign been hugely encouraging.

“When we first floated this as a concept earlier this month we got a really positive public response.

“Thanks to a huge effort since then the refund project is today a reality and we are now accepting public donations.

“The idea has caught the public imagination simply because homelessness is such an enormous problem in this country today and we sense that ordinary people, as well as wanting the state to act, would like to be able to play their part too.”

In a joint statement, the three homeless charities said: “Not everybody will be able to contribute, but many people will have the means to donate – and it is to those that we direct this appeal.

“We all have a role to play, whether it’s government, charities or society.

“For our part – we have come together to create a national campaign to enable the public to easily donate their refunded monies towards this hugely important cause.

“We would reiterate that the Refund Project will not diminish in any way the responsibility of government and policy makers to drive forward the national homelessness strategy.”

The campaign is due to run until the New Year. Donations can be made at www.refundproject.ie.

Kieran Mulvey, Chair of The Refund Project, Sam McGuinness CEO of Dublin Simon, Orla Kerbey, Head of Fundraising & Marketing at the Peter McVerry Trust, and Ashley Balbirnie, Chief Executive, Focus Ireland. Picture: Maxwell photography

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Liam Hanly, Eason Managing Director, Jeff Kinney, and Brendan Corbett, Group Head of Marketing, at the opening of Eason O’Connell Street’s children’s department. Pictures: Julien Behal

Jeff Kinney opens new children’s book department A NEW children’s book department has opened at Eason O’Connell Street, with author Jeff Kinney on hand to get things started.

Located on the lower ground floor, investment in the new department came to €580k, as part of Eason’s overall refurbishment of the iconic store, which totals €3.5 million to date. It is the most significant singular investment by the group in 2017 which also saw substantial investment in the Eason Mahon, Dundrum and Swords stores.

Speaking at the opening of the new children’s book section, Liam Hanly, Eason Managing Director said: “Our investment in the children’s book section represents the third phase of renovation work in our iconic O’Connell Street store.

The expansion is also in response to the huge increase in reading among the young readers, which is something Eason have always encouraged and championed both in store and across our literacy programmes, such as the Eason Spelling Bee. We look forward to investing further in our estate next year.”

Work on the new department began in June 2017 and took nine weeks to complete. It has

been designed specifically for young readers, to make it easy for them to browse, discover and enjoy books from their favourite authors such as David Walliams, J K Rowling, Roald Dahl, Jacqueline Wilson and American author Jeff Kinney, who was in O’Connell Street to open the department and sign copies of his new Diary of a Wimpy Kid novel, The Getaway. As one of the world’s most popular children’s authors, Kinney is renowned for turning reluctant readers into book lovers and has sold more than 185 million copies of his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, which is available in 53 languages.

Commenting on Kinney’s involvement, Brendan Corbett, Group Head of Marketing said; “We’re thrilled to have Jeff officially open the biggest children’s book department in the country in Eason O’ Connell Street. Jeff is an icon amongst young readers and has been a friend of Eason’s for over ten years. It’s fitting that such a massively talented and popular author opens such an amazing children’s book store.”

The new and improved children’s department is officially open at Eason O’Connell Street.

10 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 7 December 2017

COURTS | ‘THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE THING TO HAVE HAPPENED’

Massage therapist acquitted of sexually assaulting woman A SPORTS massage therapist has been acquitted of sexually assaulting a woman during a treatment session.

Valeriy Malyha (48) of Clontarf Road, Clontarf, Dublin went on trial in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court this week, where he pleaded not guilty to one count of sexually assaulting the woman at Artane Medical Centre in Dublin on January 24, 2015.

The three day trial heard allegations that during a therapy session Mr Malyha removed the woman’s underwear and touched her vagina, before kissing her bare bottom and saying he “just couldn’t help himself”.

The jury of nine men and three women returned the unanimous verdict of not guilty after just under two hours of deliberating. The woman, who was in court for the verdict, cried when the verdict was read out.

After thanking the jury for their ser vice, Judge Karen O’Connor lif ted repor ting restrictions that prevented the media from naming Mr Malyha during the trial.

In her closing speech to the jury, defence counsel, Tara Burns SC, said the allegations against Mr Malyha were “incredible” and “unbelievable”.

She said her client was a qualified sports massage therapist.

“He is not some back alley person who, on the sly, is providing massages to individuals and individual women,” Ms Burns said. “He is a qualified professional person.”

Ms Burns told the court the woman’s evidence “fell apart” upon cross-examination.

“The process of how she alleges this occurred is simply unbelievable,” she said.

Referring to the woman’s evidence that the man pulled down her underpants while she was on the massage table, Ms Burns said: “This is an incredible thing to have happened.”

Ms Burns also questioned whether it was believable that the woman, having been sexually assaulted, would then allow Mr Malyha to put back on her underpants, or that she would practice physio exercises in

front of him, as the trial heard.

She said the woman’s allegation “does not hold water” and could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt.

The woman told the court that her partner received treatment from Mr Malyha and he recommended she attend his practice for a sports-related injury to her neck and shoulder.

“I thought he was a physiotherapist,” she said.

She said nothing inappropriate occurred during the first few sessions, but on January 24, she alleged Mr Malyha pulled down her underwear as she lay on the massage table, before touching her vagina.

“That’s when I knew this isn’t normal. This doesn’t happen when you go to see a physio,” the woman said through her tears.

She said she told Mr Malyha: “I don’t like that” and he removed his hand “straight away”. She said he then kissed her bottom while pulling up her pants.

As she was getting dressed,

the woman alleged Mr Malyha told her: “Women can be so cruel”, before adding: “Your tongues are very sharp”.

The woman said she was “petrified”.

Mr Malyha did not give evidence at trial. In his interview with gardai, he denied the entire incident. He said he did not pull down the woman’s underwear, or touch her inappropriately.

He maintained that he simply gave her a deep massage on the day in question.

The court heard that six days after the alleged offence, Mr Malyha texted the woman saying he hoped she wasn’t “upset” with him, and saying he would understand if she decided not to see him again.

Prosecution barrister Maurice Coffey BL told the jury this was an “acknowledgment that something happened that shouldn’t have happened”.

But Ms Burns said the jury could accept Mr Malyha’s explanation that he was concerned the massage had been painful for the woman.

Widespread praise for Finglas author’s novel

 EMMA NOLAN

FINGLAS author, director and musician George Fitzgerald has published a thrilling novel about love, crime and obsession.

The Secret Life of Ashley Brown is the fourth book by the 51-year-old, who also released a documentary called Dublin Behind the History at the start of this year.

The book has received widespread praise, being described as “beautifully written, engaging, a very compelling story of a young woman’s life”.

“Ashley Brown is the beautiful blonde

dreamer,” George explains.

Her home is Dublin’s leafy suburbs and she dreams about two things; finding Mr Right and getting a high-flying job in London’s publishing world.

However, it doesn’t go to plan as she falls victim of deception, drugs and into the hands of an “evil monster” in London.

The Secret Life of Ashley Brown on sale for €10 in Footprints Dun Laoghaire, Bargain books Abbey Street, Book Value Northside, Books on The Green in Sandymount and in Books Upstairs on D’Olier Street.

It is also available in ebook form on Amazon.

FASTNews

Mark Hargadon with winners Joe and Marian Byrne of Spar Custom House Square

Relentless drive and ambition rewarded A CITY Spar shop has been names Best Convenience Store at the ShelfLife National C-Store 2017 Awards.

The Custom House Square Spar at the IFSC in Dublin 1 won the prestigious award for “their relentless drive and ambition”.

“The store and staff are very deserving of this industry accolade and they are great champions for the SPAR brand,” Colin Donnelly, Spar Sales Director said.

Guides honoured for helping the community THE GIRL Guide Unit at Crumlin Children’s Hospital has received an award from the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) in recognition of its “outstanding service to the community”.

Established in 2008, this project was set up to bring guidance to children who are in need of fun and distraction from their illnesses.

Once a week a group of volunteer leaders bring girls aged seven upwards away from their wards for an hour and a half of fun and activities.

The Olave Award is an international award to honour the memory of the World Chief Guide, Lady Olave Baden-Powell, and to keep alive her belief in the spirit of service. It is awarded by WAGGGS to Girl Guide groups around the world that have created change in their communities.

Irish Girl Guides Leader Roisin Fitzgerald, who runs the Crumlin Hospital Girl Guide Unit with a team of volunteer Leaders, said they were delighted to win the award.

Clare Sheridan, Roisin Fitzgerald and Lucy O’Donovan George Fitzgerald

7 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 11

TRANSPORT | AN ADDITIONAL 10 MILLION PASSENGER JOURNEYS PER YEAR ARE EXPECTED

It’s the end of the line as Luas Cross City arrives  MARK O’BRIEN

retailers.

“The opening of the Luas Cross City extension provides shops and businesses in the city with a huge boost.”

Mr McQueen commended all parties involved in the delivery of Luas Cross for delivering the project on schedule.

“Throughout the construction phase of the project we have worked closely with Luas Cross City, the NTA, gardai and other stakeholders to minimise the impact of the works on businesses and people coming in and out of the city.

“Luas across City shows how well Ireland can deliver big projects.”

He added that he felt that Dublin would reap the benefit of the new line for years to come.

“Constructing the new line has been a complicated task and has resulted in significant upheaval over the past five years. But the city will reap the benefits of the new line for decades to come.”

DUBLIN commuters will finally be able to take their first journey on the Luas Cross City line when it opens on Saturday. The new line, which extends the Green Line to Broombridge and connects the Red and Green Line together will officially open at 2pm on Saturday.

The new line has taken over four years to build, with construction commencing in June 2013.

The project cost €368 million and it is expected that there will be an additional 10 million passenger journeys per year on the extended line.

The new line includes 13 new stops, with eight of those stops in the core city centre area.

The construction works had proved disruptive for some businesses in the city centre but Dublin Chamber have welcomed the news that the line was to finally open.

Dublin Chamber’s head of public affairs Graeme McQueen said: “It has been a long five years for businesses in the city centre, but it is fantastic to see that the line will open on-time and in advance of Christmas.

“T he weeks preceding Christmas are hugely impor tant for Dublin Luas Cross City line works on College Street

Eddie launches new book with all proceeds going to Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation

The Luas Cross City route map

JACK & Jill Foundation’s Patron Eddie Hobbs is launching his new book called “The Pivot” which is available direct through the Johnstown based Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation for a price of €20 (including postage and packaging), with every book funding one hour of home nursing care for a sick child locally.

This book highlights the inflat-

ing debt bubble worldwide and is a pessimistic but timely read.

If there is one central message in the book, it is wake up and do not be personally exposed financially, but there’s lots of financial history and context setting in this book too and the charity is hoping to sell 1,000 copies.

As patron of the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation since 2005,

Eddie has raised over €50,000 with his two previous books “Short Hands Long Pockets” and “Loot” and he has been involved in various fundraisers over the years.

Eddie (left) is pictured with Jack and Jill founder Jonathan Irwin, Dublin nurse Caroline Thomas and Rose Martin from Beaumont.

Picture: Chris Bellew / Fennells

12 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 7 December 2017

Out and About

Tristan MacManus, Tahyna MacManus and Karl Harpur. Pictures: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Christmas pantomime launch at The Helix A

Fionnula O’Rourke

HOST of Ireland’s stars took to the red carpet for the opening night of Beauty and the Beast at The Helix Pantomime last week. Guests relished in a magical story complete with wonderful scenery and lively music.

They also enjoyed a special pre-Panto reception, which included a selection of festive canapes and a special Helix goodie bag for all the kids.

The Panto will run for eight weeks, from November 26 until January 21.

Former World Champion boxer Bernard Dunne with his Pamela and children Caoimhe and Finnian

Fionnula O Rourke with her children Donagh and Ellen

Karen Koster pictured with her children Finn and JJ

Mairead Farrell and her son Dara and niece Rricia Farrell

7 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 13

Out and About

Elma Byrne and Aine Casey

Bairbre Power, Clodagh Edwards and Joan Farrell. Pictures: Brian McEvoy

Jackie Flynn and Adele McGrane

Liza Brennan and Fiona Gratzer

Gilian Whelan and Oonagh Meagher

Fundraising lunch for Breast Cancer B

REAST Cancer Ireland’s annual lunch took place in Marco Pierre White Courtyard Restaurant last week. The afternoon included a Champagne reception on arrival, Jazz trio entertainment, a three-course lunch with wine and a luxury beauty goody bag. Guests were treated to a fashion show with a selection of occasion wear for the Christmas season, styled by Cathy O Connor. Beauty expert Triona McCarthy was on hand to give out beauty tips and Elaine Crowley from TV3 gave an Inspiring chat.

