Dublin Gazette: City Edition

DublinGazette NOV 28 - DEC 4, 2019

DUBLINMAGAZINE: Take a break from the DUBLIN

hustle and bustle with a great range of things to read in our packed Magazine section PAGE 14

SPORT ATHLETICS:

Dublin City Harriers’ starlet storms to victory and earns European call-up into the bargain. SEE P29

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THE LATEST NEWS & SPORT FROM THE DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL AREA

Finglas is in a flap over Drake Inn plans RACHEL D’ARCY

FINGLAS locals are calling for The Drake Inn building in the village to be restored or repaired, rather than turned into a six-storey apartment block.

A planning application has been submitted for 37 apartments across five floors, with a ground floor gastropub and retail unit.

The building has been vacant for

food&drink

LEARN ABOUT HOW VOLUNTEERS FEED THE HOMELESS P21

more than a decade, and left to fall into a dilapidated state.

A petition was started in February, asking for DCC to begin the process of adding the building to the Vacant Sites register, which more than 600 people signed.

However, there has also been local opposition to the plans, with resistance to the proposal for a sixstorey apartment block.

FULL STORY ON PAGE 7

Shock over two deaths BUSINESS Find us on Keep reading, keep recycling – thank you

THANKS FOR THE HELP, (REIN)DEER: This little lady was delighted to help launch the Tesco Ireland annual Christmas Food Appeal, in partnership with FoodCloud. The initiative invites shoppers to across Ireland to support those in need within their local community this Christmas, by donating a product in Tesco stores nationwide this Friday, November 29 and Saturday, November 30. Picture: Marc O’Sullivan

THE north side of the city was shocked by the deaths of two men in less than 24 hours.

The unrelated deaths saw one man lose his life after being shot near his home in what gardai

believe is connected to an ongoing feud, prompting calls for gangland violence to be addressed.

The second man’s death is believed to have been a personal tragedy.

SEE PAGE 2

BAD news for city businesses – their rates are going up by 3%, as part of a raft of measures councillors have backed to help boost the city’s SEE PAGE 9 finances.

2 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 28 November 2019

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UNRELATED DEATHS LEAVE NORTHSIDE COMMUNITIES GRIEVING

Shock as two men lose their lives in less than 24 hours  RACHEL D’ARCY

rdarcy@dublingazette.com

THE north side of the city has been rocked in recent days, with two tragic deaths in less than 24 hours occurring earlier this week.

L a s t S u n d ay, Eo i n Boylan (22) was gunned d own nea r his fa m ily home on Clonshaugh Avenue at approximately 5:15pm.

He wa s r u s h e d to B e a u m o n t Ho s p i t a l , where he later died as a result of his injuries. He was understood to have

Gardai believe the shooting of the 22-year-old victim was linked to an ongoing feud

received several gunshot wounds in the attack.

Speaking following

the news of Boylan’s m u rd e r, Fi a n n a Fa i l Spokesperson on Justice,

Jim O’Callaghan, said the growing levels of gangland violence needs to be urgently addressed.

He said: “Gardai believe this shooting [has claimed] the fifth victim of an ongoing feud between drugs gangs in the Coolock area.

“The death of Eoin Boylan is extremely concerning, and measures must be taken to ensure this violent feud is curtailed before more lives are lost in this ongoing drug dispute.

“This young man was in the garden of his home when at least two gunmen fired several shots at him, fatally injuring him.

“This type of gun violence cannot be tolerated in the city and those responsible for the murder must be brought to justice.

“Gun violence of this

nature cannot and will not be tolerated and people should not have to live in fear of their lives as this drugs war intensifies.”

Less than 24 hours after Boylan’s death, a body was found in a container near a school in Ballymun, on Balbutcher Lane.

The discovery was made at approximately 10:50am on Monday morning. It is understood that the body discovered was that of a man in his 40s, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Pending the results of a post-mortem, gardai have said that they are treating the case as a personal tragedy, and that the death of the individual is not believed to be related to Boylan’s case, as was previously speculated.

FASTNews CarePlus fun all set to help fight cancer CAREPLUS Pharmacists and their teams have pledged to come together this December to support the Irish Cancer Society’s inspirational Volunteer Driver Service.

More than 5,800 patients have used this scheme since it was set up in 2008, with volunteer drivers bringing them to and from 82,000 chemotherapy appointments in hospitals around the country.

The Irish Cancer Society looks after recruitment, training and reference checking.

The Volunteer Driver service is free for patients and is funded through the Irish Cancer Society’s fundraising and donations.

This Christmas, CarePlus Pharmacists and staff will be raising awareness for patients and volunteers in their communities.

CarePlus Pharmacies are also collecting customer donations to raise much needed funds to support Irish Cancer Society initiatives through in-store activities.

The highlight of the fundraising campaign will be a fun Christmas Jumper Drive in all CarePlus stores on Friday, December 7, where staff will be decked out in festive gear and hosting activities such as bake sales.

All are welcome at a wonderful free concert in Blanchardstown START the Christmas season with a free concert of festive music presented

by The Baptist College International at Riversdale Community College in Blanchardstown on Thursday, December 5.

The event features choral and instrumental music and all are welcome; there is no charge and seasonal refreshments will be served afterwards.

The concerts starts at 7:30pm sharp. For further information, phone, text or WhatsApp 085 702 1425, or see www.bbc.ac.

28 November 2019 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 3

RANELAGH: STAINED GLASS WINDOW PLAN IN HONOUR OF RETIRED HEADMISTRESS

School rallies to immortalise beloved Aine RACHEL D’ARCY

THE community of a Gaelscoil in Ranelagh are rallying together to raise funds to commemorate its beloved headmistress, following her retirement.

Aine Nic an tSithigh has been headmistress of Lios na nOg since it first opened its doors, 23 years ago, and announced her retirement last June.

Now, to commemorate the role she has played in the formation of the school and the lives of its pupils, the Parents’ Association is looking to fundraise for a stained-glass window to be erected in

her honour.

Geraldine McCabe Cole, who is the parent of three former pupils, and a current pupil, and is also the head of the Parents’ Association, told Dublin Gazette that the mark Aine has left on the school is immeasurable.

She said: “Last June, Aine retired after 23 years of service. She’s loved in the neighbourhood and the area for building up this fantastic Irish-speaking school, but also leading the charge on preserving Collinswood House.

“When she was leaving, all the parents wanted to get her a gift, and we came

up with the idea of leaving something in the school for her, so that her name would always be associated with the building and the school.

“There’s a beautiful plain archway above the main door, and she loves stained glass, so we thought if we got a stained-glass artist to design a piece for the house it would add to the appeal of the building.

“We have a former parent, Roisin de Buitlear, a well-known Irish glass artist, who is going to design it for us when we get the money.

“She’s one of the people

POLICING

Threatening leaflets sent to residents

At the heart of the school for many years ... Retired Lios na nOg headmistress Aine Nic an tSithigh (above), who the school is looking to honour. Screengrabs: YouTube

who would have been part of the founding team who set up the school initially [in 1996], so it’s come full circle.

“Aine’s originally from Kerry; she’s got beautiful Irish[-speaking skills].

“Now – in the middle of the city – she’s grown a

community of people, of children who speak Irish, who love Irish music and will now always have a love for it.

“I think people came up with this idea because she has left our children with something so special, so we would love to give it

back to her in some small way,” said Geraldine.

If you are a former or present pupil, or a parent of a pupil, and are interested in donating, visit the GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/fuinneog-doaine.

GARDAI are investigating threatening leaflets distributed to residents near Shelbourne Park.

The leaflets threatened ‘Severe measures’ against locals and their neighbours if they did not take part in on-going protests outside the stadium regarding the greyhound racing industry.

The Alliance for Animal Rights, which holds biweekly demonstrations outside the stadium, says it has nothing to do with the threats or the flyers, and have said the move appears to be an attempt to discredit the group and their work.

Gardai asked that anyone who may have witnessed anything suspicious in the area between 6pm and 8pm on Saturday, November 23 to contact Irishtown Garda Station at 01 666 9600.

4 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 28 November 2019

FASTNews

HEALTH: TOP HOTEL REJECTS CLAIMS MADE BY TOURIST

Making light work of annual tradition A RINGSEND man who lights up his home each Christmas in thousands of dazzling lights has set up his illuminations once again.

Liam Tilly decorates his house on Bath Avenue in Sandymount in an array of illuminations (inset) and asks for donations to be made to a charity of his choosing.

Last year, he raised €15,000 for Our Lady’s Hospice, thanks to donations from those who come to visit the fantastic festive display.

Tilly has been gradually creating the beautiful display for the past two decades, but in the past ten years has raised more than €100,000 toward care services in Blackrock and Harold’s Cross.

The 84-year-old plans to continue the annual instillation for as long as he can. Locals have praised the work put into the lights, saying that Mr Tilly’s handiwork is “fantastic”.

His house will be illuminated between 5:30pm to 6:30pm each evening between now and Christmas.

There will be an official launch on December 7 at 5pm.

Disney seek Sensory gate to stop room open homeless at airport THERE has been a mixed reaction to news that a popular store on Grafton Street is to install shutters in an effort to prevent homeless people from sleeping in a recessed doorway.

Planning permission was being sought by the Disney Store to install a 3.5 metrewide and 3.1 metre high lattice-type shutter gate, in an effort to prevent people from sleeping in the recessed doorway at night, with documents submitted to DCC citing a range of issues with the doorway, including “apparent drug use” and “threatening behaviour and confrontation”.

However, in response to the news on Twitter, many have said that the onus should not lie with individual businesses, but with the Government on the whole.

Brian wrote: “There’s something seriously wrong when the Disney Store are getting more flack over this than the Government are getting over the rough sleeping problem.”

DUBLIN Airport has opened a purpose-built sensory room for passengers with autism, dementia, cognitive impairment or other special needs.

The new sensory room is located after security screening in Terminal 2 and just before the 400 boarding gates. It can be also be accessed through Terminal 1.

Depending on the passenger’s requirements, users will have the option to transform the room from a calming and relaxing environment to a stimulating interactive space full of light, colour and sound.

Dublin Airport’s new stateof-the-art sensory room includes relaxing music, mood lighting, bean bags, comfortable seating, digital display panels, tactile panels, textured flooring and a game to improve memory and motor skills.

The room is free for passengers departing from the airport, with 60-minute sessions available by emailing prm@ocsireland.com.

FIRST DAY

AFTER 5 DAYS A Swedish tourist to Dublin claims she woke up to bumps on her skin, and says she found bedbugs in her bedding at a popular Dublin hotel

‘Bedbug horror’ for Swedish guest RACHEL D’ARCY

A SWEDISH tourist who visited Dublin earlier this month has slammed the actions of a popular hotel, after claiming she was left several bedbug bites after a stay earlier this month.

Sanja Manduric was visiting the capital as part of a business trip with colleagues and was staying in the Gresham Hotel on O’Connell Street, when she was struck with a mystery illness, resulting in several bite-like marks across her arms, back and more.

Upon further investigation, Sanja realised her bed in the hotel was seemingly infested with bedbugs. She had several lesions on her skin which then manifested into an allergic reaction that she had to receive urgent medical attention for.

Speaking to Dublin Gazette, Sanja said that she didn’t know what the bumps were at first, but once she realised, she urgently contacted hotel staff.

“When I woke up the first morning, I had some bumps on my arms and one in my face, but I thought

it was maybe due to dry air or the trip.

“The next morning though, I found bedbugs running around in my bed. I showed a supervisor the bugs that I had managed to kill, and stains on my bedding. ”I went to a private doctor who confirmed that there were countless bedbug bites and a very strong reaction.”

The doctor discovered that she had a whopping 77 bites and provided Sanja with medication.

