Gazette CLONDALKIN
March 9 - 15, 2017
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A ticket to trouble: How reselling and touts are pushing up prices P16
Fair play to ’em! FAIRTRADE FANS GET TOGETHER FOR A FUN CAKE SALE AT ARAS CHRONAIN
Page 6
SPORT Tower’s win AFL1 opener P31
Shock as mum and young girls die in horror blaze SYLVIA POWNALL
Keep reading, keep recycling – thank you
TRAGIC: Anne Marie O’Brien (left), daughter Paris (above) and 3-year-old Holly
GARDAI were last night working on the theory that a blaze which killed a 27-year-old pregant mum and two young girls may have been caused by an electrical fault.
The fire broke out at an apartment which is part of a women’s refuge at Cluainin Cronan at Kilcronan Avenue in Clondalkin at around 2.30am on Wednesday. Anne Marie O’Brien and her two-year-old daughter Paris, along
with three-year-old Holly O’Brien, who is believed to be Anne Marie’s niece, were taken to Tallaght Hospital but pronounced dead on arrival. A second woman in her 30s, understood to be the victim’s sister, remains critical along with a four-year-
old boy who is believed to be the dead woman’s son. Inspector Ken McLaughlin said it was a “terrible tragedy” and gardai were keeping an open mind, though arson is not suspected. Full Story on Page 4
2 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 9 March 2017
COUNCIL PROPERTIES | 775 HOUSES ARE WAITING FOR SCHEME
Five-year wait for new windows ‘unacceptable’ SYLVIA POWNALL F OR C I N G p e n s i o n ers to wait five years for window replacements in draughty council properties has been slammed as “totally unacceptable” by a local TD. Sinn Fein’s Eoin O Broin made the comment after learning that there are currently 775 houses on South Dublin County Council’s waiting list for the scheme. Many of the properties have wooden doors a n d w i n d ow f r a m e s which are over 30 years old and offer poor insulation. Yet a council official confirmed that the aver-
age wait is five years, adding: “Programmed works for 2017 are for those houses and tenants whose windows were graded in 2012.” Deputy O Broin said: “South Dublin County Council has over 9,000 council houses. “Many of these still have the original wooden window frames and doors. “In some cases the frames are literally rotting away. “In recent years the length of time a family is waiting for replacement has increased from two years up to five years. “This is due to a significant increase in the
number of inspections without any corresponding increase in funding.” The Sinn Fein housing spokesman revealed that 580 houses have had their windows replaced since 2012 with the numbers falling annually – from 134 in 2015 to 90 in 2016. He said: “There are now 775 families on the waiting list. “There are many more w h o h ave n o t b e e n inspected but whose w i n d ow s a l s o n e e d replaced. “The council has confirmed to me in writing that they are currently replacing windows inspected and graded in
2012. “This is totally unacceptable. “The impact of old windows on people’s health and the cost and energy efficiency of the home is enormous. “T he council must do more to reduce the
length of time people are waiting for their windows to be replaced.” A council spokesman said speedier replacements were possible in “exceptional circumstances”, adding: “This priority is given on a case-by-case basis.”
Mayor of South Dublin Cllr Guss O’Connell and
FASTNews
Plans to build residential development in Clondalkin have been rejected PLANS to build nine houses in Clondalkin have been rejected by planners due to what they term inadequate layout for drains and surface water. Applicant Paul Crowley had sought permission for a residential development at lands fronting Fonthill Road and to the rear of St John’s Road. The nine-unit proposal included two, two-bed semi-detached houses, one detached house, four three-bed terrace houses and two mid-terrace houses. Suggested vehicular access was via St John’s Road on land owned by the council. A pedestrian access gate was set to be located at the intersection of Commons Road and Fonthill Road, also located on lands owned by South Dublin County Council. Labour councillor Breda Bonner made a submission on the plans, outlining that residents are keen to see houses on this site and were happy with previous plans. She said in her submission that the only issue is with the opening of another pedestrian access to the Fonthill Road. Planners refused permission citing the surface water attenuation provided in the plan layout would represent a “substandard form of development and be at risk of flooding”. The council also cited inadequate information submitted in relation to the foul drain layout, and considered the proposal would be “prejudicial to public health”.
volunteer Susan Finlay at the launch
Brew-tiful new location for cafe THE volunteer coffee shop at Tallaght Hospital opened at its new location earlier this week. South Dublin Mayor Guss O’Connell did the honours and said he was “delighted” to see the service continue. The facility – run entirely by volunteers – has been refurbished and moved to a new part of the hospital atrium. Cllr O’Connell said: “Tallaght Hospital is a very important part of the community and the coffee shop is a testament to the important work done by volunteers. Their work demonstrates the importance of community activism and the strength of local pride and support for the hospital.” The cafe offers an affordable service for
patients, visitors and staff and is operated by the Tallaght Hospital Volunteer Service. Cllr O’Connell revealed: “I doubt if many of the public know that this cafe is staffed by volunteers, which highlights the fact that much of the work done by volunteers across our communities, and even in Tallaght Hospital goes unnoticed.” Carol Roe, volunteer services manager at Tallaght Hospital, said: “I know the whole volunteer service at the hospital is really overjoyed to see this facility open today. The ethos of the hospital is ‘People Caring for People’ and I believe this new facility and location will enable us to do this in a more effective way.”
Over 3,000 applicants waiting 11 to 12 years to be housed by council MORE than 3,000 choice based letting applicants have been waiting an average of 11 to 12 years to be housed by South Dublin County Council. The stark figures, obtained by Sinn Fein Cllr Danny O’Brien, reveal that 787 people have been waiting for 12 years for a one-bed property. A total of 1,368 have been waiting 11 years for accommodation with two bedrooms while 991 have been waiting 12 years for a three-bed home. Cllr O’Brien said: “This information shows just how dire the situation is. “As these lets are as rare as hen’s teeth, it is imperative that anyone on the list check the website each week and declare their interest in available properties (www.cbl.southdublin.ie).” It also emerged that there were 44 vacant council units at the start of the year – 21 “voids” north of the Naas Road and 23 south of it – with an average relet turnaround of nine weeks.
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9 March 2017 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 3
Fionn Rua in action
It really is Le Crunch time for cover acts FIVE Dublin acts are through to the semi-finals of the popular Le Crunch Apple of My Eye Song Contest, which sees the healthy apple brand team up with Joe.ie to uncover the nation’s best cover act. Ranelagh’s Mark Campbell joins Ryan Cahill from Palmerstown, Balinteer trio Scoops, Fionn Rua, and Blackrock duo Stephen & Mimi Lane. They along with five other semifinalists from around the country now face a public vote to make the final five. The final takes place at Whelans on March 23rd with the winner taking home €1,500. Voting ends tomorrow, so get to ouitolecrunchmusic.com and back one of the Dubs!
Toooooo cute!
Aishling Monaghan sent in this snap of gorgeous 14-month-old Katie Smith
SPRING is in the air, and the Gazette’s Bonnie Baby competition is in full swing. We’ve had a wonderful response from mums, dads, proud grandparents and family friends, who’ve shared some of the cutest photos we’ve ever seen. The competition will run for the entire month of March, so keep sending in those wonderful snaps of your little ones – we’ll feature as many as we can in the paper each week until April 6th. We have some great prizes to give away – including two hampers worth €90 each from our friends at NUK Ireland – and one lucky winner will win a free family or newborn photoshoot worth €180 from Gazette photojournalist and expert baby photographer Ali, of Alison O’Hanlon Photography. So keep sending in those snaps to competitions@dublingazette.com or via our Facebook page – and don’t forget to include your details and your baby/ toddler’s name and age!
Goo-goo Gazette readers show off their pride & joys
9-month-old Parker Daly
Isla at just 5 weeks
This little cutie was sent
Fabio Soares sent in this
in by Ciara O’Sullivan
gorgeous photo
Ben is just 6 months old
Finn Horgan
4 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 9 March 2017
Locals left shocked by deaths in blaze tragedy
BABY WITH DOWN SYNDROME HELPS SPREAD A POSITIVE MESSAGE
Good golly, it’s Molly! AISLING KENNEDY THE birth of five-month old baby Molly last year spurred Kimmage mother Rhona Cullinan to set up a Facebook page to document what it is like to have a little baby with Down Syndrome. Rhona, who is a make-up artist and owns the Powder Room Girls in Citywest, spoke to The Gazette this week to explain that parents should not be fearful if their baby is born with Down Syndrome, as she feels little Molly is a blessing to her and her family. Rhona discussed how she first found out that little Molly had Down Syndrome: “When I was first pregnant, I had my nine-week scan which showed that there was a problem around Molly’s heart. We do have heart problems on both sides of the family, so it wasn’t totally unusual, but they did say initially that it could be associated with Down Syndrome. “At 16 weeks, the doctors told us that there was a definite heart defect and it would require open heart surgery. We could have had a test done to check for Down Syndrome, but we both agreed that she was our baby either way, so we decided not to do the test.” Rhona started to research Down Syndrome
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He added: “I’d like to express our sincere sympathies for the families of those involved.” A spokesman for Dublin Fire Brigade said several 999 calls were made, with the first alert at 2.33am. The first crews were on the scene within five minutes and firefighters battled the blaze until 4am. The spokesman added: “We got numerous calls in about it which would indicate that the fire was noticeable. The fire alarm in the apartment had also gone off.” Fire rescue teams took two women and three children from the first-floor apartment. Paramedics treated them in the grounds of the complex before they were transferred to hospital by ambulance. Seven residents of neighbouring apartments were evacuated as a precaution and two were taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. Last night the scene remained sealed off for forensic examination. Shocked locals laid flowers, teddy bears and candles at the entrance to the apartment block. One neighbour, Lisa Kinsella-Colman, said she was “devastated” by the tragedy. She added: “Our kids are in school with other kids in the area. I’m sure they all played together.” An Taoiseach Enda Kenny led tributes to the deceased. Deputy Eoin O Broin (SF) said it was “heartbreaking” and people were “numb with shock”. Deputy John Curran (FF) said: “This is a very sad day for Clondalkin. I grew up here and this is one of the most tragic incidents I remember in a very long time.”