Sinead Donohoe,Clodagh Holmes and Olive Garde

Joy Murray and Rachel Carberry

Sandra Baker, Orla Hennigan and Fiona O’Neill

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14 DUBLIN GAZETTE 7 December 2017

DUBLINBUSINESS

Microenterprise loan fund approved €21m – new report THE latest Microfinance Ireland report shows that €21m of loans have been approved under the Microenterprise Loan Fund, to date, supporting 3,336 jobs in borrowing companies.

The Microenterprise Loan Fund is part funded by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.

Minister for Trade, Employment and Business Pat Breen welcomed the publication of the Microfinance Ireland report, saying: “It is now five years since Microfinance Ireland first opened its doors and it continues to show its support for our microenterprises throughout the country through its suite of distinct loan offerings.”

The Microenterprise Loan Fund was established by the Government in 2012.

The reasoning behind the establishment of such a fund and establishing MFI was that access to finance for microenterprises, in particular, was a major issue with the banks at that time continuing to decline loans in the microfinance space.

Promoting cellar safety THE Irish Brewers Association and the Health & Safety Authority have colaunched a programme designed for publicans and bar managers to enhance basic safety practices in cellars, cold rooms and across all areas of bars, restaurants, hotels and pubs around the country.

Speaking at the launch of the programme, Jonathan McDade, head of the Irish Brewers Asso-

ciation, said: “This initiative is the first of its kind in Ireland. We’re hoping it will benchmark health and safety standards for all licensed operators in Europe.

“BeSMART.ie is quick and easy to use and will give bar managers an idea of how safe their cellars are and if any safety issues need to be addressed.”

The cellar safety programme aims to improve

safety in the workplace environment for thousands of workers and service providers and for customers of the hospitality sector.

The programme was designed to address safety issues arising from serious accidents in bar cellars across Europe in recent years.

It is aimed at helping bars to protect their staff and meet legal requirements to ensure their

workplace is a safe place to operate in.

The new safety programme can be accessed through the HSA’s existing online risk assessment tool, BeSMART.ie.

Pictured launching the programme are Padraig Cribben, Vintners Federation of Ireland; Donal O’Keeffe, Licensed Vintners Association; Ian Reidy, Heineken and Jonathan McDade, the Irish Brewers Association.

Marks & Spencer arrives in Santry HUNDREDS of local residents gathered in Santry last Thursday (30th November) for the opening of the new Marks & Spencer Foodhall.

Store manager, Richie Fahey, celebrated the opening with 55 new M&S colleagues - many recruited from the local area - by cutting the ribbon at 10am and welcoming the first customers into store.

He said: “I am so proud of the team for their efforts in preparing the store for its opening this morning.

“We are thrilled with the response we have received from customers so far, and we can’t wait to hear more feedback on the range of food and drink products on offer.

“We are looking forward to

working with, and becoming part of, the Santry community over the next few years.”

Richie was joined by two longserving M&S staff members, Alison Moore and Brian Conlon.

Alison and Brian have worked for M&S for 31 years and 27 years respectively, and both live locally so were delighted to have the opportunity to become part of the new store team.

The 9,000 sq ft store, located in Omni Park Shopping Centre offers a 42-seat Cafe for shoppers to enjoy a coffee and cake in.

With over 5,000 delicious products on offer, shoppers filled their baskets with the latest M&S food and drink, including a range of treats for Christmas like the Wob-

bly Santa Tin, filled with chocolate chip shortbread stars and the stunning Chocolate Pine Cones.

The Paddington Bear range also proved a real hit with customers, with the Milk Chocolate Paddington Wellington Boots proving to be a popular choice.

The in-store bakery will provide customers with a range of brand new artisan breads, including M&S’ Signature Sourdough, which is inspired by the traditional sourdoughs of San Francisco, and three new 100% spelt loaves, which are available at M&S for the first time.

Customers can take advantage of the popular Collect in Store service by having orders delivered free of charge. Free parking is also available at the store.

7 December 2017 DUBLIN GAZETTE 15

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

CINEMA P28

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DIARY P16

VIVIENNE IS SHY, SWEET AND LOVING

OUR Dog of the Week looking for their #SpecialSomeone* is Vivienne, a two-year-old female Pit Bull terrier who is crying out for a perfect home.

This stunning looking dog has gained many friends among staff members since her arrival and it’s easy to see why, as she has such a sweet and affectionate nature.

Vivienne is a sensible soul and she can be worried initially when meeting new people, but given time and space she makes friends easily. She is looking for an adult home because she can be worried by noises and over-handling. She likes a gentle approach and doesn’t like too much fuss around her. Vivienne would prefer to be the only dog in the family.

If you can be her #SpecialSomeone*, then please contact Dogs Trust on 01 879 1000. They are based in Finglas, just off Exit 5 on the M50. Map and directions can be found on their website, www. dogstrust.ie. You can also find them on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/ dogstrustirelandonline, or on Twitter @ DogsTrust_IE.

Cool Runnings stars Doug E Doug (Sanka Coffie) and Rawle D Lewis (Junior Bevil) pictured at the launch of Après Dublin, a giant custom built ski lodge in Dublin’s city centre

LAUNCH: COOL RUNNINGS STARS LEAVE WARM LA FOR THE SLOPES OF DUBLIN

Get on up, it’s bobsled time  EMMA NOLAN and MARK O’BRIEN .

“FEEL the Rhythm! Feel the Rhyme!

Get on up, it’s bobsled time!”

Cool Runnings may have come out over 20 years ago, but the classic movie’s many quotable lines are still as recognisable today, as our its stars.

Much to the delight of Dubliners, Rawle D Lewis (who played Junior Bevil) and Doug E Doug (Sanka Coffie) were in Dublin last week for the first time ever to launch Apres Ski at the IFSC with Coors Light.

Rawle and Doug shot to instant fame as stars of the popular film about Jamaica’s unexpected participation in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.

“It’s fantastic, beautiful, the people are fantastic!” Doug told Dublin Gazette at Apres Ski. While they were having a great time in the fair city, the two admitted they were shocked to be invited.

Exuberance

“I was like ‘Dublin, really? Alright!’ I live in LA where there’s a lot of tourists and Irish people and I always like your exuberance! So I thought, imagine meeting a whole country of them!” Rawle joked.

Hundreds of people were delighted to meet the pair at Apres Ski and they were more than happy to pose for photos and chat with fans.

“The movie came out 20 years ago but they’re acting like it came out yesterday,” Rawle said.

“It still surprises me though, the level of people who are excited about this. It’s amazing how many people have quoted me lines from the movie and how many likes they know. They’re reminding me!”

Doug added: “I love that, seeing people happy and feeling like you’re part of their happiness in some way is the best.”

Asked if they wanted to be known for other projects they’ve worked on since Cool Runnings, the two said they were proud that the film inspired so many people.

“With something like this, that’s done such good, you can’t knock it.”

The Cool Runnings stars with Sorcha Kavanagh at the launch

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16 DUBLIN GAZETTE 7 December 2017

DUBLINLIFE

BARNADOS: LAUNCHES INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT COUNTRY’S NEEDIEST PEOPLE

Appeal to help spread cheer to thousands BARNARDOS, the children’s charity, has launched its Christmas appeal to help give children a happy Christmas.

This year, Barnardos is not asking for toys, but for donations to allow the organisation to provide more practical gifts for the families they work with.

Another way to support Barnardos is by purchasing a Gift For Good – an alternative gift to buy for family or friends in lieu of a present, which will directly benefit a child or family

that Barnardos works with.

The charity’s chief executive Fergus Finlay said: “Following our work with many generous public and corporate suppor ters, and talks with the man in red himself, we know every child we work with will get a toy this Christmas.

“However, we have identified the need for more practical gifts for families such as pyjamas, slippers, books, duvets, pillows, bedding and food vouchers.

“We also know that

this Christmas more than 3,194 children will be homeless. We work to provide supports to many of these families.

“The children will be facing a Christmas of uncertainty, and we want to make them as comfortable as possible this year. Each family has different needs to the next, but your donation will allow us to direct your help how each need it most.”

Yo u c a n d o n a t e online at www.barnardos.ie/christmas, or by calling 1850 216 216.

BEAUTY AND BEAST HELP SICK CHILDREN MAGIC was in the air at Temple Street Children’s University Hospital last week, when the cast of The Helix pantomime, Beauty and the Beast, arrived in character (below) to spread some Christmas cheer this festive season among the young patients, families and staff.

This year, The Helix has teamed up with the hospital as its charity partner, and on Thursday, December 7, The Helix is hosting a designated charity show in aid of the Hospital, with all proceeds going directly to the hospital.

Speaking on the partnership, Claire Tighe, chief executive of TheatreWorkX Productions, said: “We are thrilled

to be teaming up with Temple Street again this year. It’s such a worthy cause and we’re hoping that we’ll have a full house on December 7.”

Tickets for the charity show are priced at of €18.50 per seat (booking fees apply) and are on sale from www.thehelix.ie, and at The Helix’s box office; telephone 01 700 7000.

EXTRA SHOWS SET FOR RAPUNZEL ANOTHER hugely popular panto – The Gaiety Panto – has announced extra performances of Rapunzel as tickets have been snapped up.

Rapunzel opened to sold-out performances on Sunday, November 26. A limited number of tickets for dates up to January 7 are on sale now from €19.50 (including booking fee),

with brand-new extra dates added from January 11-21 also on sale now.

The Gaiety Theatre has hosted the annual Christmas Panto each year since 1873.

Tickets are available in person at Ticketmaster outlets and the Gaiety’s box office, 0818 719 388.

F o r g r o u p b o o kings, call 01 648 6029, or email group.sales@ ticketmaster.ie; see also www.gaietytheatre.ie or www.ticketmaster.ie.

A LOVELY GIG TO HELP CARE FOR HORSES MY LOVELY Neightivity Gig is taking place in Whelan’s main room next Friday, December 15.

The equine-saving bunch got their name from Father Ted – and

Cute as buttons Katie May and Lauren O’Brien, and teddy pals, helping to launch Barnardos’ Gifts For Good Christmas

rightly so, as one of the charity’s founders, Cathy Davey, is the partner of Neil Hannon who wrote the brief but beloved song.

House band T he Love Tailors will keep the par ty moving at a canter, while guests include Cathy Davey, Cry Monster Cry, Roisin O and CC Brez.

My L ove l y Ho r s e Rescue says that 4,000 horses a year are rounded up and euthanised because they are not being properly looked after, with the night set to be a great fundraiser to help horses.

Doors 8pm; tickets priced €15; see www. whelanslive.com.

HOP OVER TO THE BUSY FLEA MARKET THE Dublin Flea Christmas Market returns to The Point Square this weekend, until Sunday, December 10.

After a hugely successful market last year, with almost 30,000 shoppers attending,

7 December 2017 DUBLIN GAZETTE 17

this year’s free market will once again offer an alternative to Christmas on the main street.

The market will feature up-and-coming Irish contemporary design, art, hand-made craf t and delectable foods alongside T he Dublin Flea Market’s m u c h - l ove d m i x o f antiques, vintage and retro collectibles.

Once again, Dublin City Council are supporting The Dublin Flea Christmas Market this year – the only pop-up retail event in DCC’s Dublin At Christmas Programme for 2017.

A NEW WAY TO HELP ELDERLY PATIENTS THE Mater Misericordiae University Hospital is launching an awareness campaign to encourage patients to Get up, Get dressed, Get moving, Get Well and Get Home.

The campaign is focused on providing high-quality patient care and empowering

patients, with the initiative part of a wider programme of activity, entitled #Last1000days, itself a worldwide social media movement which has spread across the UK, Ireland, Canada and New Zealand.