However, Sanja said that despite her obvious injuries, the hotel provided minimal assistance and that upper management wouldn’t speak with her, saying that they had to refer to a certain procedure that she did not feel was satisfactory.

In the end, she said all that she was offered was for her clothes to be dry cleaned and a new bag. ”I changed to another hotel but I had to come back to [the Gresham] several times and ask for help. They only deceived me with talks about their procedures, no answers about what kind of procedures, and were only interested

in getting me out of the hotel so that other guests would not see my injuries,” Sanja alleges.

She said she was promised correspondence with the hotel before she left Dublin, but this didn’t happen. When had returned home to Sweden, she received an email and was told an investigation by

“

The next morning though, I found bedbugs running around in my bed. I showed a supervisor the bugs that I had managed to kill, and stains on my bedding.

the hotel had found there were no bedbugs in the room.

“All the lack of responsibility and service, ignorance and arrogance disgusts me much more than the bedbugs. I was declared idiotic [by the hotel] even though

they knew very well what had happened,” Sanja said.

“That such a hotel, which represents Dublin’s history and ancestry, would treat its guests in such a way definitely does not contribute to Dublin’s promotion.”

In a statement to Dublin Gazette, The Gresham Riu Plaza said that they were aware of Sanja’s case, but that they did not find bedbugs in her room.

“After the first notification, the hotel contacted its specialised partner and the result of the analysis conducted was negative. No bed bugs were found in the hotel.

“In any case, and as a gesture of goodwill, the belongings of the guest were treated via our cleaning partner and the luggage replaced.

“The hotel takes this matter very seriously and the management team of the hotel took care of it directly.

“We have had no other reports of this kind from any other guest.

Despite this, if there is the minimum suspicion, we activate the specific protocol to avoid any possible problem from spreading.”

28 November 2019 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 5

6 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 28 November 2019

GALLERIES OF THE WEEK

Hannah Moyne and Clyde Carroll

Chloe and Jess Hogan. Pictures: Kieran Harnett

Mike Sheridan and Jo Linehan

Sharing some early festive fun in town

T

ESCO Ireland sprinkled a little early Christmas magic over the Iveagh Garden Hotel in Harcourt Street recently as part of its 2019 Christmas offering showcase. Outside the venue, guests were greeted by the festive sounds of a barbershop quartet, 4 in a Bar, with a Tesco Finest presenting a prosecco reception to help usher in the sounds and scents of the festive season.

Tesco Finest ambassador and celebrity chef, Mark Moriarty, was on hand to mingle with guests as they sampled specially

Clint Drieberg and David Mitchell

Nicola Halloran and Lauren Murphy

Mark Moriarty and Deirdre O’Kane

Jules Mahon

curated Christmas canapes and light bites. For those looking to add to their Christmas culinary skills, Mark hosted a live interactive question and answer session with guests tweeting their queries on festive dining at a live social media wall.

Guests on the night included comedian Deirdre O’Kane, RTE 2FM’s Louise McSharry, model Roz Lipsett, actress Jenny Dixon, and stylists Clementine MacNeice and Rebecca Rose. Rounding out the festive atmosphere, a live DJ set featured a wide range of Christmas classic hits.

Thomas Cross and Wayne Lawlor

Louise Carroll

28 November 2019 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 7

FASTNews

Capital Credit Union joins Studyclix.ie for initiative STUDY website Studyclix. ie has teamed up with one of Dublin’s largest credit unions to give students at a Drimnagh school access to its service.

Students from OLM Secondary School will be able to access Studyclix.ie for free, courtesy of Capital Credit Union, to get expert exam tips and see past papers broken down by topic.

Studyclix.ie simplifies the study process by breaking

down each subject into topics. For each topic, past exam questions, marking schemes, quizzes and videos are available.

More than 150,000 students across Ireland are registered with the site.

Capital Credit Union will provide the Studyclix.ie service for three Deis schools across Dublin – including OLM – in a sponsorship package worth almost €15,000.

NTA rolls out JAM card to help support commuters

THE National Transport Authority (NTA) has introduced the JAM Card on all public transport, aimed at helping those with learning disabilities or communication difficulties to discreetly communicate that they need extra time boarding.

Passengers with a learning disability, autism, or any other communication barriers can show the driver their card to convey that they need an extra degree of understanding and communication.

The NTA’s aim in introducing the card is to continue in its efforts to make public transportation safe and accessible for all passengers, regardless of their circumstances. JAM Cards are available in the standard card form or as a smartphone app.

FINGLAS: WIDESPREAD CALLS TO SAVE LANDMARK DERELICT PUB

Locals don’t duck out of call to save The Drake Inn RACHEL D’ARCY

LOCALS in Finglas are calling for The Drake Inn in the village to be saved from being turned into apartments, following the lodging of a planning application.

The former pub has been left derelict in the centre of Finglas Village for some time, but last week a planning application from Swiss-based Mulsh Sarl appeared outside the building seeking permission.

The application asks for permission from Dublin City Council (DCC) to construct five floors of apartments, 37 in total, above a ground floor retail unit and a gastropub.

Deputy Dessie Ellis (SF) posted news of the application to his Facebook page,

with locals objecting to the concept of a mid-level building in the centre of the northside village.

“How do you go about objecting to this ridiculous idea? Apartments in the middle of the village?” wrote Ashley Harold.

David Greene said: “I don’t have a problem with apartments being built in the village, but demolishing one of the more historical buildings to do so is not the answer. Once you destroy your history, it’s gone forever.”

In response to the news of the planning application’s submission, a local Facebook group created a poll to garner the opinions of locals on whether The Drake Inn should be saved, or if it should be demolished to make room for the

Part of the exterior of The Drake Inn. Picture: Google Maps

proposed apartments.

More than 230 people voted that the historic building should be saved, saying it’s a “disgrace” that it was allowed to fall into disrepair.

In February, Councillor Keith Connolly (FF) previously started a petition calling for DCC to take ownership of the building

under a compulsory purchase order.

At the time, Patricia Kennedy wrote: “The Drake building is way beyond saving and has become an eyesore, but replacing it with apartments is not what I’d like to see.

“The investor is only going to build whatever makes him money. We

should remember that Finglas was bypassed when things were good, we were simply left behind.”

Located at the junction of Main Street and Jamestown Road, The Drake Inn has been vacant since 2009. It was once a popular northside venue, and hosted some of the biggest stars of the Cabaret era.

8 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 28 November 2019

OPINION: PUBLIC CALLED TO SUPPORT FOCUS IRELAND’S ANNUAL, URGENT CHRISTMAS APPEAL

Together, we can help to end the horror of homelessness Sr Stan: “I believe that, as a country, we have a duty to look after all our citizens, especially those who are most vulnerable”

SR STANISLAUS KENNEDY, Focus Ireland’s Life President and founder, writes about the deepening housing and homelessness crisis and asks readers to support Focus Ireland’s urgent Christmas appeal.

WE CAN take home for granted a lot of the time.

But deep down, we all know what it means. Our home is the foundation stone of our personal and family life.

It is where we can relax after a long day. It’s where we belong and feel safe.

Sadly, not everyone has this security. The harsh reality is that three families will lose their home in Ireland today. It is truly shocking there’s now a record total of 10,397 people homeless.

Nearly 4,000 of these people are children.

While this is a national crisis, the problem is worst in Dublin, where 7,242 people are homeless – nearly 3,000 of these are children.

T h e G ove r n m e n t ’s response has been that it takes time to end this crisis. These children don’t have time. They are damaged every day while homeless.

Focus Ireland does not stand on the side-lines, we make a difference.

In partnership with the State and our supporters, we helped more than 1,200 families to escape from homelessness and to secure a home in the past two years.

However, the sheer scale of the housing and homelessness crisis means that the number of homeless people continues to rise despite this great work.

I did not ever think that things could get worse, but they sadly have done.

It is truly awful that we are now seeing more babies being born into homelessness.

One young mother told me recently how she was homeless when her baby boy was born earlier this year.

The woman, Louise, explained: “I had just found out I was pregnant when our landlord told us he was selling the house we were renting. Our world fell apart.

“We were desperate – searching day and night for somewhere new to stay.”

But there were no affordable houses or apartments available, and Louise and her family became homeless.

Louise, her partner and two children were all sleeping in one small and cold room in a B&B the night she had to go in to hospital to have her baby.

She said: “My little

“

No family should ever have to go through the trauma of losing their home and being homeless. No child should ever be born into homelessness, but it is happening.

Luke was born at 5.02am.

But the first call I made wasn’t to family, it was to Focus Ireland.”

I am glad to say we were able to help Louise and her family as we at least got them into proper emergency accommodation. They were still homeless for a while, but we worked with them and the great news is they now have a home where they will be spending Christmas.

While Louise’s story has a happy ending, no family should ever have to go through the trauma of losing their home and being homeless. No child should ever be born into

homelessness, but it is happening.

Families and individuals are losing their homes as they can’t afford to pay the rent, or the house is being sold or repossessed.

They have been called ‘The New Homeless’.

That is, the people who become homeless for purely economic reasons.

Many families who are homeless are squeezed into hotel rooms – five or six people in one room, nowhere to cook or for children to play. It would break your heart to see where these children are forced to live.

I believe that, as a country, we have a duty

to look after all our citizens, especially those who are most vulnerable.

We must cherish all of our children equally and ensure that no child suffers from being homeless.

Focus Ireland works hard to do this as we continue to develop realistic policy solutions to help end homelessness.

We also work through more than 80 frontline services in Dublin and across the country so we are there when people need us the most.

This amazing work is done in partnership with the State, as well as through kind support from our generous

donors.

The current situation is that we have to raise more than 40% of our annual budget through fundraising and donations to keep our services going.

This means we really need public support now more than ever so we can be there when families and individuals need help the most.

I am asking people to please give what they can afford to support our urgent Christmas appeal.

A total of 89 cents from every euro is spent directly on our vital work to combat and prevent homelessness.

People can donate at www.focusireland.ie, or by calling 1850 204 205.

Our work will continue with your kind support, because this crisis must b e e n d e d . Eve r yo n e deserves to have a place that they can call home.

28 November 2019 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 9

COUNCIL: COUNCILLORS AGREE ‘NECESSARY’ MOVE TO SHORE UP DCC FINANCES

Bad news for businesses: your rates are rising by 3% RACHEL D’ARCY

RATES for businesses in Dublin city are to increase by up to 3%, following a vote on the annual Dublin City Council (DCC) budget on Monday night.

Monday’s meeting saw difficult choices made by the council, with many councillors voicing their apologies for some of the decisions made, in what has been deemed one of the hardest budgets for the local authority in recent years.

The budget was passed with 35 votes for, and 25 against.

Councillors voted to approve the annual budget on Monday, after the meeting was deferred from the

previous week.

A vote for the budget means that rates will increase by 3%, which is expected to bring in an additional €4 million in revenue for the council.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Paul McAuliffe, said prior to the meeting that the additional rates presented an “unfair increase” to businesses, but the budget was widely regarded as “necessary” in its additional charges.

Areas including rates, parking charges and more all saw an increase in the budget in an effort to make up a shortfall in funding following a decision from the Government to distribute rates on Irish Water properties on a “popula-

tion apportionment basis”.

Some local authorities in other parts of the country benefited from this redistribution, while others – including DCC – have seen major losses to their finances.

It is estimated that DCC lost up to €8.4 million from this decision, which councillors say put them in an “impossible position” when voting on the 2020 budget.

Dublin Chamber have called on councillors to reverse a decision made during the summer to retain a 15% local property tax (LPT), as opposed to increasing commercial rents.

The chamber’s chief executive, Mary Rose

Students try ‘trial’ by ‘mock court’

The business rates rise agreed by Dublin City councillors is just one of a range of changes on the way, which include increasing parking charges and the East Link Toll

Burke, said: “The current funding issues are proof that the decision to retain the 15% LPT reduction was the wrong call.