and came across numerous blogs and Facebook pages about it, but what she noticed was that there was nothing negative written by any parents who had Down Syndrome children. “All of them said: ‘It’s such a blessing’, and ‘I wouldn’t change it for the world’,” she said. Rhona added that she realised her previous misconceptions of Down Syndrome were wrong, and she now wants to help other parents who may be going through the same thoughts as she once did. “I kind of limited Molly before she was born – I didn’t give her a chance to start anything, but she’s proved me wrong the whole way through! “She’s strong as an ox. She’s going for surgery in the next week or two – she’ll have a six-hour operation on her heart but I know she will be fine. It’s not like there’s anything actually wrong with her; she will just do everything a bit slower. “So, she’ll feel the same, she’ll want a boyfriend, she’ll want to get married. They [people with Down Syndrome] can do anything they want – there’s no limits on them, only the limits you put on them yourself.” You can check out Rhona’s Facebook page dedicated to Molly a t h t t p s : / / w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / mollyblessedwithds/
Gino ‘overwhelmed’ by level of support for 260km walk SYLVIA POWNALL DEPUTY Gino Kenny (PBP) said he was “overwhelmed” at the level of
support for Vera Twomey who walked 260km from Cork to Dublin to get medicinal cannabis medication for her daughter. The TD, who has put forward legislation in the Dail to have medicinal cannabis legalised, accompanied the campaigning mother on the gruelling route. Yesterday he told The Gazette: “A huge crowd came out in Clondalkin to support us. There were massive crowds spurring us on right along the route. “I’ve been around a long time and I’ve never seen anything like the level of support we had yesterday. It really was phenomenal.” Gino and Vera, who was confined to a wheelchair towards the end of her nine-day trek due to a knee injury, are now cautiously optimistic following a four-hour meeting
on Tuesday evening with Health Minister Simon Harris. Deputy Kenny said: “The public are way ahead of the Government on this. I think the legislation is not too far away.” Vera said she undertook the marathon walk to highlight the plight of her daughter, Ava Barry, who
Erica Cawley
has Dravet Syndrome and suffers epileptic seizures daily. Six-year-old Erica Cawley from Clondalkin (above) has the same condition and is now confined to a wheelchair and
Vera Twomey and Gino Kelly outside Dail Eireann
fed through a tube. Her granddad, John O’Meara, has vowed to continue campaigning until she can be legally prescribed medicinal cannabis oil to ease her symptoms. Retired paramedic John said: “She is now classed as a non-verbal child. She has all spectrum of seizures, and she can’t have anti-epilepsy medication because it puts her into cardiac arrest. “Time is of the essence. I just want to help my granddaughter and I’ll
keep fighting for her.” The Health Products Regulatory Authority has said it cannot recommend widespread access to cannabis to treat medical conditions. But Deputy Kenny is hopeful the necessary legislation will be in place “within the next three to four months”. He said: “It’s not a done deal by any means. But we’d be quite positive of an outcome now. “There’s going to be more clarity given to consultants and GPs over what can be done.”
9 March 2017 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 5
6 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 9 March 2017
Out and About
The cream of the crop at baking
Lewis White and Sophia Whitty
Sharon Ui Shuilleabhain and Janice Brennan
T
O CELEBRATE Clondalkin Fairtrade’s third birthday as the 51st Fairtrade town in Ireland, an annual bake-off was held in Aras Chronain recently, attracting people from all across Clondalkin and further afield to the tasty event. Catherine Leyden, well-known to TV3 viewers, was on hand to judge the event and commented on the really high standard of delicious cakes this year.
Catherine Leyden with Calum O’Shuilleabhain; right: third place junior winner Lewis White Pictures: Alison O’Hanlon
Haris Lopez receiving a Fairtrade Farmer award from Jack Carmal Mulvey and Pamela Owens Brennan
Annie Mosley with her uncle Stephen Merrigan
Emily Pesak, Bryce Lecloc and Victorria Gottwald
9 March 2017 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 7
8 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 9 March 2017
SEARCH | ANNA WAS TOLD HER SIBLINGS DIED IN INSTITUTION
‘What happened to my brother in Tuam Home?’
FASTNews
SYLVIA POWNALL
“There was no getting the answers from anybody, from the A WOMAN whose brother was nuns to the HSE. It was obvious born in the Tuam mother and William was a missing person. baby facility believes he was He didn’t have a death cert, so adopted illegally in no-one could the US. prove to me he Anna Corrigan was dead. from Clondalkin, “John was born who grew up think[classed] ‘normal ing she was an only and healthy’ and child, is desperate to I had secured the trace her brother Wilinspection report liam who she believes where at the age is still alive. of 13 months he She was told both Anna Corrigan deteriorated to her brothers died at such an extent he the Galway institution after the was emaciated. He was stated as word ‘dead’ was entered in the having died at 15 months of the nuns’ ledger beside William’s measles. name. “He was marked as a ‘conThere were two birth certifi- genital idiot’. It didn’t tally, from cates issued – for John Desmond being normal and healthy to and William Joseph Dolan – but dying from measles.” only one death certificate for the Growing up, Anna did not older sibling, John. know her mother Bridget Dolan, Now Anna wants DNA tests who died in 2001 aged 81, had to determine whether her broth- two sons before she was married. ers are at the site so she can give She revealed that an entry in them a family burial. a ledger at St Mary’s Mother and She said: “The garda forensic Baby Home in Tuam stated Wilteam should have been sent to liam died on February 3, 1951, the site a long time ago. I want to but gardai established that no give a sample of my DNA to help death certificate was issued. Earlier this week, Sinn Fein’s the investigation.
Most new buses are to replace older models
Anna with her parents, Bridget and William
deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald called for the Tuam site where human remains were found to be secured as a crime scene. Anna started tracing her brother William’s history with help from Barnardos and later met up with historian Catherine Corless, who uncovered the names of the
796 children buried in a mass grave in Tuam. She filed a missing person’s report in relation to William Joseph Dolan in 2014. Anna vowed to never give up, adding: “I’ll be here for the next 20 years until I find out what happened to my relatives.”
Man to be sentenced in May for driving dangerously during high-speed chase
Leg it over to the VHI mini-marathon ENTRY is now open for the VHI Women’s Mini Marathon which will take place on Monday, June 5 in Dublin city centre with TV personality Amanda Byram, who is helping as a member of the support team, calling on women of all ages to take part. Celebrating 35 years, this year’s event will see more than 35,000 women walk, jog or run while raising money for a charity of their choice. To mark the special milestone, the organisers also unveiled a new route for 2017 that will see the course completely reversed with this year’s event starting at Fitzwilliam Square and finishing on Baggot Street. To enter, women can register online at www.VhiWomensMiniMarathon.ie, or by post.
A MAN with 190 previous convictions will be sentenced in May for driving dangerously during a high-speed chase with gardai. Dean Joyce, 24, with an address in Rowlagh Park, Clondalkin, was convicted after a second trial. The jury in his first trial was discharged after a juror fell asleep 15 minutes into the hearing. Joyce had pleaded not guilty to 11 charges, including endangering gardai by driving his car into a garda van, four counts of dangerous driving and possession of stolen property in Ballyfermot and Clondalkin on March 3, 2015.
He had also denied driving without a licence, driving without insurance, possession of a boxcutter that was used in a burglary, criminal damage of a garda van and failing to stop for gardai on the same date. During the trial Judge Karen O’Connor directed that Joyce be found not guilty of the offence of endangerment. The jury later convicted him of all other counts. Garda Sergeant Ronan McDermott said he was in an unmarked patrol car when he spotted a car driven by Joyce breaking a red traffic light. Gardai activated the sirens but Joyce failed to stop and
a high speed pursuit began. During this chase Joyce drove the car through red lights, on the wrong side of the road and in the wrong direction around a roundabout. Joyce’s car collided with a garda van at the Blackditch Road in Ballyfermot, causing €1,500 worth of damage. The car then mounted a footpath and stopped in a nearby housing estate. One-time cocaine addict Joyce was recently jailed for other offences and this time in prison has been “the making of him”, counsel said. Judge O’Connor remanded Joyce on continuing bail to May next for sentence.
MOST of the 100 new vehicles being purchased by Dublin Bus this year are to replace older models, it has emerged. Fianna Fail Deputy John Curran slammed the allocation by Transport Minister Shane Ross as “measly” and said it left a lot to be desired. The Dublin west TD obtained extra information from the National Transport Authority via a parliamentary question which shows that 80 of the buses will replace older ones, with just 20 buses to expand the routes across the capital. Deputy Curran said: “Minister Ross has left a lot to be desired with his measly transport allocation in Budget 2017. “The low level of funding allocated to current expenditure and capital investment is disappointing. It reflects that developing our transport network is simply not a priority for the Government. “Many urban areas are experiencing serious traffic congestion. This is particularly prevalent in Dublin. “Unfortunately, Minister Ross has not secured any capital investment to advance key strategic public transport projects, including metro north and the DART expansion programme, Metro West or the Lucan Luas. “It seems Minister Ross is satisfied to simply continue reviewing these projects for yet another year as gridlock takes hold in the capital. “It could be 20 years before Lucan sees a Luas and that is simply not good enough.”
Insects found crawling in box of sweets from cinema INSECTS were found crawling around in a box of sweets bought at a cinema in Tallaght, a court heard. Irish Multiplex Cinema (IMC) Tallaght Ltd was convicted and fined €700 after pleading guilty to selling contaminated food that was unsafe for human consumption. The prosecution was brought by the Health Service Executive (HSE) under an EU law regulating food safety. It came after a complaint about the cinema, in the Square Shopping Centre in Tallaght, was made to environmental health officer Fiona Healy. On December 8 last year, customers bought sweets at the cinema, which were put into a cardboard container that they later brought home. “When they were getting to the bottom, they discovered a lot of insects crawling among the sweets,” prosecuting counsel said. IMC Tallaght’s solicitor told Dublin District Court the sweets had come from a supplier and that product line has now been discontinued, the court heard.
9 March 2017 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 9
10 GAZETTE 9 March 2017
Out and About
Marian Power and Krisztina Bolla
Patrick Delaney and Mary Delaney
Ryan Tubridy launches first children’s book Patrick Kelly, Ryan Tubridy and PJ Lynch. Pictures: Brian McEvoy
Eoin Colfer and Jackie Colfer
Joe Duffy and Rachel Tubridy
Orla McDermott
Lee Motherway
R
TE broadcaster Ryan Tubridy was joined by his mother Catherine, sister Rachel and brother Garrett at the launch of his new book, Patrick and the President at Dubray Books in Grafton Street last week. The book tells the story of John F Kennedy’s return to his ancestral home in Ireland through the eyes of a young boy. Kennedy described his four-day visit to Ireland in 1963 as the best four days of his life, while it was also a trip never forgotten by a generation of Irish people.
Janet Hickey and Judith Tubridy
Barbara Hughes and PJ Lynch
Georga Longhurst and Deirdre Scully
9 March 2017 GAZETTE 11
Out and About
John Hoyne , Eamon McCormack and John Gleeson
Michael Carr, Powers ambassador and Donall O’Keeffe, chief executive of the Licensed Vintners Association. Pictures: Brian McEvoy
Karen Moran and Laura Moriarty
Willie Ahern, Joe O’Rorke and Gerry Cooley
A powerful launch for limited edition whiskey T
HE Brian Boru pub in Glasnevin was in high spirits last week as a special limited edition Powers 1817 was launched to mark 200 years of the Licensed Vintners Association. The function was attended by many of Dublin’s leading vintners. The venue was a fitting one, as this was the last pub to serve whiskey from the wood – until 1973.