Ward staff are encouraged to identify those patients who would benefit by getting out of their PJs or gowns and getting out of their rooms at the start of each day, should the patient wish to participate.

The average length of stay for patients aged 85 and older in the Mater is 18.1 days, but evidence shows that patients staying in their pyjamas or gowns reinforces the sick role, and leaves them vulnerable to a higher risk of infection, loss of mobility, fitness and strength, which results in them staying in hospital longer.

For further information, see www.mater.ie or tweet @MaterHospital.

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18 DUBLIN GAZETTE 7 December 2017

Out and About

Glenda Gilson with models Sarah McGovern, Vivienne Connolly and Gail Kaneswaran. Pictures: Brian McEvoy

A star studded bash to launch jewellery line

Susan Molloy, Ruth Henshaw and Gillian Langan

T

HERE was a host of famous faces at No 37 Dawson Street last week as Glenda Gilson unveiled her first jewellery line. Glenda opened the evening by thanking all of those involved in bringing the collection to life along with her pr Tara O’Conner.

Guests were treated to bespoke cocktails on the night along with a tastys election of mini burgers and finger foods.

Speaking about her inspiration for the collection Glenda said: “I have always worn jewellery, especially delicate jewellery since my modelling days and I’ve been know for my layering and mixing of metals.”

Don O’Neill and Tracey Moroney

Linda Keating and Edel Selina and Michelle Regazzoli

McCabe

Emily O’Donnell

Vivienne Connolly

Carol Byrne

7 December 2017 DUBLIN GAZETTE 19

Out and About

Fidelma Breathnach

Christine and Karen Bruton

Lisa Nolan

Actor Liam Cunningham

7 December 2017 DUBLIN GAZETTE 21

DUBLINLIFE

 JAMES HENDICOTT SEVEN years after their last release, Ireland’s favourite indie outliers Super Extra Bonus Party return with a new single. They look back to their blistering best.

IT’S EARLY 2007, and against all the odds, Newbridge band Super Extra Bonus Party are stood on the stage collecting a gong and a large cheque, having taken home the Choice Music Prize for their self-titled debut album.

It’s probably the most controversial decision in the history of the competition. Cathy Davey, Delorentos and Kila are all household names, and all have acclaimed albums up for the award, but it comes as little surprise to those with their ear to the ground of Irish music. An album that’s only touched on the fringes of mainstream consciousness has, in some knowledgeable corners, been hailed as the most inventive Irish album in a decade.

With follow up Night Horses, the hip-hop/ indie fusion act returned with abundant Dublin-scene special guests in 2009, accompanying the searing and memorable release with a series of blistering and beloved live shows, before calling an indefinite hiatus in 2011.

Whispers of a return began as early as 2015, and with November’s new single ‘Switzerland’, the revered six-piece (seventh member Rodrigo Teles has sadly departed Irish shores for his native Brazil) have finally returned to the fray.

“It had been kicking around for a while, but the decision was made out the back of a pub in Dingle in December 2014 as part of a ‘tired and emotional’ chat we all had while on a mate’s stag,” Gavin Elsted tells us. “We felt that we had left things unfinished and without any external pressure, wanted to start working on music just to see if the old spark was still there.”

“It was never about the relationships in the band, because in the intervening years we’d still hang out whenever we could, so when we eventually took the first step into the studio, it was like we never left. There was so much joy at being back where we felt we belonged. I still think in some ways it’s an excuse to hang out a bit more with each other, but at least now we have something to show for it!”

In a sense, with Irish hip-hop currently at by far its highest ever ebb, Super Extra Bonus Party are a more natural fit for today’s scene, with Elsted telling us that current stars Rusangano Family “made me wish Bonus Party were still going every time I saw them.”

“We’ve listened to hip hop forever really and it’s still a very integral part of the band and one of our main influences,” Stephen ‘Fats’ Foley adds. “It’s a very natural part of our arsenal, so we’d be producing tunes with a hip hop influence regardless of the climate for sure.” The climate, though, is very likely to be still more accepting than last time around, and that can only be a positive.

That writing process has come very naturally, with Foley describing the progression as less challenging than last time around, at least so far.

MUSIC

Super Extra Bonus Party

N O S ’ T A H W

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

Santa at the Marsh Library

A magical spot to meet the big man, the centuries-old Marsh Library next to St Patrick’s Cathedral will throw in a tour and a photo with their one-day-only Santa meeting. December 9, book ahead. The gift, naturally, will be a book.

The co-present Pieta House gig

Check out some great local talent and chip in on the launch of The CoPresent’s new compilation, in aid of Pieta House.

Columbia Mills, Session Motts and I Have A Tribe are amongst those playing Drop Dead Twice on December 9.

a glitchy, bleeping melody fused with power chords and fresh, echoey vocals.

“Switzerland was one of the first demos that were floating around when we first started working on music again,” Elsted explains. “As per usual with us, it started off as a totally different song.”

“I think it was meant to be more of a housier track with some guitars added, but we stripped it back and all that was left that we actually liked was the little synth arpeggio, which is essentially the spine of the song.

“It went through various permutations with other members veering between trying to get rid of it altogether (not naming any names!) and adding some valuable constructive criticism or

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

Mrs Brown’s Boys

Love it or loath it (and the comedy certain divides opinion), Mrs Brown’s Boys has become almost as much a part of Christmas as the tinsel and the chocolate binge. The live show drops in on the 3Arena, December 14-16.

Fusion Sundays at the Dublin Food Co-Op

A December global glance from the Food Co-Op in Newmarket, Dublin 8, where you can indulge in beautiful food and gifts from Africa, Asia and South America.

Magical Christmas Cinema

Retro Drive-In will get seasonal and old-school over the weekend, with showings of Elf, Love Actually, Santa Claus and Home Alone, plus the promise of chocolate cake and tunes. Leopardstown Racecourse, December 9-10.

Lankum

An Irish trad band that drew their influences from a spectrum of ancient folk, before evolving their sound into something poignant and current, Lankum are the rising stars of the Irish trad-folk scene. They play Vicar Street on December 9.

Return of the underdogs

“Mostly It feels a lot easier,” he explains, “and I think that’s going to be reflected in the music.

We’ve developed a lot both as people and as musicians. Years ago we avoided difficult conversations. We avoided uncomfortable confrontation and the necessity of critical analysis.”

“Our approach back then tended to be to identify space in a tune and immediately fill it with my amazing part. Now we’re talking so much more about our music and trying create and maintain space, facilitating each others ideas and encouraging each other as much as we can.”

New single Switzerland, naturally, went through a slightly messy, iterative process, as has much of Bonus Party’s work. The result is

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20 DUBLIN GAZETTE 7 December 2017

Star Wars: The Last Jedi suggestions for the sequencing. We had been rehearsing it for a while before we finally got into gear.”

“The drums were done in Herbert Place Studios in Dublin with our long-suffering producer Sean Corcoran, with the instrumentation and vocals all done in his studio in Rathmines.

“Lots of ‘Ooh I’m not sure about that’ and ‘We are definitely not using that synth it sounds like an arse’ later, we had the bones of the song.

The mixing process was surprisingly easy, but I reckon that was because Sean wouldn’t let us near it. Probably for the best. We’re so delighted with how it turned out.”

Switzerland is not to be a one off. The band are already announcing shows, and an album

- jokingly working-titled ‘Led Zeppelin 4’ - is on the longer-term horizon. “The album is still our yardstick,” Foley tells us.

As for that big moment at Vicar Street all those years ago?

“You have to understand that we were total outsiders,” Elsted recalls.

“We were relatively unknown to critics and bands because we had essentially come from nowhere. I remember being excited to play in Vicar Street, really relishing it.

“Being able to hoof around and have fun with my friends on a national stage was an indescribable feeling. The win was the win. We can’t account for why we were chosen, we were just blown away by it.”

The latest in the Star Wars saga lands on December 15, with tickets expected to be in extremely high demand between the launch date and Christmas. Get booking early to watch Rey begin her training.

Aware Christmas Run

Another chance to postpone the season’s crash weight gain with a pre-emptive strike against the food monster, whilst raising some funds for charity, too. The Aware Christmas Run (5km or 10km) is on December 9 in Phoenix Park.

New album of the week

The Co-Present Pieta House charity album. Available around Dublin, this showcase of local Irish talent will raise money for those struggling in life. It serves as a great intro to the Irish music scene, too.

DUBLINLIFE

FEATURE

Ready, Set...Colour!

Laureate na nOg and children’s book illustrator PJ Lynch pictured with Pippa Smullen, Sally White and Finn McLoughlin at the launch. Picture: Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland

WIN We’ve teamed up with Motivation Weight Management to offer one lucky reader the chance to WIN an all-inclusive weight loss programme with Ireland’s leading weight loss clinic network.

MEMORIES of past Christmases may well be ones of too much food and feeling bloated and depressed. Well now is the time to give yourself a great Christmas, one to remember! For close on 25 years we have been helping Irish men and women to eat healthily and happily over the Christmas and New Year season while losing weight at the same time.

We provide all the support, tools and meal plans you need to lose weight in private one-to-one consultations. Join over 250,000 Irish people that have walked through our nationwide clinic network to a better, happier and ‘lighter’ future.

To be in with a chance of winning this prize, email your contact details (address & contact number) to competitions@dublingazette.com or visit Dublin Gazette Facebook page and follow the instructions.

Closing date for entries is FRIDAY 15TH DECEMBER. Competition terms and conditions are available on dublingazette.com

AN ALL-INCLUSIVE WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMME WITH

MOTIVATION

CHILDREN across Dublin have been working hard, practicing their painting skills and perfecting their masterpieces as the deadline for the Sightsavers Junior Painter Awards approaches. Completed works of art need to be submitted by Friday, December 16.

Each year thousands of budding artists across Ireland create colourful artworks in the hope of being named the overall winner at next spring’s award ceremony.

Embracing creativity and education are the core objectives of the competition which is open to primary school students of all ages and this year’s theme, ‘Put Us in the Picture’, has been inspiring thousands of thoughtful and imaginative entries over the past number of weeks.

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22 DUBLIN GAZETTE 7 December 2017

Don’t be afraid to go crazy and use vibrant colours are tips given by the judges for this year’s Junior PainterAwards and of course, don’t miss the closing date!

15 regional winners will be selected and will have the opportunity to see their work displayed at a Awards Day in 2018 where three overall national winners will be announced.

Every child that enters will receive a Certificate of Participation in recognition of their artistic efforts. The closing date for entry is Friday, December 16.

Parents and children still wishing to get involved can do so by speaking to their school teacher or by visiting the Sightsavers website to request entry forms: www.sightsavers.ie/juniorpainter

New Zealand Pop Up for cold weather ailments KIWI Country Clothing will “The secret is in the possum, “A blended product of merino make a return visit to Dublin for and it is medically recognised as wool and possum fibre, possum the month of December (until being able to significantly reduce merino, is the ultimate in super 24th). pain as a result of the cold. warm knitwear... 35% warmer Not only do they carry a range “We make hand wear and foot than cashmere and 55% warmer of premium, yet practical solu- wear to order and carry regular than merino lambswool. tions for all cold and wet weath- stock of the amazing possum “Typically, a pair of socks er complaints, including diabe- fur insoles, which give instant should only be washed every 4-6 tes, Raynaud’s, arthritis and weeks. poor circulation issues, but “T he possum naturally they also stock an extensive sanitises the foot. No smell, range of high quality excelno sweat, and warm beyond lent Christmas and Winter belief. gifts.

“We also make a specific Elizabeth McGuinness, sock for diabetes, which is originally from Monaghan, seamless, low tension, soft returned to Ireland from top and gets the bloodflow New Zealand five years ago to tips of the toes, whilst proon a mission to dress people tecting the fragile skin. for cold and wet weather.

“This Pop Up will be our She initially began in the last outing, as we move excluequestrian and farming secsively online after Christmas, tor, but increasingly is workso be sure to call in to see ing a lot more now in the touch and feel the range of health sector. products while you can.”

