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WHEREVER YOU ARE IN THE DCC AREA, WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED  DEC 27 - JAN 3, 2018

READY FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE IN DUBLIN? NOW that Christmas Day is behind us, there’s still lots to enjoy about this very special time of year – and once the city has had its fill of turkey sandwiches over the next few days, most of us will start looking ahead to the next big bash – the New Year’s Eve celebrations in the heart of the city.

INSIDE, you’ll find a brief guide to some of the biggest celebrations going on in town, with Dublin’s New Year Festival organisers again ready to wow onlookers with some pretty unforgettable acts. And, even if you haven’t been able to get an elusive ticket to some of the sold-out shows, wherever you are across Dublin city, you’re sure to find something fun, fab and free taking place in your neighbourhood ...

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THOUSANDS SIGN PETITION OPPOSING PROPOSED BUILD AT SITE

Outraged Portobello locals unite against hotel  EMMA NOLAN PLANS for a new Portobello hotel have enraged locals, who say the small amount of public space in the area is being threatened.

“I lived in the area for over 20 years.

What’s planned will ruin the place,”

one local said on a petition set up by the Save Portobello Harbour Group.

An application submitted by developers, MKN Property Group, to Dublin City Council outline plans for a 5,775 sq m, six-storey, 178-bedroom hotel located at 17 Portobello Harbour and

Portobello College.

Those opposed to the plans say that the scale of the proposed building is “over-bearing” and will impede on the public square, which is currently widely used by the community.

See full story on Page 4

2 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 26 December 2017

PLANNING | BRIAN HAYES PUSHES CAUSE FOR ONE COHESIVE ENTITY

Call to create a single Metropolitan authority  MARK O’BRIEN A DUBLIN MEP has called for a single Metropolitan Authority to be established in the city.

Brian Hayes (FG) said a single Metropolitan Planning Authority for the four Dublin local authorities would be able to provide a coordinated and consistent approach to planning and development management within the Dublin area.

He said: “The population of Dublin increased by nearly one fifth during 2002-2016. There is currently a shortfall of 150,000 apartments in Dublin, based on the

current population and housing count.

“Ireland’s falling household size – some two -thirds of households comprise 1-2 persons – is coming into line with the EU average.

“This is only going to create demand for smaller units – particularly apartments.

“Planning policy should be geared towards densification of the suburbs around Dublin and other urban areas. High-density development cannot be restricted to Dublin city centre,” he said.

He said that he felt current planning failed to meet the require-

ments of smaller households.

“T hese regulations f o r c e d e ve l o p e r s t o only be able to build very large apartments in urban areas, which increases the development costs, is an inefficient use of land, and increases the end unit prices because of the large size and resulting costs of development.

“There is existing planning permission for a total of 35,743 residential units within the four Dublin local authorities; however, the vast majority of these units have not yet even commenced.”

He added that he felt that a single planning

authority would help to streamline the planning process and allow for the quicker building of homes.

“T he current local authority structures are simply not working as a cohesive whole and the Dublin region is in danger of becoming ungovernable because there is no single entity to bring it all together.

“Local authorities are currently competing with each other, to the detriment of would-be homeowners.

“One Metropolitan Planning Authority, with its own financial powers, led by a directly elected Lord Mayor, would set us on the proper strate-

gic path to the future.”

Dublin Gazette contacted the four local authorities and asked them if they would support the establishment of such an entity.

In response, South Dublin County Council said they not aware of any proposals for a single metropolitan planning authority and had no further comment to make.

Fingal County Council, and Dun LaoghaireRathdow n County Council also declined to comment.

Dublin City Council had not replied to a request for comment by the time of going to print.

FASTNews

Nigel’s coming here in the hopes of promoting ‘Irexit’ MAJOR Brexit influencer Nigel Farage is coming to Dublin next year.

The controversial figure will be coming to our fair city to try to convince us to leave the EU and promote ‘Irexit’. He will be speaking at a free conference in the RDS on February 3, hoping to convince Irish voters that leaving the EU is the way forward.

The prominent Euroskeptic is the most high-profile of the event’s panel of guests, which is being organised by the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy Group. Others include Sunday Times columnist Cormac Lucey and journalist John Waters.

Nordic, Irish take on Swan Lake to delight in February AFTER its sell-out success at 2016 Dublin Theatre Festival, Michael Keegan-Dolan’s adaptation of Swan Lake comes to the Abbey Theatre in February.

Performed by a company of 13 world-class performers, including actor Mikel Murfi, Swan Lake/ Loch na hEala is interwoven with storytelling, song and live music, and combines Nordic and Irish traditional music with minimalist and experimental influences. Swan Lake runs in the Abbey from February 8 to 17; tickets are available from www.abbeytheatre.ie, or 01 878 7222.

Happy New Year to all our readers and advertisers!

Feeling the Force of Shane’s ’shake

MINISTER for Transport Shane Ross doesn’t hail from a galaxy far, far away – more like the leafy confines of south Dublin – but he was happy to join lots of other Star Wars fans at the premiere of The Last Jedi at the Savoy, where he gave a couple of Stormtroopers a great handshake. Minister Ross was just one of the large number of Star Wars fans gathered for the latest addition to the iconic series. Irish fans were eager to spot the use of the Skellig islands in the film, standing in for Jedi Luke Skywalker’s home base. No doubt the Minister for Transport was just as happy as everyone else to be transported to Luke’s latest thrilling adventure. Picture: Andres Poveda

2017 saw Dublin Gazette make the bold move to reposition its titles in line with the four local authorities in Dublin – a move that has proven hugely successful so far.

Dublin Gazette prides itself on its high-quality editorial, offering our loyal readers news and sports coverage like no other newspaper in Dublin.

Repositioning our titles allowed us to offer the people of Dublin four FREE newspapers that offer readers and advertisers alike four unique regional platforms that are specific to their county council area.

2017 was an exciting year for Dublin Gazette, a year of change. Our new website (DublinGazette.com) launched in April, and combined with the repositioning of our titles this has helped Dublin Gazette cement our position as Dublin’s Number-One Free Newspaper.

With your help, 2018 can be even bigger and better (just like your four new and improved Dublin Gazettes). So please continue to pick up your local edition of Dublin Gazette – Because Local Matters.

All of our staff here in Dublin Gazette would like to take this opportunity to wish all our loyal readers and advertisers a Happy New Year! Feel free to send us any stories or feedback to news@dublingazette.com Dublin Gazette – The future is LOCAL, the future is FREE. PATRICK FINNEGAN, Group Editor, Dublin Gazette

26 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 3

Cross about the Luas  EMMA NOLAN

WITH many commuters complaining about the Luas Cross City service since its launch, Dublin Transport Infrastructure Ireland has admitted that delays on the Green Line are likely to continue until March – can you explain why?

With the introduction of the new Luas service through the city centre and onwards to Broombridge, many users have been attracted to the new service.

While the Luas lines would always be busy at this time of year, it is particularly so at the moment, with additional commuters, shoppers and many people trialling the new service.

While it is welcomed that so many new customers are using the extended Green Line, it has meant that some trams are operating at capacity. This will be alleviated early in the New Year when seven new 55 metre-long trams will be brought into service on this line.

Although teething problems are to be expected, heavy traf-

Gazette posed some key questions about the service to a Department of Transport spokesperson, to find out exactly what measures are in place to improve the service ...

fic around College Green has caused some concerns – is this set to continue?

The introduction of a completely new tram service into Dublin city centre requires a period of ‘bedding in’ while all road users get familiar with, and adjust to, the new trams travelling on the central streets.

Teething difficulties are to be expected while that familiarisation process takes place.

Operation Open City – a collaboration between An Garda Siochana, the National Transport Authority, TII, transport operators and the Dublin local authorities – is ongoing at present to assist in keeping the city’s transport system operating effectively.

This involves daily co-ordination conference calls involving all of the relevant bodies, a prioritised approach to resolving delay issues, and additional on-street support by Garda personnel.

The Luas Cross City link undergoing final testing – now that it’s live, many commuters have expressed frustration with the initial service

Will buses and cars continue to be permitted to drive around the College Green area or will the road eventually be solely for the use of the trams?

Since 2015, cars have been excluded from the College Green area between 7am and 7pm, Monday to Friday; however, they can use the area outside of these hours. Buses and taxis can traverse through College Green at all times. There are no proposals to limit College Green to tram use only.

There is a proposal, currently under consideration by An Bord Pleanala, for a civic plaza at College Green. [However, under that proposal, trams, buses and taxis would still have an access route.]

Will there be any improvements to cycling lanes and links amid complaints from such groups?

The NTA and DCC want to put in place arrangements for cyclists that will not only make cycling safer for existing cyclists, but will also encourage more people to shift to the bicycle. There are major plans for a plaza at College Green and a two-way cycle way is among the measures included in the proposals.

However, the planning application for that plaza is currently with An Bord Pleanala, and the NTA and Dublin City Council are not in a position to progress an overall cycle plan for the area until the outcome of that planning process becomes clear.

‘Luas Cross City is a real breakthrough, and I’m using it a lot, myself’ – Shane Ross AS THE Luas Cross City completes its first couple of weeks in service, Dublin Gazette spoke to Minister of Transport Shane Ross amid calls for improvements to the new line.

He said: “I think the Luas Cross City is a real breakthrough. With longer and more trams come February/March, it will be second to none.”

The Minister said that “teething problems” are to be expected as concerns have been highlighted around the service in recent weeks, such as traffic delays and lack of cycle lanes.

“There are a few issues to be smoothed out, which is to be expected with any new service, but I do think it is fantastic and I’m travelling on it a lot myself.”

4 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 26 December 2017

PLANNING | THOUSANDS SIGN PETITION OPPOSING BUILD AT LANDMARK SITE

‘Don’t build a new hotel in the heart of Portobello!’  EMMA NOLAN

PLANS for a large sixstorey hotel in Portobello have been condemned by locals who fear for the future of the area.

An application submitted by developers, MKN Property Group, to Dublin City Council outlines plans for a 5,775sq m, s i x- s t o r e y, 178 - b e d room hotel located at 17 Portobello Harbour and Portobello College.

I t wo u l d see the demolition of the two- to fourstorey build-

ings that comprise Portobello College to facilitate the construction.

A petition set up by a campaign group called Save Portobello Harbour had gained more than 7,000 signatures by the time of going to print.

Organisers say: “Portobello Harbour has a rich history as a friendly

area where people from all across Dublin use it regularly to enjoy as a public plaza for a variety of activities.

“Plans to demolish the existing Portobello College to replace it with a hotel threaten the neighbourhood’s already very limited public space.”

Those opposed to the

Hundreds turn to Threshold as homes fear sees November spike

Above: How the proposed hotel could look at the site; left: the much-loved building that the controversial new build would be replacing

plans say that the scale of the proposed building is “over-bearing” and fear that the public plaza (inset, left) will be taken over by the hotel’s outdoor furniture, “lessening the already limited area to the public”.

“The development of a 178-bed hotel on the site will undoubtedly restrict locals and those who are not using the hotel’s services from using this public space for markets, skateboarding, biking, ball games and all the

PEOPLE | DUBLIN 12 TEACHER SCOOPS IRELAND WIN

French language award is a oui bit of great news for Yveline ...

A LANGUAGE teacher from Dublin has been rewarded for the quality of the lessons and teaching that she provides to local children in the area.

Yveline Feval teaches extra-curricular French classes to local nursery and primary children, through the award-winning La Jolie Ronde programmes at nurseries, primary schools and open centres in the Dublin 12 area.

Yveline was honoured with the much-acclaimed La Jolie Ronde Licensee

of the Year award for the whole of Ireland (right).

On finding out that she had won the award at La Jolie Ronde’s annual conference in Dublin, Yveline said she was “absolutely overwhelmed”.

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.

“I would never have gained this award without the support of all the

parents who put their trust in me to deliver highquality French classes to their children. This award means a lot and the hard work I have put into developing my business has been recognised, which is wonderful.”

Yveline, who was born on the French-speaking Caribbean Island of Martinique, moved to Dublin in 2004, having previously lived in Paris for more than 30 years.

Her passion for languages was first ignited aged 12 when she was

ADVICE

taught both English and Spanish at secondary school. Yveline loved how other languages all sounded so very different, and from then on, languages were to play a pivotal role in her life.

After moving to Dublin and looking at career options, she decided she wanted to fulfil her childhood dream of becoming a teacher.

Yveline was presented with her award by La Jolie Ronde’s general manager, Steve Baker, at the La Jolie Ronde AGM.

other activities that occur here on a regular basis, as well as those using the canal to relax on summer evenings after a day’s work.”

Many of the petition’s signatories and local residents say they fear that the hotel will have a negative effect on the area.

One said: “I lived in the area for over 20 years.

What’s planned will ruin the place!”

Another said the plans will “result in the loss of one of the rapidly

diminishing public play places in the area”, while another added: “It’s a well utilised public space and should remain that way.

We have enough hotels.

Losing more of our heritage would be a disaster to this neighbourhood and surrounding areas.

