Dublin Gazette: City Edition

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DublinGazette FEBRUARY 13-19, 2020

VALENTINEGIFTS: We’re sharing the love VALENTINE this week with a range of gift ideas that are sure to be a hit with your other half SEE PAGE 19

SINN FEIN TRIGGER A SEISMIC SHIFT IN POLITICS ‘Old guard’ of Irish politics is swept back by a Leftist wave

 CÓILÍN DUFFY

Group Editor

THE political landscape across Dublin, and indeed the country, has suffered its most radical change since the foundation of the state, after Sinn Fein candidates topped the polls in eight of the 11 Dublin

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Cometh the hour, cometh the woman ... Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald celebrates the party’s resounding success in General Election 2020. The Sinn Fein surge marks a seismic shift in Irish politics, smashing the dominance of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail for the past 90 years. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

constituencies, where they had a total of 10 TDs elected, out of 37 nationally. Sinn Fein polled 200,000 votes more than any other party across the board, but it looks like a case of same-old, same-old with musings that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are set to go into coalition once again. Such a scenario would be hugely disap-

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pointing for Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald – not running more candidates in General Election 2020 may come back Keep reading, to haunt her and her party. keep recycling 2020 has been about the shift to the Left, – thank you but it looks increasingly likely we’ll be ‘left’ with the same government in the 33rd Dail. SEE PAGES 7-9


2 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 13 February 2020

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ROUTE WAS CURTAILED DUE TO ANTI-SOCIAL ACTS

Dublin Bus drivers reinstate 27 Route

FASTNews

PADRÁIG CONLON pconlon@dublingazette.com

DUBLIN BUS drivers have agreed to re-instate a popular cross city route which was curtailed due to serious anti-social behaviour. Route 27, which travels from Clare Hall to Jobstown, has been plagued with anti-social incidents over the past year. Ongoing attacks on staff and buses on the west Tallaght part of the route had led several drivers to refuse to work it. Horrific reports of driv- Route 27 has been plagued with anti-social incidents over the past year ers being spat at and hit with rocks and stones area, while extra gardai at him, through the win- visible presence on the dow on the side of the bus. ground.” led the National Bus and will also be on patrol. Sean Yeates from the “He’s out sick now the The Union say they had Rail Union (NBRU) to last week announce plans to NBRU welcomed the last five, six weeks. Their 48 incidents reported curtail the 27 bus on elec- plans to stamp out the safety and that of those nationwide on their webtion day last Saturday in attacks on Dublin Bus they serve has been com- site, with 15 of those happromised by a very small pening on route 27. order to raise awareness of staff. Those included buses “Drivers’ safety and minority. the issues. “Over the years, we used damaged by rocks, physiThat action was averted that of those they serve following a meeting last is being compromised by to have a CIE car with a cal assaults and verbal Friday in which concerns a very small minority of Garda support out in west assault. They have since engaged about the driver’s safety people, to the detriment to Tallaght. “It was there on a night- with local representatives the vast majority of comwas made clear. In order to ally drivers muters who just want to ly basis, it would follow and are now satisfied to the buses around, and run the full route as per the fears, Dublin Bus have get from A to B,” he said. “One driver is out sick the incidents decreased schedule. now promised to dedicate an inspector to the problem after he had a rock thrown because there was a

Car registrations down in January NEW cars registrations for January are down 3.5% (31,251) when compared to January 2019 (32,370). Light Commercial vehicles (LCV) are up 2.1% (5,666) compared to January last year (5,548). HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) registrations are showing an increase of 8.8% (385) in comparison to January 2019 (354). Used car imports saw a 26.4% (6,623) decline in January when compared with January 2019 (9,003). Despite a decline in new car registration an important stat of note was the reduction in CO2 emissions. The average CO2 emissions (108.33g/km) relating to a new car sold in January 2020 reduced by 5.8% on the comparison (115.04g/km) to the same time last year. Diesel continues to remain the most popular engine type (42.1%) following by petrol (39.6), hybrid (13.6%) which gained a significant increase in market share along with electric (2.9%) and plug-in hybrid (1.8%). New electric car registrations increased with 898 registered in January 2020, compared to 799 January 2019.

Unemployment rate at lowest level in 14 years DUBLIN’S unemployment rate is now at its lowest level in over 14 years, according to the latest Dublin Economic Monitor (DEM) published this morning. The DEM is produced by EY-DKM Economic Advisory on behalf of the four Dublin Local Authorities. Unemployment of 4.4% (SA) was recorded in Q3 2019 and represents a fall of 9.3% since Q1 2012 when unemployment peaked at 13.7%. According to the DEM, Dublin now ranks 8th in the world for career opportunities, job security and work-life balance. A total of 243.4 million public transport trips took place in Dublin in 2019. This represents an increase of 19.5 million journeys (+8.7%) on 2018.

Statue to Irish women EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum is challenging people to reflect on why Irish history has so few accounts of the achievements of women and why there is a remarkable lack of plaques, statues or monuments to celebrate their lives. They placed an unmissable empty plinth on O’Connell Street, a street associated with some of Dublin’s most iconic monuments, signifying the lack of historical Irish women recognised in our capital’s public artworks. While there are 48 statues in Dublin city centre celebrating Irishmen who have made history, there are only six statue artworks dedicated to five Irish women; Constance Marckievicz is remembered in two. Researching their Blazing A Trail Exhibition and with their involvement in the making of the ground-breaking documentary Herstory: Ireland’s EPIC Women with RTÉ, Herstory and Underground Films, the team at EPIC felt that they could not miss the opportunity to ask why so many trailblazing women have been overlooked by history.


13 February 2020 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 3

TEMPLEOGUE: CLARITY SOUGHT ON HOW BEST TO EDUCATE THEIR AUTISTIC CHILDREN

Parents come together to address autism concerns CÓILÍN DUFFY

CONCERNED PARENTS from across the capital came together in large numbers at St Mary’s College RFC last week to express their concerns over access to school places for children with special educational needs. They were joined by a number of politicians, who took time out from their election campaigns to attend the event, which was organised by South Dublin group ‘Involve Autism’. The speakers on the night included Adam Harris (CEO AsIAm) and Andrew Torrence from the National Council for Special Education.

It emerged from the meeting that parents are being forced to apply to up to 30 schools in an effort to secure an appropriate placement for their child in primary and second level education “We’ve come together since 2018 as parents first of all, as be ing parents of a child with autism can be very isolating,” Miriam Kenny, chairperson of Involve Au t i s m to l d D u b l i n Gazette. “One of the biggest concerns for the parents in our group is the education provision for their children. “If you are a child with autism, when you go to school there’s three different levels of support

you might need depending on your diagnosis. “If you are a child who has a Level 1 diagnosis you might need some support in the classroom, meaning you might have a SNA. “Some other children who have more complex needs but can still manage in the mainstream would probably need the support of an autism special class. “The National Council for Special Education has provision for that. “Thirdly your child might need extra, extra support of a specialist school. The first thing is you can go to your local school and a mainstream setting, if you are luckily enough to have an SNA.”

Some parents have had to resort to moving to other parts of the country to get a school place. The meeting heard that in one case a child is travelling 46km each day to school, despite living 200 metres from the local school, and that the child’s parents are distraught. The National Council for Special Education has published policy advice recommending that children with Special Educational Needs will effectively be mainstreamed. This has led to confusion over how children are to be educated. The parents feel confused and are seeking clarity

Some of the speakers and members of South Dublin group ‘Involve Autism’ at the event. Picture: Mick Quinn mqphoto

on how best to educate their autistic children. They have called on TDs to pledge their support to ensure that their children’s’ education

is a priority, and they want to ensure that the process which started on November 14 last by the Minister for Education continues, and that

schools are ‘supported, re s o u rc e d a n d t h a t appropriate training is given to Teachers, SNAs and the School community.


4 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 13 February 2020

TRANSPORT: ADDITIONAL SERVICES ADDED TO CONNECT MORE LOCATIONS

New Express bus service from City to Airport A NEW 24-hour express bus service starts next month, between the City Centre and Dublin Airport. National Express, the UK’s largest coach operator, has been awarded a contract to run a high-frequency, cross-city network of coach services providing increased connectivity to more destinations. The ‘Dublin Express’ will be operated on their behalf by Bernard Kavanagh Coaches, Ireland’s largest private coach

company. A phased expansion of the Dublin Express network will see additional services being added to connect more locations across the city and increase the frequency of airport connections. John Boughton, managing director of National Express Ireland, commented: “We currently run 1,100 airport services every day on a 24 hour basis direct to the terminal for all major UK airports including Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, Heathrow

and Manchester. “And as Ireland’s largest private coach operator, we have previously worked with Bernard Kavanagh Coaches to operate Irish services. “Dublin Express will bring together this collective experience, local knowledge and expertise to provide a much enhanced experience at a great price.” Dublin Airport managing director Vincent Harrison said that he was delighted to see an expansion of coach and bus

services to and from the airport: “We are very focused on improving public transport options to Dublin Airport for both passengers and airport-based employees, and we specifically sought coach and bus providers who would expand the network, both in terms of the hours of operation and the route choice.” Passengers will benefit from a fleet of modern and efficient coaches that meet the latest standards for engine emissions (Euro VI).

Stroke of genius – new podcast launched by Drumcondra man CÓILÍN DUFFY

DRUMCONDRA native Gerry Stevens (pictured) has had a stroke of genius, with the creation of ‘The Strokecast’ – a podcast launched recently to help stroke survivors and their families understand, cope

with and adjust to life after a stroke. Gerry is himself a stroke survivor, having suffered just two and a half years ago, which left him unable to speak properly. Gerry is well known as a Radio broadcaster, and has been on-air since he

was 14 years old, working firstly on many of the famous pirate stations, before broadcasting on RTÉ 2fm, FM104, 98FM and Q102 – and LMFM in Louth and Meath in more recent years. However, all of this had to be put on hold, after

he was hit by a stroke in November 2017. “I was only 50 at the time,” he told Dublin Gazette. “I had a brain haemorrhage, which caused a stroke. It left me with no power on my left side, and I couldn’t speak properly at all. “I had to learn to walk and talk from scratch. I’ve been in broadcasting for 33/34 years. That’s the game I grew up in and knew, but it took me a while to get back on my feet. “I had met a lot of people doing courses, and from my own experiences in hospitals I knew that they had some amazing experiences to tell. “There’s a new demographic – a new face of stroke in Ireland, where they aren’t the typical 75-year olds, but people in their 30s and 40s. “This Friday’s podcast is with a guy called Aaron, who was only 23 when he had his stroke.” Gerry talks about how the podcast came about. “I think if you share your story with people you are educating them,” he said. “I did a course in Ardee for 16 weeks to help me with cognitive rehabilitation. As I was doing that course, the first thing I noticed was that I was probably one of the oldest people at it (at just 50). “They would have had similar feelings to me,

but they never put them down to stroke, but other things. “I think it’s important that when you get out of hospital, and you are left to your own devices for a while, that you do begin to feel isolated and insecure. “I felt I wasn’t able to go back to work. I couldn’t get back to the frame of mind or confidence. You have a lot of things to build up to get to a stage of building blocks to get to some goals. “There’s some amazing people with some fantastic stories to tell. I just thought with my experience in broadcasting, and my contacts that it would be an ideal thing for me to dip my foot back in the water for maybe getting back onto radio.

“I met a friend of mine, who owns Unique Media – Al Dunne. I worked with him many moons ago on a variety of stations. He said to me ‘why don’t you get back on radio’. I said I don’t really feel that I have the confidence to do that at the moment. He said ‘why don’t you do some podcasts about stroke. It’s something that you know and do – God knows you have spoken to enough people about it!’ “So that’s how we came up with the idea. People who were very good to me in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda were interested in helping me.” ‘The Strokecast’ produced by Unique Media is available on Soundcloud, iTunes and Facebook.