“I am now getting regu- Proprietor Elizabeth McGuinness with They are located at First lar referrals from various Taoiseach Leo Varadkar checking out some Floor, 18 South Anne Street hospitals both north and of the products (over Tinnakeenly Leathsouth, and from dozens of ers) and can be contacted at GPs everywhere for people who warmth and comfort to cold feet. 0868931953. suffer intolerance to cold in their “The possum insoles are the Further info at www.kiwichands or feet. greatest joy to cold feet ever. ountryclothing.ie

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7 December 2017 DUBLIN GAZETTE 23

DUBLINFITNESS

Forget the myth: Lifting weights does not make women bulky...

Ladies!

Lets smash some really frustrating myths that have been floating around!

Lifting heavy weights will NOT, I repeat NOT make you look bulky.

If you’ve ever come across a woman on the internet with extremely big muscles there’s 100% chance that she takes performance enhancing steroids because a woman’s body cannot just build muscle like that without them.

Absolutely almost every woman we have introduced to weight lifting has asked at the beginning, “are you sure about this?

I don’t want to get bulky. I just want to tone up.”

Toning Up…

Well, let’s just explain what toning up actually means. Firstly, we can’t tone a muscle into a specific shape, we can only make it bigger or smaller.

Toned: This means well built glutes, legs and good definition in the arms and back and also having a thin layer of fat around the muscles that keep you from having that too lean or shredded look. To do this, we must build muscle in these areas by lifting weights and we don’t mean lifting light weights for lots of reps; we mean lifting heavier weights over

 GARETH FRANCIS

info@dublingazette.com

need to do. To do this, you must create a calorie deficit (burning more or eating less calories than your body is using for fuel) by taking in less calories or burning up more.

Cardio

time to keep the muscle getting stronger and to grow.

“But what happens if the muscle gets too big and I start to look bulky?”

Well this is where your fat and calorie control comes in. Having that bulky look usually means you’re carrying too much fat around the muscles and not that the muscle has actually gotten bigger. No matter how many times a week you’re lifting or whatever training you do if you’re eating more calories than you need to fuel your body and training, then you’re going to gain fat around your muscles and look bulky.

So if you’re trying to prevent the bulky look while making gains in the weights room, then you need to control your calorie intake and eat at a maintenance level (eating the same amount of calories than your body is burning). If it’s that leaner look with more definition in your muscles that you’re going for, then decreasing the amount of fat around the muscles is what you

Cardio is a great tool for burning up those extra calories and keeping body fat down, but if too much cardio is done it can have a negative effect on your goal to look toned. As explained earlier, to have a toned body we must have well built legs, glutes and back etc but cardio alone can’t do this for you. Only weight training can. Too much cardio can actually send you in the opposite direction and you can lose muscle gains.

You’ve heard the saying ‘if you don’t use it you lose it’ well that goes for your muscle too. If you’re not lifting weights and just doing cardio, there’s a good chance you’re burning through your muscles to fuel your cardio and losing your muscle mass and after time that can leave you looking thin or “skinny”.

The ultimate guide to looking lean and toned!

Firstly, get yourself to the weights room, as scary as it may seem. Now let building strength be the

Myth busted: Lifting weights does not make women look “bulky”

goal and keep trying to lift heavier weights over time.

Focus most of your workouts on the body parts you want to grow or maintain like glutes and legs, but don’t neglect those other muscle groups and hit those weekly too.

If you’re not happy with the amount of fat around your muscles, this doesn’t mean you need to drop the weights and get on the thread mill. It just means you need to create a small deficit in your calorie intake but keep lifting to maintain your muscle while losing the fat.

If you hate cutting calories because you love food, then you could add in some cardio or more activities throughout the day to help burn some of those calories but just don’t let it get in the way of your weight lifting.

TAKE HOME POINTS 1. Lifting weights does not make you “bulky”.

2. Being bulky means you’re carrying too much fat not muscle.

3. Muscle won’t grow if you’re not feeding it enough calories to do so.

CHECK OUT www.kickstartfitness.ie

GAZETTE

24 DUBLIN GAZETTE 7 December 2017

DUBLINMOTORING

Mercedes-Benz refreshes its compact SUV

FASTNews

The new generation Volkswagen Amarok

VW Amarok wins International Pick-up Award VOLKSWAGEN’S Amarok has won the International Pick-up Award 2018. Like its predecessor

in association with

Mercedes Benz has refreshed the GLA compact SUV for 2017 and MICHAEL MORONEY has taken it for a test drive to appreciate the step up to luxury end motoring.

Here he gives his appraisal.

in 2010, the new Amarok, now with high-torque V6 engines, has succeeded in winning over the jury of transport journalists. The Volkswagen Amarok becomes the only pick-up to win this accolade for a second time.

The jury rated the Amarok as the epitome of ‘work hard, play hard’, a core element of the entire pick-up segment and described the Amarok as a ‘top pedigree workhorse’. The clear design, the fantastic feel and the finish, in short the workmanship, were specifically cited by the jury as being key factors in their decision.

The size of the double cab with room for five people, the benchmark in the segment, also impressed with its modern design. The ergoComfort seats for driver and front-seat passenger, adorned with the AGR logo of the ‘German Healthy Backs Society’, also won over the jury, who in addition highlighted the unique eight-speed automatic transmission and broad V6 engine specification in the segment.

Performance is not a challenge for the Volkswagen Amarok V6. Its wide selection of 3-litre TDI engines, which range from 120 to 190 kW, fulfils the power and torque desires of all customer groups. The second-generation Amarok with its V6 engine is a hit with customers. This year, to the end of October, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has already supplied customers with 65,200 vehicles from the Amarok range compared with 57,600 vehicles for the same period in 2016, an increase of 13.2%.

THE Mercedes-Benz entry level SUV is the GLA, a compact car that’s been upgraded for 2017 from the original one first introduced back in 2013.

The GLA is pitched at the upper end of the compact SUV market, putting it into a price bracket that’s well north of the best-selling competition in the sector.

That always begs the question about why spend more? Why opt for a more luxury end SUV when one of the volume makes will do the very same job? Or will they?

After spending some days behind the wheel of the new generation GLA, which is improved for 2017, it becomes clearer as to why this SUV has some special appeal. I took the car across the country, through Dublin and Limerick cities and the longer that I drove the GLA to

Mercedes-Benz GLA 200d Engine Engine power 0 – 100km/hr Economy Fuel Tank Capacity CO2 emissions Road Tax Band Main Service Euro NCAP Rating Warranty Entry Price

cover over 950km, the more the appeal of the car grew on me.

The GLA never claims to be a big SUV; it credentials are firmly in the compact SUV sector. It’s a car that you easily feel comfortable in, there’s a good driving position, strong seats and a clear instrument arrangement.

2.1 litre 136hp 9.1 seconds 24km/litre (4.2l/100km or 67mpg) 56 litres 108g/km A3 €190 30,000km/12 months 5 star (2014) 2 years €35,400

The interior design is uncluttered and easy to become familiar with. That means that you quickly get down to feeling comfortable behind the wheel and you start to appraise the car for what it’s worth.

The test car came with the off-road comfort suspension which raises the car body an extra 30 milli-

metres higher. This claims to give improved off-road capability thanks to higher ground clearance and a higher seat position.

In styling terms this latest GLA has new lightalloy wheels. The previous optional bi-xenon headlamps have been replaced

by LED headlights and they are impressive for night vision.

With its 2.1-litre turbodiesel engine under the bonnet, the GLA 200d’s 136bhp output means that this car is a lively performer. The car is among the heavier of the compact SUV’s on the market, while it still achieves an acceleration figure of 9.1 seconds in a 0 to 100km/ hr race.

That compares well with all contenders, while the new generation and lighter Nissan Qashqai with which it shares some architecture, is marginally

New Jaguar just in time for Christmas THE new Jaguar E-PACE is making its Dublin debut in Jaguar Land Rover showrooms in early December. The E-PACE is the newest member of Jaguar’s SUV family following the F-PACE, Jaguar’s performance SUV and winner of World Car of the Year 2017.

To celebrate its arrival, Jaguar Land Rover Ireland announced a limited edition introductory launch price of €36,000 for the E-PACE 2.0D i4 150PS Manual model. This represents a €2,000 saving.

The Jaguar E-PACE is a five-seat com-

pact SUV that packs the design and performance of a Jaguar sports car into a spacious, practical and connected all-wheeldrive vehicle.

The exterior design is characterised by the distinctive Jaguar grille, muscular proportions, short overhangs and powerful haunches while optional 21-inch alloy wheels give the E-PACE a bold and purposeful stance.

The E-PACE is one of the most connected and intelligent vehicles in its class. The nextgeneration touchscreen infotainment system

connects customers to their favourite apps, such as Spotify through Jaguar Land Rover’s InControl apps.

Under the bonnet, E-PACE is available engine options from the Ingenium petrol and diesel engines. The 300bhp Ingenium petrol turbo engine powers E-PACE from 0-100km/ hr in just 6.4 seconds before reaching an electronically-limited top speed of 243km/hr.

The new E-Pace has just received a Euro NCAP five-star safety rating, in the week that it hits the Dublin market.

The new Jaguar E-PACE

The newly upgraded Mercedes-Benz GLA comes with some enhanced features, especially in the area of safety, in a very comfortable and solid compact SUV.

faster off the blocks.

The GLA is a thrifty performer with a rated economy figure of 24km/ litre (4.2l/100km or 67mpg). While in reality that’s difficult to achieve, this comparison figure is still close to being the best in this class, well ahead of most of the competition, apart from the new Nissan Qashqai.

I drove the automatic version of the GLA and quite honestly this is the best format to appreciate the car’s driving style. The seven-speed automatic gearbox design is where Mercedes-Benz excels and in the GLA this gives driving options to choose

7 December 2017 DUBLIN GAZETTE 25

in association with

Ho Ho Ho! Plan your Christmas shopping spree CHRISTMAS shopping signals the really

do watch for this sort of thing. Leav-

festive start to the season. Despite the

ing valuables in a car is never a good

parking charges on the streets or in car

idea especially after you spent all that

parks across Dublin City, if you plan well

time and effort in choosing the right

you can get everything done without

presents.

breaking the bank on parking.

This week we give some advice tips to all those planning on making a day of

lights on and give your eyes time to

getting all the Christmas shopping done.

adjust to the different light level. Keep a

1. Deciding where to park can have a

look out for pedestrians thinking more

huge impact on cost, we’ve experience

about their shopping list than their

a shopping spree where the parking

safety, especially excited children.

charges cost more than some presents

between pace and economy at the press of a button.

That’s the part of the Mercedes-Benz driving appeal that I especially liked about the GLA. It’s small and compact while being great to drive.

There’s a solid feel to the car and the comfort of sure footed handling that puts you at ease.

That driving experience is helped by the large 18in wheels that give the car some presence as well as contributing to that solid driving feel.

That solid feel permeates throughout the GLA;

it’s not a badge thing, even though that extra appeal is obvious. Both inside and outside the MercedesBenz presence is obvious.

An electronic handbrake takes over from the traditional foot operated one for other larger cars in the Mercedes-Benz range.

The entire dash area is uncluttered. The column shift control lever for the automatic gearbox leaves the centre console area clear for use of the multifunction control dial.

This dial operates all of the functions on the larger floating infotainment

screen.

The Mercedes-Benz GLA has a Smartphone Integration function which allows iPhones and Android smart-phones to be integrated into the vehicle using Apple CarPlayTM or Android Auto respectively.

There is a raft of safety features included and that’s why the GLA received a five star rating in the Euro NCAP test programme when the previous model was tested three years ago.

If anything, the current GLA should excel with

attention assist, active brake assist to warn of cars or obstacles ahead. This system is able to trigger autonomous braking if a rear-end collision appears imminent and the driver fails to react, so preventing an accident or at least minimising the consequences.

This upgraded GLA is a car that’s crafted for downsizing. If you want to downsize with comfort, good economy and low running costs, then include it in the shopping list for a compact SUV. At €35,400 its more expensive than an Audi Q2, has better driving comfort and presence, suppor ted on bigger wheels.

You’ll need to move up the specification ladder to get the benefits of the smooth sever-speed automatic gearbox, and it’s worth it.

5. Some car parks are not as well-lit as others so it’s a good idea to put your

6. Choose your parking neighbours

themselves. Have a look and see if your

and space carefully as a car which is

town have special offers on parking

looked after and in good condition is less

around the festive season some car

likely to have a door open into yours.

parks in the city have reduced rates on

Also, although never on purpose, a car

certain days and for late night shop-

with child seats in it might have children

ping, while some shopping centres offer

who are not quite as careful in charge of

free parking.

the door.