Leave it ALONE!” T he final date for observations to Dublin City Council about the proposal was December 19, with a decision on the development expected next year.”

ALMOST 300 tenants contacted the national housing charity Threshold in November in fear of losing their homes after receiving a notice of termination from their landlord – the highest monthly figure this year.

November also proved the busiest overall month for the organisation, which took 7,639 calls – a 29% increase on October’s figure.

Threshold’s chief executive, John-Mark McCafferty, said: “We are concerned about the November figures, which reflect the huge increase in families facing sudden rent increases and illegal evictions over the year.

“Last December, we dealt with 151 clients who had received a tenancy termination, and if this trend continues, we expect that figure to be much higher for 2017.

“No one should underestimate the terror and panic people in danger of losing their homes experience, and Threshold works to help those people stay in their homes.”

Last year, Threshold’s emergency on-call service received 40 calls over the Christmas period and the housing charity will again this year provide this service over the Christmas period for individuals and households at risk of homelessness.

Information will be available on the Threshold website (www. threshold.ie), on social media, and by phoning the 1800 454 454 helpline.

Anyone wishing to donate to Threshold’s Save 5 Families A Day Christmas Appeal can do so via the Threshold website, www.threshold. ie, or by phoning LoCall 1890 43 44 45.

26 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 5

6 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 26 December 2017

INNER CITY | MANSIONS UNDERGOING MAJOR REDEVELOPMENT

Delight as €21m plan for St Mary’s begins  EMMA NOLAN

ST MARY’S Mansions flats in the north inner city are undergoing a multimillion euro redevelopment.

On Friday, Cluid Housing began a €21m redevelopment of the northeast inner city flat complex, joined by former and future residents, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe.

Former resident Elsie Campion, who lives in Cluid’s nearby Killarney Court scheme, said: “The whole community is thrilled to see this going ahead! It’ll make a huge difference to the area.”

The flat complex was built by Dublin Corporation nearly 70 years ago and is in need of total refurbishment to bring it up to current housing standards.

The regeneration works are scheduled for completion in mid-2019 and, when complete, will provide high-quality social housing to 80 local families and single people.

The works will include the addition of two new floors and will be laid out

FASTNews

Port it there – firefighters happy to scale new hights DUBLIN firefighters scaled 110ft-high cranes at Dublin Port last week to play out real-life situations as part of an ongoing height training programme.

Firefighters and paramedics from Dublin Fire Brigade were invited to the port by terminal operator Peel Ports, where they were given the chance to practice for worst-case scenarios.

John Robinson, an officer and heights rescue instructor at Dublin Fire Brigade, said: “It’s a great opportunity to train with the cranes here in the port.

This allows us to build our training around a real-life scenario that our fire crews could get called to and makes it interesting for them.”

The shape of things to come ... Former

Grandmothers deployed in bid to talk two men down from Cloverhill Prison roof

resident Susan Kane; Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe; Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy; and Cluid’s New Business Director, Fiona Cormican. Picture: Mark Stedman

as one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments and duplexes.

The plan will cost just over €21 million. Cluid will finance the project with loans from the Housing Finance Agency, European Investment Bank and financial support from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.

Cluid’s New Business Director, Fiona Cormican, said the charity are “absolutely delighted to see this

regeneration project get under way”.

She added: “The redevelopment of St Mary’s Mansions will provide much needed social housing for local people and it is going to have a phenomenal impact on the local community.”

The project is being delivered through a partnership between Cluid and Dublin City Council, Dublin North East Inner City, the European Investment Bank, Ganson, the

Bark it there for a relaxing painting AN ARTWORK by 10-year old Dubliner Ava Meijer, from Sandymount School of Art, Londonbridge Road, has been chosen to illustrate the 2018 Texaco Children’s Art Calendar.

One of 13 chosen to illustrate the publication, Ava’s work – entitled, Swing In The Park (right) – will appear during the month of June and will be seen in thousands of homes throughout Ireland in 2018.

Winning a Special Merit Award in the 9-11 years category of the 2017 competition, it was one of a number picked out to perfectly reflect the incredible talent and imagination of children, and the essential role played by schools who encourage and inspire their students through art education.

The calendars are currently available through a select number of Texaco service stations countrywide, and through Texoil, Valero’s home-heating oil division.

Housing Finance Agency, Inner City Organisations Network and Rebuilding Ireland.

It is the first major redevelopment in the area following the publication of the Mulvey Report in 2016 which highlighted the need for action to make the northeast inner city area a safe, attractive and vibrant living and working environment for the community and its families, with opportunities for all to lead full lives.

The redesign is focused on the input of existing and new residents and a number of key features were specifically included to enhance overall quality of life.

These include communal social and play areas, a community room and socially aware landscaping. At the heart of the regenerated St Mary’s Mansions scheme will be a central courtyard designed to support community activities.

THE grandmother of a protesting inmate at Cloverhill Prison was lifted up in a hoist to try to talk him down from the roof, a court has heard.

Eric Harcourt (22), Belcamp Grove, Priorswood, climbed onto the roof of Cloverhill Prison using clothing that other prisoners had tossed up to prevent being injured from the razor wire.

He remained on the roof for hours with another inmate, Dean Byrne (25), of Belcamp Crescent, Priorswood. Both inmates refused attempts from the prison negotiator and both their grandmothers to persuade them to come down.

Harcourt pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to violent disorder at Cloverhill Prison, Clondalkin on July 29, 2015.

Judge Martin Nolan imposed a six-month sentence, consecutive to Harcourt’s current jail term, which is due to expire in April, 2019.

Harcourt has 74 previous convictions and was on remand at the time for an offence of endangerment, for which he received a four and a half year jail term.

Detective Garda Donal Daly told Roisin Lacey SC, prosecuting, that a riot broke out in the prison yard after up to 64 inmates had been “expressing disgruntlement” about disciplinary matters.

He said a prison officer saw Harcourt helping to carry one of the yard’s goal posts to a nearby observational hub, where it was used to smash the windows and rip razor wire off the roof.

Prison officers then saw Harcourt climb onto the roof and smash windows with a long metal pole.

Prison officers used hoists to get a negotiator and Harcourt’s grandmother up to roof level in a bid to get him to come down once the violent disorder had abated.

Harcourt eventually descended at 1.30am after the riot had begun around 11am the previous day.

Byrne received a six-month consecutive sentence for aiding and abetting violent disorder on the same date.

26 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 7

CABRA | SCHOOL SCOOPS TOP AWARD FOR AWARENESS LIFESKILLS

Deaf boys are Leading Lights for road safety  MARK O’BRIEN

Round of applause for a new calendar

NICOLE De Courcy from Cnoc Mhuire SNS, Killinarden, Tallaght was happy to attend a special exhibition at Wood Quay Venue to launch the Dublin Bus Children’s Art Calendar 2018, where the 11-year-old was one of 25 children from across the city attending the launch. The pieces, created by primary school children from 25 schools across the Greater Dublin Area, are the result of the annual children’s art competition run by Dublin Bus, with more than 2,000 children entering this year’s contest. Picture: Colm Mahady/Fennells

A CABR A boarding school has been recognised for the work they do in promoting road safety.

St Joseph’s School for Deaf Boys was awarded a Road Safety Authority (RSA) Leading Lights Education Special award for 2017.

The award was presented to the students and teachers by the RSA chairperson Liz O’Donnell at the RSA’s 10th annual Leading Lights in Road Safety awards at Croke Park.

Presenting the award, O’Donnell said: “Road safety is about making the roads we share with our family, neighbours, friends and colleagues a safer

Some of the students from St Joseph’s School for Dead Boys help to celebrate the Cabra school’s winning of an RSA Leading Lights award

place. It’s about keeping our local communities safe, and that’s why we are recognising the great work being celebrated here today – work that is making a difference and saving lives.”

St Joseph’s is a boarding residence for 22

young deaf boys, ranging from primary- to postprimary age.

Part of the boys’ lifeskills programme is road safety awareness. Some of the boys are particularly vulnerable as they are profoundly deaf and do not wear hearing aids or

cochlear implants.

A team of staff and a RSA facilitator aimed to create more awareness while out on the roads, and a greater understanding of road safety and personal safety.

Road safety training is now being delivered to the

boys of all ages, with the overall aim being that the boys will be able to travel independently without supervision from staff or older boarders.

A total of 24 individuals and organisations were honoured for their commitment and dedication to road safety at the awards.

Moyagh Murdock, chief executive of the RSA said: “The high quality of projects being entered meant that is was the toughest year yet to pick winners.

“I’d like to commend those who sent in nominations, who recognised Leading Lights in their school, office or community, who are making a difference, and put them forward for awards.”

8 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 26 December 2017

Out and About

Michele McGrath as Evil Queen Malevolent, Mary Byrne as Good Queen Mary, Rob Murphy as the flamboyant Buffy, Alan Hughes as Sammy Sausages and Morgan Crowley as the Good King

Wicked fun launching a spectacular panto Alan Hughes with Mary Byrne.

Left: Michele McGrath as Evil Queen Malevolent.

Pictures: Brian McEvoy

Michele McGrath as Evil Queen Malevolent

Rob Murphy as the flamboyant Buffy

T

HE Cheerios Panto celebrates it’s 10th year at The Tivoli Theatre, with the spectacular Sleeping Beauty. Alan Hughes returns as Sammy Sausages, regular interlocutor in the Cheerios Panto, with Mary Byrne as Good Queen Mary. Written by Ireland’s foremost panto writer, Karl Broderick, the story will give an irreverent take on the classic story about good fairies, evil witches, and a handsome prince.

Keila Ana Whelan as Sleeping Beauty

26 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 9

RECOVERY HUB | SUPPORT IN THE NORTH INNER CITY

Hope for mental health sufferers  MARK O’BRIEN

Ash the way to do it! Women unite to finally quit smoking A GROUP of women from Kilbarrack are celebrating after completing a free programme called We Can Quit, which aims to help women quit smoking together.

In total, 15 women from the area successfully completed the first such course to be held in Kilbarrack.

The women commenced the free 12-week programme in September, attending weekly group sessions and one-to-one support meetings, as well as receiving 12 weeks of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) to the

value of €450, free.

Rachel Burke, community cancer prevention officer at the Irish Cancer Society, said: “We would like to congratulate all of the local women who successfully completed the We Can Quit programme. It is a fantastic achievement which will have a positive impact, not only on their lives, but on the lives of their families.”

To find out more about We Can Quit programme, or to register your interest for the next course, see www.cancer.ie/ we-can-quit. Picture: Andres Poveda

A CITY centre mental health service says it wants to continue to promote the reality that people can live well despite experiencing mental health difficulties.

The Recovery Hub on North Circular Road was established in October 2015 following a review of day centres by the Dublin North City Mental Health Service.

The development of active links with community-based services and non-mental health service-funded groups and facilities has helped to reduce the stigma and isolation for service users.

Staff and service user at the Recovery Hub

Ruth Power, occupational therapy manager said: “The Recovery Hub is an example of recovery principles in practice and of what can be achieved when staff and service users are engaged and motivated to work towards a common vision.

“Ser vice users are

actively involved in all stages of service delivery, from the governance team who oversee the service to the day-to-day activities in the Recovery Hub.” The Recovery Hub supports each individual to reach their potential for community citizenship and engagement in activi-

ties of meaning to them.

The hub has developed a range of education and core individual pro grammes for service users.

A key aspect of the service is co-production, using the expertise of service users to develop educational programmes.

One of the service users said that the courses have been extremely helpful: “Having courses available like these really can give a person hope and so much help.

“I was asleep before, worrying about the past.

Now I am awake with my eyes open to my community. I always leave the Recovery Hub feeling better than I did walking in.”

10 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 26 December 2017

CRIME | VICIOUS ATTACK, HIGH-SPEED CHASE AND ITALIAN ADVENTURE END BEFORE THE COURTS

Suspended sentence for assault with an iron bar

A YOUNG man who armed himself with an iron bar during a violent late night city centre brawl has been given a suspended sentence.

Craig Smith (20), of Corduff Grove, and Jordan McGuinness (19), of Corduff Park, both in Blanchardstown, and two other men attacked innocent students who walked by while they were trying to break up a fight between two women.

McGuinness received a one-year suspended sentence last April for his role in the brawl. Smith’s sentencing was adjourned to see if he could stay out of trouble.

Smith and McGuinness pleaded guilty to violent disorder at D’Olier St in the city centre on May 23, 2016.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court had heard in April that McGuinness and another man, who cannot be identified because he is facing trial,

punched Lee Whelan, knocking him to the ground.

The other man punched Dylan Campbell a number of times. Smith and the other man went to the boot of their car and grabbed an iron bar and a hammer.

CCTV footage viewed by Judge Karen O’Connor in April showed Smith swinging the bar towards the two victims and making contact with Mr Campbell.

The other man swung the hammer with force twice at Mr Campbell, striking him once. The footage also showed McGuinness punching Mr Whelan.