FASTNews Dublin man to buy dream home A YOUNG South Dublin man scooped the top prize of €500,000 in the EuroMillions Plus last Friday. The delighted man who was joined by his family in the National Lottery winners’ room told how his massive win would allow him to fly the nest and buy his own home after years of saving for a mortgage. “The plan was always to move out of my family house but now I’ll be able to do it a lot sooner than expected. I have been saving for a mortgage for a long time and I had promised my mother that I would be moving out soon so I think she’s secretly delighted to see the back of me,” he laughed. The winning Quick Pick ticket was purchased at the Bookstation newsagent in the Stillorgan Shopping Centre in Co. Dublin. Incredibly, this is the second EuroMillions Plus top prize to be sold in the store in recent months after they sold the same winning prize in October 2019. The Dubliner has confirmed that he will enlist the support of a financial advisor to ensure that he can secure his future with his €500,000 win.

President donates books PRESIDENT of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, has donated his personal book collection to Dublin City Libraries following an event in Cabra. President Higgins has made an initial donation of 700 copies from his collection, which will be added to on an annual basis. Whilst a selection of these books will be available to borrow via the national public libraries network, Libraries Ireland, many of the titles are personally inscribed copies and will be held in perpetuity. As such, they will be available for reference in the reading room at Pearse Street Library and Archive, Dublin 2 and in various Local Studies Collections nationwide.


13 February 2020 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 5


6 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 13 February 2020

GALLERIES OF THE WEEK

Zoe Conway

Terence Murphy, Tara Stewart and James Kavanagh

Bill Whelan and the band at the album launch. Pictures: Justin Farrelly.

Riverdance 25th Anniversary T

O celebrate its 25th anniversary, global phenomenon Riverdance returned to where it all began – with five performances at the 3Arena, Dublin, from February 6

to 9. To mark the occasion, Decca Gold launched Bill Whelan’s new album Riverdance 25th Anniversary: Music From The

Show. Initially starting life as a seven-minute Eurovision interval act, Riverdance was adapted into a full-length stage show, premiering at the Point Theatre in February 1995. Since then, its been performed over 12,160 times, and has been seen live by a whopping 27.5 million people in 546 venues worldwide.

Paul McGuinness, Bill Whelan and John Hughes

Dave Harris and Amy McGovern

Eddie Rowley and Mark Crossingham

Caterina Coyne and Mark Alfred

Cathal Murray and Siobhan Browne


13 February 2020 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 7

GENERAL ELECTION 2020 New dawn ahead after Sinn Féin success CÓILÍN DUFFY cduffy@dublingazette.com

A WEEK is a long time in politics, but when the 33rd Dáil begins next Thursday morning, it will unquestionably be one with a changed spectrum, after one of the most striking elections in the history of the state, which will be remembered for the rise of Sinn Féin, and where the left arose from the ashes. There will be many new faces in the next Government – both right and leftleaning, but while we know the make up of the 160 TDs in Leinster House after the final counts in Wicklow and CavanMonaghan on Monday night – what about the formation of the next Government? It’s one that poses more questions than answers. As we went to print on Wednesday afternoon, talks were ongoing between the various parties and Independents at a frantic pace, and by the weekend we should know who will be in power. There’s certainly some overlap in terms of policy direction between the now ‘big three’ of Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and Fine Gael – who look liked unlikely bedfellows coming into this Election – but the reality is that more than likely two of those three will have to join up if they want to be in the next

Election 2020 will be remembered for the rise of Sinn Féin.

Government. Fine Gael have pretty much ruled out a coalition with Sinn Féin, but over the weekend Micheal Martin began to warm to the possibility of joining up with Mary Lou’s maestros – should that happen and with a few Independents or smaller parties on board – it would be enough to form the next Government. How did this happen? The answer is pretty clear – people wanted change – anything other than Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil seemed to be the message – and all of the left-leaning parties certainly benefited as a result. It might be a bold statement to make, but even some of those who voted No. 1 for a Sinn Féin candidate, might not necessarily support many of the parties aims, including their hopes for a United Ireland; but done so because they wanted something different – or may have just been impressed with the individual work being done by a SF candidate on the ground. Saturday’s RTÉ/TG4/UCD Exit Poll showed SF, FF and FG pretty much neck and neck, and it wasn’t far from being wrong – although FG did poll worse than the poll suggested in the end, but still held onto third spot. A changed landscape, a new era ahead – certainly interesting times ahead for Ireland.

Losing a seat is like a bereavement – Owen CÓILÍN DUFFY

LOSING A Dáil seat is like suffering a bereavement according to former Fine Gael Deputy Leader Nora Owen. Owen was unseated twice over the course of her political career, and was in attendance at the Dublin Fingal count in Swords on Sunday, where she spoke of her concern for those across the political spectrum who were not returned to the 33rd Dáil. Long standing politicians such as Pat ‘the Cope’ Gallagher, Shane Ross and Regina Doherty

were among the big losers as the results filtered through. “On this day I’m very conscious of the people who are losing seats all over the country, having suffered that myself twice,” Owen told Dublin Gazette. “It’s not a good day for them. It’s a very sad day, many of them worrying about what they will work at. Some will go for the Seanad, and some will simply go out of politics altogether. “It’s a difficult day for their families as well. They are human beings, they have feelings. It’s like a bereavement.

“There will be some tears shed tonight, and probably already being shed, but nonetheless that’s democracy.” Speaking about the change towards left leaning parities and politicians, Owen questioned if it was change for the good. “Change for what benefit,” she said. “What does change mean? I’m around a good while now. I saw Labour getting 33% of the national vote with candidates that people didn’t know their names, and then in the next election they were gone! It remains to be seen now what can be done in order to form a Government. My

own view would be that a Government has to be formed. It’s a big decision time for all of the parties – Sinn Féín included. “They walked away the last time, they could have been in Government and they could have begun to deliver what they have been promising. “Have they the guts and courage to do it now and do a deal with either a group of Independents or Greens etc, or one of the two slightly bigger parties.- that is the question. “Too be honest I think the public will punish them if they say they would prefer to be hurling on the ditch and shouting and roaring.”


8 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 13 February 2020

GENERAL ELECTION 2020

Revolution: Sinn Féin  CÓILÍN DUFFY

Group Editor

DUBLIN NORTH WEST

DUBLIN NORTH West has a somewhat familiar look about it, with all three elected TDs certainly familiar to the electorate. Dessie Ellis romped home with 14,375 votes, as the Sinn Féin representative took home 44.4% of first preference votes and was elected after the first count. “I think people are fed up with the politics of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael,” Ellis said. “We have had 90 years of this ‘tweedle dum, tweedle-dee’’ politics, and now people are seeing a real alternative.” Social Democrats coleader Róisín Shortall continues her long stint in Dáil Eireann, after being elected on the fourth count with 8,148 votes – a political career that stretches back to 1992 in Leinster House. Shortall said the SD’s are open for talks on the formation of a new Government. “We will certainly play a constructive role, and that’s what we have done all along in this campaign,” she said. “We’ve put forward

positive solutions for the big problems facing the country. “We’ve said from the very beginning that we will speak to all parties after the election, because we want to play our part in tackling those issues that are facing the country.” Meanwhile, Lord Mayor of Dublin Paul McAuliffe won the battle for the final seat this time around, having lost out to Fine Gael’s Noel Rock in the 2016 Election. McAuliffe benefited from Rock’s transfers, h av i n g e n te re d t h e eighth count 436 votes behind People Before Profit candidate Conor Reddy. TCD student Reddy polled incredibly, given that he hadn’t intended entering the race a few weeks previously, and only put his name forward to help PBP have a certain amount of candidates. “I think the decision to keep Sinn Fein out of the first debate made a lot of people who felt excluded from the political process, share in that exclusion,” McAuliffe said. “I think they started to listen to Sinn Fein for maybe the first time.”

DUBLIN BAY NORTH

Dessie Ellis romped home with 14,375 votes

THE BIGGEST number of seats in a Dublin constituency were filled in Dublin Bay North, as five different parties got their candidates across the line. Mirroring the national picture, Sinn Féin topped the poll, with Denise Mitchell securing her seat in the 33rd Dáil on the first count, polling 21,344 votes – 29.8% of the first preferences. Indeed this was the highest number of firstpreference votes in the entire country. She said she was surprised that her tally was so high, but spoke of how it was evident on the doorsteps that people were looking for change. There was a long wait before Fine Gael’s Richard Bruton secured the second seat on 13,367 votes, which came after the tenth count. The remaining TDs were elected on the 14th count, with Social Democrats Cian O’Callaghan (12,438 votes), Aodhán Ó Ríordáin of the Labour Party (11,283 votes), and Fianna Fáil stalwart Seán Haughey (10,955 votes) getting across the line. Looking at the overall picture for Fine Gael, Bruton denied that Leo Vardakar’s leadership had failed. “It was Leo who single handedly brought us back in the last week,” he said. “I think his performance was very, very strong. He showed himself very comfortable across his brief. “Of course when you are explaining complex policy it is much more difficult than someone who is just demanding change and confident in the knowledge that no one will look at the small print on the side of the tin.” Ó Ríordáin says other parties are not being genuine when they say they can deliver both tax cuts and big-spending projects. “We’ve been here before. 10 years ago the country crashed because of unsus-

tainable tax policy and overspend,” he said. “The increase in public spending went from 18 Billion in 1997 to 60 Billion in 2007, meanwhile Income Tax has been reduced. “You can’t stand in front of the Irish people and say we are going to reduce your taxes and increase.”

DUBLIN CENTRAL

MARY LOU McDonald had plenty of reasons to be happy with Sinn Féin’s best-ever election performance in the Republic of Ireland, but the Party leader also had much to cheer about on home soil, as she picked up 35.7% of first preferences to take the first seat comfortably in Dublin Central. The Green Party’s Neasa Hourigan polled just over half of McDonald’s vote, with 6,551 votes, and was next over the line after the ninth count. Fine Gael’s Paschal Donohoe (6,126 votes) and Gary Gannon of the Social Democrats (5,718 votes) were also elected on the ninth count. McDonald has opened up discussion with all parties this week in relation to forming a new government, but her preference is for one without Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. “I’ve consistently said, because I’m a grown-up, and I think what grownup’s do is they talk to everybody, they listen to everybody,” she said. “I have a strong preference for a Government without Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. I also have a strong aversion to Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael together again for the next five years – I think that would be a disaster. “We want to try and stave that off!” Hourigan says there’s only one issue to be addressed for the Greens

to enter a coalition. “Our only red line issue is climate action. We think that impacts all areas of our lives, and has a very real everyday impact.” Donohoe says he’d back the Taoiseach to lead the party in government or opposition. “I absolutely will, and I think the learnings that we have from our time in Government, and how we performed as a party are ones that are very deep. I’m strongly of the view that Leo as Party Leader.”

DUBLIN SOUTH CENTRAL

THE FINAL make-up of the TDs from Dublin South Central for the 33rd Dáil mirrored hugely the major shift towards the left, with no Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael TD elected. Both Fine Gael’s Catherine Byrne and Fianna Fáil’s Catherine Ardagh were eliminated on the sixth count, as Sinn Féin as they had done in countless other constituencies topped the poll. Aengus Ó Snodaigh romped home with 17,015 first preference votes, with the stat of 39.3% one of the largest percentages of first preference votes in the country. He pledged that he wouldn’t let down the electorate. “With the way things in this country have gone for years, and people have put their faith in me in Dublin South Central and I will not let them down.” Solidarity-PBP’s Bríd Smith was next in line with 9,547 votes and was elected on the second count. She feels a Fianna Fáil/Sinn Féin coalition would be a betrayal. “I think if that happens it would be a huge disappointment to the people of this country, who have

Eamon Ryan and Francis Fitzgerald

Neasa Hourigan celebrates

clearly said, and it was repeatedly said to us on the doorsteps – no Fianna Fáil, no Fine Gael, we want something entirely different.” Patrick Costello was one of 11 Green Party TDs elected nationally. He secured 8,582 votes, and was elected on the sixth count, along with Joan Collins of Independ e n t s 4 C h a n g e, w h o secured 7,807 votes.

