Clondalkin

Gazette CLONDALKIN

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July 13 - 19, 2017

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THE ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION OF

THE JOSHUA TREE Worth €140 See Pg 3 to enter

SPORT Jim Gavin wary of Kildare 32

Disgust as a homophobic letter sent to Cllr’s home  SYLVIA POWNALL

Keep reading, keep recycling – thank you The letter delivered to Cllr Timmons

A CLONDALKIN councillor has told of his shock and disgust after a homophobic letter was sent to his home address.

Cllr Francis Timmons (Ind) retrieved his post on

Tuesday morning only to find an envelope with a hand-written profane reference to himself and his partner.

Inside was a picture of Pope Benedict, a typed letter about World Family Day, and a leaflet about the

Pope’s visit next year.

The envelope read “Darren and Francis, The S***Pushers Den” along with the rest of the couple’s Dublin 22 address below. The letter was stamped, posted and delivered by An Post.

Cllr Timmons told The

Gazette: “It was a horrible thing to get, absolutely vile.

I brought it to Clondalkin Garda Station and they are investigating.

“It’s sad to see this kind of thing still going on in modern-day Ireland.”

Continued on Page 4

2 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 13 July 2017

TALLAGHT | LOCALS INVITED TO PUT THEIR IDEAS FORWARD

Public urged to have say on future of town centre  SYLVIA POWNALL TALLAGHT residents are being encouraged to have their say on a blueprint for development shaping the future of the town centre.

T he Tallaght Tow n Centre Local Area Plan (LAP) will govern key planning decisions for the village, The Square Shopping Centre, Sean Walsh Memorial Park, Cookstown industrial area, South City business park, IT Tallaght, Belgard Road and Airton Road.

The LAP will consider transport and access, the quality of the public spaces in the town centre, the design of future buildings and what type of development should be encour-

With many changes across the area since the last Local Area Plan was developed, locals are urged to

People all across the area are urged to contribute their thoughts to help guide planning across the area.

The draft plan will then be drawn up and accompanied by an environmental report.

More information on how to contribute to the pre-draft consultation is available at Tallaght Librar y, Castletymon Library or County Hall, Tallaght.

give their input into helping to guide the next one

aged.

South Dublin County Council is undertaking four pre-draft consultation sessions – with the final two being held next Monday, July 17, (1-4pm)

and Tuesday, July 18 (4-7.30pm) at the county library.

Locals have until 4pm on August 11 to make submissions and put their ideas forward.

Queries Staff from South Dublin County Council will be on hand to answer general queries and address concerns every Wednesday afternoon between 2-4pm at County Hall.

T he last LAP was adopted in 2006 and extended in 2011.

The new plan will take into account the changing economic and social landscape shaping the south Dublin town.

For further details, an information leaflet is available on the council’s website at http://consult. sdublincoco.ie.

Submissions can also be filled in online at http://consult.sdublincoco.ie, or by post to the senior executive officer, Forward Planning Section, Land Use Planning and Transportation Department, South Dublin County Council, County Hall, Tallaght, Dublin 24.

FASTNews

Gardai catch 20 drivers for ‘crossing the hatch’ GARDAI last week handed out penalty points to 20 motorists on the same stretch of road on the Tallaght slip road for ‘crossing the hatch’.

Officers from the road traffic division stopped all 20 drivers at the exact same spot – for breaking the same rule of the road.

The motorists collected one penalty point each for committing the obscure offence, with gardai taking to Twitter to show the queue of cars breaking the rules of the road.

In their tweet, they warned: “Cross the Hatch and we’ll Catch! 20 vehicles stopped crossing hatch markings at Tallaght slip rd N/bound FCPS issued + 1 [penalty] pt.”

Date set for Handcraft and Horticultural show THIS year’s Clondalkin Handcraft and Horticultural show will take place on Sunday, October 2 in Aras Chronain with a varied mix of categories.

The cost is just €1 per entry for the show and people are encouraged to get involved (see the Facebook page for more details).

Cllr Francis Timmons (Ind) said: “Clondalkin Handcraft and Horticultural show is a great chance to showcase the best of Clondalkin and display and promote the abilities and talents of the people of Dublin mid-west.

“It a super day out for all the family. There is something for everyone and I would encourage people to enter.”

A fantastic night in aid of Clondalkin Animal Aid

Fun festival fever hits the streets

THESE local children bumped into one of the amazing street performers who thrilled the crowds at last week’s Clondalkin Village Festival.

The event was a huge success, and the streets were packed with locals who turned out to see an amazing range of entertainment on show.

See Full Gallery on Pages 6-7. Picture: Joao Perussi

A NIGHT of poetry and music in aid of Clondalkin Animal Aid takes place at the Steering Wheel pub on July 21.

Clondalkin Unplugged starts at 8pm with a €5 donation per person and aims to showcase new talent while helping a worthy cause.

There will be featured acts as well as an open mic session. Anyone interested in taking part – for example to showcase their poetry, prose, music or comedy skills – is asked to get in touch.

For further details, see the Kasey’s Scribbles Facebook page.

Dublin Gazette Newspapers, Second Floor, Heritage House, Dundrum Office Park, Dublin 14 Tel: 01 - 6010240. Email: sales@dublingazette.com news@dublingazette.com web: www.dublingazette.com twitter: @DublinGazette Visit us on Facebook at DublinGazetteNewspapers

13 July 2017 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 3

DON’T let this fun day SLIP by Water way to go! One of last year’s thrilled Last year’s

riders sets

super-long

off, hurtling

slide – and

off along

this year

the slide ...

it’ll be even

DUBLINERS have been going crazy over the past two weeks trying frantically to get their hands on 98FM’s Big Slide Festival wristbands – a must-have accessory this summer.

Excitement is growing as the largest water slide the capital has ever seen is coming to the Christchurch area this weekend.

The whopping 260ft slippery dip – which will run down the entire length of Winetavern Street – will be even longer than Liberty Hall (194 ft) or Google’s highrise HQ at Grand Canal Dock (220 ft) are high!

In partnership with Dublin City Council, our friends at 98FM are recreating the Big Slide Festival for a second year running, so get your swimming gear ready for what promises to be a slippery ride, packed full of music, entertainment, food – and, of course, fun for all the family.

The event is free, but only a limited number of wristbands allowing access into the festival have been released each day over the past two weeks, with some of the 4,200 wristbands still

WIN U2 longer, and even more fun to try!

available right up to the day of the Big Slide.

The free Big Slide Festival is definitely for anyone who wants to experience Dublin like they never have before.

We had a terrific reader response on our Facebook page when we gave away some of the elusive, exclusive wristbands (well done to the lucky winners, and sorry folks to everyone else), but 98FM still have some to give away.

98FM presenter Dara Quilty said: “After the success of last year’s Big Slide, I’m absolutely delighted to announce we’re bringing it back.

“Last year was the first time Dublin had a 260ft water slide going through it, and I guess this year is the second! We’ve made some adjustments and the slide is going to be way faster, way wetter and way more fun this year.

Bring it on!”

To get your hands on a wristband, tune in to our official media partners 98FM for instructions on how to register. You can’t let a chance like this slide by!

THE ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION OF

THE JOSHUA TREE

THIS U2 JOSHUA TREE SEVEN LP SUPER DELUXE BOX SET CONTAINS: 7 pieces of original, live and unreleased recordings on 12” 180gsm vinyl.

3.5hrs of audio content / 49 tracks (25x unreleased tracks: 17x live, 7 x new mixes, 1 x archive track) • The Joshua Tree double album (gatefold) with a download code for digital version • The Joshua Tree Live at Madison Square Garden double album 1987 (gatefold) • The Joshua Tree Remixes • The Joshua Tree Outtakes • The Joshua Tree B-Sides • The Joshua Tree – Photographs by The Edge.

An 84-page hardback book of personal never-before seen photography by The Edge, taken during the original Mojave Desert Joshua Tree shoot, 1986 • A folio of 8 rare 12” Anton Corbijn colour prints

TO MARK 30 years since the release of U2’s fifth studio album The Joshua Tree, an anniversary edition of the seminal record was released by Island Records last month.

Alongside the 11-track album, the super deluxe collector’s edition includes a live recording of The Joshua Tree Tour 1987 Madison Square Garden

concert; rarities and B-sides from the album’s original recording sessions.

It also includes 2017 remixes from Daniel Lanois, St Francis Hotel, Jacknife Lee, Steve Lillywhite and Flood; plus an 84-page hardback book of unseen personal photography shot by The Edge during the original Mojave Desert photo session in 1986.

 TO WIN this magnificent prize, just answer the following question:

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Email your answer along with your contact details to competitions@dublingazette.com, or see our #GazetteGiveaway post on our Facebook page. Best of luck!

4 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 13 July 2017

MURDER | COUNCILLOR IN FRESH APPEAL FOR WITNESSES TO COME FORWARD

Dean was not ‘in wrong place’ – he was in his own neighbourhood  SYLVIA POWNALL

Dean Johnson (21) was shot by two gunmen while walking home from a night out

A CLONDALKIN councillor who was first on the scene on the night of Dean Johnson’s murder has issued a fresh appeal for witnesses to come forward.

Next month will mark the fourth anniversary of the 21-year-old’s brutal killing in a case of mistaken identity in August 2013.

Dean was shot by two gunmen while walking home from a night out just yards from his home in Harelawn, Clondalkin.

Several people have since been arrested but no-one has been charged with his murder.

Cllr Mark Ward (SF), who discovered Dean’s body, issued a fresh appeal for information as a memorial plaque to him was unveiled at Harelawn Green where he was shot.

He said: “The night Dean died still haunts me. I was in bed reading when I heard rapid gunfire.

“I looked out the bedroom window and I saw a body lying face down on the road outside.

“Immediately I called an ambulance and attended the scene along with neighbours.

“The sight was horrific – a young man face down, unmoving and covered in blood.

“I and other neighbours did our

best to help Dean while we waited on emergency services.

“I didn’t know Dean personally; however, I know his family well.

“Dean Johnson was not ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’ – Dean was in his own neighbourhood.

The gunman who callously murdered Dean was in the wrong place.”

A black Vauxhall Vectra car, which was later discovered on fire on nearby Collinstown Crescent, is believed to have been used in the incident and three men were seen running from the vehicle.

Travesty Last week a memorial was placed in Harelawn Green, where Dean was shot. Cllr Ward said that while the “travesty has never been righted”, he was grateful for the memorial.

He said: “A tree has been planted and a memorial stone laid. I want to thank the council for all the support and effort that went in to having this memorial stone placed so Dean’s family have somewhere to remember him by in his neighbourhood.”

Gardai say that the investigation into the shooting is ongoing and is a live investigation.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Clondalkin Garda Station at 01 666 7600.

The memorial placed in Harelawn Green where Dean was murdered

FROM PAGE 1

Timmons slams cowardly personal attack The Independent councillor revealed that he’d spent the previous day working on an LGBT strategy for South Dublin County Council.

He said: “Me and my partner are together 18 years and we’ve lived at this address for 10 years and never had anything like this.

“I’ve been ‘out’ for a long time, longer than 18 years anyway.

“My neighbours are very good and there’s never been any hint of anything negative.

Vile incident “It’s just vile. There’s no detail about who sent it – they weren’t brave enough to do that, obviously.

“T he front is ver y poorly written – either using their left hand or bad writing skills.”

Gardai are now trying to trace the origin of the letter and if they find the culprit the incident could be treated as a hate crime.