“It was a political decision aimed at appeasing voters, but one which failed to recognise the need for Dublin to be adequately funded.

“The idea that businesses would be left to pick up the bill, when councillors have many other fundraising levers available to them, is hugely disre-

Next Monday to see a vote on the controversial O’Devaney Gardens development plans RACHEL D’ARCY

A VOTE is to be held on the future of the controversial plans for O’Devaney Gardens next Monday.

The decision was made at a special meeting last Monday on the proposed development, following revelations last week that the deal that was voted for earlier this month may potentially be spurious, as detailed in a letter from Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy.

Councillors at the special meeting were told that a development agreement would be ready to be signed within two weeks, and that the construction of more than 800 homes could begin within the next 12 months.

Dublin City Council housing chief Brendan Kenny said the private units will be owned by Bartra, the developer of the project.

However, Bartra have said they are prepared to reserve a number of homes for sale to an Approved Housing Body nominated by Dublin City Council, for the development of a cost-rental scheme.

As reported by RTE, the Acting Law Agent in Dublin City Council, and an independent legal firm, are said to

COOLOCK

be satisfied that the arrangement proposed by Bartra has no legal implications for the overall process.

A vote on O’Devaney will take place on Monday, December 2, at the monthly council meeting.

spectful to the thousands of rate-paying businesses in the city.

“Councillors should be looking at policies which will allow these companies to maintain and create jobs in the city – but

any increase in commercial rates runs the real risk of jobs being lost.”

Parking charges will rise by 10% from June onwards, while the price of using the East Link toll is to go up by 36% as well.

THE STUDENTS of Mercy College in Coolock took part in a ‘mock court’ competition in UCD’s Sutherland School of Law this week, marking the conclusion of the Legal Eagles schools project.

The Legal Eagles project is a 10-week education programme on the legal system, run by Community Law & Mediation, and funded by Dublin City Council.

The programme is aimed at Transition Year students and involves a series of classroom-based talks on how the Irish legal system works.

The students then test out their courtroom skills at a ‘mock court’, taking on the roles of prosecution, defence, witnesses and jury.

See also www.communitylawandmediation.ie.

10 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 28 November 2019

GALLERIES OF THE WEEK

Rosemary Coyle, Paula Prunty, Lyn Savage and Vinny Whelan

Jim Casey, Mark Buckley and Mike Casey. Pictures: Kieran Harnett

Leah Martin and Niamh Smith

A night to honour female footballers

L

ADIES and gentlemen were dressed to impress at the recent TG4 Ladies Football All Star banquet, in association with Lidl, that was held at the Citywest Hotel. The glittering, glam affair was a chance to celebrate the successes of the year, and to look ahead to what promises to be an exciting and competitive 2020 for the team.

Dublin’s Sinead Goldrick won her seventh All-Star award in eight years, and there was a fifth award for team-mate Lyndsey Davey, who was Player of the Match against Galway in the 2019

Daithi O’Se and Marty Morrissey

Hannah and Paddy Dowling

Brian O’Halloran and Orla Finn

Aoibhin Kiernan

TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship Final, which was played out in front of a record 56,114 attendance Another Dublin star, Siobhan McGrath, was honoured for a fourth time, while there was also a third award for team-mate Carla Rowe. There were nine first-time winners on the 2019 TG4 All Star team, including Dublin’s Niamh Collins, Olwen Carey and Niamh McEvoy. It was also confirmed on the night that the 2020 TG4 All Star Tour will visit Austin, Texas, with the tour scheduled for March 31 to April 8 next.

Aishling Moloney, Katie O’Carroll and Fiona Rowe

Sarah Gordon

28 November 2019 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 11

GALLERIES OF THE WEEK

Rachel, Aaron and Steven Davenport

Olivia and Melanie Connolly

Dena Levitz and Nicola Brady

Orlagh and Keira O’Reilly

Karl Bowe and Lynn Mulvey

Charlotte Foot

Denis Ellis, Michelle Cantwell and Aidan Ellis. Pictures: Brian McEvoy

Gillian Fitzpatrick with Giulia and Felix

Conrad Dublin gets into the early Christmas spirit

C Ella and Michelle Daly

ONRAD Dublin drew inspiration from the new smash hit Frozen to showcase its festive 2019 programme recently, with local designer Edwin Jebbto creating a bespoke Christmas look for the hotel’s exterior and interior.

On the launch night to reveal the striking new

look, guests enjoyed a wide range of Christmas fare with food and drink for young and old alike. With everything from a hot chocolate fountain to gingerbread and marshmallows for kids, while adults had seasonal mulled wine and Irish coffees, the delicious fare also included mince pies and even oysters.

The night was just part of the hotel’s focus on Christmas fun, with a range of special seasonal offers also helping to entice guests to stay at the busy hotel.

The Frozen 2-inspired makeover was also a hit with guests, providing plenty to talk about just in time for the film’s release at Irish cinemas.

12 DUBLIN GAZETTE 27 November 2019

PART 4 OF 7

Examining how our politicians have attempted to protect struggling Irish mortgage holders “

You criticise me for not intervening with vulture funds. Well, it was a compliment when they were so dubbed in America because vultures, you know, carry out a very good service in the ecology. They clean up dead animals that are littered across the landscape.

PADRAIG CONLON

THE words of then Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan talking about vulture funds at an Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessness in May 2016.

It was only natural he would defend them, after all he was the very person who invited them into the country.

In figures released to Fianna Fail TD Michael McGrath, which he shared in the Dail in 2015, it was revealed that Michael Noonan had met with private equity groups eight times in 2013 and 2014.

The former Minister was accused of “rolling out the red carpet” for vulture funds, while at the same time ignoring Irish mortgage holders in distress.

He even met with Lone Star, who along with its affiliate Shoreline Residential, were the biggest purchaser of Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC) mortgage loans, three times in 2014.

In 2013 he twice met with Apollo, who bought a portfolio of Irish home loans from Lloyds Bank in 2013 for €307m.

In total, officials in the Department of Finance met with private equity firms and vulture funds 65 times during 2013 and 2014.

So how have our politicians reacted to the inva-

sion of vulture funds into the Irish market, and what have they done to help struggling Irish homeowners?

The fightback has been led by several Bills brought to the Dail over the past couple of years.

In 2017, Independent

Michael McGrath TD

TD Kevin “Boxer” Moran put forward the Keeping People in Their Homes Bill 2017 aimed at providing further protections for homeowners in mortgage difficulty.

It proposed that judges evaluate, among other things, a borrower’s family circumstances before granting a possession order in respect of a family home.

In February 2019, the Minister for Justice confirmed the Government would advance the Bill as a Government-sponsored Bill, with some changes, and it was re-named the Land and Conveyancing

Law Reform (Amendment) Bill.

At the start of 2018, Michael McGrath was himself behind a Fianna Fáil private members’ Bill, The Consumer Protection (Regulation of Credit Servicing Firms) (Amendment) Bill 2018, to regulate vulture funds.

The Bill, passed on Christmas Eve last year, became operational on January 21st this year, and brings vulture funds within the full suite of Central Bank regulation.

In January, the Dail also voted in favour of Sinn Féin’s No Consent, No Sale Bill which aims to give mortgage holders the power to block the sale of their loans to vulture funds.

Pearse Doherty’s Central Bank (Transfer of Mortgages) Bill puts into law what currently exists as a voluntary Central Bank code, where lenders looking to sell a mortgage must get the borrower’s permission before selling the loan on to a third party.

The Dáil voted by 80 votes to 45 to pass the Bill however the government, and the Central Bank, has opposed the proposed legislation.

In June 2018, Fianna Fail TD, and chair of the Oireachtas Finance Committee, John McGuinness brought The Affordable Housing and Fair Mortgage Bill to the Dail.

Former Minister for Finance Michael Noonan

Written by Master of the High Court Edmund Honohan, the bill brings together several pieces of Irish and European law, and proposes the establishment of a ‘national affordable cooperative housing exchange’, which would allow not-for-profit housing providers to buy

John McGuinness

distressed loans and lease the properties to the borrower.

The bill also covers the provision of housing by not-for-profit, non-state entities with ethical funding as well as dealing with evictions and the reconfiguration of the government’s legal advice service Abhaile as a mortgage resolution agency.

The Affordable Housing and Fair Mortgage Bill reached its second stage unopposed, but remains currently before Dáil Éireann, potentially stuck in limbo until there is a change of government next year.

The lack of support for his bill from his own party, Fianna Fail, has been a source of deep frustration

for McGuinness.

Addressing party colleagues in a scathing letter last year he said: “Complete silence from Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil on this matter says much for the state of Irish politics today.

“Remember, it is not just mortgages that are being sold, it’s the lives of Irish people, many of whom are where they are because of the reckless lending of the very banks now selling them into destitution.

“Fianna Fáil needs to find its soul and regrow its backbone, become the opposition it should be, rather than the supine partner in government it is, and force the government to act by promoting decency, instead of toler-

Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

ating greed and keep our people safe by strongly curtailing the actions of all those who seek to reduce their lives to numbers on an enormously profitable balance sheet.”

28 November 2019 DUBLIN GAZETTE 13

14 DUBLIN GAZETTE 28 November 2019

SENIORS: HOME INSULATION:

DUBLIN

LEARN ABOUT HARRY CONNICK JNR’S LATEST ALBUM

PAGE 22

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LEARN all about the Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme to help have a more energy-efficient home that will be kinder on the planet – and on your pocket, too...

MAGAZINE THE E-GOLF IMPRESSES P20

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

Join the Christmas fun for all at Dublin Castle THE Office of Public Works (OPW) has announced a magical new experience for Christmas taking place in the historical surroundings of Dublin Castle.

Christmas at the Castle is a unique festive event running from December 12 to 22, with the event promising to have something for everyone.

With a boutique open air Christmas market, evening carol singing, a Neapolitan crib and complimentary evening access to the traditionally decorated State apartments, the event will also see Dublin Castle’s historic courtyard filled with more than 30 traditional Alpine market stalls, featuring an array of decorative crafts and inspiring gift ideas along with mouth-watering festive treats.

Visitors to Christmas at the Castle, which has free admission, can indulge in traditional fare being sold by artisan producers and soak up the festive atmosphere with evening carol singing provided by local choirs.

There will be a vintage carousel on site for children, while weekend visitors to Christmas at the Castle can avail of horse carriage rides around the grounds and gardens.

During the celebrations, the OPW will be providing complimentary evening access to the State Apartments from 6-8pm. After exploring the castle’s beautifully decorated interiors, families can visit the gothic revival Chapel Royal, the setting for the castle’s hand-made Neapolitan Baroque crib.

Admission to the market is free. For further information on what promises to be a great festival in the heart of the capital, see www.dublincastle.ie.

28 November 2019 DUBLIN GAZETTE 15 COMMERCIAL FEATURE

Sustainable shopping this festive season

RECIPE CORNER

We all know plastic isn’t fantastic and Christmas can often be the most wasteful time of the year. The Health Store has always offered gift wrapping at Christmas and this year, we have committed to fully recyclable packaging options and we have also launched a range of natural, eco friendly home and personal gifts to help you minimise your footprint this festive season.



Here’s our top picks for a more eco friendly Christmas:

A friendly start to your morning!

1. Natural Skincare Products. Your skin absorbs up to 60% of what you put on it! Ensure you use high quality, natural product on yours with gorgeous gift sets from trusted brands like Kinvara, Sukin, Dr Hauschka, Trilogy, Burts Bees and much more. From €11.50.

2. Stojos. Ditch disposable cups with Stojo’s foldable, pocket sized saviour. Perfect for hot drinks! Stojos from €10.95.