DUBLIN BAY SOUTH

DUBLIN BAY South was one of the tightest constituencies across the capital, with less that 2,000 votes separating the four candidates who eventually pushed over the line. Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan topped the


13 February 2020 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 9

GENERAL ELECTION 2020

celebrate historic win Denise Mitchell

Chris Andrews

poll with 8,888 votes on the first count, with Sinn Féin’s Chris Andrews (8,797 votes); Eoghan Murphy of Fine Gael (7,602 votes) and Fianna Fáil’s Jim O’Callaghan (7,158 votes), all subsequently elected on the eighth count. Ry a n w a s a m o n g many of the smaller party leaders who indicated that they would be open to talks with

Sinn Fein and other left parties about going into Government. “We have got to sit down together first of all I think,” Ryan said. “And I do think that’s what Brendan Howlin was saying the other day and what I’ve been saying. We would probably sit down with the Social Democrats and Labour and a couple of Independents that we

Roisin Shortall

would be close too, and maybe see if that sort of block is there, is there negotiation power in it?” Andrews meanwhile s a i d t h a t S i n n Fé i n would only consider being part of a left-leaning Government. “The preference for Sinn Fein, and the preference for people that I spoke to and elected me – what they have been saying consistently is

that they want a ‘left of centre’ Government. “That’s what we will bring in Sinn Féin. We wouldn’t go into Government for the sake of it.” M u r p hy r u l e d o u t Fine Gael and Sinn Féin becoming bedfellows. “What I am disregarding are the proposals that Sinn Féin have put forward in their manifesto for the future of the country,” he said.

ELECTED CANDIDATES

Dublin Bay North

Denise Mitchell (SF) Richard Bruton (FG) Cian O’Callaghan (SD) Aodhan O Riordan (Labour) Sean Haughey (FF)

Neasa Hourigan (GP) Paschal Donohoe (FG) Gary Gannon (SD)

Dublin North West

Dublin Bay South

Dessie Ellis (SF) Roisin Shortall (SD) Paul McAuliffe (FF)

Dublin Central

Aengus O Snodaigh (SF) Brid Smith (SPBP) Patrick Costello (GP) Joan Collins (Ind)

Eamon Ryan (GP) Eoghan Murphy (FG) Chris Andrews (SF) Jim O’Callaghan (FF)

Mary Lou McDonald (SF)

Dublin South Central


10 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 13 February 2020

GALLERIES OF THE WEEK

Bonnie Ryan, Elliott Ryan and Morah Ryan. Pictures: Brian McEvoy

Suzanne Leyden and Neil Leyden

Aileen Hickey and Anna Barry

Lena Marie Fitzgerald and Emma Norton

Jan-Marie and Norma Sheahan

Cathy and Pat Kenny

Opening night at The Gaiety Theatre F

Gemma Cullen and Joe Conlan

Rachel Frances and Kay Kelly

OLLOWING on from the hugely successful production of Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan last year, the Gaiety Theatre presents a major new production of McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore directed by Andrew Flynn this exciting new production of The Lieutenant of Inishmore is now running at the Gaiety Theatre. This run has been extended due to demand, but must end 14 March. The opening night took place last week.

Felix Brown and Hannah Wilcock


13 February 2020 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 11


12 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 13 February 2020

FAMILIES: BUBBLY BROADCASTER SPEAKS FOR THOUSANDS WITH A RALLYING CRY FOR HELP

Devoted daughter Teena calls for dementia supports for all

Broadcaster Teena Gates and her dad, Terry Martin (94), who was diagnosed with dementia last year

CAMPAIGNER Teena Gates has called for support for families all across Dublin and beyond living with dementia who are now “in crisis”. The popular broadcaster revealed the heartbreaking reality of the lack of supports for the 12,498 dementia sufferers in Dublin – and their carers. Teena – full-time carer to her dad, Terry, who was diagnosed with dementia last year – said serious gaps in essential supports and services have left people struggling. The Clonsilla woman revealed: “I used to think I knew what being a carer was. I used to think I knew what 24/7 care meant. I didn’t have a clue. “It means you never go to the toilet on your own

So many of us just need a little help, to help us love and care for the ones we love and care for

again. It means you never close the door when you shower. It means you can’t meet a friend for coffee without a complicated cover system. “It means working outside the home is practically impossible. Yet all of these things are possible with support. So many of us just need a little help, to help us love and care for the ones we love and care for.” The Alzheimer Society of Ireland says access to dementia care in the community depends on where you live and no county in

Ireland has an acceptable level of dementia support. Its general election 2020 campaign, Deliver on Dementia – Time to End the Crisis, aims to ensure that dementia is included in the new Programme for Government. Teena first spoke out last year after a successful online campaign to secure a homecare package for her 94-year-old dad, Terry Martin, who spent two months in Connolly Hospital after a fall. She wrote an open letter to then Health Minister Simon Harris describing

how she was unable to secure supports from the HSE, and asking: “How can we do this to our loved ones?” The campaign was widely shared on social media and Teena revealed she had been “inundated” with messages, some from people who told how their loved ones had died while they waited for packages to get them home. Just prior to last week’s general election, Teena issued one last rallying call to General Election 2020 candidates to support the ASI call for the National Dementia Strategy to be fully implemented, home care for every person who needs it, and Dementia to be included in the Chronic Disease Management Programme.

Yes Equality added to national archives THE National Library of Ireland has announced Yes Equality as its newest participant in the Digital Pilots project – an initiative to expand its digital content collection. Yes Equality was the driving force behind the nationwide campaign in 2015 to legalise same-sex marriage. The group has agreed to donate more than 6,000 photographs of the campaign which were commissioned by the organisation. Ac c o rd i n g t o t h e National Library of Ireland, the photographs “document various aspects of the campaign, including activities that tell the personal stories of campaigners and their families and friends, vot-

One for the archives ... a May 2015 image summing up the final push for a Yes vote. Picture: Paul Sharp/SHARPPIX

ing day, and post-result celebrations”. The collection will be catalogued and made available by the library – one of the first Irish born-digital archives to be accessible in this way. Speaking at the announcement, Dr Sandra Collins, director of the National Library, said: “As Ireland’s memory-keeper,

the library is committed to collecting and safeguarding Ireland’s many voices and diverse experiences. “It’s very important to us that everyone feels welcome, visible and included. “This announcement highlights the important place contemporary collecting has always had in the library’s work, captur-

ing civil rights movements and documenting social change as it happens. “The Yes Equality visual digital archive is an important part of the story of Ireland and we are proud to add this archive to the national collections.” Grainne Healy and Brian Sheehan, co-leaders of Yes Equality, said: “Five years on from that historic day in May 2015, when Ireland voted decisively and overwhelmingly in favour of marriage equality, we are happy to be in the National Library of Ireland to revisit the energy and optimism of that campaign.” The donation and of the collection comes ahead of the fifth anniversary of the marriage equality referendum.

Helping Harvey Norman as it supports Peter McVerry Trust PETER Hearn, chief executive, Harvey Norman Ireland joined Pat Doyle, chief executive, Peter McVerry Trust to launch the the 2020 Making Homes campaign recently. Harvey Norman’s Making Homes campaign to raise funds for the Peter McVerry Trust aims to bring its total over three years to €450,000, with funds used to kit-out homes for those who need them most.

Support the bake sales and other fun fundraisers at your local Harvey Norman store between now and February 23 and you will be helping the homeless. All products from the ‘Making Homes’ collection will carry a €5 donation and customers can add a €1 donation at the checkout or online. Donate to the Peter McVerry Trust at harveynorman.ie/makinghomes.html.


13 February 2020 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 13

DEATH: PRESIDENT LEADS THOSE PAYING RESPECTS

Tributes flow to the late Keelin Shanley GARY IBBOTSON The event featured three speakers from different faiths including Islam, Christianity and Hinduism, as well as non-believers

Peace Symposium gathering a great success for ladies PADRAIG CONLON

AHMADIYYA Muslim Ladies recently held their second annual Peace Symposium in Dublin with “Pathway to Peace: Women’s role as peace makers” as this year’s theme. This year’s event, which was held on Sunday, February 2 at Finnstown Castle Hotel Lucan, was attended by around 60 women from all walks of life who gathered to discuss and learn about the important role women have to play in establishing lasting peace across the globe. The event was representative of women of all and no faiths, and from a wide range of professional and academic backgrounds. The aim of the Peace Symposium is to initiate the conversation of the responsibility of women in establishing peace. As noted in various studies and discourses, sustainable peace can only be achieved with the involvement of women at its core. With three speakers from different faith perspectives, including Islam, Christianity and Hinduism, alongside with the address by the Mayor of South Dublin Cllr Vicki Casserly, this year’s event was a great success. The evening began with a warm reception in the hall where guests

gathered and mingled, exploring the exhibitions on many areas such as The Review of Religions, the translations of the Holy Quran, as well as an exhibition on the status of women in Islam and in particular, the concept of the hijab. Followed by the recitation of the Holy Quran, the first speaker, Maria Murphy, represented Christianity. She outlined some of the vital roles that Irish women played to keep peace in Ireland and explained how mothers tried to keep peace in Ireland during the Civil War. She also described that Christian teachings are laid out in the “Beatitude”. Peace Minu Mishra, representing Hinduism, spoke about the unique qualities that only women possess in order to bring peace in the world. Guest speaker Cllr Casserly praised the Ahmadiyya Muslim ladies and acknowledged the efforts carried by them for integration into wider community. Finally, the keynote address was delivered by Nudrat Malik, who gave an insightful view into the Islamic perspective on the vital necessity of peace at all levels of society, whether governmental or domestic. S h e re m i n d e d a l l

attendees that justice, opportunity, knowledge, understanding, tolerance and peace at home are all important to establish peace at a wider level. In Islam, great emphasis is laid on peace at home as the building block of all societies. Women can be the architects of peace in the home, she said. She narrated the hadith, “Paradise lies under the feet of your mother”, highlighting the responsibility of mothers to create peace for children. She also touched upon education as essential in establishing peace and counteracting acts of aggression. She mentioned that Islam has encouraged the acquiring of knowledge especially for women. In her concluding remarks, the president of AMA Women’s Auxiliary, Sajida Aleem, expressed thanks to all the guests for their participation and requested them to help in building a mosque in Dublin. She also praised the Irish people and country by saying that Ireland is a peaceful country and people are very friendly. The feedback from guests was highly positive and encouraging, with many women eager to learn more about Islam and its views, not only on peace but also on the status that women are granted.

TRIBUTES have poured in for the late RTE journalist and broadcaster Keelin Shanley (51), who passed away last Saturday. Born in Monkstown, Shanley graduated from Trinity College before presenting a number of science and technology broadcasts in the late 1990s. She then joined Prime Time in 1999, where she worked as a reporter and presenter. Shanley was known fo r h e r P r i m e Ti m e Investigates documentaries exploring themes of health inequality, cocaine abuse, homelessness, people trafficking and teenage criminality before going on to present Morning Ireland, The Consumer Show and Crimecall. In January 2018, Shanley took up her role as a new presenter of the flagship RTE Six One News.

The late Keelin Shanley (51)

RTE’s director-general, Dee Forbes, said: “Everybody at RTE is deeply saddened by the passing of our colleague and friend Keelin Shanley. “A passionate and dedicated public service journalist, Keelin had an expertise that challenged and probed as well as an ease that endeared her to all. “Most recently, Keelin co-presented the Six One News, watched by huge audiences daily. Keelin was incredibly popular with all her colleagues. But our loss is nothing compared to that of her

much-loved family. “My sincere sympathies go to Conor, Lucy, and Ben, to Keelin’s extended family, and to her wide circle of friends.” President Michael D Higgins also paid tribute, saying: “People all over Ireland will have been greatly saddened by the news of the death of Keelin Shanley, broadcaster and award-winning journalist. “Driven by a strong commitment to social justice, she brought great professionalism and dedication to her work as a journalist.