Offensive material Cllr Timmons, who posted a picture of the offensive material on Facebook, has since been inundated with messages of support.

He said: “Hopefully it’s a one-off – probably somebody very sad and lonely with nothing else going on in their life.

“I’m in politics, I can grow a hard skin, but my partner is not involved in public life and he doesn’t expect that kind of stuff.

“He took it very bad, he was very upset.

“We’ve come such a long way in Ireland, but this just shows that we’ve a bit of work yet to do.

“I respect other people’s lives and all I ask is that they do the same.”

13 July 2017 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 5

6 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 13 July 2017

Out and About

Festival fun in the heart of Clondalkin T

HE annual Clondalkin Festival hit the village last week with a great line-up of family fun events taking place. The streets were filled with street acts, such as stilt-walkers and character performers. There was also free face-painting and balloon modelling. On the main stage, there was a great line-up of music acts and stage and dance school performances. Fantastic giveaways and spot prizes were an extra bonus at what was a fantastic community event. Pictures: Joao Perussi

13 July 2017 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 7

Out and About

8 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 13 July 2017 R1

FASTNews

92-bed nursing home approved

PERMISSION has been granted for a 92-bed nursing home on Monastery Road in Clondalkin despite 21 third-party submissions objecting to the development.

Council planners gave the go-ahead to GN Lexington Property Ltd to demolish a boarded-up house at the site beside the library. The plans also include the development of 87 bedrooms and 92 bed spaces in a three-storey building.

Submissions outlined a number of concerns including its scale, height and density and the capacity of foul sewer and service drains.

A number of conditions are attached to the planning permission, including the omission of the first-floor element and a safety statement detailing how the protected structure of Clondalkin Library will be safeguarded during the works.

Mill Shopping Centre up for sale THE Mill Shopping Centre in Clondalkin is up for sale as part of a portfolio which includes two other Dublin retail complexes.

The total guide price for the three centres, which includes Bloomfield in Dun Laoghaire and the Kilbarrack SC, is €43 million. Also included in the portfolio is a building on Lock Road in Clondalkin, which is currently being let by the Department of Social Protection.

Reports suggest The Mill in Clondalkin sees the highest rent of the three, with the centre anchored

by Dunnes Stores since it first opened in 1994.

CAMPAIGN | FEARS NEW SYSTEM MAY LEAD TO MORE DUMPING

Clondalkin marches planned to protest bin charge increases

 SYLVIA POWNALL

A SERIES of marches will take place in Clondalkin to protest against the expected hike in bin charges to be introduced in September.

The new pay-by-weight system will ban flat-rate payments and calls on waste collectors to offer a range of incentivised pricing plans.

People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny is organising the campaign in the belief that people-power will once again prevail, as it did with the water charges.

He said: “The new payby-weight system will basically give the waste management companies carte blanche to increase prices. For most people it will substantially hike up

their bills.”

The Society of St Vincent de Paul warned the new regime, due in September, would impose undue hardship on families already struggling with back to school costs.

Deputy Kenny warned the move would not encourage recycling but instead would lead to more dumping ,causing problems for South Dublin County Council, which collected 393 tonnes of illegal waste in May alone.

He added: “There are also many, such as families with small children and those with certain medical conditions, who have additional waste and they will be disproportionately affected by pay-by-weight.

“The defeat of water charges has shown that

when ordinary people get organised we can affect change.

“We will be organising street meetings all around Clondalkin in the next few weeks to give people the opportunity to resist these

unjust price hikes.”

Sinn Fein’s Mary Lou McDonald has claimed the new bin charges legislation, put forward by Fine Gael and supported

by Fianna Fail, will allow a “free-for-all” for private

companies.

Under the deal, a new pricing “watchdog” will be introduced for the industry, but it is feared that it will take two years to establish a regulator with statutory powers.

New apps to improve lives of the visually impaired

TWO new vision assistance apps have been launched to help to better assist those living with visual impairment. ViaOpta Navigator app enables blind or vision-impaired people to move independently by providing essential information to support orientation when walking. Similarly, ViaOpta Daily uses vocal guidance and audible tutorials to help with everyday activities.

Pictured at the launc were Sandra Foy and Doreen Curran of Novartis with Chris White, CEO, NCBI. Picture: Andres Poveda

13 July 2017 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 9

PEOPLE: FIANNA FAIL POLITICIAN TREVOR GILLIGAN HAS RELEASED A DANCE-POP ALBUM

No Need to worry - Trevor’s got some catchy summer anthems  SYLVIA POWNALL CLONDALKIN Cllr Trevor Gilligan (FF) has released an EP – and the video for one of the tracks has already racked up more than 2,000 views.

The Fianna Fail public representative recorded the self-penned songs from home with the help of US vocalists and engineers.

An optimistic Trevor has entitled the summer EP My First Album and his debut single No Need has its own music video, which was shot in the UK. Trevor told The Gazette: “Initially the video only had six views – now it has over 2,000. It’s not record-breaking stuff but it’s a huge jump and that’s down to a lot of support and friends, family, constituents really getting behind it.

“Initially I didn’t know how anyone would react; everyone likes their own material, but when other people like it, it means so much more.

“To get some airplay during the week was something else. It was strange turning on the radio and hearing your song being played!”

No Need was played on Today FM and DJs have described it as a “banging tune” and a “catchy summer anthem”.

Trevor said: “A lot of the music out there today is just getting dumbed-down more and more. It’s easier to repeat a sentence five times than to actually come up with a thoughtful, meaningful song.

“I think these songs are well produced and composed, and a little different to what’s currently out there.

“I’ve been playing and making music since my early teens so I should have done this a lot sooner.

“I suppose the fear of failure held me back, which is strange considering I ran for election three times since I was 20.”

Trevor isn’t the first politician to venture down the music route.

Recently elected SDCC Mayor Cllr Paul Gogarty (Ind) once had his own YouTube channel and entered a song to represent Ireland in Eurovision.

All three of Trevor’s original songs – No Need, Summer Sun and Addicted 2U – are available on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon and Google Play.

You can watch the video for No Need at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=x6mUHnUPhz8 or download the EP for free at https://4u.ie/ music/563-trevor-gilligan-my-1stalbum.html.

Council to rule after summer on future of contentious laneway  SYLVIA POWNALL

THE council is due to decide in September whether to close off a contentious Tallaght laneway for good or leave the right of way open.

The walkway connecting Raheen and Whitebrook has been a cause of concern for two decades and is linked to criminal activity and serious bouts of anti-social behaviour.

Raheen residents have petitioned South Dublin County Council requesting that the right of way be extinguished, while Whitebrook residents want it to remain.

Fianna Fail Cllr Charlie O’Connor, who lives in

neighbouring Springfield estate, said whether it is left open or shut, the one thing both sets of residents agree on is the fact that it needs to be made safer.

He said: “It’s a getaway lane with all sorts of criminal activities – attempted rapes, robberies with knives, or house and car break-ins. The list is endless. It’s a headache for gardai.”

The issue was raised at a meeting held at council offices in May where deputations from both Raheen and Whitebrook put forward their arguments and aired their concerns.

Several options were put forward, including

the possibility of CCTV cameras linked to Tallaght Garda Station and additional public lighting.

A Whitebrook resident recently apprehended a thug who tried to rob a post office in Springfield and fled through the lane to make his escape.

The council has now decided to advertise its intention to start the process of extinguishing the right of way, inviting submissions or objections from the public.

Cllr O’Connor said the report received on submissions will be brought to the Tallaght area meeting for decision and or recommendation to the full council in September.

Screen shot from video for No Need

Trevor on the guitar

Goatstown man Gregor McGuckin and the Biscay 36 – the two-mast 11m ketch he hopes to sail around the world in a race next year using only traditional navigational tools

10 GAZETTE 13 July 2017

Out and About

Family fun for all L

AYA Healthcare’s City Spectacular returned to Dublin’s Merrion Square last week, showcasing some of the very best in international street performance, interactive family activations and workshops, delicious artisan producers and international street food, making it one of the upbeat highlights of the summer so far. Families from all across the country flocked to Dublin to enjoy this free event which even had Dustin the Turkey in attendance.

Lessons in C ‘Lagom’ for Ballymun children

HILDREN from St Joseph’s Junior National School in Ballymun got a great lesson in how to live more sustainably at IKEA’s Live Lagom (‘the right amount is best’) project. IKEA is encouraging customers and those who work for the company to use just the right amount of energy, food, water, etc, creating a more sustainable way of living. To bring this concept to life for the children of St Joseph’s, IKEA supplied the class with a hydroponics set to grow lettuce leaves. They also supplied recycle bins, a basin for the sink and a timer for their water tap. Pictures: Alison O’Hanlon

13 July 2017 GAZETTE 11

GAZETTE

12 GAZETTE 13 July 2017

DUBLINBUSINESS

SURVEY | WORRIED ABOUT IMPACT OF AGE, TWO-THIRDS ARE UPSKILLING

Older workers fight back to stay relevant ALMOST half of Irish workers worry that age might affect their chances of finding a new job.

Research from IrishJobs.ie reveals that older workers who are planning on changing roles worry their age might stop them from getting a new job.

However, those who are planning to change roles in the next two years report that they are upskilling (65%) to stay employable.

The research carried out by IrishJobs.ie amongst 1,038 jobseekers across multiple industries shows that 31% of older workers believe they lost out on a job opportunity due to their age at least on one or more occasion.

A quarter believe they were passed over for promotion due to

The IrishJobs.ie survey reveals some positive steps many older workers are taking as they consider looking for new jobs

their age; as a result, 62% of older workers were apprehensive about looking for a new job, with 45% planning to stay in their existing sector.

The research showed that older employees are going a lot further than their younger counterparts to stay competitive for new roles.

To overcome the perception of being older, 40% are going to the gym more with 64% switching to a healthier diet and another 43% taking more vitamins.

When it came to more extreme measures, some 38% considered dying their hair, with 29% thinking about having their teeth whit-

ened, 44% planning to give up smoking, and another 26% considering giving up alcohol. Some 8% of those surveyed considered anti-aging injections.

Orla Moran, general manager, IrishJobs.ie said: “While it’s illegal to discriminate against employees because of their age, it’s obvious that older jobseekers are concerned about how their date of birth will impact on their search for a new job.

“It’s terrific to see that many older workers are doing the right thing and keeping their skills up to date. In fact, it’s something we’d advise workers of all ages to do – continuing to upskill and staying relevant within their chosen industry is essential for continual employment.”

‘Don’t EU listen to the leavers’ THE notion of Ireland leaving the EU would be “simply idiotic”, says Fine Gael Senator and Government spokesman on EU Affairs, Neale Richmond.

Senator Richmond was speaking at a meeting of the Oireachtas EU Affairs Committee which was attended by the new Minister for European Affairs, H e l e n McEntee.

He said: “In the wake of Brexit, the EU is understandably looking at its own future. The launch of the European Commission White Paper on the future of the EU is therefore welcome and allows all citizens and stakeholders to feed into what that that future should look like.

“It is my strongly held belief that Ireland’s future should not just be as part of the EU but at the heart of the EU. “The notion peddled by some ill-informed sources that Ireland should follow the example of the UK and leave the EU is, to be blunt about it, simply idiotic.

“The decision of the people of the UK to leave the EU is a bad decision based on emotion, influenced by a campaign of mistruth.

“Since joining the EEC in 1973, Ireland has flourished. Our active membership and commitment to the European project has allowed us to fully mature as an independent and sovereign state.