2. Think about where you leave your

7. Reverse park or drive in? Use the

vehicle in a multi-story car park. Always

option which suits you best; if you need

choose your space on when you plan to

to put your shopping in the boot when

return, it is never nice to return to the

you return consider driving into the

only car left on the top floor of a now

space, reverse parking is not always the

relatively empty car park.

best solution.

3. At any one time, hundreds of driv-

8. Avoid leaving your ticket in the car

ers on Dublin roads are in city centres

and make sure you put it somewhere

searching for a parking space, on

safe, if you are a regular at losing tick-

average it takes 10-15 minutes to find

ets, take a quick photo of it so you have

somewhere to park and during busy

all the details to hand just in case it is

periods that time frame gets bigger! So

not your day again.

make sure you add the time it will take to get parked up into your time plan for the day.

4. Try to avoid returning to your

9. If you have used a pay and display, set an alarm on your phone to remind you what time it runs out, it can be

vehicle to leave your presents while

very easy to let time slip by without you

you continue on, unfortunately thieves

noticing.

GAZETTE

26 DUBLIN GAZETTE 7 December 2017

DUBLINLIFE

FEATURE STYLE

 The special limited edition gold Hope pendant (€65) and Hope keyring (below, €25)in support of Pieta House

HOPE

IS THE KEY

 EMMA NOLAN Style Editor

DUBLIN jewellery designer, MoMuse, has brought back the Hope pendant with 100% of its proceeds go to Pieta House.

She also introduced the new limited edition leather Hope keyring.

All proceeds generated from each piece will be donated to Irish suicide and self-harm prevention charity, Pieta House, to aid in its efforts to help people feel hopeful about the future, while continuing to tackle the grave issue of suicide and self-harm in Ireland today.

I n S e p t e m b e r 2 015 , MoMuse founder and designer, Margaret O’Rourke introduced the special limited edition gold Hope pendant in support of Pieta House.

Thanks to the overwhelming support of the public, with purchases from home soil and as far afield as Australia, the Hope pendant sold out in just four weeks, resulting in over €18,265 in funds being raised for Pieta House.

Mo Mu s e i s d e l i g h t e d t o

announce the return of the Hope pendant for a limited period of time, again with 100% proceeds going to the good work of Pieta House.

“Pieta House empowers people through generating hope and through creating acceptance – my own wish is that this keyring and pendant can in-turn inspire hope in others too. Be it a symbol, a special reminder or a sign of support, you can carry Hope with you everywhere you go,” Margaret said.

“I was so moved by t h e ove r-

whelming response to our first collaboration and the positivity shared by those who supported the project. With every purchase, a real-life story came with it, which inspired me to design a new piece, to bring this message of hope to a wider audience. Hope is the key.”

Brian Higgins, CEO of Pieta

House said: “Whilst these items are limited edition, hope is not. This simple message of wearing hope and letting others see its beauty, holding onto hope and indeed giving hope to others is so simple yet so powerful. We are so grateful to MoMuse and the people who will support this wonderful concept for helping us move closer to seeing our vision realised of ‘a world where suicide, self-harm and stigma have been replaced with hope, self-care and acceptance.”

Hand finished by Margaret O’Rourke, the Hope pendant will retail at €65.00 and the Hope keyring will retail at €25.00, w i t h 10 0 % o f proceeds donated to Pieta House.

The Hope pendant and keyring are available now in store in MoMuse, Ground Floor, Powerscourt Town Centre and online at http://www.momuse.ie/

 Irish jewellery designer Margaret O’Rourke and Brian Higgins, Pieta House CEO, pictured at the MoMuse launch of a specialedition Hope pendant in support of Pieta House

7 December 2017 DUBLIN GAZETTE 27

A cut above the rest at Boca Cafe

Go loca for Boca – quality coffee and homemade sandwiches elevate the IFSC’s café offering  EMMA NOLAN Style Editor

BOCA Cafe strives for quality, and in a sea of generic IFSC coffee chains, this is a place where you can get a proper sandwich.

“I was sick of walking over that bridge,” owner Keith Ryan tells Dublin Gazette.

Having lived in Spencer Dock for seven years and having to constantly walk across the Samuel Beckett for a decent sandwich and coffee, he decided three years ago he was going to take matters into his own hands.

“I love a good sandwich and there was nothing over this side of the bridge, so the idea was to bring quality sandwiches here. People I know who work around here were saying the same thing, they were fed up walking over the bridge and that was the eureka moment.

“We were originally going to call it Bocadillo, [Boc-a-dee-yo] which means sandwich

GAZETTE

FOOD&DRINK

The modern yet comfy Boca Cafe and (right) barista Juliet McBain, barista Natalia Grabowska, owner Keith Ryan and chef Kevin Byrne

in Spanish but nobody could pronounce it,” he jokes.

So the name was shortened to Boca, which means ‘taste’ or ‘mouth’ – perfectly fitting for a cafe dedicated to excellent coffee and sandwiches, which are a meal in themselves.

Homemade

With choices like the Chicken and Chorizo (which contains roast lemon chicken with chorizo, mozzarella, carrot and fennel slaw and pesto mayo on sourdough) or the Roast Beef (with caramelised onion, vintage cheddar, tomato, celeriac slaw and horseradish mayo) the menu has been carefully thought out by Keith, manager Niamh Barry, and head chef Kevin Byrne.

Formerly of Green Bench cafe on Montague Street, Byrne’s reputation for crafting a whopper sandwich precedes him.

“We’re striving for quality here,” he says.

“All the meat is slow-roasted and all of A velvety smooth flat white the sauces are scratch made in house. It takes longer, but it’s worth it, and we try to get better and better every week.”

All the sandwich ingredients, down to the pesto and the ketchup, are made in Boca’s kitchen.

“Absolutely no corners are cut and it tastes better this way.”

Breakfast is also an event here, with the star of the show being the Avo and Eggs on Toast – a crisp slice of sourdough topped with avocado, bacon, feta, tomatoes and two soft poached eggs. The perfect feed before a busy day in the IFSC. Avo and Eggs on Toast Anything not made in house is provided

One of Boca’s signature sandwiches

by quality Irish suppliers; Baker Street Bakery provide the breads and the baked goods and sweet treats come from nearby Camerino Bakery.

As for the coffee, Boca uses Full Circle Coffee Roasters, and head barista Natalia explains they use single origin beans from Altos de Erapuca in Honduras, roasted by Full Circle founder Brian Birdy.

The flat white is velvety smooth, naturally sweet and made with care. It’s up there with the best of Dublin’s top coffee spots and will no doubt become a must try destination for connoisseurs and caffeine lovers alike.

Bold and Bright

Located on Spencer Dock, behind the Convention Centre, Boca is a comfortable spot for group and solo dining.

Spacious and high ceilinged, the decor is clean, bold and bright. And while Keith says there are a few finishing touches to be added, its vibe is modern yet welcoming, and there’s plenty of room to sit in and enjoy lunch without having to rush back to the office.

They also deliver to offices in the area.

Boca have been open for just a few months but are quickly establishing themselves as a one of Dublin’s best new cafes.

“I used to walk around the block here with my daughter Holly and if you had have told me three years ago, that I would have a cafe here up and running, I would have said you were mental.”

Keith’s business partner Marco Garbinesi had always wanted to open and cafe and with encouragement from both him and Keith’s wife Orla, Boca was born.

“It’s been hard work but I feel like this is a place I could happily sit in and have a coffee, it’ll be a nice moment when I get a chance to do that.”

Boca Café is located at Unit C5 Ground Floor, Kilmore House, Spencer Dock, Dublin 1.

Open Monday to Friday 7:30am to 4:00pm.

Check them out on Facebook @BocaCafe and Instagram @bocacafespencerdock.

GAZETTE

28 DUBLIN GAZETTE 7 December 2017

DUBLINLIFE

CINEMA

THE DISASTER ARTIST: THE FILM OF THE BOOK ABOUT MAKING ‘THE ROOM’ – A MOVIE SO BAD, IT’S LOVED BY MILLIONS

ReelReviews

A hilarious tribute to a notoriously awful film YOU’D be forgiven for any ignorance of James Franco’s filmmaking career.

Given themostly negative responses his directorial efforts have received, much of Franco’s work has flown under the radar.

The actor has demonstrated a taste for projects based on work by literary giants, adapting two of William Faulkner’s most famous books and directing a film version of Cormac McCarthy’s violent andperverse novel, Child of God. With The DisasterArtist, Franco undertakes another literary adaptation, this time tackling Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell’s nonfiction book of the same name – an account of the making of writer-producer-director-actor Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 film The Room, a modern cult classic beloved by hordes and widely considered to be one of the worst films ever made.

W hile the critical responses to Franco’s aforementioned adapta-

 MARTIN MACNAMARA

tions were sweepingly negative, The Disaster Artist received a standing ovation at its South By Southwest festival premiere. One can’t help but feel like Franco was born to play Tommy, effusing all that same chaotic mystery that anyone familiar with The Room can’t quite explain or understand – and can’t help but love.

Franco moulds a story of resounding failure into an inspirational movie-abouta-movie; through Franco, Tommy becomes a chaotic force, inspiring change whether he intends it or not.

Of course, it’ll help if you’ve actually seen The Room before witnessing the bizarre circumstances of its production and the mad, often mystifying man behind it – Franco’s

performance may come across just as baffling otherwise.

Tommy Wiseau has to be seen to be believed, so do yourself a favour and check out any of the many interviews with him before purchasing a ticket.

Dave Franco (brother of James) plays Greg Sistero, an aspiring actor living in San Francisco in the late-90s. After meeting the bizarre, infectious and completely uninhibited Tommy in an acting class, the pair decides to chase success in Los Angeles. When fame seems completely out of reach, Tommy writes, directs and stars in his own movie and Greg agrees to act in it. Completely funded

by Tommy, “The Room” seems sets for disaster, driving Tommy into further delusion and infecting Greg’s professional and personal life.

The Disaster Artist also features Seth Rogen and Paul Scheer as the film’s script-supervisor and DOP – at times the only people

BATTLE OF THE SEXES Game for a good movie

A REAL-life sports feud carries a serious message behind its breezy facade, with The Battle of the Sexes (Cert 12A, 121 mins) serving up an entertaining but also thoughtful film. Emma Stone and Steve Carell are great as tennis champs Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, whose 1973 grudge match put gender equality in the centre court, as each took their best shots at defending their differences.

SUBURBICON

Nasty neighbours galore THE FILM poster has lots of multi-star praise – but many film critics have slated this misfiring dud from director George Clooney. Suburbicon (Cert 15A, 104 mins) takes a look at the darkness behind idyllic suburbia in late 1950s America, but the lurking violence and latent racism the film portrays aren’t exactly shocking, with the current climate in America hurting the film’s narratives.

James Franco (above) is great as Tommy Wiseau, with Franco, and the film, nailing both Wiseau (right) and the source film’s sheer oddness, right down to The Room’s terrible, cheap sets

holding the production together.

Alison Brie stars as Greg’s girlfriend Amber and Josh Hutcherson as one of “The Room’s” illfated actors. However, despite commendable turns from its supporting cast, and cameos from Sharon Stone, Zac Efron and Brian Cranston, The Disaster Artist is all about Tommy.

James’s performance is pitch-perfect and avoids stumbling into imperson-

ation territory, a trap that would have been all too easy to fall into.

Franco becomes Tommy Wiseau and, in the process, turns in one of the most enigmatic and bafflingly inspirational performances we’ve seen this year.

Despite Franco’s directorial fumbles in the past, his fervour and determination as a director is commendable and somewhat mirrors Tommy’s own mad conviction. It’s a real

treat, then, to see Franco succeed in that area. The Disaster Artist often stumbles in terms of narrative coherence, yet remains enlightening, moving, downright hilarious and – one can’t help but feel – a deeply personal project for Franco.

Most significantly, however, it does the impossible – it actually leaves you wanting to watch The Room again.