“Sabina and I send our deepest condolences to her husband Conor, their children Lucy and Ben, her wider family and her wide circle of friends.” A n Ta o i se a c h L e o Varadkar said Shanley was not only “a very talented journalist, she was a really lovely person. “[She was] always warm, engaging and courteous. Our thoughts are with Keelin’s family and friends, and all of her colleagues in RTE.” Fellow RTE broadcaster John Creeden also expressed his sympathies to her family, saying: “So shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of my colleague and one-time co-presenter Keelin Shanley, a woman of great intelligence and integrity. “My heartfelt condolences to Conor, Lucy, Ben and all of Keelin’s family and friends.” Keelin’s funeral took place on Wednesday at St Paul’s Church in Glenageary.

Helping to promote internet safety LOVE Island star Yewande Biala joined Dublin students Amber Maher, Karl O’Brien and Kacie Roberts, from Marino College, to help mark Safer Internet Day 2020 on Tuesday, with support from Virgin Media. Yewande has recently spoken openly about her own experience

with online harassment and shared her advice with the students on facing the challenges that the online world can bring. She was joined by Aine Lynch from the National Parents Council, and member of the Internet Safety Advisory Council; and Dr Brian O’Neill, a member of Ireland’s Internet Safety

Advisory Council, and director of research at TU Dublin Safer Internet Day aimed to help put the spotlight on several topics that concern young people, parents and guardians, with the goal of helping people to stay safer and happier through their online experiences. Picture: Brian McEvoy


14 DUBLIN GAZETTE 13 February 2020

POP-UP SHOP: UNIQUE PROJECT IN TEMPLE BAR TO HELP FUND CANCER RESEARCH

Cancer Survivors can do attitude, as shop opens in Temple Bar CÓILÍN DUFFY

cduffy@dublingazette.com CANCER SURVIVORS came together for a unique project, organised by Breakthrough Cancer Research (BCR) in Temple Bar to help fund cancer research. The charity partnered

with The Library Project to open up a ‘Pop-up Shop’ for the week around World Cancer Day – ‘The Shop that Nearly Wasn’t’, which showcased the many and varied creative contributions those who have survived, or are living with cancer, make to society.

Its name reflects the fact that these achievements have only been made possible due to the result of ground-breaking cancer research. Art, photography, books, crafts, clothing and protective sports gear, made by cancer survivors of all ages,

from all over the island of Ireland; were among the items in stock. “We are a research charity, and there’s a lot of emphasis on what hasn’t happened, because of World Cancer Day we decided we wanted to remind people of the distance we have travelled in terms of research,” BCR CEO Orla Dolan told Dublin Gazette. “In Ireland there’s 190,000 survivors of cancer, which is 4% of the population. They are here because we have made all of this progress. “There are some cancers like breast, testicular and prostrate which have survival rates in the upper 80’s and early 90’s now. “That’s because medical advances have meant the treatments are better, and even the protocols for the treatments are better. “There are other cancers like pancreatic which has a survival rate of 9% for 50 years, so what we wanted to do was make the point that we have made massive progress and lets celebrate that, and then let’s redouble our efforts so that we can work on the other cancers as well.” Glasnevin native Leonie Fanning came along to volunteer at the shop, after seeing it on RTÉ News on opening day. She says it’s a brilliant idea. “I literally saw this on the news and I came in,” she told Dublin Gazette. “As soon as I came into the shop, I just felt ‘oh my Goodness’. Everything was lively and smiley and bright – everything was just fabulous, and then talking to Eoghan (O’Sullivan) and

Shop volunteers Melanie Hand, Leonie Fanning and Nicola Eagles

Orla and hearing about what’s happening in the background all the time is just incredible. “I have to say I just admire them so much, because it is amazing work!” For Leonie it was her first time to hear about the work of Breakthrough Cancer Research. “I hadn’t known much about them because I had breast cancer, so I was dealing more with organisations such as Breast Cancer Ireland. “When I came across this and they explained about what they do helping to find cures for cancers that have only a 20% chance of survival like pancreatic, it’s just absolutely fantastic.” Leonie says there’s been a

huge buzz in the shop since its opening. “It’s been fantastic. Everyone here has been fantastic. Everyone who comes in has been supportive in helping, and it’s lovely to see it. It has been a really nice experience. “Everybody that comes through the door has a story. A lady came in earlier and she worked for CanTeenteenagers with cancer. “Just to hear her stories was great, but there were positives as well. We are inclined to touch on negatives as Irish people, but everyone has certainly been touched by cancer haven’t they?” While the shop has now closed at its temporary location of 4 Temple Bar, those involved are keen to reopen

a physical presence shortly in the capital, and have issued a call-out to those who may be able to help them secure a more permanent location. “We got our temporary location from The Library Project, who are doing it in partnership with us,” Dolan said. “In Temple Bar there’s a lot of people going by all the time, and it’s a great place to be.” The Shop That Nearly Wasn’t continues online, where a wide variety of items can be purchased at www.shopthatnearlywasnt. ie. You can get further information and details about the work of Breakthrough Cancer Research at www.breakthroughcancerresearch.ie

Some of the fantastic creations by cancer survivors of all ages


13 February 2020 DUBLIN GAZETTE 15

MAGAZINE

DUBLIN

MUSIC P17

FOOD & DRINK P20

TRAVEL P21

LET DUBLIN GAZETTE NEWSPAPERS TAKE YOU ON A TOUR OF THE NEWS AND EVENTS ACROSS THE CITY AND COUNTY

STEPHEN VERNON | CELEBRATE EXTRAORDINARY LEADERSHIP

Green property founder gets philanthropy award PADRAIG CONLON

STEPHEN Vernon was named The Community Foundation for Ireland National Philanthropist of the Year at a recent event in Dublin. A founder of Green Property and a well-known philanthropist, Stephen was honoured for his work in assisting community groups, helping charitable causes and giving back to society through his charitable giving. The Community Foundation for Ireland are one of Ireland’s largest philanthropic organisations to recognise and celebrate extraordinary leadership and generosity in the area of philanthropy. Previous winners of the annual philanthropy awards, which began in 2007, include JP McManus, Brendan O’ Carroll, Feargal Quinn and Maurice Healy. A Dubliner was crowned Local Philanthropist of the Year, with Malahide native Adrienne Stack deservedly the proud recipient of that award. Informed by her own family’s experience, Adrienne set up Hugh’s House in memory of her son Hugh

and in support of other families with very sick children; providing a ‘home from home’ for them in the city centre while their children are in hospital. Hugh’s House provides accommodation 365 days a year to the families of children who are long-term in-patients of Temple Street, Holles Street, the Coombe and Rotunda Hospitals. She has given significant personal and financial resources to the project. Speaking about the 2020 awards, Tina Roche, chief executive, The Community Foundation for Ireland, said society should not underestimate the positive role philanthropists play in raising awareness of the value and impact of strategic giving. “Now in its 12th year, The Community Foundation for Ireland’s Philanthropist of the Year Awards recognises extraordinary leadership in philanthropy,” she said. “Whilst acknowledging that many people who give back prefer to do so in a low profile and anonymous way, we see the need for positive role models to create a ripple effect of generosity throughout Ireland.”

Pictured are Liam O’Brien, Director of Strategy and External Affairs at Vodafone Ireland with Stephen Vernon who was named The Community Foundation for Ireland National Philanthropist of the Year, with Adrienne Stack, Local Philanthropist of the Year. Picture: Jason Clarke


16 DUBLIN GAZETTE 13 February 2020

DUBLIN GAZETTE NEWSPAPERS I N F O R M AT I O N

QUIRKY MATTERS

DUBLIN BITS & BOBS

Heritage House, Dundrum, Dublin 14 Tel: 01 - 6010240 Dublin Gazette Newspapers publishes four weekly quality free titles, covering the latest news, sport, entertainment and lifestyle from the four local authority areas of Dublin

Denim Day for Dementia C O N TA C T S Managing Director: Michael McGovern mmcgovern@dublingazette.com Commercial Director: Liz Ferris lferris@dublingazette.com Group Editor: Cóilín Duffy cduffy@dublingazette.com Deputy Group Editor & Travel Editor: Shane Dillon sdillon@dublingazette.com Sports Editor: Stephen Findlater sfindlater@dublingazette.com Production Editor: Jessica Maile jmaile@dublingazette.com Picture Editor: Alison O’Hanlon picturedesk@dublingazette.com Online & Style Editor: Rachel D’Arcy rdarcy@dublingazette.com Advertising Sales:

01 - 6010240 sales@dublingazette.com

FIND US ON

www.dublingazette.com Dublin Gazette Newspapers Ltd. Terms and Conditions for acceptance of advertisements Reserve the right to omit or suspend or alter any advertisement(s) in any of its publications. We also decline any responsibility in the event of one or more of a series of advertisements being omitted for any reason whatever, nor do we accept liability for any loss or damage caused by an error or inaccuracy in the printing of any advertisement. If your advertisement appears incorrectly, contact the Advertising Department immediately, as responsibility cannot be accepted for more than one week’s incorrect insertion. Responsibility cannot be accepted if the complaint is made more than two weeks after insertion. If one places an advertisement for more than one week and then cancels it after the first week, no refund or credit will be given for weeks cancelled. The advertiser undertakes to indemnify the Proprietors against any liability for any civil action arising out of the publication of the advertisement or any other matter printed or published in the City Gazette, Fingal Gazette, South Gazette and West Gazette. The placing of an order or contract will be deemed an acceptance of these conditions.

FITNESS and fashion enthusiast Niamh Cullen, TV Presenter, Reporter and latest ASI Ambassador, Sinead Kennedy, Nurse/ Fashion and travel blogger, Terrie McEvoy want members of the public to rally behind The Alzheimer Society of Ireland’s annual Denim Day for Dementia fundraising campaign on Friday, March 6 to raise funds for vital dementia supports and services.

Denim Day for Dementia campaign is asking everyone from around Ireland to don their denims – to crèche, school or to their place of work – on March 6 and donate just €2 to support the 55,000 people living with dementia and their carers. To get involved, members of the public are being urged to order their Denim Day for Dementia pack by registering online at www.alzheimer.ie. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/PhotocallIreland

Bid for girlfriend for Tourist board publish Irish soil may hold moon trip scrapped rant mistakenly cure to superbugs JAPANESE fashion billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has pulled out of a TV show where he was looking for a girlfriend for a voyage around the moon. The 44-year-old recently announced he was seeking single females over 20 willing to become his girlfriend (and join him on Elon Musk’s SpaceX trip) for a documentary to be aired on streaming service AbemaTV. Almost 28,000 people applied but now Maezawa has decided to pull the plug on the TV show saying he has “mixed feelings” about participating. Apologizing to the applicants and AbemaTV staff in posts on Twitter, he said he is “extremely remorseful” about the decision to pull out. Maezawa is the founder and former CEO of online fashion retailer Zozo (which he sold last year) and is known for launching big plans which sometimes don’t work out exactly how he expected!

WHEN Brazil’s national tourist agency wants to market Rio de Janeiro they usually focus on the city’s incredible beaches, samba music and exciting night life. A very embarrassing social media mistake this week however from the Brazilian Tourist Board showed the bad side of the city. Embratur accidentally shared a critical Instagram post from a tourist who had a nightmare time in Rio. “I just spent 3 days in Rio with my family, and in those 3 days my family and I were robbed and my 9-year-old sister witnessed a violent robbery,” Instagram user “withlai” wrote in an Instagram Stories post. “I can’t recommend a visit to a city where I felt afraid of even leaving the apartment.” Embratur deleted the post and said in a statement that “sharing (the post) was a mistake.”

A STUDY carried out by Swansea University Medical School found that certain Irish soil many contain a cure of four of the most commonly found superbugs. Soil taken from the Sacred Heart Church in Enniskillen was found to contain a bacteria strain that can halt the growth of MRSA and three other superbugs that are regularly found in Irish hospitals. Professor Paul Dyson of Swansea University Medical School said: “Our discovery is an important step forward in the fight against antibiotic resistance. “Our results show that folklore and traditional medicines are worth investigating in the search for new antibiotics. “Scientists, historians and archaeologists can all have something to contribute to this task.”