“We have grown socially, economically and culturally through our commitment to Europe. It has allowed us, a small peripheral nation, to take a seat at the top table of global

affairs.

“I am urging the Government and Minister McEntee to double-down on Ireland’s commitment to Europe, to embrace the 88% of Irish people who

are in favour of continued membership, and rebut directly the small minority living in a fantasy land who think Ireland would be better off outside of the EU.”

CarePlus Pharmacy appoints its new commercial director CAREPLUS Pharmacy has announced the appointment of its new commercial director .

Niamh Lynch takes over the key role, bringing a wealth of commercial knowledge and experience to the position.

With more than ten years of senior leadership experience, and more than 15 years buying and selling across many consumer categories, including health

and beauty, Niamh’s comprehensive skillsets and insight will play a key part in supporting her role.

N i a m h ’s p r e v i o u s

roles include positions as global business unit director of Tesco PLC, and national acocunt manager with Unilever.

She holds a Bachelor of Science and Food Business from university College Cork.

CarePlus is a network of franchised pharmacies, owned and managed by community pharmacists with the aim of providing a superior pharmacy experience.

Initiating dialogue with a manager could help you both

Maybe it’s time to start managing your manager?

TURNOVER of staff happens most frequently because of relations with a manager. People tend to move companies because of low job satisfaction more often than because of money.

This can happen for a number of reasons, including not getting enough support, unrealistic demands, or no participation in decisionmaking.

However, all is not lost – there is a way to create a better workplace for you and your manager or supervisor.

Poor communication is often the common issue in the above causes of low job satisfaction.

Of course, some managers could be better communicators, but instead of waiting for them to improve it’s possible for you to take action and ‘encourage’ your manager to exchange information more freely.

Start by opening a dialogue. If you don’t feel comfortable bringing something up face to face, send a short email outlining what you’d like to discuss and then suggest a time to meet.

If the above tips don’t help, perhaps you need to find a new job with a new manager. For further information, contact RecruitmentPlus at 01 2788 610, or also see www.recruitmentplus.ie.

The email you sent will act as an agenda when you do meet up, and will keep your conversation on course.

Another thing to suggest to your manager is implementing an evaluation and review process.

This process can take place as often as needed, but usually annually or bi-annually.

T his provides the opportunity to meet and discuss performance.

These meetings offer a perfect opportunity to engage with your manager and to change the communication levels between you.

Some people may say that it is not their responsibility to upskill their manager. However, anything that enriches your workplace and makes everyone more productive is something that will benefit your job satisfaction in the long run.

You may be able to change the work environment so you don’t become one of the people who leave because of your manager. Make communication easier for your manager, and things will be easier for you.

13 July 2017 GAZETTE 13

TRAVEL P20

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

CINEMA P24

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GAZETTE

DIARY P14

SHE’S A BEAUTIFUL BEAGLE, REVIEW: ONCE AT THE OLYMPIA IS A WONDERFULLY PRODUCED PACKAGE AND CHUNLI HAS A LOT OF LOVE FOR A CARING OWNER OUR Dog of the Week looking for their #SpecialSomeone* is Chunli, a very sweet, two-yearold Beagle.

She can be quite shy at first when she meets new people; however, once you give her time to get to know you, Chunli comes out of her little shell and shows her true, adorable nature.

Chunli is looking for a quiet, adult-only home without too many visitors. As she feels at her best around other dogs, Chunli is looking for a home with another friendly and social canine which is going to boost her confidence. She is looking for owners that will not expect too much of her initially, but will allow her to grow in her own time. Given proper care, love and time, Chunli will become a wonderful companion and a friend for life!

If you can be Chunli’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/dogstrustirelandonline, or on Twitter @DogsTrust_IE.

Show stopper  JAMES HENDICOTT H AV I N G p u t a f o c u s o n obtaining a really musically talented cast, brought the simpler elements of the story to the fore and utilised a clever set extremely well, the latest incarnation of Once –showing at the Olympia Theatre until late August – is astoundingly well done.

Adapting Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova’s music and taking much that is good from the 2007 movie, the musical is set entirely in a surround with the feel of an old-school Irish pub, the fluid cast almost constantly on stage in their entirety as they

perform the backing track to a gentle tale.

Niamh Perry, playing ‘Girl’, is the undoubted star.

Credit has to be given for her convincing and unwavering switch into a Czech accent, but what really stands out are her vocals, and the restrained tension she creates around the lead man, Brian Gilligan.

While the pre-interval part of the show is relatively lighthearted, full of local colour and witty patter, things take an intense turn after the interval, with the emotional love story at the heart of the tale coming to the fore to glorious effect.

Continued on Page 17

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DUBLINLIFE

DIARY

Digging in at Zoorassic World at Dublin Zoo are teacher Kelly Mara with Senan Shah, Maisie Conroy, Beth Healy, Alfie Conroy and Rian Shah

FAMILIES: DIG INTO THE PAST WITH DUBLIN ZOO’S T-REX-IFFIC NEW INSTALLATION

Pictures: Patrick Bolger

Boning up on dinosaurs DUBLIN Zoo’s latest attraction, Zoorassic World, is sure to get a roar or two of approval from visitors to the brand-new home for reptiles of the past and present.

With lots of fun dinoand reptile-related features at the latest attraction at the zoo, the lord of them all has to be Stan – a towering life-size replica fossil skeleton of a male adult Tyrannosaurus Rex that lived 65 million years ago.

Stan’s name isn’t very exciting (sorry, Stans everywhere), but the big, bony beast is very impressive in the flesh, standing 3.7m high and 12.2m long.

He’s not alone – other replica dinosaur skeletons at Zoorassic World include a Velociraptor, Oviraptor, Anhanguera,

and an Archaeopteryx, plus life-sized replicas of a Galapagos tortoise and a Komodo dragon, while Zoorassic World is also now home to the zoo’s many living reptiles.

For further information, see www.facebook. com/dublinzoo and www. dublinzoo.ie.

JOIN THE CROWD TO CONTROL THE MUSIC HEADING to some concerts this summer? Make sure to check out Live Your Music, a new concept from Heineken.

Debuted at Sea Sessions festival in Donegal last month, the concept hands over control to the crowd, empowering them to programme the lighting, the visuals and the atmosphere, with a few surprises thrown in.

This weekend, July

14 – 16, Live Your Music will descend on Longitude in Marlay Park with a fully responsive, custombuilt space featuring DJs and collectives from the worlds of house, disco, hip-hop and R&B, including Lui Rwego, Bobofunk and District Magazine.

Music fans can join the crowd and sign up for exclusive experiences at: www.heinekenmusic.ie.

BIG ADVENTURE FOR CHAIN’S MINI CEOS HOTEL brand Radisson Blu has announced a unique nationwide search to find a new board of directors with a difference – a group of Mini CEOs (Child Entertainment Officers) are being sought to help consult on the hotels’ family offering across the UK and Ireland this summer.

T he chosen mini CEOs will win a free stay at a Radisson Blu of their choice for them and their family, along with all the perks of a weekend getaway, including free restaurant meals.

Boys and girls between the ages of 6 – 10 years can apply for the role (and ask their parents or guardians to be a reference for them), with their ‘duties’ to involve reviewing leisure facilities in the hotels.

For further information and to nominate, see http://www.radissonblu. com/miniceo.

DISPENSE AN AWARD TO YOUR PHARMACIST DUBS are being called on to nominate Ireland’s most dedicated pharmacists.

T h e C l a nw i l l i a m Pharmacist Awards have

RACE OVER TO €32K CHAMPION STAKES

launched for 2017 and the organisers want Dubliners to nominate pharmacists who go above and beyond for their patients.

You can fill out an online nomination form before the July 21 deadline, with the winning pharmacist to be recognised in the company of hundreds of their peersat the Clanwilliam Pharmacist Awards

in November.

An adjudicating panel comprising pharmacists from various branches of the profession will select three finalists for each category, to be announced in October, with and a winner in each to be revealed on the awards night.

To make your nomination, see http://www. pharmacistawards.com/

READY to race over to some exciting events at Shelbourne Park? You should be, as the popular stadium has laid on some summer sports highlights to look out for.

Kevin Hennessy and Leon Blanche, representing Irish Independent bookmaker BoyleSports, are pictured (left) with Shelbourne Park racing manager Declan Carey at the launch of a bumper calendar of racing events at the greyhound stadium.

The BoyleSports Champion Stakes, worth more than €32,000, run over two weekends in July and August.

For further information on the calendar of events, see www.shelbourneparkgreyhoundstadium.ie.

13 July 2017 GAZETTE 15

POPCORN RECIPE Three Corn Tacos

THE people over at Propercorn have come up a perfect popcorn-inspired recipe to make your summer meals extra special.

Ingredients: Serves 4 12 small corn tortillas 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1.5cm pieces (keep the peelings) Small tub of sour cream 2 x 20g packs of Propercorn Sour Cream & Black Pepper For the pickled onion: Half a red onion, finely sliced juice 2 limes pinch of sugar For the guacamole: 2 avocados, halved and stoned Half a lime Small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped Quarter thinly sliced red onion For the salsa: 200g cherry tomatoes, chopped into quarters Quarter red onion, finely sliced 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped Juice half a lime For the corn: 4 corn on the cob (or 4 small tins of sweetcorn) 2 large knobs of butter 2 tsp smoked paprika pinch of salt and pepper Method: 1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Mix the pickled onion ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Place the sweet potato chunks on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until slightly charred on the edges.

3. Cut the kernels off the corn on the cobs. In a large frying pan, melt the butter on a high heat add the corn, paprika and salt and pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the kernels are caramelized. Once cooked, turn off the heat and set aside to keep warm.

4. To make the salsa and guacamole, mix the salsa ingredients in a small bowl with a squeeze of lime and a handful of chopped coriander.

5. Mash the avocados then add the red onion and red chili. Squeeze in the lime juice and set aside. 6.

A few minutes before the potatoes are ready, add a dash of oil and salt to the peelings, spread evenly on a baking tray and pop in the oven to crisp up. Cover your tortillas in foil and add to the bottom of the oven to warm up.

7. Tortillas are best filled by the person eating them, so to serve, place everything in bowls and tuck in!

GAZETTE

FOOD&DRINK

Say ‘buongirono’ to tasty Italian dishes

MUSIC lovers at the upcoming Punchestown Music Festival at the end of the month can send their tastebuds racing with a dash of tasty Italian fare, courtesy of Italian cuisine specialists Barilla.

The opening of its popup restaurant, By Barilla, will serve a range of authentic Italian fare with a twist for hungry festival goers, with its pasta dishes coming with a threecourse (€25) offering that won’t need a win on the gee-gees to enjoy.

By Barilla’s fare on July 29 and 30 will give diners at the popular music festival some tasty meals that look set to draw upon the family-owned company’s expertise in creating Italian dishes.

Starter options include antipasti dishes, with a selection of meats, cheeses, olives and breads to choose from.

For their main course, diners will be able choose from favourites such as Barilla Fusilli with tiger prawns and served with arrabbiata sauce; Barilla Tortellini of four cheeses with a sage and nut butter sauce; Barilla Linguini Primavera with chicken, julienne of vegetables and flat parsley.

Adding the finishing touch, dessert options will include the ever-popular Tiramisu.

Adding to the Mediterranean-flavoured feeling at By Barilla, guests will be served “Italian family style” at long tables, with starters to be presented on platters, allowing visitors to help themselves.