At this trial, Judge O’Connor noted Smith had armed himself with an iron bar and said that

members of the public would have been put in fear for their safety.

Judge O’Connor noted Smith’s personal circumstances and lack The court heard an iron bar was used in the fray

o f previous convictions.

She said that despite serious concerns, she was conscious he was a still a young man and believed he had learned a very serious lesson.

She imposed an 18-month

No jail for man who led gardai on a high-speed chase, drove on wrong side, and caused collision

A MAN who led several garda cars on a high-speed chase, forcing parents and school children to “take action” in order to avoid being struck by the car, has escaped a jail sentence.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (20), of Rathvale Park, Airfield, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to reckless endangerment at various locations between Kilbarrack Road and Brookwood Rise, Dublin 5, and to dangerous driving on Rosemount Avenue, Artane on February 17, 2016.

The court heard that the car passed by a school in Donaghmede at high speed as children were making their way to their parents who were waiting outside.

Sentencing Ryan to three years in prison, Judge Patrick Quinn said he had shown little respect for the law and it was difficult to imagine how he could offer any credible defence to the offences.

However, he suspended the sentence in full, agreeing with Dean Kelly BL, defending, that Ryan had arrived at “a make or break point” in his life.

The court heard that Ryan drove a

Toyota Prius at speeds of up to 120 km/h, overtook cars on the wrong side of the road, and caused a two-car collision.

He also side-swiped a garda car and drove between a wall and parked cars in order to bypass a road block set up by gardai.

Judge Cormac Quinn said the fact parents “had to take evasive action to avoid being struck” was an aggravating factor in this case.

He said: “It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to drive at nearly three times over the legal speed limit.”

Ryan has previous road traffic convictions and two drug-related convictions, all at District Court level.

Judge Quinn noted Ryan’s early plea, the fact he was in employment and had completed a barber’s training course.

He said: “You have been given a chance to change your life – take it. You have great parents, a great future, and only a fool would get themselves into trouble after this.”

He disqualified Ryan from driving for a period of five years.

s e n tence, which she suspended fully on strict conditions, including that he undergo two years’ probation supervision.

Garda Wayne Donnelly told Anne Rowland BL, prosecuting, that when gardai arrived at the scene they found Mr Whelan in a semiconscious state on the ground with a head injury.

Mr Campbell suffered cuts to his scalp and received medical staples. Neither man completed a victim impact statement, and both withdrew their complaints after giving their initial statements to gardai, the court heard.

Gda Donnelly told the court that the four men were sitting in a car parked on D’Olier

A MAN who trave l l e d out of the country on holiday using s omeone else’s passport after discovered his he own was out of date has been given a 16-month suspended sentence.

Edward McCar thy (31), with an address at Reuben St, Rialto, travelled to Italy in May last year on a passport belonging to one Alan O’Reilly, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

Upon his arrival back home at Dublin Airport, a passport official noticed that McCarthy’s passport photograph did not match his appearance and McCarthy was arrested.

Street when two women became involved in a physical fight.

The men knew one of these women and they got out of the car to break up the fight.

The two male victims were out for the night and walked by this scene and some words were exchanged before the accused began attacking the victims.

Oisin Clarke BL, defending Smith, said his client had drunk a colossal amount of alcohol on the night and had also taken cocaine.

He said Smith didn’t remember much about the night, and was shocked when he saw his actions on CCTV footage.

He said he had since stopped using drugs and tempered his drinking.

He was working and was also hoping to start a tiling apprenticeship. He brought €500 to court to be handed

over to the victim.

C o n o r M c K e n n a BL , defending McGuinness, said that this was an extremely frightening and nasty incident. He said his client deeply regretted his behaviour.

He said his parents were both working and were very concerned that their son was before the court “for behaving like a thug”.

Counsel said that McGuinness had €500 to offer in compensation to the victims.

Garda Donnelly accepted that McGuinness was genuinely remorseful for his actions.

Smith was also charged with assaulting Mr Campbell, causing him harm, and producing an offensive weapon.

McGuinness faced an additional charge of assaulting Mr Whelan causing him harm.

These charges will be taken into consideration on sentencing.

Man discovered his passport was out of date – so he used someone else’s to go to Italy McCarthy pleaded guilty to one

count of the unlawful use of a passport at Dublin Airport on May 16, 2016.

Garda Fergus Burke told Garrett Baker BL, prosecuting, that he was called to Dublin Airport after McCarthy was stopped at the arrivals area. When arrested and interviewed by gardai, McCarthy declined to tell them why he had travelled with a passport that

wasn’t his.

Defence barrister, David Staunton BL, told the court that his client booked a holiday to Italy before he discovered his passport was out of date.

He sent off for a new passport, but the form was returned as it was incorrectly completed. As a result, McCarthy made the “foolish decision” to travel on another person’s passport so he wouldn’t miss his holiday, Mr Staunton said.

The owner of the passport in question reported his passport as missing and had a new one issued, the court heard.

No flags were raised on this passport and McCarthy was only caught when a passport officer noticed it wasn’t his photo.

McCarthy has 35 previous convictions, mostly for road traffic offences.

Mr Staunton said it was a very unusual case and the charge was not even listed in the Garda Pulse system. He said his client – a father of two – worked in a garage and had historic difficulties with alcohol and drugs, which may have “clouded his judgement” at the time of the offence.

Judge Martin Nolan accepted that McCarthy’s version of events was “probably true” and there did not seem to be any other “insidious explanation” as to why he might have travelled on another person’s passport.

He handed down a 16-month sentence, but suspended it entirely on a number of conditions.

26 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 11

DUBLIN CO-AUTHOR SYLVIA BOND PAYS TRIBUTE TO CONTINUING LEGACY OF QUIZ BOOK AUTHOR RICHARD MAHER

Late husband’s Dahl-ing gift keeps helping family  SYLVIA POWNALL A MOTHER-OF-FOUR who cowrote a children’s book with her late husband says its success is his legacy to his family.

Sylvia Bond, from Daleview in Swords, penned the Roald Dahl Quiz Book with her hubbie Richard Maher (left) in the 1990s and it’s still a kids’ favourite to this day.

Brave Richard lost his battle with leukaemia before the project was finished, but Sylvia (65) said she was determined to see their labour of love through to the end.

She told Dublin Gazette: “When Richard was having his chemotherapy he started reading

to the boys at bedtime.

“Then I started giving them a little quiz on the stories and they got so excited about it.

“Richard died in November 1992 at the age of 35. Then, six months later, I got a letter from the publishers – he’d written to them and they asked me to finish it.”

Sylvia was busy working as a teacher and raising her young kids Paul (7), Peter (4), Brian (3) and one-year-old Aoife.

However, after hearing Patricia Scanlon reveal on radio that she’d written to Maeve Binchy for advice at the start of her career, she decided to do the same.

Sylvia said: “I wrote to Maeve

and she rang me the very next morning. She was a wonderful help to me and we were friends to the day she died. I miss her a lot.”

The book has sold more than 200,000 copies and Sylvia feels it’s a way of keeping her late husband’s memory alive.

She said: “I feel it was a gift that he gave us that meant we could have a summer holiday every year. I still feel he is looking after us.”

The quiz book – right, available from Amazon and Waterstones – features more than 300 questions on Dahl’s best-loved works, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Sylvia’s favourite, Fantastic Mr Fox.

Pictured making the presentation are An Cathaoirleach of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Tom Murphy with Fred Espey, president of Sandycove Bathers Association and a group of hardy souls. Pictures: Peter Cavanagh

Sandycove Bathers Association member Mary Connolly and president Fred Espey

A shocking way to help save lives at the 40 Foot

Peter Keating, environmental enforcement officer, DLRCC; Ger Kennedy, Sandycove Bathers Association; Cllr Tom Murphy; Fred Espey; Dave Mooney, beach supervisor, DLRCC and Tommy Ryan, Sandycove Bathers Association

A POTENTIALLY life-saving defibrillator has been installed at the 40 Foot, ready to help hardy Christmas swimmers or those braving the waters all year round.

The Sandycove Bathers Association presented Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council with the device last week, with its Cathaoirleach, Cllr Tom Murphy, accepting the generous gift on their behalf.

The defibrillator was gifted to the

Council thanks to the fundraising efforts of Sandycove Bathers Association – in particular, Ger Kennedy, who has taken part in a number of charity fundraising sea swims in order to reach the funding target.

With the 40 Foot attracting swimmers from all across the city, and with the traditional Christmas Day dip popular with swimmers and onlookers alike, the defibrillator was a timely gift indeed to make.

12 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 26 December 2017

Out and About

Emma Cunningham Pepper. Pictures: Conor McCabe Photography

Student Photo Exhibition at Dublin’s CHQ Building S

Sophie McGuirk from Ringsend College

TUDENTS from Ringsend College revealed their take on Dublin as part of an exciting new photo exhibition entitled ‘My Port, River, City’ which was held at the CHQ Building recently. The exhibition showcased new works from over 100 budding young photographers aged 12 to 17 years old – for most of the students involved this represented their first official exhibition.

Roisin Cork

Farral Poole

Cian O’Reilly

Sophie McGuirk, Ellie Graham, Naoise Byrne and Roisin Cork

26 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 13

Out and About

Megan and Madison Kavanagh

Summer Baker, Brian Baker, Dylan Baker and Cullann Baker

Sandra Byrne Assaf with Hayley Assaf and Sophie Brennan

Savannah and Blaine Stafford

A family fun preview screening of new movie F

ILM fans grabbed life by the horns and made their way to a special preview screening Ferdinand at the Odeon Cinema in Point Square last week. The movie is the story of a young bull who escapes from a training camp in rural Spain after his father never returns from a showdown with a matador. Adopted by a girl who lives on a farm, Ferdinand’s peaceful existence comes crashing down when the authorities return him to his former captors.

Vincent Pamplona, Rhea Cataurtan and Carl Zoe Reid, Berni Reid, Lucy Brock and Karen Brock. Pictures: Brian McEvoy

Niall, Tracey and Brian Lynch

Pamplona

GAZETTE

14 DUBLIN GAZETTE 26 December 2017

DUBLINBUSINESS

New skills audit tool launched to help businesses MINISTER for Education and Skills Richard Bruton has launched a new skills audit tool and extra supports which will make it easier for employers to identify their skill needs.

Minister Heather Humphreys has also announced that 300 employers, in association with Enterprise Ireland, will be first to participate in the initiative.

Minister Bruton has set the ambition to make Ireland’s education service the best in Europe within a decade.

Skills for Growth is a package of supports for employers to help them understand and plan for their skill needs.

Each employer who participates in the programme will be given access to a new skills audit tool to capture

robust and consistent data on the skill needs of their business, and oneon-one assistance from a regional skills forum manager.

Announcing Skills for Growth, Minister Bruton said: “Ensuring we are planning for the future skill needs of our economy is so important to delivering on our ambitions as a nation.

“The Skills for Growth initiative is a fantastic development which will greatly enhance the ability of our regional skills fora to identify and, indeed, respond to these skills needs.

“If we want to be the best in Europe, we must ensure that the partnerships and links between the education system and enter prise are strong and continuously improved.”

Pauline Logan, network manager, Dublin City LEO Women in Business Network; Anita Donoghue, owner of The Hair Cafe Salon; Rita Smyth, Role Players for Training, and Mary McSweeney, deputy head of enterprise and economic development, Dublin City LEO. Picture: Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography

CELEBRATION | INVESTMENT, SERVICES SUPPORT PART OF PRIZE PACKAGES

Women entrepreneurs Irish businesses showing growth scoop top LEO awards THE number of businesses in Ireland is growing faster than seen in most major economies in the last year, , according to a new study by accounting and consultancy network UHY. Ireland ranks within the top 10 of UHY’s global business creation table out of 21 countries studied.

According to UHY, there has been a 3% increase in Ireland’s business numbers in the last year, with 205,000 Irish businesses in total in 2016, compared to 198,000 in 2015.

By comparison, the other majorWestern economies studied saw their number of businesses increase by just 2% last year, compared to the previous year. Overall, across all countries in the study, business numbers in 2016 increased by 8% on the previous year.

UHY says the figures reflect growing confidence in Ireland’s economy, as it leaves the shadow of the financial crisis behind.

However, the top-five rankings in the UHY table for growth in business numbers are dominated by emerging economies.

China topped the table, with a 19% increase in business numbers in the last year. There were over 26 million Chinese businesses in total in 2016, compared to almost 22 million in 2015.

THE Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Dublin City Women in Business Network awards saw Anita Donoghue, of The Hair Cafe Salon in Smithfield, and Rita Smyth of Role Players for Training, scoop top places.

As a celebration of exceptional women in business in the Dublin City area, the awards took place at the LEO Dublin City Women in Business Christmas networking event held at The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Kildare Street.

Award nominees were evaluated under two categories – the Rising Star award, and Best Start-Up award.

The Rising Star award went to Rita Smyth, of

Role Players for Training, with the company providing professional corporate role players to support and facilitate learning and development in business and executive education.