Louise Ryan and Tom Doorley
James Rafferty and Jamie Sweeney
GAZETTE
12 GAZETTE 9 March 2017
DUBLINBUSINESS
€5k prize to drive Give Peas a Chance contest
Paul Coffey, vice president Allergan; An Taoiseach
EMMA NOLAN
Enda Kenny; Brent Saunders, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Allergan; Francis Bates, vice president, Global Solid Oral Dose Manufacturing, Allergan and Pat O’Donnell, senior vice president global manufacturing, Allergan
Allergan marks its 40th with a €42m investment ALLERGAN marked 40 successful years of business in Ireland by confirming an investment of €42m in its Irish operations in 2017. The company, which employs approximately 1,700 people in Ireland, also announced details of a new €50,000 Innovation Award Programme with colleges around the country. Allergan also announced that it will become the official sponsor of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation as part of a threeyear sponsorship.
Prestigious programme for female-led start-ups THE DCU Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurs is calling on female-led start-ups to apply for its prestigious Female High Fliers Accelerator Programme 2017. Since its launch in 2014, over 40 female entrepreneurs have participated in the programme and have continued to achieve impressive results. Some 35 businesses have received investments totalling €7 million, Businesses have continued to expand, creating 115 jobs and 19 businesses are now exporting their products and/or services. Supported by Enterprise Ireland, the 13-week accelerator programme aims to address challenges facing female entrepreneurs across all industries and support Ireland’s top early stage start-ups in fast tracking their business to achieve scale. Ten selected participants will gain access to a peer start-up founder network and to the DCU Ryan Academy network of experienced entrepreneurs and investors. They will take part in weekly tailored workshops delivered by a team that understands the particular needs and challenges facing their individual business. They will also be challenged on their business plans and be given an opportunity to pitch to potential investors. The application process is open to female founders or co-founders of Irish or international innovative start-ups less than five years old. All companies must be female-led and participants will be selected based on their growth and export potential as well as business idea and team strength. The closing date for applications is Tuesday, March 21. For further information visit http://www.ryanacademy.ie/
CULLY Allen of the Cully & Sully food business returned to his old school this week to share his success story behind one of Ireland’s biggest food businesses and launched an inaugural competition entitled Give Peas a Chance. This initiative aims to foster a spirit of food entrepreneurship in Irish secondary schools and discover Ireland’s next young food entrepreneurs. Secondar y schools across the country are now invited to take part in the competition, which combines food growing and entrepreneurship to engage and inspire students to grow their own peas and to devise a soup recipe using what they have grown to come up with a product, which Cully & Sully will produce. Through this initiative growing kits will be delivered to 7,500 students across the country. The kits include everything
the students need to grow peas including seeds, pots, soil and plenty of growing tips from Grow It Yourself (GIY). Students are asked to pair up in order to undertake the challenge. According to Michael Kelly, founder of GIY: “This initiative enables students to learn first hand about food enterprise right from the seed onwards. We know that to make good food you need great ingredients and you can’t get better than growing your own. “We feel that this initiative will help to accelerate even more brilliant food starts ups in our local food system in the future.” Cullen said: “We are really hoping to inspire a new generation of food entrepreneurs. Learning at our mother’s kitchen tables gave us our passion for good food and we’re grateful for that every day. “We hope to see that passion grow in these junior entrepreneurs. Pea soup may seem simple but with the creativity and ingenuity that we
Pictured at the launch of the Give Peas a Chance competition is Michael Kelly with Cully Allen, of Cully & Sully, and students Aimee Browne, Molly O’Shea, Sarah McDaid and Sacha O’Neill. Picture: Patrick Browne
know Ireland’s young people have we can’t wait to see what they come up with.” During Give Peas A Chance, students will be allocated a series of challenges and in the final phase they will be asked to file the details of their own “ReciPEA For Success” using their homegrown peas as inspirations for a brand-new soup recipe.
A number of these student ReciPEAs will then make the shortlist and the students will be invited to a Dragon’s Denstyle pitch scenario at the home of GIY, GROWHQ in Waterford, on May 25 where a winning team of two will be selected and crowned the Give Peas A Chance champions. The winning students will be awarded a prize pot of €5,000 which
includes a €3,000 food garden for their school, two iPads for the winning team of two students and the brand-new winning soup recipe will be produced by Cully & Sully and served at the GIY Cafe GROW HQ. Schools and teachers planning to participate in this nationwide competition can sign up to take part at http://www.cullyandsully.com/ourgarden.
Local Enterprise Week a must for SMEs LOCAL Enterprise Week 2017 is currently running, until March 11, with a week to inspire and motivate thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners in Dublin city. A host of mainly free events are available to help get business up and running. The week-long programme of mentoring, advice and networking highlights the services and supports available to SMEs and start-ups in Dublin through their Local Enterprise Office in Dublin’s Civic Offices, as well as providing a selection of events and workshops, tailored to inspire and inform. The week enjoyed a fantastic start on Sunday, March 5 with the national final of Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) competition in Google Headquarters. Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Dublin City
client Samuel Dennigan won the Best Start Up Business award after brilliantly pitching to the judges and audience about the benefits and uniqueness of his Strong Roots food business. Some of the main events of the week included Digital Day, which was celebrated yesterday, March 8, and helped demonstrate to businesses how to maximise their business online. International Women’s Day was also celebrated yesterday through the Women in Business Network. More than 200 female entrepreneurs and businesswomen attended an event to encourage them to develop their business and ideas further. Today, Thursday March 9, the LEO Dublin city and the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) will be supporting the e-Commerce Association of Ireland (eCAI) by hosting a
full day e-commerce seminar. A creative industries half day event will take place tomorrow, Friday March 10, in the Chocolate Factory – a co-working space for entrepreneurs. The week’s activities culminate with a Start Your Own Business Boot Camp this Saturday, in the Guinness Open Gate Brewery, including expert mentoring sessions and guest speakers. Full details of all events, venues and booking links are available on the LEO Dublin City site: https://www.localenterprise.ie/DublinCity/Training-Events/LocalEnterprise-Week-2017/Local-EnterpriseWeek-2017.html Nationally, 14,500 small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs are expected to have attended more than 380 events during Local Enterprise Week.
Let The Gazette take you on a tour of what’s on across the county this week
How concert ticket reselling is really costing you money
SQUASH IS A SHY DOG, BUT HAS A LOT OF LOVE TO SHARE WITH YOU
P16
OUR Dog of the Week looking for their #SpecialSomeone is Squash, a three-yearold female Lurcher. She is a beautiful, gentle soul but is currently lacking in self confidence, so Squash would love a family who will take their time getting to know her and allow her to come out of her shell at her own pace.
Reassure Squash would hugely benefit from having the company of a confident, friendly dog to help her settle into her new home and reassure her that she is finally home and can relax. Her ideal home will have a garden, as she likes to potter about and have a good sniff at life! If you can be Squash’s #SpecialSomeone, then please contact Dogs Trust on 01 879 1000. They are based in Finglas, just off Exit 5 on the M50. Map and directions can be found on their website, www.dogstrust. ie. You can also find them on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/ ogstrustirelandonline, or on Twitter @DogsTrust_ IE.
DIARY P14 STYLE P18 MOTORING P19
GAZETTE
DUBLINLIFE
9 March 2017 GAZETTE 13
James Hendicott investigates the slowly rising impact for fans and asks if enough is done to tackle the issue
GAZETTE
14 GAZETTE 9 March 2017
DUBLINLIFE
A tree-rific way to help promote our great natural resources Applegreen chief executive Bob Etchingham with biologist Eanna Ni Lamhna and Kevin Hutchinson, president of the Tree Council of Ireland, along with their little helper, Lily, who dug deep to plant the first of over 100 crab apple trees that Applegreen will donate to their stores nationwide as part of Annual Tree Week. Picture: Maxwells
A NUMBER of tree-mendous events are taking place this week as part of National Tree Week - an annual event organised by the Tree Council of Ireland, supported by Coillte to raise awareness of and promote the planting and care of trees around Ireland. Applegreen are sponsoring the events taking place over the week and encouraging individuals, families, schools and local communities to get up, get out and explore the trees, parks and forests in their local areas. According to most recent research carried out by the Heritage Council, 40% of children in Ireland between the ages of 7 – 11 have never climbed a tree and 10% have never visited a forest or a wooded area. Stand-out events
include an Augustine Henry Forestry Lecture in the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin today [March 9], A poem as lovely as a tree school poetry competition at Pearse Museum, St Enda’s Park on Saturday March 11 and a guided nature walk through Massy’s Wood in Kilakee on Sunday, March 12. Speaking at the launch event in Lusk, Applegreen CEO Bob Etchingham said: “Applegreen is delighted to be sponsoring National Tree Week for the first time in 2017. “At Applegreen we are committed to playing our part in achieving a more sustainable future for Ireland. We want to encourage all of our customers and the public to show their love for trees, either by planting them, learning about them or simply
getting outside and enjoying them. “We hope that people will get involved in all of the events that are taking place in their local area during Applegreen National Tree Week 2017”.
ABSEIL OFF CROKER TO HELP THE ISPCC ATTENTION daredevils. Ever wanted to abseil off the roof of Croke Park? Well, now’s your chance. Last August, the ISPCC ran a hugely successful abseil in Croke Park where participants had the opportunity to abseil off the roof of the stadium. The feedback from those who took part was extremely positive so the charity has decided to run the event again this April. Home to the headquarters of the GAA, Croke
Park is the third-largest stadium in Europe. The iconic grounds present a unique venue for the ISPCC Abseil, which will take place on Saturday and Sunday, April 29 and 30. Participants are asked to pay a deposit of €50 and fundraise a minimum of €200. Places are limited so to ensure your place register at ispcc.ie.
VOLUNTEER TO HELP SPINA BIFIDA GROUP SPINA Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland (SBHI) is currently offering volunteering opportunities to people who wish to help improve the quality of life for people with a disability. Each summer, SBHI runs its SHINE (Spina Bifida, Hydrocephalus, Ireland, Nurturing, Empowerment) pro -
gramme which encourages participants to develop their independence and social skills in a fun and safe environment. SHINE also offers valuable respite for the participants, their parents, and/or carers. SHINE takes place over five separate weeks in different venues and each week is tailored to meet the needs of specific age groups. In the region of 100 participants attend SHINE every year, along with a dedicated team of volunteers and staff. SBHI is currently recruiting volunteer liaison officers and care and activity volunteers. Members of the public, men and women, aged over 18 years, have the opportunity of being involved in SHINE as care and activity volun-
teers. Anyone interested in volunteering can apply online at www.sbhi.ie/ shine_volunteer_recruitment or phone Louise or Helen on 01 457 23 29. All short-listed applicants must attend an interview, scheduled for March and April each year; must sign the terms and conditions agreement at time of interview; undergo a Garda background check, and participate in training.