Following the first course, at intervals a selection of three pasta dishes will be brought to each table, inviting guests to indulge in a variety of

Punchestown Music Festival will have Italian fare, courtesy

dishes.

Wine will also be included as part of the By Barilla festival offering.

Adding a pinch of flexibility, diners can also schedule reservations

around their favourite artist so as not to miss a thing while also not missing their meal.

For further information about Barilla products and recipes, see the site at

of Barilla

www.barilla.com, while the full list of performers at this year’s 2017 Punchestown Music Festival is over at https://mcd. ie/artists/punchestownmusic-festival/

Mini pizza bases serve up a big, delicious treat  EMMA NOLAN KEEP the kids entertained during the s c h o o l h o l i d ay s b y cooking up a storm with Pizza da Piero’s mini pizza bases.

Get crafty in the kitchen and add a range of tasty toppings to these four inch bases – the perfect size for little ones.

P i z z a d a P i e r o ’s founders Piero and Cliona love to decorate each pizza with their

three little girls, making faces with broccoli, sweetcorn and peas, breaking all of Piero’s Italian pizza rules.

It’s lunch and playtime wrapped into one!

Delicious and wholesome mini pizza bases

by Pizza da Piero are the perfect treat for all the family, kids and adults alike.

Pop them in the oven, adorned with your favourite pizza toppings and five minutes later – finito!

Piero creates these fresh and authentic bases at his Dublin bakery every morning using only six simple ingredients; white flour, water, soya f lour, yeast, sea salt and extra virgin oil.

Just as scrumptious as the rest of Pizza da Piero’s range, each mini base is carefully made over a two-day process.

This allows time for the dough to ferment, making it light and easily digestible, so no bloated tummies.

Mini pizza bases by Pizza da Piero are perfect for all the family

Pizza da Piero’s mini bases are a great choice for a light summer lunch or a pizza and movie night with the kids.

At RRP €3.99, they

can be found in SuperValu, Dunnes Stores, Tesco, Avoca, Cavistons Food Emporium, Ardkeen Quality Food Store and Sheridan’s Cheesemongers.

13 July 2017 GAZETTE 17

DUBLINLIFE

 JAMES HENDICOTT A SELF-PROCLAIMED college band reformed to a heyday later in life that far exceeds their 90s peak, King Kong Company are fast becoming Ireland’s go-to festival act, and with good reason.

The Waterford-based act are a high-energy, upbeat dance six-piece with plenty of stage moves.

One member performs in a cardboard box with crudely cut eyeholes, while recent outings include a trip to iconic UK festival Glastonbury, a tea party at Michael D Higgins’s house, and even the launch of their own unlikely beer infused with Buckfast, with King Kong Company plastered across the front.

Colin Hoye, the group’s trumpeter, is the one member currently based in Dublin, and met The Gazette to describe what’s been a strange journey and a wildly busy summer to date.

Amazingly, their self-titled debut of 2016 is the band’s only formal release to date, despite performing together from 1996 to 2000, and then from 2011 to today.

“The technology wasn’t really there to do what we wanted to do back then,” Hoye recalls. “We had this massive eight track and you couldn’t even get the drums alone onto it. We have so many channels now. We had a manual drum machine that we started and stopped for every track back then. We did the best we could, but trying to actually make an album would have been too hard, or too expensive at the time.

“Second time around [following the band’s reformation in 2011], I think we were looking for a mid-life crisis and found one. We had no misconceptions about what we were going to get out of it this time, but we’re surprised at how well it’s gone for us.

“When we decided to get back together, we used the power of social media to help us along the way. We decided to do 12 tracks in 12 months, and our friend John Loftus basically said that he’d do the videos for us.

“Those videos sparked a lot of the characters we have now, and those characters came into the live shows. It’s almost more of a product at this stage.”

Ireland’s Wild Festival Heroes

One album, their own beer and performing in a cardboard box: 20 years of King Kong Company

N O S ’ T A H W

E D I U G S T N EVE

with JAMES HENDICOTT

Belle and Sebastian

Scottish indie darlings are one of the highlights of a series of gigs at the Iveagh Gardens, and are sure to explore the emotive backdrop of their nine experimental and touching albums. €45 entry fee.

July 20

Longitude Festival

Marlay Park’s annual bash bring their camping-free city-festival vibe back for another summer, with star appearances from Mumford and Sons, Stormzy, Skepta, The Weeknd, Catfish and the Bottlemen and Villagers (plus many more) across the weekend.

July 14-16

98FM’s Big Slide

Slip through Dublin streets on a 260ft waterslide running down Winetavern Street, thanks to the radio station and Dublin City Council. You’ll need to grab sliding tickets in advance, and have your swimsuit ready. July 15-16.

Dropkick Murphys

Another of those Iveagh Gardens shows, Bostonian act Dropkick Murphys will bring their punk-tinged nu-Irish stylings to play in an invariably riotous live show. Support from indie-pop heroes of ten years ago The Fratellis adds colours. July 16.

A Night At The Museum

The National Wax Museum diversifies with a new theatre experience, promising to “push boundaries between reality and imagination,” and “you might end up in Heaven or Hell.” July 15

Token Retro Gaming Tournament

The exciting new Smithfield venue that combines a bar, food and retro gaming launches the first of one promises to be a long line on old-school gaming tournaments. July 15.

New album of the week

Coldplay - Kaleidoscope Right after playing their Croke Park date, Coldplay launch a new EP featuring six ‘companion’ tracks to 2016 album ‘A Head Full Of Dreams’. Having been delayed twice, fans will be queueing up for this one.

Continued from Page 13

A unique look – and now, a unique beer as well!

It could only be King Kong Company, who talk to

Live When it came to the album, Hoye recalls the live set-up being very much a key factor.

“We had to do everything we could to bring the live sound into the album,” he explained.

“It would have been very easy to just do it very electronically, but you want to move the music around to have that live effect to it.

“We are very much a live band, and we wanted to show people what we sound like live with the album. In a way we were kind of dreading the album as we knew it would be so much work. We used to be more like acid jazz, so it’s a bit of a change of direction from what we sounded like in the late 90s, but nobody sounds like that anymore.”

Whether the album or an incredibly noto-

MUSIC

GAZETTE

GAZETTE

16 GAZETTE 13 July 2017

The Gazette about their rise and rise so far.

rious live show are the defining factor, there’s little doubt that King Kong Company are on an all time high this year. Last month, their striking imagery appeared on the front of a new brand of beer from Wexford craft beer company, Yellowbelly, entitled ‘Commotion Lotion’, and infused with Buckfast. The launch came within days of their Glastonbury appearance, a lively slot at Body and Soul and a toned-down show at Aras An Uachtarain.

“We did a gig down in Cork, at the Irish Beer Festival last year,” Hoye recalls. “It was a really good festival with a lot of craft brewers at it.

They approached us then about it, and we made the beer. Yellowbelly did all the imagery and

everything. It’s very surreal to have your own beer, really odd.”

Then came the recent trip to the Phoenix Park. “We had to censor [hit track] Donkey Jaw a bit,” Hoye says of the performance at the President’s house. “We were thinking of doing the full version at the garden party, but there were a lot of young kids there. It was censored enough to not offend. It was the strangest gig ever. We were very nervous about it at first, and I think the organisers were a bit nervous about it, too, wondering what we were going to do!

“But our frontman, Mikey Graham, got on the mic at the start and said: ‘Listen, we usually play in muddy fields at festivals, so what we’re

going to do is ask all the children if they want to come up to the front of the stage and dance’. So they did, and they all started dancing and it was great; we won everyone over within five seconds.

It was a great honour to do it.”

And the future? Hoye admits that a new album isn’t really on the horizon, but adds “we’re always in some shape or form working on new music”.

He added: “A lot of the stuff that made this album we played live for a long time before we recorded. I think that’s just the way it’s going. We make music to play live, not to make an album, so it’s good to road test.”

Few bands ‘test’ with quite such a sense of fun.

The stage comes to life to suit, too, and there’s an impressive array of character development, in the narrow but entertaining lives of Girl’s Czech housemates, the occasional but memorable appearances of her daughter, and Phelim Drew’s wacky interludes as music store owner Billy – a lively stereotype of the witty North Dubliner.

Then there are the gimmicks. The best come in the pre-show, pub-style performance from the cast, which takes place with the audience on stage and able to buy from the bar positioned as part of the scenery.

It works well, too, but the key here

is in the simplicity and the casting.

Perry is outstanding all round.

Gilligan has a solid voice and his character constantly seems on the verge of a nervous breakdown, while the extras have a smart dynamic, adding to the humour.

All in, Once is a wonderfully produced package, with ample entertainment value that also tugs firmly on the heartstrings, with the relationships thoroughly believable.

The emotion in Perry as she bowed before an opening night audience said it all: this might be just another step on the road this musical has been powering down over the last few years, but it is also something very special.

ONCE and always terrific

GAZETTE

18 GAZETTE 13 July 2017

DUBLINLIFE

Carousel in a spin over nod from The New York Times

Vivien Butterfly Print Dress €59  EMMA NOLAN

AN IRISH-ow ned vintage boutique was recently mentioned in a New York Times article about places to visit in Dublin.

Carousel design and manufacture their own nostalgia-inspired col-

lections under the “Circus” label, and are stocked in more than 180 independent shops worldwide, and in their boutique on the corner of Drury Street and Exchequer Street.

T he ow ners said they were delighted to be mentioned by the

Brigette cat print dress €65

Nathalie Lemon Print Dress €69 New York Times. “We were over the moon to be included and have seen a surge of interest from USA customers through our website as a result.”

T hey now have a great selection of summer stock in store (pictured above).

Premium Lux Coat €399

Blossom Print Swing Dress €139; Abigail Patchwork Boot €209; Funnel Neck Fitted Knit €85

MINT VELVET LUXE

 EMMA NOLAN Style Editor

THE Autumn/Winter collection from Mint Velvet is chic and understated. Taking its inspiration from effortless Parisian style, it combines boyfriend-dressing with the brand’s signature softer, feminine elements.

Longline silhouettes, blazer and wide-leg trouser combos in both structured and relaxed fabrics are inspired by the 90s power-suit, and suits are paired with trainers for a new take on modern sportswear.

Functionality is key here – everything can be worn with jeans, including dresses. Layer a polo neck underneath lighter fabrics or heavier knits for colder months, as another homage to luxe French dressing.

13 July 2017 GAZETTE 19

GAZETTE

STYLE Embroidered Sleeve Shirt €129

Oversized Tri-Acetate Blazer €249; Imogen Print Neck Scarf €39

Blossom Print Blouse €99

Tie Back Cotton Shirt €99; Paper Bag Waist Trouser €119; Pippa V Front Shoe Boot €169

Beaded Shirt €119

Split Seam Coat €399

Velvet Blazer €209

Lace Back Dress €169

GAZETTE

20 GAZETTE 13 July 2017

DUBLINLIFE

Ballyvolane House will A veritable eden awaits just a few hours away from Dublin at a family-owned country house located in the historic region of the Munster Blackwater Valley

 JESSICA MAILE

TIME FOR A TIPPLE?

An ode to Bertha and the ‘grass to glass’ approach YOU MAY be asking who is Bertha and what does she have to do with Ballyvolane House? It’s simple, really – Bertha, a cow, is the inspiration behind Bertha’s Revenge, a pure Irish milk gin which is conjured up, distilled and bottled at the estate.