Rita’s win included an investment of €1,000 in her business, a €500 voucher towards services provided by Dublin City LEO, and a professional video on the company commissioned by Dublin City LEO in order to further promote Role Players for Training.

Anita Donoghue, of The Hair Cafe Salon, won the Best Start-Up award, in recognition of her business, in operation since September 2016.

The business provides

a boutique body and mind relaxation service, in addition to hair care.

Anita’s win included an investment of €500 and a €500 voucher towards ser vices provided by Dublin City LEO. Commenting on the awards, Mary McSweeney, deputy head of Enter prise and Eco nomic Development of Dublin City LEO, said; “I am delighted to present these awards to two worthy businesswomen who are growing and developing their business in the Dublin City region.

“It is great to see that there has been an increase in women starting their own businesses in the last few years, supported through Dublin

City LEO. “The Dublin City LEO office is here to encourage and support women who are starting a business or are already up and running.

“We aim to provide access to a support network of services and advice, together with access to like-minded entrepreneurs and startups, to maximise their chance for success and growth in their industry.”

G u e s t s p e a ke r a t the Dublin City LEO Women in Business Networking event was social media expert Samantha Kelly, also known as The Tweeting Goddess, who shared valuable tips with the audience on how to enhance a company’s

online presence and how to boost social media platforms in order to grow a business.

The Dublin City LEO supports start-ups and growing businesses in the Dublin city area through financial support, training and providing enterprise assistance.

One of these support initiatives is the Women in Business Network, which has been in existence for more than 10 years and has a membership of more than 100 women in business in the Dublin City region.

Dublin City LEO is supported by Dublin City Council, Enterprise Ireland and the EU European Regional Development Fund.

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



GAZETTE

DUBLINLIFE

26 December 2017 DUBLIN GAZETTE 15

SOCIETY: PUBLIC URGED TO USE A FREE GUIDE TO ENSURE OLDER PEOPLE STAY SAFE AND WARM

Help seniors weather winter  MARK O’BRIEN

THE winter season can often be a difficult time of year for older people within communities, both in terms of weather and loneliness.

Older people may be worried about turning on their heating for fear of rising heating costs, and this in turn can lead to health issues.

In response to this, OFTEC Ireland, Age Action and Jim Daly, Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for Mental Health and Older People,

have officially launched a free guide, offering key advice to help older people using oil home heating to stay safe and warm throughout the winter period.

The Keeping Warm this Winter guide, which is being distributed throughout Ireland, was created by OFTEC, which represents the domestic oil heating and cooking industry in Ireland, in conjunction with Age Action.

The guide is part of an annual awareness campaign that has proved to be very successful since its launch

three years ago.

Minister Daly said: “This free guide offers key advice to help older people to stay safe and warm throughout the winter period.

“I urge our older people to keep their homes warm and to eat well. It is essential that older people are not afraid to ask for and accept help from friends, family and neighbours when offered.

“Finally, I would like to ask our communities to be extra aware of their older neighbours this winter.

“We often assume that if

someone needs help they will ask, or that someone else will check in with them. During this festive period and the whole winter, let’s not wait to be asked or for someone else to do it.”

Age Action will be distributing the guide throughout its network of offices and shops and the guide is available free of charge. Alternatively, a digital copy is available to download from both the OFTEC and Age Actiown websites.

For more information visit www.ageaction.ie. www. oftec.org or www.oilsave.org.

Justin Moran, Age Action head of advocacy and communications, with Jim Daly, Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People, and David Blevings, OFTEC Ireland manager. Picture: Iain White, Fennell Photography

16 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 26 December 2017

26 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 17

18 DUBLIN GAZETTE 26 December 2017

GAZETTE

FOOD&DRINK DUBLINLIFE Yule be Avonmore cheesecake BAKING: THIS DELICIOUS, RED VELVET CHEESECAKE RECIPE IS A REAL CHRISTMAS CRACKER

Ingredients For the crust  20 chocolate biscuits of choice (eg Oreos or Bourbon Creams)  60g Avonmore Butter, melted For the filling  4 x 170g packs of soft cream cheese, at room temperature  200g sugar  3 tbsp cocoa powder  4 eggs  230g sour cream  2 tsp vinegar  60ml Avonmore Buttermilk  1 tsp vanilla extract  60ml red food colouring

For the topping  100g Avonmore freshly whipped cream  100g sugar  120ml water  200g fresh cranberries

Preparation  Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas mark 3 and place a circle of parchment paper into the bottom of a 23cm springform cake tin.  In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the crust and mix together until the mixture resembles damp sand.  Press the crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the

prepared cake tin. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then remove and allow to cool slightly.  Cover the outsides of the cake tin thoroughly with tin foil and set aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 150C/130C fan/gas mark 2.  In a large bowl, blend the cream cheese, sugar and cocoa powder together with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each.  Stir in the sour c r e a m , v i n e g a r,

buttermilk, vanilla extract and red food colouring. Beat on low speed until well combined, then transfer the filling into the cake tin.  Tap the tin sharply on the counter a few times to release any

air bubbles.

Place the cake tin inside a larger baking dish. Fill the baking dish with enough warm water to reach about halfway up the sides of the cake tin, making sure the water level is below the top of 

the tin foil. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes.  Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven, with the door closed, for a further 30 minutes.  Crack the oven door open and leave the cheesecake in there for another 20-25 minutes or until set. Remove cheesecake from the oven and place in the fridge for at least an hour.  To make the sugared cranberries, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over a medium heat and stir for 2-3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved.  Stir in the cranberries

until well coated. Transfer the berries to a wire rack using a slotted spoon, and allow to dry for at least one hour.  To decorate, place the whipped cream in a freezer bag and carefully snip off a small corner to form a piping bag.  Beginning at the edge of the top of the cake, pipe small rosettes of cream all the way around in a circle. Begin again immediately inside this circle and pipe another circle of rosettes.  Fill the inside of the cream circle with sugared cranberries and garnish the centre with a sprig of holly, if desired.

26 December 2017 DUBLIN GAZETTE 19

26 December 2017 DUBLIN GAZETTE 21

DUBLINLIFE

 JAMES HENDICOTT IT’S that time again: the year’s most anticipated night out, followed by a hungover vow to change yourself for the better, a gym owner’s favourite couple of weeks, the odd salad, and finally everything getting back to normal.

Dublin’s New Year Festival has been lighting up the city (literally) over the last few years, and has slowly expanded from mainly a big gig to a whole lot more.

This year’s stars are massive Swords band Kodaline, who will be accompanied by Keywest and Hudson Taylor in an extremely local-leaning pop-fest line up.

That core event is long since sold out, but there’s plenty of other stuff to explore, much of which is free, and spread out across December 31 and January 1.

These events include several light displays (which are free ticketed events on the Custom House - register through Ticketmaster), acrobatics, smaller concerts, flyboarding and a host of pop-up performers.

We caught up with a few of the people involved to ask them all about what they do...

HELIOSPHERE Carrying out acrobatic performances whilst hanging from oversized helium balloons seems like a wacky and potentially dangerous idea, but also a nice way to present gymnasts in a new way, against a bright background, and allow them to perform.

Heliosphere pioneered the concept.

“Research, testing and practise,” were key, they say, adding “we research the science so an envelope of just the right size and which is light and strong enough to hold the helium, is used with enough ‘useful lift’ for the aerialist to fly but be manipulated from the ground safely by the crew without so much lift that they fly as well.”

“Our show consists of a big launch moment where our aerial dancer flies into the air.

It is a delightful and impossible image. We then perform an aerobatic segment to music where she flies in loop-the-loops and then flies down to meet the audience.” “[The idea] came from a desire to create the illusion of flying. We wanted to combine the talents of an acrobat, music, lights a wonderful location and some innovative design, to create a sum larger than all the parts. The venue, the event and the weather all shape the final show.

“This means that no two shows are really the same. We don’t see this as a problem but as the fun. A little piece of magic.”

FLYBOARDERS You might have come across Flyboarders once or twice: they’re those crazy looking people who seem to be surfing on jet packs out of water, powered by a kind of tube mechanism attached to a jet ski as they fly over the surface.

The sport is only five years old, having

A VERY DUBLIN NEW YEAR Kodaline, light, aerial performers, brave water-tech and drumming mayhem: what to see at Dublin’s New Year Festival

MUSIC

GAZETTE

GAZETTE

20 DUBLIN GAZETTE 26 December 2017

N O S ’ T A H W

E D I U G S T N EVE

with JAMES HENDICOTT

Dublin NYE Festival

We explore the massive two-day extravaganza that’ll help see the city into the New Year elsewhere on this page.

Kodaline will be playing in the New Year, while there’s plenty of other bits to get excited about, too.

Overhead, The Albatross

FLYBOARDERS

Probably Ireland’s finest instrumental rock act, Overhead, The Albatross are an absolute riot of a live act, guaranteed to shake the Workman’s Club to its rafters (and, frankly, worthy of a far bigger venue). They play December 28.

VIBE FOR PHILO

Vibe for Philo

The annual memorial for a certain Phil Lynott extends to two days this year at Whelan’s, with a ‘pre-vibe’ on the 3rd of January and the main event on the 4th.

Pay tribute to Dublin rock royalty with a show that’s never less than loud, emotional and memorable.

HELIOSPHERE

Something Happens

A band that pretty much only come out at Christmas these days, Something Happens will do their annual Christmas gig at Whelan’s on December 29, led as always by music radio presenter Tom Dunne.

Father Ted Day

The Bernard Shaw’s annual post-Christmas tradition returns with silly avengence, as all the priests, Mrs Doyles and lovely girls drop in for various shenanigans and a few of Father Jack’s favourite tipples. December 26, from 6pm.

Dublin GAA Return

HIT MACHINE DRUMMERS

KODALINE

come about as a result of the experiments of a French jet ski champion.

It’s quickly gained popularity, though, and will feature in the Liffey during the festival. We don’t envy them the temperature.

There’s plenty that can be done on a flyboard, even in winter. “There are numerous tricks that we can perform, back flips, 360s, supermans and dolphin dives,” they explain, “however in the winter time with the LED suits and water temperature, dolphins and underwater tricks are restricted a bit.

Both pre-season tournaments, the O’Byrne Cup and the Walsh Cup are kicking off as early as January 3 this time around, with a (no doubt much-changed) Dublin set to play Offaly and Wexford in the football, and Antrim and Meath in the hurling.

There are numerous combinations that we can perform, though, and with the right atmosphere and crowd support double and triple back flips are possible.”

“The River Liffey is quite wide compared to some of the canals that Flyboard Team Europe perform at, however with three flyboarders (for the first time ever in Ireland) at one time in a professional show it will make it a bit more difficult.

“It will be a challenge we all look forward to.”

As for actually riding those boards?

“Sense of direction can be difficult at times, especially when performing shows and tricks. One key thing to look after is the hose, which weighs up to one tonne when full of water.

This is one the most important things as if it hits the jet ski or if you fly into it, the hose can cause serious damage or injury.

Once you have direction and your position with the hose and jet ski is ok, then generally everything else works out.

We’ve had flyboarders as young as ten or as old as eighty giving it a go.”

HIT MACHINE DRUMMERS Performing a mix of high-energy drumming and a little Irish dancing, the Hit Machine Drummers are one of the rising stars of the small-scale, interactive end of Ireland’s music scene, performing short, frantic, punchy sets.

“Members of the group have toured the world with some of the biggest names in music today,” they tells us.

“Our show involves high-quality drumming, but also incorporates Irish dancing and crowd interaction, and our main aim is to make sure the crowd enjoy them-

Turning Pirate selves and to leave them wanting more.”

“We’re lucky to have some World Champion Irish dancers hidden within our drumming group. Those guys have toured the world as part of some of some of the biggest music and dance productions, like Riverdance and Lord of the Dance.”

“All the members have to be very physically fit, as the show is so high energy. We know the audience feed off our energy on stage, so we always give it 100% when performing. That can be difficult to do when you’re playing three to four shows a day at

a festival, but regular rehearsal and exercise give us the stamina needed.”

“We love the challenge of producing new and exciting pieces with just drums as our instruments.

“We always have the audience in the back of our mind when working on new sets and we strive to create something that will not only excite and impress them, but will have them on their feet and wanting more.”

All the info you could possibly need on Dublin New Year’s Festival can be found on nyfdublin.com

NYE’s Mixtape Vicar Street’s annual seeing in of the New Year features an all star line up including Lisa Hannigan, James Vincent McMorrow, Mick Flannery, Booka Brass and Niamh Farrell.

It’s never less than a riot.

FATHER TED DAY

22 DUBLIN GAZETTE 26 December 2017

GAZETTE

DUBLINFITNESS

Choose the correct coach to keep you motivated in the New Year Gareth Francis is a qualified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach with over eight years experience in the fitness industry.

He now works as head coach in Kickstart Fitness.

THINKING of joining the gym and getting into shape in the new year?

A lot of us will give ourselves the annual New Years resolution of “getting into shape” but truth be told, more than half of us will give up before January ends.