EXCITING, CREATIVE DESIGNER-MAKERS DUBLIN has the chance this month to see the work of “Future Makers”. Shape the Future is an exhibition running in NCAD this month that provides a chance to see new work by twenty of Ireland’s most exciting and creative designermakers, who have been
awarded Design & Craft Council of Ireland’s Future Makers prizes and development funding over the past seven years. The designers being showcased work across fashion, jewellery, accessories, textiles, furniture, product design, glass, ceramics and leather. Speaking ahead of the launch, the curator of the exhibition, Angela O’Kelly, NCAD head of design for body and environment, said: “Irish design and craft is having a moment. “Irish designer-makers are growing with confidence, adapting traditional techniques and combining them with new materials and processes to create unique works.” For more information, including opening hours, visit www.ncad.ie.
9 March 2017 GAZETTE 15
Make the move to an active lifestyle
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GAZETTE
FEATURE
AN INTERNATIONAL Parkour star took her skills to the streets of Dublin last week. Katie McDonnell, a 26-year-old celebrity stunt double from Windsor and the UK’s leading female Parkour athlete was in town to launch Lucozade Sport’s “Made to Move Sessions”. “Made to Move Sessions” are a series of highprofile events sponsored by Lucozade Sport, which will take place over the next 12 months aiming to champion active lifestyles. To help launch the campaign and demonstrate how our bodies are made to move, Katie performed a series of jaw dropping parkour stunts against some of Dublin’s most iconic landmarks. Her stunning freestyle run through Dublin was captured in a video trailer to launch Lucozade Sport’s Made to Move Sessions. To watch Katie’s moves and find out how to get involved in Lucozade Sport’s Made To Move Sessions, go to Lucozade Sport Ireland’s YouTube channel here or Facebook Page LucozadeSportIRL #madetomove Speaking at the launch, Katie said: “This is my first trip here and I’ve absolutely loved freerunning through the capital. I’ve been blown away by the friendly reaction I’ve received, and the landscape has been really varied and cool to perform against. “I’m so proud to get behind Lucozade Sport’s Made To Move campaign and help encourage people to move more and get more active.”
9 March 2017 GAZETTE 17
DUBLINLIFE TICKET SALES FOR POPULAR ARTISTS SUCH AS J.COLE AND ED SHEERAN SHOW THE SCALE OF THE TOUT AND RESELLER PROBLEM THEIR TICKETS SOLD OU T VERY QUICKLY – ONLY FOR TICKETS WITH INFLATED PRICES TO SWIFTLY POP UP ON RESELLER WEBSITES HOW CAN WE STOP THIS?
FEATURES
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO STOP THE TOUTS FROM CASHING IN ON YOUR LOVE FOR MUSIC?
T BANDS EVEN THE BIGGESLIKE U2, IN THE WORLD, THE ARE VICTIMS OF G EVER INCREASIN IMPACT OF TOUTS
JAMES HENDICOTT INVESTIGATES THE GROWING PROBLEM OF TICKET RESELLING, WHICH IS STRIKING AN EVER SOURER NOTE
ISSUES surrounding ticket sales are growing again in Dublin, as the highlyprofitable secondary ticket market ramps up for the summer peak. Ticket touting remains legal in Ireland, though Deputy Noel Rock (FG) recently put forward a motion looking to criminalise the resale of tickets at above their official price. Since his tabling of the bill earlier this year, Deputy Rock has received protesting submissions from the likes of the IDA – Ireland’s foreign direct investment body. The IDA highlight the value of the companies leading the market – some of whom have Irish headquarters – to our economy. For punters, though, this is a growing problem.
Firms such as Viagogo and Seatwave (the latter a Ticketmaster-owned company whose resale options appear on the Ticketmaster website, highlighted once the original offering is sold out) are highlyprofitable agencies. This is particularly clear to see with big-name gigs. A ticket for U2 in Croke Park this summer, for example, starts at €240 on Seatwave at the time of writing (face value €44), and goes up as high as €1,000 (face value €200). Ed Sheeran – who has personally spoken out against above face-value reselling this month on his Twitter account – has seen tickets for his 3Arena date listed at over €600 each (face value €77), while a ticket to Ireland’s potential Six Nations decider against England will set you back almost €1,200
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‘The Glastonbury festival has demonstrated it is possible to thwart touting – in their case, tickets feature a picture of the buyer, are non-transferable, and must be accompanied by photo ID to allow entrance’
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after booking fees (face value €60). In the case of J.Cole, whose 3Arena date sold out shortly after going on sale in late February, tickets were allegedly on Seatwave ahead of the show’s swift sell-out. With such a quick turnaround allowed, and highly inflated prices, it’s hard to believe these tickets were not bought with profit in mind. In some cases, the reselling company stands
to make more in resale fees than the total original ticket price. There are, of course, tickets for lesser events available for more reasonable rates – in some cases, close to or even below face value – but such sales also feature far higher associated charges than the first buy. These rates are industry standard, and similar with rival companies such as Viagogo and Stubhub. There have also been
reports of the sites occasionally being less than reliable. Dubliner Colin Lee, for example, told The Gazette of his experience buying a ticket to Elbow at the Olympia theatre last month, only to be denied entry on arrival as the ticket had already been used. This issue is not unique to Ireland. MP Nigel Adams commented in the British parliament last week: “Tickets to the hit musical Hamilton are touted for upwards of £5,000, when companies like Viagogo know only too well that tickets re-sold are invalid for entry [this is frequently the case in Ireland, too]. “It’s unfair and not indicative of a market that works for everyone. What will the govern-
ment do to ensure genuine fans are not fleeced by touts and rogues?” Stephen Byrne, editorin-chief of Irish music website Goldenplec, concurred, arguing: “Vendors need to do more to protect music fans and their customers”. He added: “I’ve no doubt that artists will be looking at the growing resale market with tickets sometimes selling at eight to ten times face value, and that the base ticket price will increase. “Many people will be priced out of the market altogether. I find it
FANS ARE INCREASINGLY SOLD OUT, WASTING THEIR TIME QUEUEING – ONLY FOR TOUTS, BOTS AND RESELLERS TO TAKE WHAT THEY CAN GRAB TO TURN A QUICK BUCK
hard to believe that vendors cannot track which tickets are being resold at extortionate prices, and cannot do more to stop people who buy simply to make a profit by reselling.” When some of the companies involved in both first and subsequent sales are under the same ownership – as with Seatwave and Ticketmaster – it’s equally hard to see why the original vendors would be particularly motivated to prevent such profiteering. Should Deputy Rock’s proposal fail, the road ahead could be still bleaker. As Bos-
ton-based music fan Anthony Grice explains, for example, the scenario in the more developed American market is still worse: “Essentially all sporting events and many gigs/shows are blighted by this now.” He explained further: “People with money to burn will buy extortionately priced sports season tickets, then put all the games they can’t go to online at two or three times face value. “Real fans struggle to get tickets, and only fans who can afford to drop a ton on a
GAZETTE
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16 GAZETTE 9 March 2017
ticket can go. “Gigs are almost as bad. Bots [automated computer programmes] buy the tickets up, and they sell out in seconds. Then they’re all on secondary sources for two or three times the face value.” There are alternatives in Ireland, though they depend on ‘genuine reason’ sellers opting to decline the high-value resale option. Popular site Toutless. ie uses a forum format to resell tickets strict-
ly at face value. Adverts. ie also has a policy prohibiting sale at above face value. Meanwhile, events such as the UK festival Glastonbury have demonstrated it is possible to thwart touting – in their case, tickets feature a picture of the buyer, are non-transferable, and must be accompanied by photo ID to allow entrance. So long as for-profit reselling remains legal, however, it will
be the preserve of the occasional insistent artist to go above and beyond to protect their fans. Elsewhere, there will be speculative ‘buy to sell’ buyers looking to cash in, and event-goers willing to pay. A large market exists where often only profiteers and those who own the platform stand to win. Those absorbing the costs of r unning an event see no benefit, and with profit-driven buying, those desperate to attend ultimately lose out.
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18 GAZETTE 9 March 2017
DUBLINLIFE
EMMA NOLAN Style Editor
d an Isl 5 er €3 Riv ey top Gr
STATEMENT sleeves are one of the most prominent trends of 2017 thus far – and the bigger the better! This trend is simultaneously super fun and utterly chic – from bell-shaped, to ruffle, bishop and cold shoulder, the arms are stealing the spotlight. Some attention-grabbing favou-
rites are available all across the high street right now, with seemingly endless variations. A great accent to any outfit, a statement sleeve elevates every outfit, instantly creating a silhouette to die for. Check out Zara, Topshop and Asos for their great takes on the statement sleeve.
STYLE Zara Denim crop top €30
SLEEVE NOTES Zara Plush sweatshirt €40
HEY KIDS, THIS ONE’S FOR YOU EMMA NOLAN
CALLING all fashionable Dublin kids! Arnotts is hosting its Children’s Fashion Weekend in April which will see the children’s department transformed into a festival of fun! The highlight of the April 1-2 weekend are the “kids-only” fashion shows, which will be hosted
by Reuben the Entertainer. Four high-energy fashion shows will take place on Saturday, April 1, where young fashionistas will take to the catwalk to showcase top brands from the Arnotts childrenswear department. Brands on the catwalk will include Boss, Ralph Lauren, Guess, Lego, Losan, Lelli Kelly, KG, Rachel Riley, Billie Blush
and Billy Bandit, to name just a few. In between fashion shows, the Vicky Barry Dance Troupe will be doing a number of performances, while a robot dancer will be busy entertaining guests and a magician will be in store to perform magical illusions. A kids disco will also take place from 4 to 6pm on Saturday.
Topshop Gingham flute top €60
ASOS Boohoo ruffle blouse €26.67
Penneys Jacket €23
Zara Denim dress €40
9 March 2017 GAZETTE 19
P21
P22
M50MOTORING
GAZETTE
P20
in association with
Michael Moroney drives you through the latest news in the motoring world including the latest models and technology and going electric
NEW AUDI Q5 GETS FIVE-STAR SAFETY RATING THE new Audi Q5 SUV has been awarded five stars in the Euro NCAP crash testing programme, which is the organisation’s highest rating for safety. The top score confirms that Audi’s best-selling SUV model is also among the safest automobiles in its class. The Audi Q5 showed off its strengths in every aspect of the assessment programme. The new Q5 scored points for occupant protection, child safety and pedestrian protection. Also contributing to the SUV’s five-star rating were the driver assistance systems, which comes as standard and includes: pre sense city - an emergency braking system that reacts to vehicles up ahead of the car and to pedestrians. Entry prices for the new Audi Q5 start from €48,350.