Bertha was truly a one-of-a-kind. This Droimeann cow from Sneem, Co Kerry, lived a legendary 48 years, which earned her the title of World’s Oldest Cow. She died in 1993, but Bertha’s Revenge creators Justin Green and Antony Jackson have kept her ‘spirit’ alive in this finely-crafted gin made from whey alcohol from local dairy farmers, natural spring water and locally grown and foraged botanicals.

Their ‘grass to glass’ philosophy is an ode to Bertha and keeps her memory alive. Bertha’s Revenge is a spicy yet refreshing small-batch, hand-crafted gin that has notes of cardamom, cumin and sweet citrus.

The whey alcohol base makes it an extremely smooth concoction that can be enjoyed in the lush atmosphere of Ballyvolane House or at home in a martini or mixed with your favourite tonic.

IT’S summertime and what’s on the menu for some summer getaway fun? Glamping. Yes, glamping.

Camping in luxury is definitely the way to go when the temperatures rise and the weather is a bit more cordial, and there is no better place than Ballyvolane House near Fermoy in Co Cork to do so.

The house was originally built in 1728 as a classically Georgian-style home but was subsequently remodelled in Victorian times to give it a more Italianate style.

It has been a home to just three families, with the Green family now managing this successful country house.

Its rooms are filled with family heirlooms, portraits and antiques but still offer a relaxed atmosphere to read or just take in the splendour of it all.

This warm and inviting family period home actually gives the option

of staying in one of its six finely-appointed bedrooms or to indulge your wild, bohemian side and stay in one of the 11 cosy bell tents.

The tents are very spacious, with a double or two single beds, and plenty of comfy blankets should you need extra warmth as the night goes on.

There are plenty of ways to enjoy the fresh summer air on this expansive estate.

The house is surrounded by lush woods and well-maintained gardens.

There are trout lakes and salmon fishing on the River Blackwater, and even a variety of fly fishing courses are on offer.

BALLYVOLANE HOUSE

Castlelyons, Fermoy, Co Cork

 Open January 1 to December 24  B&B room rate from €195, Single Occupancy €150  Glamping Bell Tents, B&B pps: €60-€75 (May-Sep)  Dinner from €60  Tel: 353 25 36339; email: info@ballyvolanehouse.ie  www.ballyvolanehouse.ie

As I wandered the grounds, I discovered the picturesque lakes, little man-made waterfalls, friendly ducks, two very nosey donkeys, an expansive walled garden full of

fresh produce and flowering plants, a tennis court, a pitch to kick a ball around and the perfect place to play a bit of croquet.

After all my wanderings, I was treated to a spectacular meal of roast chicken, fresh new potatoes and greens from the walled garden and, to top it all off, a batch of heavenly Eton Mess. They only source ingredients from their walled garden, farm, river and from the local area.

Before I headed to bed, the staff kindly lit the candle chandelier in the tent and placed hot water bottles in the bed for the ultimate in cosiness.

After a refreshing night’s sleep, a nice hot breakfast

The official greeter will also steal your heart!

was certainly in order. My favourite part of brekkie is the fact that it’s served up until noon, which is heaven for those who like to stay up late and get up even later!

You have a choice of a continental breakfast or ‘The Full Monty’, but the latter seemed the way to go and it didn’t disappoint.

The most refreshing aspect of Ballyvolane House is how relaxed and inviting the home is and how comfortable Justin Green, his family and staff make you feel there.

And despite all of the grandeur, the care-free atmosphere completely puts you at ease. It’s simply a true get-away in every sense of the word!

13 July 2017 GAZETTE 21

GAZETTE

steal your heart

TRAVEL

TRAVELNews

Holiday deals this August from €439

IT’S NOT too late to get some sun this summer.

Choose your destination and plan your perfect August getaway now. Whether it’s the knockout scenery and all year round sun of the Canaries, the Balearic’s Spanish culture with nightlife that rivals the rest of Europe or the second-to-none sandy beaches, bougainvillea-splashed villages and round-the-clock nightlife of the Greek Islands, we have something for you.

• 28-Aug, Dublin to Lanzarote, San Marcial, Matagorda, 2-star, SC, 7 nights from €549pp.

• 30-Aug, Dublin to Rhodes, Amfitriti Hotel & Studios, Pefkos, 3-star, SC,7 nights from €439pp.

• 26-Aug, Dublin to Kos, Emmanouel Studios, Lambi, 2-star, SC, 7 nights from €629pp.

• 27-Aug, Dublin to Crete, Golden Bay Apartments, Gournes, 3-star, SC, 7 nights from €559pp.

• 31-Aug, Dublin to Ibiza, Casa Luis, Santa Eulalia, 3-star, SC, 14 nights from €729pp.

Visit www.falconholidays,ie for more details.

Ballyvolane House in Castlelyons, Fermoy, Co Cork is a family -owned period home that offers finely-appointed bedrooms or a perfect spot for a bit of glamping if you fancy a bit of fresh air

Lake Garda

Lake Garda deals: • Depart 15 July, stay at the 3-star Hotel La Perla, Garda, for 7 nights, on a half-board basis, from just €799pp.

• Depart 19 July, stay at the 2-star Furstenhof, Alpbach, Austria, on a B&B basis, for 7 nights, from €499pp.

• Depart 29 July, stay at the 3-star Hotel La Perla, Lake Garda, on a half-board basis, for 7 nights, from €799pp.

• Depart 29 July, stay at the 4-star Hotel Splendid Palace, Limone, for 7 nights, on a half-board basis, from just €989pp.

• Depart 12 August, stay at the Doria Apartments, Garda, for 7 nights, from just €1,545 (based on 2 sharing) or €2,275 (2 adults + 2 children).

• Depart 26 August, stay at the 4-star Hotel Majestic Palace, Malcesine, for 7 nights, on a halfboard basis, from just €985pp.

To book call (01) 433 1080, visit www.crystalsummer.ie or contact your local travel agent.

GAZETTE

22 GAZETTE 13 July 2017

DUBLINLIFE

Mini but mighty I’VE re-lived the Mini experience in the new generation Mini Clubman in recent weeks and it has rekindled a warm relationship with the iconic British car brand.

Those who were reared with the original Mini as their first driving experience will appreciate the transformation that the Mini brand has undergone.

Younger drivers will take the car for what it is; a solid small car with great driving ability that despite its size always pervades a feeling of strength.

This Clubman version plays on a van-type design with twin opening rear doors and that design feature gives stand-out identity to the car that’s anything but a van in image and driving experience.

The Clubman version of the Mini gives it a more male perspective, because the standard Mini has become seen as more of a female desire car. This Clubman with its extended wheelbase adds a different sense of appeal, while it uses all of the design features and more to change how you look at the car.

What you get from a Mini Clubman is more space and more flexibility with a different boot access through the twin opening rear doors.

The rear legroom from the extended wheelbase (that’s 100mm longer than the standard Mini) gives impressively more rear legroom, even if the headroom remains a shade challenged. That rear space seems less crowded and the enhanced legroom is instantly noticed.

Mini, which is owned by the BMW group, has the benefit of BMW diesel engine technology and that’s seen first-hand in this Mini One D version of the Clubman, powered by an impressive twin-

FASTNews June new car sales dip by 14% as Dublin market grows NEW CAR registrations for June took a 14% dip, according to the latest official statistics released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI).

The SIMI figures show that 1,397 new cars were registered last month compared with 1,623 for June 2016. The year-todate figures for the first half of the year show a 10% drop in new car registrations, compared with last year.

The five top-selling car brands for the year to date were Volkswagen, Toyota, Hyundai,

The new generation Mini Clubman is a four-door spacious car which retains some of the Mini low profile go-kart driving feel across a longer wheelbase. Entry prices start at €28,278.

Ford and Nissan, while the Hyundai Tucson remains Ireland’s best-selling car in 2017,

Mini Clubman One D 1.5 SPECIFICATIONS

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

turbo diesel three-cylinder engine that’s very powerful.

The engine’s smoothness under the cramped bonnet area has to be driven to be appreciated. The power output at 115bhp

1.5 litre 115hp I was equally impressed 10.4 seconds with its fuel economy 26m/litre figures. The official rated (3.9/100km or 60mpg) economy level is 26m/litre 48 litres (3.9/100km or 60mpg); my 600km test drive returned 102g/km a 30% lower figure.

A3 €190 The fact that the car 15,000km/12 mon could cruise at 120km/hr 5 star (2015) on motorways at just shy 5 years/100,000km of 2000rpm on the engine, €28,278 made this economy level

and 270Nm of torque is so impressive, while its performance in acceleration terms at 10.4 seconds in a 0 to 100km/hr race, is very acceptable.

I took the car across a range of conditions and

followed by the Nissan

Mini gives you more space in a Clubman as Michael Moroney found out when he took the new model for a lengthy test drive.

possible.

This level of economy could give me a range of about 950km with the car’s 48 litre capacity fuel tank. Anywhere close to the 1,000km range on a full fuel tank is where I believe a modern car should be, and this new Mini Clubman meets that challenge.

The car came with the standard six-speed manual gearbox that seemed to have some high points in terms of ratios that took a little getting used to.

I found that the gear

change was a little less smooth than I would have liked, and the clutch pedal a shade heavier, not exactly what you want if you’re planning a drive to a night out in your best ‘car-to-bar shoes’.

The additional boot space in the new Mini Clubman is one of its key selling features. The boot space at 360 litres – which extends to 1250 litres – is impressive and deceptive for the relatively small car.

I tested the extended load capacity with a stepladder and the flexibility of the space impressed.

The boot area is deeper than other Mini models to give a depth of load space that surprised me. Despite this, the Mini does not come with a spare wheel, which I consider one of its very few drawbacks.

This new Mini is a solid-feeling car that scores highly in terms of safety

Qashqai, Skoda Octavia, Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus.

Remarkably, the best-seller in the car

too. The car has a fivestar Euro NCAP safety rating.

Mini claims that in addition to the stiff, rigid and light-weight body structure, a complete set of standard safety features also gives enhanced occupant protection of the new Mini One D Clubman.

Fitting that child seat takes a bit of bending down, but that’s because of the low stance of the car itself.

The standard specification features of the new Mini Clubman are impressive, including Mini Navigation, a sport leather steering wheel with multifunction control and 16in alloy wheels and alarm with immobiliser.

The entry price for the petrol version is €28,278 while the new diesel option that I drove adds another €2,000 to the price.

market in June was the expensive and impressive BMW 5 Series.

SIMI anticipates that new car sales in the second half of the year should mean that the market for new cars will reach a total figure of 132,000 that was predicted at the start of the year.

Sales of new cars in the Dublin region showed one of the smallest declines at 4%, while the Dublin region now accounts for an increased proportion of the Irish car new market, up from 38% in 2016 to account for 40% in the first six months of 2017.

The BMW 5 Series

13 July 2017 GAZETTE 23

GAZETTE

MOTORING

Kia crosses over with compact Stonic KIA HAS a new compact crossover type of SUV, called the Stonic, on the way for the end of 2017 as the Korean brand aims to get a slice of one of Europe’s newest and fastest-growing vehicle segments.

This market segment is called the B-SUV segment in motor industry language and currently accounts for 1.1 million new car sales in Europe each year, around 7% of the market. The segment is forecast to expand to more than two million annual sales in Europe by 2020.

Kia claims that the new Stonic will be the most customisable Kia ever, inside and out, and that it boasts true European design flair. The design of the car includes the familiar Kia ‘tiger-nose’ grille designed in Europe, in collaboration with Kia’s Korean design studio.