DOG OF THE WEEK DUBLIN Gazette Newspapers has teamed up with Dogs Trust to help find homes for lost and abandoned dogs. This week’s dog of the week is Kelsey, a beautiful four-year-old dog that can be quite shy at first, but has the sweetest nature once she gets to know you. She would love a family that will be willing to come up here to the centre a few times and build up a bond with her – once that’s done, you will have a friend for life. Kelsey would love a family where there is another confident dog to help her settle in, and a nice garden to play

in and relax with her doggie pal. Kelsey is such a cuddly and affectionate dog that will make a wonderful addition to the right family. If you have room in your heart and home for Kelsey then please contact Dogs Trust on 01 879 1000. They are based in Finglas, just off exit 5 on the M50. Map and directions can be found on their website www.dogstrust.ie. You can also find them on Facebook www.facebook.com/dogstrustirelandonline or Twitter @DogsTrust_IE. (Remember: Always have your dog on a lead when in public.)

kelsey


13 February 2020 DUBLIN GAZETTE 17

WELL WORTH A LISTEN

DUBLIN ENTERTAINMENT

Cry Monster Cry’s tides of inspiration lead them all the way to the Swiss Alps FOLLOWING the acclaimed release of their sophomore album, Tides, Cry Monster Cry are riding a current. The two Sutton brothers, Jamie and Richie Martin, are fresh from a tour of Germany, and awaiting the release of a new documentary that features their adventures playing their music up a mountain in the Swiss Alps. Music has taken life to an interesting place. I caught up with Jamie, an English-major who converts his studies into carefully constructed lyrics, fresh from what’s been an exhausting tour and a special time on the continent. “I think Irish music is a bit exotic over there,” he laughed. “We find ourselves selling out places that we’ve never been. “People see that we’re playing and, in real German fashion, they’ll go to YouTube, do some research into us and if they like it, they go and buy tickets. It’s great. I think that’s something that’s fading in Ireland.” What music fans can uncover when they do such research is delicate and subtle, and in the case of Tides, a deeply emo-

 JAMES HENDICOTT

tional piece of work that’s mostly quite slow-paced and poetic, but bursts into wall-of-sound angst in late track, The Last Dance. “I’ve been trying really hard to be in the moment when I perform, and I’ve found when you do that, when you really put everything in, you feel it coming back to you,” Jamie said of the tour. “It’s emotionally draining, but I think it makes for an honest performance. I really wanted to approach it in that way, to see if there was any difference in the reaction. I thought there was.” Tides, as an album title, is a reference to the flow of the brother’s lives: sometimes turbulent and sometimes smooth and calm, a reflection of something, really. A touch ironically, it’s taken them to the mountains. “We went on a trip to the Swiss Alps and there’s a 30 minute documentary of it waiting to be released,” Jamie said.

Cry Monster Cry – brothers Richie and Jamie Martin

“It’s about the climb and the gig, but it’s more about this guy called Rene Reusser, who brings musicians over there. He’s incredible – a complete music fan. “He runs a carpentry school, but the documentary is about telling this guy’s story, why he’s so passionate about music and craft, and the lengths people go to so that they feel they’ve done something a bit different. It should be out in about two weeks. “We’ve been lucky. We’ve always loved taking on weird stuff, like a gig in the Alps, or living room concerts in Germany. “It’s just what keeps up amused and entertained. Hopefully, the documentary will get a good reaction. “It’s called, When The Snow Calls I’ll Be Gone, which is the English title of an old Swiss folk song.” Back within the band, things are coming to a peak, too, with the brothers having had their time “living” ahead of the release of the second record. They’re on a songwriting high, and enjoying the moment. “What I really love about music is storytell-

ing,” Jamie said. “I like to share a bit of myself, like reading a diary on a stage. It’s a great way to make something collective.

“It’s had a huge, huge impact on me that I can chart right back to my childhood. Reading, for me, is like going to the gym

for storytelling. I have to stay on top of it.” Cry Monster Cry play the Pepper Canister Church, Dublin on March

27, with tickets priced at €23. The show concludes a 13-date Irish tour spanning February and March.


18 DUBLIN GAZETTE 13 February 2020

Delight in digital

Get in touch with YOUR local paper on our newly improved website www.dublingazette.com, Facebook and Twitter

DublinGazette Wherever you are, we’ve got you covered

For all digital enquiries contact JPMontgomery@dublingazette.com


13 February 2020 DUBLIN GAZETTE 19

DUBLIN STYLE

ROSE-MANTIC GIFTS COMMERCIAL CONTENT

THOMAS SABO Sterling silver and rose gold double chain necklace €149

Trust Trim Castle Hotel with your wedding WITH Valentine’s Day tomorrow, February 14, inevitably seeing ‘the big question’ getting popped, congratulations to any reader who gets asked ‘the big one’! And, if thoughts of weddings – particularly your own – are on your mind, or about to be, why not consider Trim Castle Hotel for your special day? Trim Castle Hotel is a historic landmark wedding location, situated in the ancient walled town of Trim. The hotel offers a choice of three glorious celebration suites overlooking the medieval walls of Trim Castle, located amidst the rolling hills of Meath’s oldest natural landscape. Guests can witness the 12th Century castle ruins transformed by a kaleidoscope of projected lights as the sun sets, with the memorable panorama matched by the hotel’s own warm hospitality and exceptional service. And, once Valentine’s Day is behind us all, the hotel is looking to the future needs of couples with its upcoming Wedding Fair on Sunday, February 23, from 2.30-5pm. The hotel’s refurbished celebration suites will be dressed to impress on the day, while the hotel’s wedding team will be on hand to share their experiences and help guide wedding plans, along with a number of recommended wedding suppliers. And, for those unable to attend the wedding fair and who wish to view the hotel before the fair, you can even contact the hotel directly to arrange a private viewing. For further information, you can contact the wedding team at 046 948 3000, email info@trimcastlehotel.com, or see www.trimcastleweddings.com orwww.trimcastlehotel.com.

EMINENCE Sweet Red Rose Whip Moisturiser

THOMAS SABO Sterling silver gold together disc ear studs €179

THOMAS SABO Sterling silver gold together coin necklace €198

THOMAS SABO Sterling silver gold together bracelet €179 HARVEY NORMAN Dyson supersonic hairdryer €399

LINDT Strawberries and Cream 200g chocolates

HARVEY NORMAN JBL bluetooth speaker €119

DR BRONNER Lavender organic sugar soap

HARVEY NORMAN Beats solo violet €199

BUTLERS Indulgent chocolates heart box €16

lovely gifts for the 14th

EMINENCE Chocolate Mousse Hydration Masque €58 OH L’AMOUR ... It’s that time of year again

the way home or – even worse – gifting

– a time to express your love, affection

some new socks or a new iron!

and appreciation of your ‘other half’ tomorrow, St Valentine’s Day. And, while it’s certainly true that “it’s

Instead, if you’re stuck for some lastminute ideas, why not try any of these great Valentine’s gift ideas?

the thought that counts”, we’d hope that

They’re sure to put a smile on the face

you can do better than grabbing a bunch

of your loved one. So share the love, and

of wilting flowers at a petrol station on

give a great gift tomorrow...


20 DUBLIN GAZETTE 13 February 2020

DUBLIN FOOD & DRINK

A GUIDE TO TEMPTING FARE

Refurbished Milano branch is reopened

PIZZERIA Milano has re-opened the doors at its Longboat Quay, Grand Canal branch. Situated at the basin of Grand Canal, Milano has re-opened with a complete interior refurbishment. Kathy Limbeck, manager of the restaurant, said: “Our refurbished pizzeria – which showcases the kitchen at its heart – is designed to allow our customers watch our talented pizzaiolos freshly handmake their pizza to order.” The opening of the branch comes 24 years after Milano set up shop in Ireland.

Grace Binchy, Bord Bia consumer insight specialist: “When it comes to evening meals, this comprehensive study captures a clear intent to make healthy and socially responsible food choices”

Food for thought in new study of our eating habits GARY IBBOTSON

BORD Bia, the Irish food board, has released the results of an in-depth national study into the evening meal consumption habits of the people of Ireland. Carried out in partnership with Red C Research, the study was designed to better understand the changing dynamics of people’s evening mealtime habits. The study involved a nationally representative online survey of more than 1,000 Irish consumers who charted their evening eating habits, resulting in a sample of 5,925 adult and 1,841 child evening meals collected over seven consecutive days. The research captures consumer intentions to live more healthily and sustainably versus their daily choices when it comes to evening meals. According to the poll, more than 80% of people put a high level of importance on eating a balanced diet, with four in 10 adults saying that their

evening meal choice is based on what foods impact their physical and mental health. Ethical considerations are also influencing consumer behaviour, as almost three in 10 people feel making choices that are more positive for the environment has a great deal of influence on evening meals. Commenting on the growing influence of health and wellness trends on dietary choices, Grace Binchy, Bord Bia consumer insight specialist, said: “When it comes to evening meals, this comprehensive study captures a clear intent to make healthy and socially responsible food choices, and people believe they are regularly doing so. “However, as a growing ‘time poor’ nation, life gets in the way. “There is a tendency for people to remember the choices they make as being better than they were, and their original intention is not always reflected in their actions.”

Key findings of the study: • The classic ‘meat and two veg’ meal staple is the number-one evening meal type eaten by adults in 2019, accounting for 11% of all adult evening meals across the seven days. Chicken dishes and pasta with sauce meals, such as spaghetti bolognese, were in second and third place, at 10%. • Pasta with sauce meals, such as spaghetti bolognese, was the number-one meal type eaten by children, accounting for 14% of all evening meals. • 29% of all adult meals include red meat, although chicken follows closely behind at 21%. • The presence of fish within all meals is at 7%, increasing to 11% on Fridays. • Dairy is a key part of evening meals among Irish consumers, with 17% of all meals containing cheese. Top 10 adult meal types: 1. Meat and two vegetables 2. Chicken dish (for example, roast chicken) 3. Pasta with sauce (for example, spaghetti bolognese)

4. Italian foods (for example, pizza and lasagne) 5. Diner style favourites (for example, burger or steak and chips) 6. Fish dish (for example, fish bake or fish and chips) 7. Light meal (for example, toasted sandwich or beans on toast) 8. Chinese/Oriental meal 9. Stew or casserole 10. Indian dish (for example, chicken tikka marsala, korma, curry) Top 10 children’s meal types:: 1. Pasta with sauce (for example, spaghetti bolognaise) 2. Chicken dish (for example, roast chicken) 3. Meat and two vegetables 4. Italian foods (for example, pizza and lasagne) 5. Diner-style favourites (for example, burger or steak and chips) 6. Stew or casserole 7. Fish dish (for example, a fish bake or fish and chips) 8. Chinese/oriental meal 9. Indian dish (for example, chicken tikka marsala, korma, curry) 10. Light meal (for example, toasted sandwich or beans on toast)

Tag along to Dublin’s very first Taco Battle FOOD festival organisers Eatyard has announced a string of events for early 2020, including a battle between Dublin’s finest taco makers. Taco Battle – Dublin’s inaugural taco cook-off – will take place later this month on Saturday, February 22, in Jam Park. Hosted by taco super fan Marcus O’Laoire, attendees will try tacos from La Cocina Cuevas, The Taco Truck, Fuppin Delish, Orale, Eatery Park and Tacos Don

Ron, and vote for their favourite. Tickets are €40 per person and entry will get you six tacos, one drink token and the responsibility to decide who has perfected the Top Taco. On the day, there will also be other tacoinspired events such as eating contests, sombrero throwing, pinata competitions, a limbo and Mexican bean race. This is a child-friendly event with children up to the age of 12 allowed free entry.

Meat firm launches same-day delivery

THE family-owned Dublin Meat Company has announced a same-day delivery option for its range of health lunch and snack options. The range of Fit Foods include soups such as potato and leek, as well as tomato and basil, and protein pots such as low-calorie chicken tikka and cajun chicken with a BBQ dip. Dublin Meat Company also offers fully proportioned meals which include wholewheat penne bolognese, Thai red chicken curry with brown rice, a turkey burrito bowl with brown rice, and many more. The company has also announced new vending machines which will be distributed around the county in offices, factories and hospitals. The meals are microwaveable in four minutes, made from fresh ingredients each day, and the vending machines are freshly restocked each day.