3. Salt Lamps. Add positive ions and cleanse the air with Himalayan salt lamps available in a variety of shapes and sizes & will create a warming glow in your room. Salt lamps from €14.95.

We are not all at our friendliest these cold & dark mornings so here’s a warming, comforting recipe to get us going!

1

YOU WILL NEED:

1 cup of The Health Store organic jumbo oats 1 cup of Oatly organic oat milk 1 cup of water 1 tsp of Steenberg cinnamon powder 1 x Red Apple 2 tsp honey/maple syrup/agave 1 spoon Lizi’s low sugar granola

3. Aroma Diffusers. Spruce up your home with Christmas scents and a chromotherapy diffuser and some 100% natural and organic essential oils. Aroma diffusers from €29.95.

METHOD:

1. In a non stick pot, bring your oat milk to a medium heat and add your oats for about 3-5 minutes.

2. Chop up half your apple into little chunks and add in.

3. Once the consistency thickens, add water in, little by little for another 2 minutes until the apple has softened and the texture is as you like it.

4. Pop into a bowl and shake your cinnamon on top and decorate with slices of the other half of the apple.

5. Lastly, top off your bowl with the spoon of granola and as much or as little sweetener as you like, bearing in mind that the apple will sweeten it up a lot!

6. Enjoy!

5. Advent Calendars and Inspirational Calendars. Swap your chocolate for a daily cup of herbal tea. We love this one from Pukka & think these daily inspiration calendars for next year make great secret santa or stocking filler gifts. Advent Calendars from €10.45.

2

4

INGREDIENTS FOR THIS RECIPE ARE AVAILABLE AT THE HEALTH STORE

STORE LOCATIONS

3

5

ARKLOW Bridgewater Shopping Centre North Quay, Arklow, Co.Wicklow 0402 24893 BLACKROCK Frascati Shopping Centre Blackrock Co. Dublin 01 2788855 BLANCHARDSTOWN Blanchardstown Centre Blanchardstown Dublin 15 822 2036

The Health Store are offering up to 20% OFF store wide this BLACK FRIDAY both in store and online at www.thehealthstore.ie

BRAY The Boulevard Quinsboro Road Co Dublin 01 286 1973 DUNDRUM Dundrum Town Centre Dublin 16 Dublin 01 205 1420

HENRY STREET 21 Henry Street Dublin 1 Dublin 01 685 9431 LIFFEY VALLEY Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, Dublin 22 675 4450 NEWBRIDGE Whitewater Shopping Centre Co. Kildare 045 434 250 STILLORGAN Stillorgan Village Co Dublin 01 210 8608 SWORDS Pavilions Shopping Centre Co Dublin 01 840 4438 TALLAGHT The Square Town Centre Dublin 24 01 4521181

16 DUBLIN GAZETTE 28 November 2019

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

COOL AND QUIRKY THINGS

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

Some real Christmas crackers NUALA Cole and other members of the Dublin Ukulele Collective treated commuters at Heuston Station to some great Christmas crackers as they helped Focus Ireland and Iarnrod Eireann launch the third annual campaign to help more people make it #HomeForChristmas. People can donate to the cause at www.focusireland.ie, call 1850 204 205, or donate €4 to Focus Ireland when purchasing a rail ticket. Picture: Robbie Reynolds

C O N TA C T S Managing Director: Michael McGovern mmcgovern@dublingazette.com Commercial Director: Liz Ferris lferris@dublingazette.com Group Editor: Patrick Finnegan pfinnegan@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.

Anger over snapper’s All’s well for Swalwell in Ducks duck any offers for ‘retouching’ breaking wind incident noise restrictions quacking good case, a gang of little girl’s school pic A PUBLIC representative politician pausing briefly IN60 AFrench ducks have been given A FURIOUS mum has hit out at a school photographer who offered ‘retouching’ editing options for her eight-year-old’s school photographs.

Sam Walker, living in Arizona, shared a photo of her daughter’s school photo price list, offering “basic retouching” to remove blemishes, and “premium retouching”, which was described as “basic plus whitens teeth and evens skin tone”.

In her tweet, the mum wrote: “The girls have their school photo today and there is the option to AIRBRUSH the picture!

“There are two levels offered! What the ... ?!

Have complained! What eight-year-old needs to be paranoid about an ‘uneven skin tone’?”

The post went viral, with fellow parents expressing their horror.

in California has been forced to deny breaking wind on a live broadcast recently.

Democrat Eric Swalwell was live on MSNBC when an unfortunate, lengthy tooting noise was heard in the broadcast, clear as day.

He wa s s p e a king about US President Donald Trump when the noise emitted, with the

and attempting not to smile before he continued speaking.

Buzzfeed News have since shared that they had received a text from Swalwell (inset), ensuring them that it was not him who let rip live on air.

“It was not me!!!!!” he wrote. “Ha. And I didn’t hear it when I was speaking.”

permission to carry on making noise by a French court last week.

The ducks, kept by retired farmer Dominique Douthe at the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, were ruled to be making noise “within acceptable limits” following a case brought to court by Douthe’s neighbour.

“The ducks have won. I’m very happy, because I didn’t want to slaughter my ducks,” Douthe said following the verdict’s announcement.

A complaint was lodged by Douthe’s neighbour who moved into the city about a year ago, 50 metres away from the flock’s enclosure.

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 Murley, a wonderful three-year-old crossbreed, looking for a home to call his own.

He loves attention and will make a wonderful new addition to a family who can match his energy levels and provide him with a fun and varied lifestyle.

Murley is a sweetheart and just wants to be loved. He would like his new family to be around all of the day, as he doesn’t like to be left on his own at the moment – he just wants to be with his people too much!

Murley will love a family that will make him feel secure and safe. He can live with older children over the age of 10, and with some dogs, as he can be a bit picky about his canine pals.

If you have room in your heart and home for Murley 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.)

murley

28 November 2019 DUBLIN GAZETTE 17

18 DUBLIN GAZETTE 28 November 2019

CINEMA | THERE’S A FRESH TAKE ON A CERTAIN ECCENTRIC BUT BELOVED FAMILY

Kooky Addams characters return SHANE DILLON

A LAST-SECOND change of plans saw me having to miss seeing a certain animated blockbuster sequel that’s just been released – let’s just say I had to let it go, let it gooooo until another time – and settle instead for something somewhat darker in tone.

The Addams Family (Cert PG, 87 mins) is the latest take on the evergreen family, with this new version just the latest variation on a franchise that has a surprising amount of films already out there.

Presumably as part of the film’s marketing push, MGM have just released a whole lot of classic Addams episodes from the

hit 1960s series on YouTube, and I was already briefed on Addams lore before settling down for an unexpected visit with the Addams at the cinema.

It’s a non-canonical take on the family, bringing the atypical family to a whole new audience, with an allstar voice cast breathing fresh life into Gomez and the family.

Following a brisk opening act which establishes Gomez and Morticia’s move to New Jersey along with a couple of other stalwart Addams characters, we jump forward 13 years to the current expanded Addams family of parents, kids and other family members.

They’re all living in splendid isolation, regard-

Just your extraordinary neighbours that you’d probably welcome moving in next door

ed as creepy oddballs and freaks by the rest of their town, but presented in classic Addams style to the viewer as eccentrics, sure, but as a kind and

loving family in their own way.

The Addams’ assorted oddities, however, present a threat to the plans of an outside villain of sorts,

with Margaux – a horrid reality TV host who’s trying to present, and manipulate, a ‘perfect community’ show – horrified by the ghastly family in

town who present a threat to her scheming plans for perfection.

The Addams are more interested in their own plans, such as little Pugsley’s worries over his upcoming Addams rite of passage ceremony, the Mazurka, but a monstrous clash of cultures is slowly building.

Will Pugsley pass his Mazurka? Will Margaux be able to make the TV show she wants? And will The Addams Family successfully introduce the characters to a whole new audience?

Yes, guess, and probably are the unsurprising answers, as The Addams Family follows a pretty conventional take that, in some ways, channels a lit-

tle of the spirit of Edward Scissorhands.

Its overall core message (‘strange people aren’t strange once you get to know them’) was a little on the nose for my liking, and I just wasn’t mad about its character design and animation.

Still, its voice cast including the likes of Charlize Theron, Bette Midler and Oscar Isaac do a pretty decent job with their roles, while the plot was fine.

While I still prefer the charmingly oddball TV episodes that are available online, this animated reboot could be just the Thing to while away some time with the kooky Addams.

Verdict: 7/10

Showcasing some of the best of new books out now BOOK-lovers Rick O’Shea and Sinead Moriarty are seeing out a year of wonderful books in style, with an exciting selection of fiction and non-fiction books, showcasing the best of new Irish and international talent as part of their Book Club.

Sinead said: “My Eason Must Reads are carefully selected with winter in mind and are perfect for curling up and getting lost in a story.

“This selection shows some of the most exciting upcoming Irish and international literary talent and I’m excited to share these books with everyone.”

Rick added: “I am delighted to share my winter Must Reads with the nation. The books I have chosen will have something for every reader, perfect as a treat for yourself or a gift for a loved one this Christmas.”

The titles selected include The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, a dark fairy tale narrated by protagonist Danny, covering over five decades of the lives of a family.

It’s a story about an obsession with a house and a fractured family, but most of all, it’s a book about

the powerful bond between siblings.

• Barefoot Pilgrimage by Andrea Corr. Andrea takes a lyrical look back on the success of one of The Corrs, with a unique insight.

• Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout.

This is the eagerly awaited followup to Olive Kitteridge.

When we first meet Olive in this book, it’s two years after her husband Henry’s death.

She is a little less prickly and more introspective now that she is in her eighties and experiencing loss and loneliness.

• She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey. In 2017, two determined and dogged reporters, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, began their investigation into Harvey Weinstein.

This ground-breaking book is their account of gathering the evidence that led to the story that ended Weinstein’s career, and that also sparked the #MeToo movement, making it an important and insightful account of one of the most important news stories to emerge in this generation.

• The Body by Bill Bryson. Bill returns with a unique and fascinat-

ing look at how our body works.

Jam-packed with a brilliant treasure trove of mind-boggling facts, this is the ideal Christmas gift for that awkward family member who is tricky to buy for.

• Akin by Emma Donoghue. An odd-couple adventure about a retired widower who, due to circumstances beyond his control, ends up on holiday in the South of France with his 11-year-old greatnephew, making it part detective story, part coming together of two lonely people.

• Unfollow by Emma Phelps Roper. Once a vocal and devout member of the notorious and hate-filled Westboro Baptist Church, Emma Phelps Roper tells the story of the origins of the church itself.

• Gotta Get Theroux This by Louis Theroux. In this autobiography, documentary maker Louis Theroux tells the story of how he got started, and also how all of his famous TV programmes came into being.

To check out full reviews of Sinead and Rick’s Must Reads for winter, see www.easons.com/ sineadandrick.

28 November 2019 DUBLIN GAZETTE 19

SOME OF THE BEST THINGS TO SEE AND HEAR GOINGOUTOUT

NOVEMBER 28 (THURSDAY)

Bjork @ 3Arena, €50 Alec Benjamin @ Olympia Theatre, sold out Judah & the Lion @ Whelan’s, €22 Do Nothing @ The Workman’s Club, €13 Julia Jacklin @ The Button Factory, sold out The Sherlocks @ The Academy 2, €15 Careerist @ Whelan’s (Upstairs), €12

NOVEMBER 29 (FRIDAY) Bjork @ 3Arena, November 28 €50

The Lumineers @ 3Arena, €50 BellX1 @ Vicar Street, sold out Radical Face @ Whelan’s, €20 Pumarosa @ The Workman’s Club, €17 Six60 @ The Academy Green Room, €23 Penelope Isles @ Whelan’s (Upstairs), €13

REVELLING IN HIS ARTISTIC VARIETY NEW ORLEANS legend Harry Connick Jr has had a vast, varied career, taking in movie acting, Broadway performances, and his original and perhaps most passionate love, music.