Most of the time this failure will come down to some simple factors but

 GARETH FRANCIS

info@dublingazette.com

the one I see people doing most is setting themselves unachievable goals.

For example, giving yourself one week to lose a stone of body fat and telling yourself you’ll go to the gym everyday is not a realistic target or goal.

Then when you don’t reach your set goals it can be disheartening and that’s when people tend to

give up.

The first thing you should do when starting any exercise plan is to set a goal.

The smaller the goal the more achievable it’s going to be.

So my advice on setting goals in the new year is to set them small and every time you reach one it motivates you to set another and keep progressing.

Where do you start if you’re a complete beginner? Firstly you need to choose a gym to workout in or a coach to work with.

If you’ve no gym experience, I’d highly recommend finding a good coach to help you set and achieve these goals, or a gym that has plenty of classes, not only to teach you correct technique but to motivate you along the way.

Walking around a gym going from machine to machine, not knowing exactly what you’re doing could push you further from your goals and risk injuring yourself .

How do I choose the right coach?

The best coaches aren’t necessarily the guys who have the most Instagram followers, or who are in the best shape themselves and definitely not the ones who try to sell you juices

26 December 2017 DUBLIN GAZETTE 23

CHECK OUT

www.kickstartfitness.ie

When you don’t reach your set goals it can be disheartening and that’s when people tend to give up

and quick fixes.

The best coaches are the ones who get the best results, so do your homework.

Check out how many people they’ve helped who’ve been in your situation before hiring them.

You can’t put a price on the feeling of being healthy and in good shape, so don’t be afraid to spend a little when it comes to reaching your fitness goals.

I know a lot of us would spend more on one night out in town with friends than it would cost to work with a coach twice a week.

Also be patient and trust the process. It didn’t take you a few weeks to fall out of shape so don’t expect it’s going to happen overnight when trying to get into shape.

Every exercise plan should also be sustainable. This means you can make lifestyle changes and not end up back where you once were.

So a plan that’s easy to stick by, works around your lifestyle and is effective to your goals.

GAZETTE

24 DUBLIN GAZETTE 26 December 2017

DUBLINMOTORING

FASTNews

Joe O’Grady, group head of finance and business development, Sandyford Motor Centre; Colin Sheridan, sales and marketing director, Gowan Distributors Limited; Front row: Des Cannon, managing director at Gowan Distributors Limited, Peugeot Importers in Ireland; Bruce Soraghan, dealer principal, Sandyford Motor Centre

Sandyford Motor Centre gets Peugeot SANDYFORD Motor Centre has been appointed as a Peugeot dealer by Gowan Distributors Limited, Peugeot importers in Ireland. Fronted by Dealer Principal, Bruce Soraghan, Sandyford Motor Centre is now retailing the full line-up of Peugeot passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, with a range of quality used cars for sale.

The after sales department is now also fully equipped with the latest Peugeot diagnostic equipment. The parts department is now stocking a full range of genuine Peugeot parts and accessories.

Bruce Soraghan and Joe O’Grady both are quoted as saying: “The Peugeot franchise is undoubtedly drawing lots of interest in the Irish market and it has become very clear to us that the lion-brand will be a good fit for us.

“The new SUV line up, including the new Peugeot 3008 SUV, just crowned Irish Car of the Year 2018, and the new Peugeot 5008 7-seater SUV, just launched, together with the excellent van range, will undoubtedly bring us new custom. We very much look forward to 2018 with Peugeot in confidence.”

Will 2018 be the year of the electric car?

in association with

Sales of electric cars in Dublin City and surrounding commuter regions are expected to expand significantly in 2018, with range improvements in the cars and more importantly, a longer term Benefit-in-Kind tax incentive, writes MICHAEL MORONEY as he examines the electric vehicle benefits for 2018.

THERE is growing interest in the ownership of electric cars in Ireland and specifically in the Dublin region, as range anxiety fades with improved battery performance.

Equally importantly, was the news in the recent Budget that the 0% Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) incentive as a one-year trial, will now be available for a minimum of three years. This has become a real game changer when it comes to company car ownership of electric cars.

Despite fears in the motor industry, the Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe in his budget opted not to raise the price of diesel, against the background where there was a lot of speculation that he would seek to close the price gap with petrol. The only motor related meas-

ure announced in the Budget was the introduction of a new incentive for company-owned electric vehicles.

The Government estimate the cost of the BIK incentive at just €500,000, but they might be surprised as the motor industry, across many brands with electric car options, is seeing more interest in electric and hybrid cars as a result of this tax incentive scheme.

Minister Donohoe said that he was taking this approach to motoring taxes in order to allow scope for a comprehensive review of BIK on motor vehicles in time for the next budget.

This BIK extension will now make electric vehicles a far more attractive option for many commuting motorists, with

possible savings of up to €10,000 a year for lowmileage company car users. Car leasing firms, which usually buy vehicles in a three-year cycle, will now be able to plan depreciation costs of electric cars in a more viable way over a number of years.

This will mean that the electric car option will come into focus for many company car drivers and fleet managers who look for ways of reducing the costs of their daily commute into the Dublin region.

The lower BIK rate comes on top of the current vehicle registration tax (VRT) tax relief to a maximum of €5,000 and the SEAI grant of up to €5,000 which is already in place.

Nissan has been a leader in the supply of

electric cars in Ireland.

The company reports that based on 2018 pre-sales and customer enquiries in their showrooms they are already starting to see some very interesting shifts in customer preferences with regard to drivetrain.

“Pre-sales activity tells us what next year’s trends will look like and we are seeing great interest in electric car ownership in Ireland,” according to James McCarthy, managing director at Nissan Ireland.

What has happened in the electric car market for this year does not reflect the likely changes expected in 2018.

The figures in Table 1 show that while the overall new car market in Ireland dropped by 10% to 131,196 to 146,215, sales

of electric/hybrid cars rose by 65%.

The big increase has come in hybrid petrol cars, where Toyota has been promoting its hybrid range with price and car exchange incentives.

Sales of the clearly identifiable Toyota Prius are up marginally, but the big growth has come in sales of the hybrid versions of the Yaris, Auris and RAV4, all of which have significant growth in 2017.

Sales of pure electric cars also increased in 2017.

The registration figures produced by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), show electric car sales growth of 58% year on year.

Nissan expects this to increase in 2018, even though Leaf sales dipped in 2017 while imports of

Ford boosts EcoSport features THE new Ford EcoSport compact SUV, due in Ireland for January 2018, claims enhanced versatility and capability, more refined styling and sophisticated technologies for customers in Europe.

The EcoSport features new SUV styling similar to that the mid-sized Kuga and large Edge. EcoSport’s rear bumper and tail light designs also are revised to deliver a cleaner appearance.

The EcoSport for the first time offers Ford Intelligent All Wheel Drive technology with claims of improved traction on and off-road. This is combined with

an advanced new 1.5-litre EcoBlue diesel engine, delivering up to 125bhp and lower CO2 emissions. This new diesel engine is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, with claims of 4.5 l/100 km fuel efficiency and a low 119g/km CO2 emission figure.

Ford’s SYNC 3 communications and entertainment system is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. SYNC 3 is supported by EcoSport’s floating, 8-inch colour touchscreen, which can be operated with pinch and swipe gestures and is available as standard on EcoSport

in Ireland.

When the new EcoSport arrives in Ireland in January, the car will be offered in Titanium and ST-Line versions with a range of high technology and extras as standard including, Ford SYNC 3 navigation with 8” touchscreen, DAB radio, emergency assistance, Apple CarPlay / Android Auto, rear view camera, keyless start, cruise control with speed limiter, and partial leather trim.

The entry prices start at €26,900 for the Titanium 1.0 litre powered by a 125bhp EcoBoost petrol engine.

Ford has a new version of the EcoSport SUV for January 2018

26 December 2017 DUBLIN GAZETTE 25

in association with Toyota’s Prius has been among the bestselling hybrid cars for 2017 as Toyota pushed hybrid sales across the range with price and car change incentives

Keep your car lights on longer FOLLOWING this week’s Winter Solstice

lights on once the engine is running

daylight time starts to get slightly long-

even during daylight time. This is a huge

er each day as winter wanes, however,

boost to road safety as the old adage

Continental Tyres Ireland is advising

for pedestrian safety: ‘Be safe, be seen’!

motorists not to wait until darkness to

is equally true for motorists and other

turn on their lights.

road-users.”

“However, there is a significant amount of older vehicles on our roads and many of these cars and vans do not have daytime running lights, so for the drivers of those vehicles our advice is to drive with dipped headlights all day long. If motorists take this small step of

The issue of visibility is a leading

always driving with their lights on, day

contributory cause to road accidents

and night, we believe it would be a huge

in Ireland. Poor lighting outside of

boost to road safety this Christmas and

built up areas and bad road conditions

into the New Year”.

Many motorists who mistakenly leave

compound this problem. So as New Year

used Nissan Leaf’s rose from 167 to 352 cars between 2016 and 2017.

Overall, there are now close to 1,600 Leaf pure electric cars on Irish roads.

This growth sales prediction for 2018 is because Nissan’s new Leaf comes with a more powerful 40kWh battery as standard that now claims a maximum 378 kilometres range from a single charge.

The Leaf using the same three-pin plug takes up to a maximum of 16 hours from flat because of its higher capacity. If you use a more powerful EV home charger (6kWh) the new Leaf will take eight hours to charge fully from flat. A 40-minute charge at a public quick charger (50kWh) can deliver 80% capacity, according to Nissan.

Even though uptake has been relatively slow in Ireland, the Leaf is the world’s best-selling EV with close to 300,000 sales in 49 markets; there are approximately 30,000 Leafs in Norway alone Europe’s leading electric car market.

Nissan claims that the consumer interest in the new Leaf is growing exponentially and Nissan Ireland expects a 200% increase in LEAF based on pre-sales interest com-

pared with sales in 2017.

The Hyundai Ioniq was also a strong seller in electric and hybrid drive during 2017, putting marginally behind the Toyota Prius.

The Renault Zoe, BMW i3 and i8, while the impressive Volkswagen e-Golf made an initial impact but

expect to see more in 2018.

The recent Carzone Motoring Report also confirmed a significant trend toward hybrid and electric cars. The survey indicated an increasing demand for

electric cars is increasing in Ireland. It showed that 16% of those surveyed said they would consider buying an electric car in the near future.

And the number of searches for electric cars on the Carzone website has increased by over 180% year-on-year in 2017.

Being kind to the environment was the number one reason why people would switch to an electric car but a lack of available charging points was the key factor in not mak-

ing the switch. 82% say they do not have access to a charging point at their workplace and for rural dwellers availability of a charging point is an issue.

Just 30% of those living rurally have a charging station less than 5km away.

approaches, Continental Tyres Ireland

their fog lamps on when there is no fog.

is urging Irish motorists to make an

Tom added: “I think many motorists

extra New Year resolution to always

consider fog lamps as part of their front

(day and night) drive with headlights on

headlamps and they drive with them on

(dipped when appropriate).

far too regularly.

“Driving with fog lamps on when there

Tom Dennigan of Continental Tyres Ireland, said, “A lot of newer cars come

is no fog is dangerous as they can dazzle

with day-time running lights (DTRLs)

all other road users, so please turn

as standard, this means they have

them off when there is no fog!”.

Impreza and XV return safety rewards for Subaru Subaru’s XV Crossover and Impreza models have each achieved the maximum five star overall rating in the 2017 European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) 4 safety performance test. The two cars achieved outstanding scores in all four assessment areas of Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Pedestrian Protection and Safety Assist, well above the minimum threshold required and with noticeable high overall average.

The new Subaru XV Crossover and Impreza are the first models to feature the new Subaru Global Platform (SGP), designed to deliver higher levels of safety performance, driving enjoyment and ride comfort.

26 DUBLIN GAZETTE 26 December 2017

Out and About

Karen Hardy, Amelia Coogan, Adam Coogan and Jennifer Coogan

Enjoying an array of exciting attractions T

Niamh McDonald and Eoin McLarnon. Pictures: SIMON PEARE

HRILL seeking Dubliners headed to the RDS as Funderland returned with the best thrill rides and family attractions. This year Funderland presents an array of exciting attractions direct from Germany including the Power Wave, Break Dance and the amazing Star Flyer called “Around the World”. They have attractions to suit all ages and tastes. All the old favourites will be there too along with the Funderland Loop, Ireland’s only looping roller coaster!