13 February 2020 DUBLIN GAZETTE 21

TAKE A BREAK, AT HOME OR AWAY

DUBLIN TRAVEL

Coronavirus makes its impact felt in travel industries around the world

The River Lee offers a very stylish base from which to explore Cork

Cork getaway will be a love-Lee trip unexpectedly calm and beautiful oasis in the bustling city NOW that the centre. lengthening eveAs part of The nings are putting River Lee’s Slice a spring in our of the City packstep, why not age, guests enjoy hit the road for a an overnight stay staycation by the along with a pribanks of the love- The collaboration with Nano Nagle Place vate tour of Nano (above) offers a very authentic experience ly Lee, in Cork? Nagle Place with In fact, the picexclusive access to turesque waterway offers getaway, complete with a buildings not open to the a perfect riverside setting behind the scenes private general public. for the hotel of the same tour of one of Cork’s most After a day exploring, name – The River Lee – beloved historic settings. return to the hotel and which has been attracting Previously the buildings enjoy complimentary appreciative guests to its of the South Presentation access to the on-site NRG comfy setting for a long Convent before it closed fitness centre and swimtime, drawn to a relaxing its doors in 2006, Nano ming pool, or relax in the stay in the Rebel county. Nagle Place has been lov- sophisticated surroundAlready a welcome des- ingly refurbished to house ings of The River Club over tination all year round, the a fascinating heritage a glass of something local luxurious Cork hotel has centre, cafe, gardens and and delicious. recently collaborated with shop, where visitors can Complete with an overNano Nagle Place to cre- experience the story of life night stay for two adults, a ate an exclusive one-night in 18th Century Cork in an private tour of Nano Nagle SHANE DILLON

Travel Editor

Place and breakfast in The Mirror Room the following morning, Slice of the City at The River Lee is available from €239, and offers a charming cultural break in the country’s second city. The cultural and cosy stay is just part of the reason to hit down the road to Cork, of course, thanks to a city that has so much to offer, it’s no wonder many Corkonians never leave. The city offers a fine range of attractions and things to see and do, coupled with many superb restaurants and wining and dining options that have firmly put Cork on the map in recent decades. For further information or to make a booking, call 021 493 7772, or see https://www.doylecollection.com/hotels/theriver-lee-hotel.

Millennials reveal their holiday must-have points A NEW survey from our friends next door on the travel interests of 2,000 young British millennials is likely to be strongly mirrored by their Irish peers. While an Irish study would undoubtedly be a tad different – such as a listing for ‘Being able to watch Dublin V Mayo in the All Ireland’ – the research by Virgin Holidays is sure to be very close to the Irish millennial’s holiday wishlist must-haves, as follows ...

40% – A white sandy beach 34% – Balcony with a sea view 33% – Crystal clear waters 33% – The perfect sunset 31% – Palm trees 29% – Local wildlife 28% – Beautiful picture chances 26% – Iconic landmarks 25% – Lakes 25% – A vibrant local culture 24% – An infinity pool or jacuzzi/ hot tub 24% – Mountains

22% – Historic ruins 22% – A spa 21% – Interesting architecture 19% – A coral reef 18% – Glamorous bars 18% – Local delicacies 16% – Bustling street markets 16% – Safari 14% – A clifftop 13% – Beautiful people 13% – Temples 12% – A hammock 11% – Designer shops/boutiques

WHILE ‘Wuhan Flu’ continues to cause alarm all around the world, particularly in the Asia Basin countries, tourism, travel and holiday firms and organisations are monitoring the situation closely. Understandably, Airbnb has found itself at the front line in the global grasp of the dreadful coronavirus, with a significant amount of properties in the countries that Airbnb operates in. With Irish holidaymakers also facing having to amend or even cancel travel plans to a range of countries, an Airbnb statement on its stance is likely to be of great interest. An official Airbnb media statement reads: “Airbnb is closely monitoring official news and guidance about the novel coronavirus outbreak in order to support our community of hosts, guests and employees in China and around the world — we are prioritising their safety and wellbeing. “In accordance with guidance and recommendations from the World

Health Organisation, the Chinese government, and other local and health authorities, we have activated our extenuating circumstances policy to offer impacted hosts and guests the option of a cancellation of their reservations without charges. “As the situation evolves, we will be continuously evaluating and updating this policy, in line with official guidance. Airbnb is also working to support authorities who are responding to this global health emergency.” For those facing changes to travel plans in one of a number of countries currently facing coronavirus illness – including but not limited to China, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan – Airbnb has an ‘extenuating circumstances policy for the novel coronavirus outbreak’, which may facilitate cancellation without charge of any planned trip in an affected country. You should be able to find this policy, or contact Airbnb directly, though its app or website.


22 DUBLIN GAZETTE 13 February 2020

DUBLIN MOTORS

WHAT’S NEW IN THE WORLD OF TRANSPORT

New Ranger Raptor commands respect

Ford are old hands at delivering impressive pick-ups – and the Ranger Raptor is another singular vehicle, thanks to power and presence alone

DECLAN GLYNN

FORD has launched the new Ranger Raptor – the toughest and most high-performing version ever of Europe’s bestselling pick-up. The new Ranger Raptor is powered by a Biturbo version of Ford’s 2.0 litre EcoBlue diesel engine that delivers 213 PS and 500 Nm of torque, and is mated to Ford’s new 10-speed automatic gearbox. The commanding presence delivered by the ultimate Ranger’s imposing dimensions and extreme styling is supported by a unique Ford Performance chassis, optimised for highspeed off-road driving and go-anywhere capability. Built to withstand

high-impact off-road eve n t s, t h e R a n g e r Raptor’s unique, superstrong reinforced chassis frame uses highs t re n g t h , l o w- a l l oy steels to endure the punishment delivered by offroad racing. All-terrain BF Goodrich 285/70 R17 tyres have been specially developed for the Ranger Raptor, and really contribute greatly to the Raptor’s go-anywhere ability. Ford Performance DNA is present throughout the interior, which delivers quality craftsmanship, harmonious colours and durable materials for driving scenarios from the high street to high altitude. The premium leather and suede bolstered s e a t s a re s p e c i a l l y

FACT BOX

1) Imposing dimensions 2) Terrific on and off-road 3) Impressive power and torque 4) Six driving modes 5) On sale now designed for enhanced grip and off-road highspeed support, with a dual-firmness cushion for ultimate comfort. My test vehicle was a new Ranger Raptor, which was finished in striking Ford Performance Blue metallic paintwork for maximum visual impact. Drivers can select from six Terrain Management System modes to tackle a wide range of terrain and driving scenarios, including Normal, Sport, Grass/ Gravel/Snow, Mud/Sand,

Rock, and Baja mode. While the first five modes are self explanatory, the Baja mode tunes responses for high-speed off-road performance, just like drivers need in the famous Baja desert rally. The one thing that really grabs attention with the Ranger Raptor is its sheer size. Park a Raptor on the street and it will dwarf a standard Ranger by a considerable amount, as it is the Raptor’s bodywork that really makes

it stand out from the crowd. The Raptor’s standard BiTurbo 2.0-litre EcoBlue engine allows for swift acceleration for this type of off-roader, with the 0-100kmph sprint achievable in just 10 seconds, while fuel economy of up to 31.7mpg is possible on a combined driving cycle. The Ford Ranger Raptor has carved itself a unique place in the market simply because it’s like no other pick-up currently on sale. The engineering modifications have turned the already likeable Ranger into a seriously impressive vehicle – both on and off-road. The Ranger Raptor is priced at €63,950 (exdelivery), and is on sale now.

Electric Elves plug into training demand ELVES, the End-of-Life Vehicle compliance scheme www.elves.ie hosted a training programme for Authorised Treatment Facilities (Permitted scrapyards) in the safe handling of end-of-life hybrid, electric and mild hybrid vehicles at Plunket College for Further Education in Whitehall recently. The Electric ELVES programme is the first classroom based course of its kind in Ireland and is free of charge to attendees. As the compliance scheme for the End-of-Life Vehicle sector, ELVES saw the need to develop the Electric ELVES programme in response to the increasing popularity of electric and hybrid cars, from full electric vehicles to mild-hybrids. The course content addresses new health and safety risks which vehicle dismantlers face in handling electric and hybrid vehicles, as well as helping to provide solutions to the challenging environmental reuse, recycling and recovery targets set out in End-of-Life Vehicle Regulations. The Electric ELVES training programme was launched in September 2019 and is being facilitated by ELVES with the support of the IMVRA. The training programme is open to all ATFs in Ireland, not just those in the ELVES ATF Network. Programme availability will develop nationwide as awareness of and demand for the course dictates. Allowing all Irish ATFs to access the training programme will expand critical knowledge and expertise across the country, supporting all ATFs in developing competence in the handling of this new technology. The course is provided free of charge to ATFs. Interested ATFs should contact ELVES www.elves.ie to register their interest for future training days. The course is taught by leading industry professionals Salvage Wire. Salvage Wire recently won Best Automotive Recycling Consultancy 2019 in the UK Build Recycling and Waste Management Awards for achievements and innovations made within the industry. Salvage Wire also recently won the US Automotive Recyclers Association, 2019 President’s Award. Plunket College of Further Education, Whitehall, Dublin, is part of the City of Dublin Education and Training Board, CDETB. The college offers the QQI Level 5 Pre Apprenticeship - Motor Vehicle Maintenance and Motor Technology course which is supported and funded by SOLAS. The new motor vehicle workshop facility at the college is ideally suited for the practical element of the Electric ELVES training programme. ELVES Environmental Compliance Manager Elena Wrelton said, “This Electric ELVES course is of immense value to ATFs. ELVES is providing this second series of training workshops in response to significant industry demand. When the course launched in September, ELVES had a huge number of new requests for training from vehicle recyclers. It is of critical importance that those working in the industry are equipped with the resources available to be fully confident and competent in dealing with the correct reuse and recycling of all types of vehicles.”


13 February 2020 DUBLIN GAZETTE 23

CHALLENGE YOUR BRAIN...JUST FOR FUN!

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13 January 2020 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 27

SOCCER P29

THE BEST IN DUBLIN

SPORT

OLIVIA LEADS WAY: SOCCER: A NEW era is set to begin at

St Pat’s CY as they prepare to enter a women’s team for the first time in the newly-founded Eastern Women’s Football League in 2020. The new venture has been a long time in the planning but has recently taken shape with the appointment of Republic of Ireland legend Olivia O’Toole as senior manager.

GAZETTE

LADIES FOOTBALL P31

PAGE 28

LET DUBLIN GAZETTE NEWSPAPERS INFORM YOU OF THE HIGHLIGHTS AND SCORES OF YOUR FAVOURITE TEAMS BOXING | HARRINGTON LIVING IN THE MOMENT FOR BIG 2020

Kellie Harrington offers coaching advice at UCD this week. Picture: Michael Chester

Kellie’s short term focus  STEPHEN FINDLATER

sport@dublingazette.com

WHILE the first set of Olympic boxing qualifiers are just over a month away, you might expect the ins and outs of the tournament to be all-consuming for Kellie Harrington. But the Dubliner admits she doesn’t “have a clue” about the format and is not the least bit concerned for the time being. “I don’t even look at who is in my weight or how the qualifier works,” she told Dublin Gazette at the National Dairy Council’s Everything Starts with Milk campaign. “The coaches will just tell me who is up next and that’s it. I am not looking at anything else or who is on the same side of the draw as me, who is seeded one or two. I don’t care. “When you start doing that, your focus is shifted from what is in front of you. I focus literally on what is on in that moment. There’s no point worrying about it now because it wastes all your energy. That’s energy I need to be putting into my training sessions and my sleeping. I am not saying the Olym-

pics isn’t the [big] thing but that is how I break it down.” For the record, her first chance for the 2018 lightweight champion to qualify for Tokyo is in mid-March in London where six places are on offer. Failing that, another three or four spots will be on the line at the final qualifier in Paris in May. Harrington had spent the back end of 2019 out of action with a hand injury but she hails an increase in her dairy intake as key to her recovery. Any worries it would linger into this year were appeased with her silver medal at the Standja multi-nations tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. “It was just good to get away and test myself and my hand. It was a multi nation tournament, a really high standard which has been going on 71 years so I was delighted to box in it! “Mainly, though, it was about sussing out my hand, seeing what it was like in a tournament, throwing it out at all kinds of angles and landing it in different ways.” The hand came through with no ill effects, giving her confidence going into a four-week training block before

she, eventually, zones in on the specifics of the Olympic qualifiers. And she hopes she can give her community another reason to celebrate. “Growing up in the innercity is fantastic – you get to see all walks of life. There are hidden agendas or mollycoddling. You grow up a lot quicker. It’s made me the person I am today and also made me want to do well for my

community. “When I do well – or anyone from the community like Troy Parrott or Wes Hoolahan or Olivia O’Toole – everyone jumps up and gives them the credit they deserve and it lifts the whole place.” “It’s amazing to see that spirit lifted from one person and giving happiness to so many.”