With more than 20 albums behind him, and unquestionably a legitimate Hollywood star to boot, Connick Jr rarely produces a similar style of record twice.

His latest, and first in four years, focuses on another Broadway legend, Cole Porter. Porter left us more than half a century ago, leaving behind a library of musical wealth.

“I signed my new contract with Verve Records after 30 years with Sony and we were talking about ideas. I said I wanted to do a songbook album, something new,” Connick Jr told us of the Porter-devoted record.

“I made a list of my favourite Cole Porter songs, went out and discovered some new songs. I’ve always loved his music, so just picked the songs that

 JAMES HENDICOTT

spoke to me. The songs are great, so they’re easy to do justice to.”

Having been behind a piano since he was barely more than a toddler, there’s an endearingly jubilent confidence to the way Connick Jr talks about music, and about all his projects, though Porter brings out a particular vibrancy.

He rewrote the tracks for his own style, focusing on the enduring legacy Porter left behind.

“I’ve been taking each day as it is for a long time,” he laughs as we chat about performing the Porter tracks on the Late Late Show.

“I feel happy here in Ireland, a lot of my ancestors are from here and I walk down the street wondering if the people I see might be my distant cousins. But I’m really glad I don’t have to

organise this stuff. I have a great management team behind me.

“I got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last month and I found out when I arrived that they’d organised for my star to me next to Cole’s.

“It means a lot to be there amongst all those legends, and that really topped it off. That really was surreal, when they called and asked if I wanted a star, I was beside myself with joy.”

These days, Connick Jr is typically booked up months in advance, be it for acting performances (“I’ve just finished shooting ‘Fear of Rain’; I’m always reading scripts.

I really have to leapfrog between these things.”), or playing night after night in a single New York venue residency, as he’ll be throughout the majority of December.

True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter by Harry Connick Jr is out now.

See full story on our website.

ENTERTAINMENT

NOVEMBER 30 (SATURDAY)

Versatile @ 3Arena, €43 BellX1 @ Vicar Street, sold out Brian Deady @ Whelan’s, €23 Lawrii Craic @ Whelan’s (Upstairs), €13 Ruel @ The Academy, sold out Ocean Wisdom @ The Academy Green Room, €18

DECEMBER 1 (SUNDAY)

Dido @ 3Arena, €50 BellX1 @ Vicar Street, sold out Yola @ Olympia Theatre, €30 Dublin Ukelele Collective @ Whelan’s, €20 Whitney @ The Academy, €25 Mulholland/ McCluskey @ Whelan’s (Upstairs), €10

DECEMBER 2 (MONDAY)

Melanie Martinez @ Olympia Theatre, sold out

DECEMBER 3 (TUESDAY)

J.I.D @ Olympia Theatre, €25 Aldous Harding @ Vicar Street, €25 Man Forever @ Whelan’s (Upstairs), €12

DECEMBER 4 (WEDNESDAY)

Rod Stewart @ 3Arena, €86 Bay City Rollers @ Olympia Theatre, €35 John Sheahan @ Vicar Street, €36+ Aitch @ The Academy, sold out Amistat @ Whelan’s (Upstairs), €14

20 DUBLIN GAZETTE 28 November 2019

MOTORING & TECH

Our reviewer was wowed by Volkswagen’s e-Golf, with it building impressively on the Golf legacy

This shattered America to traverse feels an awful lot like wild Iceland

Death Stranding delivers a game full of great stars that’s often quite baffling, bizarre – and brilliant, too SHANE DILLON LIKE a postman trying to make his way unsteadily down a rocky mountain side, there’s a lot to pick your way delicately around in the long awaited new PS4 title, Death Stranding (Cert 18, c. €60).

Released less than a fortnight ago – but with annual leave and unex-

Mads Mikkelsen

pected illness delaying this review – this enigmatic title is one of the oddest-butFor starters, auteur Japanese games director Hideo Kojima has assembled one hell of an eclectic cast to star alongDead’s Daryl).

Lindsay Wagner

It includes actors Mads Mikkelsen, Lindsay Wagner and Lea Seydoux, and film director Guillermo Del Toro, to name but a few of the well-known names and faces fleshing out the cast and plot.

The end result is a world that’s full of an ever denser plot, twists, deep lore and things to mull over, all presented in the director’s infamous style, replete

Norman Reedus

with in-jokes, surprises, nods at gaming and pop culture, and much more.

Suffice it to say there were fresh

Scrambling carefully around any

ideas here that I’ve never seen before

spoilers, the main game sounds easy

in 40-plus years of gaming, presented

enough to describe, at first.

in a ravaged but often truly incredible

After a cataclysmic event (the Death Stranding) shatters and destroys most of America, Sam (Reedus) reluctantly agrees to try to join up the scattered

looking open world.

Would Death Stranding be a good, if unusual, Christmas present?

Yes indeed, for despite its flaws such

small cities and stragglers that remain,

as an annoyingly clunky menu system,

namely by being their porter.

there’s an awful, awful lot going on here

Unfortunately for Sam, ghostly echoes of the dead (BTs) left behind by the cataclysm are also scattered about

behind its surface level be-a-postman premise.

Non-gamers will also appreciate

the broken world, spelling potential

seeing the likes of Mads and Lindsay

disaster if he runs into the BTs.

constantly pop up in the complex story,

With the help of a BT-detecting unborn baby, BB, that he lugs around with him in a tank, Sam and BB hit the

while gamers will love its innovation and gameplay loops.

They’ll also come away with a feeling

road (and mud trails, lava plains, snow-

that they’ve truly impacted on the

bound hills, city ruins and damp woods)

world, helped other people, and con-

to be the ultimate parcel porter ...

nected with something bigger than just

That’s already something of an odd setup, but, believe me, Death Stranding

their game.

That ain’t bad going for a gruff ghost-

is packed to the gills with layer after

busting-postie, making Death Stranding

layer of innovative features, with an

easy to recommend ...

absolute mountain of things that I can’t go into here.

For a joy to drive, swing for e-Golf DECLAN GLYNN

great games I’ve ever played.

side lead Norman Reedus (The Walking

DRIVING INNOVATION

Sony provided Dublin Gazette with a review code.

HISTORICALLY, the multi award-winning Golf is Volkswagen’s best-selling model, and is among the world’s top three best-selling cars, with more than 35 million built since the launch of the MK1 model in 1974.

Thanks to its upmarket presence and feel, practicality, comfort, outstanding build quality, and generous equipment levels, the VW Golf continues to be one of the world’s favourite family cars.

The wonderful e-Golf adds one more feature to the Golf’s envious list of attributes – silence.

The electric motor delivers its power instantly, so the car responds quickly and quietly, making the e-Golf simple to drive, smooth and remarkably relaxing.

There are three driving modes in the e-Golf – Normal, Eco and Eco+ – which do vary how much range you can get out of a single charge.

There is also a ‘B’ mode that can be engaged from the gearbox , which will convert the car’s lost momentum into charge in the battery, and is enough to slow the car without the driver needing to press the

FACT BOX

1) Zero-emission motoring 2) 5-star NCAP crash-test rating 3) Annual road tax just €120 4) Choice of driving modes 5) On sale now brake pedal.

The VW e-Golf was initially launched in 2014, and it received the same cosmetic and equipment tweaks as the rest of the Golf range in 2017.

Along with this upgrade came an increase in the energy capacity of the e-Golf’s lithium-ion battery, from 24.2 kWh to 35.8 kWh. Power output was hiked to 136 bhp, and the car’s range was boosted to 230 km when tested under strict new WLTP testing procedures.

As with all electricallypowered vehicles, battery range will ultimately depend on driving style, use of heating and ventilation, and weather conditions.

The e-Golf comes in its own highly specified trim levels – namely ‘e-Golf’ and ‘e-Golf Executive Edition’ – which are priced from €35,995 and €39,495 respectively (inclusive of current Government

incentives).

In addition to the impressive standard equipment in the e-Golf, the ‘Executive Edition’ adds 17-inch ‘Madrid’ alloy wheels, LED tail lights with running indicators, a full leather interior with sports comfort seats in front, Active Info Display, rear view camera, heated front seats, tinted rear windows and keyless access.

Charging the VW e-Golf is a simple procedure. You can charge it through a normal household threepin plug, which takes around 13 hours for a full charge.

Alternatively, you can have a dedicated charging point installed at your home, bringing charging time down to between four and five hours.

However, the quickest option is a public charging station, which can charge the battery to 80% in just 45 minutes using the CCS rapid charging system available for the e-Golf.

My review car was a new VW e-Golf Executive Edition, which looked particularly striking in Atlantic Blue metallic paint.

Driving an e-Golf brought with it a huge element of fun, with no journey failing to leave a huge smile on my face.

The surge of power when you drive an e-Golf has to be experienced to be believed.

With 136bhp (100Kw), and a healthy 290Nm of torque available, the 1-speed automatic gearbox ensures a real wow-effect from a standing start, all the way up to a top speed of 150km/h – where legally permitted.

The e-Golf can sprint from 0-100km/h in just 9.6-seconds.

The VW e-Golf takes all the quality, practicality and comfort of the standard Golf and adds the attraction of zero-emission motoring.

There are many grants and incentives available when you buy a new VW e-Golf, such as €5,000 VRT relief, €5,000 SEAI Grant (Private) or €3,800 (commercial), €600 Home Charger SEAI Grant, Savings on toll charges, 0% BIK, and annual road tax of just €120.

28 November 2019 DUBLIN GAZETTE 21

SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT

FOOD & DRINK

Greg and Cassie team up to launch Just Eat awards LOVE Island star Greg O’Shea has j o i n e d p re senter Cassie Stokes to launch the popular Just Eat National Awards.

Now in its s i x t h ye a r, a total of 25 awards will be up for grabs, and three new categories have been added to the 2019 ballot paper, including Best Takeaway Sustainability, Best Takeaway Vegan and Best Takeaway Breakfast.

Food enthusiast Cassie Stokes is returning as the host of the glamourous awards, which will be taking place in Number Twenty Two, South Anne Street, on Tuesday, January 21 next.

To nominate your favourite local restaurant, see just-eat.ie/takeawayawards2019, and you could be in with a chance to win free takeaway food for a year.

Neven helps cook up €11.5 for centre THE Neven Maguire Cookery Demonstration in aid of The Down Syndrome Centre on November 13 was a huge success.

The event, now in its second year, was held at The Pavilion in Leopardstown Racecourse and was attended by more than 300 people.

It was presented by Brendan O’Connor, and renowned chef Neven (above) had plenty of demonstrations for people to enjoy.

Speaking after the event, Sharon Dagg, chief executive of The Down Syndrome Centre, told Dublin Gazette it was an “unforgettable event” and they were delighted to raise more than €11,000 for the charity.

She said: “We had a fantastic night and want to say a huge thank-you to Neven and his team for an unforgettable event and to the fantastic Brendan O’Connor for being a super MC for the evening.

“We would like to thank the Simply Better team at Dunnes Stores for their support and to everyone who attended the event, for their generosity – the event made just over €11.5k, which we’re delighted about.

“The funds will go directly into providing services and supports for children with Down syndrome.”

For further information about the centre and the work they do, see www.downsyndromecentre.ie, or call 01 661 8000.

Left: The image that shocked the country – a little boy (aged 5) forced to eat literally off the street in one of Europe’s wealthiest countries. Above: volunteer Denise Carroll, one of the founding members of The Homeless Street Cafe.