The new Stonic’s ‘Targa’-style roof enables buyers to choose a two-tone paint finish. It will be available in up to 20 two-tone colour combinations, with a choice of five distinctive colours for the roof.

A range of lightweight, downsized, turbocharged petrol and diesel engines are available, each paired with a manual transmission, claims to deliver maximised driver engagement and effi-

ciency. Buyers have the choice of Kia’s lightweight 1.0-litre T-GDI (turbocharged petrol direct injection) engine, producing 120bhp, as well as 1.25or 1.4-litre naturally-aspirated MPI (multi-point injection) petrol engines. An 1.6-litre diesel engine completes the range, offering the lowest emissions in the line-up.

Kia claims that the car’s European-tuned steering and suspension are designed to offer an exciting drive, with immediate handling responses and a stable ride. The car is fitted as standard with electronic stability control and vehicle stability management (VSM), ensuring the front-wheel drive Stonic can cope in all conditions. Specific functions of VSM include torque vectoring by braking, straight line stability, and cornering brake control.

The car gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, bringing seamless smartphone functionality to the touchscreen infotainment system. Like other Kia models, it is available with heated front seats, automatic cruise control and keyless entry.

The car claims class-leading shoulder room and generous leg- and head-room. The impressive 352-litre boot capacity expands or shrinks as required with a two-step boot floor.

The Stonic compact SUV due here by the end of the year comes with Kia’s quality promise; the car will be sold as standard with the company’s unique seven-year, 150,000km warranty

GAZETTE

24 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 13 July 2017

DUBLINLIFE

CINEMA

SPIDER MAN HOMECOMING: FRANCHISE GETS A MUCH-NEEDED KICKSTART

ReelReviews

Spidey gets a breath of fresh air in fun reboot A F T E R a n u n w a rranted franchise reset with Andrew Garfield’s regrettable turn as one of Marvel’s most beloved heroes, no one was asking for another Spider-Man movie.

Thank God we got one.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (Cer t 12A, 133 mins) Spider-Man: Homecoming, directed

by Jon Watts, returns the characters to his fundamentals, giving us the friendliest neighbour Spider-Man we’ve seen on the screen thus far, and a much-needed return to super-hero basics for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Most refreshi ngl y, Homecoming comes unburdened with the now entirely unnecessary Spider-Man origin story.

This is a clever and genuinely admirable move on the screenwriters’ part; after two franchise resets, everyone and their uncle knows how Spidey got his powers and why he does the things he does (FYI: radioactive spider bite, murdered uncle, compulsion to help others).

After some brief backstor y to the movie’s

 MARTIN MACNAMARA

villain, T he Vulture (Michael Keaton), we’re returned to the air-strip battle of Captain America: Civil War, in which we first met Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. This time around, the action is captured straight from Spidey’s phone, and comes complete with excited post-battle commentary from their hero in a manner befitting any teenage YouTube enthusiast.

When the narrative starts proper, Peter is just getting used to his new life as a superhero, operating under the guise of an internship at Iron Man’s “Stark Enterprises” to cover his frequent disappearances from family and friends.

Peter navigates relationships at home with Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and at school with best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and his crush, Liz

(Laura Harrier).

While Peter spends his extra-curricular time fighting street thugs, eventually moving up to bigger villains with the Vulture, Spider-Man’s real battles are those of the average teenager: struggling with authority figures, a need to grow up too fast, and the heartaches of high-school romance.

Spider-Man: Homecoming gets its priorities right – we don’t need another movie about superheroes battling world-threatening forces.

This is a genuine breath of fresh air.

Indeed, the spirited tone and vibrant palette of Homecoming is the perfect foil to DC’s overly grey, ultra-grim ‘Expanded Universe’, and Spidey finds the time to poke fun at that world’s everbrooding caped crusader.

However, Mar vel’s stable of heroes get its fair share of mockery too – none more so than Captain America, who frequently appears in educational classroom videos at Peter’s school, and who Hannibal Buress’s jaded gym teacher refers to as

OKJA

Deliciously subversive NETFLIX serves up its first bona-fide cinema hit – which most of us will watch at home instead – with Okja (Cert 15A, 120mins).

Long story short: company creates Okja, a genetically modified superpig to make some superbucks; little girl who raised pig goes on a rescue mission when the company decides it’s time to go makin’ bacon. While its tone is all over the place, Okja is a movie marvel, and an enjoyable romp.

DESPICABLE ME 3

Merry minion mayhem

We’ve had more than enough dour, grim superhero films of late – thankfully, this new

THERE are plenty of Grusome scenes in Despicable Me 3 (Cert G, 90mins) when the eponymous baddie-who’s-not-so-bad and his yellow pals get mixed up with his long lost twin brother. Cue mishaps, minions, and an amusing threequel in the popular franchise. There’s nothing very fresh or innovative here, but the Despicable crew do what they do well in this enjoyable film.

Spiderman film has a much more lighthearted centre, and is all the better for it

a “war criminal” in one of the film’s most subtly hilarious throwaway gags.

Without a world to save, there’s plenty of space for Downey Jr’s Iron Man to operate at his most loveably pigheaded.

After all the brooding and feuding of Civil War, where Iron Man undoubtedly pulled the narrative short straw, this is a welcome return to form for the character.

Michael Keaton turns in the MCU’s best badguy performance since Tom Hiddleston’s Loki.

The Vulture is a villain

not fuelled by a hunger for power or world domination, but by disdain for the state and a need to provide for his family, justifying his life of crime in a manner similar to Tony Soprano.

However, it’s Holland that shines here, delivering on all the promise of his brief appearance in Civil War. Spider-Man: Homecoming demonstrates, with an expertise crafted over 16 MCU films (mistakes made and lessons learned), that you can update, modernise or outright alter a superhero’s story, just as long as

you stay true to the heart of the character (protesting fan-boys be damned).

Not since Marvel’s first go-round at Captain America has a hero been so wonderfully in swing with the spirit of the source material.

It may suffer from a lack of tension and some clumsy action set-pieces, but Spider-Man: Homecoming is the best version of the character yet.

Maybe not the hero we asked for, but in these trying times, he’s certainly the hero we need.

Verdict: 8/10

THE BOOK OF HENRY

Stunning in its own way ANOTHER week to give a nod to this spectacularly strange and truly, truly terrible film. The Book of Henry (Cert 12A, 105mins) is all about your typical boy genius, Henry. SPOILER: he dies halfway through the film, but not before leaving how-to instructions for his single mum to murder (yes, murder) their next-door neighbour, who may be abusing his stepdaughter.

Words fails us ...

13 July 2017 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 25

GAZETTE

GAMES While an awful lot of the game is spent with a first-person view of your ship’s cockpit and HUD, as well as in-game menus, the game’s optional cameras show off some very, very pretty places. Whether in your ship, visiting a space station, cruising through space or roaming about on a quiet moon, the game can look pretty incredible at times, regardless of your platform.

Screengrabs: Shane Dillon

ELITE DANGEROUS: CONSOLES GET A GREAT PORT OF THE HIT 2015 PC GAME – BUT AT A COST

A stellar experience

SPACE is an awfully big place, but when it comes to games set in space – on contemporary consoles, at least – gamers are pretty much stuck on terra firma.

The reasons are many and varied, but by and large they boil down to the view that space-set games are probably too potentially complex, and too niche, to bother developing a game for.

Still, console gamers can now set off on their own galactic adventure with the recently released Elite Dangerous (PS4, XBO, Cert 7, c. €25) – a long-awaited port of the popular 2015 PC title.

On whatever platform, ED is a modern take on the legendary 1984 BBC Micro title, Elite, following pretty much the same principle, but with shiny 2017 visuals and some

 SHANE DILLON sdillon@dublingazette.com

serious programming grunt under the hood.

Now as then, gamers are given an entire galaxy to explore – our own Milky Way – with countless star systems to make their way to, with their starting spaceship (little more than a tin can with big dreams) getting traded in for ever bigger, better ships along the way.

It’s down to the gamer to choose the way they want to play the game, and thus shape the unique adventure that they’ll find along the way.

For example, miners might happily dig around

in asteroid fields looking for lucrative minerals; space pirates might raid shipping lanes for goods to sell; couriers might ship sensitive information around – there’s even space for people to run glorified taxi services for rich snobs, if they like.

Whatever you want to do, ED provides lots of choice to do so, as you set about choosing the missions you want to tr y, and then spend time upgrading your ship and tinkering with all kinds of systems to help you stay on the right – or wrong – side of the law.

As a game that can be played solo or with others online, players can even spend their time exploring, trying to find and

blow other gamers out of the skies, further adding to their loot and reputation (or they can be a big wuss like me, and just run a lucrative freight service with no weapons but one hell of

an engine to outrun any trouble).

Needless to say, there’s an awful lot of content here, with a daunting amount of stuff to see and do in a vast game, which requires

And now, a warning. The ‘base’ game is available here for €25, with all of the galaxy-hopping fun you could ever want. However, an entire second half of content – including being able to visit planets, zip about in a rover, as well as some other cool stuff – is locked away behind a €25 paywall. While I think it’s worth it, this seems like a strange system to me, and is likely to be offputting to many.

serious grinding (levelling up) to progress.

However, alongside some content set behind a paywall (see left), the daunting choice in the game, its steep initial learning curve, as well as the frequently clunky controls, could leave Elite circling the shelves in search of a patient owner.

It’s also worth noting that despite the relative paucity of some parts of the game, the graphics can stutter at times, with some unwanted lag.

Still, despite its flaws and ED’s niche nature, those who stick with the game will find it a rich and uniquely atmospheric experience.

After all, there’s just

nothing quite like Elite on consoles at the moment, with it bundling in some of the add-ons that have fleshed out the PC original since its release, further adding to its value.

Ultimately, the spirit of the 1984 original is also very much to the fore here, with ED providing a truly vast amount of things to do.

Elite Dangerous is another ‘Marmite’ title – some gamers will love it, while an awful lot will find it deathly dull.

Would-be Elite commanders are unlikely to find themselves making the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs here, but if you have the time and patience to tinker around with ship loadouts, galaxy maps, warping about solar systems and planning your rise from Harmless to Elite, it’s a must-buy.

26 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 13 July 2017

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28 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 13 July 2017

SPORT

FastSport CLONDALKIN DENIED IN SMITH CUP DECIDER: ETB CLONDALKIN missed out on the Bobby Smith Cup title last week as they were undone 2-0 by ETB Carrigaline at the Carlisle Grounds.

The Cork outfit had most of possession in the first half in a very entertaining game but failed to break down a very resolute Clon defence which was well-marshalled

by Dolapo Lawal.

Cal Sheehy opened the scoring midway through the first half.

Clondalkin created the better opportunities as Sam Afolabi went close after a right wing pull back from Glen Fullam and Eoin Devereux got in on goal a few times but failed to hit the target.

The game was more even in the second half with Clondalkin’s Leon Foley going close and Claudio Silva very prominent for Clondalkin in the middle of the pitch.

But substitute Ryan McCarthy side-footed home a corner from Graham Bogue in the final minute to wrap up the victory for Carrigaline.

PARALYMPICS: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS BECKON FROM RAHENY ATHLETE

Comerford goes from zero to 100 with scholarly outlook

 JAMES HENDICOTT sport@dublingazette.com

IF ORLA Comerford’s emergence onto the Paralympic scene in time for the Rio Games last year was something of a dramatic one, her trip to London to take part in the 2017 World Paralympic Championships later this month will be much more conventional.