Verdict: 8/10

JUSTICE LEAGUE

Underwhelming heroes SUPERHERO fatigue seems to be setting in, with Justice League (Cert 12A, 120 mins) on track to be an underwhelming flop. While Marvel’s latest Thor was warmly received, Justice League has been getting the cold shoulder from many, with its slightly mismatched – and not in a good way – group of superheroes stuck with some ugly visuals, a forgettable villain, and an unsuccessful franchise entry.

7 December 2017 DUBLIN GAZETTE 29

Seasonal specials for some festive luxury

GAZETTE

TRAVEL

TravelShorts

The Eccles Hotel in Glengarriff

Tis the Season for Giving GET Christmas wrapped up early this year and start ticking people off your gift list with a voucher from Eccles Hotel.

The hotel – located in Glengarriff Harbour – offers spectacular views second to none and won’t be beaten when it comes to a winter break in West Cork.

Trinity City Hotel Christmas Entrance Lobby

Choose one of their experiences from an  SYLVIA POWNALL Travel Editor

WE’VE all dreamed of a Christmas dinner that doesn’t involve slaving over a hot stove or mountains of washing up – so this year why not check in and relax in festive luxury?

There are a variety of seasonal specials on offer which mean you don’t have to break the bank and you won’t have to drive for hours to reach your destination either.

The holiday season at The Shelbourne is when the hotel looks at its very best, full of glitter and magic, where centuries of Dubliners meet to celebrate Christmas and where fun, style and delicious food and festive drinks are the order of the day.

Celebrate the ringing out of the old and in of the new in the magnificent Saddle Room Restaurant.

T hen move to the glamour and the buzz of No. 27 Bar & Lounge to ring in the New Year.

Including one nights accommodation in one of The Shelbourne’s gor-

geous Deluxe rooms, and traditional Irish breakfast on New Year’s Day, New Year’s packages at The Shelbourne cost from €295 per person sharing per night, with upgrades to Park View rooms from €100 (01 6634500).

If you want to prolong that festive feeling with a post-Christmas break it’s a wonderful life at Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa this ‘Twixmas’.

Mulled wine & mince pies, fun board games by the fire, your favourite classic Christmas movies, a relaxing Festive back massage in The Island Spa, beach walks and more will ensure that the joy and magic of Christmas lingers well into the New Year.

Beach walks

A t wo - n i g h t s t ay including breakfast, spa treatment and all the festive trimmings – with bracing beach walks on your doorstep – costs from €310 per person sharing (w w w.inchydoneyisland.com).

For a bit of festive fizz and the best of city cen-

overnight stay to afternoon tea or give the gift of choice and select an Eccles Hotel monetary voucher for friends and family this Christmas.

The hotel has earned a deserved reputation for its full Irish breakfast and

Treat yourself to a two-night break at Brooks Hotel

friendly service – and the home-baked brown bread is the best you’ll taste.

AFTERNOON TEA FOR 2 Treat someone special to sumptuous afternoon tea lovingly prepared by the hotel’s head chef. Relish three tiers of heavenly delicacies – perfect to be savoured together

Enjoy a post-Christmas break at Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa

tre shopping why not hole up at Trinity City Hotel.

They say good things come in threes and that’s cer tainly tr ue here. Urban, vibrant and smart it’s the perfect base for shopping, lunch and a retail blitz with an extra 10% at the Kilkenny store exclusive to guests.

The shop and drop package includes overnight accommodation for two with breakfast the following morning,

Enjoy the holiday season at The Shelbourne

a glass of Prosecco on arrival and 10% off at in store at Kilkenny on Nassau Street from €175 per room per night (trinitycityhotel.com).

If it’s spectacular surroundings you’re after Fota Island Resor t’s Christmas experience takes some beating.

The gorgeous woodlands are transformed into a winter wonderland and family packages ensure there’s a bit of yuletide cheer for young and old alike.

Prices range from €250 for an overnight stay with B&B for two adults and one child sharing a classic king hotel room to €595 for two nights in one of Fota Island Resort’s selfcatering lodges (www. fotaisland.ie).

Alternatively, treat yourself to a decadent two-night break on your doorstep at the stylish four-star Brooks Hotel on Drury Street.

Arrive on Christmas Eve to bubbly and festive

canapes by the fire and on Christmas morning, after unwrapping your personally selected gift, enjoy a full Irish either in your room or in the dining room.

Five-course Christmas lunch is served at 1pm and afterwards relax in the Jasmine Bar to the sound of resident pianist.

This exquisite package is priced from €300 per night (01 670 4000 or visit www.brookshotel. ie).

overlooking the bay…

ONE NIGHT ESCAPE Give the gift of relaxation… Leave the world behind and enjoy a night away in a classic double or twin room, with threecourse dinner for two and full Irish breakfast.

Between now and Christmas the Eccles Hotel is offering 10% off the price of all gift vouchers bought over the phone on FRIDAYS. Call 027 63093 to avail of this offer.

30 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 7 December 2017

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GAZETTE

34 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 7 December 2017

SPORT

FastSport CLARKE HAT TRICK OF TRIES POWERS BLUES: LEINSTER’s women’s rugby team began the defence of their Interprovincial title with a solid and deserved 34-10 bonus point win over Ulster in Dromore.

Adam Griggs’ side are a very impressive outfit and were made work hard for their victory by a gallant Ulster team.

Leinster led 10-0 at the break following tries from Aimee Clarke and Lindsey Peat out wide on the right.

Ulster had been tight and controlled in that first half and tried to limit Leinster’s opportunities but they were being tested to the limit by the probing Leinster side.

Michelle Claffey added another try before Ulster bounced back but a fourth Leinster try from Railway Union full-back Susan Vaughan put the blues out of sight before Clarke cross twice more.

BASKETBALL: LIFFEY CELTIC STAR COMBINING ELITE SPORT WITH STUDIES

Tiernan’s Ireland ambition powered by family support

 KARL GRAHAM sport@dublingazette.com

LIFFEY Celtics is something of a family affair for rising star Sorcha Tiernan.

Her father is the chairman of the club and her sister plays alongside her on the team but its not something they were born into.

“My sister started off in the academy when she was seven or eight and then I just sort of naturally followed her at Liffey Celtics,” Tiernan told the Gazette after the launch of the Subway All-Ireland Schools Cup basketball season.

“Neither of my parents played basketball but it just happened that we fell in love with it and we both still play a lot. My younger brother plays as well. We tried every sport when we were younger, but it just happened to be the one we all stuck with.”

Tiernan has been kept busy both on and off court this year as she prepares to sit her Leaving Certificate next June, while playing basketball for her school, club and country.

She will compete for her school Colaiste Chiarain

Lauren D’Arcy, Our Lady’s Terenure, Sorcha Tiernan, Colaiste Chiaran, Leixlip and Lynn Tunnah, St Louis Rathmines at the launch of the Subway All-Ireland Schools Cup. Picture: James Crombie/Inpho

Leixlip in the Under-19 A semi-final come January and lines out for the Celtics’ Super League and Under-20 sides, as well as donning the green jersey at both senior and Under18 level.

“It can be hard at times to juggle but you just have to make sure that you are pre-

pared for everything; like you have your homework done on time. Most of the time, my teachers are quite understanding if I am going to matches and stuff like that.

“You just know that school is very important this year but basketball is obviously very important to me too so I just

have to make sure that I am prepared for both of them,” said Tiernan.

The world is still at the feet of the 18-year-old but college is something high on her agenda.

“I want to go to college so I’m kind of in the process of trying to decide what I want

to do at the moment. I really like maths so I’m thinking actuarial or engineering or something along those lines.

Obviously, that is pointsdependent so I’ll see how I get on throughout the year.”

W here she will attend college is still up in the air but one thing for sure is that she wants it to be in Ireland.

“I was talking to a few schools at the start of the year but I’m unsure if I really want to go away. I think I would probably like to stay at home and go to school in Ireland so that’s where my head is at the moment.”

Tiernan was involved as Celtics’ won the women’s super league for the first time in their 14-year history last season.

“We are quite a young club so it is great to see how well we are doing especially at senior level. At underage level, our teams are generally near the top of the Dublin leagues every year.

“It’s great to be able to play for your club team at such a high level with so many players who have come up through the club,” Tiernan concluded.

DCU show no Mercy in classic Hula Hoops cup tie  sport@dublingazette.com

Close encounters between DCU Mercy and Liffey Celtics.

Picture: Martin Doherty

“IF ANYBODY is going to watch a women’s sport, they need to come and watch women’s basketball,” stated DCU Mercy head coach, Mark Ingle on Friday evening as his side kept their cool in the dying seconds of their Hula Hoops Women’s quarter-final showdown against Courtyard Liffey Celtics to win out 81-76.

In one of the games of the season so far, the top two sides on the Women’s Super League table dished up an absolutely superb

game of basketball in front of a packed gym and, by the end of the first quarter, it was already clear that a nail-biting finish was in the pipeline.

DCU stormed into an early ten-point lead midway through the first, with Alex Masaquel and Tiffany Corselli carving holes in the Liffey Celtics defence to give them a 5-15 cushion.

The home team regrouped quickly though, and an in-form Aine O’Connor and Jazmen Boone closed the gap back to just two points at the end of the first, and it was officially game on.

A huge second quarter display from both sides kept the scoreline neck-in-neck, with Liffey drawing level midway through and taking a narrow 40-37 point lead into the dressing room at half time.

But the battle was far from over, with DCU edging ahead (56-59) by the end of the third teeing up a nerve-wracking finale.

Brilliant displays at both ends of the court saw an absolute showcase of basketball put on for the crowd, with Aisling Sullivan, Corselli and Masaquel wowing for DCU, while O’Connor, Boone and Devon Brookshire had the

home crowd on their feet.

It wasn’t to be for last year’s finalists though, as with seven seconds on the clock, Liffey tried in vain to bag the much-needed three-pointer to send the game to overtime, but DCU’s Rachel Huijsdens had other ideas, and finished off a fast break in style to put her team up by five and send them through to the Hula Hoops National Cup semi-finals in Cork in January.

“It was a great game,” said DCU coach, Mark Ingle.

“We’re on a pretty good run and we’ve started to play well.”

7 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 35

GAZETTE

Season of Sundays paints picture of memorable 2017

FASTSport

Sportsfile photographer Brendan Moran speaks about what makes their annual GAA album such a special project each year  JAMES HENDICOTT sport@dublingazette.com

ICONIC GAA photobook A Season Of Sundays has returned in its 2017 form with a beautiful visual summary of the year in the association.

Brendan Moran, a senior photographer at the agency that created the book, Sportsfile, tells us that as well as being a nice look back, the book is a chance to contextualise another year in the sports.

With Dublin having clocked three in a row and Cuala taken a senior hurling title, it’s been a good year for the county.

But there have also been interesting developments elsewhere, too, from the outstanding Slaughtneil

(Derry)’s breathtaking cross-code success to events in Boston and Singapore, and, of course, Galway ending their long wait to get their hands on Liam McCarthy.

“The book is great from a photography point of view,” Moran explains.

“It’s a chance to use pictures that might not be in demand for newspaper publication. The book is about historical context as well as what’s happened this year.

“We might have captured someone who’s retired back when they were playing as a kid, for example.

“The crowds become a historical record of Ireland at that time, with the fashion and the hairstyles and all that,

and the development of grounds, some of which have changed a lot over the years.

Helicopter “This year, we went up in a helicopter to capture the first day of the new Páirc Uí Chaoimh. It doesn’t really make sense to do that for one game until you think about the historical context of it.

“It’s a moment in the GAA’s history that will never happen again and you’ll only have one chance to do it.”

Like the professionalism and growing commercialisation of the GAA, the progress of Sportsfile’s photography – evident through the ‘Season of Sunday’ books over the years – is some-

Capturing the emotion of championship action as Aidan Devaney shouts out during Sligo’s Connacht senior championship tie against New York. Picture: Sportsfile

thing that’s resulted in heavy adaptation.

“It’s logistically far more difficult today. The game has got far more professional,” Moran explains.

“As a photographer, you go to a game having an idea what the picture might be.

“We rotate photographers at venues as, after a while, it’s very difficult to get a new angle on a venue.

“We all love it when somewhere new opens as, for a couple of years, you’ll still be working out how to get the best pictures from it.