Volunteers are feeding the homeless – partly because the Government fails them REBECCA RYAN

A HOMELESS charity which runs a pop-up cafe in the city centre is warning that the homeless crisis is getting worse.

Recently, The Homeless Street Cafe reported children as young as newborns being brought out at night to their food queues.

In one particular post, the charity shared a photo of five-year-old ‘Sam’, who was sitting on a sheet of cardboard eating dinner on a cold, wet night.

The post went viral and caused national outrage.

Dublin Gazette spoke with one of the founding members of The Homeless Street Cafe, Denise Carroll (39), who said they shared that photo in a moment of complete frustration of the crisis.

She said: “I think this photo came about at a moment of exasperation and totally overwhelming circumstances.

“For us, we just couldn’t believe that it was acceptable that this little boy had to come to us for his dinner – that his only comfort to try to eat his evening meal was to sit on the side of a street on a piece of cardboard.

“This little boy is looked after fantastically by his mother, in her circumstance, but this is how she was forced to feed her child.

“Many people aren’t aware that a lot of emergency accommodation has no cooking facilities, and strictly forbids cooking in bedrooms.”

Mum-of-three Denise, who is a nurse, said it was when she read a post of Facebook four years ago from a soup kitchen looking for help that she got involved in helping the homeless.

“We had lots of food in our house, so I answered the appeal, made sandwiches and brought them

to town.

“I was so saddened to see the homeless gather that night looking for food and essentials. I suppose it was an image burned in my mind, and I felt compelled to begin volunteering with the homeless.

“A year later, The Homeless Street Cafe was born when we started our own group to help the homeless every Tuesday night.”

Dignified Denise and the team set up the pop-up cafe, “which seems a more dignified description than soup kitchen,” she says, and they are out every Tuesday night at Grafton Street, outside Dunnes Stores and the Disney store.

Denise drives in a van, and the homeless service users help to unload tables, food, drinks, and essentials.

There are approxi-

mately 40 volunteers who give their time to help the initiative, and businesses such as Village Vets and Ratoath Barbers donate their services.

When the pop-up cafe started out, they served about 70 people each night; now, that number has grown to more than 300 people.

Denise said the homeless crisis is getting worse and believes the Government needs to step up.

She said: “There is no question the homeless crisis is getting worse.

We really need a massive intervention before we have even more deaths on the street.

“If I had to send this government a message, it would be that, at present, the plan to solve homelessness is acutely failing.

“No more spin on figures or promises – we have more than 10,000 people homeless, and children eating on the streets.

“Put your hands up and admit it’s not working and re-evaluate. Look to countries which have successfully solved their homeless problem.

“Stop paying hotels etc for short-term answers – one hotel alone earned €5 million from homelessness last year. How many peoples’ lives could have been changed with that [funding] forever?

“A very wise person told me that to solve a problem, you must first understand it, and I don’t feel our current leaders have any true understanding of this crisis,” said Denise.

The Homeless Street Cafe are holding a protest on December 5 at noon, gathering at the Garden of Remembrance in the city centre, and are encouraging people to join them.

To find out more about the incredible work they do, see their Facebook page for The Homeless Street Cafe.

22 DUBLIN GAZETTE 28 November 2019

DUBLIN SENIORS

This week, we look at improve the energy efficiency and CHALLENGE YOUR BRAIN...JUST FOR FUN! warmth of homes, medication and Home Care

The Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme explained Home Care can provide the answer THERE is no doubt that we are living longer than any previous generation, and while that is good news overall, it brings plenty of challenges with it.

The question that family of elderly parents or relatives need to ask is what how do we cope with elderly relatives, particularly as many people have their own families and work commitments to attend to.

Ideally, we would like to have our parents live in their own homes, free from illness and surrounded by friends and family. Alas, that is not the norm and alternative plans need to be put in place. Options include paying for care at home, sending your loved one to the comfort of a nursing home, or taking them into your own homes to look after them.

It can be very difficult caring for the elderly.

This challenge can be even more significant if the elderly you are caring for is also resistant to care.

This resistance to elderly care could be triggered by a number of factors. Firstly you have to remember that if your loved one is in need of elderly care, then they are at a stage of their lives when they have to cope with their own challenges – for example physical loss, mental loss, or loss of independence.

This can be difficult for them to accept, and they could also be facing the challenge that they might think it is a sign of weakness to accept elderly care.

As we get older we are increasing the likelihood of getting ill, and less tolerant leaving us susceptible to stress.

If elderly parents, or a single elderly parent is living on their own, they may need some assistance in maintaining their independence, staying safe, eating well and enjoying their retirement.

Home Care companies will also involve the professional carer, the family and the client in all decisions, so it is very much a team and combined decision regarding future care. It can happen than an older person is initially resistant to having a carer coming into the home, seeing it as a threat to their independence or seeing visits as an invasion of their privacy.

With care and attention, it is very possible for elderly parents to maintain their independence and stay living at home for many years.

THE Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme aims to improve the energy efficiency and warmth of homes owned by people on low incomes.

It is operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

You can get full details of the scheme from the SEAI’s website.

The Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme provides funding for: • Attic insulation • Draught-proofing • Lagging jackets • Low-energy light bulbs • Cavity wall insulation •Energy advice.

Since 1 June 2018, the Scheme covers a number of new energy efficiency measures.

In certain circumstances, the Scheme may cover external or internal wall insulation, central heating and replacement windows.

You may be eligible for external or internal wall insulation under the Scheme if your walls are unsuitable for cavity wall insulation.

A surveyor acting for SEAI will arrange to call to your home to confirm that you are eligible and assess the amount of work needed.

If you are eligible, the work will then be done by an installer, appointed by SEAI. However, as the scheme is in high demand, you may have to wait some months before the work can start.

Rules You must own your home and be living in it.

Your home must have been built and occupied before 2006.

You must be getting one of the following payments: • Fuel Allowance as part of the National Fuel Scheme • Working Family Payment • Jobseeker’s Allowance for over six months and have a child aged under seven years • Domic iliary Care Allowance • One Parent Family Payment

• Carer’s Allowance and live with the person you care for Rates You will not be charged for works done under the Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme.

How to apply You must complete the application form (pdf). You can download it from seai. ie or contact SEAI to ask for it to be posted out.

You will need to provide evidence that you are eligible for the scheme. Full details of the information required are on the application form.

Where to apply Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, Locall: 1800 250 204, Homepage: http:// www.seai.ie/ Email: warmerhomes@ seai.ie

Be informed on the drugs and medicine you take BEING informed about the medication you take is essential to maintaining your health.

It is important that you remember and understand what your doctor tells you about any condition you may have and any medicine prescribed.

It is also a good idea to write down any questions you have before you visit your doctor or pharmacist so you don’t forget anything.

If you don’t like asking questions you may want to take a friend or family member with you.

Here are some questions you (or your carer) may want to ask your doctor or chemist about

your medications: • What is the name of the medication and what is it for?

• Are there any possible side effects?

• What should I do if there are any side effects?

• How long will I need to take this medication for?

• Will this medication affect any of my other medical problems?

• What should I do if I forget to take my medication?

• Will this medicine interfere with any others that I take?

• Is there anything I should avoid while tak-

ing this medication – such as alcohol, cigarettes, driving?

• Check that you are taking the lowest possible effective dose of medication • Take your medicine at the same time every day Medication costs If you are not a Medical Card holder, you can apply for a Drugs Payment Scheme Card which allows you to spend no more than a maximum of €120 per month on medications.

Senior helpline LoCall: 1850 440 444 Seven days a week, 10am-1pm and 7-10pm.

28 November 2019 DUBLIN GAZETTE 23

CHALLENGE YOUR BRAIN...JUST FOR FUN!

CODEWORDS

You could advertise here

PUZZLES

SUDOKU EASY

MODERATE

SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

DON’T FORGET TO CHECK BACK NEXT WEEK FOR THE SOLUTIONS TO THIS WEEK’S PUZZLES

WORD SEARCH

HOW TO SOLVE Codewords are like crossword puzzles - but have no clues! Instead, every letter of the alphabet has been replaced by a number, the same number representing the same letter throughout the puzzle.

All you have to do is decide which letter is represented by which number!

To start you off, we reveal the codes for two or three letters.

As you find letters, enter them in the key and into the grid.

Cross off the letters in the A to Z list.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

FIND THE HIDDEN WORDS CALMNESS CLOGS DECEIVE HACK HUNGARIAN LODGES MATCHED ONSHORE POSTPONES PURPOSES RENEGADE

RIPPLE SMITTEN TACTFUL TAKEAWAY TERRIBLY TRIBUTARY TWOWAY WIND WRANGLE

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28 November 2019 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 27

CAMOGIE P30

THE BEST IN DUBLIN

SPORT

A NATURAL FIT: ATHLETICS: DUBLIN City Harriers’

Jodie McCann was a strong winner of the Under-20 women’s national cross country crown at a mud-ridden Abbotstown last weekend.

She finished in 15:06 from Danielle Donegan (Tullamore Harriers) in 15:29 and Maeve Gallagher (Swinford) in 15:32, the latter of whom initially stayed with McCann.



GAZETTE

SOCCER P28

PAGE 29

LET DUBLIN GAZETTE NEWSPAPERS INFORM YOU OF THE HIGHLIGHTS AND SCORES OF YOUR FAVOURITE TEAMS RUGBY | YOUNGSTER SCORES DECISIVE TRY AGAINST LYON

Deegan’s delight for Leinster  sport@dublingazette.com

MAX Deegan’s first Heineken Champions Cup try set Leinster Rugby on their way to a dogged 13-6 victory over first-time opponents Lyon at Matmut Stadium de Gerland.

On his first European start, the young number eight crashed over in the 22nd minute to establish a 10-0 lead, a scoreline the province held up to half-time thanks to some excellent defending during Jordan Larmour’s sin-bin period.

Lyon out-half Jonathan Wisniewski landed two penalties during the final quarter, but man-of-the-match Johnny Sexton’s second successful penalty – in the 78th minute – got his side over the finish line in a closely-fought Pool 1 encounter.

And while the performance was not quite perfect once again, Sexton felt winning away in France is another boost for the team’s character.

“The big games the margins are so

fine, so small. They do come down to swings in the games,” said the outhalf, who was named man of the match.

“So, yeah, we’re happy with the win. I suppose the attitude that we had if you compare it to when we went down to Toulouse last year having got a five-point victory over Wasps, where we lost. We weren’t ready for the battle that day.

“Today was much better and I’m proud of how we turned up. But like I said when you don’t take your chances – we had a few of them – that makes it a really difficult game in those conditions.”

Leinster return to Pro 14 this weekend against Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun on Saturday evening at 7.35pm.

The blues lead the way in their section with six wins from six while the Warriors have three from the same amount of games.

Leo Cullen’s side have a few injuries clearing up. Fergus McFadden (elbow) made a return to on-field training last

Leinster’s Johnny Sexton was named man of the match in Lyon.

Picture: Martin Doherty

week and will look to increase his workload throughout training this week.

Centre Joe Tomane will also increase his workload after sustaining a minor hamstring injury ahead of the European opener against Benetton while Rory O’Loughlin returns to on-field training after picking up a shoulder

injury in that match.

Tadhg Furlong came through Saturday’s game on his return from a back complaint.

Seán Cronin, however, remains unavailable for selection but will again increase his training load as he recovers from a neck injury picked up on international duty.

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 28 November 2019

CLUB NOTES

ROUND

2 1

LUCAN SARSFIELDS BALLYMUN KICKHAMS NOT Adone WELL LOT to towrite the Junior aboutAthis la week, as the season draws to a close. However, we must offer congratulations to Carl Keeley and Sean Currie on their blue star nominations. Well done lads, absolutely deserved.

Our juvenile awards night takes place this Friday 6th December at 6:30 in St. Kevins school.