Hyundai’s new Ioniq Electric cars are in the spotlight in terms of cleaner and lower cost motoring, especially for city drivers. Hyundai has joined the market in 2017 with the new Ioniq, which offers the full electric car option as well as hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions. Michael Moroney reports from his impressive test drive on a longer than usual commute.
THE electric car race has got more exciting start in 2017 as Hyundai joined the market with a car that gives electric and two hybrid driving options in one modern style. The new Hyundai Ioniq is the latest electric car contender joining the market after the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe models have made the initial start. The Hyundai package is impressive and there are hints that the Iconiq will soon catch up on the competition. For Dublin drivers this new car is available in three power ver-
sions, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all electric. Hyundai offered me the opportunity to take the all-electric version and puts its impressive range claims to the test. Electric cars such as the ioniq are designed as city and short run commuter cars. Ireland’s modest geographic size as a country means that for many drivers a daily commute can be in excess of 100km each way to and from work. That then becomes the real test for a fully electric car. Continued on next page
GAZETTE
20 GAZETTE 9 March 2017
M50MOTORING Hyundai sparks electric power with new Ioniq
in association with
FASTNews
The Seat Alhambra
Alhambra offers in the spotlight for March SEAT in Ireland has announced details of new offers across its seven-seater Alhambra range. The offers mean that until March 31, motorists can avail of incentives from Seat’s 23-dealer network on both the Alhambra S and SE models. The Seat Alhambra makes technology on-the-go a seamless experience thanks to its Full Link Technology offering which comes free of charge until the end of March. A connec-
tivity feature that brings all your smartphone needs safely to the road, parents can take pleasure in components such as the media centre’s Read to Me feature which transmits text messages, as well as easy access to Spotify, podcasts and satellite navigation. The Seat Alhambra model qualifies for the 3.9% current finance offers on the SEAT Alhambra SE and 4.9% on the SEAT Alhambra S. The deals include deals include a three-year service plan for €299 meaning a saving of €400. The Seat Alhambra has received the maximum five-star recognition in the Euro NCAP safety rating.
Continued from Page 19
I put that challenge to the test with the electric Ioniq and drove to Portlaoise from Leixlip two days in a row to test its range. This was followed by a further long run to the Leitrim border for an overnight at Rooskey on the banks of the river Shannon. The car’s 28kWh lithium-ion battery was going to be put to the test. Was I a true optimist or just plain foolish to attempt that level of driving? After a week with the Ioniq, I had driven 972km, probably not the ideal driver profile expected for electric car drivers. For me it showed just how realistic electric cars can now be as the range from a full overnight charge has grown to more than 200km. I found that with good planning coupled with a more sensible driving style, the range anxiety that I had expected soon evaporated. Keeping to a regular 100km/hr on the motorways and anticipating likely driving issues and how others will drive, meant that I was achieving the full range of 200km on each full charge of the car. That meant a drive to Portlaoise and back was possible with only a small re-charge. On one occasion I returned via Tul-
lamore where during a meeting the car was well charged for home using one of the higher speed public charging points in the town’s Tanyard Lane. While charging is not always convenient in terms of rural towns, with a bit of planning it is possible. This is helped by a very useful ecar connect app from ESB Ireland, which lets you know where the charging points are located across the country and also if they are free. The Hyundai claim of 250km from a full charge was never going to be realistic, however 200km was and that suited me well. Most of my charging was overnight at home on either a standard 13amp fused three-pin socket or the purpose kit that I’ve had fitted at home some time ago. Either way, a full charge can take somewhere close to 12 hours and that means a full overnight, once you clock in home. If you drive a longer distance such as to Leitrim, then be prepared for an overnight stay if you cannot get access to one of the faster public charging points. For longer runs, plan to have a one hour coffee break at a service stop where there is a free charging point, for an additional boost to ease your range anxiety. Over-
Hyundai Ioniq Electric SPECIFICATIONS
Engine Engine power 0 – 100km/hr Economy Fuel Tank Capacity CO2 emissions Road Tax Band Main Service Euro NCAP Rating Warranty Battery Warranty Entry Price all, I’m well convinced that you can make the electric option work. You will be impressed with the driving performance of the Ioniq as it is impressive to accelerate using high torque electric motors. The car is very silent apart from the road noise generated by the special low rolling resistance tyres. In so many ways, the Ioniq is just another car but with clear air electric power. It has good comfort and all of the kit that you find in a good qual-
Electric Motor 120hp 9.9 seconds 200km/full charge NA 0g/km A0 €120 NA 5 star 5 years unlimited 8 years/200,000km €28,495 ity standard hatchback car, including air conditioning, sat-nav and good radio with Bluetooth connection that powers Apple CarPlay and other Android systems. You’ll be impressed as I was with the heating system, as the car heated up quickly without the need for an engine warm up as in many traditional engine cars. And the heating system as not as much a drain on battery power as I expected; I was watchful and careful to manage it well. You can
use the information systems on the large central screen to monitor electric power consumption, so the choice is yours and the consequences are obvious. The car is spacious while the boot is claimed to be larger than some of the hybrid competition, its higher base made it feel a little tight with a full load. You need to keep space for the two charging cables included and it can be a small effort to keep them tidy. It was difficult to accurately measure the running costs while the ESB ecars Cost Calculator claims a weekly cost for a 500knm commute, to be €6.34. This compares with almost €40 for a diesel car equivalent. I’ll check my electric bills at the end of the month to see any differences but without a special meter the average driver will have to trust the ESB figures for starters. The Ioniq has impressed with a Euro NCAP fivestar safety award so it ticks all of the safety boxes for family motoring. The Ioniq is the new electric car on the block and is more expensive at €28,495 than either the Nissan Leaf or Renault Zoe. Despite this, the Ioniq has out sold the Leaf so far this year, with 128 cars registered to the end of February.
The new Hyundai Ioniq is an impressive electric hatchback family size car that’s good to drive and low cost to own. The entry price for the Ioniq with a 200km range is €28,945.
Want to reach an audience in excess of 300,000 people in Dublin each week? To advertise in our new Motoring section, contact sales@dublingazette.com
or call
01 601 0240
9 March 2017 GAZETTE 21
MOTORING
in association with
Barry Dunne takes helm at Windsor Long Mile Nissan Commercial Centre BARRY Dunne, a 30-year veteran of
4X4 market. Garreth Thomson, a South
the motor trade with comprehensive
African native, brings almost 20 years
experience in the Light Commercial
of Heavy Good Vehicle (HGV) experience
Vehicle (LCVs) and Passenger Car (PC)
between South Africa and Ireland.
trade, has been appointed sales man-
Finally, the team is also complement-
ager for the newly-opened Windsor
ed by Alan Hughes, service depart-
Long Mile Nissan Commercial Centre.
ment; Ann Kelly, aftersales advisor, and
A native of Dublin, Barry came to
Kim Mayer, administrator, with further
Windsor Long Mile Nissan in January
positions to be created over the com-
and was previously commercial and
ing months.
fleet sales manager with Renault Belgard in Tallaght for almost five years. He has held previous positions
The new dealership has 40,000sq ft of outside forecourt, a spacious 11,000sq ft indoor warehouse-stlye showroom,
including general sales manager, sales
a 5,000sq ft workshop and a 2,500sq ft
manager and leasing manager for a
road front showroom.
number of well-known brands in the motor industry. Barry brings with him a wealth of LCV and PC experience, helping customers find the right vehicle for their individual and business needs and budgets in both the LCV and car market. Also based in Windsor Long Mile Nissan is Aidan Reinhardt, a Dublin native. He brings to the team 17 years of motor trade experience in LCVs, PCs and the
The sales team in Windsor Long Mile Nissan: Aidan Reinhardt, Barry Dunne and Garreth Thompson
GAZETTE
22 GAZETTE 9 March 2017
M50MOTORING
in association with
Peugeot joins the SUV market with new 3008
PEUGEOT’S new generation 3008 SUV has hit Irish shores and will be in dealerships across Dublin City from this week. The impressive new SUV features the latest generation Peugeot iCockpit with digital instrumentation as standard across the range. The range pries starts from €25,995 plus delivery related charges for the entry level model, the Access 1.2 130bhp PureTech petrol version. The new 3008 comes with a choice of five trim levels, to include Access, Active, Allure, GT Line and GT versions, a wide range of both petrol and diesel engines is available. The 1.2-litre PureTech 130bhp turbo petrol engine, with CO2 emissions from just 117g/km, was voted International Engine of the Year in its
FASTNews
Nissan has a new exchange offer for the electric Leaf model whereby by you get a six months trial period – if you’re not happy you can exchange the car for a new petrol- or diesel-powered Pulsar model
Nissan unveils an electric Leaf offer NISSAN has a new offer for the Leaf electric car for 2017, which now includes two years’ free insurance, two years’ free servicing and two years’ free road tax. Nissan claims to be so confident that Leaf drivers will love their cars that they offer replace the car with an petrol or diesel model if the electric option doesn’t The new Peugeot 3008 is a next-generation SUV that comes with a luxurious design and improved performance, coupled with a host of new technology features, with starting prices from €25,995 plus delivery charges
work out for first time electric car drivers. Nissan claims that if you change your mind they will swap it for a 172 a choice between a 1.2-litre petrol
category for the secondyear running, earlier in 2016. This engine is available with a six-speed manual gearbox or with Peugeot’s latest generation EAT6 six-speed automatic transmission. The
1.6 THP petrol 165bhp EAT6 six-speed automatic has emissions from 129g/CO2. Four BlueHDi diesel engines are available, trim dependent, with CO2 emissions from 103g/
km, and power ranging between 100, 120, 150 and 180bhp. The 2.0-litre BlueHDi 150bhp version is matched to a six-speed manual gearbox, whilst the 1.6 BlueHDi 120bhp version is available with a
choice of a six-speed manual or a six-speed EAT6 automatic gearbox. The range-topping GT version comes equipped as standard with a refined 2.0-litre BlueHDi diesel 180bhp six-speed automatic.
Providing the best service for your vehicle ATLAS AUTOSERVICE provides for all your car needs in a fast, friendly, efficient and cost-effective way. With 10 locations around Dublin, you are never too far from one of their garages. For more than 43 years, Atlas Autoservice has been servicing cars, replacing tyres and keeping motorists safe on Irish roads.
Good tyres
Atlas Autoservice has been servicing cars for 43 years and has 10 locations
Regular servicing
The regular checking and servicing of your car is important for several reasons. It will result in better fuel economy, help to reduce overall repair costs and lower the risk of breakdowns. The Atlas philosophy is to make getting your car serviced as simple and convenient as possible. They pride themselves on only using original equipment, manufacturer-standard quality parts, meaning your car is getting the
same treatment with Atlas as it would at the dealership where you bought it. Atlas’s online booking system means you can book your car for a service on your chosen date by simply visiting their website. All of their managers are experienced and knowledgeable in all areas of car servicing. If you book online, you will receive a 5% discount, meaning you can get a quality full car service from as little as €95.