SPORT CONTACT INFO SPORTS EDITOR: Stephen Findlater sfindlater@dublingazette.com

For more information or to send in news and photos: sport@dublingazette.com Phone: 01 601 0240


28 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 13 February 2020

CLUB NOTES

ROUND

2 1

BALLYMUN KICKHAMS LUCAN SARSFIELDS OUR monthly draw was on last week, results of which have been WELL done to theposted Junioron A laour website and social media. Thank you all who support this vital monthly fundraiser. We have launched advertising opportunities for our new artificial pitch in the last week, which are easily viewable on all our social media. Do not hesitate to contact any member of the sub committee on the launch page for more details. Your annual membership is now due. Please see Linda or a member of your management team asap. Adult players/full membership is €100 and €50 for the unwaged. Social membership is €40 per annum. Remember, this entitles you to apply for entry into our (what seems to be now annual) ticket draw for all Ireland football final tickets! We encourage all people involved in the club, be it supporter, parent or just a well wisher, to join the club and become a member of our burgeoning family. All new comers welcome. Linda is most welcoming! You can contact her by using these: lindaparnell@yahoo.ie or 0872733022 or go to our website *HERE* for more information. Our artificial pitch replacement is well underway, and we advise all juvenile teams that during this process, Pairc Ciceam will essentially be a building site and therefor out of bounds for safety reasons. We ask all juvenile teams to please comply with this rule. It’s envisaged that the pitch will be completed by the middle of February (weather permitting).

O’TOOLE’S WITH lots of matches postponed due to bad weather it was nice to see some games go ahead on Saturday. A big ‘Thanks’ to the mentors, parents and players for their commitment to the sport. What a great start to season our U16 hurlers had on Saturday. The lads travelled over to St Anne’s in Tallaght for the first game of the season. The weather was appalling, with winds gusting and swirling at an immense pace. It was by no means an easy game, one for one scoring at times, but our brave lads ploughed on and in the end held out for a five-point win. It was a great team effort with our points and goals coming from many players. Well done to all the lads but especially young Adam in defence. Our U12 boys teams did super jobs over their three football grading games, winning two of them vs Bray & Skerries (what a result) respectfully, just losing narrowly to Castleknock. Great games to watch, again in atrocious weather. It was a proud day for some young girls from

St Paul’s national school when they showed off their playing skills at half time during the Dublin match on Saturday. There was at least one of our girls on the team, young Jodie Byrne. And very well she played. The big boy leagues start in earnest this weekend with our senior footballers taking on the might of St Margaret’s here in O’Toole’s at 10:30 on Sunday morning. It would be great to see a packed side-line to get the lads all fired up for the season ahead. Juvenile registration and adult memberships are now due. There are several ways to pay, cash to office, online, direct debit. Talk to Hellen on 086 3060524 and we’ll come up with the best way for you to pay. For all the ‘lovers’ and ‘singles’ in the community we have the spectacular ‘Rat pack’ as our Valentine’s Saturday night act. And Sunday we have Mr Music ‘Martin Kenny’. There was no winner of our Thursday night ‘Live’ Club *Lotto* draw. the numbers were 4, 6, 8, 16. And the jackpot this week is a very nice €4,100.

SOCCER: RINGSEND CLUB AMONG THE FIRST TO LINK UP WITH

Irish legend Olivia to lead new St Pat’s CY era

EASTERN LEAGUE

 DAVE DONNELLY

sport@dublingazette.com

A NEW era is set to begin at St Pat’s CY as they prepare to enter a women’s team for the first time in the newly-founded Eastern Women’s Football League in 2020. The new venture has been a long time in the planning but has recently taken shape with the appointment of Republic of Ireland legend Olivia O’Toole as senior manager. The Ringsend club will compete in the EWFL following the merger of the two major Dublin leagues, the Metropolitan Girls League (MGL) and the Dublin Women’s Soccer League (DWSL). O’Toole, who appeared a record 130 times and whose 54 goals for her country was equalled by Robbie Keane in 2016, was headhunted to usher in the new chapter in Pat’s

CY history. Shelbourne captain Pearl Slattery was an early champion of the new club, but it was a chance interaction with club secretary Dave Nolan that kicked off the relationship. “I didn’t know Dave – I just liked his Twitter page,” O’Toole tells the Dublin Gazette. “He said St Patrick’s CY are looking to set up a women’s team on Twitter and I liked it. I got a message off him about ten minutes later saying ‘Olivia, is there any chance I can speak to you?’ “I wasn’t doing anything, I was idle, and I wanted to get back into it. We had a chat and I liked what he said and I liked what they were trying to do. “There are girls coming to Dave and saying ‘why isn’t there a girls’ team?’ And he said they haven’t thought of this overnight – they’ve been thinking

Olivia O’Toole will be joined by ex-International Rachel McGuinness and ex St Catherine’s goalkeeper Suzanne Thomas, pictured in Irishtown stadium with St Pat’s CY club chairman Derek Bowden

about it for over a year and a half. “I feel good about about it because they’ve a structure where if you’ve girls leaving, you have girls coming up. So, for me, it’s a process that’s going to go on for a good few years.” O’Toole has earned her UEFA youth coaching badge but, due to the €3,000-plus cost, has yet to fulfil her ambition to pursue a full B license, however that may change if the Pat’s gig goes to plan.

She was involved with North Wall in the inner city following her retirement from playing and, for the past number of years, has coached St Catherine’s Under-18s in the Liberties. That role petered out as she became disillusioned by the lack of commitment as players grew older, but she feels the new league may offer a more attractive option to keep players in the game. “I managed St Catherine’s girls under-18s for

four years and they start smelling themselves and not turning up for training, not turning up for matches, and that broke down. “I haven’t done anything since because I got a bit fed up with it. I really want to make this work with St Pat’s. “The feedback I’m getting from girls that have been out of football for a year or so is that they want to get back into it. “In the inner city, there’s no team.”

Liffey Valley shine in Avondale

Liffey Valley Athletic Club’s runners starred at Avondale last weekend

ISLANDBRIDGE based Liffey Valley Athletic club shone at the All-Ireland Masters Cross country championships last Saturday at Avondale Estate in Wicklow. The event drew a field of over 300 athletes from throughout Ireland on a tough, hilly course and, from the gun, three athletes drew clear of the field: Peter Arthur and Pierce Geoghegan from Liffey Valley and past winner Brian Maher from Kilkenny Athletics Club. The lead changed many times with all

three athletes testing one another before Maher drew clear over the last 50 metres to win by two seconds from Arthur with Geoghegan in the bronze medal position. Both Liffey Valley athletes are coached by Jim Davis who has coached many athletes to national and international success with Liffey Valley over the years. Arthur and Geoghegan were also part of the Liffey Valley team who won the silver medals in the team race with good support from Brendan Beere and Ciaran Reilly.


13 February 2020 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 29

NEW EASTERN LEAGUE

SOCCER: TERENURE CLUB SEVEN POINTS OFF TOP SPOT

VEC unable to break Castle’s defences UCFL DIVISION 2 Castle Celtic VEC  JOHN MOONEY sport@dublingazette.com

AAI GAMES

McMullen leaps the longest in Abbotstown WHILST below his best as he returns from injury, Crusaders Adam McMullen (pictured below) still managed to win the long jump at Sunday’s AAI Games in Abbotstown with a leap of 7.38m with his second jump of six. The club’s Valantinos Goularas ran in two series of the 60m hurdles, winning the first in 8.39 and placing runner-up in the second in 8.41. Picture: Eoin Noonan/Sportsfile

0 0

A DRAW was no good for either Castle Celtic or VEC FC when the two met on a windswept Stanaway park on Saturday afternoon and ended up drawing 0-0. This UCFL Division 2 encounter was entertaining enough considering the conditions, but good football was hard to come by as the wind dominated the game from start to finish. There were flashes of good play and, on another day, we might have seen an goal or two, but as the wind swept across the field, shots on target were few and far between. The more clear-cut efforts came in the second half and it was the visitors who were cursing their luck as, on two occasions in the space of four minutes, Adam Flynn had the chances to put this game to bed. On 65 minutes, after a good passage of play involving Neil Murtagh, Karl Reck and Gerry Curran, Flynn found himself 10 yards from goal with only Conor Seery to beat, but his effort was brilliantly saved with defender Gavin Ward putting the loose ball out for a corner just to be on the safe side. Four minutes later and Flynn found himself in almost the same position with only Seery to beat but he blasted wide of the mark on this occasion. It took the wind out of their sails for a bit and they probably felt that it wasn’t going to be their day after those two efforts went. The home side had their own near misses, most notably the one from substitute, and acting player manager on the day, Dan Killeen when he latched onto a long Seery kick out and smashed a shot off the crossbar. There were other chances but mainly half

Castle Celtic, above, and VEC, below, prior to their UCFL Division 2 clash

ones and neither keeper was really tested in the conditions and in the end a draw was a fair result. It leaves VEC second in the table but they trail Sandford/St Mary’s by seven points and they have a game in hand, while Castle will have to be content with their mid-table position. Castle Celtic: Conor Seery, Gavin Ward, Ross Kina-

han, Dermot Groarke, John Thompson, Adam Collins, Mick Thompson, Cosmin Huhulea, Liam McMahon, Glen Callaghan, Florin Aposto, Mark Healy, Darah McCreery, Joey Broderick, Daniel Killeen, Fionn Fitzpatrick. VEC FC: Brian O’Keefe, Matthew Wallace, Ian Dunne, Russell White, Paul Smith, Neil Murtagh, Gildas Olivier, Richard Burke, Karl Reck, Garry Curran, Adam Flynn, Sean O’Shea, Jack McKnight, Jorge Castillo, Paddy Prizeman.

DCU capture Collingwood crown COLLINGWOOD CUP FINAL  sport@dublingazette.com

HISTORY was made at Dalymount Park when DCU captured the Irish Universities Collingwood Cup for the first time in the 100th staging of the competition. The Dubliners came out on top 4-1 in the penalty shootout when a tense decider against Ulster University ended scoreless. DCU striker Jack O’Connor had the best chance late in the first half after he got past Nathan Best and Stephen Cairns and cut into the box from the left. But, after he rounded goalkeeper

Matty McClurg, his goal-bound effort was taken off the line by full back Owen McConville. Earlier, Dylan Connolly might have put DCU in front but after he was set up by Sean McCarthy’s low cross his finish was well off target. The northern side looked stronger in midfield with Marc McKenna and Niall McGinley impressive while a couple of Craig Taylor free kicks tested DCU ‘keeper Imrich Toth. The pace noticeably slackened after the break and apart from another Connolly effort that cleared McClurg’s crossbar and a Taylor free neither side looked like-

ly to come up with a winner. Even extra time remained scoreless and DCU proved the more accurate from the penalty spot with David Mugulu, Tristan

Noach Hofmann, Sean McCarthy and Jack O’Connor all beating McClurg to finally take the famous trophy to the Glasnevin university for the first time ever.