Andrea Cooke, Jamal Cooke, Alison Clarke and Harry Clarke

Niamh Dillon, Louise Jane Maguire and Sinead Wollohan

Karr and Caitlin Walsh

26 December 2017 DUBLIN GAZETTE 27

Out and About

Mia McDonagh and Aoife Lawlor

Halle Keogh, Holly Clarke, Megan Keogh, Ellie Mae Clarke, Lyn Keogh and Mandy Clarke

Sarah and John Quinn

Millie Rose Wilson, Charlene Wilson, Stephen Hopkins and Ellie Hopkins

Sarah Donnellan, Luke Donnellan, Ben Donnellan, Linda Hynes, Dara Hynes, Brooke Lewis, Zoe Lewis and Eimear Lewis

GAZETTE

28 DUBLIN GAZETTE 26 December 2017

DUBLINLIFE

Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) peaceful and solitary existence gets upended when he encounters Rey (Daisy Ridley)

STAR WARS THE LAST JEDI: THE RESISTANCE PREPARES TO DO BATTLE WITH THE FIRST ORDER

A force to be reckoned with

WITH a wait of merely two years, comparatively little next to what Star Wars fans are used to waiting, The Last Jedi (Cert 12a, 2 hours 33 mins) picks up right from where 2015’s T he Force Awakens left off.

While JJ Abrams’ instalment garnered plenty of critical acclaim and broke box-office records, many diehards critiqued the series’ long awaited seventh-installment’s adherence to franchise formula.

The same cannot be said here; The Last Jedi manages to be the most unpredictable installment since the series defining Empire Strikes Back.

Director Rian Johnson’s personal touch cuts through decades of convention and makes for an epic that feels both exhilaratingly fresh and comfortably familiar.

Some of the narrative decisions here may not sit well

 MARTIN MACNAMARA

with Star Wars devotees, but this expansive midpoint in the new trilogy cares little for fan service.

Picking up right after the events of The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi sees burgeoning Jedi Rey (Daisy Ridley) interrupting the legendary Luke Skywalker’s solitary life to learn the ways of the Force.

M e a nw h i l e , Ky l o R e n (Adam Driver) and General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) of the First Order hunt down the remains of the resistance, following the obliteration of the Republic in the previous film.

On board a fleeing resistance ship, stormtrooperturned-rebel Finn ( John Boyega) wakes up to find himself in the midst of the chaos, while Princess Leia (Carrie Fischer), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and new addition Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern) attempt to outmanoeuvre the First Order’s ceaseless assault.

Kicking off proceedings with its heroic rebels on the run and a hopeful Jedi in search of enlightenment, many will make quick comparisons to the narrative stylings of The Empire Strikes Back.

Indeed, plenty accused The Force Awakens of sticking too rigidly to the formula of franchise-starter A New Hope (ignoring the series’ fundamental loyalty to mythical storytelling archetypes).

Those early trepidations will be swiftly dashed. The

Last Jedi is the most expansive, defiant and forwardthinking instalment yet building on and injecting the Star Wars mythology with a heady cocktail of fresh ideas.

Stubborn series-obsessives, naturally, will have plenty to complain about, but The Last Jedi does much to move the franchise forward, while remaining faithful to the spirit of its legendary universe.

That’s not to say that all these new directions work.

From the word go, T he Last Jedi takes a comedic approach that’ll feel jarringly familiar to any of those millions upon millions of moviegoers who’ve attended Disney’s Marvel movies.

There are jokes here - lots of them. While the series has certainly never been some humourless desert of cold, hard space-opera, The Last Jedi’s over-abundance of

comedy is often distracting and out of place, going for the comedic jugular when it should aim to excite, thrill and terrify.

In this area, the cutesy “porgs” are the least of the movie’s problems.

Thankfully, Johnson sticks to the darker dramatic route when it really counts.

The Last Jedi is long - the longest Star Wars entry yet - but packed as it is with twists, turns, family drama, e n o r m o u s a c t i o n s e tpieces and pit stops in characteristically imaginative galactic locales, it never feels laborious or sluggish; the pace perfectly matches the epic narrative.

At the risk of spoili n g

any sur prises, I’ll resist outlining the merits of The Last Jedi’s plot points - be assured, there’s plenty of drama you won’t see coming and tension you’ll barely be able to stand. In some ways, Rian Johnson’s first Star Wars effort is the least “Star Warsy” movie yet - that’s not a bad thing.

The Last Jedi will delight hordes and inevitably disappoint many of the faithful.

Naysayers be damned, this is epic, expansive and exhilarating sci-fi drama.

Verdict: 8/10

26 December 2017 DUBLIN GAZETTE 29

Blooming marvellous garden holidays

Tatton Park

GAZETTE

TRAVEL

TravelShorts

Last minute Tenerife from €539pp MILES of sandy beaches, year-round sunshine and dramatic volcanic scenery, holidays to Tenerife offer plenty of unforgettable experiences.

Resorts like Playa de las Americas, Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos and Playa de la Arena boast large, sandy beaches that have attracted holidayWinter Gardens Cambridge

makers for hundreds of years.

The year-round sunshine, tonnes of watersports and beachfront cafes, bars and clubs make the beaches of this island hard to beat.

 SYLVIA POWNALL Travel Editor

TR AVEL Department has launched a range of escorted garden holidays for 2018 and they’re blooming marvellous!

New tour destinations include Catalonia, Shakespeare’s Gardens and the unique winter gardens of Cambridge with visits to some of the most iconic gardens in the world.

And if you fancy flying further afield there’s a superb opportunity to experience the gardens of Japan during the spellbinding cherry blossom season.

Gardens Kyoto

The garden tours are led by expert guides Frances and Iain MacDonald, who run the renowned Bay Garden in County Wexford.

Having spent time living and working in Japan herself, Frances MacDonald is the perfect guide to bring garden enthusiasts to some of the country’s most impressive gardens and attractions.

She said: “Our garden tours are unique as our groups are small, allowing for individual attention from either myself or Iain.

“We welcome all ages and those travelling alone as the common

interest in gardening, at varying levels, unites our group and allows us to share knowledge.

“We visit not only gardens that are generally open to the public but also smaller private gardens, where the owners guide us around their creations, which inspire and delight us.

“We look forward to visiting a new selection of gardens both in Ireland and further afield in 2018, and returning with renewed energy and fresh ideas for our own gardens.”

The once-in-a-lifetime 13-night Gardens and Sights of Japan tour visits the bustling high-rise metropolis of Tokyo, the gardens of the ancient c i t y o f Ky o t o , t h e renewed city of Hiroshima and Mount Fuji.

Another highlight for 2018 is a new five-night break to the Gardens of Catalonia, including excursions to the stunning Marimurtra Botanical Garden on

Many people might not realise it, but Tenerife is an island that possesses a rich and exciting past – evidence of which can be seen in its beautifully preserved colonial towns and villages like Garachico.

Christmas and New Year

the Mediterranean, the Temps de Flors Flower Festival in Girona and a full day tour of Barcelona.

Also new for 2018 is a three-night tour o f S h a ke s p e a r e ’s Gardens and the Cotswolds, visiting some of the fine houses and gardens associated with England’s greatest playwright.

Alternatively there’s a magical Winter Gardens & Christmas in Cambridge two-night break featuring a guided tour of the winter wonderland at Cambridge Botanic Gardens.

Closer to home, there will also be new Irish tours to the Gardens of Carlow and Kildare, and the Gardens of Antrim

deals to the Canaries:

Park Guell

• 31-Dec-17, Dublin to Lanzarote, San Marcial, Matagorda, 2*, SC, 14nights from €669pp • 22-Dec-17, Dublin to Tenerife, Hotel Catalonia Las Vegas, Puerto De Cruz, 3*, HB, 7nights from €939pp Winter 18 getaways from €369: 04-Jan-18, Dublin to Gran Canaria, Tamanaco, Puerto Rico, 2*, SC, 7 nights from €499pp

and Down.

Other highlights include the Gardens of Cornwall, Gardens of the Lake District, Gardens of Lake Como, Gardens of Brittany and Gardens of East Cork, as well as trips to two major Horticultural

Shows – Chelsea Flower Show and the Tatton Park Flower Show – and two exclusive tours to Highgrove, the garden of HRH Prince Charles.

Further information at 01 6371635 or visit www.traveldepartment. ie/garden.

12-Jan-18, Dublin to Tenerife, Globales Tamaimo Tropical Hotel, Puerto de Santiago, 3*, SC, 7nights from €399pp.

To Book: Visit www. falconholidays.ie, Call 1850 45 35 45 or visit a Falcon Shop/travel agent.

30 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 26 December 2017

26 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 31

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GAZETTE

34 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 26 December 2017

SPORT

FastSport DUBLIN ALIGNED WITH BILBAO: UEFA have paired Dublin with Bilbao as host city partners following a draw for host city pairings in Nyon, Switzerland.

Four matches will be played in Aviva Stadium in a unique version of the tournament that will be spread across 12 different countries and represents the biggest sporting event to be hosted in Ireland.

In a UEFA Executive Committee meeting, attended

by FAI CEO John Delaney, it was also announced that the four matches originally scheduled to be held in Brussels will now be allocated to Wembley Stadium, London.

Delaney said of the news: “The host city pairings marks an exciting chapter in the build-up to the European Championships, which will see Dublin and Ireland hosting the biggest ever sporting event to take place in our country.”

SWIMMING: IRISH RECORDS GALORE AT EURO SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Dublin-based quartet make major splash in Copenhagen

 sport@dublingazette.com

A QUARTET of Dublin-based swimmers played their part as Irish swimmers broke 13 Irish records at the European Short Course Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.

This added to 16 Irish records at the Irish Short Course Championships in Lisburn, making it 29 Irish records broken across a one-week period.

Swim Ireland National Performance Director Jon Rudd has been encouraged by the performances both at home and in Copenhagen: “This has been a fantastic week for Irish swimming; when you consider that we have broken 13 Irish records here in Copenhagen whilst another 16 records were broken back at home at our National Short Course Championships, you have to feel that we’re on the move as a collective.

“We’re certainly not where we want to be yet and there is much work still to be done but we’re in a good place with our national team, our national squad and our national centres and we’re about to launch what we believe is a very exciting coach development programme through and

The Irish Swim Team at the European Short course Championships in Copenhagen

into Tokyo 2020.”

On day one in Denmark, Brendan Hyland knocked almost a second off his best time in the heats of the 100m Butterfly. The Tallaght man clocked 52.20 to finish second in his heat.

In the 50m breaststroke, UCD’s Darragh Greene finished in a best time of 27.65 while Conor Ferguson, based at the NAC in Abbotstown, completed the first morning session for

Ireland with a top-twenty position in the 200m Backstroke in 1:55.84.

Alex Murphy, another based at the NAC, bettered his time of 26.66 from the morning of the 50m breaststroke to 26.52 in the first semi-final of the event but missed out on a final spot.

On day two, Murphy and Greene were impressive in the 200m Breaststroke heats with both taking significant times off their previous bests. Mur-

phy was the fastest of three Irish competitors clocking 2.08.05, just one tenth of a second off Andrew Bree’s 2007 Irish record (2:07.95). Greene clocked 2.11.02.

A day later, Murphy, swimming in the unseeded heats, dominated the field in his race in a new Irish 100m breaststroke record of 57.69, smashing Barry Murphy’s 2013 record of 58.31.

The NAC’s athlete’s previous best had stood at 58.71, comfort-

ably qualifying for the semi-final in a top-eight position. He was unable to match his heat time but was under his previous best for the second time, touching 8th in the second semi-final for 16th place overall.

On day four, Ferguson set a new Irish Junior Record in the 100m Individual Medley. Ferguson’s time of 55.41 bettered the record of 55.84 that he had set in Dublin last month.

Ferguson brought Ireland’s championships to a close with a new Irish record in the semifinals of the 50m Backstroke.

He had progressed from the morning heats in 23.97 after becoming the first Irishman under 24 seconds in a new junior and senior Irish record. The 18-year-old lowered that record to 23.84 to place 13th overall.

Ferguson said he was “really happy” with his week, “it’s been great to end the meat off on a high, this week has given me more experience. It was a bit of a rocky road at the start of the week, I was quite disappointed, but sometimes you win, sometimes you learn. I just had to change my mindset for the second half of the week and it definitely paid off.”

Molloy and Lavelle step up to shoot Alex to glory  STEPHEN FINDLATER sport@dublingazette.com

The Alexandra College Junior Cup side

ALEXANDRA College landed the first major title of the Leinster schoolgirls hockey season as they took the Junior Cup title, beating Muckross Park in a shoot-out in the final at Grange Road.

It owed much to some Amy Molloy heroics in goal and the cool head of Eva Lavelle in sudden death to eventually get the result after a well-contested tussle.

Molloy had initially stepped into the role for the semi-final with Rachel O’Mahony – goalkeeper

for the early rounds – away on holiday for the semi-final and up to the day before the final.

Molloy duly kept a clean sheet in normal time in the final and produced a series of key interventions in the shoot-out, setting the scene for Lavelle to coolly slot the winner, 3-2.

Early on, Muckross started superbly, bossing the first 10 minutes with Kate Sheridan’s thumping shot saved off the line by Lavelle at the left post.

Alex stormed back, winning a series of corners while Muckross keeper Kate O’Donnell made an

incredible diving stop to tip away Ella Tempany’s rising shot as well as keeping out a couple of corners.

Lucy Crowe and Abby Clarke – an Irish soccer international – were particularly solid at the back for Muckross as the game settled down with chances becoming rare.