Comerford traveled to Brazil almost straight off the back of her leaving cert last summer, a move she described as “zero to one hundred” as she jumped in the deep end of a first major championship.

The Raheny Shamrocks club runner has been competing since the age of six and does battle in the visually impaired T13 category, reaching the final in the 100 metres last summer.

Now a student at NCAD, she feels more prepared this time around.

“It’s going really well,” Comerford told the Gazette.

“The competitive season so far has been good; the main difference from last year is that I’ve come through all the

Orla Comerford in action at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. Picture: Paul Mohan/Sportsfile

rehab for a long-term injury and I’m feeling a little more confident. I seem to be able to get through a little more prep without getting injured.

“I’m not really sure what I’ll be up against in London as there are often people out

there you don’t know about,” she adds.

Classification “New people are classified before races, and other people move categories, for example between T12 and T13.

“You think you know who you’ll be facing, but there are often a couple of people running good times who you haven’t come across before.

I’m expecting a lot of the same competition as in Rio, but also a few new young peo-

ple, or people who’ve moved into my category.”

In between the two major championships, Comerford made the brave decision to attend NCAD, a college with no athletic pedigree to speak of, turning down scholarships at more sport-leaning universities like UCD and UL. “It was a really hard decision to make but I’m very artistic minded, and I wanted to put together a portfolio and have a go,” she explains.

“I said I’d only try once and if I didn’t get in, I’d treat that as what’s meant to happen.

“They’ve been understanding about training camps and competitions and things like that, so it’s been great. I’ve been training with the same group at Raheny for years, and I’ve had the same coach for quite a while now, so I have plenty of support elsewhere.”

As for aims for London?

“It’s hard to say, it comes down to the race on the day,” Comerford tells us.

“I always look at times, of course, and good times do tend to mean good results, but what happens on the day is what really matters.”

Multi-talented Rosser preaches touch rugby gospel  BERNARD DUFF sport@dublingazette.com

Ireland’ women’s touch rugby side in action against Scotland last weekend. Picture: Gordon Heggie

THE multi-talented Tania Rosser is looking to spread the gospel of touch rugby this summer following her dominant performances on the netball court.

The former Irish contact rugby international scrum-half says the touch version is starting to spread in Dublin.

“Touch is a 6-a-side game,” she said. “It’s very fast and very skillful. Anyone can take it up as the contact is minimal so you mostly won’t need prior experi-

ence in other versions of rugby.”

The game is run by the Ireland Touch Association and in Dublin the action takes place in Terenure School on Wednesday evenings.

“We have a mixed sex competition and a women’s comp too” says Rosser. “We also expanded and now we have six clubs in Dublin. For instance, we are starting in Clontarf and DLSP in Kilternan this summer too.

“The IRFU are also starting a new Touch competition this summer too which will be located in Donnybrook. Just check

out Ireland Touch on Facebook and you can get playing”.

The Ireland team are the Irish Falcons and both a men’s and a women’s team travelled over to Edinburgh to play in the international Premier Permit Tournament last weekend – important development prior to next year’s European Championships.

Playing against their more established neighbours, the results didn’t go as planned.

Chris Tuataga also of Dublin Sports Club and the Irish Falcons said: “We took a while to tighten up our defence and once

we did that we were glad that we definitely could compete at the top teams’ level”.

With multiple national teams from England, Scotland, France and, just for the men, Wales, the competition at the Peffermill Playing Fields in Edinburgh was a bit too tough this time for Ireland.

They finished in the plate competition below the main cup by finals day on Sunday. But with the game expanding dramatically here it won’t be long until the Irish Falcons are beating the best.

13 July 2017 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 29

GAZETTE

FASTSport

Rugby World Cup fever as Ireland fight on four fronts  BERNARD DUFF

IRELAND’S men’s team are ramping up their preparations for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup in October having booked their passage via last autumn’s qualifiers.

But they aren’t the only Irish rugby league team competing in a World Cup this year. Prior to the World Cup, Sydney will host the Festival of Rugby League World Cups in early July in which four competitions will take place: women’s, Army, Police and Universities. It’s the latter that the Ireland Students team is currently participating.

With a cost of close to €4,000 per person, it might have seemed impossible to send the team of 21 players and four staff. But as Rugby League Ireland (RLI) executive Richard Egan explains: “A portion was contributed by our sponsors McGettigans and there were contributions too from Sport Ireland too but it was the students themselves, their families and friends who contributed the vast majority of the funds”.

The team is a new one as the cycle only began in January.

“We held open trials in all four provinces.

We even had players coming in who had never played league before who made it through the trials and onto the panel.”

With four matches scheduled against Pacific Nations, Scotland and the might of the hosts Australia in the group stages before a placement match the experience will be great for the development of the game.

“The 2021 World Cup is just four years away and the students who mostly are in their early 20s now can look ahead to the tournament in the UK and possibly get to play in the main Rugby League World Cup if they stay focused.”

With Rohan Smith, a professional league coach joining with Ireland students coach Karl De Chenu already the players have had a great experience.

“We used our contacts to train with the Canterbury Bulldogs Under-20 team and also got to watch an NRL match.”

Ireland lost their first game to an experience Pacific Nations 48-4 on Friday. But the true benefit will be in the years to come.

Brill’s blind ambition at Irish open championship Dundrum woman fulfils her dream of landing golf title with victory, beating the world champion by 15 shots; she did so while also co-hosting the event and running its organisation  JAMES HENDICOTT sport@dublingazette.com

BLIND GOLFER Carol Brill fulfilled her dream in winning the Irish Blind Open golf championship last weekend, a frantic victory in a tournament she also had a huge part in organising.

The Dundrum native suffers from Usher Syndrome, a progressive condition that causes the slow deterioration of both eyesight and hearing, and currently has a visual range of approximately 1% of the normal range, as well as some hearing difficulties.

Her title, won over two days, came with a massive 15-shot win over the reigning World Blind Golf women’s champion,

American Linda Port.

Describing an intensely busy weekend, she also greeted many of the competitors, had a key role in the scoring of the competition, acted as the main contact point for visiting golfers, and even organised the logistics of getting competitors back to the airport. She explained that the win hadn’t sunk in until she had the chance to call her mum and pass on the news.

“The catchphrase of the weekend came from my guide Theresa Schutte [of the same family as the Dublin and Cuala hurlers], who told me to focus on ‘self-care’ ahead of my first round on the Thursday,” Brill recalled.

“The practise day on

Carol Brill is presented with her Irish Open title.

Thursday didn’t really happen, as I spent so much time talking to competitors. On Friday, Theresa took me off to a nearby course, Malin Castle, to warm up away from the logistical stuff.

“Despite the lack of practise on the main course, which I’ve played a few times before, I had a great front nine,” Brill recalls of her opening round at the championship course in Greenore, County Louth.

“I’ve always had a bad front nine on that course.

I kept scratching the second hole, in particular, but surprisingly it went really well.

“I was absolutely exhausted by the 18th, so much that I don’t remember it well. I do remember

myself and Theresa falling out of the golf buggy as it pulled away, and I think that jolted me into action. I was amazed to find I was five shots up on Linda Port, but I was aware a lot of these players always have better second days.”

Having had a rough night working on scoring and second day pairings, Brill’s Saturday started badly.

“The front nine weren’t great, and the 10th hole was disastrous; I hit two bunkers,” she recalls.

“I was in tears leaving the tenth hole because I thought it was over, but I pulled myself together and promised myself that I wouldn’t be more than one over par for the last eight holes. I managed that, and learnt when I got in that I’d won by 15 shots.”

Brill’s win is all the more extraordinary given that she also spends much of her life campaigning for political recognition for dual sensory loss.

“We’ve formed an advocacy group, meeting a few times a year, with the aim of first gaining recognition for dual sensory issues, and then creating a register looking at needs. There are over 70 types of blind deafness, and their needs are very different,” she explains.

“For example, one of my friends has the same syndrome as me, but she has far more problems with her hearing, where-

as mine are more with sight. She also lives very rurally and can’t rely on the phone signal.

“And that’s just within one syndrome. The government but out guidelines for deaf blindness recently, but they take a very extreme view of everybody as being totally blind and totally deaf, which is just not the case.

“The guidelines talked about translators as a key point, for example. I don’t need that, but it doesn’t mean I don’t have other issues.

“A register of specific issues applying to specific people would be really helpful in aiding help in this area, especially in employment, education, public transport problems, areas like that. Ironically, when it comes to this area, policy is somewhat deaf and blind.

“We’re not hopeful of change under this government, but I’m also expecting an election in the next twelve months, so we’re playing a long game with the white paper.

“Essentially, it’s doing the work for them, in order to make it very clear what’s needed.”

Brill, meanwhile, will continue in competitive golf, heading to Vienna for the Austrian Open in September, and Sydney for the Australian Open in October. The political angle will remain “simmering in the background”.

GAZETTE

30 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 13 July 2017

SPORT

FASTSport

Newlands Crier through to Belfry championship NIALL McDonnell and John Crier have qualified for the UK and Ireland final of the American Golf Senior Championship following an impressive second place finish at regional qualifying.

The pairing now progress to Ryder Cup venue, The Belfry, on September 7 and 8 where they will battle it out over the Brabazon Course for the title of best senior pair in the UK and Ireland.

McDonnell and Crier, members at Ballinascorney Golf Club and Newlands Golf Club respectively, carded a strong 43 points in the qualifying event held at Roganstown Golf Club.

They finished just behind Swords pairing John Brazil and Des Rooney who edged past them with a very impressive 43 points while holding off the third placed challengers by virtue of countback.

McDonnell and Crier will now join qualifiers from all over the UK and Ireland in front of Sky Sports’ cameras at the Belfry grand final where they will compete across two days of competition to be crowned American Golf Senior champions.

This win also puts them in contention for the Tournament of Champions in Mauritius, should they succeed at the iconic Midland venue.

“Our championship events have proven incredibly popular over recent years,” comments Daniel Gathercole, Director of Marketing and Communication at American Golf.

“We love to see competitive golf played with a smile on golfer’s faces so we can’t wait to welcome all our qualifiers to the Belfry to have a great time and do battle for the title.”

Local American Golf store Manager John Storey from Dundrum commented: “It’s great to know that we’ll have golfers representing Co. Dublin at the U.K. & Ireland finals of the Senior Championship. We’ve got a fantastic golfing community in the region and I’m delighted that American Golf can give local golfers the chance to play at an iconic venue like the Belfry against qualifiers from all over the U.K and Ireland.”

Entry to all of the American Golf Championships, including the American Golf Seniors Championship, is free.

KICKBOXING: CLONDALKIN BUSHIDO CLUB REPRESENTING IRELAND

Wade and Lamari to kick on in Macedonia  DAVID DONNELLY sport@dublingazette.com

TWO Lucan kids are to travel to Macedonia to represent Ireland at the WAKO Cadet and Junior European Championships in Skopje from September 2 to 10.

Ten-year-olds Amy Wade and Zach Lamari are both aiming for gold after being selected as part of the Irish kickboxing team to compete at the tournament in the former Yugoslav republic.

The duo train at Bushido Martial Arts Clondalkin and are the younger of the four competitors from the gym travelling to Macedonia as part of a team comprising more than 60 fighters and coaches.

Competing at junior level will be 16-year-olds Dean Murphy and Karyna Nikitina, the latter the reigning European and

former world champion in point and continuous fighting.