“But you have to take into account the commercial use of a photo. Sometimes, they might want a particular player with a sponsor’s sign in the background, for example.

“You have to know the game, know who’s likely to do what, how a team plays, and where you’re likely to get the best pictures.

“Obviously you can’t control what happens on the pitch, but you can stack the odds in your favour.

“What’s great about a Season of Sundays, though, is that you can forget all of that for a moment and just ask yourself what the best picture is, and what it says.

“It’s become a lot harder over the years, as we have a vast number of pictures to choose from, but you can look back over the book and really picture the moments.

“It can become more difficult when the same

team keeps winning.

There wasn’t the same sheer joy after wards when Kilkenny kept winning the hurling over and over, and having the same faces lifting the trophy isn’t great for the photographer.

“I’ll never forget in 1995, one of my first All Ireland’s, when Clare first won [Liam McCarthy] after so many years. You could just see it meant everything.”

Murphy set for Ulster JORDI Murphy is bound for Ulster next season, making the switch from Leinster after 95 appearances and 17 tries since his debut in September 2011.

A graduate of Blackrock College, he captained Leinster A to the British & Irish Cup and was also part of the 2013/14 PRO12 winning side, starting 18 times that season. He has also played 18 times for Ireland “I’ve loved my time at Leinster and have made friendships that will last a lifetime,” Murphy said.

GAZETTE

36 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 7 December 2017

SPORT

FASTSport

BOXING: CRUMLIN MAN SURVIVES “WOBBLE” TO LAND SECOND WIN

TRRs’s Ravin Nair tackles Alan Sothern Picture: Adrian Boehm

Pembroke and Rovers share the EYHL spoils DUBLIN rivals Pembroke and Three Rock Rovers shared a feisty 2-2 draw at Serpentine Avenue in the men’s EY Hockey League in which both sides had their moments to win the tie.

The Ballsbridge hosts took an early lead through Greg Chambers before Ben Walker made it 1-1 in the 18th minute from a corner move. Richard Pautz put Rovers in front for the first time just before half-time.

Rovers had a trio of good chances to go further up before Pembroke had their spell in the ascendancy with Alan Sothern levelling with 11 minutes to go following Kirk Shimmins’ excellent run.

Sothern, though, made a rare mis-step in front of goal from a penalty stroke which he put wide with five minutes to go. Richard Sweetnam did brilliantly to save off the line from a Luke Madeley drag-flick at the end to ensure a draw.

Both sides have now completed the first half of their campaigns with Rovers sitting in second place with Pembroke in fourth, three points back and in decent shape to land one of the playoff places.

They both, though, have plenty of ground to make up on leaders Glenanne with the Tallaght club three points clear of Three Rock with a game in hand.

They inflicted a first defeat of the campaign on Lisnagarvey last Saturday at St Andrew’s with Eddie O’Malley scoring twice in addition to a Shane O’Donoghue rocket in a 3-2 success.

Elsewhere, John Taylor and Connor Roberts struck in the last 12 minutes to give Annadale their third win of the campaign on a 2-1 scoreline, leaving Sandymount’s Railway Union without a point at the hafway stage in their season.

Railway had the best of a scoreless first half but their struggles in front of goal continued to leave their total blank. Dale were better in the second half, making most of the promptings but they fell behind with 16 minutes left when Eoin MacArthur netted.

But the lead lasted just a few minutes as Taylor equalised and Roberts won the game with four minutes to go. The result lifts Dale to a share of fifth place.

Crumlin’s Martin Quinn lands a blow on Iago Barros at the National Stadium. Picture: Alan Finn

Quinn shows his pro worth  KARL GRAHAM sport@dublingazette.com

MARTIN Quinn secured his second professional win last Saturday but he was provided a tougher test than he expected against Iago Baros on the Celtic Clash 4 undercard at the National Stadium.

The Crumlin lightweight was hoping to have an easier night but he was rocked on a couple of occasions by the big-hitting Spaniard. He did, however, manage to get across the line, taking the victory on points after a 39-37 score from

the judges.

“I underestima ted him,” Quinn told the Dublin Gazette after the fight. “He banged for a little bloke. When he caught me with one, I think it messed me up a little bit. I’ll learn from my mistakes.

“Although I’m glad it came that way because I got four good rounds out of it; that’s what I wanted. It didn’t go the way I wanted it to go but I got the win; that’s what I’m happy about. As I said, I underestimated him and it blew back in my face.”

By the nature of the

THUNDER STRUCK Killester win northside derby over Swords PYROBEL Killester dished up a superb finish in the ALSAA this afternoon to run out threepoint winners over Griffith College Swords Thunder in men’s basketball’s Super League, winning out 76-73.

“It was a really intense game,” said Killester’s Brian O’Malley. “It came down to missed shots here and key stops, key rebounds there. Any time a game finishes so close there’s always an element of fortune involved, but credit to both teams, it was a fantastic display.”

Picture: Martin Doherty

Celtic Clash events, little is usually known about the ability of the fighters flown in to test the Irishmen and Baros would have raised some eyebrows on these shores.

“In the third round, he caught me with a belter and it knocked me off a little bit.

“I’m still only getting used to this [professional boxing]. No matter what you call him, he has experience over me. This is only my second time. I’m still trying to get my diet right and my energy was a bit low.

“I was that excited, I

didn’t sleep last night.

There are loads of things but I came here to win and I got the win. I’m not happy with the way I performed but I got the win.

“This is only my second fight. That’s only five rounds I’m after having so I’ll get there.”

Quinn is already looking forward to his next fight.

“I want to go up again.

He was a tough, tough guy. The other fella was nothing, but he was tough, tough, tough. He was strong as well for a little guy.

“I won’t lie, he wob-

bled me once or twice, but I wobbled him once or twice. I caught him with a nice few shots, but it didn’t go the way I wanted it to go. I wanted it to be a bit easier than that. I wanted to knock him out. I couldn’t knock him out but I got the four rounds.

“I wanted a bit of experience and I’ll have a bit more now for the next guy.

“As quick as possible I want to get back out. As quick as possible to make up for that because I’m not happy with that at all.”

7 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 37

GAZETTE

SOCCER: PLAYER PATHWAY SECURED FOR TWO CLUBS

St Kevin’s Boys now have a direct pathway from their youngest age group to the League of Ireland. Picture: Neil Fox

St Kevin’s and Bohs sign historic deal LOI U-15 MERGER  KARL GRAHAM sport@dublingazette.com

ST KEVIN’S Boys are celebrating after finally striking a deal with Bohemians that allows them to compete in the SSE Airtricity underage leagues.

Under the deal, the two clubs will compete as one in the Under-15 League of Ireland division next season and the Under-13 league when it gets underway in March 2019. They will play in the iconic red and black colours of Bohs while adopting tangerine for away games.

Kevin’s were allowed temporary access to the SSE Airtricity Under-15 league after they struggled to strike a deal with another club, despite holding talks with many League of Ireland sides.

T his decision was not met kindly by other schoolboy clubs, who threatened legal action, and the FAI were forced to insist they would only be allowed to compete in the league without a linkup for one season.

“We were lucky enough

to get in for the year on our own to experience it,” St Kevin’s PRO Neil Fox told the Dublin Gazette. “We knew we weren’t going to get a second term so it’s a massive coup for the club to get in with such a big club like Bohemians. We want to be a part of the elite League of Ireland and this is what we want to do so we are delighted.

“They are a community club and we are a community club so there are a lot of similarities between us.”

Some believe Kevin’s struggled to strike a deal with other clubs because they were afraid the Shanowen Road side would try to take over but Fox has always insisted that is not the case.

“It was out there that people thought we were trying to take over. We don’t want to take over a League of Ireland club; we are very happy where we are. We just want to be part of it. We are delighted we have our own setup, Bohs have their own setup, and now that the two of us are merged we will work on that.”

Fox also believes that

the new link will help Kevin’s grow even further as a club.

“We will definitely attract a lot more players now that we have a big link with a League of Ireland club and a lot of players will look for that when they are going to clubs.

What kind of pathway have they got?

“We now have a clear pathway for players that come into Kevin’s at, say, seven years of age and if they are good enough, they’ll go all the way through our schoolboy section.

“Then, if they are good enough, they’ll go through the Bohs and Kevin’s elite

partnership, all the way up to the League of Ireland senior team, and who knows after that?”

The deal will allow Kevin’s to stay at the pinnacle of underage football in Ireland with Fox admitting the club did worry for their future if an agreement could not be struck.

“We were worried, of course. We would have still kept going as a club. We were always a community based club and always very good at producing players.

Of course, it goes without saying that if you are not part of the League of Ireland setup then all your best players are going to go to the best teams.”

UBL1ARugby

Lansdowne make it nine in a row LANSDOWNE completed an immaculate first half of the UBL Division 1A season with their ninth straight win, as a second half scoring burst saw them overcome a feisty UCD side 30-23 at the Belfield Bowl on Saturday.

The leaders also lifted the Sutherland Cup - presented in memory of Peter Sutherland’s father, the great Billy Sutherland - courtesy of this three-try victory which saw talismanic out-half Scott Deasy kick 13 points. However, it was the students who made the early inroads with a couple of kicks towards the corner.

Harry Byrne, younger brother of Ross Byrne who was in action at the same time with Leinster in Treviso, fired over a 35-metre penalty to get UCD off the mark.

Byrne and Deasy were having something of a kicking battle in the first half with the former leading out 9-6 at half-time. The sin-binning of flanker Aaron Conneely was a further setback for Lansdowne, who had Connacht’s Denis Coulson making his senior debut for the club.

The game began to open up more immediately after the restart, the visitors needing just three minutes for Deasy and full-back Eamonn Mills to combine and send centre Harry Brennan over for an emphatic finish to a well-crafted multi-phase attack.

Deasy converted for a 13-9 lead.

Before UCD could regain their composure, Lansdowne claimed their second try in the space of four minutes. Mike Ruddock’s men developed a strong lineout maul after Deasy had kicked to touch, and hooker Ronan Kelleher, younger brother of Connacht winger Cian Kelleher, drove over.

The family affair continued as Garry Ringrose’s younger brother, UCD winger Jack, raced through for a much-needed try in the left corner via Jamie Glynn’s quick tap penalty, with Byrne superbly splitting the posts from the touchline.

However, Lansdowne continued to do damage, especially up front, as Deasy knocked over his third successful penalty and a powerful attacking scrum saw referee Stuart Gaffikin award them a 67th-minute penalty try, with UCD having just lost Peadar Timmins to the sin-bin.

UCD now had a mountain to climb at 30-16 down, but to their credit, Andy Skehan’s charges were resilient right to the last. They continued to probe for scores and were rewarded in the closing stages, with prop Jeremy Loughman carrying strongly into the Lansdowne half before Tommy O’Brien’s excellent try, which saw him burst past several defenders and was converted.



GOT A STORY? WE WANT TO KNOW!

Call our SPORT TEAM on 60 10 240 and SELECT OPTION 3 Bohs boss Keith Long has welcomed the move

or email sport@dublingazette.com

GAZETTE

38 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 7 December 2017

SPORT

CAMOGIE: VINCENT’S STAR PLAYS HER PART IN MADRID SHOOT-OUT

FASTGAA

Maher’s Star turn CAMOGIE ALL-STARS 2016 All-Stars 10-13 2017 All-Stars 7-8  sport@dublingazette.com

Hannigan honoured for her brilliant year in blue PARNELLS’ Siabh Hannigan, far right, was named the Dublin minor player of the year at the Dublin ladies Gaelic football awards evening in Croke Park last Friday.

She is pictured alongside, from left to right, joint senior players player of the year Nicole Owens and Sinead Aherne, senior player of the years Olwen Carey, Dublin LGFA chairman Joe Keane and, from Cuala, Dublin minor players player of the year Jennifer Dunne.

It follows a groundbreaking year for the sport with Dublin landing just their second All-Ireland title in September when they got the better of Mayo in the final in front of a record crowd.

Picture: Peter Hickey/GAAPics.com

IT WAS Camogie with a difference at the XV Hortaleza Rugby Club in chilly Madrid but entertainment value remained high for those in attendance, as the 2016 AllStars came out on top of an old-fashioned shootout.