DCU celebrate. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile


30 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 13 February 2020

HOCKEY

CAMOGIE: GRIFFITH AVENUE SCHOOL SAVOUR DUBLIN TITLE

Domincan’s reflect on more camogie success SCHOOLS CAMOGIE  STEPHEN FINDLATER

sport@dublingazette.com

Pembroke’s Gillian Pinder on the attack. Picture: Adrian Boehm

Pembroke denied by late Insta strike WOMEN’S EY HOCKEY LEAGUE  STEPHEN FINDLATER

sport@dublingazette.com

PEMBROKE were denied their first win since November as Ciara Moloney’s penalty corner deflection six minutes from time saw Limerick’s Catholic Institute draw at Serpentine Avenue last Saturday. Pembroke went in front in the seventh minute courtesy of a cracking goal from Emily Beatty. But Insta were a strong match for the Dublin 4 side with Naomi Carroll drawing a great save from Aoife Glennon while Roisin Upton’s corner shot was also denied by a top stop just before half-time. A couple more corners for the Limerick side came along, one of which was deflected in by Ciara Moloney for the equaliser with eight minutes to go. The result sees Insta remain in ninth place, chipping away at the gap to the likes of Cork Harlequins and Railway Union. Elsewhere, Julie Dennison’s scrambled penalty corner finish on the final blow saw Belfast Harlequins grab their second point of the season, meaning Muckross had to settle for the fifth draw from nine outings this term. Anna O’Flanagan put Muckross ahead in the eighth minute with a lovely defelction in front of the goalkeeper but it was annulled within three minutes by her international team mate Serena Barr with a textbook corner strike, Jenny McAuley winning the set piece. Susie Cannon returned the Dubliners to the lead just before half-time, showing grit to get the ball over the line. Her side survived a spell down to nine players in the second half and went further clear early in the fourth quarter when Sophie Barnwell cleaned up off Suzie Taylor’s pads. Katherine Welshman pulled one back to make it lively with 15 minutes to go and Quins carried that momentum on, winning a last minute corner that Barr swept goalward. It got have a stop from Ellie McLoughlin but injector Dennison eventually got a hold of the ball and flipped it in on her backhand. UCD, meanwhile, won a high-quality tussle at Belfield against Railway Union 3-0 despite rough conditions to strengthen their place in the top four at the halfway stage. They led from the end of the first quarter when Hannah McLoughlin scored from a penalty corner that she won herself and But the game was settled in the last five minutes with a couple of late goals from Lena Tice and Edel Nyland.

DOMINICAN College, Griffith Avenue bowed out of the Tesco AllIreland schools camogie championship at the semi-final stage to St Mary’s, Midleton 4-18 to 1-4 but can still reflect on a super year. Two weeks before Saturday’s semi, the school ran up a glorious 5-5 to 3-7 win over St Mary’s Naas in the Dublin senior A final, making it back to back victories at this level. Fiona Isdell was the hero with a hat-trick of goals in Portmarnock as goals proved pivotal for Eoin Ryan’s side. Isdell netted the first on 18 minutes to cancel out Tara Bedford’s goal for the Kildare outfit moments earlier and she nabbed another just before half-time but St Mary’s had the edge 2-3 to 2-2 at half-time. The game turned, though, in the second half when Aiobhe Noonan’s def lected shot found the net to give Dominican the perfect impetus. Tara Doorey responded in kind with

Dominican College, Griffith Avenue celebrate their Dublin Senior A camogie championship title.

an excellent goal for Mary’s only for Isdell to continue the goal rush, marking her hat-trick goal from full forward in some style. After a lengthy injury delay, Mary’s did nick in front yet again with a couple of points but St Mary’s finished with a f lourish as Noonan found the net for a second time. And her side duly

ALL-IRELAND FINAL Vincents’ denied in Junior B final ST VINCENT’S Junior B hurlers

were undone by St Brendan’s, Loughrea in the final of the All-Ireland championship last Saturday at Killeedy in Limerick. It was all to play for at halftime with the Galway side shading things 0-6 to 0-4 but a goal early in the second half took the game out of reach. St Brendan’s went on to win by a handsome 1-13 to 0-8, ending a marathon campaign for the Marino side.

ran up a string of unanswered points from Ciara Kavanagh and Aifric Mangan to put them out of reach by four points. “Naas were very good, very hard to break down,” Ryan told Dublin Gazette when reflecting on the season. “But we have developed a winning mentality over the years. Goals were crucial in the end for us. “Camogie in the

school has been building over the years and there has been a big emphasis on it with a commitment to improving coaching and training.” This has culminated in their maiden Under-19 success in 2019 which they backed up this year. This side had previously tasted Dublin A championship success at Under-14 and 16 level with several of the team

– hailing from clubs like St Vincent’s, Na Fianna, Whitehall Colmc illes and Erin’s Isle – earning Dublin underage trials with Emily Byrne and Anna Sullivan earning county call-ups. The All-Ireland semifinal proved a bridge too far, though, missing out on a final date against Loreto Beaufort, a side Dominican beat in the Dublin semis.


13 February 2020 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 31

LADIES FOOTBALL: UNBEATEN RECORD COMES TO AN END IN CROKE PARK

FOOTBALL

Dublin’s U-20s pull clear late on in opener

Dublin’s Carla Rowe holds off Cork’s Laura O’Mahony. Picture: Ray McManus

Dublin unable to quell Rebel rising LIDL NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIV 1 Cork Dublin  DAIRE WALSH sport@dublingazette.com

0-8 1-4

CLANN Mhuire’s Carla Rowe continued her impressive league form but it was not enough to overhaul Cork at Croke Park as the Rebelettes strengthened their grip at the top of the LIDL National Football League Division One. On a rain and wind-swept evening, the ever-dependable Orla Finn kicked five points for the visitors, while Hannah Looney also chipped with 0-2 during an industrious display in very difficult conditions. Rowe led the way with 1-2 for Dublin but despite enjoying a late flourish, they fell to their first loss of the campaign. Manager Mick Bohan was left to ponder what might have been as his side lost for the first time this season. “It’s probably not the result that’s frustrating for us, rather the number of opportunities they had that they just squandered. Very disappointing, really poor execution and an awful lot of the basics of the game just not executed. That becomes a huge source of frustra-

tion.” Cork, after dropping some early shots into the hands of Dublin goalkeeper Ciara Trant, took the lead through centre-back Melissa Duggan’s fifth minute point. While they didn’t always capitalise on the opportunities that fell their way, a brace from the reliable Finn extended the lead for Ephie Fitzgerald’s charges. Rowe kicked the hosts into gear with a two-point salvo, but Cork subsequently reinforced their authority. Finn registered 0-13 when the Munster side overcame Dublin in last year’s league semi-final and she split the posts at the end of an intricate attacking move before adding a routine free on 24 minutes to make it 0-5 to 0-2 for Cork at the break. Maire O’Callaghan and Looney were combining to good effect in midfield, and it was the latter who took the charge when the action resumed. The Aghada star landed points from play with side of another Finn free to give Cork a firm control of the proceedings. Dublin, despite struggling to impose their attacking game against a watertight Cork defence, received a lifeline midway in the third quarter when Rowe slotted home a penalty into the bottom

right corner of the net after a foul on her club mate Oonagh Whyte. Five-time All Star Lyndsey Davey was simultaneously introduced off the bench for her seasonal return as Mick Bohan’s side, who secured their sole league title in 2018, looked set for a big finish to the contest.

And they certainly ramped up the pressure on the league champions in a frenetic finish with Hannah O’Neill and Davey shooting points. But they were unable to draw level with a free from Rowe in the dying moments drifting wide as Cork held on for victory.

Clontarf’s Caoimhe O’Connor on the attack. Picture: Ray McManus

ST VINCENT’S Josh O’Neill and Sean Lowry, Na Fianna’s Adam Rafter, Clanna Gael Fontenoy’s Evan Caulfield, Clontarf’s Kieran McKeon were all named in the starting team as Dublin’s Under-20s got by the challenge of Wicklow in their opening Leinster football championship tie. Tom Gray’s side won out by 1-17 to 0-7 at Joule Park in Aughrim on Saturday, setting up a date with Longford next Saturday in Parnell Park in the quarter-final (2pm). They did fall behind early on to an Eoin Darcy goal in the third minute and while Dublin lead by three points at half-time, it took a while to fully shake off the hosts’ challenge. They scored the last six points despite suffering black cards to Pádraig Purcell and Ciaran Archer in the 54th and 55th minute respectively. Dublin had extended their half-time advantage with points from Archer, Alan Murphy and Purcell on the restart as Wicklow only managed two second half points, both from Matthew Ging. Dublin led 1-11 to 1-7 with ten minutes, plus six added, to play and they finished strongly with points from Purcell, a fine Luke Swan effort, Kieran McKeon, Rory Dwyer, Swan and sub Ciarán O’Reilly. Wicklow, backed by the strong wind, made a dream start with an Eoin Darcy goal in the three minute but Dublin replied shortly after with Adam Fearon raising a green flag.


GazetteSPORT FEBRUARY 13-19, 2020

ALL OF YOUR DUBLIN CITY SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 27-31

O’TOOLE TO LEAD ST PAT’S

SOCCER: Former

Republic of Ireland star responds to Twitter call-out to take on reigns for new women’s Eastern League. SEE P28

KELLIE’S FOCUS BOXING:

Kellie Harrington not getting ahead of herself in Olympic year as she looks to do her community proud once again. SEE P27

DOMINICAN DEVELOPMENT CAMOGIE:

Griffith Avenue school reflects on their rise to the forefront of the Dublin schools scene after another Under-19A title. SEE P31

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Mun need to use league springboard for the SFC  CÓILÍN DUFFY

sport@dublingazette.com

BALLYMUN KICKHAMS senior football manager Brendan Hackett says his side are in a difficult situation as they begin their Division 1 League title defence this Sunday morning when they host beaten championship finalists Thomas Davis (10.30am). Hackett is unsure if county players such as Philly McMahon, James Mc C a r t hy a n d D e a n Rock will be available for the tie, as the northside club face into their first competitive game of the year. “It’s a difficult situation, because obviously with talented players they will get selected by Dublin,” he told Dublin Gazette. “There’s six of them with Dublin at the moment, and that causes a difficulty obviously for the club because we don’t see them, and we don’t have them for league, and then we see them for a very short period of time for the Championship. “That’s a huge challenge because they are very talented. But you are trying to come back and play with essentially a group of people that you aren’t playing with the whole time and that’s a difficulty. “ B a l l y m u n a l w ays look strong on paper, and are always up at the top of favourites. “But, as you have seen in the last while, Bally-

Ballymun Kickhams are keen to use their AFL1 campaign as a springboard for a major championship push

“Most of the teams who have won the

championship in the last few years, always have good league campaigns.“ mun have only won one championship since the 1980s. “So that’s the reality on the ground; it’s quite a challenge with so many talented players off with Dublin because you only get to see them for four sessions before you play your first championship match. “Last year was encouraging; it was a

step forward because the remaining players had a good league campaign,” he continued. “I think that is imperative for the development of the rest of the players, no doubt. “You prove yourself in the league first and I think that it’s no accident that most of the teams who have won the championship in the last

few years, always have good league campaigns.” Hackett says his side will be setting their stall out as strongly as they can in the quest for backto-back titles. “We take the league seriously,” he said. “We set out a target last year to try and win at least 10 of the 15 games. “That was our tar-

get last year, and that comes down to a level of consistency, and so we’ll be hoping to do similar again in the league.” And what of Ballymun’s opponents Thomas Davis? “One of the reasons T h o m a s D av i s h ave been so successful is that their manager has worked with them for a number of years,” Hack-

ett said. “They’ve got a consistency now – the sum of the parts would make them a very strong team, and that’s what they have thrived on. “They work very hard as a unit, and they have great team spirit.” Ballymun Kickhams v Thomas Davis is one of eight games on Sunday morning.


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