Motorists should never underestimate the importance of good tyres – they are the only contact between you and the road. Keeping your tyres in top-notch condition means your car has the best chance of stopping should you suddenly need to. If you aren’t sure if your tyres are okay, call into your nearest Atlas Autoservice and a member of their team will be happy to take a look at your tyres for you. Tyres at Atlas are very competitively priced and they can offer you new value tyres from as little as €49. The Atlas Autoservice customer promise is to make things as simple and convenient for you as possible, and to provide their customers with the best service at the best price. To find out more, visit their website (www.atlasautoservice.ie) or drop in and speak to one of their helpful staff members.
Pulsar XE or a 1.5-litre diesel Pulsar XE for free. The vehicle exchanges must to happen within six months from the date of registration, so that seems like a fair trial period. Nissan wants all potential Leaf buyers to test drive the car for free for minimum of 24 hours and maximum of 72 hours must be taken before purchasing. The entry price for the electric Leaf XE is €21,490 after Government grants, etc and this is a competitive offering for a car that claims a range of 199km. The higher specification Leaf SV brings that range of 250km and costs €23,990. Both models also have a Nissan €4,000 scrappage deal offer for trade-ins.
Renault Belgard’s Winning Number! RENAULT Belgard, who
• 0% APR HP Finance
previously brought you a
€1,000 Deposit Contribu-
‘5,4,3,2,1’ offer, certainly
tion (through RCI)
love their numbers! For
• Two years’ road tax
the month of March,
• Three years’ servicing
they’re at it again – they
So if you feel this could
have pulled an amazing
be your lucky number,
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text ‘Belgard’ to 50123,
Belgard’ offer out of the
to let them know you’re
hat, for all purchasers of
interested.
a new Kadjar!
They’ll give you a shout
• A five-year warranty
back, to answer all your
plus Roadside Assis-
questions and arrange a
tance
test drive.
9 March 2017 GAZETTE 23
GAZETTE
24 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 9 March 2017
DUBLINLIFE
FEATURE FESTIVAL: DIVERSE PROGRAMME OF EVENTS AND ARTISTS BOUND FOR SMOCK ALLEY VENUE IN APRIL
Journey into the evolving sounds of a contemporary music universe EMMA NOLAN
Artists featuring at Music Current 2017 include (from top) soprano Elizabeth Hilliard, KLANK, composer Christopher Fox and Michael Quinn
A CONTEMPOR ARY music festival is taking to Smock Alley Theatre this April. Music Current 2017 is a showcase for the best in new Irish and international contemporary electronic music. This year’s festival runs for three days at The Boys School, Smock Alley Theatre, from April 27 to 29. Considered as the “Fringe” of Irish new music festivals, Music Current is now in its second year and gives a platform for the newest contemporary electronic music, hosting four concerts over three days. This year’s line-up features Irish soprano Elizabeth Hilliard, guest composer Christopher Fox, German ensemble KLANK, a major new immersive installation by Dublin Sound Lab composers, plus a special concert of new international works developed during the festival by participating composers – one of whom will receive this Year’s Imro/Music Current Commission award of €2,500. The festival opens with Vox Electronica (at 8pm on Thursday, April 27), a
programme of new works for soprano and electronics performed by Elizabeth Hilliard. Hilliard is a pioneer of Irish contemporary music and is renowned for her exceptional musicianship, effortless creativity and emotional intensity. In this concert, she will present the Irish premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s seminal masterpiece, Lonh – a beguiling work for solo soprano and electronics.
KLANK (8pm on Friday, April 28) Bremen-based quartet KLANK bring their mad, lucid logic to Dublin for the first time in a programme of works developed by the group. KLANK create their own sonic universe from a dizzying interaction of musical techniques and cultural approaches, where improvisation collides with the musical potential of everyday objects to create uniquely
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‘Considered as the “Fringe” of Irish new music festivals, Music Current is now in its second year and gives a platform for the newest contemporary electronic music, hosting four concerts over three days’ ---------------------------------------------------------
The concert also includes recent works by festival composer Christopher Fox: Sea to the West (for soprano and electronics), which was recently recorded by Hilliard for the Metier CD label, and Fox’s encyclopedic Catalogue Irraissonne (for solo soprano), a captivating meditation on language and the fragility of communication. In KLANK plays
inventive klang-aktionen (sound performances). The festival concludes with Perisonic (8pm on Saturday, April 29), a large-scale immersive, panoramic “painting” of Dublin, using eight loudspeakers and four large video screens. In this major collaboration, composers Scott McLaughlin, Grainne Mulvey, Jane Deasy, Fergal Dowling, creative pro-
ducer Sabina Bonnici and video artist Mihai Cucu extend Barker’s vision of a 360-degree experience by reimagining a cityscape reconstructed in pure sound. Immersed in surroundsound and accompanied by video, the audience is invited to explore four singular perspectives of Dublin. Music Current 2017 also features an opportunity for the public to engage with composers through a public panel discussion at the Contemporary Music Centre Library, No 19 Fishamble Street (at 6pm on Friday, April 28). Entitled, Are You Talking to Me?, the discussion considers the relationship between listeners, performers and composers from the audience’s perspective. The panel will include members of KLANK, composer Christopher Fox and other guests. Moderated by Evonne Ferguson, director of the Contemporary Music Centre, audience members and concert-goers are encouraged to participate. For further information, see musiccurrent.ie.
9 March 2017 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 25
GAZETTE
GAMING
Horizon Zero Dawn offers a vast world to explore, from dusty mesas to dense jungles, and from the mountain tops to mysterious underground ruins, it all looks pretty incredible. Screengrabs: Shane Dillon
HORIZON ZERO DAWN: A SUPERB ADDITION TO THE OPEN WORLD GENRE
Scales new heights of PS4 gaming greatness SHANE DILLON
Combat, scavenging and crafting resources form a big part of the game – preparation and purpose are key
BELIEVE it or not, but this is the third time this page has been put together – the first two versions were overcooked reviews, but a game like the PS4 exclusive Horizon Zero Dawn (Cert 16) perhaps can just let its visuals do the work, rather than words. And what visuals! At last, we have a game worthy of a similar level of
acclaim as Uncharted 4 – yes, it really is that good, and even better in some ways, in some places. The game’s main loading screen largely sums up the game’s core idea: “Earth, the far future. Nature has reclaimed the ruins of our forgotten civilisation, but humanity lives on in primitive tribes. “In this new wilderness, they fight for survival against the machines,
fearsome mechanical creatures of unknown origin.” That sums up the core idea at the heart of this game, as Aloy, a young huntress who was raised as an outcast from the Nora tribe, seeks to rejoin it and discover why she was cast out as a baby. It isn’t long before Aloy is sent on a world-trotting quest by Nora’s matriarch, with Aloy free to roam the
A game of something influence, perhaps SOME people have already commented that Aloy, Horizon Zero Dawn’s impressive protaganist, is in essence Ygritte, the popular and tough Wildling character from Game of Thrones – both are practical, resourceful women; hunter-gatherers trying to survive in a harsh world. And they’re both redheads, which helps! However, Aloy is an interesting character in her own right, presented with more emotion and subtlety than usual for the genre,
helping to both make her a likeable lead and marking a very welcome step away from the usual dull-as-dishwater gung-ho leads that typically front such triple-A releases. Despite the Ygritte/Aloy comparison on the surface, Aloy’s character is an impressively nuanced addition to the list of gaming heroines we’ve been treated to in recent years, thanks to the work by actor Ashly Burch, and a sympathetic script. Ashly’s great work here, with a decent script
for the most part, stands out, but Horizon’s characters are also better than usual. Without wanting to overthink matters, it’s commendable that the developer, Guerilla Games, created a multiethnic cast, further steering Horizon away from the bog-standard look and tone of most open world games. While this was Guerilla’s first attempt at an open world game, the final result – which has largely wowed critics and reviewers – means it surely won’t be the last.
truly vast, beautiful and dangerous open world, which is littered with rusting relics and tumbled overgrown ruins from long ago, before Man’s mysterious fall. Aloy’s trying to disover why the robots (which evoke several animals and dinosaurs) the humans and tribes hunt for resources are being corrupted, and are becoming deadlier by the day.
Is Aloy’s fate tied to the world’s, and where will her journey take her? There’s a lot more to the game than this simplistic summary, with Horizon taking an awful lot of element familiar from other big games, but mixing everything together to create a unique title. However, the end result is an early contender for game of the year, and is definitely a must-buy.
26 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 9 March 2017
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28 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 9 March 2017
SPORT
FastSport COLE AND CARR IN IRISH SQUAD: FORMER St Andrew’s College students Lee Cole and Jamie Carr have both been named in the Irish men’s senior hockey team for the World League Round 2 in Belfast this weekend, a key component in the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. For both players, it will be their first world ranking level tournament. Carr has been in outstanding form in goals for Three Rock Rovers, aiding the Rathfarnham club’s rise to second place in the EY Hockey League. Cole, meanwhile, has over 20 international caps to his name and is likely to be primarily a left-sided defender for the tournament. They join a panel with a number of other Dubliners including Templeogue’s Shane O’Donoghue and the vastly experienced Ronan Gormley. The tournament in Stormont starts on Saturday with a group game against Ukraine before they play Italy and Austria in their other games, setting up playoff games against either Wales, Scotland, France or Poland.