It was the first tour of its kind and featured St Vincent’s Aisling Maher, the first Dublin All-Star in over a decade.

The class of 2016 fired 10 goals in the 11-a-side exhibition game with rolling subs and would have had more but for the agility of Aoife Murray between the posts.

The Cork netminder made one spectacular

full-length save from a penalty taken by fellow Leesider Orla Cotter that took the breath away in what was the focal point of the inaugural Liberty Insurance Camogie AllStars Tour.

Cotter was one of the game’s standout players with her distribution and point-scoring, along with Chloe Morey, Sarah Dervan, Niamh Mulcahy and Kate Kelly, but it was Anne Dalton that shone brightest in a much more advanced role than in recent years.

Ann Downey might have been using the opportunity to scout the midfielder-cum-centreback’s suitability up front and while space was more available than would be case in the heart of the summer, she certainly demonstrated

Niamh Mulcahy, Aisling Maher and Michaela Markan after the game. Picture: Inpho

her acumen for finding the net with regularity.

T he victors led by 6-5 to 4-4 at the break despite Morey hitting three goal Paudie Murray’s 2017 squad early on. Miriam Walsh and Mulcahy kept the scoreboard ticking for the 2016s however to build up that seven-point advantage.

The scoring rate slowed considerably in the second half before picking up again in the last 10 minutes.

D a l t o n , M u l c a h y, Shelly Kehoe, Kelly and Rebecca Hennelly took some fine scores to ensure Downey’s outfit were never in danger of being caught.

The current All-Stars

showed plenty of pride but the loss of Gemma O’Connor, who was reduced to cheerleading as she continues to rehab her knee was significant.

Liberty Insurance AllIreland Senior Camogie Final referee Owen Elliott aided the consistent pace of the game with his unfussy whistling.

CLUB NOTICEBOARD

BALLYMUN KICKHAMS

HEROES of the week are Colm Kelly, Fiona McVeigh and Melanie Dolan. Together, they have helped oversee the club fundraising for our new artificial pitch this year and their commitment, drive and professionalism has raised over and above what we could have expected, and provided some great night’s entertainment in the process.

You were an absolute pleasure to work with. Take a bow you three, you are our laoch na seachtaine!

Our nurseries will finish up next Saturday for the Christmas period and will start back in January (date to be announced). To celebrate the festive season, we hope to have a certain big bearded man in a red suit.

We would ask that parents of girls born in 2010/11 please text Gerry, our GPO, with child’s name and year of birth, as he is looking to make

a Whatsapp group for next year’s U-8s team. Gerry’s number is 087 4116544.

On the subject of Gerry, congratulations to him and Ballyboughal on their promotion to AFL Division 2, capping off a great year for him and his team. Well done.

Any person wishing to buy a real Christmas tree should seek our very own Peter Loughlin; his trees are by far the finest we’ve ever seen. He is also a big supporter of the club, so we look after those who look after us!

Last event of the year is our annual day at the races in Leopardstown on December 29 and this event is nearly sold out; please contact Declan Small ASAP if you wish to attend.

More info on these news pieces on our social media and website @BallymunGAA and ballymunkickhams. com and photos from last Saturday’s events at the nurseries and in Croke Park are now up on our Facebook page.

There will also be photographs of our juvenile awards night in Kevin’s school from last Friday. Well done to Vinny Kelly on yet another great and historical event.

Important date for your diaries; our AGM is on December 13 at 8pm in the clubhouse. This is a crucial AGM at a critical juncture of the club. We would urge all our members to make an effort to attend on the night.

CLONTARF

WELL done to all our players who received awards at our adult players awards night on Saturday.

The club are pleased to announce that our application to the sports capital programme was successful and we have been awarded a grant of €150,000.

This will be put towards refurbishment of the club astro and installation of additional hurling wall facilities.

GRMA to all who worked on the application and to the local representatives that supported our application.

Well done to our Faoi14 buachaillí who had a successful raid across the border into Co na Mí on Saturday defeating Dunboyne in an entertaining challenge match. Faoi12 buachaillí took on Na Fianna while Faoi11 buachaillí hosted Beann Eadair in St.Pauls.

Our condolences to juvenile mentor John Rush on the death of his father John Rush Snr. The club were delighted that Sam Maguire and Brendan Martin were special visitors to the local primary schools on Monday. GRMA to Sarah & Jack McCaffrey who brought the special guests along.

The lights are up in Cúldoras. If you’re looking for a venue for a party or event over the Christmas season, contact Kieran McMahon on 086 1791120.

No winner of the club lotto.

Numbers drawn were 8, 9, 28 and 29. Lucky dip winners were Jim Vale and Marie O’Sullivan. Póta Óir is now €5,900 which would make a nice Christmas present.

match three winners and next week’s winning jackpot will be €1,950.

Joker Poker is played every Sunday in the club and next week’s jackpot is €1,200.

CRUMLIN

ERIN’S ISLE

CHRISTMAS draw will be held on December 16 at 10.30pm with first prize being €2,000 along with 9 other cash prizes. Tickets are €20 and are limited so if you can please contact Maurice Kerrigan or ask behind the bar to make sure you are in with a chance of winning.

Annual Club Mass was held on Thursday to remember all those past members who are no longer with us and was extremely well attended so we would like to thank all those for attending.

This Thursday, there will be a juvenile games meeting to plan out 2018 in full, starting at 8.30pm.

Lotto was not won numbers drawn were 7, 8, 10 and 30. There were three

THE annual general meeting of Erin’s Isle GAA club will take place in the club hall on Friday, December 8 at 8pm.

Players party this Saturday.

Our annual Mass takes place on Sunday, December 10. In preparation the Erin’s Isle Choir will meet on a number of dates to be determined. We really want to make this a special event as we come to the end of our Centenary Year. For more information, contact Ann Byrne on 087 6733735.

Please don’t forget to complete the online questionnaire/survey.

It should take less than 15/20 minutes to complete, this is the membership’s opportunity to help in the

7 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 39

GAZETTE

FOOTBALL: NEW UCD PITCH A TRIBUTE TO A DUBLIN AND UNIVERSITY LEGEND

STAR SUPPORT

Gaels celebrate 2017 Annette Billings, widow of the late David Billings catches up with Jim McClean, former Director of UCD Rugby. Picture: Cody Glenn/Sportsfile

Billings Park’s grand opening SENIOR FOOTBALL  sport@dublingazette.com

DUBLIN and UCD played a lively senior football challenge match at Belfield on Thursday night to mark the opening of David Billings Park.

The pitch is named in honour of the Dublin, UCD and St Vincent’s

stalwart and both sides served up an entertaining tussle.

Several players who featured for the Dubs this year were involved such as David Byrne, Ciaran Reddin, Collie Basquel, Cormac Costello, Conor McHugh, Emmett O’Conghaile and Shane Carthy.

They were bolstered by members of this year’s All-Ireland

Under-21 winning side Sean McMahon, Aaron Elliott and Glenn O’Reilly along with O’Byrne cup winners like John Brian Carthy, Eoin O’Brien, Ryan Deegan and Ross McGowan as well as two members of the 2016 minor team, Kevin Callaghan and Mal Tighe.

UCD settled better before Adam

Rogers scored their first of Dublin’s seven goal and, by the interval, a Cormac Costello goal had Dublin 2-7 to 0-11 ahead.

The students got level early in the second period but then Basquel stole the show as he scored a second half hat-trick to see Dublin run out 11-point victors.

GLEN Dolan Carey won the St James Gaels raffle at their annual awards day last weekend, winning a signed Dublin jersey presented by county senior players John Small and Evan Comerford.

It followed a great celebration of the club’s year with the club’s young stars honoured.

Looking back on the season, club chairman Ross Mulvaney paid tribute to the work that has gone on in the club to promote the GAA. Specific reference was made by Mulvaney of the number of teenage players who are back assisting with coaching and refereeing in the juvenile set up.

“That these people, at their age, are willing to give up their Saturday mornings to help the club is very credible. They represent their families, their club, and their community exceptionally, and we very much appreciate their contribution.”

CLUB NOTICEBOARD

future decision making process.

We now have physical and electronic copies for the sponsorship brochure, anyone who either knows someone that may provide sponsorship or anyone who wants to get involved please let me know.

No winner of the November 30 lotto; numbers 15, 16, 21 and 23; next draw on December 7 €1,400.

If you have anything for club notes, please contact Paul Campbell at 087 7585019 or send to cambod11@hotmail.com before Sunday evening.

NA FIANNA

CONGRATULATIONS to our U-21A footballers on Saturday’s championship semifinal win against Cuala and thanks to all who supported the lads.

Next Saturday sees the lads in the final in O’Toole Park at 2.30pm against Ballyboden and both the players and management will be hoping for the same support.

Congrats to Na Fianna’s Alex Griffin, Arlene Cushen, Eve O’Brien, Niamh Rock and Roisin Baker, all part of the 2018 Dublin senior camogie panel which was announced during the week. Congrats particularly to Eve O’Brien who was named again as captain.

Thanks to all who attended last Saturday night’s annual Friends of Na Fianna Night, great crowd in Mobhi Suite and good fun, thanks also to the organisers.

With the season now all but finished and with the onset of winter, teams are asked to please note that all Na Fianna grass pitches

are closed for December and January. Fixtures committee thank all for their continued support throughout the year.

The sixth annual Christmas tree collection fundraiser takes place on Saturday, January 6. Planning for the collection has already begun and anybody interested in helping out, or has a truck, trailer or van available, the collection group would be delighted to hear from you.

They hold a brief meeting this Thursday night (December 7) at 8.30pm in the club, all welcome, details from Martin on 087 9092732. Tae, ciste agus caint – tea, cake and conversation on Thursday, December 7, 7.30-9.00pm. All welcome to come along and try any cúpla focal at all.

Tickets now on sale in the club for the 2018

National Club Draw.

Great prizes on offer and huge earning potential for the club, please support.

Members’ subscriptions due since AGM can be paid in the club office from Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 1pm, Saturdays in the club or online: www. clgnafianna.ie.

Congrats to Cuala on Sunday’s Leinster senior hurling championship final win.

O’TOOLE’S

WE HAD a little scare on Blunden Drive last Saturday morning. We were all waiting for a visit from Santa Claus when we got word to say his sleigh broke down.

Luckily a fire truck from our local station in Kilbarrack was passing and the good Samaritans in the fire tender ferried the

man in red to O’Toole’s clubhouse for a spectacular party for the younger players in the club. It was a great morning led by our majestic magician Denis.

This Friday night it’s the turn of our mentors, helpers and all adult volunteers to have their Christmas party here in the lounge. The fun commences at 8pm.

Calling all girls to join O’Toole’s and play for the best teams in the best club. No experience required but for adult ladies it would be helpful to have some knowledge of the game.

Applications are now being taken for team managers for 2018. All interested parties please contact John Thompson on 087 2958398.

Membership fees are now overdue.

You can pay online at otoolesgac.ie and follow

the instructions. Adult players can renew their membership through John on 087 2958398.

This weekend in our lounge, it’s Friday card bingo and Hi/lo jackpot games with DJ. Saturday Bee Bop Gold and Sunday 6 to 8pm with Owen Thomas.

Don’t forget, tickets are on sale for Take That/Westlife on St Stephen’s night.

There was no winner of our club lotto. The numbers were 12, 16, 18 and 24. The jackpot is €4,500 this week.

SCOIL UI CHONAILL

COME and join us for some festive fun in Scoil on Saturday, December 9 as Santa pays a visit to the clubhouse.

There will also be a mini Xmas fair with some fantastic produce on offer for those wishing

to get the Christmas shopping started.

The festivities will kick off at 3pm and will continue for the afternoon until 6pm.

Our juvenile teams are beginning to wind down for the Christmas break and willl be back training in the new year.

Anyone interested in availing of very attractive pitch side advertisement opportunities should contact Aidan Mulvey on 085 7213789.

Training for all ages and levels will continue after the Christmas break in January; adult hurling and football teams train in Scoil on Mondays and Thursdays from 6.30pm.

Juvenile training takes place in Scoil at 10am on Saturday mornings. For any news or enquiries please contact scoil.pro.eoc@ gmail.com.

40 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 7 December 2017