This is an end of season recognition for all our juvenile teams for both players and mentors. We would urge all parents of the children to attend and bring your cameras, as these are precious memories. There will be lots of smiling faces on the night!

Our AGM is also an important date of note. It takes place on Tuesday 10th December at 8:30pm in St Kevin’s school library. All motions/nominations to the secretary via email before 3/12/19.

All submissions to email secretary.ballymunkickhams.dublin@gaa.ie Our artificial pitch replacement started this week, 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 start of February.

Our annual day at the races in Leopardstaown is again on the 29th December (Sunday) and tickets at €90 per head are available now from Dermot McMahon and David Quinlivan. Remember, this sells out every year, so get yours now to avoid disappointment.

Galway hero Ollie Canning has been on hand at O’Toole’s this week to train youth hurling

O’TOOLE’S WITH the end of the season nigh and the appalling weather, there wasn’t much local sport to comment on.

However, both our super little U9’s braved the wind and rain to face Vinnies.

Our A’s came out on top while our B’s put in a great performance and played superb. So well done lads you do us all proud.

This Saturday Nov 30th we have Declan Barron hurley maker here in the clubhouse from 9:30 to 11:30. Declan will have a full range of hurls for sale.

Thanks, Kieran Coyle, for taking team photos of the U16 hurling champions on Saturday. Your ongoing service to the club is greatly appreciated.

‘MONSTER RAFFLE’ it’s nearly time for the BIG draw.

If you pledged to buy a ticket as part of a team or alone, please return your stubs and money ASAP. Otherwise you’ll miss the chance to win one of our monetary prizes including the tidy sum of €10,000 to the lucky winner.

Entertainment in our lounge this weekend, Saturday night ‘Midnight Ramblers’ and Sunday with *Denis Storm*. The ‘Find the Joker’ jackpot is €640 this Sunday.

There was no winner of our weekly ‘live’ Club Lotto draw. The numbers were 7, 17, 19, 24.

The jackpot is a very cool €3,200 this week.

SOCCER: BELFIELD OUTFIT WIN THEIR 20TH HARDING CUP TITLE

UCD the Harding heroes as they get better of Maynooth HARDING CUP  DAVE DONNELLY

sport@dublingazette.com

UCD regained the Harding Cup for the first time in three years with a 3-0 victory over Maynooth University at Queen’s University in Belfast.

Goals from Harvey O’Brien, Tomás O’Connor and Colm Whelan saw Diarmuid McNally’s side to their 20th success in the freshers competition.

Two goals in the final ten minutes of the first half put UCD in firm control and Whelan added his sixth of the tournament late on to seal victory.

Both sides came into the game in prodigious form, neither having conceded a goal in the tournament and with 11 (UCD) and 14 (Maynooth) goals scored respectively.

The final was a more tense affair, however, and it was UCD who made the breakthrough in the 35th

minute when they were awarded a corner on the right-hand side.

Ciaran Behan swung the corner in left-footed and it was met by defender Harvey O’Brien, whose clever flick turned the ball past a helpless Malachy Doyle.

Behan was the creator once more on the stroke of half time as another vicious inswinger found O’Connor at the back post and he bundled the ball into an empty net.

UCD suffered a blow when Liam Kerrigan – who was later named player of the tournament – was forced off with a nastylooking shoulder injury.

And Maynooth had chances to get back into the game after the break as top scorer Eoin O’Neill and Leon Kennedy both forced good stops from UCD stopper Cormac Henry.

UCD sealed the win in injury time as Whelan – a prolific striker at Under19 level in the League of

Ireland with Waterford – got his name on the scoresheet.

Again, Behan was the provider, exchanging a one-two with Whelan to notch his hat-trick of assists, and the striker tucked the ball expertly into the corner past a despairing Doyle.

“Maynooth were by far the best team we’ve played. Look at their results in the quarter-final and semi-final. It was a

very tight game,” said McNally after the win.

“Things went our way today. I said to the players it was going to be a 50/50 game. Luckily, we withstood the pressure early on and luckily we got two setpiece goals in the first half.

“I’m delighted to win it.

It’s a huge competition for us. This is a great barometer because we’re at the end of a cycle “The team that won the Harding in 2016, the Gary

O’Neill, Georgie Kelly, Daire O’Connor team, have all gone on to better things.

“We’re certainly rebuilding and we’re looking to build a team that will, hopefully, replicate what that bunch of players did.

“It’s great for these players to get a Harding under their belts. Hopefully we’ll push on and possibly get back to the Premier Division of the Airtricity League in the next two or three years.”

Baldoyle win Fair rematch

John Cronin (Will from Fair City on the attack for Carrigstown. Picture: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

FAIR City’s Carrigstown Crusaders took part in a re-match against Baldoyle United following on from what was a fictional final between the two teams on RTÉ Fair City last September.

Devastated at having lost on penalties, Damien and Wayne argued the Crusaders loss was as a result of the Baldoyle goalie being off his line.

Having none of it, Baldoyle United took to Twitter to demand a retraction and, after much back and forth, a re-match was agreed upon.

The re-match took place on Saturday, November 23 at 2pm on the grounds of Baldoyle United FC on Brookstone Rd. In front of a sold-out crowd

of 500 spectators, the Carrigstown Crusaders, no longer a fictional five, put on a good fight and lost the game on penalties 4-2 after a 2-2 draw.

Commenting on the game afterwards, Fair City’s George McMahon (Mondo) said: “Congratulations to Baldoyle United on their win! It was a great game and we were delighted to take part in the re-match.

“We were disappointed not to lift the trophy but I’m sure there’ll be plenty more opportunities for Carrigstown Crusaders.”

Proceeds raised from the sold-out game will go towards St. Michael’s House and the club.

28 November 2019 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 29

OVER MAYNOOTH UCD celebrate their victory

ATHLETICS: IRELAND CALL-UPS GALORE AFTER ABBOTSTOWN

McCann and Clonliffe magical in the mud NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS  STEPHEN FINDLATER

sport@dublingazette.com

JUST ASK

Youth leaders recognised at Fairview Parkrun THE achievements of 15 young people from Just Ask Homework Club were recognised last Saturday at Fairview parkrun as part of the Vhi Run For Fun programme.

The 8-week course is supported by the Irish Youth Foundation and encourages young people from disadvantaged communities to embrace the benefits offered through running, culminating with a 5km parkrun.

Pictured are Leon Farrell and Luke Fagan of Just Ask Homework Club, with Vhi’s Brighid Smyth,Vhi, and Cllr. Deirdre Heney.

Picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

DUBLIN City Harriers’ Jodie McCann was a strong winner of the Under-20 women’s national cross country crown at a mud-ridden Abbotstown last weekend.

She finished in 15:06 from Danielle Donegan (Tullamore Harriers) in 15:29 and Maeve Gallagher (Swinford) in 15:32, the latter of whom initially stayed with McCann before being burned off in the tricky conditions.

McCann said of the win: “It was my plan to take it easy for the first kilometre and then try and push on and drop the girls from there on.

“It was tough but I am a real cross country runner. The idea was not to panic, knowing there were going to be some good girls in the first two laps. I had to wait and then hope my hard work would pay off.”

The success earned McCann a place in the Irish squad for the European cross country championships along with her brother Luke who is in the mixed relay team.

They will be joined by a number of other star showings from Dubliners at Abbotstown.

Raheny Shamrock’s Brian Fay took second place in the senior men’s race. He excelled in the second half to finish well clear of pre-race favourite Sean Tobin and take silver behind a brilliant cross country running performance from Tullamore Harriers Liam Brady.

Fay is still Under-23 and his second place secured the U-23 gold medal and posed a question to the Irish selectors on whether to include Fay in the senior or Under-23s; in the end, they plumped for the Under-23s.

Fay’s silver medal led the team home to bronze. They were without Conor Dooney while defending champion Kevin Dooney took the start line however had missed a very chunk of his pre-season training.

The gold medal, meanwhile, went to Clonliffe Harriers who recovered their “Holy Grail”

Jodie McCann crosses the finish line in first in the Under-20 women’s race.

Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

after its three-year residency in Raheny, running their opponents into the ground with just 52 points to Dundrum South Dublin’s 88 and Raheny’s 125 in third.

There were magnificent performances from all of the men, led home in ninth place by Efrem Gidey.

Gidey is in his final stages of his junior career before turning senior on January 1st and the decision to forego the junior and race in the senior paid off in dividend.

He got himself into the lead pack from the off and, although tiring over the latter stages, he held on grimly to come home in the top ten.

Jayme Rossiter ran possibly his best ever cross country race, certainly his best ever national, to power home in 11th place, skipping over the mud.

Next in was Cathal Doyle in 14th place after another very strong run and the everreliable Colm Rooney with yet another magnificent National to be 4th scorer in 18th place.

Doyle will also represent Ireland in the Under-23 side; Dublin City Harriers’ Fian Sweeney is in the women’s Under-23s while Donore Harriers’ John Travers is another in the mixed relay.

Templeogue too strong for Killester BASKETBALL  sport@dublingazette.com

PYROBEL Killester fell to an 87-64 defeat to Griffith College Templeogue on Saturday evening in Clontarf in the men’s Super League.

A superb first quarter display from the visitors saw them into a 22-30 first quarter lead, thanks to brilliant scoring from Darren Townes.

Te m p l e o g u e ’s yo u n g guard Kris Arcilla stepped up in his first start of the

season, making key plays and running the offence to extend the lead, 33-48 at the end of the second.

Killester managed to bounce back in the third, with Kason Harrell and Mintatus Bulanovas leading the way, but Templeogue still had the edge, Lorcan Murphy dazzling throughout to see home the win.

DCU were edged out by a single point, 73-72, at the hands of Maree in Dublin.

The visitors had a strong

start, running into a 31-42 point lead at half time thanks to solid scoring from Darin Johnson and Eoin Rockall. Maree remained in front in the third, despite good work from DCU’s Mike Bonaparte, Martins Provizors and Charlie Coombes to see it 51-59 in favour of the visitors going into the last.

The hosts fought back to lead by one point with 10 seconds to go but Paul Freeman hit the decisive score at the death.

Templeogue’s Iarla McKeon and Kieran O’Brien battle for the ball. Picture: Martin Doherty

30 DUBLIN GAZETTE  CITY 28 November 2019

HOCKEY

CAMOGIE: MARINO CLUB IN LEINSTER’S PROMISED LAND

Vincent’s end 21-year wait at second attempt LEINSTER FINAL REPLAY

Muckross’s Sophie Barnwell. Picture: Adrian Boehm

Muckross and Railway tie as Pembroke go top MUCKROSS and Railway Union shared the spoils on day four of the women’s EY Hockey League following a lively 2-2 draw on Marlborough Road.

All the goals came in the opening quarter as Anna O’Flanagan netted her third goal of the season in the third minute to give the hosts a great start and that advantage was doubled when Sophie Barnwell won a penalty corner which she then deflected into the net.

Railway regathered their composure quickly and got on the board when Orla Fox deflected a Niamh Shaw shot up and over Ellie McLoughlin.

Hannah de Burgh Whyte then scored a penalty stroke within a minute to make it all square at 2-2 in the 15th minute.

And that proved the end of the scoring as neither side was able to breakthrough in the remaining three quarters.

The result leaves Railway in sixth place on four points with Muckross in eighth with three draws from four games so far.

Pembroke returned to the top of the table on goal difference as first half strikes from Orla Macken and Aisling Naughton propelled them a 2-0 win over Cork Harlequins at Farmers’ Cross.

Captain Macken gave them the perfect start with her third goal in three games, a powerful shot from the top of the D in the eighth minute for 1-0 following a gorgeous pass from Amy-Kate Trevor from the left wing.