Amy and Zach both compete in point fighting in the ages 10-12 category and, coincidentally, both compete in the -37kg weight division in girls and boys respectively.

Having only taken up kickboxing seriously in the past couple of years, the pair have experienced a meteoric rise under coach Ilija Salerno.

Both Amy and Zach are national champions in their age and weight classes having won gold at the National Kickboxing Championship in Citywest earlier this year.

“For both of them this is their first European Championships,” Andy Wade, Amy’s father, tells GazetteSport.

“They’re very young and inexperienced. They

SOCCER SCHOOLS Liffey Valley to host top annual FAI football camp LIFFEY Valley Rangers are once again host-

ing the FAI Summer Soccer this year from Monday, July 31 until Friday, August 4.

All children aged from six to 14 years of age are welcome to take part.

It costs €65 per child who will all receive a training top, shorts, socks, a back pack, a football and a participation certificate and promises to be a fun-filled week.

Log on to www.summersoccerschools.ie to secure a place for your child.

Amy Wade, left, and Zach Lamari are en route to Macedonia for the kickboxing Euros

train, between the kickboxing and taekwondo, about six or seven times a week.

“They’re only really getting into everything within the past two years – there could be other kids fighting since they were four or five.

“But where they’ve gone in such a short period of time has been phenomenal. I can’t walk into my daughter’s room without seeing all the medals she has.”

While there’s no pressure on the kids to win, especially as they’re both on then younger side of the 10-12 grouping,

they expect to compete given the success they’ve achieved at home.

“They are going over there, first and foremost, for experience, because they will qualify again.

“We’re hoping they medal. That itself would be a huge achievement for their first-ever European Championships.”

Ireland is currently ranked fifth in the world by the World Assocation of Kickboxing Organisations (WAKO), behind Italy, Hungary, Russia and Great Britain.

As kickboxing is not an Olympic sport, and thus not funded by Sport

Ireland, kickboxing is heavily reliant on private funding and sponsorship.

BMA Clondalkin has been helped by the patronage of Clondalkin and Lucan Credit Unions and is grateful for any additional sponsorship that helps cover the costs.

“T he President of Kickboxing Ireland is trying to get it as an Olympic sport hopefully in the next 10-15 years.

“As it stands it’s not an Olympic sport and it’s not funded by Sports Ireland. 99% of the funding comes from the parents.”

13 July 2017 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 31

GAZETTE

BEHIND THE BALL

Brogan helps deliver 55,000 balls for clubs

CLUB NOTICEBOARD ROUND TOWER, CLONDALKIN

DUBLIN’S Bernard Brogan, Monaghan’s Conor McManus, Kerry’s Donnchadh Walsh, Lee Keegan of Mayo were all on hand to launch SuperValu’s #BehindTheBall campaign at Croke Park.

SuperValu is set to donate 55,000 footballs to clubs across Ireland and deliver volunteer camps throughout the summer.

LAST week, we announced this year we

Thank you to all who attended our

will host a very special All-Ireland din-

annual club mass and to club president

ner in Croke Park on Friday, September

Tommy Keogh for organising.

15. Join us in the players’ lounge on All-

Our redeveloped club function room

Ireland football final weekend for a day

is available for hire for celebratory

of fun and analysis.

events. Contact Jimmy, bar manager, at

A special panel of guests will be

Picture: Morgan Treacy/Inpho

FOOTBALL: EARLY GOALS UNDERPIN BIG U-16 VICTORY

087 7453478.

assembled to preview the big game.

Bingo takes place every Tuesday in the

A table of 10 will cost €1,000 (€100 per

club, with first call at 8.30pm. Jackpot

head) and we are limited to 14 tables so

this week of €1,000 if checked within 46

book early to avoid disappointment. For

numbers. All welcome.

further information, contact Niall at 087

Round Tower lotto (July 3): the jackpot

6290870, Ed at 087 8073391 or Alan at 087

is €10,000. Numbers drawn 6, 7, 15 and 23,

9299488.

the bonus ball was 25. No overall winner

On the playing pitches last weekend,

and no bonus ball winner.

our senior hurlers notched their sixth

Three €100 winners: Mary McInerney,

win from seven in the league, defeating

Frankie and Eamon, Sarah Ann and Tony;

St Kevin’s. Our junior hurlers were nar-

and Chloe and Grace. Thanks to all who

rowly beaten by Clontarf.

participated.

ST PAT’S, PALMERSTOWN WELL done to the U-14 footballers with their good solid win v Clanna Gael, 5-12 to 3-3.

In camogie, congratulations to St Pat-

night in Palmerstown House at 8pm.

Then, at 9pm, relive the St Patrick’s GAA

was selected to play for Dublin U-14s on

club OsKaRs as we invite you along to see

Friday in an intercounty blitz v Water-

all seven movies once again followed by

ford, Cork, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Wexford

entertainment from tribute singer as

and Antrim. Well done Rachel, St Pat-

George Michael at 10.30pm.

your achievements to date.

Sunday morning, the minor footballRound Tower’s Under-16 side has won six out of seven league matches to date this season.

ers had a great win at home against

Leech and Murray put Towers in pole position

Naomh Fionnbarra. Well done lads and

Round Tower 3-11 Fingallians 1-8  sport@dublingazette.com

ROUND Tower’s Under16s cruised to a big win over Fingallians in a top of the table clash at Monastery Road, enabling he Clondalkin club to eke out a two-point lead in Division 3.

With perfect conditions for football, this promised to be a cracking game and the home side got off to a superb start with the ever-reliable Joey Leech slotting home a well-taken goal inside three minutes.

Towers pushed on from there and, following a great piece of play from an overlap from Kelly saw the ball worked into Alex O’Neill, then Ciaran O’Rourke.

He put in a diagonal ball right on the money into Joe Murray who banged into the back of the net for the second goal, one of the best worked goals he seen in a while.

This followed with scores coming from Murray, Lu Heffernan and Leech pushing the margin to nine points before Fingallians opened their scoring with a point by

the wing forward.

Tow e r s ke p t t h i s momentum going right through the half and went into the break, eight points to the good against a side they had been level with in the rankings before the throw in.

The hosts did suffer a blow at half time with goalscorer Leech having to be replaced due to a shoulder injury.

However, this didn’t faze the home team and they started the second half just as they finished the first, with pace and determination.

Full forward O’Rourke

won some great ball inside 20 metres; he handed it off for well taken scores, a tactic that was working brilliantly for the Clondalkin men.

Fingallians hit back with a goal of their own with 10 minutes left but not before Murray slotted home to put the game to bed.

This result puts Towers top of a competitive Division 3 league with seven games played, two points clear of Fingallians and Ballymun Kickhams.

They now go on a break until August 22 when they begin their last two league matches.

Saturday, July 15 we celebrate our senior camogie team at their awards

rick’s camogie player Rachel Walsh who

rick’s GAA club is very proud of you and

U-16 DIVISION 3

takes place from July 17 to 21.

mentors.

All welcome to join us on the night.

Our annual golf classic will take place on September 1 at the Hermitage golf club.

Lotto numbers were 8, 11, 12 and 13.

Next week’s jackpot is €2,000. Tickets

Our U-13 footballers had a great win

available from SuperValu, Manor Hair

Sunday against O Dwyer’s, 11-6 to 7-10,

Studios, Palmerstown House and Post

down by three with only a few minutes

Office Chapelizod. The next draw is July

to go and they scored three goals in last

16.

few minutes to win the game. Great display lads.

Dates for your diary: The club camp

LUCAN SARSFIELDS

THE postponed car draw will take place

Thanks to all our ticket sellers and lotto participants for your continued support.

August 22.

on the night of August 26 when Aslan play

Lucan Sarsfields golf society’s next

at Lucan Sarsfields. Tickets for Aslan are

outing will take place at Tulfarris Golf

available online form Ticketmaster.ie.

Club on Saturday, July 22 from 9.30am

Last week there was no winner of the

to 10.50am. To request a tee time, please

€6,600 lotto and the numbers were 19,

text John Clancy at 086 0412953 as

25, 26 and 27. This week’s €7,000 draw will

soon as possible but no later than 6pm

be managed by Team Shay Hurson and

on Sunday, July 16. New members are

is sponsored by Finnstown Pharmacy.

always very welcome.

Tickets can be purchased online, at the

The annual family fun day, originally

club, in Carey’s Newsagents or in Vesey

scheduled for Saturday, July 1, has now

Arms or Kenny’s Bar.

been moved to later in the summer.

Dublin senior camogie had a two point win over Waterford, helped by Lucan’s Emma Flanagan, Ali Twomey and Marie Moynihan.

Senior hurling came away from St Anne’s Park with a draw from their Raheny encounter; next up is a home encounter with Naomh Olaf on the

Bingo continues on Wednesdays at 8pm in the club bar.

Club shop is closed for its summer break. Items can still be purchased online or in O’Neill shop on the Long Mile Road.

Lucan District Credit Union Academy are also on their summer break.

GAZETTESPORT

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Dublin boss Jim Gavin is hopeful the GAA world can move on from the Diarmuid Connolly furore

Gavin wary of pro ballers Dublin manager says Kildare’s Brophy, Flynn and Feely all bring top experience of paid sport to the table for Sunday’s Leinster senior final  DAVID DONNELLY

sport@dublingazette.com

ROUND Tower’s man Jim Gavin reckons the professional football experience in Kildare’s ranks could give the challengers an edge during Sunday’s Leinster Championship final at Croke Park.

The Dubs have the last six Leinster Championships in a row, stretching back to 2011, but they face reinvigorated opposition in the form of Cian O’Neill’s perennial semi-finalists.

Forward Paddy Brophy returned to the panel in May following three years playing Aussie Rules in Perth with the West Coast Eagles while ex-Port Adelaide man Danny Flynn is finally fit again.

Midfielder Kevin Feely spent three years playing professional soccer in England with Charlton Athletic and Newport County after leaving Bohemians before returning in 2015.

And the Dublin manager – who spent many years serving in the air force around Kildare – believes their experience added to heightened expectation among lilywhite fans will make for an intriguing contest.

“They’ve got three players returning from professional football. Kevin Feely looks very good in midfield,” Gavin said on Wednesday.

“He’s scored, I think, 23 points already in the year so far. With Tommy Moolick there looks to be a very good combination there.

“Danny Flynn at full forward is very promising, 1-3 or 1-4 over the two games, and Brophy

we’ve met before.

“We’ve seen him in 2013 and he’s back from the AFL as well. Those two lads from Australia bring back a lot of experience.

“Ollie Lyons seems to have as much life in his legs as he had in the past, continuously foraging forward, so I think we’re up against a big challenge on Sunday.”

Gavin refused to be drawn on what exactly Diarmuid Connolly is and isn’t allowed to do while serving a 12-game ban for laying his hands on a linesman in the quarter-final with Carlow.

He confirmed Connolly has been put on a program to keep him ticking over before his potential return before the end of the All-Ireland Championship, should Dublin make it

that far.

Gavin expressed no regrets over his refusal to speak to give one-to-one interviews with broadcasters following the semi-final win over Westmeath last month.

He did so in protest against what he felt were unfair remarks that disparaged Connolly’s character by TV analysts on the Sunday Game and elsewhere.

“I hope the lessons have been learnt and we can move on. If I believe a player is being disrespected, and Croke Park don’t step in and protect the player and his good name, I have no option but to react as I did.

“Unlike other sports, our boys have to go out – intercounty players have to go out – on Monday morning and seek out a living.”