For Alex, Lavelle was a quality performer in midfield with some slick skills.

The second half saw openings at a premium until the last few minutes when Ailill Dorman twice went within inches of a winner.

It sent the tie to a shoot-out where Lavelle and the impressive Isabelle Maleady both scored in the opening round before the goalkeepers took over. Molloy and Kate O’Donnell kept out the next six shoot-outs.

Emma Whelan put Alex on the brink of victory only for Clarke to make it 2-2 at the end of the regulation five.

Molloy then made a brilliant double save in the first round of sudden death, allowing Lavelle the chance to race in and place a calm winner, sparking an eruption from the red side of Grange Road.

26 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 35

GAZETTE

VOLLEYBALL

Rockford reach national final for third year in a row ROCKFORD Manor made it three All-Ireland schools volleyball finals in succession, continuing a superb five-year run of form in the sport for the Stradbrook Road outfit.

This team started off in 2013 playing junior volleyball, known as spikeball, and were the first team to play the sport in Rockford.

“Start as you mean to go on” was the mantra and the girls definitely did this by reaching the National Spikeball final. The girls set a precedent of success for later years.

In 2015, they went on to reach an All-Ireland final at cadette level, but were unlucky to lose out at the final hurdle.

They continued to work hard and learned from this defeat to go on and win the Senior C All-Ireland volleyball final in 2016.

And, on December 13, their 2017 season culminated in yet another All-Ireland final, facing off against Colaiste Mhuire, Ennis in the Senior B competition, adapting well to the standard in a higher division.

They would also have been feeling confident going into this game as they already bested their opponents Colaiste Muire, Ennis (25-15 25-15) in a league match only a few weeks earlier.

However, this was the first time any of these schools appeared in a Senior B final and anything can happen in a one-off game.

It was Colaiste Muire who hit the ground running with some great shots coming from all players putting them into a comfortable 10-1 lead with just seven minutes played, Rockford Manor had no response in the first set with the Clare team winning the opening set 25-7.

The second set was much more even until some great serves from Colaiste Muire edged them ahead before they extended their lead to win their first Senior B title.(25-15) Once again, they were unlucky to lose but can reflect on an incredible run of success to reach the national decider on three successive occasions, particularly as the school only started volleyball five years ago.

The school collaborates with Dalkey Devils Ladies team to develop young players with a lot of students play collaborating with the club, benefitting the school team and the community team.

Mercy and Marian take Christmas number one

DCU and UCD clubs sit atop the Basketball Ireland Super League standings as they finish their 2017 schedule with important wins over Glanmire and KUBS, respectively  sport@dublingazette.com

DCU Mercy and UCD Marian have a lot to celebrate this festive season as they remain top of the Women’s and Men’s Super League tables ahead of the Christmas break.

DCU continued their solid form of late in Glanmire on Saturday afternoon, winning out 62-57 against their longtime rivals in Cork.

Despite trailing 35-27 at half time, superb performances from Sarah Woods and Rachel Huijsdens sent DCU home to victory. The diminut i v e Wo o d s l a n d e d three from outside the D en route to 18 points in total while Alex Masaquel also made an impact with 11 points.

The win keeps DCU clear at the top of the table with eight wins from nine outings going into the Christmas period with their next league

tie set for decision on January 20, a derby date with Pyrobel Killester.

Elsewhere in the Women’s Super League, Courtyard Liffey Celtics got back to winning ways with an 85-51point win over Portlaoise Panthers, Jamzen Boone a n d D e vo n B r o o kshire both clearing the 20-point barrier in a comprehensive return to form.

K i l l e s t e r wo n o u t 72 - 5 8 o n t h e r o a d a g a i n s t M a xo l W I T Wildcats. The Dubliners led from the front, building a 34-25 lead at half-time with Aisling McCann, Hannah Thornton and Ella McCloskey making the difference.

In the Men’s Super League, a solid win for UCD Marian over fellow Dublin club, KUBS, on Saturday evening saw them remain top of the table going into Christmas, with just two losses

so far this season in the League.

Mike Garrow dropped in 29 points in a handy enough 88-66 victory as their 14-point halftime lead never looked in danger of being overhauled.

Elsewhere, UCC Demons built on their big Cup quarter-final win against Tralee on Wednesday evening by upsetting Griffith College Swords Thunder in Dublin on Saturday, winning out 90-77.

Black Amber Templeogue moved up to second place on the table with a 92-83 point win over Éanna – the second win for Templeogue against their local rivals in as many weeks, while Pyrobel Killester also made it back-to-back wins against Moycullen, when they overcame the Galway team 108-83 on Saturday evening.

Elsewhere in the league, Garvey’s Tralee

Warriors put Wednesday evening’s loss to Demons behind them to run out 90-67 point winners over Maree, while DCU Saints came out of Belfast with a 78-72 win over Star.

The upshot of this series of games is that UCD Marian head up proceedings on 30 points with Black Amber Templeogue, Killester and Tralee all three points back but have played a game extra.

Swords T hunder are a further three points back.

There’s just one more g a m e i n t h e M e n ’s Super League before Christmas, with the big Galway derby between

Moycullen and Maree tipping off next Saturday evening, December 23.

In the Men’s Division One meanwhile, it is a happy Christmas for Keane’s SuperValu K illorglin who have completed the entire first half of the season unbeaten at the top of the table with 13 wins out of 13 games. Cork sides, Neptune and Ballincollig, are neckin-neck in joint second place.

In the Women’s Division One, UL Huskies had the better of Griffith College Swords Thunder on Sunday afternoon, winning out 73-64 in the end.

UCD Marian’s Mike Garrow receives the November Player of DCU Mercy’s Sarah Woods was in flying form . Picture: Martin Doherty

the Month award

GAZETTE

36 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 26 December 2017

SPORT

CROSCountry

HOCKEY: PEMBROKE STUNNED BY TWO GOALS IN LAST TWO MINUTES

Clonliffe dominate at national championships CLONLIFFE Harriers struck gold as they dominated the Under-19 boys event at the National Novice and Juvenile Uneven Age Cross Country Championships at Waterford IT. The team went into the championships as clear favourites, and they showed why by battling through tough, muddy conditions to blow away the opposition to finish a full 77 points ahead of second place.

Eferon Gidey was once again on fine form around the track that starts uphill to come home in second place, while Sean O`Leary battled hard over the final 400m to hold on to his fifth place position. Craig Giles and Daniel Lacey also crossed the line in strong positions, and all four took gold as part of the Dublin intercounty team.

Stephen Cashin and Jordan Byrne finished 38th and 41st respectively to ensure the club finished on 44 points – their closest rivals sitting way back on 121 points.

The Under-17 boys team also walked away with silverware but they had to settle for bronze behind Kilkenny City Harriers and St Malachys A.C after an agonizingly close finish. Aaron Cullen finished highest for the club with 11th, Daniel Stone was 16th and Ben Guiden crossed in 25th.

Ian McAweeney produced an excellent final 100m to take 56th, while Dermot Buckley was 100th. The results saw Clonliffe finish third with 110 points, St Malachys on 109 and Kilkenny a further point ahead on 108. Cullen and Guiden did take home gold, however, as part of the Dublin intercounty team.

On the novice championship front, Clonliffe’s women’s team finished in a respectable 12th position after Siobhan Deveney crossed in 65th, Maura Matthews in 72nd, Claire Roche in 75th, Yvonne McDonagh in 89th and Aisling Andrews in 103rd.

The best finisher for the men was Adam O`Brien in 20th, followed by Michael Cassidy in 81st, Patrick Hayes in 98th, Sean Doran in 110th, Alex Gibbons in 144th, Greg Hosseny in 153rd and Dave O`Regan in 186th. O’Brien also took home intercounty gold for Dublin.

Pembroke’s Patrick Shanahan, left, blocks a shot from Gary Shaw. Picture: Adrian Boehm

Shaw steals it for Glens MEN’S EY HOCKEY LEAGUE

Glenanne 4 Pembroke 3  sport@dublingazette.com

GLENANNE showed yet another incredible example of their fighting spirit to net twice in the last three minutes to turn a potential 3-2 defeat into a 4-3 win at St Andrew’s against Dublin rivals Pembroke.

It was their seventh win of the campaign by a single goal and their eighth in total, seeing them remain unbeaten into Christmas and four points clear of the chasing Three Rock Rovers.

Indeed, they have

managed to win five points with goals in the closing two minutes of games, a measure of the Tallaght club’s imdomitable spirit.

Against Pembroke, Sam O’Connor got the greens off to a dream start when he exchanged passes with Richie Shaw and then applied a dinked finish over Mark Ingram.

Pembroke replied with three corners in the first quarter while Jack Ryan and Nick Burns had big chances with Iain Walker excelling. Ingram tipped over Shannon Boucher ’s rasping reverse.

TOP OF THE TABLE Duke and Mullan on form in UCD’s higher learning UCD finished the first half of the women’s EY Hockey League season in top spot thanks to their 7-1 win over Trinity at Belfield.

Irish internationals Deirdre Duke and Katie Mullan were in superb form, combining for a series of goals, the latter scoring two, while Sorcha Clarke, Anna Richardson, Sarah Young and Freya McDermott all on the mark. It keeps them just clear of the chasing Cork Harlequins.

Picture: Adrian Boehm

In the second quarter, Walker brilliantly denied Patrick Shanahan from point blank range from a fifth corner before Pembroke got level after good baseline play opened the chance for Stephen Sweetnam to score.

Shane O’Donoghue was denied from Glenanne’s first corner on the half-time whistle while another big chance for him went high and over in the second half. Alan Sothern put Pembroke in front for the first time in the 45th minute when Richard Sweetnam intercepted and laid on a

delicious pass which the striker added a finish to match on his backhand over Walker.

Walker won the next duel with Sothern with an out-stretched toe, keeping the scoreline at 2-1 at the third quarter break. Glenanne tied the game up with nine minutes to go when Boucher took on dragflicking duties to score low on the stick side.

Within a minute, Walker made two great saves but the latter fell to Richard Lynch who scooped in to restore the Pembroke lead. Burns then had a chance to wrap up the game but

he saw Walker come out to get a touch that lifted his shot onto the top of the goal.

The goalkeeper was pulled after that and the Glens duly profited. O’Donoghue was felled when through one-on-one, stepping up to score a stroke in the 68th minute for 3-3.

And they did not rest on their laurels, forging two big attacks in the closing phases, the last of which saw Gary Shaw exchange passes down the left with his brother Richie before racing in and lifting over the goalkeeper – the last act in a classic tie.

26 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 37

GAZETTE

BOXING: FOUR FROM FOUR IN PERFECT YEAR IN THE RING

KICKBoxing

Craig O’Brien, right, lands a punch at the Celtic Clash 4 event earlier this month. Picture: Alan Finn

O’Brien stepping up for a massive 2018

 sport@dublingazette.com

CRAIG O’Brien has had a remarkable year, culminating in becoming the new BUI Celtic champion, but he hopes 2018 can be even bigger after taking his record in the ring to 7[0]-0-0.

T h e s u p e r we l t e rweight, who also fights at middleweight, fought four times over the year and took the win on points each time having spent the previous year and a half out of the ring.

His latest victory was over Pole Daniel Przewieslik on the Celtic Clash 4 card at the National Stadium earlier this month and although unhappy with his performance on the night, he was delighted to chalk up another win.

“It was a bad night, but a good bad night because I got the win,” O’Brien told Iris-Boxing.com.

“At one stage I was hurting him to the body, but I was whipping him with the jab so there was no point in rushing in

and maybe risking a clash of heads. With him not working as much, maybe I didn’t have to work as much so it made it easier on me. I was relaxed and I could have been better, but on an off night I got the win.

“I could do what I want in there and people will say he wasn’t a great opponent, which may be fair, but it was only a keep-busy fight.”

After a fight-free 2016, the 28-year-old from Henrietta Street flats picked up some knocks over the year and is now looking forward to some time off before stepping back into the ring in 2018.

“I said back in October it’s good to keep busy but I have been getting niggles in this camp. I probably should have taken a break.

“My neck is alright in the moment but, after the fact, it’s sore. I’ll rest that up now and I look forward to January 1, and to get back into camp and fight on March 3.”

With 2017 proving a

big year for the professional boxing in Ireland, announcement of a Last Man Standing card coming to Dublin in the New Year was met with excitement, and O’Brien is hoping to compete in some capacity on the night.

“T hese 12 months have been brilliant and I want to thank everyone for their support and my

sponsors. It’s been a great 12 months and hopefully over the next 12 we can push on to bigger and better things. I want that Irish title.

“I’ll enjoy Christmas now, get fat and come back in the New Year. I will probably defend on the undercard of Last Man Standing if I don’t go into it. We will see what happens.”

Liam Hand, centre, following his win in the Netherlands

Hand wins first international fight CRUMLIN kickboxer Liam Hand closed out a remarkable year with a victory in his first international fight as the 16-year-old Dublin champion won his bout in the Netherlands just before Christmas.