KARATE: ST BENILDUS STUDENT SHOWS HIS TALENT WITH BULGARIAN PERFORMANCE
Talented Renehan targets 2018 Youth Olympics place
JAMES HENDICOTT sport@dublingazette.com
A KARATE STAR in the making, 15-year-old Dundrum fighter James Renehan has just returned from the European Karate Federation championships – effectively a European championship for Shotokan Karate – in Sofia, Bulgaria. A member of seventh dan Sensei Brendan Perry’s Kaizen Dojo gym in Terenure, Renehan’s budding career has taken off over the last couple of years, after he travelled to Japan to fight as a 13-year-old, bringing home a silver medal. He now trains six days a week, exploring the fringes of MMA and a range of strength and conditioning options to perfect his karate-discipline fighting. While Ireland generally punching above their weight in karate, local fighters typically travel to international tournaments as underdogs. R e n e h a n s u f f e r e d t wo defeats in his fights in Bulgaria, yet rose to the ranking of 11th in the world in his -57kg category, putting himself in serious contention for the
James Renehan in training
junior Olympics in Argentina in 2018. A place in the tournament is now his key goal. “James fought a talented Russian in the first round, and lost, but the Russian – who comes from a huge squad, one of a few who have state backing and serious programs – went on to reach the final, which got James back in on the repechage,” Renehan’s
father James Renehan Snr told GazetteSport of the Sofia contest. “In the repechage, he narrowly lost to a Serbian who also went on to go far in the tournament. “It’s challenging to get to these tournaments, though, and this is a step in the right direction for him. He’ll probably need to rank fifth or sixth
to go to Argentina, and there are plenty of opportunities to do that in the coming months. The next big one is in Scotland in April.” Renehan is a third-year student at St Benildus College in Dundrum and has found both the school’s supportive attitude – which included his missing mocks recently to travel to Bulgaria and rep-
resent Ireland – and Sensei Perry’s role critical in his progress. “He likes the tradition and the discipline of the sport,” Renehan Snr explains. “He’s dabbled in MMA as a training exercise but seeing people over from Japan and connecting with the history of karate is a big part of it for him. “The discipline comes out in things like the weight limitations, too. “He had to watch his weight over Christmas and has to think about whether he’d like to bulk up to a higher weight or stay where he is. “It’s two hours of training almost every day, so there’s a lot involved.” “At the moment, it’s funded by the bank of dad, but sponsorship is something that would be very helpful. It’s not common in minority sports so it would be more a bonus than an expectation,” Renehan Senior explains. “Many of the juniors who go to Argentina in 2018 will be the same people who fight in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. That’s the ultimate dream.”
Bermingham leading netball’s rise to new Galaxy BERNARD DUFF sport@dublingazette.com
Kate Bermingahm in action for Ireland
CLONTARF native Kate Bermingham (25) doesn’t quite remember when she fell in love with netball but says it is a sport that is getting noticed more and more. Working professionally as a nutritionist in UCD, she says: “Most of my colleagues there know I play netball but many still don’t know what netball is”. Off court, at least, she is gentle and modest character who hasn’t kept count of her number of inter-
national appearances, having made her debut six years ago. She is a defender but not naturally she says: “I was an attacker at school when I started” but has since then discovered her true calling: “I play regularly in all of the three defensive positions in netball”. Last week, she was playing for Dublin Galaxy in Our Lady of Mercy College, Beaumont. Galaxy were playing in two of the three matches being played in Winter League Division 1 that evening. This is the top level in the Republic of Ireland and the
season which started in October and will be decided in early April after the play off season. It’s a sport she learnt at Rathdown School in Glenageary, starting age 12; a comparatively old age for an international netball player. Her near six-foot frame “does help and I have a great reach too” as evident in two smothering performances last week when Galaxy beat Leinster NC 43-18 and St Anne’s Phoenix 42-17 to remain top by an incredible 39 points, with five points for a win. After Rathdown, Bermingham
had five seasons representing UCD when she was capped, followed by a single season at the traditional leaders of the Irish game, St Anne’s Netball Club from Milltown. She switched soon after to Dublin Galaxy who are currently in their first season but already dominating the sport in Ireland. As the large stadia of the semipro British Netball Superleague are gaining familiarity to Irish sports fans via Sky Sports she is certain netball in Ireland is gaining a knock-on effect with a noticeable growth in interest and awareness.
9 March 2017 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 29
GAZETTE
FASTSport
Galty rise from ashes to continue rich history Brendan Dempsey says Drimnagh club has risen from “The Dump” to an exciting new future with access to an astroturf pitch with plans for a couple of schoolboy teams JAMES HENDICOTT sport@dublingazette.com
Sundrive’s Byrne enjoys Los Angeles challenge SUNDRIVE cycling club’s Eamonn Byrne was the pilot to stoker Martin Gordon in the Irish tandem team that finished sixth in the men’s Sprint at the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Los Angeles. In the qualifying rounds, the new pairing clocked a time of 11.116 over 200m, placing them up against the Malaysian duo of Rizan and Rasol in the quarter finals. In the match sprint, the Malaysian tandem proved too strong for the Irish and progressed into the semi-finals. In the fifth-sixth final, Ireland faced the Spanish bike of Avila Rondriguez and Font Bertoli but were outpowered in the closing laps to finish sixth overall in their debut race. In the 200m qualifiers the Irish bike placed sixth fastest and, in the next round rode tactically against the more experienced Malaysian team, coming close to the Rio Paralympians in their second sprint. Speaking after the competition Byrne said: “We did what we could against a much faster duo and raced as well as we could. We dropped down to a slightly smaller gear for the second heat for better acceleration and the last 200m ended up as a 10.9, so it was a quick race.” In the race for fifth/sixth place against the Spaniards, the Irish tandem took control of the race early on, with Spain eventually taking fifth just ahead of the Irish bike, Byrne described the race saying: “The Spaniards were riding a massive gear and wanted the front, we got them on the hip then and flicked them up a couple of times, but once they got the gear moving they did a three lap effort to the line. We sat on and drove on the final lap, and were coming through, but it wasn’t enough.” Cycling Ireland Performance Coach Neill Delahaye was impressed with how Gordon and Byrne have conducted themselves saying: “The lads have had a baptism of fire amongst bikes that have been around a while, with considerable experience. They have given a good account of themselves.”
FOR SEVERAL years, shortly after the turn of the century, long-standing Drimnagh soccer club Galty Celtic were no more. Come 2017, the longstanding efforts of Brendan Dempsey and a group of former Galty players has the team very much back on the map. Having been founded in 1951 by a group of working class men in the suburb, dedicating time around demanding jobs, Galty became fairly successful in what was then a far more city-wide Athletic Union League, winning a number of trophies in their first 15 years. Running three separate teams in the AUL at one stage, Galty were the club of Brendan Dempsey, a brother of Arsenal man Tony Dempsey,
Galty Celtic in Tolka Park
who also came through the club, throughout his entire playing career in the 1960s and 70s. They lost strength and numbers over the following years, as local competition grew. It was Dempsey who was eventually to revive the club af ter what seemed like a dying ember went through an extended period held together by the time, investment and management of Shamie Gannon. Gannon sadly passed away late last month. “I don’t know how Shamie did it for so long,” Dempsey recalled of the period. “He was sick, and it wasn’t ideal for him to be stood outside in the rain night after night, but he did it because he cared. “Youngsters were getting less interested in playing, though, and eventually the club just disbanded. I know that
was very hard for him, he’d been involved in the club for 40 years.” Dempsey had spent time around the turn of the century managing a number of other amateur clubs around the Drimnagh area. But, having been at Galty for so long, took the club’s shutdow n between 2002 and 2005, hard enough to abandon his other roles in order to bring Galty back. “Two years had passed after the shutdown when I decided to do something about it,” Dempsey - who took over management duties and remains in place today - explains. “I reached out to a few former players to form a committee and they were all into the idea. The AUL was full up at the time, and with much of it based in North Dublin now, we also through the travel across the city for most games might put
players off. “There was no space in the Leinster Senior League, either, so we talked to the junior division. They put us in at Sunday Major level. We absolutely cleaned up, winning something like seven leagues and a couple of cups since we reformed. Eventually we made our way to the
training every time now, and interest is growing in the area, people are starting to pay attention.” After a tough road, things are looking as good as they have in decades for Galty Celtic. Brickfield, a long-promised local all-weather pitch, finally opened last week. “It’ll change the way
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‘This club was built on the backs of men living in tworoom tenement houses’ - Galty’s Brendan Dempsey
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Leinster Senior League. “Managing clubs can be a thankless task, and a lot of these clubs, ourselves included, exist week to week, relying on local sponsorship to get by,” Dempsey explains. “But we’re still here, and things are getting better. I get 18 or 19 down at
we play football and how often we can play with the weather,” Dempsey said. “You can’t imagine how bad it used to be; people used to call it ‘The Dump’, and they meant it. It was just a layer of topsoil, and some of the stuff that came through when it rained was nasty.” There are improvements in the pipeline when it comes to adding further teams, too. “We’re looking to add two schoolboy teams this year,” Dempsey explains, “and a longer term aim is to win another league, and to make an impact on the cup competitions. “This club was built on the backs of men living in two-room tenement houses and working hard, physical jobs,” he concludes. “It’s great that it’s still here.”
GAZETTE
30 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 9 March 2017
SPORT
FASTSport
SOCCER: DAVE CONNELL’S SIDE SHOW UP WELL IN CZECH BATTLES
Lucan quartet save best for last in Masters finals LUCAN Harriers emulated their brilliant performances at the Leinster Masters Championships as they moved on to Athlone to take part in the National Masters Championships. It was a great day, resulting in excellent runs, personal bests and medals. First on the track was Edith Coakley who repeated her Leinster performance, bringing home the silver medal in the 60m hurdles. She finished fourth in the 60m flat and sixth in the 200m. Carol Kearney won silver in the 60m and 400m and bronze in the 200m. Clare Johnston ran two personal bests in her first national championships with great runs in the 60m and 200m. In the men’s event, Hugh Walsh reached the finals of both the 60m and the 200m. Eoin Fitzgerald and Derek Lynch had strong runs in their 1,500m races with the former finishing fifth with a personal best and the latter were seventh in their respective finals. Niamh Fitzgerald took home the gold medal in the W40 1,500m. The final race on the track belonged to the Lucan Ladies with the quartet of Niamh Fitzgerald, Edith Coakley, Carol Kearney and Clare Johnston, pictured above, bringing home the gold in style in the 4x200m relay.
Liffey Celtics win big in Waterford COUTYARD Liffey Celtics continued their recent winning streak in women’s basketball Super League with a big win on the road on Saturday evening as they overcame Maxol WIT Wildcats down in Waterford, 51-64. The win sees them all but home and hosed in second place in the league barring some late season shenanigans
as they face into their final game of the regular season on Sunday against bottom-placed Meteors at 2.45pm in Leixlip. Jazmen Boone top scored with 19 points with excellent support from Emma O’Connor with 15 points and 11 points from Aine O’Connor and Sorcha Tiernan. They are six points off leaders Ambassador Hotel Glanmire with and six points ahead of DCU Mercy who have two games left in their season.