Straight from the push-back in the second quarter, Naughton doubled the lead with a calmly slotted finish from close range with a quick control and finish after Eanna Horan had robbed the ball on halfway to set up the chance. The Irish international went close to a third soon after only to see her rocket of a shot clip the top of the crossbar.

They had the best of the chances as time went on before Quins came back into the contest in the closing quarter with a quartet of corner chances but they did not affect the outcome.

Old Alex are level on points with Pembroke following their third win of the season, winning 2-0 in Limerick against Catholic Institute.

They had the best of the first half and deservedly went in front from a corner rebound, Nikki Evans on her knees slotting the ball home from close range in the second quarter.

And they got their insurance goal in the second half when Millie O’Donnell stepped forward to intercept on halfway, taking the ball on before finding Deirdre Duke. Her baseline run ended with a pull-back to Russell who flicked the ball over the diving goalkeeper.

St Vincent’s 2-11 St Martin’s (Wexford) 2-9  CÓILÍN DUFFY sport@dublingazette.com

ST VINCENT’S delivered a display of pure heart and determination to get over the line and earn their first AIB Leinster Senior Club Camogie title since 1998, after a hard earned twopoint replay win over St. Martin’s on Sunday at IT Carlow.

A strong final quarter stood the Marino outfit well, although they were left with a tense finish after St Martin’s grabbed a late goal.

But, ultimately, they held out for a deserved victory, ending 20 years of heartbreak, which had seen them lose two provincial finals by the minimum margin in recent years.

“We’ve endured a lot of pain in recent years,” St. Vincent’s manager Germaine Noonan told Dublin Gazette.

“We were beaten in injury-time in 2015 and 2016. It built the reservoir of hunger and wanting to make things right.

“I think as well the drawn match gave them a sense of belief that they

St Vincent’s get the party started following their Leinster final success. Picture: Bernie Farrell

can compete with anybody really, and they absolutely channeled the pain.

“They worked harder this year than they have ever worked before. They got their just rewards, and were more composed.

“We’ve had probably one of the strongest panels that St Vincent’s have ever had.”

UNDER-16 DOUBLE Clontarf knock-off nine point gap twice

CLONTARFenjoyed an Under-16 double over

the weekend as their girls won the Division One ladies football championship a day after their boys had won their E championship.

For the girls, they recovered from a ninepoint deficit early in the second half to win 5-17 to 7-10 in a truly cracking contest against Na Fianna, one of the best seen on pitch 35 in St Anne’s Park.

The boys were also nine points back at the interval against Skerries Harps but they came storming back into contention and eventually prevailed 5-7 to 3-9 in a breathtaking display.

Niamh Hetherton was the player of the match in a game where plenty of players shone throughout the field.

Ali Maguire was in stunning form, and took nine frees, some from difficult angles - and landing all over the crossbar.

Aisling Maher also put in a tremendous shift

over the hour, and led the attack throughout.

Maher was marked tightly in the drawn encounter, and again in Sunday’s replay, but worked hard in testing conditions.

Noonan was also keen to pay tribute to the Vincent’s and Martin’s supporters who travelled in

large numbers and really added to the occasion.

“There was tremendous support for both teams,” she said.

“Plenty of kids in attendance and it really shapes their ambitions for the future.

“There’s nothing like the AIB Club Championship.”

28 November 2019 CITY  DUBLIN GAZETTE 31

HURLING: ST VINCENT’S MAN LOOKING TO PUSH ON WITH DCU AND DUBS

FOOTBALL

Plunkett’s relegated from AFL1

by Saint Brigid’s

Dublin hurler Riain McBride in attendance at the announcement of the 10th year of DCU Business School and GPA scholarships. Picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

McBride buzzing on all fronts for 2020 season HEA DIVISION 1 HURLING  CÓILÍN DUFFY

sport@dublingazette.com

RIAIN McBRIDE is certainly a busy buachaill at the moment. Recently graduated from a degree in engineering, the St Vincent’s clubman is now embarking on a Masters at DCU Business School, after receiving one of the DCU Business School/GPA Full-time Masters scholarships last week.

And that’s just the off-field stuff.

Tonight (Thursday) McBride and his DCU hurling team-mates aim for back-to-back Division 1 Higher Education Senior Hurling league titles, having picked up their first title 12 months ago.

UCC are once again their opponents in the decider, which takes place in IT Carlow at 7.30pm.

“We went to extra-time in our semifinal,” McBride told Dublin Gazette.

“We won it last year, and I think it’s the first competition that our Fitzgibbon Cup team has won ever.

“Three years ago, in my first year on the team, we hadn’t even won a game until my first year in!

“To see what has happened since is mainly down to Paul O’Brien, Eoin Roche and Mick Weir - any of those lads and what they have done for hurling in the college.”

DCU took honours last year and subsequently did well in the Fitzgibbon Cup. McBride says hurling has really come full circle in recent years.

“When I was in sixth year, UCD would have been the main college for hurling.

But since I’ve come here there’s been a real emphasis put on hurling.

“I remember Eoghan O’Donnell talking about hurling in DCU being ‘the dogtimes’.

“They were in Division 2 six years ago.

In the space of a year we had won a [Fitzgibbon Cup] game and were in a Fitzgibbon final.

“It’s about starting from the roots, it’s not like they are getting people in and trying to do it quick. It’s an academics college, with a sporting edge to it.”

McBride is delighted to have picked up the scholarship.

“I’m just delighted that I’ve got to continue on,” he said. “I did my undergrad here for four years, and its a brilliant set-

up.

“Paul O’Brien in the GAA office helps out with anything you need, and that’s more-so in terms of yourself. It’s not even based on hurling, it’s based on what he can do for you to enjoy a bit more, and that’s probably the main thing about sport in DCU. When you have that sort of support it’s a lot easier to enjoy hurling.”

Dublin’s 2020 campaign begins pre-Christmas, with Mattie Kenny’s charges set to face Laois in the first round of the Walsh Cup at Parnell Park on December 8.

McBride says it’s a great set-up to be involved in.

“For us moving forward we are literally just focussing on ourselves, and trying to develop ourselves.

“Mattie has created something that I have never been involved in before.

“It’s really professional and I am just delighted to be a part of it.

“

“Hopefully we can push on this year, especially in terms of Leinster. We want to push onto a Leinster Final and I think we can do that.”

Laois rose from winning the Joe McDonagh Cup to beating Dublin in a qualifer this Summer, before rattling subsequent All-Ireland Champions Tipperary at the quarter-final stage.

McBride says their inclusion adds to an already great mix in Leinster, and that the 2020 provincial Championship will be hotly contested.

“The League is changing this year as well also, and I think everything is more competitive and getting more games in,” he said.

“Colleges games and Club Championships are all being pushed forward over the next while, so it’s the concept of getting in games early, and then getting on to county as early as possible, and trying to form a team, and a bond more-so.”

Eoghan O’Donnell talked about hurling in DCU being ‘the dog-times’. In a year, we had won a game and reached a final

”

A DONNACHA Ryan point two minutes into time-added-on ensured topflight football for St Brigid’s from a tense, low scoring, 0-7 to 0-6, AFL Division 1 relegation play-off against St Oliver Plunkett’s Eoghan Ruadh at a windy Somerton Park.

Plunkett’s played with the benefit of a strong first-half breeze but, still, the sides went in at the break level at 0-4 each.

Paddy Andrews was responsible for the first three Brigid’s scores, Lorcan McCarthy getting the fourth.

Bernard Brogan opened the Plunkett’s tally from play following by another three points from the everreliable Gareth Smith to leave the sides deadlocked.

The second-half was every bit as tight with the first 10 minutes bringing no change in the score. Brigid’s midfielder Daire Plunkett put his side back in front but a Smith free soon had the sides back on level terms.

Ten minutes from time, Andrews used the wind well to float over the lead point before perhaps the score of the night from Plunkett’s Sean Bugler who hit a terrific equalising point on the run.

Just when extratime looked inevitable, up popped St Brigid’s impressive wing halfback Ryan to land the winning score, leaving Plunketts deflated and Kevin Bonner’s players relieved to have retained their Division 1 status yet again.

GazetteSPORT NOV 28 - DEC 4, 2019

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

Bohs set scene for their 2020 Euro return with historic retrospective JODIE STARS IN THE MUD

ATHLETICS: Dublin

City Harriers’ youngster wins awesome Under-20 crown to claim cross country title and earn Euro call-up. SEE P29

LEINSTER LEADERS CAMOGIE:

Marino club back in the promised land as 21-year wait for provincial glory ended in style. SEE P30

MCBRIDE’S 2020 VISION HURLING:

St Vincent’s star facing busy winter with DCU and Walsh Cup matches coming thick and fast in December. SEE P31

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 DAVE DONNELLY

sport@dublingazette.com

THE ACIÉRIES d’Angleur, diplomatic incidents and a wreath laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – just three of the more eventful moments in the storied European history of Bohemian FC. They form the arc of a talk to be presented by Bohs historian, and fan, Gerard Farrell in partnership with DCC Libraries at the club’s Dalymount Park home next Saturday, December 7.

Farrell will present for the third year in a row, having previously spoken on striker Harold Sloan, who died fighting in World War One, and the shortlived ‘New York Bohemians’.

And while many fans of recent vintage will remember famous European nights like Aberdeen, Kaiserslautern or – whisper it – TNS, the club’s European pedigree dates back almost a century.

Some would be forgiven for thinking panEuropean football started with the European Cup in 1955 – or even the start of the Champions League in 1992 – but there is a longer and richer history.

As Bohs prepare to return to Europe for the first time since 2012, it’s a fitting occasion to look back on Irish football’s lesser-known success on the continent.

“This was timely b eca use I d id some research on club tours to Belgium, France and Holland in the 1920s and 30s,” Farrell tells the Dublin Gazette.

“You had these madcap

The Bohemians side that travelled to Liege for the Aciéries d’Angleur invitational tournament

“You had these madcap touring sides – you had

everything from the crew of a German battleship to the first touring side to visit Britain“ touring sides – you had everything from the crew of a German battleship to the first touring side to visit Britain and Ireland.

“After partition and the FAI split with the IFA, it was a way to promote football in the 26 counties.

“Quite literally, in some circumstances, you had Bohs playing in Belgium going on diplomatic missions.

“You had people in the Department of Foreign Affairs giving them flags and asking them to attend receptions or do things

like lay a wreath at the grave of the Unknown Soldier in Brussels.

“You have an Irish team to smaller European tournaments with, in some cases, professional teams and actually winning them.”

With the Free State excluded from the Home Nations Championship – still viewed by the UK sides as the true pinnacle of international football – the FAI had to look to the continent for games.

Belgium had already visited Dalymount twice

to face Ireland when League of Ireland champions Bohs were invited to the Aciéries d’Angleur invitational tournament in Liege.

A p re - to u r n a m e n t friendly began on a sour note as the team were greeted on the field by the Union Flag, much to their chagrin.

They would go on to beat both RFC Tilleur and Standard Liege to become the first Irish team to win a European trophy, and repeated the trick at Tournois de Pentecote in Paris

three years later.

“Bohs in a few years won two European tournaments, one in Belgium and one in France, including against players who were French internationals.

“Even before the first Eu ro p e a n Cu p, Re a l Madrid with Puskas and Di Stefano, there were different forms of European competitions and that ambition to look beyond your borders.

“Touring teams from South Africa, Peru, Chile, the United States coming

to Ireland and also inviting Irish teams abroad. It’s an interesting social history and sporting history. The club have been very good at creating a sense of community, and part of the sense of community is the sense of history and the sense of place.” ** Bohs in Europe – the Early Years takes place in the Jackie Jameson Bar at Dalymount Park on Saturday, December 7. Admission is free but donations to the Bohemians Foundation are welcome.