Hand, based out of Hori’s Muay Thai Gym in Cherry Orchard) his coach Gabor Hortobagyi, had previously retained the national title in November at the White Lion Hotel in Derry with a strong support following him up the road.

He duly travelled to Holland for his first international fight in Tilburg and produced a focused and calm performance in the contest to sweep to victory and a big step up in experience.

Coach Hortobagyi said he was “confident we would return to Ireland with another win under his belt. Liam fought a very tough Dutch opponent. It was a spectacular fight. These two warriors fought hard in what was a thrilling and exciting three rounds of Muay Thai boxing at its best”.

Hand is fast becoming a name to be reckoned with. This young talented Muay Thai and K1 Boxer has been putting in the hours for the past year and a half and making serious inroads.

The teenager thanked his supporters for their help in 2017 and is looking forward to moving further up the ladder in 2018 with the help of sponsors Pat Brown Butchers, Brian McElroy funeral Directors, Kevin Shanahan Progum Shields, Halfway Cabs, TDs Joan Collins and Pat Dunne, Heath Services Credit Union and Thai Healing Massage.

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38 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 26 December 2017

SPORT

FASTSport

SOCCER: 19-YEAR-OLD EARNS CENTRAL ROLE AT RICHMOND PARK

Bohs snap up Swan BOHEMIANS have signed 21-year-old striker Ryan Swan from Cabinteely having previously lined out for UCD before a brief spell with Exeter City.

A son of former Bohs striker Derek Swan, manager Keith Long is pleased to have got his man.

He said: “Ryan’s served his time in the First Division and has done very well.

“It’s a big step up to the Premier Division but he deserves his chance.

“He’s hungry to do well and we believe he’s capable of doing so at this level.

“He’s a Finglas lad and his dad played for the club. He’s his own man and a different kind of player but he already has Bohs in his blood.

“I’m looking forward to working with him.”

Long now has 22 players under contract at Bohemians for next season: Oscar Brennan, Dan Byrne, Dan Casey, Dinny Corcoran, Rob Cornwall, Kevin Devaney, Philip Gannon, Jamie Hamilton, Paddy Kavanagh, Paddy Kirk, JJ Lunney, Cristian Magerusan, Colin McCabe, Eoghan Morgan, Ian Morris, Derek Pender, Fuad Sule, Shane Supple, Ryan Swan, Warren O’Hora, Keith Ward, John Ross Wilson.

Suttonians and Tarf join forces SUTTONIANS RFC have joined forces with Clontarf FC at Under-14 and 16 age grades to offer rugby for young girls under the Suttonians Starlets banner.

Club Community Rugby Officer Aidan Kearney, under the guidance of the Starlets management and youth coordinator, has introduced rugby into the girls’ schools in the area such as: Santa

Sabina, St Mary’s Baldoyle and Portmarnock CS. In their schools, the kids are introduced to tag rugby and this has proved to be a great way of getting more children involved in the game. The children start by playing tag rugby while also being introduced to the contact area of rugby in a safe and fun environment, helping to build towards getting new players to the club.

Suttonians Starlets train on Sundays from 11.30am to 1pm.

Jamie Lennon at the announcement of his signing for St Patrick’s Athletic

Lennon latest on Pat’s list LOI PREMIER DIVISION  sport@dublingazette.com

ST PATRICK’S Athletic have continued their policy of recruiting young talent ahead of the 2018 campaign by handing Under-19 star Jamie Lennon his first professional contract.

Lennon, who wore the red of Shelbourne for seven years before moving to St Pat’s, made his first team debut against Firhouse Clover in the Leinster Senior Cup quarter-final last season, and marked it in style by rifling a shot into the top corner from 35 yards out.

The 19-year-old now

hopes to push on and receive more game time during the new campaign after putting pen to paper.

“It’s a big moment for me personally because, although a lot of people have been offered contract, this is my first professional [contract],” Lennon told the club’s media.

“I’ve been with Pat’s two years now with the 19s and I’ve done well each season. I feel I have developed well as a player over the course of two years and I am looking forward to making the step up to the first team now.”

Lennon knows that St Pat’s are well stocked in

TRUE GAELS Na Fianna duo honoured for language promotion THE inaugural Joe McDonagh Foundation awards ceremony was held in Croke Park on December 16 with Na Fianna’s Seosamh and Elma Ó Maolalaí among those honoured.

The foundation was set up by the family of the late Liam McCarthy winning Galway hurler and previous president of the GAA, Joe McDonagh. The gold, silver and bronze awards are presented to GAA clubs that are actively promoting and supporting An Ghaeilge within the Association.

central midfield, but he is looking forward to the challenge of pitting himself against players much more experienced than him.

“That comes with signing a first team contract.

You are going to have to fight for your place.

Obviously, they are very experienced players. Very good players that have been around the league a long time so if I can just learn from them, I can improve myself as a player.”

Lennon, an arts student at Dublin City University, also plays for the college team and captained them to Harding Cup success

earlier this year. He did that while also helping the St Pat’s Under-19s reach the cup final. He feels this exposure has helped his improve as a player.

“I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve had two good managers and last year we obviously [fell] short getting to the final but losing to Bohs. [We] just didn’t perform on the night but, overall, really promising.

“I feel from the first year to the second I’ve gotten much better.

Liam gave me a couple of chances with the first team last season in the Leinster Senior Cup and a

few training sessions, so I know what is expected of me now and I know how he plays.

“Liam likes to get us playing the same style of football from the senior team all the way down to the 15s, so I know what style of football is expected of us when we make the step up.”

Lennon also spoke about that goal against Firhouse.

“It was a really big moment for me, and it was a good goal as well.

Then in the semi-finals against Shels I was given the captains armband, which was another huge moment for me.”

26 December 2017 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 39

GAZETTE

GAELIC GAMES: SOMERTON CLUB TELL TALE OF METEORIC RISE

FASTGAA

Philly McMahon with his award. Picture: Dan Sheridan/Inpho

The Castleknock minor camogie side celebrate their success. Picture: Shay Hogan

Castleknock’s GAA story to celebrate 20 seasons

 JAMES HENDICOTT sport@dublingazette.com

CASTLEKNOCK will mark their relatively short but eventful 20-year history in the new year as they put pen to paper to chronicle the remarkable rise of the Somerton club in a new book.

It will be released to coincide with the opening of their new clubhouse in 2018 with proceeds going to long-time club charity, the St Francis Hospice. The working title is ‘The Castleknock GAA Story’.

“It’s not a traditional club history book,” PRO Paddy Hewson, part of a team of seven curating the text, told the Dublin Gazette.

“It will have all our big days covered with stories told from the perspective of members and fans. It will be quite anecdotal in that sense.

“We’ll be looking to bring in lots of members, talking about the big and small days out, why they joined, why they stayed, as well as some of the stories around their experi-

ences.

“There have been some huge moments in establishing the club. I think a lot of people will relate to some of the problems we’ve faced, the obstacles in getting going and how we grew. The opening of the clubhouse will be an important moment, as it will give us a meeting place.

“Of course, making the Dublin senior football final against St Vincent’s [in 2016] was huge for the club in establishing us.

That day caused such a buzz in the area, one that people won’t forget easily.

“It marked the maturing of the club and, since then, it’s been about proving that getting to that final wasn’t a flash in the pan, that we’re a serious threat at senior level.”

There have been other great moments, of course, from Ciaran Kilkenny’s establishment at the heart of the most successful ever Dublin side – “he’s a great ambassador for the club” – to the day the ladies played two championship finals in the same evening.

“That came almost in tandem with the men’s success,” Hewson recalls.

“It was a seminal moment for the club, even though we lost both finals by a point.

“We’ve also had a camogie promotion again this year, and juvenile success, as well as some Feile success at a national level in the past.

“We’ll be covering all of those, but also looking at the foundations of the club, something I think a lot of clubs will relate to. The people who were there at the start will all be part of it.

“We’ll also be talking to players who played against us in big games and players now living in London, Dubai and Australia, like Deborah Geraghty, one of our first female players, who’s now based in Australia.

“Aisling Rafferty, who’s been playing with Castleknock since she was a kid, so been there all along, is part of the team putting together the book.”

The success of Castleknock, who have risen from Division 9 to seri-

ous contender in the Dublin senior football over the course of their short lifetime, is a great model for other newlyestablished clubs. The pace of progress is only set to continue.

“The opening of the clubhouse is the next big step, and the completion of years of the Somerton

project, which has been backed financially and through their own professional expertise by our club members,” Hewson explains.

“Their backing has been so critical. The book will tell all those story, letting the members tell us what it’s been like for them.”

Ciaran Kilkenny, above, and the book cover

McMahon’s The Choice the book of the year PHILLY McMahon’s heartfelt account of his life on and off the pitch, The Choice, written with Niall Kelly, has been named the winner of the eir sport Sports Book of the Year 2017.

McMahon picked up his prize at an awards ceremony held in Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin.

The Choice traces his and his brother John’s paths, from his earliest recollections of their childhood through the maelstrom of Ballymun’s heroin epidemic.

He considers the relationships, tensions, arguments and chance occurrences that pushed them in very different directions: Philly to university, the boardroom and the hallowed turf of Croke Park; John to exile in London, heartbreak and, ultimately, tragedy.

The raw, vivid and intensely moving autobiography is told in the structure of the first half, half time and second half discussing the choices that we all have in life and how Philly chose a path that his brother never got a chance to choose.

It took the prize ahead of what was strong competition. The final shortlist included; ‘The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish cycling’s golden generation’ with Barry Ryan; ‘The Warriors Code’ by Jackie Tyrell with Christy O’Connor and the overall winner ‘The Choice’ by Philly McMahon with Niall Kelly.

The winner of the eir sport Sports Book of the year will receive €1,500 with the winning book also set to receive €10,000 worth of TV advertising on eir sport. Philly McMahon also collected a specially commissioned trophy today in recognition of his achievement.

A total of 22 books were submitted for the longlist for the eir sport Sports Book of the Year 2017 with this list eventually being whittled down to a three-book shortlist from which today’s winner was chosen.

This is the third year of the eir sport Sports Book of the Year. Previous winners include John Leonard’s renowned ‘Dub Sub Confidential’ and Kieran Donaghy’s ‘What Do You Think of That?’.

GAZETTESPORT

ALL OF YOUR DUBLIN CITY SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 34-39

NO MERCY: DCU continue winning ways to lead the women’s Super League going into the New Year P35

DEC 26, 2017 - JAN 3, 2018

O’BRIEN FIGHTING FIT FOR 2018: Henrietta Street boxer looking to build on a perfect year P37

Top four ambitions Davy Fitzgerald and Anthony Cunningham at the launch of the Walsh Cup. Picture: Matt Browne/Sportsfile

New Dublin coach Anthony Cunningham says the building blocks are in place for the sky blues to close the gap on the leading hurling counties  sport@dublingazette.com

ANTHONY Cunningham believes that Dublin have what it takes to break into the top four hurling teams in the country over the coming years.

The former Galway manager was appointed as a coach by new manager Pat Gilroy after initially being linked with the main job himself.

“For me, Dublin have the potential to go and break through to be a top four team,” Cunningham said at the launch of the annual Walsh and O’Byrne Cups, the starting point for the new GAA season.

“I think Dublin, with the work that’s going on at underage level and the coaching that has gone on at the clubs on the hurling side, is now getting up to the level that is there on the foot-

ball side.

“Everybody saw Dublin’s Under-17 team this year was very, very skilful. They were like a Tipperary, Galway or Kilkenny minor team and that’s proof that the coaching is working.

“Definitely over the next few years, the produce coming through are very, very strong and will rival any county. I think Dublin needs it as well with the amount of players that are in Dublin.”

Cunningham, who led Galway to two AllIreland finals, also believes Dublin have put the right management structure in place.

“I’ve been very impressed with the management team. They’re able to coach, entice players, push players and that’s great experience to have.

“To get a chance to work with the Dublin

players and Pat [Gilroy] and his management team is a great honour for me. His knowledge of hurling is really top class and that’s going to bear fruits.

“It’s early days yet and the honeymoon is probably over. There’s going to be tough days ahead but there’s ability there.”

Despite being an accomplished manager, the Galwegian insisted he is just happy to be involved, in whatever capacity.

“I just love going training, having the buzz, being on the pitch with players and working with players to see them develop. For me, that is of huge significance and of huge enjoyment.”

Cunningham also thinks the players have the ability to compete with the best as early as the coming campaign.

“You’ll have to be. You’re not going to be in the Leinster championship if you do not feel you can win every match. We are no different than any other county; we want to be there and want to win.”

Two men that the Dublin management will be able to call upon are Johnny McCaffrey and Peter Kelly after it was confirmed both would return to the panel.

The former was axed by then-manager Ger Cunningham last season but has now been brought back into the squad, while Kelly will rejoin the panel after he has successfully worked his way back to fitness from a long-term injury.

The Dublin hurlers will play Meath and Antrim in the group stages of the Walsh Cup with games on January 3 and 7.