Peamount United’s Niamh Farrelly and Naoisha McAloon continue to make waves in the irish squad
Six Peas in the Irish pod sport@dublingazette.com
NO LESS than six Peamount United players were involved as the Ireland Under-19s women’s team came away from Spain with one win and one loss from two friendly games with the Czech Republic. Niamh Farrelly, Naoisha McAloon, Chloe Moloney, Lucy McCartan, Heather Payne and Eleanor Ryan-Doyle all got game time, while the latter managed to get on the score sheet in one of the games. The two matches were part of a training camp in preparation for their
UEFA European Championship elite round, which takes place in April. Ireland narrowly lost the second of the two games on Friday after falling behind in the first half. Shelbourne Ladies midfielder Alex Kavanagh equalised in the 59th minute before Ireland took the lead through striker RyanDoyle 16 minutes later. However, the Czechs hit back with two goals to gain revenge for the 3-0 humbling they suffered two days prior. Dave Connell’s side took a first half lead in that game through defender Niamh Prior and had the game all wrapped up
SOCCER SISTERS West Dublin venues to host FAI Easter camp PEAMOUNT United and Esker Celtic have both been confirmed as venues to host Easter FAI Soccer Sister camps. The camps are open to girls between the ages of seven and 12 of all abilities and will run for two days during the school holidays. Each participant will receive a full Aviva Soccer Sister kit, including a limited edition Soccer Sister Jersey, a “Play Like a Soccer Sister” wristband” and a football. For more information, go to www.soccersisters.ie.
shortly into the second half. Substitute Tiegan Ruddy doubled her country’s lead after 53 minutes when she got on the end of Jamie Finn’s inviting cross to the front post and flicked the ball into the top corner. Just minutes later Ruddy was involved again but this time she turned provider. It was her free kick that Cork City’s Saoirse Noonan got on the end of to steer home. Speaking after that game, Connell was clearly delighted to secure such a commanding win over a very strong team. “We’re delighted with the win. Czech Republic
came through their qualifying round top of the group and are a very good side,” Connell said. “We performed very well. This group of girls is battle-hardened, and over the 90 minutes I thought we were well in control. To score three goals was particularly pleasing and we’ll look to build on this performance. “We are under no illusions though. The Czech Republic bring a different game to what we face in qualifying. They are very physical and technically sound.” Ireland topped their European qualif ying group after wins over FYR
Macedonia, Wales and Italy. They scored 14 goals in the process while only conceding three, so should enter the elite stage with confidence of being able to find the net against any opponent and keep things tight at the back. They will hold home advantage in April as they go up against Finland, Scotland and Ukraine. The six group winners from that stage will then join the runner-up with the best record against the teams first and third in their pool, and hosts Nor thern Ireland in the final tournament in August.
9 March 2017 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 31
GAZETTE
HEFFO’S ARMY
Little Museum of Dublin celebrates a legend
CLUB NOTICEBOARD ROUND TOWER, CLONDALKIN
DUBLIN legend Sean Doherty and Eoin “The Bomber” Liston were in attendance at the launch of New Ireland presents Heffo’s Army, an new exhibition in the Little Museum of Dublin. The former players discussed their memories of the Heffo era at the launch event with the likes of GAA Director General, Paraic Duffy and the Lord Mayor of Dublin Brendan Carr. Picture Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
OUR senior footballers registered a 1-9
val, live music will be performed by Jack
to 0-10 opening day win against Naomh
Whelan and Shane Boland. No cover
Mearnog in AFL2. Well done to the lads
charge and children are welcome. The
on a hard-fought winning start to the
music will start at 5pm.
league season.
tions are hosting a Feile fundraiser on
against Mearnog fell victim to the
Friday, March 24 in the club. It will be
weather and our junior C footballers
hosted from 8pm with a book being €20
were defeated by Stars of Erin.
and prizes being €20 for a line or €40 for a
Our junior C footballers lost their opening league fixture to Naomh Olaf
FOOTBALL: TOWER’S OFF TO STRONG START IN AFL2
Our ladies football and camogie sec-
Our junior A footballers fixture
and our minor hurlers were beaten by Bray Emmets.
full house. A raffle will also be hosted and all are welcome. A date for your diary: This year’s Round Tower Easter camp will be hosted
This coming Sunday, March 12, our
Monday, April 10 to Thursday, April 14
junior hurlers will host a poker night in
at Monastery Road. Keep an eye on our
the club. It will commence at 6pm with
website in days ahead for full details and
€30 freezeout (no rebuys) and 8,000
booking information.
being the starting stack. Late registra-
Bingo jackpot this week is €1,000 if
tion until 7.30pm. Support for this fund-
checked within 46 numbers, €20 for a full
raiser very welcome.
house. All in €2 to buy in, with the game
On Friday night, the club disco is on with fourth to sixth class pupils welcome
usually being €90 to €150. Raffle €2 or three for €5.
to enjoy the fun. It will run from 7.30pm to
The Round Tower Lotto (February
9pm, with admission being €5 and a full
27) – the jackpot was €10,000. Numbers
shop is available.
drawn: were 11, 15, 17 and 22; the bonus
All are welcome to the clubhouse on Friday week for the St Patrick’s Day celebrations. As well as featuring the All-Ireland club finals and the Cheltenham Festi-
ball was 28. No overall winner and no bonus ball winner. Three €100 winners: J Bishop, KRJ, and Peter Redmond. Thank you to all for your continued support of the lotto.
ST PAT’S, PALMERSTOWN Round Tower got the best of Naomh Mearnog for a second season running at Monastery Road
Galvin goal proves vital in opening win AFL DIVISION 2
Round Tower Naomh Mearnog sport@dublingazette.com
1-9 0-10
ROUND Tower’s got their AFL division 2 campaign off to a great start on Sunday as they beat Naomh Mearnog by 1-9 to 0-10 at Monastery Road. Tower’s opened the scoring after three minutes through a free from Thomas Galvin but the visitors levelled two minutes later. With 10 minutes on the clock, Mearnog doubled their advantage by scoring two points in the space of a minute.
New addition Darragh Kinnevey got himself on the score sheet for Tower’s with an excellent score but Mearnog responded almost instantly with a point of their own. They scored again a minute later and it took Tower’s 10 minutes to strike back through another free from Galvin. Kinnevey followed that up with his second point but Mearnog were making a habit of responding to a Tower’s score in quick fashion – doing so again with 24 minutes gone. Five minutes before half-time Gary Cleary made a great save in the
Tower’s goal to deny Mearnog a goal, before Galvin notched another free to leave the scores at 0-5 to 0-6 going into the break. Galvin scored a free two minutes after the restart but it looked like it was going to be another half of to and fro football when Mearnog responded four minutes later. The visitors had another great chance to get the first goal of the game after 42 minutes but, yet again, they failed to take it and the sides were level a minute later when Galvin scored – yes, you guessed it, another free.
Ian Ward then slotted over an easy chance to give Tower’s the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the game. The lead wasn’t to last long but when the Mearnog keeper then dropped a ball on his line, Galvin reacted quickest to punch the ball into the back of the net for the vital intervention. A Ward point sandwiched between two from Mearnog were the last scores of the game as Tower’s took advantage of ill-discipline from the opposition to secure a good win.
QUIET week for most teams with weath-
memberships are up to date. To facili-
er leaving pitches closed and unplayable.
tate members, Pauline Leonard will be
The U-14s are holding a fundraising
holding a registration night on March 16
table quiz this Friday in Palmerstown House at 9.30pm. Teams of four are €40. Your support is welcomed.
at 8pm in the clubhouse. Our lotto numbers for this week were 4, 13, 16 and 27.
Gaelic4girls starts March 30 from
Thanks to our ticket sellers and buy-
7-8pm at St Patricks GAA club Palmers-
ers alike. Your support is greatly appre-
town. All girls aged 8-12 welcome.
ciated.
The cost is only €10 for eight weeks.
Tickets are available from Palmers-
Fun, friends and football for girls, come
town House, Moriarty’s SuperValu and
down and give it a try. Contact pro-
Manor Hair Studios.
gramme co-ordinator Gillian on 087 2269059. All members are asked to ensure their
LUCAN SARSFIELDS
The lotto draw is held every Sunday at 10pm in Palmerstown House. Next week’s March 12 jackpot is at €4,000.
“THE Pitch Across The Road” is what it
end for games with hurling Leinster
used to be known as, before Lucan Sars-
League called off. Inter football was an
fields relinquished control when occu-
exception, losing out to St Jude’s by two
pying AGP1, 2 and 3 in the early 1990s.
points.
Currently occupied by Esker Celtic,
Some juvenile fixtures did go ahead
the pitch behind the hockey pitch is to
with all-weather wins for the U-12 and
become AGP0. In turn, Esker Celtic are
U-13 footballers.
to occupy Willsbrook Park. South Dublin
The senior hurlers host Castleknock
Co Council have facilitated the change
at 10.30am on Sunday next in their
which allows us to consolidate pitches
league opener.
in an area where additional parking,
April 1 is the date for a club dinner
changing and toilet facilities are planned
dance. Tickets are limited and are avail-
(near AGP1). More detail on this later.
able at the club.
Congratulations to Ciaran Dowling on
St Patrick’s Week is fast approaching
winning a freshers’ All-Ireland with DCU.
and this includes Seachtain Na Gaeilge.
Another weather interrupted week-
Beginning March 12.
GAZETTESPORT
ALL OF YOUR CLONDALKIN SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 28-31
TOWERING SUCCESS: Clondalkin club show their teeth in impressive opening AFL2 league victory P31
MARCH 9-15, 2017
DEMPSEY’S GALTY DEN: Drimnagh club legend looks back on a life at Brickfield P29
Fiona Coghlan was speaking at the Support Her Sport conference on Tuesday
Coghlan’s call for Support Grand slam winning captain believes fundamental changes at a young age can make a huge difference to the way girls get involved in sports
KARL GRAHAM
sport@dublingazette.com
IRELAND’S Grand Slam winning captain Fiona Coghlan believes more work needs to be done with girls at a young age to encourage them to stay involved with sport. Coghlan, a PE teacher at Lucan Community College, led Ireland to a Six Nations Grand Slam victory in 2013 but retired from rugby after defeat to England in the semifinal of the 2014 rugby World Cup. The 36-year-old was speaking at the third annual Support Her Sport conference at Croke Park in recognition of International
Women’s Day last Tuesday where it was revealed that 74% of 17 to 24-year-olds have little or no interest in sport. And Coghlan believes that parents need to do more to encourage their daughters into sport. “I am a secondary school teacher but you look at primary schools and see kids coming out of them lacking fundamental movement skills, and their confidence is low,” she said. “They don’t have faith in their ability and what they are good at so it is difficult, when they are 12 or 13, trying to convince them that they actually do have potential in some sort of activity.
“I know myself, we try to offer as broad a program as possible but then you are limited with facilities like swimming and cycling in schools so there are gaps there, but that is where parents come in.
Change in mindset “At parent teacher meetings, they say ‘oh she’s just not that into sport’. Well, what have you tried and what have you brought them out to? I just think parents are quick enough to get their boys involved with sport at a young age but not so quick with their girls.” Another point of contention has been the lack of female coaches in rugby but Coghlan
has, in the past, spoken out against the idea of introducing quotas as a way of solving the issue. “I’ve had coaches who have never played elite rugby but they were very good coaches. I think it is women second guessing themselves sometimes, where they won’t put themselves forward for the roles. “There are more women involved at mini level than ever before but it is too slow to wait for them to come through, there has to be some sort of pathway put in place. “As elite athletes, you just want the best coach whether it is male or female,” Coghlan concluded.